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!

CTT Dinner & Prize Presentation

Just back from France Fiona and I were off to the Time Trialling fraternity annual bash at the East Midlands Conference Centre Nottingham



Now I've had an invite to this the past couple of seasons as an age standard winner in a National Championship (the 12 Hr.) but I did promise myself I would go if I got in the top 10 of the BBAR, so as I managed one place outside that and I would be churlish to split hairs (I may never do it again!) and its customary for all the top 12 to all get invited so I decided Fiona and I deserved a night out at the expense of the governing body. as it was we had friends coming to stay so we had to leave after the speeches.
There was an hour to mingle and chat, so we all got a chance to see what everybody looks like without 'Lycra' and a aero helmet, there was still plenty of snow around so quite a few could not make it (DNS) unlike the racing year when most of these 'faces' are racing all season long I could have done with everybody wearing name tags but Fiona was happy to breeze round and chat to anybody as she does at a race while hanging around in a lay by for 4 hours! A new format(apparently) as I have nothing to compare it to as the last time I think any club member went it was at the Albert Hall and Jacques Anquetil was guest of honour. The prize part was run off in the auditorium before the meal and efficiently done with an MC doing a little resume of the riders year and a projected photo so we all knew who we were looking at "Ah! that's what Julia Shaw looks like!"

Julia Shaw & Michael (The Doc) Hutchinson (Un-masked)

Chairman (Woman) Sheila Hardy was doing the honours and the guest was long time road professional Dan Lloyd (Cervelo Test Team), placed riders in National Champs and the BBAR riders were done in alphabetical order so a bit of chopping about from Vets to Schoolboys, Women's and Senior titles and distances, then the individual Champions to make a final line up, John Woodburn gave a bit of a speech from copious notes (blind as a bat - apparently) to much merriment from the stalls although an outsider would have been hard pressed to make nay sense of it.


The meal followed so we all found our tables with the Champions making individual entry to polite applause as we were all starving by this point, Smoked samon starter with Roast Pork for the Carnivores and (overcooked) risotto for the 'Veggies' like Fi and the man (next to me!) who had pipped me to the 10th spot, Neill Skellern (Congleton CC) Charming adding insult to injury! But seriously a very nice guy we had got to know each other over the season. Pudding consisted of a good old pud of Jam Rolly-Poly which no cyclist could resist but could have done with a bit of proper Creme Anglaise (Custard for you heathens) instead of 'custard foam' that we got.

Fi - Waiting patiently

A couple of quick toasts and speeches (the Queen, Guests & Visitors etc) Dan Lloyd gave a very good speech, I'd been to the toilet just before and had a quick chat to the main man, to give him his due he did not appear nervous (apart from being in the gents!) as he reminded me from earlier in the evening "Are you that rider that rode the track after the 12 hour" I had to confess it was "Madness" and I would not be attempting it again.

His chainring was this big!


Dan kept it simple on his cycling career and being a professional (and it's what we all want to hear, sharing a room with Carlos Sastre etc) but he was very entertaining and it was soon time for us to be hitting the road while everybody else prepared to over indulge and get their dancing legs out. It was a nice evening and we were sad to be dashing away but I hope to go again some time soon.

Reap the reward (for all that effort)


'Woody' Woodburn goes 'Off Piste'


Champions all

Xmas & New Year Tour (de France)

Fiona and I were off to the Alps for Christmas leaving in that pre Xmas transport chaos that had the 'Chunnel' shut just as we were on our way, so with food and flasks a plenty, we set off with a prayer to Old St Nick and the man in red came through for us as it was plain sailing (tunnelling!) all the way to a frozen French landscape that had caused all the problems in the first place. Stopping off at Dijon on the way after getting stuck in a gridlocked Riems while looking for petrol when two! petrol tankers ran into each other/caught fire on the only through road. Whatever it was the French don't seem to need terrorists to put a spanner in the works so its not just Blighty that gets its knickers in a twist when the weather gets bad.

Lost in France (Riems actually!)

After dismissing a (Smelly) city centre hotel and the (Expensive) Ibis we settled on its (Cheaper) sister establishment on the outskirts at 22.00 having done 550 miles and feeling ourselves lucky to have got this far as we were expecting to be at the Folkstone docks eating a premature (and un-cooked) frozen turkey.
We had to practice putting on snow chains in the car park next morning much to amusement of the French as not a flake of snow in sight and also more worryingly a large crack in the windshield moving across at about 1" every 100 miles.

