End of 2009 quiz

For SWRC members who think they know their stuff, I have put together a little quiz. Below are 20 photos of various makes of bicycle for you to test your knowledge on.
Post your answers, in alphabetical order, on the comments page below, and the person with the most correct answers by the end of January wins a prize.

Wishing everyone all the best for 2010.

Post Xmas leg stretcher Sun 27th Dec

About 12-15 SWRC riders from the A to C groups assembled at Downside on Sunday 27th December for the post Christmas SWRC de-tox ride led by Peter Dewis. Peter proscribed a steady ride to the Notcutts garden centre at Cranleigh, travelling via Effigham, White Down, Holmbury St Mary, Ewehurst and Cranleigh, or there abouts.


SWRC Gardeners question time at Notcutts, Cranleigh.

Nine riders made it to the garden centre at Cranleigh. The rest had other plans, routes, or people to visit. By example Parky was on his Peason fixed and in preparation for a mountain bike race the next day, Alan Brunsden was doing a solo criterium around the Downside car park to keep warm with a promise to meet at Cranleigh later, Ben was going to visit family etc.

The ladies were much missed and conspicuous by their absence, but there again the Sales had started.

The return route was via Shere and that enduring favourite Coombe Bottom (thank goodness White Down is avoided). Many thanks to Peter for suggesting the ride, and to Steve for dropping back and towing me up the hills (and the photo for the blog). It was an enjoyable final ride with SWRC for 2009 and I’m looking forward to what 2010 will bring.
PS Hope John Major gets some new wheels soon.

There's no business like snow business

The start of Saturdays mountain bike ride, and just a handful of riders made it to Cobham C.P.

Once into the North Downs it was beautiful as shown here on Ranmore common.

Looking south from the Pilgrims Way towards wescott.

Mark Packman forgetting to keep in a straight line, which he later realised is the best way of staying upright.

Our destination for the day, Leith hill tower. The highest point in the home counties, at 294m above sea level.

A Spaniard's tea stop?

Admittedly we would need to ride into town to have this venue for our tea stop but something just made me think that this noodle bar might just be perfect for one of our Iberian members.

You dont get this in Petworth.....

Nick A

Let is snow,let it snow,let it snow

Just the very mention of turbo training in Trevor's garage was enough to get me out on the mountain bike for my second ever ride on a mtb.For once Mr Parkinson had an idea with some real merit.Carrying on the worrying trend of the Alphas showing distinct signs of organisation Alan had emailed us all earlier in the week to suggest a mtb ride and so off the 5 of us went.

As we all agreed on the ride what is the point in having so much fun if we cannot tell the turbo munchers and the worshippers at the shrine that is Bentalls what they missed.So,one post from Mark is not enough .

See Mark here on the machine that Arthur Negus once valued .If you look carefully you can just about see Alan a few hundred yards behind adjusting his rear suspension -again.That is the problem if you spend more than a hundred pounds on your machine.

Team Clutton just having crossed the road on the top of Ranmore Common while we waited for Alan to fail to mend his suspension again.Will looking wistfully wishing he had scenery to rival Surrey in North Wales where he is at Uni.

There might just be something in this mtb lar

k.

Just watch out for Mark Packman in baggy shorts .....\

The selection being ,fruit,date and marmalade and coffee flavour -all tasting excellent.Niall having decided that he looks best in profile.

Nick A

Leith Hill in the snow

The Hon MTB Sec pulled out all the stops today when, in perhaps his first ever act in the post, he led an off-road ride to Leith Hill and back. With snow and ice on the ground and sub-zero temperatures overnight, the roads were off limits so the A group MTB sub-section (Alan, Nick, Niall, Will and myself) took to the trails and footpaths instead. Star of the day was the beautiful Surrey countryside under several inches of snow with bright blue sky and sunshine to boot.

