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Derby Mercury RC Magazine
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Sprin
g 201
5The
The magazine of Derby Mercury Road Club
SIGNPOST
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DERBY MERCURY
Opening HoursMonday: 8:00am - 8:00pmTuesday: ClosedWednesday: 8:00am - 6:00pmThursday: 8:00am - 8:00pmFriday: 8:00am - 6:00pmSaturday: 8:00am - 6:00pmSunday: Appointment only
Quite simply custom built bikes
Telephone:01332 295934
Email:[email protected]
Unit 3, Darley Abbey Mills, Darley Abbey, DE22 1DZ
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CLUB SUBS NOW DUE!If you haven’t paid your Club Subs get in touch with Christine ASAP otherwise your membership will expire on 31st March ‘15.
Photograph Credits: I would like to credit the following people for taking the photographs used
in this issue: Martin Wimpenny, Richard Malik,Shaun Warbrick, Charlotte/Eric Jolly,
Darius Wania & Dave Banks.
The next issue of The Signpost will be the Summer Issue (June 2015) & the deadline will be 11th May. Although please email me any information as soon as you have it.
Welcome to the Spring Issue of The Signpost! This is the first issue with me
at the helm. I hope to publish 4 issues a year, Spring (March 2015), Summer (June 2015), Autumn (September 2015) & Winter (December 2015) so I’m 25% of the way there! However, I can only do this with your help! My role with this magazine is Editor, but I need information to edit so please keep sending it in. Thanks to all who have contributed to this issue. Also, a BIG thank you to the 4 advertisers, without them the magazine wouldn’t be in full colour! All the bike shops in Derby City were contacted and these were the only 3 (plus the Chiropractor on the back cover) who chose to support Derby Mercury. So please support them, or at least give them the opportunity to sell you a product or service. This was more than them placing an advert, this was them showing their support for Derby Mercury. Thank you. If you have any ideas of articles, features etc. that you would like to see in the magazine then please let me know. I have come up with a few ideas of my own, some of which made it to print in this issue. Below is a list of regular features that I hope to publish in the magazine. This will only happen if you email them in. So please help me to grow your club magazine. Breakaway... Members cycle trips away. Write about your cycle trips, either local,
national or international. Email the information to [email protected] along with any photos. There are 2 of these articles in this month! Ride Guide.... This is where I’ll publish your favourite routes, either on road or off road. Send them in with any photos and a map would be great! The Hub.... Tit Bits of news & humour. This section is both Fact & Fiction. Out the Back... This feature is a short Q&A with a Club member. I’ve already sent out the questions via Facebook and the Club Forum and have received quite a few back, so thanks to those who have replied. To those who haven’t replied yet, what’s stopping you? If I have the space I can run 2 or 3 per issue, although I’ll have to change the name of the feature as you all can’t be ‘out the back’. If you don’t have access to the internet please call me and I’ll post you the questions. On a final note, putting this magazine together I have noticed that I don’t have much from the Juniors or Ladies, so come on folks send it in! I want to see a thriving Junior section in the next issue, and ladies I want to see stuff from you as well, race reports, favourite rides etc.
Best wishes, Morgy
Plus anyone who I’ve forgotten to mention, or couldn’t find out who took the photo!
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In the last magazine (October 2014) I wrote an article concerning the club time trial competitions in order
to make people aware of the opportunities that exist to pick up some silverware at the prize presentation. It was when I took over as trophies secretary and collected all the trophies in for engraving that I was reminded how many trophies we have and how few people are competing for them. Unfortunately, as a result of difficulties with the publication of the magazine, the article did not appear until late in the year when it was too late for anyone to do anything about it. So I will try again.
There may be several reasons why, in spite of the large number of people riding the evening time trials, there seem to be very few riding open events and therefore very few doing the qualifying rides for, say, the club Best All Rounder (BAR) competitions. One reason is changing road conditions. The rules for the BAR competitions follow those of the CTT and were formulated many years ago when there was a lot less traffic. People were also prepared to get up in the early hours of the morning and travel the country seeking out the fast courses. I don’t blame people for not wanting to do that these days and I will certainly not try to persuade anyone to enter events on dual carriageway courses, many of which I believe have now become too dangerous. However, not all courses are dangerous and I think there are still options available.
Another reason may simply be that newer members are unaware of some of the competitions.
Junior CompetitionsThe junior age category only spans a couple of years and there have been times in the past when the number of juniors in the club has dipped down to zero. This may explain why, (until 2014) neither the junior BAR nor the junior 25 mile Championship has been contested since 1997. Sid Wilson stopped the rot by riding the 25 last season – the junior 25 trophy is a splendid, ornate cup dating back to the 1940s. The Championship is a one-off event, designated in advance and last season was two laps of the Long Lane course. The rider’s category is determined by age on the day of the event and the fastest junior wins.
The junior BAR is determined by a rider’s average speed over four rides, two at 10 miles and two at 25 miles. Any event (DMRC, Open or Association) that can be entered by any DMRC junior counts. Obviously events held on fast courses will yield the best times but it is not necessary to ride dual carriageway courses. For example, a rider could include two of the club’s evening time trials (although they are 12.5 miles they will be accepted for this competition and the speed worked out accordingly) together with the club 25 mile championship event and a 25 mile event on the Griffydam circuit.
Ladies CompetitionsAlthough the ladies competitions (BAR, 25 mile Championship and 10 mile Championship) have been awarded most years they have often only been contested by one or two riders. Liz Pilkington has dominated the BAR for many years and Hilary Johnson has kept the Championship events alive for the last few years. However, my impression is that there are more potential competitors for these events than for some time and it would be good to see
LUB TIME TRIAL OMPETITIONSC
Dave Ellis
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more people having a go. The BAR and 25 mile Championship are run as for the junior events above but without the age restriction. The event designated for the 10 mile Championship is one of the evening time trials, even though they are actually 12.5 miles.
Open, Vets and Club BAR Competitions
The Open BAR is, or should be, the club’s premier time trialling award and is determined by average speed over four distances: 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles. However, the competition has been in decline for quite a few years and currently attracts very few competitors. Jim Hopper is keeping it alive but he would be the first to acknowledge that it is not the competition that it used to be and more contestants are needed if it is not to die out. The same comments apply to the vets BAR, in fact the winner of both tends to be the same person nowadays. An attempt to address the problem was made by introducing the Club BAR which removed the need to do a 100 mile event and got round the need to go for the fastest courses by determining the result as a percentage of the time for the winner on the day rather than absolute speed. However, the number of competitors is still very low.
There is no doubt that riding a 100 mile time trial, or even a 50 for that matter, is a real challenge but, looking around the clubroom, I see quite a few riders who look as though they are capable of doing it. So how about having a go?
Recording Your ResultsTo compete for the competitions noted above it will be necessary to ride at least one event that is not organised by the Mercury. It would not be reasonable to expect the time trial secretary to keep track of everyone’s comings and goings. I am willing to collate all results but the onus is on the rider to submit his results to me – just send me an email to: [email protected]
Club Time Trial Events 2015 Date Course Time KeepersApril7th Long Lane Byron Buck & Dave Banks14th Long Lane Dave Barber & Sid Wilson21st Long Lane Jon Knapp & Dan Gibson28th Windley Lee Blades & Simon NeveMay5th Windley Paul Newton & Lydia Adelin12th Long Lane Simon Oldacre & Jim Crew19th Long Lane Darius Jaskowski & Hilary Johnson26th Long Lane Matt Crouch & Phil CrippsJune2nd Long Lane* 2 Laps Jon O’Brien & Guy Webster9th Long Lane Steve Hand, Nick Cousins & Carl Andrews16th A25/11 Inter Club 2523rd Windley Pete Turner & Mark Gray30th Windley Andy Pope & Andy OfflerJuly7th Matlock Matlock/Interclub14th Windley Matlock/Interclub Chris Blount & Duncan Brown21st Long Lane** Des Spiller & Ben Walker28th Long Lane Chris Limberger & Julie ScalesAugust 4th Windley Pete Johnson & Duncan Gell11th Windley Chris Bradley & Debbie Hamp18th Long Lane Chas Price & Tom Butcher25th Long Lane John Manning & Bailey WilmotSeptember1st Windley Hill Climb-Nigel Calladine & Tom Gunton
For Club TT’s meet at the Clubroom for signing on at 6:30pm. St Matthew’s Church Hall, Darley Abbey Drive, Darley Abbey.
