Weather forecast:  Temperatures not too bad for mid March, quite a bit of wind and later on maybe even some spells of sunshine.  The route was going to cover the area between the Deben, the Orwell and Ipswich; BT Martlesham almost always visible.  It is a small area, but we were going to link ALL the country lanes, of which some are quite nice.  When adopting the idea, I expected that not many would know these lanes, but during the ride it became clear that BT allows their employees to have a lunch break, such that they can go cycling.  What a luxury !!

As we were changing direction every half a mile or so, I had an easy job in keeping the group together and maintaining a relaxed pace.  But this was going to change.

The coffee break was scheduled to be in Levington, and as the infrastructure offers few options, it had to be the Ship Inn, which opens at twelve.  In case the place would be still closed at our arrival, I had planned an additional short loop and then return. 

But then trouble started.  Some, who had reasons to be back home early, decided not to have a break.  After some more discussions, this approach was adopted by the whole group.  But nevertheless the group was doomed.  Those pressed to be home, decided on return legs which they believed would suit them best.  Going off in different directions.

In the end only Steve, Chris and myself were going to finish the Ride as was planned for.

We covered the hilly bits around Little Bealings and Playford which were supposed to be the battlegrounds of the day and then found ourselves back in Martlesham after almost 2.5 hours.

As Annelie had prepared for more then three returning cyclists, we enjoyed excellent (catering) conditions, having an enjoyable time and learning many things about exciting Lotus sport cars, maintaining treasures in museums, preparing museum exhibitions and producing yeast.

And of course I have learned Club Ride rules:  Make sure people can not easily “escape” from the coffee break, people can not easily work out alternative routes home, and put an adequate mileage between start and coffee break.

I will apply them next time.

Evert

April Club run

This will be on April 9^th from Woodbridge, then back to Pete and Bev’s to watch Paris Roubaix. 

Meet at the Turban Centre car park (back of Budgens,) Woodbridge at 10am. [Car park free on Sundays] for a prompt start.

Circuitous route, but not using all the lanes of Hasketon like last year, to hopefully end up at the Farm Cafe at Marlesford for 11's, then a ride back to Woodbridge for 1 - 1:30pm.

I also have the Eurosport transmission of Milan - San Remo and Tour of Flanders on the recorder, if we find Eurosport are not playing ball with the Paris - Roubaix transmission (promised 3.5hrs)

March Open ‘10’

The first Plomesgate open 10 for this year has been and gone. The event would not have been possible without all your help.  Organising an event is never easy but this one went smoothly thanks to all the help and support you all gave me. I have had several emails congratulating us on a well marshalled event and the quality of the cakes!

It was a very cold day for racing but even colder for those of you who helped with the event.  Thanks to all the helpers and to Bev for organizing the event.

No more Foxhall Fridays

With Steve no longer able to run the Friday evening sessions at the Foxhall track (because of work commitments), the committee reviewed the arrangements for these sessions and decided that, in this age of litigation, it would be a lot better for the sessions to be overseen by a registered BC coach. As we don't have a coach within the club, we have passed over responsibility for the sessions to "Team Ipswich" - an amalgam of local clubs (from all cycling disciplines) of which we are a part. Nathan Miller will now be supervising the sessions, with the help of some newly qualified and partly qualified local coaches.

The rumour mill reports that Nathan is intending to run the track sessions alongside his existing off-road skills training sessions, on Saturday mornings. There may also be an evening session mid-week (Tuesdays?), aimed more at adult riders but, again, it's only rumours at the moment.

Herne Hill Easter

Becky will be riding in the “Great White Hope” sprint during the Good Friday (Apr 14^th) meet at Herne Hill, London.

The meet includes an individual pursuit between Brad Wiggins (GB, Cofidis) and Luke Roberts (Australia, CSC). It’s a truly international meet, with riders from UK, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan and Australia, and it looks set to be the largest field ever in the history of the meet.

If anyone is interested in going down to watch, the gates open at 10 am with sprint preliminaries starting at 11am. The main meeting starts at 1pm and is scheduled to finish at approximately 6pm. Admission is £6 for children, £12 for adults and a Super Saver Family Ticket is £30. Tickets are available from the Good Friday Box Office c/o Classic Wills, 11 Addington Road, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 9BW or at the gate on the day.

Child tickets are for 11-16 yr olds, 10yrs and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.

Family tickets are for two adults and one or more children.

The meet has a website, with all the latest info, rider lists etc: http://www.goodfridaymeeting.org.uk

Steve.

Subscriptions

It’s now April and subs are overdue. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please send a cheque for the appropriate amount, payable to “Plomesgate CC” to Steve at 4 Leicester Close, Ipswich, IP2 9EX.

