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Sunday 29th
April – Simon Healey’s Report from the Alton Hilly 50km 2-up TT
This year the national team time trial is being held just down the road from us on the Dummer circuit. This seems like an opportunity not to be missed to fly the flag for the Andover Wheelers. To this end Alan Spurden and I decided to get some practice in by riding the Alton 50km 2-up. We had done a 2-up together before, towards the end of last season, in the VTTA (Wessex) 2-up (AKA ‘the gentlemen’s 2-up’). I thought that event went well; but Alan thought we could do better…
The Alton 50km time trial is held on a roughly triangular circuit so I tend to think of it as being broken down into three parts. Each leg starts with a hill. The first leg is just over 8 miles, the second 14 miles and the third 9 miles.
On the start line I make a last minute decision to do the first turn up the ‘prime’ hill. It seems sensible, I’m number 5 and Alan is 6 so we start in numerical order! Being 31 miles the race is not won or lost up the fist hill, so the important thing is not to start off too fast. I do my best to keep it steady. There is a prize for the solo riders that start later for the quickest time up the hill. Later we find out we did it in 2’40”; the quickest solo was just 9 seconds quicker.
Going
over the top I swing off and Alan comes through to take his first turn. We
catch the team that started immediately before us at about 6 miles. As they
started 2 minutes before us I know we must be travelling pretty fast. The first
‘leg’ ends with a left turn at a roundabout onto the A31.
Immediately we start a long up hill grind. It’s
here that I start to feel the pace and let Alan lead pretty much all the way
up. Before 10 miles are up we pass the team that started first, 4 minutes
before us.
This long leg is into a slight head wind. It’s obvious to me that Alan is the stronger so I shorten my turns on the front and concentrate on survival! At the turn onto the final leg I do a long stint on the front up Cheesefoot Head. My thinking being that if I’m on the front I can’t be dropped! Around half way up however Alan obviously has had enough and comes round the outside…..I ‘dig in’. The road from the top of the hill to the finish has one or two lumps in it to break our rhythm. But I start to feel a little better and can, at last, do my fair share of the work.
We
cross the line to stop the clock at 1:11:31 meaning an average speed of about
26mph. This turned out to be more than enough to win the 2-up event. I
wasn’t to be the fastest time of the day though as the solo event was won
in a time of 1:10:28; a fantastic ride by James Gilfillan of Contre la Montre.
Wednesday
18th April – Simon Healey’s Report from the Farnham
Wheelers Spring Road Race
As soon as the race was de-neutralised
the pace increased, a couple of riders made a move off the front. Eager to be
near the front through the first few corners and the start of the climb I went
with them. However the bunch soon accelerated bringing it all back together. Up
the climb I slipped back around 20 of 30 places and was pleased to see Mitch
and Stu well up near the front.
At the end of the first lap passing the HQ I
got myself back to the front. After I swung off a couple of riders came through,
but with no one on their wheel. They just rode off the front. Two others then
jumped across. After the left turn and the start of the climb a couple more
jumped. At the bridge I decided to go with them, caught them, went straight
through, checked behind to find I’d dropped
them. I was closing on the four though, so carried on and caught them at the
steep, left, right chicane. I then just sat in hoping to recover for the prime
– on reflection I’m not sure any of them realised
there was a prime on that lap, so after kicking as hard as I could ended up
taking it easily. After this we five regrouped and started working as a unit
along the top of the ridge. Graham Robins has photo’s at this point with
the bunch in the background with two or three riders trying to bridge the gap,
No’s 67 to 80 odd.
I think by the end of the ridge, a large number
of riders had joined us. At the time I assumed it was the bunch. However these
riders seemed keen to keep the pace high. This must have been where the break
of fifteen formed. The next (third) time up the hill was pretty hectic; I was
having difficulty holding wheels. I think some, erroneously, thought this was a
prime lap.
The fourth time up the hill we just rode
through the prime. I was at the back blocked in otherwise I would have sprinted
for it. I’m glad about who it went to as I think he was part of the
original break and was continuing to do his fair share.
It was becoming obvious that there were two or
three at the back saving their legs. Anyway this situation continued until the
final lap where the two London Dynamo (or Python? Blue/black kit anyway) and
two Guernsey riders kept the pace high (almost riding into the back of an
ice-cream van that had ignored all the red flags at the top roundabout). The
first attack came from Nigel Williams (Python) just before the left turn at the
base of the climb. When I responded to this acceleration both my calves
instantly cramped up. I realised from a personal
point of view it was now a damage limitation exercise, having to ride the
entire hill on the edge of cramp. I blame the fact it was my first road race of
the year….
Anyway I ended up 9th and was pleased I managed
to get into the race winning move, something I failed to do last year.
Well done to Stu and Alex for hanging on in
there for so long on a hilly course and to Mitchell for finishing near the
front of the second group in around 20th place. Special thanks go to the race organiser David Young, Fareham
Wheelers and everyone else that made the race possible.
Friday
22nd July – Simon Hall’s 24 hour TT experience
Prologue
Well, the 25th of June had finally
arrived, ‘D’ day, the day that had been written in the calendar for
what seemed like an eternity, the day you look to like the first day of school
during the 6 week summer break, the day that looks so far off it will never
arrive, well it has arrived and I am nervous, very nervous in fact.
As I awake the first thing I think
about is the weather, a quick check out of the window reveals damp roads after over night rain.
Ok, not a problem but what’s the wind doing? A quick check on the trees on Ladies
Walk, which overlooks where I live, reveals a brisk SW wind. At this point I remind myself the
weather is out of my hands, don’t worry about those things that I
can’t control so I console myself with breakfast. The 4 weetabix
actually go down quite easily. I
then mix up a couple of bottles ready to hydrate on the way to the HQ and start
sipping on one.
Conscious of the fact I don’t
want to be wasting nervous energy I remember a quote from John Hayles years ago whilst track racing – ‘Never
stand if you can sit. Never sit if
you can lie’ so I decide to go and have a lie down whilst I wait for the
rest of the support crew to arrive.
Just after
I leave ‘Phil n Will’ to
pack the car, 2 bikes, 4 sets of wheels, enough clothes for a weeks touring and all the food too. I’m wondering if it will fit?
After saying good-bye to Elaine, Lizzy, Em and Alex (as well as
wishing them good luck in the hill climb) we set off. To be honest I can’t remember much
about the drive to the HQ, I know we chatted a while about all sorts, I kept
looking at the wind in the trees and tried not to worry about it. At this point I remembered a piece of
advice given to me by Mary Corbett of Sotonia CC who
has done a 24 both on a Tandem as well as solo, she said ‘not to panic
when the computer is reading 9 mph in the headwind.’ With this in mind I went over some of
the other advice Mary had kindly given me in the build up
and felt a lot happier.
As we turned into the HQ I could
physically feel my heart rate increase and the butterflies in my stomach go for
a mass take off. I just wanted to
get on my bike now. After signing on and collecting my number pack Phil
informed me he had registered the car etc, one less
thing for me to worry about. In
fact Phil n Will took all the jobs away from me then Phil asked if I wanted to
warm up on the turbo trainer or the rollers? This helped to release the tension and
made me chuckle.
