May Club Run
Sunday 8th May.
This is confirmed as starting at 10 o'clock from Steve's, in Ipswich - 4 Leicester Close, near the Belstead Brook hotel. Contact me if you need directions to get there. The intention is that the ride will head in the Hadleigh direction, probably with a tea-stop in Monks Eleigh. And following the success of watching German Ball-Room Dancing after the last club run (don't mention Eurosport schedules or their coverage of Paris-Roubaix!), you're welcome to stay to watch the first stage of the Giro d'Italia afterwards, or whatever Eurosport decides to show in it's place.
June Club Run
Reserve 19th June in your diaries – possibly for an off-road ride in Suffolk.
Plomesgate ‘25’
Don’t forget the Open ‘25’ on Saturday 14th May based at Tunstall village hall. First rider is off at 14:01, and there are 46 riders entered this year. Thanks to all those who have offered to help. This year there’ll be a special prize draw for the marshals and helpers (details to be announced on the day).
Women’s National Omnium 1st round
(An omnium is a collection of events, usually TT, pursuit, sprint and bunch races, points are awarded for each event the rider with the lowest point tally after all events is deemed the winner.)
It was an early start for us on Sat April 30th as we set off down to Portsmouth. Since Becky has had confirmation that she is now on the ODP, she is expected to try and get even more track racing experience.
The track at Portsmouth is outdoors and is a huge D shape, at about 560m. It was cold and foggy when we arrived, the track was very damp and it was difficult to see the back straight. Despite people slipping whilst warming up it was decided to start on time with the Women’s one lap TT. There were a few wheel spins at the start and one unfortunate rider even fell off, grazing her arm and leg.
Becky was trying out tri bars for the first time, so it was all a bit experimental. She started well and you could just see the bright Plomesgate jersey as she sped down the back straight emerging from the murk to cross the line in 46:55s. This was eventually good enough to give her 7th from the 24 starters. T
he day was combined with a youth omnium, so after a long wait whilst the kids all did their TTs, the Women got back on for the Devil or elimination race. There was some shouting from within the bunch and plenty of pushing and shoving, Becky got shoved off the track and onto the grass at one stage. She stayed in long enough to get 11th. It was another hour or so before the Women were back on for the pursuit.
Becky had never ridden a pursuit before, the Junior distance would normally be 2Km, this was to be run over 6 laps, so about 3.3Km. If caught riders have to finish, as final placings are calculated on time. There were 4 riders in each heat, Becky’s plan was to take it steady till 2 laps to go then to bury herself to the line. After 2 laps she was caught by Kim Blythe. She let Kim pass and then kept her at a safe and legal distance until 2 laps to go when she started to speed up catching Kim back. At the finish she had almost caught Kim and was on the point of catching the woman in front. Becky’s time was 5:11 which gave her 11th place again.
The next event was meant to be the sprints, but the organisers realised the events were running late so cancelled the sprints altogether. This still meant the Women had to wait over 3 hours until their points race which eventually got under way at 6:15pm. As usual the pace was up and down and a few riders were shelled out early on. Becky had a dig on the front then slid out the back of the bunch just behind another ODP rider Jo Tindley. Becky chased Jo and the pair were just about to get back on the bunch when there was an almighty crash. What remained of the bunch seemed to collapse in a heap. Most got up but one unfortunate rider had to be ambulanced off to hospital and the race was cancelled. A real shame after an incident free day, but one does have to question whether the big time gap before the last race was a contributory factor in riders losing concentration and being mentally tired. The Women started at 10:00am and it was now 6:30pm. At least the sun came out for a few hours in the afternoon !
Becky is down to ride the next round at Manchester on Sunday May 8th.
Trevor
New Members
Welcome to Marshall Crowe, who has recently joined Plomesgate, and has ridden the first two club 10s.
Second Coming: Club Kit Order 2005
Matt will be placing a second kit order this year to enable new members to purchase club kit, old members to replace or splash out on new kit and allow Matt to replace the kit he crashed in!!! (Which time? Ed) Prices are roughly correct but we will incur a surcharge of 20% per item for under 6 items or 10% per item for between 6 and 11 items, so dig deep and save yourself money. Please get your orders to Matt by the 31st May 2005 no late orders taken after this date. Ring Matt on 01394 411589 or 07771 857916 and e-mail on matt.donaldson@edfenergy.com . See below for kit and sizing options, other kit available contact Matt.
