PLOMESGATE CYCLING CLUB 

April Club Run

A pleasant Sunday in April saw a small group set off from Steve’s house in Ipswich, heading through Belstead and Washbrook.  After the 35mph descent on the old A12 came the first shock as Swan Hill, a climb with a 12% (!) gradient showed that the south of the county is a bit lumpier than our normal territory.  A cycle around the Suffolk lumps and bumps, with various sprints along the way, was followed by coffee and cakes at Stonham Barns.  Once back at Steve's there was more coffee and biscuits and a slump on the sofa to watch the pros hammering over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.

May Club run

This will be from Somerfield in Saxmundham at 10am on Sunday 18^th May (the day after the Open ‘25’).

Plomesgate Open 25

Steve is organizing the Open ‘25’ on Saturday 17^th May.  If you are able to help, please e-mail steve@morningtonconsulting.com or ring Steve on 0771 8095826.

Jim Ingram

Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Jim, who is currently in section H of Saxmundham Ward as his back problem has worsened.

Marshals needed

National Championship 50 mile TT Sunday June 22nd 2003 - Bungay, Suffolk.
Trevor has received a request from the Godric CC asking the club to provide 3 marshals for the above event.  The marshals will need to be situated at the Ipswich Road roundabout (A140 and A143 roundabout) from 06:10am, until approx. 07:15 am. 3 are needed at this point as the riders entering and exiting at 3 points on and off this junction. 

Trevor needs to complete a form stating marshals name, address and telephone number and return it to the organiser asap so if you can help out please provide him with this information by 8^th May.

Foxhall Fridays

Now that the evenings are getting lighter, it seems like its time to start riding round in circles!  I'd like to get the informal training sessions going again at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich, where we use the stock-car track (but without the cars!).  These sessions run from about 7pm on Friday evenings until it gets too dark to ride safely, are open to all ages, abilities and types of bike, cost £2 an evening and you can take part in the fun and games (time trial, handicap races, sprints, devil, whatever) or not, as you wish.  There are very few rules, basically helmets must be worn, sign in before riding and go round anti-clockwise. 

As it is an outdoor track, these sessions are weather-dependant - if you are not sure whether an event will go ahead, or you need directions to the stadium, please just give me a ring.  The first session will be Friday May 16^th.

Steve J

Results

6^th April Haverhill Wheelers Hilly 20

Strong winds made this a very tough course.  Trevor and Becky (tandem) 56:45, Mark 57:56 and Viv 1:04:54.

12^th April VTTA Open 10 mile TT

Pete did a disappointing 23:16, feeling he should have gone better

13^th April VC Barrachi Open ‘25’

Pete improved over his time a few weeks earlier on the Somerleyton course with a 1:03:06 to get 8^th overall, beating a good number of those who had been faster than him the previous day.

13^th April, WCRA Ladies’ Handicap and Men’s supporting race

This was as revised course of 1km at the Milton Keynes Bowl.

The Mens 2/3/4 race was first over 50 laps. As it was my first circuit race for a couple of years I didn't have high expectations and was only expecting to last a few laps. However, once the race started the old instincts kicked in and I was soon moving into gaps and chasing wheels.  The first few laps were very fast and I thought I would be lucky to last about 10laps, but the race soon calmed down and I found myself near the front for a few laps.  There was a small break but it was difficult to chase across as there was a strong headwind on the finishing hill.  I chose to stay in the bunch and follow wheels which I managed to do finishing safely in the bunch.  Becky was riding the Women's race over 35km with riders starting in different groups according to ability.  Becky was a bit miffed when they put her in the second fastest group, and put one of her Talent Team friends (Anna) in a slower group 45 with 45seconds head start.  Becky's group soon got working together with Becky doing big turns on the front desperate to catch Anna's group which they did after only a few laps.  A few laps on and the race came together in one bunch and Becky looked comfortable.  Then there were shouts there had been a big crash and Becky although safe lost contact with the bunch and looked resigned to carry on on her own.  She got in a small group and started chasing but dropped her colleagues.  She was soon caught by the bunch however and quickly got herself safe in the middle again.  Despite 2 more crashes, one where Becky got ridden into by a woman who pulled her foot out, Becky stayed safe and finished in the bunch. Becky was pleased with her race and she knew she'd had a hard race, and she beat her friend Anna as well.