Scooting down to Geneva was a doddle as we had broken the back of the journey yesterday but never having driven in the mountains in winter we do not know whet to expect, 'Allez' and 'Go' Cadel were painted all over the roads to Les Carroz just fading memories of the summer tour now half way between Geneva and Chamonix in the Haute Savoei/Mont Blanc region. Lower than the more touristy Flaine resort Les Carroz is a very picturesque village (mostly French) at 1140m and we were staying in a chalet owned by some friends. The deal was they ski and we chalet maid for our supper, well a bit of cooking which was fine once we got them out the door we could relax a bit go for a few snowy walks and drink alot of hot port/whiskey/damson gin.

Snow capped Alps

I was in charge of Xmas lunch which almost didn't get going as the turkey 3 days out of Sainsbury's freezer - WAS STILL FROZEN! so we used a screwdriver to get the giblets out and then the oven (all instructions in Dutch!) defeated everybody and turned itself off as soon as we left the building for lunch on the slopes (but at least it defrosted in a warm oven - un orthodox but effective - not the Delia method)and we had to use a bit of Neigh palm to get it back on track for the evening.

I managed to get out on my bike a couple of times by driving down the mountain to the valley floor where the weather was better than what I'd left in England (Dull,Rain 5 degrees), I rode to Geneva (30m each way) not bothering to pitch up at the lake as the fountain turned off in the winter and then on Boxing day tried the other way to Chamonix only thwarted by the French Police when I found the only way to do the final 10 miles after Saint-Gervais-les-Bains are on the Motorway (spoilsports!) but still excellent and spectacular riding with the snow capped mountains all around

'Gorges de la Loire'

We bade farewell to the Alps for a cross country journey to St Astier near Bergerac where some other friends have a house and we spent New Year (Holiday houses a great boon for friends!) Stopping off at St Etienne (we love their records) at an Etape where my bike took the third bed for the night. We got confused in the town centre confronting another (Police) car on a one way street to take my testing of the local force to two hits in two days!

'Packing in' for the day

What a nightmare to leave the next morning, I was on my bike to do a ride down the 'Gorges de la Loire' towards Le Puy but took well over an hour to find the 'tiny' side road off the peripherique that allowed me to enter the correct valley and then I did a detour to the port of Unieux a dead end on the Loire river all in the pouring rain so after forty miles (Bas-en-Basset) I climbed into the car defeated and the sun promptly came out and we enjoyed the journey in and out of the low cloud until darkness when we skirted around the 'Massif Central' Auvergne region just missed going over the Millau Viaduct but in the dark save it for another day. We pitched up in the medieval city of Cahors and had a morning there before the short journey to Duras where we did a shop before our friends arrived Ryanair (Stanstead) and TGV.(Paris)

There are others here who will give you a run down on wine in this part of France (Dave Wright) but we did a bit of tasting here and there and with the activity already taken place in the Alps tried to munch our way through the 365 cheeses (366 if you include Stilton) of the French motherland, it was handy having some natives for help but as I always say if you can't tell the difference then don't pay the extra so while they plumped for the 11 euro stuff Fiona and I made off with the 4.60 plonk from the local Mayors domaine and very good it was too!
The countryside around was excellent for the bike, apart from the fact it was 15 degrees when we arrived (colder inside the house - but that's what you get with metre thick walls and no insulation!) I had a couple of long rides 50-80m through the local towns (Cancon/Monflanquin/Villa Real/Castillionnes/Luchon/Miramont) which all seem to be on hills making for quite a bit of climbing Cancon/Miramont through vineyards and Plum orchards (Agen Prunes) with blue skies and hardley any traffic, a few older 'bikies' but fewer than I expected.

Classic France

I was returning from France with a friends mountain Bike from the Alps so I had the opportunity to go offroad a bit as well although it was very wet and muddy in the clay soil and I gained a few kilos in weight (to go with the cheese & wine!) on the way and downhill bikes are not light to begin with. It confirmed what I already knew after an hour cleaning (the bike and me) that off road is not for me.

