A5 Ranger 'Hilly' - Season Opener

Start of a new season began for me on Saturday with the A5 Rangers CC Hilly 30.8 (15.3 for one lap) on the A5 and roads around Towcester to Daventry. The weather had been wet all day with heavy and frequent showers and the wind got up giving every rider a tough race and I was drenched a couple of times and the roads already treacherous form a bad winter were running with water. I'd ridden this event twice before but still managed to loose my way to the start and end up doing a 10 mile loop thus getting to the timekeeper 10 minutes late for my allotted position. Not to worry, I went off in the auspicious No 50 slot (J Woodburn DNS) but in the midst of the 'one lappers' I was fine for the first of my circuits (40:36) but from here I was solo as most of the marshalls had made an early exit and I was left to plough a second furrow around the lap On mi'todd
30 mile quite a long way for a TT opener and I would be lieing if i said my concentration did not waver on the second lap, as I got soaked again the sun came out briefly as I crested Weedon (Bec) hill for the final time in bottom gear (39 x 21 - Note to self, put a lower bottom gear on for Leicester RC/Melton Hilly) and plugged away into the wind I was getting cold by the time I crossed the line for the last time (42:54)
Matt Bottrill (Team i-ride) was the winner 1:11:48 (35:46) from James Perkins (Zenith) 1:14:28 and James Cambridge (Team i-ride) 1:14:43 the one lapper Jon Shubert (Verulam) 38:17 from Sam Barker (Planet X) 38:58

Up hill and into the wind - Bottom gear

Winner Bottrill

2nd Perkins


Sarah Brooke Photography

Newport Track Weekender

A few of the riders in the club plus a few guests were able to enjoy another of Roger's track introduction/training weekends at the Newport Velodrome (Felodrom for all you students of the Welsh language) over this last weekend, two 3 hours sessions to get the blood pumping and a bit of much needed speed in the legs for the anticipated coming season. Only a few made the trip for single sessions and the midday start on Sunday allow 'boarders' a lie in and a leisurely breakfast or as in my case brief tour of the docks and a saunter around the car boot adjacent to the track.

I was travelling down from Leicester with a track novice Dan who I'd taken out on a track bike the week before to blood him in the dark art of the fixed wheel but he had plenty to take on board with the other 'newbies' while the more experienced of us were (re)familiarising ourselves with the track and working up a head of steam in a series of exercises from our usual coach Chris. We all managed to avoid any slip ups although brother Alan was certain his tyres were dodgy and gripped by the fear that gravity was going to make an example of him but with any banked track if you begin to doubt basic science and try to unpick the forces which keeps us all glued to the surface of the earth we would all be flat on our backs on the floor.

One thing we could all be thankful for was a warm and dry environment to have a bit of a workout as these conditions have been in short supply so far this year and although it was blue sky outside it was still cold with a bitter wind off the sea.
The Saturday session was fairly low key with the Kent Police Cycling Club 'Kettling' any member of the string who got out of line after initially taking some criticism for interfering with the rental bikes pedals and tyre pressures.
Experienced riders alternated with the 'virgins' of mixed ability and it was obvious that the four best students would be in with the 'big boys' once they got their confidence and on the Sunday they were in the line with the rest of us doing team pursuit drill and a flying 200m from a string which had the heart pumping and the legs shaking (a bit) We clocked up 30 miles on Saturday and over 40 miles on Sunday and it was soon time to be packing away and heading back

Roger claimed to be injured




Black - So much more slimming!