Battlefield Bike Ride

One of the great blessings of living in York is that you are surrounded by historical sites. On my training ride today I rode across Marston Moor which is about 8 miles outside of York. Marston Moor was the scene of one of the most decisive battles of the English Civil War which took place on 2nd July 1644. The battle was between the Royalist forces led by Prince Rupert and the Parliamentarians commanded by the Earls of Leven and Manchester and Lord Fairfax. The battle started in the evening around 7pm and over the next few hours the outnumbered Royalist forces were routed by the Parliamentarians. Over 3000 Royalist troops were killed in the battle compared to 300 casualties for the Parliamentarians. As a result of the battle the Royalists effectively abandoned the North of England. Its a peaceful spot today but the obelisk in the picture serves as a memorial to the thousands of men who lost their lives in the carnage on 2nd July 1642.

It was a good training ride across the battle field today. Despite having had a week off my legs felt strong and I did about 14 miles. Although the sun was shining it was a bitterly cold day. I can't wait for the warm sunny spring evenings, far more conducive to training!