Local riders and Club updates
30th June 2007 Sutton Riders take bronze in London Youth Games
Sutton CC/de Ver Cycles's juniors took on the weather and the cream of youth riders from all other London boroughs at Crystal Palace on Saturday, and came away with the U 18 team time trial bronze medal.
Riding in some of the worst summer conditions ever seen on the Palace track, youth from across the Capital competed for honours, riding laps round the 1km circuit. With u16 riders riding two laps and u18s four, it was always going to be a challenge. But standing water, spray and a biting wind added to the physical effort required, and made the event just that bit harder.
" It was really tough because of the weather - the rain was so hard that it was stinging my face, but I couldn,t wear glasses as I knew I wouldn't be able to see through them. And it was hard through the puddles too, and I had to really concentrate" said bronze medallist Will Sinclair.
Team manager David Randall of Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles was delighted with the result.
"Well, although we won it last year, all of the team rode very well today, and third place is a terrific result. Both teams - the U16 and U18s did the Club and themselves proud."
The combined results of both teams also meant that the Sutton riders finished fourth overall out of all London boroughs. Redbridge Borough came top.
U18 Team U16 Team
1.Jack Donovan Bobyn Bartlett
2.Will Sinclair Holly Donovan
3.Jack Haining Jack Haining
4.Matt Zeitz Chris Martin
June 23rd 2007 A weekend of cycling success
It seems to be getting better and better for local cycling clubs. With Addiscombe CC's Doug Shaw claiming a personal best in the Horsham Open 10 Mile Time Trial on Saturday morning, club mate George Brent sprinted to second place in the support race of the inaugural Rapha Condor Smithfield Nocturne in the evening, while Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles Jake Butler was eighth in the same race.
Shaw's ride of 27 minutes 37 seconds was 43 seconds faster than is previous rides, and he admitted to being quite glad to have got out of bed for the 6am start:
" I'm really pleased. Actually, I'm more than really pleased, I'm delighted " he said immediately afterwards. " I feel good at the moment, although I'm not sure how long the well being will last before my legs start to feel heavy!"
A few hours later in Central London instead of West Sussex, ACC's George Brent and Sutton CC/De Ver's Jake Butler were lining up for the Rapha Condor criterium event around Smithfield Market. The twisting kilometre course was laid out specially, to launch the Grand Depart of this year's Tour de France which starts in London two weeks time.
With both riders starting well and keeping up with the leaders, it looked like they might be in contention for a credible result. But then with just three laps to go, it rained, making the previously dry surface very slippery, especially in the tight bends. Fortunately, both Butler and Brent had already settled at the front of the pack, and were clear of the crash that brought down several riders and landed one in hospital. However, with the race being neutralised for 20 minutes while the casualty was removed and debris cleared away, their hard work was all but cancelled out.
" I'd already done quite a bit of work at the front, but I had to do it all over again while they were sorting out the injured rider because everybody else got a breather and a leg rest! Luckily, I had enough left and I knew I'd only got a couple of laps to go, so I went for it " said Brent. " I could hear the bloke behind me (winner Craig Stevens PCA/Picolo) coming" but he got me just before the line. I'm well chuffed to have got on the podium though"
And it was a similar story from Sutton CC/De Ver's year old Jake Butler, riding one of his first races as a senior.
" I was up there with the pace, but after the rain it was quite dodgy, and there were a couple of crashes even on the last lap. But I managed to avoid all of them, and I put my head down and rode as hard as I could. It was a very fast race, and I'm really happy - great!"
17.06.07 SERRL 14 Hildenborough, Kent Sunday, June 17th 2007
Citihub had a bitter sweet victory at the nine lap SERRL 14 event at Hildenborough, near Tonbridge today, with Tom Burke taking victory after a very strong ride, but Ian O’Hara crashing on the last lap as he rounded the 90 degree left hand bend at the far end of the course. Fortunately, he walked away, albeit with some nasty looking cuts, while another rider was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone. However, with eight motorcycle outriders, several race cars, and medical attention on hand, the incident was swiftly and expertly dealt with.
Road works on the long hill up from the start to the A21 made little difference as they set off, and they were still together when at the start of the second lap race was held up for a passing horse and rider. However, midway through the race, a three rider break started to split the group, and by lap six, Tom Burke (Citihub) and Ed Vail (Sigma Sport) had increased the gap to 200 metres.
Gradually though, it was Burke who proved to have the strongest legs, and he struck out on his own, with only a puncture or mishap likely to stop him. As he took the bell, he was nearly a minute ahead, and although the chasers closed some of the gap, it was just too big a job to catch him.