Then it was time to go to the start,
the bike was built with the wheels I wanted, correct pressure, bottles on the
bike and food in my pocket. During
the 2 mile ride to the start I was finally alone with my thoughts, trying to
bury any negative ones and look to the elation of passing the 2nd timekeeper on
the finishing circuit which would give me an official finish. Wise words from Harry Lodge were going
through my head, ‘Just ride your bike, that’s all you have to
do!’
As I rolled towards the start I saw
Will on the side of the road and stopped for a final chat, he told me the start
was 300m around the corner. I went
to check what number was on the line and sync with my computer. I went back to
Phil n Will, more out of nervousness really and let them know how long I had to
start.
I went back to the start and looked
at my watch, 12.29, Alex is on the line at the hill climb, ‘good luck
son’ I think to myself.
And I’m off!
Before I know it, it’s my
turn. There’s a good crowd at
the start and I’m trying to take it all in. I remember the last time I started an endurance
event like this, the Poole Whs 12 hour in 1989. I started 1 minute in front of Ian Cammish and pulled my wheel over at the start! No repeat this time. Then I’m off
to lots of clapping and photo’s being taken and I suddenly feel very
humbled by it all. After a few
seconds I’m clear and into a nice steady pedalling
motion.
The first few miles are along a nice
quiet road, still damp and trees lining the route then we reach a
‘T’ junction and turn onto the A22. The traffic noise increases immediately. I check my computer and get a bit of a
shock, Ave speed 19mph and my heart rate is 155! That’s too high! I start to think I need to back off but
it feels like I’m floating. I
decide to carry on riding on feel as I decide the high HR is due to adrenaline
and excitement, but at the same time keep an eye on it.
After approx
6 miles number 37 who is flying along catches me for 2 minutes! I think to myself ‘don’t
panic, ride your own race and don’t get involved’.
After this we turn left towards Ringmer, which is one of very few out and back legs on the
course. A nice section of single
carriageway road where you could see riders coming back the other way. Every time I passed a rider there was a
friendly wave of encouragement, a mutual respect of what we we’re doing
and going to go through.
After turning at Ringmer
mini roundabout it gave me a chance to see how people were going behind me and
I could see number 36 was also up on me at this point. Still ‘ride my own pace’ I
told myself. Ooo,
13.03, Emily’s on the line – have a good one!
Toward the end of this leg I saw
Will up the road with a bottle, I check my situation and I’m pleased to
see I have gone through 500ml in 45mins, so I take a fresh bottle and carry on
back to the A22 where we head left and NW towards Little Horstead
where I pick up the first of 3 different circuits to be used. I must say I grew to hate this circuit
especially on the Sunday morning, but that comes later. As I made my way to the circuit the long
straight roads reminded me of the roads you quite often get in the Tour,
rolling Roman roads and I let myself imagine being in a solo break when number
36 Jacqueline Hobson of Warwickshire RC went by. Again a quick lecture to myself,
‘don’t get involved in a race, there’s still over 23 hours to
go’ then it hit me ’23 hours to go’ so I ate some more food
and stocked up on more fluid.
All the lay-bys on the way into
Little Horstead were packed with helpers and
supporters, all of whom would stand on the side of the road, clap and cheer any
rider that rode by, a real ‘hair standing up on the neck’
situation.
Onto the Little Horstead
circuit and after passing Maresfield I turned onto
The best way to describe this
circuit is ‘sporting bordering on hilly’. After a sharp turn at Cooksbridge by a pub I notice number 36 having a break by
her helpers, then I see Phil but no Will up the road a bit, more food and water
taken on Phil says something about Will but I don’t catch it and I start
to climb Deadman Tree hill, and it was a hill! 8% in places. I take the sensible option and get
straight into bottom gear and just sit there and roll up it, over the top and
just as you get going there’s a right hand turn! No marshal, just a CTT sign. This throws me a bit and I question
myself, but I can still see a rider in front of me so I take it. The next bit is a nice winding descent,
then a right turn at a mini roundabout and off to pick up the A26 and then onto
A22 again to repeat the circuit again.
After a few miles I’m passing
the big lay-by with loads of supporters and I see Will with bottles and food,
now I realise what Phil had said, they’d split
up to cover both sides of the circuit.
A bit further along the road I was passed for the first time of many, by
Andy Wilkinson and boy was he motoring!!
Next time when I got to Phil
I’d been going just over 3 hours and we’d discussed on the way down
to stop every 3 hours for a quick leg rub, chat and re-fuel. So I stop, Phil
sorts my legs and tells me I’m not eating enough. So I try to force some more fuel down
me, re-load the bottles and I’m off again. A couple of minutes later I punctured my
rear wheel, a quick phone call to Phil (gotta love
modern technology!) and he came running up the hill with a rear wheel! It turned out to be further than we though and Phil was breathing pretty hard when he got to
me! After a change and brief spell
to sort the magnet out I was off again.
As I approached Little Horstead again on the A22 Elaine, Lizzy
and co passed me. As it turned out
I was the first rider they had seen since they arrived, a nice little boost
after a busy lap. Onto Little Horstead roundabout and I get cut from the circuit. I know I was supposed to do 3 laps, so a
quick call again to Phil to inform him and he’s off to pick up Will and
will catch me up again as soon as possible. I quickly check my bottles and pockets
and console myself that I have enough food and drink for the next couple of
hours, so no need to panic about getting cut and losing my team for a while.
There was then a quick out and back
leg to Ridgewood where I managed to pass a few people which is always a nice
lift, then it was back on the A22 and off towards Boship
roundabout and the Pevensey circuit. I didn’t see any other riders or
marshals for a long time and started to worry if I’d gone off
course. Then I came across a
roundabout and saw a CTT sign, felt better for it and went on to Boship roundabout where I saw a marshal who happened to be
Julian Gee from Sotonia! Another cheer and a lift and at least I
now knew I was on the right road! For a while I had a nice cross / tail wind
and was flying along the A27, spurred on again by seeing Elaine Lizzy and the kids in another big lay-by full of various
supporters, all clapping and cheering anyone that rode by in the 24.
As I got to the bottom end of the
circuit I was getting worried that I still hadn’t been passed by Phil n
Will but as I entered the Pevensey roundabout I
noticed Will and felt relieved to have them back close by.
As I went along the marshlands
towards Windmill Hill I was still going strong. First time up the climb didn’t
feel too bad, just kept the gears sensible and pedalled
up.
The second time up the climb I had
just gone over 6 hours and decided to stop again for Phil to sort my legs, Will
to check the bike and re-fresh the bottles and for me to do some maths. ‘6
hours 10 minutes down, quarter time!!
Ouch is that all? 106 miles done, still on club record pace, but I know
I have bad spells to come’. It also gave me a chance to grab quick word
with the kids, Elaine and Lizzy.
Ringmer leg 2nd time round
After this stop I know we have a
long leg over to Henfield and Ashurst in
Into the darkness
The next hour and a half went by
quite quietly and after passing Phil in Newick, I shouted that I’d need
to change bikes soon ready for the night.