This will be your last newsletter unless you renew your subscription.

Race Results

CC Breckland Open 10 – 4^th March

Despite near freezing temperatures a good field took the start at the CC Breckland Open 10 event in early March up at Scoulton in Norfolk. Plomesgate were well represented with Pete and Bev and myself all braving the conditions. After some egging on from Glen Taylor I took the start with bare legs and only my skin suit on, the new warming cream I have was excellent. As I started there was a little snow in the air but I accelerated up to race pace and settled in to a nice pace, the roads were fairly clean and I felt quite good with the wind behind me. After the left turn at Rockland St Peter I caught a glimpse of my minute man in the distance and it didn’t register who it was, in fact as I shortly passed my 2 minute man I assumed it was him I’d seen, so I had no idea on how I was riding but was comfortable with my pace. After the turn at Great Ellingham the road twists a bit and I passed another two riders as we grovelled into the headwind, before being waved down by the marshall at Hingham as a car approached, the car stopped and waved me round so I hastily changed gear and accelerated back up to race speed and blasted the final leg back to Scoulton picking off a couple of riders before digging hard up the hill to the finish line. As I rolled over the line I was pleasantly surprised to see Martin Pyne, my minute man, a little way ahead so I was pretty pleased that he hadn’t taken much time out of me. Back at HQ the results came in and I was pleased to find I had finished 3^rd ahead of both Richard Bradley and Martin Pyne for the first time.

1^st Glenn Taylor, Api Metrow, 23:39
2^nd Will Dorsett, Api Metrow, 24:09
3^rd Matt Donaldson, Plomesgate CC, 24:48
4^th Richard Bradley, Anglia Velo, 24:49
5^th Martin Pyne, Anglia Velo, 25:18

17^th Peter Whelan, Plomesgate CC, 27:01
34^th Bev Whelan, Plomesgate CC, 35:48

Plomesgate CC Open 10 – 18^th March

Perhaps 2 weeks off the bike with first a cold and then the sickness bug that is going around are not best preparation for a race. So to really finish it off the race was in the middle of my weekend 12 hour night shifts. So after getting home at 07:30 I was in bed at 8 and up again by 12 had lunch/breakfast(?) loaded my bike in the car and headed for Sudbourne, thanks for the late start time Bev (no 55) that extra time to get sorted was greatly appreciated.

Another near freezing day and no expectations after the run up to the race I cheerfully headed to the start, had a little laugh with Phil Hetzel who true to form was running late and actually missed his start time, before Hilary informed me I had better take the line as I had 30 seconds before I missed mine! Thanks Hilary, I managed to clip in and get ready just in time for Trev to say go, I set off in an easier gear than normal and wound up to speed and settled in to a nice rhythm. My usual forte of brute force and ignorance wasn’t really an option as the 2 weeks of no real training and not much sleep meant I was sadly lacking in power but was spinning nicely and enjoying it. The race was a bit of a blur but I remember passing a few riders and not getting passed so was pretty happy with that. I can remember accelerating off the turn into the straight harder than I could last year, so the training is paying off, and getting the bike into 54 x 12 as I wound up to the finish. Not an impressive ride but one I was happy with. Managed to get 6^th place and was only 1 second behind Richard Bradley who I beat by 1 second 2 weeks before. The highlight was the massage from Julie after the race, it did the trick and I headed back to work a lot less achy than I should have done! Well done to everyone who rode and especially Bev who managed to organise and ride again!

1^st Martin Pyne, Anglia Velo, 23:40
2^nd Glenn Taylor, Api Metrow, 23:47
3^rd Lee Bark, Stowmarket, 23:50

19^th Pete Whelan, 26:56
26^th Marshall Crowe, 28:54
29^th Jim Ingram, 29:44
39^th Ron Sutton, 32:10
45^th Bev Whelan, 35:53.

Ciclos Uno Summer Series - Eastway 27 March

As I couldn’t find a TT I fancied I had decided to go down to Eastway to get some quality fast training miles in, I wasn’t disappointed! After the last few months of near freezing conditions the balmy 12°C that greeted me was very welcome, even if there was a strong south westerly wind and the threat of rain.

