Willesden Cycling Club

Our team of Rich Cooper, Peter Dixon and Richard Jerome arrived in Charndon, Bucks for their first race of the season. We all knew Peter was going well from last weeks time trial but Rich Cooper and Richard Jerome both had a poor winter. The plan was for a solid finish and to ride for Peter if the chance came to help him out in his first ever road race.

Things started well, a break went on the first lap and the race was steady allowing our riders to settle in to the race and the new season. Richard Jerome rode near the front to avoid stack ups and Rich and Peter were settled in nicely in the middle of the pack.

There was a minor hill in the race but this wasn’t a real challenge to our riders and they all looked comfortable. Peter Dixon had moved nearer the front however he lost a water bottle with 20 miles to go. With one lap to go The pace started to pick up a little as the bunch was closing in on the break and Rich Cooper was caught out near the back of the race and lost his wheel. His race was over which was a shame as he looked quite comfortable.

Peter had a puncture on the last lap leavinng Richard Jerome as the only rider left. Richard was up in the top 5 approaching the finish but with his lack of fitness and confidence he ended up being blocked in a lost his position. He rolled over the line in 27th but pleased to have finished well.

All in all a good day for the team and they showed they will come strong as the season get’s going.

Prime Coaching is holding a race preparation training session at Hillingdon Circuit on Saturday 10th April from 1.30 to 5.30 PM,

The session consisting of both race skills and fitness exercises and short talks about racing is intended for third and fourth category and novice riders.

The cost is £12 for adults (16 years plus) and £8 for youths (12 to 16 years).

Further details are attached.

Please pass this on to any club members who may be interested in taking part.

Regards

Nick Hobbs
Secretary, Prime Coaching

Westerley Quiz on Wednesday 17th March at 8.30 pm to be held at the Westerley Club House. Please let Wendy and Jim know if you will be attending as soon as possible so that we can let Roly know what numbers to expect.
For further information contact us via wendywearl@aol.com or telephone: 01494 862372

There’s a Westerley Quiz on the Wednesday 17th March at 8:30pm and the Willesden CC are invited. It’s always fun taking prizes from the purple-striped brigade, so sign up and have fun (see 2009 polo match, right)

The Quiz is at the Westerley club house.

Please let Wendy and Jim know if you will be attending as soon as possible so that we can let Roland of the Westerley know what numbers to expect. Their email is wendywearl(at)aol.com (replace ‘(at)’ with an ‘@’ sign).

Lance Woodman

March

The first road race of the season for the Willesden racing team is on March the 13th and Rich Cooper, Peter Dixon and Richard Jerome have all been named on the start sheet.

Tom London is named as 6th reserve but we hope he will still get a ride.

This race is usually very competative with some really strong time trialliasts taking part including Mike Broadwith and Johnathan Shubert.

Our racing team haven’t quite found their form yet so are just hoping to get a good solid race under their belts and put in a strong performance.

Good luck!

In 2008, Mark broke the world record for cycling solo around the world, an epic journey of over 18,000 miles, cycling
100 miles per day for over half a year.

In 2009, he set out on his second ultra-endurance solo challenge; to cycle the length of the American Cordillera; a 15,000-mile expedition, cycling down the longest mountain range on the planet and climbing the continent’s two highest peaks, Mt McKinley and Aconcagua, whilst making his second self-filmed documentary for BBC1 Cycling the Americas.

This is Mark’s story of his adventures, a personal rollercoaster of mental and physical endurance as well as a fascinating insight into the world we live.

7.30pm Beck Theatre Hayes 21 March 2010

Grange Road
Hayes
Middlesex
UB3 2UE

Tickets £13, www.becktheatre.org.uk/wrt-productions_details.asp?pid=3841

Those of you that have taken part in the Paris-Brest, LEL, Mille Miglia or the Sicilia No-Stop may know Tony Lonero. Tony lives in Italy and rides with Audax Italia. He is organising a 600km Coast-to-Coast ride across Italy to remember the Americans who gave their lives for the liberation of Italy.

The ride will start in Nettuno and cross the Appenines to the East coast and return back.

It looks to be a great event and I hope some of the Willesden can make the trip.

Miles Back
24 Feb 2010

I am organizing a historic 600km on 29 May 2010. It is called the Coast to Coast Italy. We leave from my house in Nettuno (near Rome) and ride across Italy and back – about 630km. The ride is to commemorate the 8000 Americans buried at the War cemetery just outside Nettuno.

So this is the program –

We leave from the baseball field in Nettuno at about 09:00, escorted by the police and 3 jeeps and a landing craft from the second world war, with the folks inside the vehicles dressed up like USA soldiers from the war.

We ride about 3km passing through the piazza of Nettuno where the people can clap or throw eggs at us.

Arrive at the cemetery, where Joe the cemetery director will be waiting for us. Each rider will have an American flag and Italian flag to put on one of the 400 crosses without a name.

Then we ride our bikes up to the monument, I have to lay some flowers give a 5 minute speech , then the riders leave.

Newspapers and Foxnews should be here to film this part of the ride. AFN for sure, AFN is the armed forces network of the US military – they are trying to find one us soldier who would like to do the event with us.