Usual Cobham meet at 9.30. The cold was ferocious and we all had extra layers of clothing, Nick sporting what looked like Captain Scott's mittens while I was wearing balaclava and thick gloves not worn since I walked up Kilimanjaro eight years ago. We set off to Bookham Common then up to Ranmore, the snow getting thicker as we gained height, but very powdery and not yet too difficult to ride through. Dropping down the steep face of the North Downs we got to Westcott where we slipped and slid on some very icy roads. Then back on the trails working our way up to Leith Hill. We all took a few tumbles going up here, Niall cracking his helmet when he came down. Finally we got to the last steep climb and we were at the tower, the little cafe open for coffee and cake.


After a few photos, the cold began to bite and we headed off again, hurtling downhill. It's been so long since I went off-road I'd forgotten how much I need to concentrate riding the trails, how difficult it is to control the bike on the descents and how hard I grip on the handlebars. Mechanical problems were starting to plague us, the cold freezing up my front mech and Alan's and Will's rear mechs. Will thawed his out by having a slash on it. After seeing this remedy, Niall stopped complaining about his cold hands. Water was freezing in our bottles too, and this cure was definitely a no-go for that too.

Back across the A25 to the foot of the North Downs and we all had to walk up the steep snow-covered path. Then down past Tanner's Hatch Youth Hostel and Polesden Lacey, across Bookham Common and then back to Cobham, just 15 minutes after Alan's car park ticket had expired. Great day and a nice alternative to the planned run down to Southwater.

Roundhurst Farm

I took my fixed wheel bike on the club run this weekend, thinking the route to Seale wouldn't be too hilly. But when we all got together at Cobham the consensus was to go a little further and visit Roundhurst Farm. I wasn't complaining because it's one of my favourite tea stops with some excellent fare.
Thankfully Simon was a bit off form, saying his cold was taking it's toll, and turned for home after getting a puncture near Dunfold. On the way home we came across a local group of cyclists who had one of their members in collision with a car just where you exit the road from Albury onto the A25 near the silent pool. The rider had already gone to hospital but it is a reminder if one is needed to always keep your eyes, ears and wits about you out on the roads this winter.

I ended the day with 90 miles on the clock and 1600m of climbing.

Westerham

A bright and sunny day meant that a big group was out again last Saturday including Mark Williams, not seen out for almost a couple of months.
No one seems to mind what kit they ride in the winter, new or old design, as long as it keeps you warm. Today it was a 50/50 split.
Only one puncture and that was Club TT champion Colin "the power" Parkinson.
On the ride home we tackled the BEC CC hill climb course of White lane. Winner Andy Hicks.

2010 starts here

Whilst most people have been enjoying a slightly sedated end of season racing, I've been hard at it for the last 9 weeks. My season ended sooner than I wanted it to, and that wasn't due to any injuries but just a rash of family commitments in August and September which were unavoidable and enjoyable at the same time. Since the start of October I've been putting in the miles and time on the turbo trainer to be ready for the Imperial Winter Series. After the success I had had last season, I wanted to be a bit more prepared than last year. So it was that I hit the circuit with already over 3200 kilometres of training/commuting in my legs, compared to last year where I'd only done 600km's in November and had thought I'd just 'see how it goes'.

The format this year is slightly different from last year and I think it's going to attract more racers, so more competition. Instead of the 3rd cat race being run at the same time as the E12 race, there is now a separate race for 3rd cats, but, the main race is now open to E123, so the strongest 3rd cats are now competition whereas last year they were always racing their own race.

Saturday was quite mild and thankfully dry for once, so I was racing in shorts and arm warmers - no need for leggings. I kept thinking to myself that I do all my turbo training outdoors, normally in just a pair of shorts, so if I go hard I'll just be overheating.

The 3rd and 4th cat races were well attended and I think I saw Joe Frend in one of them.

The E123 race had 68 entries, and looking down the start list I knew I had my work cut out, it was a good mix with quite a few top elites like Steve Golla, the evergreen Jason Streather, Henry Furniss and some good 1st Cat juniors amongst others.