I stopped at 8 and a half hours to change bikes and get some warmer
clothing on for the night, in fact I went for a complete change and a freshen
up. Phil also fed me Fig Rolls and
I took some extra strong mints, high in carbohydrate and also seem to clean and
freshen the mouth. As I set off I
was feeling better and looking forward to riding into the darkness. This was to be one of my ways of
breaking down the 24 into manageable chunks, riding into the dark, riding
through midnight, riding through the dawn and then heading ‘home’
as in heading to the finishing circuit – but that was all to come.
After passing Haywards Heath I went
on to Cowfold and turned south to Henfield where we turned at a roundabout and
picked up the night circuit proper.
By now it was dark and
The first time through Ashurst,
which was the night time HQ where the village hall was open all night, I seemed
to be going well, the village was heaving and it was very difficult to see any
helpers and I’d passed my team before I’d even realised, so I ended
up passing through without picking up any more supplies. As I turned onto the A283 I remembered
the last time I rode along this road in the Brighton Mitre tandem 25 with Lee
Gardner and thinking ‘we were going a bit quicker last time’ but it
was a lift to be on a familiar road.
Thinking of Lee and the tandem reminded me of the Isle of Wight where I
wouldn’t let Lee get off in the Vectis Hilly 46 TT, he’s never
forgiven me for it and I knew I could never pack the 24 as Lee would never let
me live it down, another piece of inspiration.
As I entered Henfield for the 2nd
time I noticed there were still people entering the night circuit, which
strangely gave me a lift, just psychologically knowing I was a lap ahead,
although it had no real gauge on the overall standings.
Next time round Phil n Will had
moved back along the circuit to Partridge Green, away from the hubbub of the
Village Hall at Ashurst and found a quiet spot (opposite a pub!) where they
could see me coming, also Will had walked up the road towards me so as I came
along he shouted to me that Phil was just up on the right. I duly stopped; got a leg rub, lecture
on not eating enough, bottles etc.
I tried to force down some pasta, but found it hard to eat. It seemed so dry. So I ate some rice pudding. I went off
with a big chunk of custard cream filled brioche and the instructions
‘this must be eaten!’
This would normally take a couple of minutes to eat, however half an
hour later I was still munching on it but I knew I needed to eat it!
By now I had gone through
As I climbed towards Henfield (yet
another time I was down to bottom gear!) I got another lift. I noticed a motor home parked in a
lay-by on the climb, it was Wendy Pails and Ray Hughes who gave me a big cheer,
as they then did every lap after and this helped to spur me on again.
I managed 2 more laps before
stopping again and I tried to eat some more pasta, Fig rolls and a cup of
coffee. By now it was
This turned out to be a bad
lap. Just before Henfield I made a schoolboy
error (I blame tiredness and darkness!)
I hadn’t realised I was on the big ring and the largest sprocket
at the rear, a bit of a no no! I
was on the climb and went for the little ring and because of the chain line my
chain came off on the inside, normally if this happens I can get it back on by
using the front changer. But where
it was dark and I couldn’t see the road beneath my wheels I hadn’t
noticed how much I had slowed and was at a stop before I realised and toppled
off! After getting myself sorted I
was on my way again passing Wendy and Ray then back to Phil n Will for more
food. This time good old tomato
sauce got squirted into the pasta and it went down a lot easier. Then rice pudding for afters! Phil reassured me I was going well, and
when I thought about it I was passing more people than were passing me. I had tried to prepare myself mentally
for this period of the night as well as the resulting bad patch. I went back to my mantra of ‘It
will end’ I kept trying to tell myself this but at the time I had no Idea
how I was going to get through the next 10 or so hours. I tried to convince myself that I had
been taking on food and it will come through into energy and lift me again.
By now the mist was getting quite
thick and riding along became a game of try and guess what make the rear light
was in front of you? Some flashing
in various patterns, some on solid beam and then you had the disco lights on
the trikes! As I passed through
To take my mind off things I started
to go through the alphabet trying to think of a band for each letter, little
things please little minds etc and right now I just needed to think about
something else. Suddenly that came
in the form of a badger that ran across the road in front of me as I exited
Henfield, scary moment that woke me up a bit!
At
It was at this point that I came
closest to falling asleep. I was
sat on the back of Phil’s car and felt myself start to lie back into
it. I had to stop myself and get
out and get going again, but not before more pasta!
As I went on down the road my mind
was all over the place. I thought I
saw a marshal with a clip board up the road and as I approached I was about to
call my number for him, only when I got there it was a road sign! That wasn’t the only trick to play
on my mind, but that one’s personal and stays with me.
Looking back to the night circuit it
was a bit of a surreal feeling, periods of nothing but you, your thoughts, the
beam of your front light punctuated by various spots where support teams had
set up impromptu camps for the night, all of whom gave copious amounts of
encouragement to any rider passing by.
This gave it all a feeling of camaraderie rather than a race, all in
this together be it a rider or a helper.
With this in mind I rode on into the night not feeling quite so alone.
Morning has broken
I stopped again by Phil n Will just
after 4am and it was getting light, though still misty, as I was sat in the
back of the car a marshal pulled up and asked Phil if he had a rider there, I
poked my head out and was informed they were shutting the night circuit now and
I was last rider on the road. He
then waited until I left but shortly down the road I passed another rider so
was no longer last on the road.
As I passed through Ashurst I saw
Elaine (as I had done every lap bar one when she fell asleep for 20 minutes!)
and told her they were shutting the circuit.
I was feeling buoyed at this point
as it was now daylight and another chunk had been crossed off! I was heading to the finishing circuit,
or so I thought!
Another cheer from Wendy and Ray at
Henfield before a right turn and off the night circuit.
A few stomach cramps were starting
to creep in, a quick shout to Will as they passed and they found a place for me
to stop, turned out to be trapped wind and after standing for a bit I felt
better, another settler or two, re-filled bottles and off again along the back
roads through Woodmancote, Hassocks and to South Chailey on the Little Horstead
circuit.
Coming out of the night through
Hassocks
As I turned left onto the circuit
going in reverse of earlier and it confused me to see riders coming in the
opposite direction. I got to
I saw Phil again at
I set off again and after the sharp
turn at the pub Phil n Will were there again with encouragement as I started
the climb again. I began to feel
stronger and had a good lap. 2nd
time through Little Horstead and I went for a complete change of clothes, a lot
of Sudocream and assos chamois cream, yes by now I was sore, very sore! On the next lap I suffered again, got
another cheer and lift from seeing Ray and Wendy who had made their way to the
circuit. But I had to stop again at Little Horstead to remove my base layer, as
it felt too restrictive. Will had
my TT bike set up with rear disc wheel and front 4 spoke, but I decided to stay
on my Scott, as I knew it had the lower gears for the hills!
Homeward bound
Phil then gave me the news I had
been waiting for; I was to be turned off the circuit this time and towards the
finishing circuit! Wahoo!!! In my mind I’d cracked it! Head to the finishing circuit, pass two
time keepers then climb off if I wished!
I was then heading SE along the
rolling roads again dreaming of Tour breakaways and catching people!