Lycra
Short sleeve skinsuit £45:50 + vat
Long sleeve skinsuit £47:50 + vat
Bibshorts £36:00 + vat
Bibtights (with pad) £32:00 + vat
Arm warmers £10:00 + vat
Legwarmers £11:00 + vat
Time Trial Overshoes (very fast!!) £8.50 + vat
Polyester & Gamex
Short sleeve road jersey £30:50 + vat (£1 extra for 3/4 or full zip)
Long sleeve road jersey £32:50 + vat (£1 extra for 3/4 or full zip)
Rain jacket £29:50 + vat
Polar fleece winter jacket £56:50 + vat (shower proof outer)
Thermal
Thermo-Dry Jacket (Must have item) £42:50 + vat
Thermo-Dry Gilet £32:50 + vat
Thermo-Dry Bibtights £37:50 + vat
Thermo-Dry ski hat £11:00 + vat
Bandanas £9:00 + vat
Sizing as follows:
Men XS S M L XL
Chest 24 36 38 40 42
Sleeve 19 20 21 22 22
Waist 28 30 32 34 36
Women XXS XS S M L
Chest 33 35 37 39 41
Sleeve 18 18 20 20 20
Waist 25 27 29 31 33
Foxhall Track
1st April OK, perhaps not the best day to restart on! It was cool, with a bitter wind blowing in your face on the far straight. Nonetheless, Jack Hardwicke was first to register at the top of the scorer's charts, winning the Youth TT in 47.2 seconds, taking three seconds off his PB and a clear second ahead of sister Jenny. In less than ideal conditions, Curtis Culley and Aaron Culley both also set new PBs. Of the teenagers, Blair, Michael and Chris V all set PBs, while Paul Watts was quickest in the senior division, but was well off his record pace of last year. The handicap race saw all 12 riders mixing it up, with Aaron making good use of his advantage to finish fractionally ahead of Paul, off scratch, with Jenny 3rd and Curtis 4th. The devil was run in divisions, with Jack ahead of Jenny and Anna in the first race, and Jim taking a surprise victory in the second, ahead of Neil, Paul and Adrian. By now, the light had faded, so a move indoors was made, to finish off racing on the Computrainers. Adrian was quickest over the 650m course, ahead of Neil, Paul, Aaron and Blair.
April 8th was a gloomy night, so was used more for training purposes - practising riding in a group and riding correctly behind someone else. The sole event was a team pursuit, with the Parker family, plus Valerio up against Neil, Blair, Hugo and Hannah. The younger team rode well together and made the catch in about 8 laps. After another "chain-gang" session, we packed up - and just in time too - it started to snow!
Apr 15 was a wash-out due to April showers.
Apr 22nd - a mass turnout, with 14 U16 riders amongst the 21 competing. Jenny was the early leader in the time trial, pipping Natasha by 0.1 second, until first Lewis J, then Lewis P squeezed ahead, before Hugo Robinson (IBC) knocked 5 seconds off the time, and then Hannah R (IBC) beat that by another second and a half. The senior division was very close, with 16 yr old Jon Culver proving fastest with 34.0 seconds, with Julian P the only senior more than 1 second adrift! In the A division (U16, less Hugo and Hannah) handicap, the early starters all did very well, with Corey Holden (Plomesgate) winning by a good margin, ahead of Aaron and Oliver. In the devil, Lewis Parker showed his experience, catching and passing sister Natasha in the final lap and a half, while the 3 lap scratch race, run for the first two laps behind Becky (making "brrm brrm" noises pretending to be a derny!) had the same 1-2, with Jack Hardwicke coming through for 3rd. Meanwhile in the B division, Nathan took a clean sweep, just catching Blair on the line in the handicap, with Dan Parker not far behind in 3rd, and then leading from the front in both the Devil and scratch races, each time followed over the line by Dan and Julian.
Apr 29th. A pleasant spring evening saw 20 riders on the track again. In the "A" division, Joshua Holloway was first to set a time, with a PB. Corey Holden improved by 3 seconds over his time the previous week, while Anna had mechanical problems, breaking her chain. And in the sibling battles, Jack beat Jenny by a second and Aaron beat Curtis, but only by 0.1 second. In the handicap race, it was an all-Plomesgate podium, with Corey the clear winner for the second week in a row, ahead of Curtis and Aaron, with Oliver Nash and Michael Nash rounding out the top 5. Team Hardwicke was back in control for the chariot race, with Jenny winning the first lap and Jack the second. With those two riders out, Curtis took the 3rd lap, before Joshua took the 4th and final prize. Jon Culver won the "A" division time trial for the second week running, 0.1s ahead of Nathan, who in turn was 0.1s ahead of Neil, with Becky a half second off the pace. However, it was early-starter Blair who held off a strong challenge from Adrian in the handicap race, winning by no more than the width of a tyre, with young Hugo Robinson (IBC) in 3rd. Becky was highly motivated in the chariot race and stormed off the line to win the first lap and ensure her share of the Maltesers, with Jon and Jim winning the second and third laps. After the racing, it was time to try something different - some practice at riding in a line behind a pacer, and then sprinting across, one at a time, to the next group ahead. The Juniors all did this a lot better than expected, and true be told, probably better than the Seniors who had their turn afterwards!
