PLOMESGATE CYCLING CLUB
PLOMESGATE CYCLING CLUB
July
2002
June club run
Eight of us met up in Somerfields car park on Sunday, before heading out for a gentle 30 mile ride, covering a big loop, through Peasenhall, Parham, Campsea Ashe, Sudbourne to the Snape Maltings, where we stopped for coffee and cake, then back to Saxmundham. On the way round we witnessed a pushing match between Trevor and Harry on the tandem and Becky (result was a draw), Gary and Rob R testing each other on the hills, Julie surging to the front of the group at the idea of an ice-cream at the Maltings, and Steve and Jim (unsuccessfully) chasing a motorbike on the outskirts of Tunstall.
13th June
After all the "changeable" weather we've had of late it wasn't a bad night at all, a light SW breeze gave the riders a help back from the turn.
Ipswich visitor Angus powered his way round in a short 23 again. Fastest Plomesgate rider this time and dipping inside 25 minutes for the first time was John Chalker, handing out a 30s beating to Trevor. Riders coming to form are Richard with 25:42 and Steve who despite a painful stitch only just missed doing a 25 by a few seconds. The Handicap competition gets more interesting as Becky recaptured the lead again by 27 seconds with a new PB of 29:13.
27th June
It appeared still in the forest but once out of the forest a stiff breeze made it difficult out to the turn.
Fastest on the night was come back man Neil Douglas who beat his fellow Tri Club team mate by 7 seconds. First Plomesgater was Richard Tateson with his first ride inside 25 minutes on this course. He is now after the fastest ride of the year award. John spun his 48x15 fixed wheel round in 25:41 just beating a fast improving Steve Jones in 25:46. Another close match was developing between Jim (26.10) and new member Steve Smith (another come back man) in 26:16.
Reserve the 21st July in your diaries, starting from Somerfield in Saxmundham at 10am.
Plomesgate Open 16km TT, 28th June
Congratulations to Becky, who qualified for the GHS National Final on September 7th.
Course Report
The first leg was really quick, as it's fairly flat and was wind-assisted. The couple of sharp bends on the next leg, to Fressingfield, slowed me down a bit, but not much – but then it was on to the long headwind section past Wingfield College. The three hills weren't too much of a problem, but coming out of the last dip, the wind really took control, making the last mile and a half quite painful. The course difficulty is shown by the times - about 30-45 seconds slower than our normal course - despite a Stradbroke lap only being about 9.9 miles.
BC/RTTC British Champs 14th Sept
The course for the joint BC/RTTC British TT Champs on September 14th is the Stradbroke course, used for last Saturday’s open time trial. Saturday’s event served a useful purpose in highlighting some areas of the course which will need extra marshalling and other cautionary measures. The success of the championship relies on the support of all East District clubs so please show your support by turning out to help on Saturday 14th September.
Thanks - Trevor
More Information can be found on the website at:-
http://www.2002ttchamps.org.uk/
Held on 22-23rd June, this consists of a time trial, road race and mountain bike race, split into separate Elite and 3&4 cat races this year.
Steve continues:
It wasn't an auspicious start, as a ride round the "8 mile" TT course took longer than expected - it was a hilly, windy 10 mile course, with another couple of miles to get back to the start, and while Steve just made his start time, Matt got a 2 minute late start penalty. The difficulty of the course was shown by the times – the fastest time was about 25 minutes, Steve did about 29 minutes, Matt about 31, which became 33 with the penalty.
After a lunchtime to refuel and sort out bikes for the afternoon, it was time for the road race. It was a rolling start, so the bunch of 50 riders formed up behind the lead car and headed out to the course. After a bit of stop-go riding, the race proper started, at the bottom of the longest hill on the course, which rapidly split the bunch up into smaller groups. Steve was caught in a no-man's-land between groups, while Matt was in the group of 4 or 5 chasing behind. However, it was the 2nd lap which was eventful for "our boys".
A marshal went missing, so Steve missed the turn and headed off course, by now with two companions. Matt used his local knowledge and managed to keep his group on course - unfortunately he later touched wheels with another rider and ended up lying in the middle of the road. Steve turned round and got back on course, a lap down by now, as first aid was administered to Matt, who then gingerly rode back to the HQ, his first road race over.
Matt's injuries meant he was unable to ride on the Sunday, so Steve flew the flag on the MTB stage, which was on a slightly harder course than last year. There were a couple of bits which he found too hard to ride - ironically, these were where he made his two or three overtaking moves, running past riders trying to ride the section! After an hour in the heat, the race, and the event, was over. No prizes, but some tired and sore legs, and a few smiles. And, despite testing the hardness of the tarmac, Matt said that he really enjoyed his first road race and is determined to do some more!
Anglia Velo “10”
Although nice, hot and sunny the so called 5mph SW wind was more like a strong 10-15mph wind which assisted riders to the turn but made the return a real grovel.
Plomesgate Riders in the Tandem Event
Trevor and Becky Figgitt- 22:40 new pb by 26seconds
Winners Glenn Taylor and Zak Carr - 18:20. They reckoned they were on to a new national record (17:42) with less than a mile to go !!
ICA “10” 19th June
A storming ride by Richard handing out a stuffing to John and Trevor!
8th Richard Tateson S Plomesgate 23:35
9th John Chalker S Plomesgate 23:45
10th Trevor Figgitt V Plomesgate 23:54
21st Steve Jones S Plomesgate 25:20
Friday at Foxhall
Friday night
cycling at Foxhall stadium is back!
Here are some of the recent highlights:
31st May
10 mins + 5 laps: This was run at a quick, but steady, pace for the ten minutes, with Rob Hobbs (Loughborough), Steve, Becky and Paul Watts (Ipswich BC) sharing the work before Rob and Steve kicked with 5 to go. Once clear, there was a bit of cat and mouse, with Rob finally taking the sprint quite comfortably.
Devil: Trevor was first out, then Steve, as Becky and Paul sprinted round the last corner each time. Becky again got the better of Paul next time round to eliminate him - meanwhile Rob had stayed clear of all this and was an easy winner.
14th June
Flying lap: Slippery conditions meant discretion was the order of the day, even so, Becky recorded a time of 39 seconds, beating Paul (41 secs) and Harry (47 secs).
21st June
10 + 5: Steve and Carl Thompson (XRT-Elmy) set the pace for the 10 minutes, with Paul and Elliott (cycle speedway) happy to ride in their wheel tracks, but unable to follow at the acceleration with 5 to go. A couple of quick laps followed, then two slower laps, before Steve got into the last corner first and held on to finish ahead by about half a wheel.
Flying lap: The drier conditions showed in the faster times. This event also had the surprise of the night, as Elliott went round in 31.7 seconds to take second place. Carl (30.8s) pipped him, but Steve (31.9) couldn't quite match his time. Paul improved to 33.4s, while Denise (AngliaSport, 42.2s) and Alan Watts (IBC, 39.8s) recorded decent times for their first times out.
Bike Events Suffolk Coastal Bike Ride July 21st perhaps not for the serious racer but some might be interested. www.bike-events.com
Dictionary
Corner
"I rode like a right numpty".
Heard it before? Wondered what (or who) a numpty was? Well, it's one of the latest slang phrases to make it to the Concise Oxford Dictionary (along with Homer's "Doh!"). It is defined as a "silly or stupid person" and has dual origins. It appeared in Scottish (specifically Glaswegian) slang in the early 1990's, when things like Rab C Nesbitt and Trainspotting were popular, but also has 17th century roots as a nickname for a dim-witted character called Humphrey.
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Bonus
Article - MTB Across Scotland
Read it on line here