Speaking to him afterwards, he admitted to being particularly pleased with the result:
" I've ridden this course a few times, and I' ve always been in the break but I've also always had bad luck - last year I punctured three times on this circuit, so I felt that today I was owed the win!"
However, seemingly his win was harder than it looked:
"I had to attack several times before I finally got away -I had to work at it, but I kept pushing and made it. The long drag up from the start is hard, but for me the worst bit of the course and the bit that really hurts, is the long slope up to the finish. But I'm pleased with the win, and I was very impressed with the marshalling today. I felt safe right round the course, so thanks to them for doing a great job".
However, Addiscombe CC riders did not fare so well. While Paul Hone did finish intact but down the field, George Brent retired on lap three when his wheel started to break up:
" Something happened to one of the spokes and the wheel went out of shape and was pulling on my brakes. I just thought I was very unfit and so kept pushing, which made it worse. Then I realised what was going on, and had to retire. But I was dead pleased that it wasn't my fitness afterall!"
Results (*** Provisional, but 1-4 confirmed ***)
1. Tom Burke Citihub
2. Barry Stewart Kent Cycles RC
3. Gareth McCullough Medway Velo
4. Ed Graefe Team Economic Energy
5. Steve Home Twickenham CC
6. Cesar Cocco Spol Caixa Nova
7. Frazer Wildman Downland Cycles
8. Edward Vale Sigma Racing
9. David Streule London Dynamo
10. Marco Coppola Gemini Racing
11. Simon Warren Norwood Paragon
17.06.07 Five Addiscombe Riders contest National Championships by Marco Framboli
Five Addiscombe CC riders lined up in the 150-rider field for the start of the National 50 Mile Time Trial Championships on a course near St Neots on Sunday. Lifelong ACC rider Paul Tunnell together with Dominic Lowe, Robert Royle-Evatt, Jon Hemming and Richard Viney made up the club's largest representation at a National Championship for several years.
Four of the five riders rode in the first half of the field and had to contend with slower conditions and bad luck, with Dominic Lowe puncturing at 26 miles and Paul Tunnell going off course at 40 miles. Robert Royle-Evatt clocked a respectable 2.03.43 for 97th place overall with Jon Hemming coming home in 2.02.40 for 94th place. Richard Viney made the most of the better conditions for the later starters finishing in 1.52.10 for a new personal best at the distance and 44th place overall.
The club has a recruitment drive aimed at encouraging new members at all levels, timed to coincide with the arrival of the Tour de France in
Note - ACC hold a regular Saturday morning club run starting from outside Coulsdon South Station heading off into the
16.06.07 League of Veteran Racing Cyclists King's Stone Classic, Sussex
Thornton Heath’s Tom McCall was third in Saturday’s King’s Stone Classic League of Veteran Racing Cyclists event (LVRC) near Horsham, increasing his points tally in the LVRC South East England Green Jersey series, to push him into the top three. The league is currently led by international vet, Brian Dacey.
The Green Jersey series is for riders of 40+, racing as individuals, rather than for clubs, and each person riding his own race. And this made for an exciting finish in Saturday’s race, according to McCall: “ It kept splitting, then coming back together, before splitting again, which meant it was quite a strategic race to ride because people were jumping all over the place trying to get into position. You had to keep your eyes open and respond quickly to close the gaps and not loose out. It really came together in the last half mile, and produced a very tight sprint for the line.”
10.06.2007 Brentwood Town Centre Races
With the course running literally right down the middle of Brentwood Town Centre, round a hairpin bend, and then back again, the course was set up for some very fast racing on Sunday at this Glendene/Biketrax run fixture. First up was the Junior National Series event, in which the which the field soon split into an early break of four riders followed by the chasing group, which was whittled down as riders were lapped by the very fast pace. Jake Butler (Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles) lasted well but was unable to hang on to the chase group and was lapped. Adam Blythe (SIS) took the line, with Mark McNally (Liverpool Mercury) in secod and Luke Rowe (Recycling) in third.
Similarly in the youth race, Tom Humphrys (Team De Vere, formerly Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles) was dropped by the main chasing group fairly early on but picked up his pace for a steady ride until he too was lapped towards the end. Alexander King (Twickenham CC) was first, with Joe Perrett (Glenedene) second and Jon Dibben (i-team) third.
The women's race packed some tough competition, with VCL riders making up a fair proportion of the twenty six riders, and Olympic rower and silver medallist Rebecca Romero riding from the front for most of the race. Cycle Dauphin's Louise Mahe, and Glendene's Alice Monger Godfrey were never far behind her, matching her pace and pushing their own on the corners, with Mahe looking particularly strong.