Any change to this will be on the Club Forum / FB Page.*Mens 25 mile Club Championship
**Ladies & Juniors Club “10” Championship
Is that allyou’ve got?
2-Up
Awards
Night
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ENIN
G T
T SE
RIE
S
Scratch 1st Paul NewtonScratch 2nd John KnappScratch 3rd Dave BarberScratch 1st Lady Hilary JohnsonScratch Junior Sid WilsonScratch U16 Dan GibsonHandicap 1st Dave BarberHandicap 2nd Sid WilsonHandicap 3rd Dan Gibson
10 &
25
CH
AMPS
Club 10 (12) Mile Championship 1st Lady Hilary JohnsonClub 10 (12) Mile Championship 1st U16 Bailey WilmotClub 25 Mile Championship 1st Jon O’BrienClub 25 Mile Championship 2nd Tom ButcherClub 25 Mile Championship 3rd Mark GrayClub 25 Mile Championship 1st Lady ‘None’Club 25 Mile Championship 1st Junior Sid Wilson
BEST
ALL
RO
UN
DER
DMRC BAR 1st Nick CousinsDMRC BAR 2nd Pete CreweDMRC BAR 3rd Jim HopperSenior BAR 1st Jim HopperSenior BAR 2nd ‘None’Senior BAR 3rd ‘None’Vets BAR 1st Jim HopperWomens BAR 2nd None’Junior BAR 3rd None’
HIL
L C
LIM
B&
FREE
WH
EEL Hill Climb 1st Lady Sara Russell
Hill Climb 1st Junior Sid WilsonHill Climb 1st Jon KnappHill Climb 2nd Jon O’BrienHill Climb 3rd Sid WilsonFree Wheel 1st Jon O’Brien
PHOTOGRAPHICPhoto Competition 1st Dave BanksPhoto Competition 2nd Darius Wania
RO
AD &
TRAC
K
Road Race 1st Paul NewtonRoad Race 1st Junior Xan CreesRoad Race 1st Vet Andy EagersTrack 1st Rosie Blount
CYC
LO C
RO
SS (2
014/
15)
Senior 1st Colin WoodwardLadies 1st Eve RobertsVet (40-49) 1st Eric VarleyVet (50+) 1st Pete TurnerJunior 1st Dan GibsonUnder 16 1st Boy Bailey WilmotUnder 16 1st Girl Xan CreesUnder 14 1st Boy James LuscombeUnder 14 1st Girl Alice CraneUnder 12 1st Boy Ben ChiltonUnder 12 1st Girl Jessica TiffanyUnder 9 1st Boy Sebastian VarleyUnder 9 1st Girl Lola Wania
DOVEDALE DASHSenior 1st Chris HolmesLady 1st Alice CraneJunior 1st Jack Husselbee
COMMITTEE & CLUB VOTEDFlat Cat Julie ScalesAudax - Senior Jim HopperAudax - U18 Josh ScalesMTB Senior Isabelle BoonPerformance of the Year Andy EagersOPEN 25m TIME TRIAL
Andy Jackson Team Swift 47:21
PRIZE
WINNERS
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CLUB PHOTO COMPETITION RESULTS
1st Dave Banks
2nd Darius Wania
DERBY MERCURY TAKE TEAM HONOURS at theCoalville Wheelers 10m TT - 21st February 2015
Derby Mercury had 3 representatives in the recent Coalville Wheelers 10m TT on the tough Griffydam Course (A10/34).
Adam Kenway led the Mercury Team home to a superb Team WIN, in a great 2nd position overall with Time Trial specialist Matt Sinclair only getting the better of Adam. Mark Morgan was the next Mercury member in 7th & Guy Webster finished in a strong 24th*, to make Derby Mercury
the fastest Team of the day!*Judging from the chat on a TT Forum it
looks like Guy may have actually been 22nd.
1. Matt Sinclair 21.442. Adam Kenway 22.06.....7. Mark Morgan 22.4324. Guy Webster 24.28
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2015 Committee Members
/Derby Mercury RC/Derby Mercury RC Racing @DerbyMercuryRC
www.derbymercury.org.uk
President Derek Wilkins
Chairman Jim Crew [email protected]
Secretary Dave Banks [email protected]
Treasurer Avice Sleath [email protected]
Mountain Bike Secretary Darius Wania [email protected]
Time Trial Secretary Byron Buck [email protected]
Road Race Secretary Paul Newton [email protected]
Cyclocross Secretary Matt Crouch [email protected]
Media Secretary & Webmaster Jon O’Brien [email protected]
Magazine Editor Mark Morgan [email protected]
Junior Rep. Harry Crew [email protected]
Welfare Officer Dave Luscombe [email protected]
Clothing Secretary John Anglesea [email protected]
Membership Secretary Christine Kelly [email protected]
Trophies Secretary Dave Ellis [email protected]
Audax / Touring Secretary Nigel Calladine [email protected]
Club Coach Steve Palmer [email protected]
Position Name Contact Details
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Breakaway...Morgy’s BIG Belgian weekend
If you have ever needed an excuse to spend a weekend in Belgium then as a cyclist you have two excellent options which will more than satisfy your interest in the sport.
One is the Tour of Flanders race weekend in the spring of each year. The professional race is on Sunday but on Saturday you can ride the same roads as the pros in the Tour of Flanders Sportive along with 14,000 other fanatics on the same hallowed cobbled climbs. So it’s riding on Saturday morning followed by beers on Saturday night, if you aren’t too broken, and then on Sunday it’s more beers, frites and mayonnaise while watching the pros agreeing with yourself that you were much more stylish when you rode the climbs the day before.
The other weekend which I’ve now travelled to twice, involves cycling but less riding is the Koksijde world cup cyclo-cross/Ghent 6 Day track weekend in November each year. This has become an off season annual pilgrimage of sorts for hundreds of cyclists from all over the UK, with many meeting here rather than in the UK.
The appeal of the cross/track weekend is simple; in the same day you can watch the world’s best male and female cross riders in the afternoon and then in the evening watch some of the most famous names in track racing in the velodrome in Ghent.
The Cross is about 45 minutes from Calais and Ghent about an hour from there making both relatively accessible from UK channel ports. Oh and they sell beer at both events. Here’s how we got on this year...
I travelled to a friends house on Friday evening. He lives an hour from the channel tunnel terminal at Folkestone which means getting to France is very easy so in less than two hours we’re in France with Koksijde a quick 45 minute trip up the coast. Not wanting to hit the beer and frites too early we stopped in De Panne for lunch and still had plenty of time to get to the main races. Arriving at the venue it’s really simple to park along the road near the event and walk in.
Paying €15 may seem a lot to watch a Cross race but when you get in you forget this as it’s more of a football match atmosphere than a cycle race. The crowd know who the major players are and many rider fan clubs were present with flags and banners. What you notice more is the noise coming from the beer tent which opens for the first race at 9am and the singing and dancing fans in it. Euro pop and sing-alongs get the crowd going and some people don’t even watch the races as they get too carried
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away in the tent.
The women’s race was first big race for us in the afternoon after the U23 men’. British riders Nikki Harris, Helen Wyman, Gabby Durrin and Hannah Payton got cheered the whole way round with British national champion Harris eventually finishing fifth much to the delight of her Belgian team supporters. This was a good warm up for the men’s race with just enough time to get some frites and mayo washed down with several beers before it started.