The surface on the Hailsham by-pass
was horrible, it had been bad the day before but now the bumps and cracks in
the surface were magnified by my soreness.
I went over the Boship roundabout to
applause and a cheer from Julian Gee then I saw a sweet sight, a
timekeeper! Come on, one more to
find! Left turn at the next roundabout
and there was time keeper number 2 in the distance, by now it felt like I was
pounding away but the speed was considerably slower than the night before, ok
yes I was tired but the main factor was that the wind had changed to a SE
direction – ouch!!
Anyway, as I passed timekeeper
number 2 all I could muster was a clenched fist and a little
‘Yes!!’ to myself, not the massive wave of emotion I had half
expected, I think I was just too drained.
I turned left at Pevensey roundabout
and headed back across the marshes towards Windmill Hill where I expected to
see the team and there they were. I
stopped for more mint cake and Jelly Babies, still having the energy to throw
out the black one! (Long standing
joke with me, Jelly Babies and distance races!).
Trying to eat some Jelly Babies with
an hour or so to go
Phil had done some calculations and
said I could get another lap in and get over 370 miles! But it would mean another 8% climb of
Windmill Hill and I didn’t like the sound of that. As I got up to get on I joked, ‘do
I really have to get back on?’ and got told quite bluntly
‘Yes!!!’
One last effort, being pushed off
onto my last lap
As I started what would be my last
effort I knew I had 3 pieces of mint cake left, which was stuck up the leg of
my shorts (by now my shoulders hurt so much it was more effort than it was
worth to try and get anything out of rear pockets of my jersey!) this took my
mind off the pain as I calculated how long each piece would take to get into my
system and how long it would last.
Back over the Hailsham by-pass and I
was doing my best to ignore the pain being thrown up by the bumpy surface,
thinking, ‘I’m so glad I didn’t take the TT bike with the
disc!’ Along the A27 to
Pevensey and I start to calculate as I pass Timekeeper 2, ‘if I slow down
a bit my time will run out at Time keeper 4 and I won’t have to climb
Windmill Hill – Cool!!!’
But I was on a good piece of road,
in a TT position, still catching riders, with 1 piece of mint cake left and
some coke. Not only that I was in a
race and I wanted 370miles! As I
approached the final Roundabout I had passed Timekeeper 3 and was hoping for a
clear run through the roundabout, which I got and I steamed around the last
corner without braking.
I tried to drive it along the
marshes and went by Timekeeper number 4 at
By now the gang had gone by and were
waiting for me after Timekeeper 5 in a side road with other sets of
helpers. I sprinted (ok crawled)
past my final Timekeeper and came to a stop. Then it was all a bit of a blur but I
think Will was first to me and helped me off my bike. Then a hug from Elaine, Emily, Alex and
Lizzy and they felt good!
Game over! Please insert more coins!
Once back at the car it was
celebration time, realisation of a dream that I had secretly held since 1982
when I went and watched the Wessex 24 hour at Fordingbridge one night, ever
since then I had wanted to complete a 24, and now I have! Not only that I have a full set of
PB’s from 200 metres on the track up to 24 hours on the road!
As I sat on the back of Phil’s
car in a daze I felt, relief, excitement, pride, exhaustion, sick, hungry,
grubby but most of all ‘well ‘appy!!’
Realisation, relief and pride!
After a wash, change of clothes and
a quick lay down we all went back to the HQ where I just wandered round in a
daze, not knowing what I wanted to do.
There were plenty of us doing the ’24 hour shuffle’ as we
all tried to recover! Will
wouldn’t leave me in case I fell down!
After wandering round I settled for
laying down, thinking about what I’d been through and drinking water.
Back at the HQ with my ‘Brolly
Dolly!’
Final thoughts
I have been asked what kept me going
during the dark times. Having a
great team behind me really helps and let’s face it you can’t do a
24 without one and I don’t just mean on the day.
Ever since Harry had put the idea in
my head by telling me there would be a 24 this end of the country Elaine has
supported me. Ever since October
2010 when I found out for certain the 24 was on down south Elaine looked after
me.
Elaine, Emily and Alex have had to
put up with a lot from me being tired and hungry from the training, producing
loads of washing and leaving big wholes in the cupboards where the food used to
be and I can’t thank them enough.
Lizzy and Will have been great, not
just out training but keeping me on a bike over the last few years and having
them both there was a great help during the 24.
Phil, well Phil is my ‘go
to’ man. Whenever I need
advice or just a chat about what I have been doing, he’s there. Someone I’ve known and raced with
for over 20 years and have a great deal of respect for, thanks again for the
help.
I must also thank Julia Shearn for
getting me ready physically with sports massage (including sorting a periformus
problem for me!) and for repairing me after I’d abused my body for 24
hours! She had to work hard that
night!
I must also thank many of my Andover
Wheelers club mates who helped me along during the winter club rides and to
Paul Welch – the long distance guru and Paris-Brest-Paris finisher, who
gave me plenty of sound advice on dealing with a long distance ride.
Other things that kept me going was
knowing I was raising money for Naomi House at the same time, hence Elaine
putting on the ‘t’ shirt as a gentle reminder as to why I
couldn’t climb off while going through a mega bad patch. Thank you.
But my biggest drive came from
within, my fear of failure. How
could I spend so much time and effort getting ready for a 24 and not complete
it? Also how could I come back and
face all the people who had wished me well sent cards and sponsored me if I got
off? As Lee had said
‘you’ll never pack’ and I had to hold him to his word.
After nearly a week of checking web
sites I finally got my official mileage, so here are some facts and figures
Time 24
hours (obviously!)
Distance 371.49
miles
Ave speed 15.47mph
Calories 9004
Elevation gain 14911feet
(over half the height of Everest!)
Starters 93
Finishers 80
My position 39th
Information from the Garmins
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95177508 Part 1
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95178415 Part 2
As I mentioned earlier I was passed
by Andy Wilkinson (several times!) who was flying, well he definitely was
flying as he went on to beat his own competition record with 541.17 miles, an
amazing ride on that course and day.
I had always stated this was a
‘one off’ whether I finished or not I never intended to have
another go at a 24, but as James Bond found out, Never say never
again…….
Thursday
7th July – Simon Healey’s Steve Taylor Memorial RR
report
Castlemoreton, Worcestershire.
This was a 62m/100km road race for 2nd,
3rd and 4th cat riders. It comprises six laps of a ten
mile circuit before turning off to finish at the summit of a one mile climb
into the
It was already quite warm as a full
field of 80 riders lined up outside the HQ. There was a short delay as a couple
of late Juniors had their gears checked but at around
As soon as we had made the right
turn the pace increased and the bunch were soon strung out. I was in my
customary position fairly near the back. It wasn’t long, perhaps early in
the second lap, before the relentless pace and constant attacks caused the
bunch to fracture and allow 12 to 16 riders to escape. This break quickly
established a reasonable advantage, only occasionally coming into view.
I’d estimate that the bunch was now down to between 40 and 50 riders
meaning quite a few had been shelled out the back. From my point of view things
did not look good. With such a large group away I began to wonder who would try
to chase them down. The speed remained high though so I decided it would be
futile to waste energy on the front contributing to the pace or even trying to
bridge the gap.
