Willesden Cycling Club

The WCC Road race and spectacular is now set for 20th August 2006.

Newbie WCC organiser, Jon Johnson, is putting a lot of effort in to attracting a top class field for this event. He will need a good number of marshals for this event so can you volunteer your services asap via the WCC email link willesdencyclingclub@yahoo.co.uk.

Not only will you be helping make this event a success but you get to wear a dorky tabard and eat free cake afterwards.

Michael Dunne joined the WCC earlier this year to train for the Etape. He has not had much previous cycling experience and has made remarkable progress. Last week he was featured by Charlie Chute in the Willesden & Brent Times. Here’s Charlie’s report

The world’s top professional cyclists struggle to make it round the Tour de France, so what chance does a schoolteacher have? Michael Dunne hopes to ride a 117-mile course starting at Gap, in south west France, climbing three gruelling mountain passes, and finishing on the summit of Alpe d’ Huez.

The 33-year-old is participating the Etape du Tour on July 10, which is a replica of stage 15 in this year’s Tour de France. He will ride with about 8,500 amateur cyclists from around the world. Michael, a transition teacher at St Mary’s RC Primary School, Canterbury Road, Kilburn, said: “I have always been a fan of the Tour de France and after running the Flora London Marathon last year I was looking for a new challenge.

To sponsor Michael visit www justgiving.com/michaeldunne.

http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/Levermore/roadlife.html has an amusing analysis of the various species we share the road with.

Today’s club run to Wendover Woods proved to be a scorcher, both in pace and in temperature.

At Denham some 25 riders gathered for the club run including a few newbies. The group broke up into two groups, with the slower group getting to the excellent café stop first!

The café was built during the winter and has only recently opened. I enjoyed one of the best bacon sarnies I have ever had on a club run. So I am already salivating at the prospect of returning. Service was a little unsure but attentive, but to be fair they were suddenly descended upon by two dozen hungry and very thirsty bikers
After an hour or so basking in the sun we headed back to Denham at an impressive pace. Despite this the group held together well and only split in the last five miles following a vary dramatic puncture. The p*ncture fairy’s intended victim was Willesden newbie, Richard, whose suddenly deflated rear tyre slewed his bike in a most alarming manner. Thankfully he ground to a halt, still in the vertical position.

Can’t have put him off too much as he said he will be back!

The following cycling story was featured on Radio 4’s Home Truths programme yesterday morning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/20060612_cycling2.shtml

Seasoned Audaxers and Willesden ledgends, Karl Hrouda (above) and Jack Eason (right)set off for Sicily today to take part in the 1000km Audax. This event is run every two years and follows the coast road around the island.



This year the route takes them the scenic way to avoid the traffic chaos in Catania…..it goes up Etna!! Jack and Karl joined the rest of the Willeseden on the same event in 2004. However they had to pack at the half way point as they ran out of time.

Karl was recently featured in the local paper, the article was as follows

“CYCLING 1,200km in 90 hours and rolling across the finishing line with four broken ribs is an impressive feat for any athlete – let alone a 76-year-old grandad. Long-distance cycling specialist Karl Hrouda is not the sort to let a little crash get in his way.

He is preparing for a 1,000km ride around Sicily, despite being knocked unconscious by a car just a month ago. He was cycling to Cambridge to visit his son, when he stopped at a junction. Karl said: “How it happened, I do not know. I do not remember it. I was knocked out until the ambulance arrived, possibly up to 20 minutes.” He suffered cuts to his head and legs and most of his upper teeth were knocked out, making it hard to talk. But Karl is determined to fly to the Mafia’s homeland, on June 11, to compete in its ultra cycling event.

He said: “I am gradually recovering. I am definitely going to go to Sicily, and should be OK by the time I get there.” Karl will be joined by his cycling partner, Jack Eason, an 80-year-old, who helped ease him back into the saddle last week, with an `easy 300km training ride’ to Somerset and back.

Karl and Jack, who are members of the Willesden Cycling Club, will have 75 hours to complete a circuit of the Mediterranean’s largest island when the race begins at 8am on June 13.

Karl said: “We will have to average a minimum of 13.6 kmh to finish in time. Hopefully, we can go a bit faster than that to give us time to grab some food a little kip.” He knows it’s important to get some rest during ultra events all too well. He is one of only three Britons to complete long-distance cycling’s blue ribbon event, the Paris-Brest-Paris, six times.The 1,200km race from the French capital to the coast of Brittany and back again is run every four years.

Karl finished in every event since 1983. It was lam on the final day when Karl crashed in 2003, 100km from Paris. He said: “I had’t slept enough and crashed, but I got up and finished just inside the 90-hour limit. Only later I found out I fractured four ribs in the fall. I suppose it was quite an achievement to finish in that condition.”

Karl, who took up cycling in his 50s, does not plan to stop any time soon.He said: “If I was sat in an armchair every day watching TV, then I would not have the same fitness level. Cycling has its downsides and accidents do happen. But overall, it has been great to me.”I lost my wife last year and I have been depressed, but the cycling kept me going. We have not got that many years to do this, so while we still can, let’s get on with it.”

Forza Giacamo and Carlo!

See http://www.sicilianostop.it/

Sunday Club Rides

June – July 2006

L= Long ride – circa 50 miles – Average 14-15 mph
S=Short ride – Circa 25 miles gentle pace

11 June
L – Wendover Woods

18 June
L – Marsworth

25 June
L – Henley-on-Thames
S – John Morris Charity ride – Starting Fulmer (Donantion required)

02 July
L – California Country Park

09 July
L – Leighton Buzzard – Pages park

16 July
L – West Wycombe Garden Centre

23 July
L – Aldbury

30 July
L – Wokingham Holme Grange
S – Maidenhead


Important information:
All club runs start from Oxford Road, Denham (outside Shane’s Garden Centre) at 9.30 AM.

We recommend that you wear a hard shell helmet, in the interests of safety.

In bad weather please use a bike with mudguards and a rear mud-flap to help keep you and other riders clean.