Club Notes - 27th April 2003

Next year I must remember not to enter anything over Easter weekend, not just from a purely selfish point you understand but to ensure that everyone in the vicinity as at least reasonable weather. Take last weekend

For example Friday I worked, weather good, |Saturday raced windy and cold, Sunday rested fine, Monday raced wet and cold. Now it would appear that everyone else in the club as learnt this lesson as there were few takers from the club non in the first which was the Mid Shropshire Wheelers and I was already dubious about a course change that meant the course no longer starts at the top of a steep hill and runs down and away from the hills was to start at the bottom of the hill and had to be tackled at the end of the 25 mile course heading in a direction that meant more climbing than is good for one as gravitationally challenged as yours truly. Now mix in a bitter and the type of wind that makes pointing the bike in the right direction let alone race on it and it made for an interesting 1-1-17 worth of entertainment and you don’t have to take my word -for it ask Dave Bridden who ventured out to watch having competed in the warm sunny conditions the -night before in the first of the South Pennine RC Friday 10’s recording a relatively rapid 26-03! You could also ask most of the other competitors as I did not struggle alone, and of those who survived YT actually finished just outside the top 5. Even the winning time of 57-35 by scratch-man ‘On the Edge RT’s’ Darren Willets was down on his usual pace.

If Dave escaped the Milward effect on Friday his misfortune to enter the Weaver Valley on Monday morning backed by offering to pick me up on the way ensured a good soaking never mind Dave it was good training and your 1-11-03 in those conditions, and with popped spokes will pay dividend. Even my humble 59-01 just about got me in the top 10. Most of the time lost dodging the water features that sprinkled the course, our chance of the team prize was lost as third counter Marc Briand was struck down by commonsense and stayed at home in the dry saving himself for warmer drier times. However the winner Richard Bradley of Stourbridge CC recorded a brilliant 54-06 a quick time on that particular course in any conditions.

Tuesday and back to work for most lead to an improvement in the weather in fact if it wasn’t that the first of the Congleton 10’s was taking place on the infamous Bermuda triangle circuit there would have been more than 11 riders, with only the brave or those with a decent sense of direction willing to take the risk of riding into oblivion. Actually it is probably more those that have been at it long enough to have got used to the course why else would the 2 Leek riders be Kevin Sharrock and yours truly, with Kev venturing out for his first race of the year returning a very valiant 29-28 well inside his target of evens. I also had a successful night fining that elusive form to finish well ahead of Karl Austin, my opposite number in Congleton with times of 23-23 to 24-35 respectively.

Wednesday and the second of the Macclesfield Wheelers bought even more Leek riders to the Rising Sun car park including el Presidente Kevin Pickford who would have been in attendance the previous week but though the series started after Easter as shame as the previous weeks conditions were a lot brighter and I feel confident that Kev would have been well into 28 minute territory especially as he only just missed it at 29-01. Also making a seasonal debut to racing if not to the competition scene was Dave Cooper who was taking time out from the mile munching audax training for a fast sprint opening his account with a solid 24-54. Next Leek rider was Adam Kenway who slipped back a little to 23-46,another rider from the previous week Mark Poyser was next dropping 20 seconds to 22-56. On his first visit Marc Briand did probably his best ride of the season so far with a 22-43, my time 22-40 a drop of almost half a minute from the previous week just stayed ahead but its very close especially going into the M & D. T.T.A 25 Championship at the weekend. Things are definitely getting interesting. However even the husband and wife two up team of Mark and Karen Lovatt's time of 22-19 could not break Roger Wrenn's Strangle hold on the series after a slight improvement of 4 seconds at 21-42. Or 2^nd place honors which this week went to last weeks 3^rd placed rider Paul Herd who recorded exactly the same time as the previous week 22-16.

With another bank holiday weekend looming up on the horizon hope for a drastic warm up in the weather may be asking a bit much perhaps we should try and get that Mr Halden to organize something that usually does the trick! Talking about organising things remember the 5 is fast approaching and along with marshals for the 100’s B.D.C.A. and the National this year will be amongst the topics in next Mondays (the 5^th ) club night so please try to indulge hope to see you there.