By the time the men’s race started at 3pm the crowd had swelled to 10 deep in most parts and soon as the action started so did the noise. Crowd favourite, former world
champion and living Cross legend Sven Nys didn’t perform as well as he had hoped, but you could still tell where he was on the circuit thanks to the wave of noise which greeted him the whole way round. Alas, the cheering wasn’t enough and he finished 15th. However, the crowd had come to watch a race and that’s what they got, with the Belgian Wout Van Aert winning so they got a home victor at least. British interests were well represented with national champion Ian Field finishing in 24th place, four places up on last year.
Then it was back in the car and a one hour trip to the beautiful city of Ghent. Once there it was a quick spruce up and then a wander into the city centre for some dinner before hitting the track. You always end up spending longer in the town centre but it doesn’t matter as the track is less than 10 minutes in a taxi, (5mins if you get the driver we got) and the racing goes on til late. Your entry ticket to the track also comes with a free beer token which sets the scene for the night. Up into the track centre the atmosphere really hits you; there’s
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thousands of people, cheering, loud music, dancing, and bike racing. This is real 6 Day racing, a carnival atmosphere where people gather to watch bikes and have a good time. Races are won, prizes presented, stars and dignitaries wheeled out to the public to a rapturous reception.
The big attraction this year was Cav, it was great to see him racing the Track, and the crowd loved him too. The photo below is him walking over to chat to Eddy Merckx. Yep, Eddy was there too, but in suit, and it wasn’t a Skinsuit!
A break in the racing halfway through sees a local pop star come out on the track to belt out a few cover versions with help from people on the barriers. Then it’s the Derny race where the riders of the little motorbikes are greeted with as much enthusiasm as the cyclists and it’s yet another tight victory for the winner. The racing goes on until 1am so by that stage most people have lost track (pardon the pun) of the racing as the beer has taken over but there is never any trouble. People are more concerned
about getting back into town to continue the revelry in one of the many bars.
Sunday mornings in Ghent are always a slow affair as most cafes don’t open until 10am but seeing as we were in no real rush a leisurely breakfast after a lie in was welcome. Having been round town the evening before it’s nice to see the place in daylight with places open and local markets in the morning.
This year we drove to Oudenaardeon on Sunday after breakfast. It is about 30km away and is home to the Tour of Flanders museum. The museum pays homage to the great race and the riders who have
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played a part in it. The Tour of Flanders is one of the five ‘Monuments’ in cycling (the oldest and biggest one day races on the calendar including Milan – San Remo, Paris – Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and the Tour of Lombardy) and the biggest bike race in Belgium. To the locals though, it is not just a bike race but an institution even for non cycling fans. In such a cycling obsessed country the Ronde is revered with the race and riders discussed in bars like football in
the UK and on race day the country grinds to a halt.
Oudenaarde is where the Tour of Flanders has started in recent years and is situated in the heart of Flanders
cycling territory. There are many artefacts from the race and riders who have taken part throughout its existence along with maps and interactive displays. They have a range of bikes from the late 19th Century up to the present day and also trace the development of clothing and accessories used. We particularly liked the fixed in place rollers which simulate what it’s like to ride on the cobbles and the fact they have a small race bike for kids to also experience it. You can’t help but get absorbed into the atmosphere of the race and just how much it means to the Belgian people.
There’s a section on the Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara who is a three time winner of the event and a darling of the Belgian fans, despite not being a home rider, for his sheer dominance and love of the race. They have all his trade team and national jerseys and several bikes from different periods in his career including his 2013 race winning machine. This may seem an odd place for a Swiss rider to have his collection but the
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way he prepares and attacks the race shows how much he respects and loves the race which is in turn loved by the fans. This was a temporary section though and finished at the end of 2014.
There’s also a cafe on site with more Belgian beers than you can imagine as well as good coffee. If you fancy going for a ride then the museum also has showers which can be used for a small fee which made us all wish we had brought our bikes to sample some the iconic route nearby. The gift shop has some interesting clothing and race related items at reasonable prices so worth a look round. Freddy Maertens is the
curator of the museum and was there on Sunday when we visited. The address of the museum is:
Centrum Ronde van VlaanderenMarkt 439700 OudenaardeBelgiumwww.crvv.be/en/292-tour-of-flanders-centre
Note: Apologies for the poor quality photogaphs. They were taken on my mobile phone as an afterthought and I wasn’t expecting to publish them!
ENDS
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The DandyTimekeeper
As we all know Lee Blades didn’t retain his long standing title at the 2014 DMRC Freewheel
Competition. I think I have found the reason why,he got a bit too cocky!
For “Knackered” Mercury Memberto Remember each Day.
I’ve seen better days,but I’ve also seen worse.I don’t have everything I want,but I do have all I need.I woke up with some aches and pains, but I woke up.My life may not be perfect,but I am pleased I joined the Merc.
D.W.
CLUB SUBS NOW DUE!If you haven’t paid your Club Subs get in touch with Christine ASAP otherwise your
membership will expire on 31st March 2015.
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU!First Tuesday of every month a few members
(18+++) go for a couple of drinks at The Abbey after the Chain Gang or evening Time Trial (8:30pm). Numbers have dropped in recent
months, so it would be nice to see a few more faces as we’ve ran out of things to talk about.
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LVRC Fleche Waltonne C/D Race (4¾ laps).What a difference to last year's weather when the race had to be abandoned due to snow. Bright sunshine and relatively warm, so short sleeve jerseys were the order of the day (just as well as I forgot to pack the arm warmers. Good quality fields in both age categories and it didn't take long for the pace to ramp up. A few year's ago I did the same race and didn't make it to the finish as I put in too much effort in the early laps so this time I was trying to conserve my energy by not chasing everything but when the field started to split up on the second lap I had to dig deep just to hang on. When we turned into the crosswind, the field formed several echelons across the road but I was stuck at the back with little protection as I was unwilling to cross the white lines due to the amount of oncoming traffic (and the hooting of the following commissaire's car trying to keep the peloton in order). It wasn't long before I was dropped, but at least I had some company as with 3 other riders we continued to chase for the rest of the 2nd lap. Unfortunately a tractor pulled out between us and the main group and we couldn't get past for a couple of miles by which time the leaders were out of sight. We continued at a good pace for next 2 laps with all 4 riders contributing evenly but as we came to the hill up to the finish for the bell, one of the others jumped away and 'sprinted' to the line and sat up thinking he'd finished but the sound of the bell ringing should have told him that he'd mis-counted. His acceleration had split the group up and I found myself out on my own for a while but I eased off as I didn't fancy my chances into the wind on my own. The first rider to catch me didn't want to wait for the others who were still 50m back so we TTT'd it round the final lap passing a few stragglers on the way. In the 'proper' race Andy Eagers got 3rd place after the winner Trevor Mayne (Birdwell Wheelers) broke away in the later stages and finished alone.
TLI Ray Levers RR promoted by Harworth &District CC; (7 laps of the Torworth circuit = 33m).
Raced on a handicap basis with 3 groups; I was
in the 'longmarkers' who started 3 minutes ahead of the middlemarkers and 5 minutes ahead of the scratch group. My group stayed clear for 4½ laps when we were caught by a couple of the scratch group who had bridged across from the combined group of scratch and middlemarkers. Learning from my mistake last year in the High Peak RR when I didn't realise we had been joined by 2 elite riders, I had seen them coming across this time and had sat at the back of our group to try to save some energy for their inevitable attack (once they had recovered a bit). This part of the plan worked OK as I pulled a slight gap round the corner at the start of the 'easier' downwind leg and was immediately joined by the eventual winner David McGowan of the Metaltek-Knights of Old pro team. I even did a (very) short turn on the front as we gained about 50m on the leading group and we were soon joined by another of the 'scratch' riders but the pair of them them were too strong for me to hang on to and I had to drop back. Mind you, the other rider soon got dropped as well so I caught him after he sat up and we drifted back to the bunch to recover as David soloed round the last 2 laps for the win. By now, I needed to recover in the group for a while which was fine until we got caught by the rest of the scratch group with about 1½ laps to go when the pace ramped up significantly and I ended up the wrong side of a split in the bunch and lost contact with the peloton with about 2 miles to go. In the final run in, I lost out to the experienced Ken Jones but managed to gain a couple of places in the final 20m to salvage some pride and (probably) finish 3rd in my age category.
