August 2007 Newsletter

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New Members

We welcome Sheelagh Shaen-Carter, Jonathan Cooke, David, Adam and Jamie Thompson, Robert Watson, Phil Wilson, Tom Sexton, Andrew Wood, Martyn, Yvonne and Sam Brown.

Performance

George Atkins’ gold medal in the European Youth Olympics Criterium in Belgrade last month was a wonderful result and was the crowning achievement of a superb year for George. Since then he has gained his first track medal – bronze in the 2000metres pursuit in the National Youth Championships.

Kristian Morris has been the outstanding rider in the junior category in the Friday Night mountain bike series. He has also put in some fine performances in the Tuesday night circuit races at Mallory Park. Kristian has benefited from the Atkins experience – George has advised Kristian on his training programme but let’s take nothing away from Kristian – George may have advised but Kristian has done the work.

While the women’s road race team has not functioned as well as we hoped it might in its first season there have been some fine individual performances notably from Jill Postlethwaite and Lisa Parsons. Jill was a worthy winner of the NCRA summer series women’s prize.

Neil Munro put in an epic performance to complete this year’s Etape du Tour in 8hrs 15 mins, giving him 317th place overall, far and away the best performance ever by a Welland Valley rider in this event and that in what was apparently the most gruelling Etape for many years. Bill Barrie and Julian Middleton did well to finish in respectively 10hrs 4mins and 11hrs 1min.

Vic Barnett won the Over 60s National Masters’ Mountain Bike Cross Country title at Plymouth – a particularly satisfying performance for Vic as it was one of the few mountain biking titles that had eluded him. His most recent success was to gain bronze medal in the Over 60s World Mountain Bike Cross Country Championship at Pra-Loup in the French Alps.

On the time trialling front Paul Tomlinson and Phil Rayner have been putting in consistently high class performances both in club and open events. Matt Plews is hopeful that he will win his first club championship. Ian Waterfield, Jill Postlethwaite and David Clarke have all made giant strides this season.
Sunday club runs.

Matt Plews and Carol Birch are compiling a list of leaders of Sunday club runs from October through to the end of December. The runs are to cater for whoever turns up, including new and prospective members. The leader chooses the route and the café stop.

There are currently several Sunday slots unfilled for volunteers to lead club runs. Please contact either Matt (0116 2404723, matt@cyclosport.fsnet.co.uk) or Carol (0116 2792756, cbirch@betula5.freeserve.co.uk ).

Club Track Day

We still need more riders for this to be a club exclusive booking. Novice, young and experienced riders all welcome.

The track at Newport is booked for 4th Nov with John Capelin as coach. Unfortunately Newport have decided to request the costs, £30, up front by 31st Aug. Are you interested in joining the session? details below:-

The club has the option of a track session at Newport velodrome on Sunday 4th November. The cost is £30 per person for a 3 hr session and we need a minimum of 15 to have our own session, the maximum being 25. This session is open to first time and experienced track riders. Track bikes will be available for hire and basic coaching will be provided by a qualified track coach. The down side is that the session starts at 9am through to 12noon. At that time of day there should be no problems with hold-ups, so the journey is about 2.5 hrs or, put another way, on the road for 6.30AM!! An up side is that there is a good pub for a group lunch nearby. I need to know who may be interested asap so I can book the slot.

Trevor Wise Tel. 01572 822709, Trevor.wise@tiscali.co.uk

Annual General Meeting

This will take place on Tuesday October 16th and we hope for an even better turnout than usual. The committee is particularly keen for transfusions of new blood to replace old – we need that for the club to progress. The chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and secretary, to my certain knowledge, clock up over 70 years of committee work between us. Though I say it myself, we’ve done a good job but we look at things in a certain way and we’ve got set in our ways. Times change – the club needs new committee members who challenge existing ways and come up with new ideas.

If you can’t make the regular commitment required to be on the committee how about organizing one of our open races – there are plenty of us around who are currently doing the job or have done it in the past, so you’d get lots of support.

Perhaps you’d like to organize the club time trial marshalling rota – no particular expertise needed – I’d be delighted to explain what it entails.

If you are interested in taking on more responsibility for running and shaping the club, don’t hesitate – do it!