With about 1 ½ laps (15
miles) to go I decided it was time to work my way nearer the front. By the time
I got there the breakaway had finally been caught.
Attacks now came thick and fast. A gap
appeared near the front and I jumped across but only seemed to drag the rest of
the bunch with me. This sort of thing went on for a while until we approached
the feeding area for the last time. Here the road is open and goes up a long
drag. Two riders had got off the front and many in the bunch were slowing to
take bottles. I decided to try my luck. I gave it everything over the top of
the climb. I was closing on the two when two more riders came past me. I
latched onto their wheels and soon the five of us were together and we got down
to work through and off. Two or three more riders also made the junction and we
were flying along. I was on the front down the other side of the hill when, as
luck would have it, there was a horse on the road. Luckily there was an NEG
rider on the scene. A shouted warning, a dab of the brakes, across to the far
side of the road and we were through.
It didn’t take long for some
to start to try to miss turns, I really wanted this break to work so initially
I just got on with the job in hand (in the process getting told off for going
through to quick!). Then with only two or three miles to go things began to get
a bit disorganised, with a couple of riders trying their luck. We were all
together again at the bottom of the final climb though.
One mile to go up a hill that just
gets steeper and steeper. Two riders attack and open up a gap of ten metres.
I’m on the front and just ride tempo back up to them. I allow the other riders to come past me
then check behind. The bunch is visible but a good way back. As the gradient
steepens we all start labour. Something yellow appears in the distance up the
road. Is it the 200m to go flag? I’m second or third wheel. Duncan
Jamieson makes his move, and come past us: too fast for me. He quickly has a 10
or 15m advantage. Yes it is the flag….better do something. I press down
on the pedals, my breathing gets louder but the sound of the other riders gets
quieter. Shit I’m in second place and going well! (My best previous
placing in a 2nd cat RR is 12th). I pass the 200m to go
point: the gap to Jamieson is stable. One Gerry McGarr is at the side of the
road, he recognises me and starts shouting encouragement. I give it everything
to try and catch Jamieson, with 50 metres to go I have to accept defeat and
have a look behind: one rider then nothing. I try to sprint for the line but
Matt Ullmer gets past me. Third place. Pretty happy with that!!
On my computer the average speed for
the race including the neutralised section was 25.7mph – almost unbelievable!
Results:
1 Duncan Jamieson (Leisure Lakes) 2:15:05
2 Matthew Ullmer (Team Qoroz) at 4sec
3 Simon Healey (Andover Wheelers) @ same time
4 Rob Lyne (Giant CC) @ 7sec
5 David Saunders (Climb On Bikes)
6 Matt Jennings (1 Optix)
7 Richard Cleaver (VC Montpellier) all @ same time
8 Ian Alexander (Cheltenham & County CC) @ 23sec
9 Adrian Bid (Worcester St Johns CC) @ 28sec
10 John Holt (Bynea CC) @ same time
Monday
13th June – “April Fools”, Simon Healey’s
2011 Spring tour report
Prologue.
I’d been following the weather
forecasts for a few days. They did not bring good news. It looked like the
whole tour would be dogged by high winds, showers and cool temperatures. To
make matters worse the route for the first day was to take us over the
‘old’
Day One,
I must admit that whilst waiting for
the others at the allotted meeting point (Behind the Bikeshed) I did ruminate a
little on the advantages of living so close to a bike shop. More so when Dan
arrived and informed me that he hadn’t expected it to take so long to
cycle from his home in Shipton Bellinger. With well over 80 miles into a
head/cross wind ahead of us I was already in admiration of his fortitude.
The arrangement was to meet Jamie on
the road so we set off out of Charlton along
It was now approaching
It’s worth pointing out that
if the bridge were to be closed it would mean a 50 mile detour through
There followed the long gradual
climb from Acton Turville, past fields full of temporary fencing and portaloos
set out in readiness for the Badminton horse trials, to the top of the Cotswold
escarpment. After a couple of dare-devil descents (that car locking up all four
wheels didn’t sound good!) and a little ‘confusion’ in
Thornbury we were soon within sight of the bridge. There was still time for a
short, sharp climb but on arrival at the bridge there was good news. It was
open!
As feared, there was a stiff breeze
blowing directly up the
Since we had made good time, it had
just gone
Bed for the night was at St Briavels
youth hostel, a 13th century castle, conveniently placed on top of a
dirty great hill! As if riding 90 miles loaded down with panniers into a head
wind were not torture enough, we then had to wait an hour and half to get a
table at the pub next door. Good food though!
Day Two, Saturday 2nd April.
We awoke to a cool, damp morning.
Rain was falling persistently from a misty sky. Perhaps fortunately, the warden
was far behind preparing breakfast so by the time we were ready to depart the
rain had almost stopped. Annoyingly we had barely got through the Gatehouse
before I noticed that the spare inner tube I had used the evening before was
maybe not up to the job. At least by the time I’d sorted it out the rain
had stopped!
We headed due North to Symonds Yat
rock where we stopped to take in the views. Then we continued down a steep hill
and over the river Wye into the lanes of
After a break for strong coffee in
Pandy (Looked for Greg – no sign of him) we headed up
‘Gospel’ pass, thirteen miles of up hill peaking at 1,700ft next to
Lord Hereford’s knob. Then it was down hill all the way into Hay-on-Wye
for a well earned lunch. (Looked for Daniel – no sign of him either).
It was approaching
Dan and I were treated to some of
the best cycling I’ve ever experienced. The sun was out, the atmosphere
was crystal clear, and even the wind seemed to have dropped. I think we climbed
to well over a thousand feet three or four times, crossing open moorland,
before diving into lush green valleys. The scenery was spectacular! The only
slightly annoying thing were the frequent stops to check the map: there were
very few signposts and the ones there were seemed to have been ‘got
at’ by the locals!
I don’t know about Dan but I
was running on empty by the time we rolled up at The Castle Inn, Knucklas (3 or
4 miles West of Knighton). We were welcomed by Jamie who informed us that the
landlord was busy emptying the garage of chickens to make room for our bikes.
Only in
A quick wash and it was downstairs
for dinner. To say that they were generous with their portions would be a
massive understatement. Despite burning the best part of 4,000Kcal that day I
couldn’t finish the main course let alone contemplate desert!
Day Three, Sunday 3rd April.
Another wet morning! This time
proper rain: the sort that bounces back off the road. This resulted in the most
leisurely of breakfasts. It was noted that there was an occasional gap between
showers and it was decided to try to time our departure to coincide with one.
This we did successfully at
Due to the late start we were keen
to press on through
Fortunately relief came as we
approached the Cotswold escarpment and a tea stop at Broadway. Although it was
now past
Day Four, Monday 4th April.
As the crow flies it is only 65
miles from Stow back to Andover so, since it was dry (if a little cool), we
took to back roads through the quaint villages of Lower Slaughter, Naunton,
Salperton, Compton Abdale, the Colns, Winson and Ablington. First tea stop was
in Bibury* at a rather posh looking hotel. I’m not sure what they made of
us (particularly Dan when he removed his shoes…).