TLI Stone Wheelers Swynnerton Road Race.(Race 1 Under 50 & Race 2 50+)
Transferred from the closed circuit round the local
Pete Turners 2014 Road Race Season
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army camp to the full road race circuit over 3½ laps (37m), the Swynnerton circuit is one of the toughest local courses with 2 significant climbs which usually results in a break getting away at some point. The course started by the HQ at Cotes Heath with 2 neutralized miles before the 'flag' dropped for racing to start in earnest. Immediately 5 riders took off with the main bunch still in 'Sunday clubrun' mode. The sedentary pace continued for most of the first lap. As we approached the finish line for the first time, I decided to pick up the pace up the climb, mainly out of boredom, as I had no intention of trying to ride the next headwind section on my own if I could help it. After gaining about 50m without any reaction, finally 3 riders took off in pursuit and we had gained about 200m by the top of the climb and were working well together. After a short fast descent, we turned sharp left to hit the headwind for the next part of the climb. By now another chasing group of 4 riders had formed and they flew across the gap to join us as we started the fast section down the 'back' of the circuit. I was still blowing a bit after the climb and nearly got dropped as we flew along at 30mph+ but just managed to hang on. Once the pace settled down a bit, all 8 of us kept working with the intention of closing the gap to the leaders. It took another lap or so but we could eventually see the lead car as we approached the start of the last lap and the 4 riders still out front (we had caught and dropped the other rider earlier). However all thoughts of teamwork were now forgotten as riders tried to close the gap in 1's and 2's and this disruption to the group allowed one of the original break to jump away on his own in a classic counter-attack. This rider Owen Line (Graham Weigh RT) is only 15 so definitely one to watch for the future (not sure how he qualified for an Over 50's race). He was helped by 3 other team-mates who were able to disrupt the chase which never got organised and he soloed to the win. In the battle for 2nd place, another Graham Weigh RT rider jumped away with 4-5 miles to go and no-one seemed bothered in chasing him so he got 2nd. To make it a good day for the team, another
Graham Weigh rider won the sprint for 3rd. I finished 11th after dropping to the back of the group for the closing miles and only managing to catch 1 rider.
20th April: TLI Stone Wheelers RR, Swynnerton(4 laps = 44m).
Another break of 6 riders went almost from the gun but unlike last week, they were strong enough to stay away this time despite the efforts of a 8 man chasing group that I managed to get in as the main bunch split up on the first climb. At the head of the race, Mark Westwood showed his class by breaking away with about 4 miles to go to win by about 2 minutes and last week's winner Owen Line won the sprint for second. In my group, Phil Thomas tried to do the same as Mark but was joined by another Graham Weigh RT rider Keith Jones who pipped him on the line. I tried a different tactic to last week by attacking at the start of the final climb with about about 400m to go but it had the same result as 5 riders passed me in the final 50m to leave me 13th overall.
LVRC Region 7 RR Championships, Cranfield.After an early start, I got caught in a couple of hold-ups on the M1 and arrived slightly later than planned but still had time to recce the course which was a triangular lap of just under 2½ miles with a draggy climb with a tailwind and 2 legs with strong crosswinds. As the start time approached, I remarked to one of the marshals at the finish area that there didn't seem to be many other riders about, only to be told that there was a briefing and neutralized roll out from the HQ (about 2 miles away). After a dash back, I arrived just in time for the briefing and barely had time to stuff my gilet in my back pocket and we were off. One advantage of my late arrival meant that I was properly warmed up having avoided standing around for 10 minutes in the cold wind like everyone else so I decided to attack straight away as soon as we got on the circuit. Don Parry (LVRC Chairman) reported the race as follows, 'This race was run on the popular short Cranfield circuit and comprised 15 laps of a 2½ mile circuit. There were a large number of entries for the whole promotion
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despite it being a mid week promotion. A tail wind up the climb on the first lap encouraged a high speed attack by Pete Turner and Bob Downs. Sensing danger these two were immediately joined by John French, Ralph Keeler and Don Parry. It took quite a few laps to establish something like a comfortable lead for this quintet who were working well together with everybody contributing. In fact they very nearly were caught again after about 6 laps but a high speed effort on the climb with everybody really suffering from the sheer speed established the break for good and they were never in danger of being caught after that. Effectively a race long 35 mile break with no hiding place. With 3 laps to go Downs put in a huge attack but was pulled back and then Turner attacked on the last lap and maintained a high pace to the finish. Bob Downs took the sprint from Parry, French, Keeler and Turner.' 3rd place in my age group and even 2nd place in the Regional age category (not sure how I qualify) made the trip 'darn sarth' worthwhile.
17th May: LVRC Buckstone Flanders RR, promoted by Condor Road Club (4 laps x 8.25m = 33m).
As the name suggests, today's course includes a section of 'unsurfaced' track across the Scammonden Reservoir Dam Wall followed by a short but steep (>20%) climb back up to public highway. This was followed by a long (3 mile) drag up to the top of the course at Buckstone Moss at 453m (lovely views)The climb also had the benefit of a stiff headwind which meant that it became a 'war of attrition' for most riders. On the 1st lap on my race, the leading group had 7 members; by lap 2 this had shrunk to 5 and by lap 3 it was down to just 3 (with me just about hanging on). After the climb, we turned for the main road descent which, with a tailwind, was chance to recover a bit even though speeds in excess of 30 - 35 mph were typical. The fun really started as we turned off and dropped steeply down a farm-track with loose gravel and potholes to pass under the M62 motorway before turning sharp left to cross the dam along a Yorkshire Water access road. The
surface along this section wasn't too bad as long as you kept to the left but we did have to watch out for dog walkers. The climb away from the dam was the steepest I have faced in a race and it wasn't helped by the quality of the surface in places although at the speed we were going you weren't really in danger of a pinch-puncture. I decided to lead it out down the final descent so I had a clear view of the road ahead and could pick the best lines around the potholes etc. At the bottom of the hill, I swept around the corner as fast as possible to maintain as much speed up the short climb that lead to the dam wall. Glancing over my shoulder, I still had Mick Day (Paul Milne Cycles) on my wheel but had managed to gain about 20m on the third member of our break, Reg Haigh (JD Cycles) so I hammered it over the off-road section to try and maintain this advantage. Up the Mur-de-Scammonden for the final time, me & Mick were neck and neck. We had about 400m to go to the finish but this section of road was really badly potholed and it was difficult to pick a smooth line in order to get the power down. Our attempt to sprint wasn't helped by an oncoming car that forced us through some of the worst holes but once the car had passed us Mick jumped clear to win by about 4-5 bike lengths. 2nd overall and 1st D cat. so the trip to Yorkshire was definitely worthwhile.
LVRC 'Circuit of Princethorpe' RR organised by Coventry RC (4¾ laps = 51miles).
The race had been relatively uneventful; the two leaders had got away mid-race on one of the slight climbs and had just pulled away to establish a race winning lead of 1min 40 by the end. There were many individual attacks off the front of the bunch but no organised chase so it looked like a sprint for third place was inevitable. With about a mile to go, I tried to go on my own, and I managed to establish a lead of about 75m but this was never going to be enough to hold off the sprinters who caught me with about 100m to go. I hadn't planned to attack as I was boxed in on the left but suddenly a gap appeared up the inside so I just accelerated up to the front where there was just enough space between the two leading riders to carry on past. I knew my attack was very
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unlikely to succeed but 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' as they say.