Trevor

13^th April National MTB at Thetford

The first round of the NRS National Points Series was at Mayday Meadow, in dry and fast conditions.  Mark finished 33^rd in the Vet men in 2:19:24, and Viv finished 3^rd in the Vet women in 2:00:19 (the men do one more lap than the women).  Viv won some bottles of energy drink, a little trophy, and got her name on the BC web site!!!!  No points though, as you need a license to get any of those.

15^th April Godric 10 on B10/44

This was Rob Cotton's first event of the year, earlier than he had originally planned, and he spun his 88" fixed to a brilliant 23:34 missing first place by only 12seconds, and taking some notable scalps in the process.

16^th April Stowmarket evening ‘10’

Pete 25:15, Valerio 28:08.

16^th April Newmarket Cycling & Tri Club TT

The course is 2 laps of a roughly 5mile circuit totalling about 10.5miles, on B roads on the edge of the Fens between Fordham and Isleham.  Riding road bikes without tri bars Trevor found the exposed course very hard and finished with 28:40 only just catching Becky for 2mins just before the finish.  Becky thought the course was "really nice" and finished with a creditable 31:10, I think she was the fastest female on the night.  Fastest on the night was Steve Peck who won in 25:12.

18^th April Great Yarmouth ‘10’

A full Team Whelan turned out on a warm, sunny Good Friday morning at Bungay for the Gt. Yarmouth 10 and a rising wind.  Times for the day did not appear fast as the return leg was head wind.  Bev did a 'better than expected' 29:40 (after recently finishing medication) and Pete 23:36.  Sarra was only 2s off Andrew’s time of 27:09 with a 27:11.

20^th April Golden Rumble Road Race

Steve and Richard joined 45 other hopefuls lining up for the start of this 4^th cat race down at Eastway.  After a sunny and wind-free week, it was colder and quite windy - the wind being in your face for most of the way around the back of the circuit and all the way along the bottom straight.  There was the usual mad gallop into the first corner, but after a couple of laps, the race settled down to a more regular tempo, with the wind preventing anyone from escaping the bunch.  The pace picked up for the lap before the first prime and a few laps later (about half distance) Steve drifted out the back of the bunch and was unable to get back on.  The speed difference between being in the bunch and being on your own was quite startling - six laps later the bunch came thundering past him again, with Richard safely up towards the front, as he was for most of the race.  Steve kept circulating, trying (unsuccessfully) to get people to ride with him before pulling out with 3 laps to go.  Meanwhile Richard had been working hard at the front of the bunch, getting a few yards gap a couple of times, but whenever anyone tried to join him, the whole bunch followed.  At the finale, his efforts caught up with him and he got swamped in the sprint, finishing in the bunch, in the top 20 - pretty good for his first proper road race!

26^th April BOLD Tandem Marathon

BOLD (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development) Tandem Marathon is purely for visually impaired stokers and is held on the flat and exposed Fenland roads near Spalding over a sporting (because of the number of bends) 26 mile 385yd  course.  The course doesn't obey the normal rules for time-trials having a few right turns and even a 'wrong-way up one way street' and through a few cross roads.  Fortunately these are police controlled, with the rest of the course excellently marshaled by the local Lions club.  On the day, the sun shone and the wind was low.  I had come prepared for a possible struggle, fitting a smaller set of chain rings (53/47) and also having a larger cassette (12/19) if necessary.  We managed OK with the 11/19 and the 53/47.

Studying the start sheet and the results sheet from the previous 4 years showed that our main threat was probably from the Tyneside Blind club, two machines in particular, one going off 6 minutes in from of us and the other 1 minute in front (our 'minute bums').  Sue started to feel relaxed after Andrew massaged and embrocated her legs (possibly the fumes from the embrocation) and then we did a couple of 15 minute turns on the turbo for a warm-up (the organisers don't allow you to warm up on the road for safety and organisational reasons).  You then get called up in groups of 10 to walk over to the start.  This completely kills the warm-up as it can mean up to 20 minutes of dead waiting.

Everyone of the teams was spoken to and waved off by the local Mayor, and away we went.  The first 8-10 miles were into a bit of head wind, but we started to catch other teams and could just make out our minute bums, number 79.  As the miles progressed we got to within about 20 seconds of catching them.  I think they sensed this being able to look back to us through some of the corners.  We finished with them only about 30 seconds in front of us, so we knew we had beaten them, but knew nothing about the others.  We were pleased with the ride, which is very difficult compared to riding with a sighted rider as you have to have enough breath to shout when to lean hard into turns etc, though I think Bev would have objected to the way I took some of the corners.  After recovering and changing we sent Andrew to look at the results.  He thought we had done it, with a 1:10:57, so I picked up the courage to have a look and sure enough we had won overall by 31 seconds.  This was the icing on the cake for Sue, something she had never thought she could ever achieve.

