Maureen’s diary:
Actually, the rain didn’t really begin until we were indoors for the day, but today was our first full day, so we worked a little on acclimating ourselves and also visiting the RideLondon Expo at the Excel Center. Today was the best day for us to attend the expo, but it was also an opportunity to get our Oyster cards refilled and to remember how to navigate on the Tube (London Underground). I’ve actually never been to the Docklands area before because it was redeveloped after I left England, so it was cool to see what was going on down there with all the building and repurposing that has gone on in the past couple of decades.
The expo itself was about what we expected, a few gear and clothing companies, snack and drink purveyors, and lots of charities, including JDRF! The best part about it was a massive swag bag with samples of bars, foods, some toys, and to our surprise, a bike jersey. Sadly, the jerseys may have been made by a company that doesn’t make serious bike apparel and understand fit, so you may not see them on our shoulders after the ride tomorrow, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
After we left the Expo, we trained and tubed our way back to the northwest suburbs, detouring to get a SIM card for my phone that will work in England and a few other countries on our planned itinerary (a second card will cover the other countries). After that, back to Susan and Melvyn’s to get the pedals onto the bikes, a quick mechanical to make sure they are rideable for tomorrow, and a lovely Shabbat dinner with my sister’s oldest daughter and her family, along with my sister and brother-in-law of course. Yum.