TLI Thursday Evening series promoted by Stafford RC/Stone Wheelers at Swynnerton Army Camp
Circuit Race (Distance 75 min + 3 laps).It had been raining all day in Derby so I headed over to Swynnerton prepared for a wet race, leaving my 'race' bike behind and taking my 'sportive' Felt instead. Luckily the weather around Stoke was better and the course itself was dry except for a couple of corners that were still damp due to overhanging trees. The race was handicapped; my group for Over 50's & beginners was to be sent off 4mins before the scratch group. As this included a recently crowned TLI Criterium National Champ Paul Thursfield (Tunstall Wheelers) the general consensus was that 4mins wouldn't be enough. After a neutralized lap of the 2.4 mile circuit to allow the newcomers to familiarize themselves with the course, the racing got going with Ian Noone (Stone Wheelers) making the first injection of pace. Although dry, it wasn't exactly warm (about 12°C) and I was feeling a bit cold after the briefing at the start and a slow first lap so I took up the pace setting from Ian in order to get the circulation going. With a couple of riders making an early move off the front, the pace was high enough to split the group and there was about 12 riders left by the time things settled down after 5-6 laps. We knew we were being chased down by the scratch group but couldn't (or wouldn't) get organised; I suspect some riders were already thinking of a bunch finish and were sitting at the back conserving their energy. One rider, Matt Moore, was looking strong and doing more than his fair share at the front so I suggested to him to take it easy for a couple of laps before we tried an attack together. However at this juncture, after about 45mins of racing, our group (down to 8 riders) finally started going through and off and the pace noticeably quickened as a result. We were given a shout that we had 1min 30 secs on the chasers which spurred us on but I doubt it was that accurate as the previously mentioned Paul Thursfield and Paul Belfield (Stone
Wheelers) joined us on the next lap. Importantly no-one else had bridged across with them so it looked like the 10 of us would battle it out for the win.Frankly I had the two Pauls down as the potential winners with the rest of 'my' group fighting over the minor placings. I anticipated that the two younger riders may decide to make a break on their own so tried to keep on their wheels as much as possible but, as it turned out, they were content to stay in the group. With the light fading, the race was shortened slightly as we got the sign for 2 more laps.One of our group had taken a lap out earlier and was due to drop out before the final lap so he did most of the work on the penultimate lap before sitting up as we took the bell. This left me in 2nd place, on Matt Moore's wheel who took the next bend at a good lick. A quick glance behind me showed the group strung out in a fragmented line so I decided to attack down the back straight where the wind was behind us. I was happy to work with Matt to get a bit of a gap but was also expecting the two Pauls to come flying past at some point. The key would be to hold their wheels as long as possible. Sure enough, with about 1 mile to go we had company but crucially only 3 riders had bridged across and I was able to hang on as we headed for the long finishing straight. I think the sprint started quite early, at least 400m from the line by my reckoning, and I was surprised to see one of the St Helens CRC riders David Kent who started in my group battling it out with the two Pauls, getting 2nd place on the line (a good effort). I finished 4th with Matt just behind me. As it turned out, he was one of the organising club riders in his first ever road race (although an experienced tester) and was riding 'out of category' so ineligible for any prizes. I wish I'd known that earlier. All in all, a worthwhile trip over.
LVRC National Criterium Championships;York Cycle Track over 1 hour + 5 laps.
I thought it was about time I tested myself against the best of the LVRC racers and therefore entered the National Crit champs at York. Due to an organisational cock-up, the BC equivalent 'Masters' champs were also due to be held today but after
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some 'discussions' were moved to to the next day. This may have reduced the field as only 15 riders were lined up in my 'D' category for 55-59 with several DNS's. The pace was fast right from the off with the group unwilling to let anyone get away. However this didn't stop the attacks which came thick and fast throughout the race. My best break came just on the hour when 3 of us attacked into the wind and got about 50m on the bunch and held them off for 3 laps but everyone was back together for the final 2 laps. Unfortunately 2 riders came down on the final hairpin and I had to take to the grass to avoid them and nearly ended up in a ditch. By the time I got back on the circuit the bunch was out of sight so I rolled over the line in last place so a disappointing end to my first National Champs race which was won by Steve Johnson of the organising club Chevin Trek.
Swynnerton Handicap Road Race.Compared to the Thursday evening race I had done a few weeks ago the field was a lot stronger with at least 3 newly crowned champs from last weekend’s LVRC Crit. Champs. Run as a handicap race over 75mins + 3 laps with the Over 50's (+1 U16) having a 4 minute start over the U50's. The conditions were great for racing, warm and only a slight breeze and the pace was hot from the off. The first attack from the U16 Owen Line went straight away as the flag dropped. This probably helped the chasers get organised as the pace-setting was shared by plenty of riders for a change. The significant break came after about 50 minutes when ex-national RR champion Phil Thomas joined 2 other riders (Nick Giles & Steve Davies) off the front. I was on the front of the bunch and hesitated from closing the gap until Owen Line came flying past. I attempted but failed to get on his wheel but my acceleration had taken me clear of the peloton so I kept going as I was slowly closing the gap to the leaders. I got to within 10m or so but couldn't quite close the final gap (too much earlier pace-making perhaps) so had to sit up and wait for the group. Once the U50 group had caught the remnants of the Over 50's the pace quickened and it was all I could do to sit at the back and I decided to call it a day when the 75 minutes
was up and cruised round for a lap to cool down before pulling over to watch the finish. The 4 leaders had done well to hold off the pursuing pack and went into the last lap with about 30 seconds advantage. In the final sprint Steve Davies held off Phil Thomas with Owen Line sitting up after being boxed in by the 2 old pro's. In 4th place was Nick Giles who just held off the bunch sprint won by Richard Barnett. Definitely the fastest race I have ever done. In last weeks Criterium championship race, we averaged 23.6mph. Today I managed 24.6mph and the main U50 bunch averaged 26.6mph and still didn't catch the leaders.
13th July: LVRC Omloop van der drie Dorpen;Flecknoe
This is based on classics such as Paris - Roubaix but instead of Flemish cobbles, several Northamptonshire bridleways are used instead with a mixture of loose gravel, rocky tracks and grassy/muddy sections. It is run as a handicap with 2min gaps between the 5 year age groups. Oldest riders off at 10am precisely, with my age group of 55-59 off 6mins later and the final group of forty somethings at 10:12am. The course consisted of approx. 60% road and 40% unsurfaced tracks although the final lap had an extra section of rough track up the hill to the finish.Showers had been forecast but it was dry when we set off which was just as well as I had gambled on using my road bike with 23mm tubeless tyres. I noticed that most riders were on cross bikes with anything from 28mm to 35mm! As soon as the flag dropped, the recently crowned LVRC Criterium champ Steve Johnson set off at a pace that meant he had a 50-100m gap when we got to the first section of pave. The next two riders were both on cross bikes and they used this to their advantage to catch him before we got back to tarmac. I was slipping and sliding on my slick tyres and lost contact with the 3 leaders but was about 200m behind another rider so tried to close the gap. I had closed it to about 50m by the end of lap 1 but the other rider took a wrong turn so I never saw him again. The next lap was quite solitary except for the eventual winner Mike Twelves flying past me after
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making short work of the 2 minutes head start that I had over him. On lap 3 another rider was quite close when we finished the rough stuff so I jumped on his wheel as he came past on the road section and we kept together for 2 laps. Although he was quicker off-road, I just had enough left to catch him when back on tarmac. We passed the early leader from my group Steve Johnson walking back to the HQ; soon afterwards we also caught one of the other 55-59 riders Douglas Fox (Crawley Wheelers) who I remembered from the National Cross champs at Derby. As he was riding a cross bike, he overtook me when we got back on the unsurfaced track but I managed to catch him on the road so was back in 2nd place in my age group by my reckoning. We worked together for a bit but I knew I had to drop him before the final lap as he clearly had the advantage off-road. I managed to get a gap over the top of the hill and bridged across to a group of older riders just ahead of us. Although I got past them before the gravel, they all passed me again before 2 of them (including Dougie Fox) came off just ahead of me. Back on the road, I got caught by a group of 3 riders from younger age groups and held their wheels on the flat road section. Unfortunately at this point, it started to rain quite heavily and I was worried about my grip (or lack of it) on the loose section and decided to call it a day as I had already seen enough crashes whilst it was dry and didn't want to risk spoiling the rest of my racing season for 10th place.