Leaving Bev and Andrew to go off to Stevenage to the CTC National dinner for Andrew to collect the Junior BAR trophy, I came back in the bus with the rest of the Suffolk VISTA teams.  Sue clutched her trophy to her chest all the way back, still not quite believing she had won it.  All her dedication to getting herself to the gym and swimming pool to improve and maintain her fitness had paid off.

Pete W

27^th April

Another windy day saw Mark complete the Stowmarket ‘25’ in 1:13:26, followed by Viv in 1:19:42.  Pete chose to do the Suffolk CTC 50 in 4, and also complained about the headwind.

Plomesgate in the Peak

This has been postponed, due to other commitments – to be resurrected at a later date.

Evening ‘10’s

24^th April

Nice fresh temperature and hardly any wind set the scene for the first competition of the season.

The battle for the top spot was this time a Plomesgate internal issue, with new member Nick prevailing on Richard by mere 5 seconds.

Guest Julia Shaw (25:20) was the first of the 3 ladies riding solo.  First evening 10 ever for new member Mark, that with 28:53 sets his handicap at 6:53 for the rest of the competition.

1^st May

Wow! What a turnout for this second round!

The black clouds looked ominous the whole day, but the rain held off, and the breezy conditions that made the way to the turn hard didn’t seem to bother the riders too much.

Angus Jardine took the win with 24:38, fending off competition from the Whelan’s tandem by less than half a minute.  Fastest Plomesgate rider on the night was Richard with 25:18.  Just behind him there was quite a lot of fighting, with 5 Plomesgates separated by less than a minute.

Jim decided to take a detour at the roundabout, ending up puzzled in the housing estate. He is now on record as the first roundabout victim of the season.  First lady was guest Julia Shaw again, while the internal Plomesgate competition sees Viv prevailing on Becky by 15 seconds.  Another new face has appeared in a Plomesgate shirt (metaphorically, for now): Rob S with 28:44 sets his handicap at 6:44 for the rest of the season.

Dates For The Calendar

2^nd May, WCRA Crits, Hillingdon, contact bill Butterworth 020 8759 5165 (also on 16 &30 May, 13 & 27 June, 11& 25 July, 8 August).

4^th May Sunday Norfolk District Association Cyclists Touring Club; 125 mile ride to celebrate 125 years of the CTC, contact Mike Evans, 01603 417759

10^th May, Wolsey CC Open ‘10’, Sudbourne

11^th May Ride for Life events Santon Downham Village Hall, nr Brandon, 10 and 25 miles off-road, 17 and 33 miles road, contact 01953 888604

18^th May Sunday 8.00, 9.00, 9.30am, Norfolk District Association Cyclists Touring Club, 50 mile reliability rides in 5, 4, or 3.5 hours contact Dennis Smith 01603 455758

18^th May Beccles Cycle for Life, 15, 25, 40 or 50 miles for charity.  Viv has an entry form.

18^th May Tour of Tendring, 20, 50 or 100 miles, see http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/ for details.

28th June – CTC Norfolk District Audax Events: 100, 200, 400km rides. All events start at the Scout HQ, School Lane, Norwich. Entry Forms and further information - Tony Clarke, 19 Churchill Road, Norwich. NR3 4PZ. 01603 407395. Tony@clarket49.fsnet.co.uk.

29^th June charity Norwich 50/100 mile ride, www.bike-events.com, or 0870 7558519.

29^th June Sunday 7.00 am, Norwich Century Challenge, 50 and 100 miles, details to be announced

Cycling Videos

Steve has a selection of VHS long play videos of 2003 road races, if anyone would like to borrow one (or more)

Tour of Langkawi (couple of stages, including the decisive Genting Highlands stage)

Paris-Nice

Tour of Flanders

Ghent-Wevelgem

Amstel Gold

Milan-San Remo (in German)

Paris-Roubaix

Liege-Bastone-Liege

Subscriptions

This year’s subscriptions were due on the 1^st January.  If you haven’t renewed your membership for this year this is the last newsletter that will be sent to you.

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

MTB in Germany?

The end of this German cycle path seems a little ... abrupt ?

Thanks to Steve for this one.