Sunday September 18th Framlingham 10:00am, meet at the Elms Car Park behind the Bakery.

PCC Grass track

This was held at St Mary's School playing field in Woodbridge on a warm, sunny 208m track, with the threat of rain always on the horizon, if the weather forecast was accurate.  What should have been a free flowing, stress free programme of events got a little disturbed when there was a spill in the minor final of the men’s 3 lap scratch race, with Tony Goodall, Norwich ABC, falling after a touch of wheels resulting in a broken collarbone.  As he didn't feel too well, sitting just inside the track edge, we delayed further events, except for an under-12 ride, (with first aiders protecting him) until the ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.

The day progressed very well from there, with stiff competition from local riders and from also those who had travelled from all parts of the country.  The displayed prizes from Elmy Cycles, Ipswich, Tekno Fuel and Seckford Wines, Woodbridge may have helped spur people on for hard, determined racing.

Visiting rider, Neil Withington (Anderson Racing), from Cumbria and junior Richard Lambert (Rossington Wheelers) from Doncaster were always at the front of the senior races, whilst Sarra Whelan (Mildenhall CC) dominated the ladies races.  In the under 16s races, the prizes were shared almost equally between the three riders, with William Hare (Spalding CC) just managing to take most.  The under 12 fun races, for local children, was dominated, no matter how much they were handicapped, by some of the children who ride at Foxhall on Friday evenings (Jack Hardwicke, Lewis Parker, Andrew Crowe and Joshua Holloway).

The main race of the day, for those who have the stamina, was the 5km scratch race, of 24 laps.  This started off at a reasonable pace, but by midway had fragmented into a small group breaking off the front and stragglers all around the track determined to finish.  With five laps to go the pace increased and rain threatening in the air.  Neil Withington managed to break off the front, closely followed by Andy Ballentyne (Easterley RC) and Ian Clarke (Fenland Clarion), with Neil gaining about 10m with one lap to go, when Andy Ballentyne stepped up the pace coming into the corner, with Ian Clarke less than a metre away.  Ballentyne lost traction and fell, leaving Clarke nowhere to go but over the top.  With the riders spread over the track the race was stopped and the result declared as the positions into the final lap (which all the other riders were happy with).  Unfortunately, Ian Clarke suffered a broken collarbone and Andy Ballentyne a nasty bit of bruising and grazes to his shin and knee.

With the track starting to get damp after this race it was felt too dangerous to hold the team sprint and we called it a day.  Apart form the two spills, the racing was good and everything cleared away before the rain fell.  See the web site for full results.

Pete

Family Fun Day

Don’t forget the family fun day – this Saturday at Richard’s house.  Ring Richard on 01728 628205 (eves) if you would like to go but haven’t let him know.  See the end of the newsletter for directions.  This is for all club members – don’t feel that you need children to attend!! For details see last month’s newsletter.

Road Race Champs

The PCC RR Championship was held on Sunday 28 August as part of the Ciclos Uno Summer Series at the Eastway circuit. Plomesgate had four riders present, Adrian McTigue, Matt Donaldson, Richard Tateson and Steve Jones. With the warm, sunny yet blustery conditions all four were looking forward to the racing. As usual the race consisted of 1 hour and 5 laps of the 1.1 mile circuit.

Approximately 50 riders lined up for the start, after the initial procession round the hairpin the pace picked up and was held for the first 3 laps at an average of 30mph! This is fast even by Eastway standards, soon some riders were having trouble with the pace and were dropped by the group, the beauty of Eastway is that as it is only a mile round you are never left truly on your own as in most road races on open roads so you can pick up a bunch and the main peloton appears periodically and you can attempt to jump back in.

Matt took his usual place at the front but eventually to save himself from being a work horse drifted back into the bunch to watch for any escapes by the other Plomesgate riders. Richard made a few attempts to get away in small groups early on but was allowed his head as anyone who can get away at Eastway and solo home for 50 minutes deserves the cup! As was expected there were plenty of riders prepared to chase down breaks, especially the Brixton CC team and others.

As the race progressed Adrian, who was riding his old red bike, as he didn’t want to have an off on his lovely Carbon Bianchi, started to feel a combination of the pace and the changes in pace, this coupled with his worry of being taken out on the hairpin he decided to sit at the back but found the acceleration out of the corners hard to match as the pack accelerated away, the more experienced riders sit in the middle and get towed along.

