MINCE PIE MAN

AND YU THOUGHT RICHARD GORDON NEEDS TO LOSE WEIGHT..

catch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81cmP6CBexA


How many of us can do this in our office ( or anywhere else in my case)?


Nick A

Fame at last

Paul and I made it onto the TT Forum at the same time today - Fame at last

Seale

13 riders started the A group ride to Seale on Saturday, probabley the most we've had out for a long time. After last weeks wet ride, I had fitted a pair of the popular Crud mudguards the previous evening. Within a few miles the rear one was already falling apart and I had to make a quick repair with a twig where the bolt had gone missing. Soon after we were held up some more,with a couple of punctures which considering all the grid washed down on the roads, was not surprising. After this eventful start we managed to get the miles in and some of use had ridden 55 miles before stopping at Seale tearoom.

Richard showing us why he has the yellow jersey on, after recently winning his first race. Only Simon and Dave could keep with him as the rest are strung out on the climb upto Thursley.

Niall had the worst luck of the day when his carbon crank came apart from its b/b fitting meaning it was quite dangerous to carry on, and so had to make a call to his better half, Helen, who abliged by picking him up.

23 January, C Group ride to Tanhouse Farm

What was probably only the second C group ride of the year to date was to Tanhouse Farm on a grey but thankfully dry and milder Saturday. A good sized group set out with much chat about missing the cycling miles during the recent cold then wet weather and that it was good to be back on the Surrey Lanes. The secret turbo trainers and mid week riders became apparent as they lead from the front on the steady rise towards the top of the North Downs via Effigham. A careful decent of Whitedown and everyone was on the lookout for new potholes in the roads and lanes which have appeared after the recent freeze/thaw cycle of weather.

A puncture within the group caused a split and small group consisting of Kirsty, Marianna, Paul and Linda and myself were aloud to escape and get a head start on the uphill bits around Holmbury St Mary and beyond. Toby soon joined us, having bridged the gap and eventually we all re-grouped together on the road approaching Forest Green. A cunning plan from Paul involving a short cut via Ockley allowed the original lead group to still get to Tanhouse Farm before the rest and thus get first choice of the cakes.



A pleasantly uneventful ride back to Dorking via Brockham, and onto Leatherhead, Cobham, Oxshott and Kingston. 60 miles on the clock. A good start to preparing for this year’s sportives.

Green city bike

Wytze's graduation project for Cannondale from Eelke D. on Vimeo.

How the film was made

http://www.eelkedekker.nl/cases/making-of-dutchess

The design

http://vanmansum.nl/page/the-dutchess/

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

Surrey Lanes, Open for business.

The A group decided to meet on Sunday this week after Saturday’s torrential downpour had put many off, (Soft or what).With some of the group not having been out on the roads since before Christmas, none of us wanted to overdo things. Unfortunately immediately on leaving Cobham Niall & myself missed the group turning off towards Leatherhead, and headed off towards Effingham. After a quick call we decided it would be best to meet up at today’s destination, Southwater.
Niall had some good form after recent MTB rides with his son Will, who was back from University, for the festivities.
Now most of the snow has melted away, it was obvious that the roads in Surrey & Sussex have taken a right battering, with many new potholes appearing down many lanes, with the remnants of the tarmac surface washed down the road edge. We made it down in 2hrs flat, and immediately tucked into some grub. It was 40 minutes before other others turned up, by this time the 2 Marks & Simon had turned around, so it was Trevor, Dave, John, Paul & Ralph who joined us.
On the way home it had warmed up enough for me to take my gloves off, although with me being on my summer bike, I had a very wet backside. This is why I’m going straight to my LBS tomorrow and getting some mudguards. There must be a few people in the club who can help me fit them?

well well!

With guests staying from Australia we decided to go for a walk on the Downs to enjoy the snow first hand. We had a great walk above E Horsley and Effingham and coming back along the N Downs way I could see some MTBikers up ahead and surprise it was Cliff,Claire ,Eric and Clive . ( Fortunate for me as I had with too much talking lost my bearings -which would have been very bad news as we would not have had time to go to the pub)

They had started out from Box Hill -across to Newlands for lunch and we met them on the way back .

The pictures show that there was a lot of snow on the top but it was dry and though quite hard work cycling on the fresh snow it was clear they had all had a great time.

But my dog had an even better time as it likes catching and eating snowballs-as many as I can throw.

Nick A

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!

When the wind is from the east, it's good for neither man nor beast!

Me, Roger and Jane hadn't ridden in the snow yet, so we went for a little ride to Shere and back for some coffee and toast.

It was a lovely blue sky day, but very cold at first. Once we got going, the effort needed to stay upright soon warmed us. The easterly wind was bitter and exfoliating in the open and my face has lost a few layers of skin. With the numbness from the cold it looks like I've had botox!

Some of the riding was a bit tricky, but lots was surprisingly rideable. Strangely enough the climb up from Shere was mostly rideable.

Although Roger had an off, he spent the most time actually on the bike :)

More of the same on Tuesday.... hurrah!

Variety is the spice of life....

In the middle of December I contacted Mark Packman (Road Racing Sec), and with his help acquired a road race license. Armed with the appropriate documentation, I set about entering the Imperial Winter Series Cat4 races at Hillingdon. The plan was to try my hand on Jan 1st and 2nd. Soon the day was upon me, and with the help of Sean Molyneux (friend and MPCC Cat3 rider) I got to know the circuit, and before I knew it we were off. 40 mins plus 5 laps in cold windy conditions in a pack that was riding slower than normal at around 22.8 mph - with 3 laps to go I knew I would have to try and push the pace a bit as I didn't have much of a chance in the sprint. I sat on the front for 2.5 laps and eventually pulled myself across the line in 4th. A great result for my first road race.
On Jan 2nd, the wind had changed which would aid my finishing speed. A faster race on this occasion averaging 23.8 mph. We were caught by the Cat3s which caused a small amount of confusion as we had to wait for a large enough gap to allow us a sprint finish. This time with 3 laps to go I was well positioned in the pack and started to make my move with 1/2 a lap to go - selecting a taller gear and rocketing round the final bend I was able to chase down and pull clear for the Cat4 win. Unfortunately in the sprint for the line there was an incident that saw several riders on the floor.

16 points from my two races promotes me to 3rd Cat - I think I have time for one more race in the Winter Series and the big step up to a longer race at a higher pace...