TLI Thursday Evening Handicap Series;Swynnerton Army Camp.
Same format as before with the Over 50's getting a 4min start over the Under 50's. However, race distance reduced from 75 to 60mins + 3 laps. For a change the group starting working together straightaway under the instruction of Ian Noons (Stone Wheelers). I got told off for 'attacking' after 3 laps when I thought the pace was dropping a bit so I went to the back of the bunch to sulk for a while. The organiser had introduced 2 primes after 5 & 10 laps and it disrupted the flow on the 5th lap but otherwise the race continued smoothly with nearly everyone contributing to the paceline.
However, the time gap to the chasing group was steadily coming down and it seemed likely that we would be caught before the end. I hatched a plan with Sam Bills (Team Assos RT) to attack after the second prime on lap 10 to try to get away before the two groups came together. In the run up to the sprint, I glued myself to the wheel of the winner of the first prime and sure enough, he wound it up down the straight before sitting up just short of the line which allowed Sam to win the prime. I jumped across to his wheel and shouted encouragement to keep going.This attack seemed to catch the group by surprise and we got a gap of over 250m on our first lap together. However the bunch were working well together and reeled us in with 2 laps to go. As we started the final lap, we only had 20sec lead over the chasing Under 50's and this wasn't going to be enough so, in a last ditch effort, I jumped away as we got to the twisty section on the back of the circuit. I got a 50m gap but the combined pack were in hot pursuit and they caught me with about 400m to go as they wound up for the sprint which was won by Paul Thursfield (again!).
20th July: TLI Wrexham RC Summer Road Race, Saighton. (6x7 mile circuit = 42 miles).
A fast course with just one slight hill up to the start/finish line. One section was also being used by the Mersey Roads finishing circuit so both sets of riders would be on course at the same time. There was an attack on the 1st lap and 5 riders got clear with the bunch proceeding at a steady pace until we got ourselves organised. Once we had the leaders in sight again on the 4th lap, the pace quickened and the race was altogether again with 2 laps to go. Earlier I had chatted with Steve Booth (Tunstall Wheelers) and he was planning to attack with 1½ laps to go and 'just time-trial it for the last 10 miles'. Seemed like a plan so I positioned myself near the front but about 6 other riders had the same idea. 2 of the stronger riders Steve Jolley & Alan Kemp (both national champs) got a gap and I was chasing in 3rd place but making no impression. I waited for another rider to come past and got his wheel (briefly) but couldn't hold on at this pace and decided to ease
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off as I thought the break wouldn't be allowed to go clear. At one point, I thought I had miscalculated as the leading riders were still clear as we crossed the line with a lap to go but too many riders were intent on closing the gap and the race came back together after about another mile. As the pace dropped, Marcus Walker (Bush Healthcare) took advantage by putting in a strong attack that took him well clear with 2 riders chasing about 20m ahead of the bunch. At this point, Steve Booth came past in full time trial mode and I jumped on his wheel as he closed in on the 2 chasers. He went straight past them and they joined me on his wheel. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see a long line of riders strung out behind, but instead realised we had a gap, albeit not a large one, but enough for me to shout encouragement for the others to keep working. Another rider from Macclesfield Wheelers had also got across so the 5 of us worked really hard to drive home our advantage. We may have distanced ourselves from the bunch but we still hadn't caught the leader who was still out front and not making it easy for us. Eventually our group made it across and with just 2 miles to go, it looked like the winner would come from one of us. I was second wheel behind the Macclesfield Wheeler, waiting for the sprint. With about 300m to go Marcus Walker jumped first and held on to win, with Vincent Smith (Team Lusso) 2nd and I got 3rd ahead of Steve Booth. This exceeded my expectations so I was 'well chuffed'.
NERRL Lime Kiln #7Only decided to do this race at the last minute and arrived a bit late so didn't have much time to warm up (although keeping cool was the order of the day). Andy Eagers, Jon O'Brien and John Anglesea were also racing so I expected to act as a 'domestique' as I only do the occasional BC race as a 4th cat. Due to lack of preparation, I decided to start off steadily so sat at the back (with Andy for company) for the first 2 laps. On the 3rd lap, I noticed John A had attacked and was holding off the bunch by about 50m. I mentioned this to Andy who started
to move up the outside on the long drag up towards the start/finish line. I followed his wheel and was about 6-7th as we caught John at the start of the 4th lap. I was thinking that if I attacked and forced the bunch to chase, this may give one of the other Merc. riders a springboard for their own attack later on. As we approached the left turn onto the narrow lane at the back of the circuit, all the riders veered to the right and this left a gap up the inside which I accelerated into and took the corner flat out. One rider came with me and we had a slight gap; two more bridged across, Greig Burt (VC Long Eaton) and Andy Vaughn (Matlock). We quickly dropped the other rider as Greig put in a long turn on the front that stretched our lead to about 200m as we started lap 5. It was soon obvious that Greig was the strongest rider, with Andy next and me bringing up the rear. I estimated the share of time on the front was approx. Greig 60%, Andy 30% me 10% so I had a lot to thank the other two for dragging me round the next 6 laps at about 26mph average as I felt they could have dropped me if they had wanted but hopefully I was doing just enough to justify my continued presence. Most of the time the gap had hovered about 30secs which wasn't necessarily enough to be sure of staying away but with 2 or 3 laps to go 2 of the lead cars pulled over to let us through which boosted my confidence that we may actually hold on (the commissaire obviously thought so). The following car shielded my view behind so I could no longer see the peloton but I guess this worked the other way as well so I concentrated on holding on for another 2 laps. I was so glad to hear the bell and took the Lime Kiln corner at the front for a change (hope someone took a photo) and hammered it downwind with Greig shouting encouragement to keep going. Finally we got to the finishing straight and I sat up to cruise across the line in 3rd place for my first ever BC road ranking points. Greig got the win which I think gives him enough points to become a 2nd cat. Tired but happy summed up my evening. I had a break from racing in early August so I could complete my Audax SR series of 200, 300, 400 & 600 (or in my case, 1000km) rides for the year.
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21st August: Milton Keynes BowlFirst race back was a 4th cat only race at the Milton Keynes Bowl. Fairly hairy for the 1st couple of laps before it settled down. Tried a couple of attacks but nothing stuck so rolled in with the bunch.
23rd August: John Hinksman Memorial Road Race,Darley Moor.
Two breaks of 4 riders eventually joined each other to contest the main placings. The main bunch unwilling or unable to organise a chase so rolled in at the back of the bunch, won by vet Phil Wilkins (Moda RT).
24th August: LVRC Andy Hardy Memorial Road Race,Towcester
Riding against just the 50+ group of riders for a change so I was looking to get in a break but eventually missed the crucial split and dropped back to the bunch. However I thought there was only 1 rider in my age group in the leading group so we still had the minor placings to fight over in the bunch so should have settled down to contest the uphill finish which should have suited me. Instead, I had a rush of blood on a small climb with about 2 miles to go and tried but failed to hold off the bunch, getting caught with about 200m to go. Tactically naïve.
29th August: Cross Race at MalloryDid a 'Cross race at Mallory on Friday evening; finishing 25th out of about 98 starters (1st Vet 55).
30th August: LVRC Race, Darley Moor.Back to Darley Moor on Saturday for an LVRC race although quite a few of the riders also rode the John Hinksman last weekend. Almost the same result, except due to a lone breakaway. Interestingly my average speed was virtually the same both times. Chris Bradley got 3rd place in Cat A after doing loads of work on the front and it was good to see Pascal even if he was riding for Cadence Sports, back to Merc colours for the NDCXL.