As the hour neared Richard again moved forward being marked closely by Matt in the front third of the bunch with Steve hiding in the pack looking for his chance to spring an attack. Then in a surprise move Richard drifted back behind Matt and didn’t make the expected attack instead sat behind the defending champion to un-nerve him. As the bell lap appeared and the pace of the pack had climbed back to an average 30mph Richard accelerated hard with Steve in close pursuit, Matt responded with a big effort to mark the break and managed to grab onto Richards back wheel, determined not to loose his grip on the cup. The bunch thinned to a long line as it plummeted down the hill and sped along the back straight, Richard holding his position in the line with Matt on his wheel and Steve behind Matt. As the line approached the sharp left before the ramp Matt dived down the inside of Richard through the small amount of daylight on the inside and accelerated up the ramp and hammered round the left and right bends into the finish straight. Richard was thundering along chasing Matt as they sped past riders who couldn’t keep up in the sprint, Matt was out the saddle now and pulled clear as Richard resigned himself to runner up spot for the second year and Steve to third. Ironically this was the same podium as last year. The final places being Matt 5^th overall, Richard in 15^th, Steve in 33^rd and Adrian being one of the lapped riders to finish got 36^th.

This year the presentation was made in the sunshine of the car park at Eastway, with every one looking pleased to be out in sun. All felt it was a very fast race and could feel it in their legs at the end, it was pleasing in such a fast race to see Richard, Steve and Matt mixing it in the bunch and still competing in the sprint at the end. It would be even better to see more riders competing for this competition, it’s not as daunting as you think and is a great work out, even if you want to sit in the bunch and be towed along, you get a real buzz out of it.

See you in 2006!

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Big Matt

Open Events 2006

It’s that time of year again when we need to decide what events we are running in 2006.

In 2005 we successfully put on :-

Pete has already agreed to do the grass track and has suggested a date of Saturday 12th August.

Due to Steve Jones’ uncertain work future he is unable to organise an event next year.

The committee is meeting on September 15th to agree the above, so any suggestions and/or volunteers please let me know before this date please: Trevor.figgitt@btinternet.com

Crash Updates

It’s good to hear that both Jon S and Mark B have started cycling again after their crashes in June.  They’ve both been working really hard on their physio exercises, and Mark can nearly straighten his arm again.  Jon still has restricted movement in his shoulder, and is working to mobilise his tendons again.  Jon’s before and after x-rays can be seen at http://www.plomesgate.co.uk/shoulder/

National Junior Track Champs

Becky was in South Wales in August for the National Champs, she knew she was in for a tough week with some of her rivals having performed really well at the European and World Championships. Things started well on the Monday when she rode to a pb in the 2Km pursuit of 2:44.314. Becky started really fast, with the intention of using the first two laps as practice for the 500m TT later in the week, she then intended to ease up. This plan went out of the window, however as Becky’s blistering start put her in sight of her opponent which was too good to resist, so she set out to catch her, which she did. Becky finished with the 6th fastest qualifying time beating some useful endurance riders in the process. She rode herself into the ground in the process though.

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On the Wednesday Becky was up for the sprint, she qualified 4th fastest with 13.2, which she was not happy with.  This meant she was in for a hard ride against her old nemesis Bridie Hindle in the Quarter Finals.  Becky won the first match coming from behind.  It should have been an easy case of dispatching Bridie in the second ride, but you can never underestimate Hindle, and she beat Becky meaning it would have to go to a third deciding ride.  You could see the determination in Becky's face as she thundered past Bridie in the finishing straight to book her place in the semi finals.  Thursday saw the Semi Finals and Becky was in for a very tough one as she was up against Anna Blyth, who only the previous week had taken the silver medal at the World Championships.  Becky took Anna up the banking attempting to pin her against the boards for as long as possible, but Anna managed to sneak under Becky and took the lead with a lap to go, 1-0 to Anna.  In the second ride Becky again slowed Anna down but this time managed to hold her up till much later and accelerated into the lead.  The lead was short lived though as Anna's speed was too much and she came past Becky in the last 50m.  This meant Becky would have to ride off for the bronze against Katie Curtis.  Unfortunately despite being tactically aware Becky just didn't have the legs and Katie took the bronze, as the final placings reflected the original qualifying placings and Becky took 4th.

On Friday Becky was hoping to rectify matters in the 500m TT.  She was up against Lizzie Armitstead, who won the silver in the World Scratch race, and we knew she had a good turn of speed over 2 laps.  Becky got away well on the 90" gear, but Lizzie was fractionally up at the bell.  Becky buried herself and she was visibly tightening up as she entered the final few metres.  It was the fastest heat so far, Becky had posted a pb of 38.709s but Lizzie had maintained her advantage and took the lead with 38.461.  Anna Blyth took the lead eventually with 37.071s and Becky eventually lost her 3rd place to Lucy Ayres by 0.026s, 4th again and by such a small margin, she was gutted!

She is now in the process of building back up for the Senior National Championships in early October.