After Corrine Hall (VCL) was finally lapped, it seemed that nobody wanted to make a move on Romero, and it stayed that way well into the final lap, right up until the hairpin turn 200 metres from the finish. But as they straightened out of the bend, Emma and Laura Trott (VCL), and Alice Monger Godfrey all suddenly kicked, and charged down the home straight with Monger Godfrey powering ahead. Rebecca Romero (SIS) was fifth, Jessica Allen (Pinarello RT) sixth, Katie Colclough (Fat Birds CC) seventh, and Louise Mahe (Cycles Dauphin) eighth.
The elite men's race was won by Russell Downing, making an unplanned appearance at a UK race, in a thrilling finish that saw Simon Holt (Recycling) make up several hundred metres in the last few laps, and catch Russell Downing, Warrick Spence and Gordon McCauley, the three leaders who had looked set to battle it out for the podium places. The outcome of Holt's incredible effort was not clear until just a few metres from the line, when he passed McCauley and took third place from him. Warrick Spence (Cyclefit/Serotta) was second behind Downing.
Addiscombe CC's Jon Carnell nearly hung on for the five extra laps but was lapped. However, speaking to him afterwards, he was pleased with his ride:
" Well it was a tough one to start off with – this was the first ever elite race I’ve entered – but I wanted to get in there and compete. My goal was to last the hour without being timed out, and I almost made it. But that is the way it goes"
But despite being timed out, Cornell coped well with the tight bends of the course:
" That is my mountain bike background coming through – I try to imagine that I m on rails and if I get the speed and the lean right, Ill make it. It worked today".
09.06.2007
Rob Hayles wins Hillingdon GP – National Elite Circuit Series Rnd Two
KFL rider Rob Hayles proved his form by winning the home straight charge to the line in the mass sprint to take the round two Elite event at the Hillingdon course, beating junior Adam Blyth (SIS) and Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven Evans RT) into second and third places respectively.
On a hot and sticky afternoon near Heathrow Airport, the closed circuit at Minuet Park, Hillingdon, offered only the merest suggestion of a welcome breeze for the record number of riders who had turned out to race, resulting in mass sprint finishes for both events.
The support race was ridden mostly as a tight bunch, with one or two breaks as the race neared its end, with five riders taking 100 metres out of Joanne Rowsell (formerly of Sutton CC/De Ver Cycles, now Global Racing) who in turn took another ten out of the peloton. That gap remained for three laps before all escapees were caught and reeled in for the final few circuits. The race ended with the first mass sprint of the afternoon, which was won by Paul Crook (Beyond Mountain Bikes), with Roger Woodford (AW Cycles) in second and James Walters (Limoux) in third.
Addiscombe CC’s Keith Knight came in with the main bunch, having ridden a tight race through an afternoon of building heat:
“ I didn’t really expect any sort of result today, so I just went out to ride and finish, and I managed both, so I’m happy – although I think that when I get home my legs could do with hanging up to get the blood back into them!”
But with riders sticking together or most of the hour, a mass sprint was clearly on the cards:
“ It was hot out there, but it was the same for everybody, and I think that showed in the way the race panned out. There was a bit of a headwind on the other side, and that slowed things down a bit, but once we came back up the main straight where the finish as, people started to come back and that probably made it look like nothing much was happening. But there was, but it was evened out pretty quickly.”
A similarly jam packed start line for the Elite race faced the same conditions, with the peloton sticking tightly together for the first half, and Gordon McCauley happily sitting at the back of the main bunch for several laps.
Then things started to spread out a bit more, with Gordon moving up through the bunch and then a group of fifteen breaking away, with five of the break then moving off the front to build up a fourteen second lead. But predictably, that gap never really stood a firm chance of increasing, but was tolerated and monitored. Sure enough, with just five laps to go, the gap had been closed as Rapha Condor and Plowman Craven Evans got their men to the front. They were accompanied by Alex Dowsett (100ME) who attacked yet again as he had done all afternoon from a strong position near the front, and Adam Blyth who always looked set to take on anybody.
Entering the home straight for the final time, the leaders started their sprint with about 200 metres to go, riding so closely that it was impossible to guess who would get to the line first. In the end, however, it was Rob Hayles (KLR) who had the strongest legs, darting out to edge ahead of Adam Blyth (SIS) and Tony Gibb (Plowmnan Craven Evans RT) and grab first place. Simon Gaywood, winner at Crawley was eleventh, and Andrew Fenn (Liverpool Mercury) recent winner if the In Gear Junior Tour of Sussex was seventeenth.
Grandprix support race - 2/3/4 Cats
1 Paul Crook Beyond Mountain Bikes
2 Roger Woodford AW Cycles
3 James Walters Limoux
Elite
1 Rob Hayles Team KLR/Parker International
2 Adam Blythe Science in Sport/Trek
3 Tony Gibb Plowman Craven Evans Cycles RT