By now Dan’s toothache, which
had been troubling him for some time, was really making its self known and
Jamie’s knee was fairing little better. I was thinking perhaps
we’re all too old for this sort of thing!
Back outside the wind was picking up
once more and the sun was refusing to make an appearance. We pressed on past
through Hathrop to Lechlade and along the A417 to Faringdon. From here we
joined the route home on the Autumn tour, up and over Lambourn Chase stopping
one last time in Hungerford for well earned refreshments. Well, for Jamie and
me: poor old Dan was unable to eat so had to make do with a pot of tea.
For the last leg of our journey we
made every effort to find the easiest route back for each of us. This was
deemed to be to follow the A338 towards Burbage, Jamie and I turning off to go
through Oxenwood and Dan continuing to pick up the
Now I have memories of trying to
drop certain Webbers on the climb up Chute Causeway. These usually entail
riding at 14mph, then accelerating to 17 or 20 for the last bit (then watching
them sprint past!). Well, it was very much single figures today but once over
the top it was near enough all down hill back to Andover and end a very
enjoyable, if tough, long weekends cycling.
Daily mileages were 90, 82, 87 and
83. Overall I think we climbed a total of around 25,000ft.
* It is clamed by Jamie that after
we’d been cycling for two hours we passed a sign on which was printed
“Stow 6 miles”. I can assure the reader that he is either mistaken
or has exaggerated for comic effect. We must have reached Bibury after two
hours and that is at least 11 miles from
A bit about the Bikes.
As usual I rode my 531 steel Dawes
Audax with a Carradice saddle bag. I’d built the rear wheel just a couple
of weeks before so was a bit nervous as to whether it would survive the miles
and weight of luggage. I’m pleased to report that it didn’t fall to
bits. In fact, I’ve done at least another thousand miles on it since and
it’s not even needed truing.
I was a bit disappointed Jamie used
his Ribble and not his steel steed. He was well equipped though with full
mud-guards, rack and twin panniers. But it was Dan who took light-weight
touring to new levels by using a racing bike with handlebar and saddle packs.
Watching him unpack on the first night was a wonder to behold. He had got a
surprising amount into what amounted to 8L of space. However after taking a
shower, he did admit that expecting to use a flannel as a towel was perhaps
taking things a bit too far!
Tuesday
22nd March – Simon Hall will be running a Basic Bike Mechanics
session at the Scott Centre on Saturday 9th April
Simon Hall will be running a Basic Bike
Mechanics Session on Saturday 9th April from
Attendees should bring their own bikes, a track
pump (if they have one) and a set of tyre levers. There may be a small cost just to cover
the hiring of the hall,
Tuesday
15th February – Does anyone fancy a Spring Tour over the
weekend of 2nd/
Is anyone up for an impromptu spring tour? Simon
Healey is thinking of organising one for the weekend 2nd/3rd April*, possibly
leaving on Friday 1st, returning Monday 4th. i.e. four days on the bike with
three overnights.
The plan would be to get to the mountains of
mid
*This clashes with the NHRC open TT at Dummer.
The following weekend is the
If anyone is interested, please contact Simon directly.
Tuesday
15th February –
A report from the Harrow Way School
Website can be read here.
Friday 4th February
– Alex Harding Winter Calshot Track League
Andover Wheeler junior rider Alex Harding has
been using the Winter season to great effect by riding the Calshot Track League
and has been getting some great results!
Thursday 10th January
– Club Clothing stock has been replenished, and a new order is being made
next Wednesday (
A new order of club clothing has
arrived, which replenishes the core stock items (Short & Long Sleeved Jerseys
and Bib shorts), plus there are some winter thermal caps also now available.
Winter (5 Pairs) and Summer
Overshoes (4 Pairs) have been ordered, and another order will be made next
Wednesday (19th January 2011), so if they want anything extra you would
like in regards to clothing please contact Harry Lodge and he
can add it to the order. If anyone
requires Winter Overshoes, a shoe size is needed. The Club Order currently with Velo Plus
sent includes (which are not currently sold) 1 x 40/41, 1 x 42/43, 1 x 44/45
(Sizes 6/7, 8/9, 10/11).
Full Clothing stock, details and
price list can be found on the Clothing Page.
Monday 10th January
– Andover Advertiser Thruxton Cyclo-cross Report
Five hardy Andover Wheelers recently took part
in the latest round of the
Next up were Nick Adnitt, Martyn Hudson and
Simon Hall in the Junior, Vets and Women event. Nick and Simon showed all their
experience to not go off too fast and slowly picked off some of their rivals as
they tired during the race eventually finishing in 29th and 23rd places
respectfully. Martyn was having his
first attempt at cyclo-cross and found the going tough especially as he was
riding on a heavier mountain bike. But he battled away well, determined to
finish, and was rewarded with a 41st place finish.
For Jamie Shearer it was a baptism of fire!
Again, he was having his first ever attempt but was up against some of the top
cyclo-cross riders in the country let alone the region! Not wanting to get in
their way, Shearer let them battle it out amongst themselves and found his own
pace just inside the top 20. Riding consistently he picked off a couple of
competitors and finished in a very satisfactory 18th position. Not a bad first
effort at all!
Sunday 28th November
–
It has been an exciting year in the Andover
Wheelers Championship events. None
was closer than traditional season opener, the Medium Gear Championship. Run over 25 miles it resulted in a dead
heat between Roger Hartnell and Simon Healey; both recording a time of 1hr
5mins 05secs. Alan Spurden was 3rd in 1hr 9mins 17secs.
The next event was the handicap 10 mile
Championship and Hartnell continued his fine early season form recording a
handicap time of 21mins 28secs and this time beating 'scratch' man Healey by 23
seconds. Nick Adnitt was 3rd a further 53 seconds back. However, Healey had his
revenge just one week later in the Athlete’s time trial by pipping Roger
by a slender 2 seconds. 3rd spot was taken by Tom Bolton some 50 seconds back.
Next up was the 25 mile scratch and handicap
Championships. This time, new rider Ben Pearce stormed round in a time of
55mins 30secs. Not bad for his first attempt at this distance, and certainly
too much for Simon Healey, who despite having the advantage of starting one
minute behind Ben and hence being able to gauge his effort could only manage
55:36. In 3rd place was Alan Spurden in 57:53. Alan won the handicap
competition though, having smashed his PB, and was followed by Pearce and
Healey. Simon Healey returned to winning ways the week after, recording a time
of 1hr 9mins 42secs in the 30 mile Championship. Alan Spurden, continuing to
improve, came second in 1hr 11mins 08secs with Harry Lodge third in 1hr 16mins
13secs.
The final championship event of the year was
the Hill Climb Championship. A short, sharp lung-busting ascent of the steep
hill out of Ham, north of Vernham Dean. Fifteen year old Mitchell Webber rode
superbly beating many older and more experienced riders to finish in 3rd place
with a time of 1min 41secs. 2nd was Alan Spurden, proving he is as good going
up hill as on the flat, in a time of 1min 36secs. But it was defending champion
Tom Bolton who won in convincing fashion with a time of 1min 29secs.