TLI Charlie Betteley Memorial Road Race,Swynnerton (4½ laps of 11mile circuit = 49½ miles).
Finally the TLI Charlie Betteley Memorial Road Race
at Swynnerton. Slightly modified course. Due to a brief shower just before the race, some of the course was still a bit damp as we set off but it soon dried. Steady start for the first ½ lap, until I attacked up through Swynnerton village to test the water a bit. Got a gap of about 100m but didn't fancy doing 4 laps on my own so eased off a bit when I saw a lone rider trying to bridge across. Joined by Graham Lomax (Preston Wheelers) and we held the bunch off for 2-3 miles going through and off until we got caught. I decided to settle down for a lap and have another look on the prime lap in the middle of the race. However Graham had other ideas and attacked again on the next lap and drifted off the front with nobody looking to chase. At first his lead looked bridgeable but I suspect he must have put the hammer down on the fast downhill section past the start area as we never saw him again after that.Sticking to my plan, I attacked after 2 laps and got a 50m gap but was looking for some assistance which duly arrived in the shape of one of the Graham Weigh RT riders Paul Crabbe. We started to work well together and eventually managed to break away from the bunch. At this point we had a gap of about 1min 30sec. to the leader which I thought we may be able to bring down if he started to tire as he had been out on his own for over 10 miles with another 20 to go. Unfortunately later time checks showed he was still pulling away but, at the start of the last lap, I thought we had done enough to hold off the bunch as we hadn't seen them behind us for over a lap. I struggled to hold Paul's wheel on the final climb through Swynnerton and had to dig deep just to get back on his wheel over the top. I recovered to do my turn on the front down the other side but my turns were getting shorter and shorter. However I was still confident the bunch would be 'faffing about' on the last lap and so we should stay away. Unfortunately, as I found out afterwards, they caught sight of us on the long straight and this re-invigorated their chase and they eventually made the connection about 2 miles from the finish. Gutted. Nothing left in my legs to contest the sprint but I had given 100% so couldn't do any more.
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6th September: LVRC Darley Moor #3 Final race in the late summer series organised by Andy Donaldson (Kingsnorth Int.) with help from Team Wheelguru & Moda. It had been dry in Derby when I left but was decidedly dreek at Darley Moor (no surprises there then) with low cloud and steady drizzle with the circuit already well covered in puddles. Hesitated from signing on at first, but Chris Bradley and Pascal were both there again and, more significantly, 2 other 'D' category riders had already signed on so I joined them as it needs 3 riders to qualify for the full prize list. I think it had actually stopped raining by the time we started but it's difficult to tell when there's so much spray off the wheels in front. A good incentive to ride on the front. A generous selection of 4 primes kept the action lively at the front. Pascal won the second after a long effort from before the hairpin and Chris Bradley did the same on the last one with 3 laps to go. Rather than sitting up after his effort, he kept going and was soon joined by 2 others and the 3 of them pulled away of a lethargic bunch to contest the win with Chris coming out on top which was a great effort after all the work he had done on the front pulling back breaks or trying to get clear. On the last lap, Pascal did a long turn on the front as no-one seemed interested in breaking clear so it was going to be a charge off the last corner (as usual). With this in mind, I snook up the inside to get to the corner first and tried to hold the wheel of the first rider to set off (Stone Wheeler's Wayne Lacey) but was steadily sliding back as the sprint livened up. I got through the pinch-point at the chicane safely and gave it everything up to the line to finish. 2nd in my age category just behind Steve Johnson which was an improvement on last week's result where he was out of sight.
7th September: LVRC Churnet Valley Vets Road RaceSwynnerton. (3¾ laps = 42 miles).
Joined by 5 others Mercs for this, Tom Butcher, Chewy, Tony Goldstraw and Andy Eagers in the first race and John Manning in race 2 (for over 55's). Our race was won by Steve Wilkinson
(Wills Wheels) but he wasn't exactly the most popular rider for reasons I will explain later. The early break came from Nick Giles (Wrexham RC) who tends to specialise in long solo efforts. Despite this, nobody looked to chase him initially and he pulled away to get out of sight within 3-4 miles. Finally the 'Big Monkey' had had enough of this and set off up the road just before the first climb of the day. He was pulling away when above - mentioned Steve W set off in pursuit. I was quite surprised as in previous races Steve had sat in the bunch as he has a fast finish and doesn't normally look to do much work. With Big John on the charge, I could sit in and follow wheels, covering any more attacks. Up the road, Steve had caught John and, from what I could see from the bunch, was sitting on his wheel doing no work. Despite this, the pair continued to pull away until they were in sight of the early leader when Steve jumped clear of John to bridge across on his own. Once with the leader, he repeated his policy of doing as little work as possible and, unsurprisingly, won the sprint with this pair over 5 minutes clear of the bunch. Meanwhile the main group had caught John on the 2nd lap where a prime was on offer for the first 3 places as we passed the finish line. I eased to the front as we approached the line expecting an acceleration to come from behind but nobody challenged me as we crossed the line. It turned out that the next rider behind me thought there was only one rider ahead so didn't bother to pass me so I guess I 'won' for being able to count. After that, the race continued with various attacks being nullified although at one point Paul Crabbe, with whom I had a long unsuccessful break last week, got clear with another strong rider Marcus Walker (Bush Healthcare) and held the bunch off for the best part of a lap before being caught with about ½ a lap to go after John had done most of the work to bring them back. After this, everyone seemed to be settling down for the bunch sprint which was won by Gordon Wallace again with John crossing the line just ahead of me in (estimated) 7 & 8th places in our age group.Andy Eagers got 2nd place in the other race.
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14th September: TLI National Road Race Championships promoted by Audlem CC.
My final road race of the year on a rolling 15 mile circuit near Audlem; my group of D's (over 55's) were allowed a separate race as it was the Nationals but the bad news was that we had to do another lap that brought the race distance up to about 60 miles which was the longest distance most of us had raced all year. Although there were a few early moves off the front, these were quickly nullified and we soon settled down to a steady pace as I think most of the riders were thinking of that extra mileage. The pace was up and down as riders attacked off the front but sat up as the bunch responded. This malarkey carried on for about 2½ laps as nobody seemed to want to put in a sustained attack but I noticed that the chase groups were relying on individual chasers rather than working together. Both Nick Giles (Fibrax Wrexham RC) and Paul Crabbe (Graham Weigh RT) had been active at the front; both in launching attacks and bringing others back. Also the trio of riders from Onimpex Bioracer (Steve Jolley, Jimmy Rutherford & Joey Williams) were working together to do the same so it looked likely that a bunch sprint was on the cards.With about 20 miles still to go, Nick Giles drifted off the front on an incline and nobody looked interested so I thought it was worth a go and jumped off the front of the bunch. I joined Nick at the 'top' of the course where there are 3 turns in quick succession which gives a break the chance to push home any advantage so I decided that this was my best chance of a good result so committed 100% to forcing a gap as we headed down towards the finish line for the start of the last lap. Finally, as we saw the 1km to go sign, I realised that we weren't going to be caught and I could relax as I knew I had nothing left to even consider contesting the sprint with Nick so I rolled over the line very happy to get 2nd in such a prestigious race. A great way to finish the RR season. ENDS
CLUB RIDES/SESSIONSMonday Evening MTB RidesA couple of hours thrashing around the trails in the Ticknall and Ingleby area. Meet Monday evenings at 6:30pm at the John Thompson, Ingleby. For further information contact Dave Banks 01332 383099.Juniors Go-Ride CoachingWednesdays at either Alvaston Park (Summer) or indoors (Winter) at Broadway Baptist Church Hall, Broadway. Age Range: 6yrs+. All abilities welcome. For further information contact Jim Crew 07540 188016.
Saturday Training RideMeet 9:00am at A38/A6 Roundabout. For further information Jim Crew 01332 231451.