The pace from the start was incredible, young Alex Aldham-Breary for PCA Ciclos Uno attacked before the first hairpin and that set the tone for the race, the first 5 laps were run off at 29 mph average! Repeated attacks all day by Alex, his team mate Danny Kogan and myself, some I was responsible for and others I bridged to during the race, I managed 2 laps at 179bpm (my max is 189bpm) I even attacked on Oxo hill a few times (not usually my forte being on the large side!) and was getting up to the length of the back straight ahead but when I was joined by either Alex or Danny or both, the bunch started hunting us, although no one else seemed interested in attacking. The same thing happened if either Alex or Danny made the break and I bridged the gap. The three of us were given no slack so I told Alex and Danny I was going with 3 to go and to sit in and if/when I was caught jump as the bunch relaxed, I was caught near the hairpin at the start of the last lap, Danny jumped and was followed by James Whatline, one of the Victoria team who had tried to boss the bunch all day, Alex sat in and I was recovering from my last effort, Alex jumped with Dave Farrow from Eagle RC and caught Danny and James on the last bend as we came on to the hill up to the finish line, I sprinted with all I had left (legs were burning) and got 9^th and Alex got the win so all round I was very happy with my ride. I have to say it was the fastest race I have ever been in at Eastway, we had dropped 30 riders within 3 laps and the main bunch was only about 30 strong at the end from a start of nearly 80!!!!! 32 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes!!! Ave HR 159 which is high for me at Eastway but my heart/lungs and legs were more than up to it. Another great day out and another big grin on my face, watch out for the names of Alex and Danny I think in the future they will be a bit special, they are both about 16 and certainly didn’t need the help of an ageing never was!

1st Alex ALDHAM-BREARY PCA/Ciclos Uno 1:11:36.2
2nd David FARROW Eagle RC 1:11:37.9
3rd James Whatline Victoria CC 1:11:38.9

9th Matt DONALDSON Plomesgate CC 1:11:50.2

Matt

Mountain Mayhem

For various reasons the team don’t seem quite as keen on the Mountain Mayhem this year (I’ve already ridden the muddy, rutted land rover track at least seven times), so an alternative weekend is planned.  On the weekend of 1-2^nd July there’ll be a mountain biking weekend in the Peak District, based at Hope near Mam Tor and Edale.  There is excellent biking around there, with a nice mix of tracks, technical singletrack and hills.  We’ve checked out a suitable campsite which costs between £12.25 and £13.25 per tent for small tents, with no mega tents allowed.  The ride on Saturday will start about 11 from Hope, so you can either plan to drive up on Friday night or Saturday morning, or there is a station at Hope if you want to take the train.  The Cat & Fiddle is nearby, if any of the roadies want to join in, and there are plenty of options for non-bikers.  Please let Mark or Viv know if you are interested.  The camping has to be booked in advance, so a deposit of £5 per night will be needed to confirm your commitment.  There’s plenty of B&B in the area too.

Paris Dakar by bike

The first edition of this awesome ride starts in Paris September 10th, 2006 and the finish is after 7000 kilometres, ten weeks later in Dakar.  Visit the website www.bike-dreams.com to read more and download the brochure.

Jon suggested this as a good alternative to the Mountain Mayhem!!

Calendar Dates

9^th April, Club run from Woodbridge
12^th April, ICA Evening TTs start.
23^rd April, Suffolk CTC 50 miles in 4 hours.  Start from St Margarets Green, Ipswich and finish at Turks Head PH, Hasketon.  Contact Paul Fenton for further details (start 9 - 9:30) 01473 311222
27^th April, Plomesgate evening 10s start at 6:45
4^th May, 2^nd Plomesgate evening 10, then every fortnight at 7pm
Tuesday evenings – MTB ride usually Sizewell car park starting at 7:30 contact Mark or Viv for details.

Member’s News

A word of warning if I may. Don’t get up without thinking to switch off the TV. I did a day or two before the open 10,result I cannot ride again for maybe a couple of months .Can just about drive now so will see some of you at the T.V. showing of the Paris Roubaix

Ron Shoobridge

Hope you recover soon, Ron.

Team Ipswich

Marshall attended the Team Ipswich meeting on 16^th March to represent Plomesgate CC.

The main points of interest were:-

Inter-club communications and activities

Member clubs are being asked to share news to promote interest and participation in inter-club cycling activities. Team Ipswich is not attempting to become a ‘super club’ or a federation. By sharing news, ideas and activities, the plan is to make more people aware of what is going on in the different cycling disciplines represented – these include BMX, cycle speedway, touring, road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, grass track etc. There really is a lot going on – e.g. did you know that the Ipswich Cycle Speedway team has over 100 members and trains 3 nights per week and competes on Saturday and Sunday? They have set themselves a target to double their membership (mainly through young members) this year.   TI are requesting that we circulate the Clubscene news into club newsletters.

Members from the participating clubs are being asked for proposals on how to further these aims. What do the Plomesgate members think of this and do you have any proposals about how TI can be developed?

A draft constitution will be circulated with the forthcoming minutes. Clubs will be invited to assess it and comment within 6 weeks which will need to be before the next TI meeting on 18^th May.  I hope that it will be available prior to our next committee meeting and we should be able to send it out with the next PCC Newsletter.

