Topic Title

Just for discussion, what would your nominations be under the following categories?

1. Race of the year (competitor)
Leave me out of this one, I did one Thursday TT and the least said about that the better...

2. Race of the year (spectator)
Men's Team Pursuit at Rio. Watched on Siobhan's tablet in a tent in Rosedale. Left me exhausted

3. Most enjoyable ride of the year
Mosstrooper 300k Audax. New roads, wild vistas, a big day out without totally destroying us.

4. Hardest ride of the year.
Circuit of the Moors Challenge. Shouldn't have been the hardest on paper, maybe it was the lateness in the season, or maybe we rode too hard early on... Whatever, I wasn't great company that evening.

5. Cafe stop of the year!
Got to be tea on the lawn at Dale Head Farm Cafe in Rosedale. What a view!

6. "It'll get me home" bodge of the year.
Steen and I had a late evening bodge when his rear mech committed suicide, but it didn't quite work, so am sure others can improve on this one.

Other categories?

If you want my Euros worth

1/Race entered. Scotton 100 not a race but and event ? As JohnS told me its only an event if you don't get the time you want.
So for me this year it was a race. Unless you were quicker than me then it was an event.

2 Race watched. Vuelta a Espana Our guy may not have won but always a great race with plenty of climbing action. Roads we would all love to ride on.

3/ Enjoyable ride. Tiny road left turn off the A835 from Ullapool. On to Lochinver and the coast road though Stoer and Drumbeg. If you know a better one let me know
Probably the best road for cycling in the world as uncle Carl told me once.

4/ Hardest ride was the Omloop het West Yorkshire taking in the cobbled climbs of Halifax. The hardest ride I have done from the Square bar non. My advice would be to do it on a dry day when your feeling light, strong and fearless.

5 Cafe stop was in Peel Isle of Man. More of a beer garden than a cafe. It came at the point when all we had done the day before was ride our bikes, all we had done that day was ride our bikes and all we had to do the following day was ride our bikes. Also Dave Cook,Ian Hagyard were getting a bit silly on beer. A lady asked if we were brothers ? yes but from another mother. Maybe you had to be there.

6/ Bodge Job. Yes the one that Rob mentioned will mean I carry a replacement rear mech hanger with me for a good while yet. Also I have been carrying a tyre boot around with me for years. I had the a split in the side wall on the above remote road in Scotland. The boot held the 80 miles to Inverness.

Anymore wish to show and tell ?

Steen

Most enjoyable ride: Probably the Galibier via the Lauteret with my daughter. Mainly as she isn't a serious cyclist and only rides to humour me

1. Race of the year (competitor)
My last, this one, the Stockton 50 mile TT. Life stuff has meant I’ve had a rubbish competitive year, but conditions were kind and blew me round to a PB in 1:55.

2. Race of the year (spectator)
The Tour of Flanders, watched from Look Mum No Hands in London. Nice to see Sagan take over the mantle from Fab in such emphatic style.

3. Most enjoyable ride of the year
Joint honours on this one:
1a) Riding through the Durmitor from Montenegro into Bosnia. Guys, Monenegro is amazing, you should all go there, it's like Switzerland (see here and here) but warmer, cheaper and less touristy.
1b) This Polish border raid, finishing off a tough tour with a perfect day for a long ride.

4. Hardest ride of the year.
Previously on the same tour, this (part 1, part 2) ride across north Germany. Foul weather, we weren’t prepared, we didn’t complete the day, and I left my wallet at the lunch stop.

5. Cafe stop of the year!
Back to time trialling and I managed to get my stoppage time on a two minutes so I’m going to nominate those 120 seconds as my best cafe stop

6. "It'll get me home" bodge of the year.
Not a bodge as such, but a hurried ride from Kings Cross to Bromley and back between my train and flight to Eastern Europe, because my GPS had just broken and I needed to borrow a spare part.