I knew who to watch but it's always difficult to stay near to the marked guys all the time. After 5 laps, 3 guys went free, consisting of Steve Golla (Sigma Sport), Conor Dunne (Glendene CC) and John Heaton-Armstrong (Fit-For) who were joined by Henry Furniss (Wyndymilla). Unfortunately for me, just as they were getting established and I was about to put in my effort to close the gap to them, I punctured. Luckily, I had a spare pair of wheels with me, so after a lap out I rejoined the bunch, but there was not much chance that the bunch was going to close the gap. A brief few laps of putting in a decent effort along with Felix English (a good 1st cat Junior) and a few others saw us close the gap slighly, but the main bunch reeled us in and then sat up. 

I then enjoyed a good session of sitting in the bunch, which was very easy. The wind, which always blows at Hillingdon was picking up and it was getting pretty dark with a few spots of rain. I realised that I wasn't going to have much chance in a sprint against this bunch, there were some good sprinters there, Felix and Jo Skelton (who finished just behind me in the series last year), so at 5 laps to go I decided to put in my effort as soon as we turned into the wind. I thought I would be marked, but no-one seemed keen to chase. From then on it was a case of going as fast as I could and making sure I went harder than the bunch into the wind each lap. A Norwood Paragon rider did come across to me, and it was great to share some of the work. He eventually pulled away from me in the last lap and finished 5th. With 200m to go I was finally sure I wasn't going to be caught and it was a great feeling, especially when you try something that's a do or die situation and it came off. It was probably as good as I could have hoped for after puncturing, so now on to next week. I'm sure some of the favourites will be back - Jerone Walters etc and I'll have my work cut out again to stay with them, but all in all it was a good start to the season. 

Unfortunately I missed Sunday's Club Dinner, I had my brother visiting from South Africa on Saturday and Sunday and at the time the rest of the club was tucking into Melon and Parma ham I was at Terminal 5. Hey ho.

November Survey

Continental were the run away winner in November's survey, on the favoured tyres during those cold and gritty winter rides.

High Beeches

Today's A group ride was again a large group of members heading southwards into Surrey & Sussex. The clear sky & bright sunny morning ment I was sqinting with no sunglasses to hand. This was my excuss for, when riding too close to Andy's back wheel, I rode into his quick release, with the concequence of breaking a spoke. The campag wheel stayed quite true and I thought I would still be able to complete the ride down to High Beeches tearoom.

When we arrived I recoignised the lonely bike leaning against the wall outside as Simon Neave's. He had ridden out from his new home in Sussex against the headwind to meet us.

As normal Simon Howard was on fire, tearing off the front when every he could, although it was Andy Hicks who won the sprint for the Newdigate sign.

It's your ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tun5CmMNQhc

A Fixie fix

the joys of organising a Surrey League Race

Petworth

Saturday's A group ride could have been another washout but that didn't stop 9 riders turning up at Cobham carpark for a ride across the North Downs to Petworth.

On the way down we bumped into occasional clubrun rider Jonathan Thomas who's excuss for not riding more with us, was that he is spending most weekends cyclo-cross racing.

Here is the group in Kirdford.

Jonathan, Ken Dolman, John Harris, Niall Clutton, Richard Gordon, Simon Howard, Andy Hicks, Trevor Lenthall & Mark Packman.

I felt rather tired and spent most of the morning chaseing wheels and was last to arrive at the tearoom after Simon had managed to tear the group's legs off. Luckily the food on offer was excellent and I devoured more than I should have, hoping the increased sustenance would see my energy levels increased for the ride home. Unfortunatley this strategy didn't work as I was soon off the back in the company of Ken for the ride back in the drizzle.

post ride chat

La Marmotte 2010

Is anyone thinking of doing La Marmotte next year?  Just wondered when you might be going, how you might be getting there, and where you might be staying... thanks Ann

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