Sunday 3rd October –
The Andover Wheelers promoted their first road
race for many years recently with an event based at Stockbridge and had
attracted riders from as far as
The race was neutralised from the HQ at the
The bunch re-grouped but then Ben Pearce
(Andover Wheelers) took his chance on the rolling A30 road back towards
Stockbridge and quickly gained 30 secs on the bunch who appeared not that
interested. Local junior rider Max Webber (VC St Raphael) made a valiant
attempt to get across to Pearce but couldn't quite make the connection before
the bottom of the main climb. By the top, Pearce had a lead of 50 seconds,
taking the second 'prime' in the process, and leaving Webber to be swallowed
back up by the main bunch. The effort over the top of the climb caused a group
of 7 riders to get away and catch Pearce to make a leading group of eight. As
the lead group began the climb up to the finish for the penultimate time they
had a lead of well over a minute on the remains of the bunch and it was Phil
Peters who took the final 'prime'. Ben Pearce was paying for his earlier
efforts and dropped back to the main bunch. Into the last lap and the lead
group of 7 was made up of Peters, Cartridge, Jonathan Marcini (Oxford
University CC), Darren Parker and Nigel Williams (Python RT), Nick Watson
(Dream CC) and Richard Horton (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) leaving the rest
to fight out the minor places. On the final climb it was Parker and Horton who
broke clear of the fragmenting break, with Peters trying in vain to get across
to the leading duo. Coming up to the line both riders were neck and neck but it
was Horton who just edged out Parker by about a bike length. Peters maintained
his effort and was rewarded with 3rd place overall. The bunch was led in by Rob
Jackson (8th) who was also part of the winning Inverse RT team (James Cartridge
7th and Neil Heffernan 15th). Richard Horton capped an excellent race by also
taking the leading Junior prize.
The Andover Wheelers were well represented with
Ben Pearce taking a 'prime' prize, Simon Healey finished in an excellent 12th
place and David Harper was the top 4th Cat rider in his first ever proper road
race event. Thanks go to everyone who helped make the event such a success
especially the Stockbridge Parish Council for their support and local sponsors
KFS Special Vehicle Ltd and Halo Sports Management.
Monday 21st September
– Paul Welch has a Bike for Sale
These are the details and photos of
Leigh’s bike that you kindly offered to put on the website or e-mail to
everyone for me. The bike is at my house so can easily be viewed by anyone
interested. He’s asking
£650 ONO for it and it really
is in excellent condition as he’s not used it as much as you or I would,
in fact I rode it for a couple of rides recently and think it is great.
STELVIO ROAD BIKE FOR SALE £650 ono
(Pictures below)
The frame is a striking white Stelvio with
Kinesis 7005 ally tubing and has the following equipment:
Shimano Ultegra 9sp Control Levers
Campagnolo C-Record Delta Brakes
Campagnolo Record Front Mech
Campagnolo Chorus Carbon Chainset 53-39
Campagnolo Chorus BB
Campagnolo Vento Wheelset
Shimano Dura Ace rear Mech
Shimano Ultegra 9sp Cassette
Carbon Seatpost
ITM Stem
Handlebars 3ttt
Computer Cateye Mity8
2 Campag wheelbags
Clip-on mudguards
The
saddle, wedgey bag and pedals he’s asking extra for but I’m sure we
can come to an agreement if anybody is interested. Please speak to Paul if you are
interested.
Sunday 12th September – Please
return all Club Trophies to Roger in preparation for this year’s Club
Dinner
It’s that time of the year again where
club trophies need to be returned in preparation for this year’s prize
presentation. Can all those that
won trophies last year please start returning them to Roger Hartnell
(rogerhartnell@hotmail.com) as soon as possible. Trophies are to be cleaned before being
returned to Roger.
Saturday 28th August – Andover
Advertiser Farnham 25 mile Team TT Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Two Wheelers teams recently participated in the
annual Farnham Road Club 25 mile 4-up team time trial. Although a four rider
team competition the finishing time is taken on the third rider to cross the
line. It was a fine, sunny and warm morning that greeted the riders on the
Bentley By Pass course near Alton but with a rising breeze.
The
first Wheelers team to start was a mixture of youth and experience. Simon Hall
and Will Grainger have been riding for many years, and Terry Smith, in his first
season of cycling, and Junior rider Alex Harding made up the quartet. Young
Alex was having his first attempt over the 25 mile distance but he and Terry
combined well with the more experienced Hall and Grainger to finish in 7th
place in a time of 1:01:39, an average speed of just under 25mph .
The second team comprised of Alan Spurden, Ben
Pearce, Roger Hartnell and Simon Healey, probably the fastest four riders in
the club at the moment. The team worked well together, initially taking equal
pulls on the front. But from about half distance, as the pace began to tell,
Pearce and Healey started to take the lion’s share of the work. Just
before the end there were a couple of short but at this stage very taxing
climbs. It was here that Hartnell, having given his all, had to ease off
leaving his compatriots to head for the finish. Spurden was doing all he could
to help the Pearce/Healey duo but relief came as they crested the final climb
leaving a fast gradual downhill all the way to the finish. The team crossed the
line in 53:29 to claim 3rd place less than two and a half minutes behind the
winners, A3CRG. All were very please with the time, which equated to an average
speed of just over 28mph!!
Wednesday 11th August – Andover
Advertiser Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Leading Wheelers Lady Lizzy Yates had another
good ride recently in the North Hampshire RC Open 10 mile time trial which is
based on Bentley Bypass near Alton. Although the weather was good it was a very
tough start due to very strong headwind on the outward leg but Yates pushed
hard and was then helped by the tailwind on the way back. All her hard work was
rewarded when she crossed the line in a time of 26mins 13secs to finish 4th
overall in the Womens event.
The latest round of the Hilly Circuits
Championship was held on the tough 14 mile circuit to the north of Andover and
includes the tough ascent of Conholt Hill. The conditions were pretty good for
all riders and it was Simon Healey who led the way with a time of 34mins 25secs
followed by Roger Hartnell in 37mins 10secs and new member Brett Shaw in 3rd
place with 38mins 40secs. Alex Harding was the fastest Junior rider and Lizzy
Yates proved again what a good season she's having by posting a PB time of
43mins 45secs.
The
last three club events of the season are held on the popular 8.2 mile Monxton
circuit. All of these events are classed as 'Come & Try It' so if anyone
would like to have a go at a time trial they are welcome to turn up on the
night and give it a go. The HQ is at the Amport Cricket Club and you will just
need a roadworthy bike and a crash hat (recommended but a definate requirement
for all U18 riders).
Friday 30th July – Andover
Advertiser Thorney Island RR Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
A number of Wheelers recently made the trip
down to the Thorney Island army camp to take part in the latest round of the
South BC circuit series. The youth riders kicked off the event and were in top
form even though there was a stiff breeze coming in of the sea. In the U16's event
Mitchell Webber attacked straight from the gun and took another rider with him,
a pairing that would dominate the race from start to finish. Working well
together they proceeded to lap the rest of the field on the smaller half mile
lap and kept on going to the finish. Mitchell led out the sprint for the line
but his compatriot was just too strong and pipped him on the line. In the other
youth races there were wins for Alex Hall (U10's), Emily Hall (U14 Girls) and
Jed Webber (U14's) despite having a front wheel puncture and having to change
the wheel!