It is going to be a special day. If you want to come, I have some room at the house, there is a hotel up the road for €30/day for the riders.

The route will take the same course out and back. We have to make a few changes but it will be along this route, some climbing to do but the roads are nice.

This is our biggest ride of the year, I think we will have around 200 riders. Down on the other side Italy at Silvi Marina there is food, tent to sleep in and showers.

Tony Lonero
Audax Italia

The final overall results of the Imperial R.T Winter series was announced and Peter Dixon finished in 27th position.

The club’s reliability trials suffered due to the weather. Heavy rain and reported snow in the Chiltern area meant that only 30 riders signed on. Some of these gave up as the course became snow covered and the icy surface made riding difficult. Still, Team Quest boosted the profits by staying in the Headquarters and drinking coffee in the hopes it might stop raining.

Tony Savage collided with a motorist near Denham. Luckily there was a witness who saw the incident and took the car’s number.

Attached photos show Tom London and Rich Cooper covered in mud when they arrived back at Headquarters. Roll on Summer.

Cheers Gladys

Rich Cooper

Tom London

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is running a poll on its website regarding cycling. It only takes a minute to complete. They are encouraging all road users to respond.

Various issues are addressed in the survey including the use of public money to make cycling safer, the allocation of police resources to catch cyclists breaking the law, h*lm*ts (groan…) and whether bike riders should have to display license plates.

http://www.iam.org.uk/iam_polls/

Miles Back
17 Feb 2010

Mark Brooking has sent me the second installment of his RTYRA (Round the Year Randonneur Award), which he is doing with his tandem companion, Lynn Corr. The RTYRA involves riding a 200km Audax each month during the year.

Last weekend Norfolk was the victim of their ambitions.

Miles Back
16 Feb 2010

A tale of a dirty weekend in Norfolk.

Throughout the preceding week the forecast was not brilliant – Max temp 4 Degrees Min -2 degrees with a strong NNE Wind straight off the North Sea.

Saturday proved dry & still. After an Olympic Breakfast accompanied by a decent caffeine hit, we were off to the start at the John Innes Centre near Colney. There were 50 entries for the 200 – most of whom seemed to have made it to the start.

The first section was laney & undulating to the control at Lodden and we soon warmed up managing to clock the info control en-route without stopping. On the next stage it started to snow quite heavily and on one right hand bend, in the lightly snow covered road, there was a clear imprint of a rider…! Naturally this encouraged us to negotiate the corner gingerly; by the time we made it to The Goodies farm shop control at the quarter way point, the weather had changed again.

Plop….Snow and bikes don’t mix well!

On the next leg the sun came out and we watched the local hare population racing around the adjacent fields. The minor B roads used for this section were clear of ‘Slud’ (A glutinous mix of Sleet & Mud) and progress was rapid.

The last 17km back to the HQ was directly into the rising chill of the anticipated NNE wind. The last 400m to the HQ ended with a monstrous climb, hampered by two sets of traffic lights.

I was all in: cold, damp and totally ineffective – I can’t imagine what the stoker was thinking at this point. After hot soup, rolls & Tea with more Tea, I felt quite bilious and made a hasty retreat to the Gents. Fortunately lunch stayed were it was most needed and after 5 minutes with a hairdryer hose stuck down the front of my jersey, I felt ready to continue. (If this was Woman’s Weekly, it’d make it has best ‘household’ tip of the week!). We took it easy until I was gastrically totally settled down.

Snow and ice forming on all leading edges

The change of direction was away from the wind with ample tree cover. We slowed briefly to witness a herd of deer cross the road in front of us – white bottoms flicking up & down in unison across the fields. We had to keep an eye on the time as the Garden centre control at Fakenham closes at 17:00 and hot sustenance was essential. In spite of the conditions we made it to the control at the predicted time, where Lynn had two hot chocolates with cream & a bit of flan. Well deserved after nursing the ailing windbreak (should that be the other way around?? Miles B.) along the last stage. A welcome change of clothing and into the last leg back to base in our new position as Lantern Rouge.

The sun set behind raggedy clouds and now the challenge was to stay on the road/read the route sheet/avoid the worst sections of frost damaged lane.I had spent most of the day peering over glasses that were either covered in snow or misted up so my eyes desperately needed/wanted to be firmly closed. Lynn’s cheeks began to glow from the relentless pounding as we approached the final climb to the control. This time it was climbed with ease without even changing gear!!!!

Lynn and some Norfolk road spaghetti

A 12 Hour outing came to a close. The good thing about being last is that you get plied with all of the leftovers. We crept back to the lodge and a few beers brought the day to a close.

Everything used during the day was filthy. Little piles of grit appeared in strange places.

Even the evening shenanigans of both Loughborough & Sheffield volley ball teams couldn’t keep a weary tandem crew awake………………

Next ride will be Boudicca’s Revenge in March. Maybe it won’t snow this time?

Mark Brooking

Hi everyone,

Don't forget it's the Reliability ride this Sunday (21 Feb 2010).
Two routes on offer at 60km and 113km.

9.30 kick off from Ickenham Guide Hut, Community Close, Ikenham.

Five quid entry

See you all there.

John Williams