Club Handicap Races

We will be holding 3 handicap circuit races at Bruntingthorpe on Tuesday 28th August, and the first two Tuesdays in September. These races, over 4 full circuits, about 15 miles, provide an excellent introduction to group racing. If you’re not sure what a handicap race is, firstly let me assure you that it has nothing to do with lead weights under your saddle; riders set off in groups according to ability – slowest first, fastest last. By the end of August, most riders are beginning to feel ‘end of seasonish’ and these races provide an opportunity for some different and exciting speed training – to set you up for the later events in the club championship. I still have a vivid mental picture of Shane Godrich, crouching low into the wind, storming up the finishing straight to win last year’s race and there’ll be 3 times as many chances for glory this year. I thought that even I might have a go this year and there is a rumour abroad that Peter Riley is going to put all those tactics gained through years of watching videos of the continental classics into practice this year.

Please note that for insurance reasons only first claim club members are allowed to ride these races.

If you wish to take part, please contact Paul Bramford asap so that he can sort out your handicap.

A nice Saturday afternoon out?

Round the Churches Challenge Bike Ride
Date: Sat 8th Sept 2007
Distance: 52 miles
Start: Guilsborough, Northamptonshire (circular route)
More information: www.thefulchers.co.uk

Holes in your club kit?

Dorothy Morris, wife of Lyn, can do ‘invisible’ mending of club kit and offers this service to all club members. However, she can only fill holes in kit if she has something of the same colour to patch it with. If you have any old club kit (must be the current red, blue and yellow) which is beyond repair but useful for patching, please pass it Dorothy’s way. Tel.01536 461236, lynmorris@btopenworld.com

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

24 members and friends made the annual pilgrimage to the Tour de France. Basing ourselves in Lourdes offered easy access to many of the classic Pyrenean climbs including Col d’Aspin, Col du Tourmalet, Hautacam, Luz Ardiden and Col d’Aubisque. All climbed some and some climbed them all.

Particular mention is to be made of new-to-cycling member Sheelagh Shaen-Carter who worked her way steadily to crest a very windy Tourmalet which even our best riders found pretty tough. Not content with climbing Mont Ventoux earlier in the week, Mike Vybiral also made the summit of this notorious Pyrenean monster.

More leisurely pursuits were in evidence in the form of a visit to a local vineyard. Duncan Murray had kindly arranged an outing to one of his suppliers where we were educated and entertained in matters of the grape.
The Tour itself was followed on the 218km Stage 16 from Orthez to Col d’Aubisque. Some chose to chase the riders by car hopping from vantage point to feed station. Others rode to the mountain top finish line and consumed the customary picnic before cheering or jeering Michael Rasmussen for what is likely to be his last ever stage win.

After organising six club trips to the Tour de France I have decided to hang up my tour leader’s clipboard and pass the task on to another member. It’s been great fun and I hope the trips have been enjoyed but I think it is time for the club holiday concept to be refreshed. Hopefully someone will step forward to create a suitable package maybe with some new ideas and different locations.

Paul Bramford

Etape du Tour

I have received three excellent reports, from Bill Barrie, Julian Middleton and Neil Munro. Neil’s, at my request, is concerned with preparation for the event and the second part of his account will be included in November’s ‘Coaching bits’. Bill’s and Julian’s are more ‘all embracing’. The following are my ‘edited highlights’ of the reports:

Applying for a place

I booked a place on the Etape on 1st October – the day places became available as they rapidly sell out. You have to commit yourself before the organisers announce which stage is to be selected for the Etape but it is now well established that they choose one of the toughest days. A few weeks after they announced the stage – perhaps the toughest of this year’s Tour – and right up to the end of June I had real doubts whether I’d be able to complete it in the time allowed. (Julian)

Preparation

The senior coach said “write something about this year’s Etape – but not about training for it – I’ll get someone else to do that”, so you’re denied the distressing details of a punishing winter regime of eight hour slogs in the freezing rain - with a saddlebag full of bricks, dawn and dusk turbo sessions, leg breaking hill intervals - a monastic existence devoid of skiing and all social activity. (extract from Bill’s Booker Prize entry)

A couple of points, I found the use of sportives in this country great prep, and the little bit of road racing and time trialling kept it interesting.