Lotus Track Road Races

A proposal has been made to the directors of Lotus Cars. A promoting committee has been set up and a series of races is planned for Wednesday evenings. These will be run on a league basis under British Cycling rules. You will be required to enter for the series.

Further news will be available at www.veloriders.co.uk 

Ravenswood Development

Approximately 18 acres of land at the site has been allocated for the proposed development.  Steve Grimwood and the team are meeting with Sport England to

·                See how SE can help with funding

·                Seek agreement of SE to fund £1 for each £2 raised elsewhere.

The estimated cost of the scheme is £1.5million. There is the possibility of EEDA funding if we can meet their criteria. Many of these centre around the concept of a multi-sports village i.e. not just providing cycling facilities. So we need ideas as to how to use the land and facilities for other sports e.g. soccer, cross-country, hockey, water sports (if there is water on site) or whatever else may be feasible. The plan is to put together a 15 page proposal of what is needed, proposing how it will be used, operated and managed. This will be based upon the concept of a multi-use, multi-sport amenity which could also be used for social functions.

The immediate priority is for each club to put together a statement of how we would use and benefit from the provision of the amenities. How will it improve our access to cycle sport and recreational cycling. Here are a few ideas to start you off:-

·       Safety of off-road facilities for children and adults

·       A facility for competitive and non-competitive cycling

·       Improved access to coaching and supervised training

·       Improved spotting and nurturing of talent via the one-stop facility

·       Proper changing and workshop facilities

·       Equipment storage

·       (Potential) Retail outlets for equipment purchase

·       Access to multiple disciplines available at the single site

·       Nationally recognised centre for competition

·       Reduced travelling and road traffic for locals

·       A meeting place for social functions

·       Puts Ipswich and East Suffolk on the Sporting map

·       A complementary amenity to the proposed SnoAsis commercial venture and its transport and accommodation infrastructure

·       A training facility for Olympians (before and during the Games)

There will be many more good reasons to support this venture. Please let me know your ideas and views at marshall.h.crowe@btinternet.com . I will collate these into the Plomesgate CC input that can be used in making the proposal to EEDA and Sport England.

Marshall Crowe

Tour de France

I’ve just come across a press release * confirming a change to the 2007 Tour de France.  The first stage has been re-routed because of security issues in central London.  The route will head north through the Essex countryside and will finish at the new cycling facility at Ravenswood.  Plomesgate CC has been asked to provide marshals for the finish, and Annelie will be asked to bake cakes.  The expected field is 198, so it shouldn’t be much more effort than the open ‘10’.

* dated 1^st April.

Winter Training

Most Sundays, except when there’s a club run on, there’s a club training ride, which leaves Northgate Sports Centre, Ipswich at 10am. You’ll need to bring a drink, something to eat, tools and spares.  We normally do between 2 and 3 hrs at about 15mph average.  Route depends on the wind direction, but usually either West towards Bildeston and Hadleigh or East around Waldringfield and Kirton.

For more info, contact Steve or Valerio.

Committee News

The next committee meeting will be at the Butley Oyster after the first evening ‘10’ of the year, on Thursday 27^th April.  All club members are welcome to attend.

For Sale

Fixed wheel, Reynolds 525 steel frame bike. Top tube c-c 56cm, top tube c-c 58cm. Chainset and bottom bracket Shimano 105 Octalink. Look 396 pedals. 42T And 48T chainrings, 14T, 15T and 16T sprockets. Continental Ultra Gatorskin 700c x 23 tyres.  Specialized Body Geometry saddle.

Ideal winter hack or for learning grass track.

Make me an offer anything considered.

Matt

(Click on picture to see it larger in a new window)

CTC Web Site

The Suffolk DA website is being re-hosted and is now at http://www.greenlivingcentre.org.uk/ctc

The old URL will continue to work for the next few weeks. The host site http://www.greenlivingcentre.org.uk has a large number of 'green' topics that may be of interest.

Evening 10s

This year's helper Rota...

Event date	Timekeeper	Pusher off
27th April	Valerio Malenchino	Pete Whelan
4th May	Viv Broughton	Mark Broughton
18th May	Stephen Beaumont	Ron Shoobridge
1st June	Tony Nelson	Valerio Malenchino
15th June	Bev Whelan	Pete Whelan
29th June	Adrian McTigue	Jim Ingram
13th July	Trevor Figgitt	Matt Donaldson
27th July	Mark Howlett	Richard Tateson
10th August	Marshal Crowe	Ron Philpot
24th August	Jim Hardwicke	Trevor Figgitt

News contributions

Send us any news of events, results etc so that they can be included in the newsletter.

Our e-mail address is broughton.m@btopenworld.com