Sunday Club Run60+ miles at a medium pace. Meet 9am at A38/A6 Roundabout. For further information contact Nigel Calladine 07837 376571 or Dave Banks 01332 383099.Sunday Autumn Tints50 miles or so at an easy pace. Meet at 9:45am at one of 3 venues around Derby. Allenton (Arden News near Spider Bridge) Alvaston (Mercian Cycles) or Mickleover (Nag’s Head). For further details contact Bet and Derek Wilkins, 01332 661613.
NON-CLUB RIDESTuesday & Thursday Chain Gang: Meet 6:40pm at Starbucks, Little Eaton. All year. Usually a group for all abilities, especially over the Summer. Disclaimer - these rides are on open roads and anyone is welcome to join in, they are not organised by any individual or club. By joining them you accept any risk inherent in doing so.
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The SIGNPOST
To help celebrate my 50th, Nigel C arranged a Youth Hostel weekend at Castleton. Given that it
was mid December the weather was likely to have an impact. Unfortunately this occurred even before we set off with Nigel cracking his wrist on the ice riding to work earlier in the week he was reduced to driving up to make sure the drinking session went well. As it was, on Saturday 13th December the roads were badly iced up so we set off at 10am sticking to main road was the only sensible option. Jim, Scott, Phil, Nev, Martin, Colin and I agreed to ride steadily up the A6 to Rowsley picking Duncan up at Duffield. Colin immediately sprinted off to take the prime points, riding 200 yards ahead of us most of the way, (good in a points race but not a team pursuit). Duncan had already gone by the time we got to Duffield so it was just 7 of us for an early lunch at Rowsley. There was some discussion if we could justify a second stop at Hope café given it was only 20 miles to the hostel from Rowsley, it was agreed if we had main course at Rowsley and pudding at Hope it would count as one stop. Arriving at Castleton at 2pm it was a bit early to go straight to the hostel so we went to look at the wintery Man Tor road but did not get past the skating rink at the Treak Cliff Cavern car park. Nigel, Jan and Sue joined us at the hostel. We found that we could only get in at the 8pm sitting for diner as the hostel was quite busy. Some of us chose to sit by the fire in the lounge using the hostels
selection of beer and wine to go with the birthday cake Jim had carried up in his saddle bag, whilst some hardy souls walked into Castleton to check out the local public houses. After dinner, and more drinks, we played a tense game of Jenga followed by Jims rules scrabble, I think the girls won on points but Phil and I got the nearest to a rude word on the board. We kicked off the ride home by climbing the broken road of Mam Tor. At the top the others turned left for a more direct ride calling at Monsal head and Whatstandwell. I rode along Rushup Edge straight into the wind and headed for the Goyt valley for a more scenic route home. Following the track alongside Fernilee reservoir was something I had not done for about 30 years. The surface was still reasonable and it was a relatively easy way to get into the bottom of the valley. Climbing across from Cat and Fiddle road to Axe edge was distinctly wintery with slush on the road and low cloud, but below Axe edge the road was clear. I followed the single track road down Dowel Dale towards Longnor, not a road I had used before but well worth a visit for the views of the limestone hills. After lunch at the Cobbles café I headed home through Parwich with surprisingly tired legs for a 55 mile day, it could have been the celebrating the night before or it could be I am just getting old.
Dave
BANKSY’S BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
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DERBY MERCURY
A Fu
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ircle
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Derby Mercury to Derby Mercury.
Reconnecting with “The Mercury” has brought back a myriad of
“many-miles-ago” recollections, old memories being much clearer than yesterday! I first made contact with the Mercury, sometime around 1952, through the Derby Technical College Basketball Team. I was taken over to a Tech Team practice by their coach, Olympian gymnast “Sandy” Lane, who was also my gymnastics teacher at school. The team was really a Mercury team. I do recall a Len, whose last name I can’t recall, on whose motorbike I pillioned around the Derby/Notts area, notably to the US Air Bases, to play. At these games I was “badgered”, to “see-the-light” and leave Derby Wheelers and the NCU. Glad I did that! Winster club run ’53 was it? As I can’t remember this ride beyond the top of the hill, correct me if anyone can remember. I was, apparently, enjoying the feel of a fixed gear spinning down a hill near Winster and lost it, totally, flashed over a road at the bottom, hit one of those beautiful Derbyshire stonewalls and bounced into the field beyond. My fellow riders took the broken Mercian apart and carried it to my home in Alvaston frightening the life from my parents. The bike was not much good, but thanks for the thought! I woke up in Matlock Hospital. I still carry the facial and caution scars. Mercury life for me was about the weekday evening 10s on the Little Eaton course and 25s on the Uttoxeter Road course, and a few Australian Pursuits around Duffield/Kedleston with that nasty hill on the back road there. I remember reaching Kedleston Hall before the Ken Minski group caught me. I must have had a generous handicap. Those evenings, and watching Ian Steel climbing somewhere at the
back of Ashbourne on his way to win the East Mids Three Days, fired
me up for the BLRC East Mids Champs at Mapperley near Nottingham. Alan Gifford drove us over to the race in my father’s car. I had Joe Buxton’s old Gillott complete with rather large dent in the
top-tube. Alan was terrific, coaching me all the way to the
race, I was surprised that I won, and as Jim Turner won the senior race
the same day we were treated back at the Seven Stars to beers: my first beer. The “But et Club”! The “But et Club”, a French sports newspaper, was the only way to follow the Tour de France, albeit several days late. Daily visits to the newsagent near the DRI on London Road with hope of finding that new copies had arrived. Examining the bikes and riders with great detail in those terrific green or blue images was how dreams were built; and had the side effect of teaching us French. Arguably the most important part of Derby cycling was “The Book”. I know that “The Book” kept me on the bike and probably most of Derby cyclists. Every week I would ride over to Tom and Ethel Crowther at Mercian to pay my half-crown or whatever was due for what they let me have several weeks previously. The Mercury was important for me in my formative years (apart from under age beer consumption of course), not only regarding cycling techniques and etiquette but also about life attitude, I sincerely want to thank all of the club from those days, and particularly Alan Gifford, Ted Upton, Joe Buxton, Eric Thompson, Jim Turner Johnny Besant, Dave Orford (really a Derby Halcyon rider?) and the Crowthers who were all so influential on me, they’ve no idea how they have inspired me. Thanks Derby Mercury!
by David Brindle
29
The SIGNPOST
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DERBY MERCURY
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31
The SIGNPOST
Out the Back...Why did you get into cycling?I used to run with Chesapeake Road Runners based in Chad Park and most Tuesdays we used to run down Nottingham Rd and cross by the County Cricket ground just as the Long Eaton chain gang was coming past onto the Pentagon at 30mph. When I got injured as all runners do I got my old bike out of the shed to keep fit and thought I’d see if I could give it a proper go - I wasn’t even really aware there was amateur cycling up until then.
What made you join Derby Mercury RC?I phoned up both local clubs - the response on the other end of the phone from one was so incredibly unwelcoming I joined the other.
Best thing about the club?The people who help out putting on activities.
Favourite ride you do (doesn’t have to be with the Club)?Doesn’t take place any more but it has to be the old Saturday morning run from Long Eaton when it went over Alport Heights from the Duffield side trying to stay with the likes of the Spencer brothers, Eagers, Rob Suggit, Harvey Schofield and others all the way to the top and down to Ambergate cafe.
What is the most embarrassing/funny thing that has happened to you while cycling?I crashed on the only club freewheel I did - but because the corner is out of sight of the top and bottom I don’t think anyone saw it and as I was new to the club I didn’t own up - just ended up 50 yards short of everyone else.
Favourite professional rider & why?So many of my favourites have been done for doping but one that hasn’t would be Tom Boonen - it has to be the name.
What is your favourite race/event you’ve competed in and/or watched?Probably the Marmotte last time out.
Your favourite food to eat while cycling?Normally bananas.
Future targets?I wouldn’t mind doing some touring in France - maybe some mixed terrain stuff off the beaten track.
with Tom Butcher
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