I didn’t realise it would be a name badge affair; here is mine, complete with my justification for inclusion on the ‘VIP’ list, the ‘EuroVelo 5 blog’. If only they hadn’t chosen to employ a deaf DJ for the evening…. The music blaring from his speakers was so loud that I only hung around for about half an hour, wandering the aisles with the (rest of the!) glitterati of Reading. This included the easy-to-spot members of the Reading Rockets basketball team and errr…. Well, Reading isn’t that big!

Away from my cynical comments about big business corporate marketing events, the Decathlon was a Decathlon, that’s for sure. Not quite the size of the ones in London and elsewhere but hey, it’s on my doorstep so I can’t complain. Good selection of cycling stuff (although the deaf DJ had taken over most of the area dedicated to cycling and his proximity made my one conversation of the evening – with an employee next to cycling waterproofs section – all but a practise session in lip-reading) which I will no doubt start to plunder over next week’s half-term holiday. For my efforts, I have a £10 voucher off my ‘first spend’. The poster outside promises more festivities for Saturday with (wait for it…), Kingsley, Reading FC’s mascot.