Trev

Rough Stuff Ride

The CTC Rough Stuff 25 mile ride is on October 16th, starting and finishing at BUTLEY village hall, NOT Bromeswell Rugby Club.  Entry £2 on the day.  Certificates for all finishers.  Whilst it is not a race, it is entirely up to the riders to go as fast or slow as they want.  Further details: Pete Whelan, Tel: 01394 385281, pete.whelan@talk21.com

Evening TTs

25^th August

The final round of the competition was not conducive to fast times - the steady rain and a blustery wind took their toll, as no-one improved their times and there were no changes in any of the competitions.

Still, on the evening, it’s the same for all, and Matt powered home for his 7^th win of the series, a minute and change ahead of the Andy, back ahead of Adrian this time. There was another strong ride from Jim Ingram – hopefully with an injury-free winter, he’ll be back at his best next season.

It’s been another well-supported series this year – we’ve had nearly 100 rides by Plomesgate members and 40 rides by guests. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it – see you next spring!

Grass Track Results

WSW Grass II 14^th August

The day started off cool and dry and got cool and wet part way through making it very slippery to ride a small track.  Most riders changed wheels/tyres to something knobblier than the normal course diamond tread to try and get some grip in the corners. Pete was the only Plomesgate rider, though the children both rode (Mildenhall CC colours).  It was uneventful compared to our event, with no one falling off - I think people were taking it a bit easy in the slippery conditions.  I managed to get a point in the regional league for the short distance and get third overall in the 5km, but first in the region league for maximum points.

Andy Ballentyne did all his calculations a few days later, with the final Eastern Region Grass league positions, which feature a few PCC members (you don't have to be a BC member to figure in the league).  I was third overall in the men’s section, with Sarra winning the ladies section.

Pete

Mildenhall Rally, Bank Holiday weekend

It was a mixed weekend for Plomesgaters at the Mildenhall Rally.  On the Saturday Becky was placed 3rd in the WCRA 800m and 300m Championships , as well as coming 3rd in the Women's Omnium.

On the Sunday, Becky took second in the Women's 2 lap TT, before winning the "You See Eye" Womens World Championship Hoop Race Title and a very nice rainbow jersey. Pete Whelan made it through to the final of the 8Km and despite setting the early pace, had to settle for a minor placing as the fast boys turned the screw. Pete also went on to gain a 4th place in the devil.

On the Monday Becky won the Women's 800m, and then rode with the Men, narrowly missing out on making the final in the 400m Handicap. Over the three days she managed to make a fair bit of money which should at least compensate for the entry fees and the "nights out"!

In the Cyclo Cross on the Monday Jack Hardwicke recovered from a bad start in the Under 9s to take second place. He stormed through the field and was unlucky not to overtake the eventual winner.

Trev

Mildenhall Rally II

Bev, Andrew and Pete arrived on the Saturday morning, to meet up with Trevor as we entered the camp site.  Camp was set up, a quick lunch and left Andrew to do his Mildenhall CC duty for the day (lap board for the grass track) whilst Bev & I cycled over to Ely on the tandem - there was a bit of a headwind (well, it is the Fens).  In Ely we stopped at a tea shop backing on to the cathedral for some welcome refreshments, even though it was only 17 miles to get there.  After a wander around the 'city', including a look in the City Cycle Centre (Mark Zashke) - a well stocked shop for both bikes and bits, we made our way back, this time a little faster, taking advantage of a bit of tail wind.

Sunday was the first day of serious racing for me, with also Trevor and Becky riding events.  Bev was asked to be the one of the judges for the afternoon.  The major event was the National 8km event, which was run as 4km heats to produce 24 riders for the final from a starting number of 43 riders.  Trevor was thankful for not getting through to the final, and Andrew was disappointed to just miss out.  The final was a little bit tactical, with the pace changing a little too much for some peoples liking.  Around the halfway point the main group had whittled the pack down a bit to about 15 riders, when an injection of pace caught a few of us out.  I was lapped in the latter stages, and pulled out with 5 laps to go, finishing 13th - not bad for an old git.

Later on in the afternoon, I feigned being knackered and got fourth in the Devil.

Monday was busy for both Bev and I, as I was commissaire for the cyclo-cross, so was up early to wander around the course at 7am.  With cross duties completed, I had a 20 minute break before being asked to be judge and lap-board person for the grass track (I hadn't planned on riding that day), together with Bev as judge again.  This didn't give us much chance to look around the trade stands, so saved us a heap of money.

All packed up and home by 7pm, sunburnt and very tired.

Pete

Calendar Dates

3rd September, Family fun day, Brundish.

4th September, Ride for Life, Rendlesham.

18th September, club run Framlingham.

16th October, CTC Rough Stuff Ride, Butley.

Tuesday evenings – MTB ride usually Tunstall or Rendlesham forests through the summer starting at 7:30 contact Mark or Viv for details.

Friday– Foxhall Stadium, from 7pm.

Committee Meetings

The next meeting of the committee is on Thursday 15^th September, but the venue hasn’t yet been agreed.  Any club member is welcome to attend (if they can work out where it is!)

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