SWRC gets a new (French) member

We had a quick scoot up through France stopping with French friends parents near Le Mans who had a beautiful converted barn that was like being in a Homes & Garden photo shoot so we ended with a 5 star finish. The next morning everything was white and we had a 2 hour drive on the B roads before we got back onto the motorway. There was some panic at the services from other Brits as to whether we would get back across/under the channel.

Dove cote in a vinyard

We got an earlier train after going around and around the French 'depart' I think the police thought we were trying to pick up migrants at Sangatte we went past it that many times but the Sat Nav and the road signs would not concur and it was only when we turned (Ms) Sat Nav off that we found our onto the flyover where the electronic misfit kept telling us to turn right where there was no turning (correct position but wrong elevation by 20 meters)
England was in a blizzard by the time we made it up the M20 to Essex and the M25 mayhem, it would have been ironic if we had to fit snow chains back in Blighty for the first time as we hit the commuting traffic around London but it was not to be and we were home to some late cards and one more hot port for the road.
After 2300 miles I have to say Fiona's car (Audi A3 Turbo Quattro) was excellent even with 2 bikes on the back and the crack on the window stopped when it reached the cill Phew!

R + R

Loch Chaim Bhain


Taking a month off the bike at the end of the season to rest and recover and only ride the bike once or twice a week, it's the most time I've had off the bike in the past four years and I felt like I needed it after what has been a long and arduous racing season.



One week was spent in the Scottish Highlands on a little inlet on Loch Chaim Bhain just near Kyleski Bridge, (although the exact spot I have been sworn to secrecy!) this is only 25 miles south of Cape Wrath so a 500 mile journey from the Midlands meant an overnight stop after picking Mick up at Tebay services in the Lake District. We camped on the way up in a rain storm which did not auger well for the week as we only had 'bivvy' bags and a 'basher' tarpaulin for cover and no Ray Mears to help out!


We called in at Inverness to do a bit of a shop at Morrison's and had to wait until 12 o'clock to buy some beer for the trip, and then Ullerpool for chips our last prepared meal of the week as we would be cooking over an 'open hearth' although with so much food we were hardley going to starve as we had all brought 'private' supplys of jam and treats for emergencies!


It's a long time since I've done this sort of thing (Scouts?) but Adrian was pretty prepared and does this thing regularly with his son Ben on the outskirts of Upminster (in the snow!) all the time so I'm told. Also along is my old drawing tutor Mick (from Poly days) and Adrians dad so three generations of the family. They have been coming to this spot (known only as the 'Special Place' on the sat nav) for 25 years, Ben he's only eleven but still on his third trip so I'm honoured to be asked along


The camp is on the Loch by a river in a secluded valley populated with Birch and the odd Rowenberry tree, there is plenty of dead wood but it is all pretty damp and does not burn well so we hoard pine driftwood for kindling and move the fire three times to avoid the smoke settling for a separate 'kitchen' in order to have a bigger fire under its own 'tarp' our supplies of wood dry out and make the fire easier to control



To augment our supplies we find a recently dead rabbit on the road 'for the pot' and the discovery of lobster pots in the bay the lure of some fine dining, we bate the traps with rabbit skin & innards. Out in the Loch a Salmon farm has a daily visit and the gulls sit on the rails of the netted pontoons waiting for one of the leaping fish to make an escape and an easy lunch.
The days pass with a couple of squally days and one a real misery when we visit the local village of Drumbeg to make calls back to civilisation (postal strike) and buy supplies of whiskey! Long haired highland cattle are indifferent to our presence and at dusk a stag by the road makes a striking pose in his habitat as opposed to by the road in Richmond Park
Two days are bright and clear and we go walking in the sun and scatter the sparse sheep on the dense heather strewn hilltops, we only meet one ranger & see the odd car heading over Kyleski Bridge to NW Sutherland and the tip of Scotland. It still rains on and off but as the week progresses we ignore this as we become more attuned to our surroundings



To be fair we eat like kings as most of our energy goes into the meals and we build an oven between two stones and have roast lamb (done overnight) under a mass if wet moss. We make flat bread with rosemary (nearly everything is tinged with rosemary!) to go with our lamb curry and the rabbit stew a real treat as all free meals but no success with fishing or with the pots apart from crabs which we leave to the gulls
Soon the week is up and we take our gear up the hill leaving this private place, soon all trace of our visit erased and nature will do its thing in this beautiful part of the country.

Kyleski Bridge