I planned my energy usage and food intake with great care again using the sportives as a learning curve, I think it is possible to eat too much and overload I also found that sports drinks PSP was fine but using it for all fluid on a 6hr plus ride gave me a very bloated and uncomfortable stomach. (Neil)

If you’ve not done serious mountain passes before a bit of practice descending, as well as climbing is a good idea. (Bill)

How can you prepare for such a stage around the Welland Valley at the best of times? The weather this year was so atrocious just making yourself get out and do any training at all was a psychological battle as well as an endurance test – wet, cold and miserable was typically how I finished my weekend 80 milers.

The best preparation I did was to fit a compact chain set. Having done a few intensive days training in the Majorcan mountains in February I was reminded that I would need every mechanical assistance I could get! (Julian)

The route

A gruelling 200k Pyrenean mountain stage with 5 climbs – 1 HC, 2 Cat 1s and 2 Cat 2s: a total of 4,500m of climbing – higher than Mont Blanc. With an allowance of 12 hours before the broom wagons unceremoniously swept you and your bike off la route. (Julian)

Getting there

We arranged the trip via Graham Baxter Sporting Tours, but I’m sure we could do better ourselves next time, maybe even with a bit of WVCC involvement. (Bill)

The start

Signing on at the Depart the day before was an object lesson in efficiency – no queues, clear instructions, lots of space and everyone involved made you feel welcome, appreciated and made you feel part of a very special sporting event.

Similarly on the morning itself – about 7000 riders were allocated pens according to their numbers and all queue jumping or jostling was prevented by efficient but good tempered marshals. (Julian)

The start was at 7am. Your actual time starts when you exit the start area and is registered by the transponder you wear on your ankle, from first to last about 40 minutes. (Bill)

The tough bit

The route, of course, was very tough. Cols de Port and Portet d’Aspet were ok but the Col de Mente was a real slog. Then, after 90 miles we began The Beast – the Port de Bales – 19k @ over 6% - some of it over 10% with the heat melting the tarmac. Finally, the Peyresourde but by then you knew every painful turn of the pedals got you nearer to the finish and to crest the Peyresourde was a great feeling. We did it well inside the time limit with about 15 miles to go – most of it descending. (Julian)

So as I streaked to the top of the Peyresourde, yes 4.5 mph and passing people,completely shattered, dry as a prune and in total body pain, over and over a voice was saying “If you ever half hear someone in a bar say ‘you’d be up for doing the ---in France –you’d really enjoy it’, DO NOT SAY YES, without full enquiries” (Bill)

Eating and drinking

My strategy now for a long ride in the heat is 2 bottles of PSP @ 8/10% and all other fluid is water with a Nunn electrolyte tablet added to the bottle. These tablets have no energy value but really work for me to help stay hydrated, I used to get cramp but since using Nunn tablets it has never been a problem again. Apart from the first two bottles on the bike all other carbs came from bars and gels. I have found the Torq bars the most palatable (very soft and moist). (Neil)

The three feeding stations were very efficient and you could get water, energy bars, and ham sandwiches –honest- with a bit of a scramble but minimal delay. (Bill)

The thrill of it

For the UK cyclist perhaps the most exciting thing is to ride a magnificent scenic route with the whole road closed to cars, enforced by gendarmes. There is lots of encouragement (and you need it) from spectators in the villages, which is very gratifying. The riders, up to 8500 of them, are kings for the day. (Bill)

Hundreds and hundreds of locals lined the length of the route. Whole families were out to cheer you along, villagers in traditional costume were clapping and shouting as you went past, they rang the church bells as you rode through the square and old men sat on top of giant hay bales shouting “Allez! Allez! Allez!” as you struggled up the grinding climbs in the heat. (Julian)

Riding under the inflatable “Red Kite” with 1 km to go and sweeping into the Village was really exhilarating and like a proper stage finish for the Tour – loads of barriers holding back the crowds and there was a real carnival atmosphere as you were presented with your medal for finishing.
It was a fantastic feeling – a real sense of achievement to think you’d given yourself possibly the toughest test you can give yourself on a bike and you’d conquered it. Only just over half the starters completed it within the time limit – the lowest for many years, and that made me feel even better. (Julian)

Ibike

Having now had several months’ use of my Ibike, I’m not impressed. For measuring and recording speed and cadence it’s fine – good big print for the visually challenged, but that’s not why I bought it. I bought it for measuring wattage and for that I find it unreliable. Having carefully calibrated it several times it very soon seems to ‘de-calibrate’ itself.