Steve
Thursday evenings
The Thursday evening training rides on the "10" course will be running again this year, on those evenings when there isn't an event. Generally this is a fast group ride around the course, but we might do some more structured training depending on who/how many turn up. Meet at the start ready to go at 7pm.Steve
BC Special Offer
BC are doing a membership drive and the club has received a batch of application forms if anyone wishes to apply for this free membership. This offers free Bronze membership to Over 16s and free Silver membership to Under 16s. Details are available on the BC website at http://www.bcf.uk.com/news/2005/03_March/17_club_deal.shtml This not available to anyone who is already a member or was a member of BC last year. For an application form or further information please contact Trevor Figgitt - 01728723701 or trevor.figgitt@btinternet.com.Rides & Races
Sunday Eastway races - important change. The Ciclos Uno Sunday races at Eastway are no longer run under TLI rules. This means that you don't need to have a TLI licence or purchase a day licence. Lee Valley Park Association now provides the insurance for the race - apart from that it's all exactly the same. There's a £3 charge the first time you show up to "buy" your number for the season, and then its £6 entry fee (£3 for U16) each time you ride.
Rule change - Ipswich Cycling Association races. The ICA is made up of the Ipswich, Wolsey and Stowmarket clubs, and run the Wednesday evening time trials at Combs, Crowfield and Henley. Due to the number of riders taking part in these events, they have introduced a new rule. Members of the three ICA clubs will take priority at signing-on, with members of other clubs put on a reserve list. At 6.30, a decision will be made on how many riders they can safely accommodate, depending on weather, amount of light etc. If this is more than the number of ICA riders already signed on, places will be allocated from the reserve list. Any members of ICA clubs who turn up after 6.30 will have to take their chances with the reserves.
Eastway - Ciclos Uno series, May 1st. Ah, Bank Holidays how they're meant to be - clear skies and hot - shorts, shades and suncream weather.Mark H, Valerio, Steve and Neil (IBC - one of the Foxhall juniors, at his first road race) made the trip down to London, and in the absence of a novice group, all started with the main bunch. Mark was active up near the front, taking part in a couple of short-lived breakaway attempts and chasing a few others down, while Valerio stayed a bit further back. After about 20 minutes, the pace was too much for Neil and he, and a couple of other riders, slipped out the wrong end of the bunch. Steve stayed with him and the stragglers group was formed. This group grew to about six or seven riders and was working reasonably well together, keeping up a steady pace, but were lapped by the main field after about 40 minutes. Shortly after this, the numbers in the stragglers group were swelled as Valerio and a couple of others decided to join us, while Mark continued in the main field. Eventually the race reached its climax, and a solo rider managed to break clear of the main bunch with less than a lap to go. With no-one prepared to chase at this late stage that left the bunch racing for second. Mark had managed to get into a good position going down the back straight, but was "flicked" by another rider and hitting the brakes to avoid a crash dropped him from 6th to about 26th, and out of contention. Meanwhile in the stragglers group, two riders got clear with about half a lap to go. With Neil now certain to make the finish, Steve allowed himself some freedom and bridged across, dragging another rider with him. After a brief recovery, Steve took the sprint quite easily, countering after one of the others started the sprint with about 100m to go. Valerio also finished strongly, passing Steve's "bridging" partner, to finish 4th from the straggler's group.
ICA round 1 (14th April) Adrian continued his recent run of good times with a strong night on an unfavourable evening. Valerio suffered a bit more, but still improved on his time from this time last year. 11th, Adrian, 26:42 19th, Valerio, 28:25
ICA round 2 (21st April) A gloomy night caused a number of riders, including Jim H, to be turned away, resulting in the rule change mentioned above. A tough headwind on the uphill section meant most people were around 45 seconds slower than the previous week. 14th, Steve, 28:21 18th, Valerio, 29:05
ICA round 3 (28th April) Valerio was the one Plomesgate rider to brave the new rule, and got a ride, coming 18th in 28:31.
Stowmarket & Dist CC Open, 23rd April. This is a tough 20 mile sporting course based at Debenham, which includes a couple of short 12% hills in the route. We had an amazing turnout for this event, with Plomesgate riders making up over 10% of the entire field (7 riders out of 62). Unfortunately, we didn't manage to take any of the prizes home with us this time. Matt was our quickest rider, Jim H (54:48), Valerio (56:36) and Steve (55:21).
VC Baracchi Open, May 2nd. After a sunny start to the Bank Holiday weekend, the weather turned nasty for this 10 mile TT early on Bank Holiday Monday. Heavy rain and a persistent wind discouraged a lot of people from starting, but all three Plomesgaters braved the conditions. Matt and Steve both had fairly early starts, and probably the worst of the conditions, while for Adrian, starting later, both the rain and the wind eased. Matt, unsurprisingly, was quickest of the three, in 6th place with 22:54, while another PB for Adrian (24:22), was just a handful of seconds outside a top 10 finish, and Steve's time of 25:37 placed him just outside the top 20.
Calendar Dates