Club Notes - 18th April 2004

Well I hope you all had a Happy Easter and with the sun beating down on Good Friday morning things looked promising for the inaugural beginners ride on Saturday, however as it changed to rain beating down by tea time the likelihood of anyone turning out was slim so we were more than happy when Lydia and Edward Whittaker along with their father Lee turned up at Tissington trail. So it was small start but hey little acorns and all that! It did allow us to provide a one to one service with club members Noel Hughes, Marc Briand and yours truly in attendance on bikes and Graham and Brenda Halden in the team van, well Grahams Volvo parked at key points if assistance was required. I am glad to report that non was required in fact Edward and Lydia both coped brilliantly, often leaving Yours truly and Lee bringing up the rear, Lee promising now he’s found his bike to get out and about on it and with enthusiasm like Lydias' and Edwards' I reckon next time out we will both be able to keep up. Mr Halden managed his normal trick with the weather and although a touch cool it stayed dry which was more than you could have hoped for on Friday night, next time I’m sure he’ll put in for a bit of heat and hopefully now the Clubs has the support of the Council and we can spread the word and there will be a few more turning out. Plans for run number 2 are already in motion and I will keep you posted.

Sunday and a change of pace for yours truly taking part in the Mid Shropshire Wheelers two up team time trial, a shock to the system in two ways, number one getting up at 5.30 in the morning, I knew there was a reason for riding so much on Cheshire they are almost all in the afternoons. Shock number 2 is its my first 25 mile of the season, Good job I wasn’t on my own then my partner was Congleton C.C.’s Karl Austin, now Karl's a distance man competing in many 100s, 12 and 24 hour events, he also rides to work and back, many years ago I use to ride to Bodes, but Karl works in Holm Chapel and lives in Biddulph, me with a fortnight to prepare worried you bet! On the day it all worked out ok though with Karl dragging me up the hills on the course and my “gravity assitance” pacing us down the hills. In fact we ended up with fastest composite team prize and 5^th overall. Both of us more than happy with our time of 57-31 albeit a tad slower than the winning team of Jon Surtees and Barry Charlton of Luk Racing.com whose 52-29 gave them an healthy margin over the rest of the field.

Finally it must be summer because the evening tens have started and there are some very eager folk out there with 41 riders taking part in the first Macclesfield wheelers event last Wednesday however Leek C.C. only provide one in the rather large form of Kelvin Milward. Yep me we; I did say I have got to start doing something in fact more by memory than fitness I managed to scrape 3^rd behind Macc’s own Graham Trevena with time s of 23-06 to 23-00. But yet again the win was claimed by a sizable margin this time by the areas top roadman Mark Lovatt in 21-44 but as Marks a Leek resident we’ll claim it as a Leek victory. That will probably get me in trouble if not I will be back next week.