If you want to measure wattage accurately I’d advise going the whole hog and getting some SRM cranks, but that’s only half the story. The results are very detailed and using them to benefit your performance calls for skill, experience and a great deal of commitment. I would want to work with a coach who has particular expertise in interpreting the results – Auriel Forrester at www.scientific-coaching.com is one such but I’m sure there are more, and they’ll all cost you!

Individual training programmes

If you would like an individual training programme to prepare for next season, Trevor Wise, Fred Muskett fred.muskett@virgin.net and I are all on the lookout for victims. You would need to register your interest by October so that your training programme can start in November.

Dave Birch 20.08.07

European Olympic Youth Champion

I make no apologies for once again kicking off my contribution to the newsletter by celebrating the success of George Atkins.
It is a very rare occasion when a British cyclist wins a medal while competing in the Youth Games.
In the last instalment I was explaining how he was preparing to gain selection.
As we all now know George ‘got the nod’ and boarded a BA flight to Belgrade, Serbia.
He made his own luck, took his chance and solo-ed to the biggest victory by a British Youth this year, in the Criterium around the streets of Belgrade.

It proves to us all that you can put hours and hours of preparation in on the bike, spend thousands of pounds of nice shiny bikes but you still have to have the belief and conviction to make something happen and seize the moment.

This moment was something George had been dreaming and working towards for 12 months.
A fantastic result for him and his parents.

Prior to the Games, George was growing his hair reasonably long and with his chiselled looks he was starting to take on the appearance of an Eastern European athlete in the hope that when he got to Serbia he would blend in more!

Unfortunately no one told George that the whole time he was attending the games he had to wear a Great Britain logo on every piece of clothing.

One week later while competing in the Tour of Assen his team-mates got their own back and decided to trim his mullet.

On one of the very few sunny days this summer The Tour de Welland proved to be a great hit with the Whizz Kids who attended.
George Atkins rode a demonstration prologue and set the standard for the younger members to challenge.
He was also on hand to present each participant with their own Yellow Jersey provided by British Cycling.

A new initiative will be promoted from Tuesday 28th August is a 3 series of races utilizing the varied terrain Bruntingthorpe can offer.
Week one (28/8) will see the youngsters compete in a circuit race, week two (4/9) will be an off-road race and finally week 3 (11/9) will be a Skills test.
All competitors will receive a special prize.
If you need anymore details please get in touch.
The Whizz Kids program of events continues throughout the autumn,
Skills sessions take place every first Saturday of the month and two Saturdays later a family group ride sets out from various locations locally to ride on and off road routes.
These rides proved popular last year with parents and Whizz Kids.
Regular updates are posted on the club’s website www.wellandvalleycc.co.uk and within the club forum.
A key event on Sunday 4th November is a Cyclo-cross race at Misterton, all the Whizz Kids are capable of participating in this race.

With the whole club being successful in securing an Awards for All bid from the Arts Council England, the Big Lottery Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sports England plans will be made during the winter to increase delivery of traffic free cycling activities on Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome.

Since achieving Clubmark status one year ago, the youth development structure within the club has blossomed; with greater demand for more coaches the club will use their funding award to send enthusiastic parents on British Cycling Coaching Courses and First Aid Courses.

This will enable the club to reach a wider cross-section of children by increasing the leadership and coaching resources available to them.

I have a draft copy of a jersey that we hope to produce and raise the profile of the Whizz Kids to another level. The younger members will be able to purchase subsidised specialist cycling clothing.
Plenty of activity is going on and still new Whizz Kids are joining.
tickety boo
Dean Barnett,
Youth Development Officer
deanbarnettuk@yahoo.com  or 01858434821.

OTHER NEWS

Off-road sessions
Off-road coaching sessions commence on Tuesday 18th September at 7pm. The sessions are based at the rear of the Market Harborough Leisure Centre.
It’s fun and free, beats sitting on a turbo trainer and you may learn how to corner! 
10 to 15 riders attended last winter.
Dean Barnett

WANTED
Road bike 56cm for a beginner wanting to compete in the London Triathlon next summer. They have a budget of £200.
Contact Dean 01858434821 (It’s not for me!!).