The adult race saw Gregg James, Mark Skeates
and Simon Hall all take part for the Wheelers. On the larger and more open
circuit, a number of riders tried to get away on their own, including James,
but the stiff breeze made it extremely difficult to do. Eventually two riders
slipped away but another chasing group formed between them and the main bunch
and James was part of the group. They worked well together to try and catch the
leading duo but ran out of laps and were left to sprint it out for third place
and James gained a well earned fifth place. Mark Skeates also confirmed he has
lost none of his sprinting legs by winning the main bunch sprint for ninth
place overall.
The Wheelers road race success in the South
region has seen the club's riders dominate the points leagues. In the Youth
series Alex Hall, Jed Webber, Emily Hall, Lili McLean and Mitchell Webber are
all leading their age groups with Cameron Thompson also second in the U14's.
And in the Adult 3/4 category, Gregg James is well placed in second and should
challenge for the top spot over the next couple of races. James has been well
backed up by Simon Healey in 7th place. In the tough Elite league, Stuart
Thompson has consistently ridden well throughout the year and holds onto an
excellent 14th place.
Saturday 24th July – Andover
Advertiser NHRC Interclub TT Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
In the first leg of the interclub time trial competition with the Basingstoke and Tadley based North Hampshire Road Club, seven Andover Wheelers rode a 18.2 mile course near Dummer. Having lost by a convincing margin last year the team were keen to put in an improved performance. Usually the best six times (including at least one woman) are added together to give a total team time. Unfortunately for the Wheelers punctures for both Nick Adnitt and Brett Shaw meant the times of all the remaining riders counted as the team size was reduced to just five. Despite this setback Simon Healey (42mins 54secs), Alan Spurden (44.25), Harry Lodge (47.33), Peter Dennett (50.50) and Lizzy Yates (56.05) all produced strong rides and cut last years margin of defeat in half. The return leg is in a few weeks time at the Red Rice circuit where a bit of better luck should see a much closer battle.
Regular tandem pairing
Simon Hall and Lizzy Yates took part in the 'Charlotteville CC' 25 mile open
time trial near Alton. On a good day with excellent weather, the Wheelers duo
finished the event in a time of 62mins 16secs which was quick enough to earn
them the overall tandem prize!
Friday 23rd July – Andover
Advertiser Regional Divisional Road Race
Championships Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Junior rider Tom Bolton recently took part in the Regional Divisional Junior Road Race championships at Upavon and demonstrated what a promising rider he is. In his first proper road race on open roads since moving up from the youth ranks, Tom was a bit nervous and not sure what to expect. The tough course started at the Upavon Airfield and headed towards Everleigh before the fast, dangerous descent into Pewsey and then back through Upavon village and the long ascent back up to the airfield, a 16 mile circuit to be tackled 3 times. The Junior race was combined with a 3/4 category race which gave a total field of about 40 riders, a much bigger field compared to what Tom had been used to in the past, and the first two laps were all about sticking with the main bunch and conserving energy. On the final lap, with his confidence high, Tom started to move nearer to the front of the pack for the final deciding ascent up to Upavon airfield. Many of the strongest riders started to attack but Tom was able to hold the wheels and put himself in a good position for the final sprint for the line, finishing in an excellent 5th place overall. Other Wheelers in the race were Simon Healey and Mike Webber. Healey was unlucky to puncture on the second lap but Webber finished well in 23rd place.
Friday 23rd July – Road Records
Association (RRA) attempt on the London to Bath and back Record
There’s a Road Records Association (RRA)
attempt on the London to Bath and back record by Alex Kirk (Dulwich Paragon CC)
on Sunday 1st August. The current
Record Holder is PJ (John) Woodburn in 9 Hours 7 Minutes 3 seconds. The time table is:
Rider starts at Knowl Hill (East of Reading) at
5.00 am - heads for Hyde Park Corner (30.8 miles) at 6.18
Hungerford (86.8 miles) 8.40 am
Bath (136.3 miles) turning round the church
using Saracen Street 10.48 a.m
Hungerford (178 miles)
Finish Knowle Hill (211.9 miles) in 7 hours
exactly.
May be an idea for the club run to see him at
Hungerford on the way back (know there is no club run, but if anyone fancies a
cycle ride somewhere this may be somewhere to go.)
Thursday 15th July –
Andover Advertiser Club TT Points League Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers club time trial season is now well underway and a couple of new riders have shown very well in the clubs season long time trial leagues. In the 'A' league things are very tight but former 'Come & Try It' rider Alan Spurden has improved massively this season and is commanding top spot with 249 points. This has definately given Club Champion Simon Healey something to think about and will have his work cut out to catch Spurden from 2nd place with 238 points. Hefin Richards is in 3rd place on 204 points and Nick Adnitt in 4th on 167 points. Another new rider Terry Smith is dominating the 'B' league having rode consistently throughout the first half of the season to amass 278 points followed by the Wheelers top Lady rider Lizzy Yates 125 points. Although only limited to riding certain events, U16 rider Mitch Webber has done well to hold onto 3rd place with 97 points from 4th placed rider Mick Risdale on 95 points.
As well as mixing it with the adults in the 'B' league, Mitch has been unstoppable in the 'U18' league with a perfect 40 points. This league is based on age related times and he has not only consistently beaten his target times but also done so by ever increasing margins, in the process taking well over two minutes off his PB for the Monxton course in less than a year. Mitch will have to keep on his toes though because 2nd in the league is Lili McLean with 25 points and has also shown consistent improvement, managing to beat her target time for the first time recently. The remaining league places are held by Jed Webber, Tom Bolton, Cameron Thompson, Chris Cardy and Hamish Pike.
Friday 9th July –
Andover Advertiser Ray Martin Points League Report
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
A good winters training is paying
dividends for some of the Andover Wheelers youngsters and the early season
"Ray Martin Points League" proved this point. 15 year old Mitchell
Webber has been training with the clubs adult riders in preparation for his
move up to the U16 ranks and his improvement has been excellent. Not only did
he manage to stay with the leading riders, most of whom are a school year
older, but he was also able to ride attacking races and still be there to
contest the sprint for the leading positions! This consistant riding enabled
Mitchell to take a creditable 5th place overall league position.
Cameron Thompson and Jed Webber have
also moved up from U12 to U14 age group and both have shown a dramatic
improvement! Using the clubs turbo training sessions throughout the winter
months, the youngsters have both gone from being nowhere near the U16 riders,
as last season, to looking comfortable staying with them even on their
restricted gears. This improvement has seen them both score some good results
in their age group races which left them both in the top three positions
overall in the final league table! This all bodes well for another successful
season!
The adult races in the "Ray
Martin League" are one of the few events that pitch all rider categories
together in the same race. This makes for a very challenging series of races
for the majority of the Wheelers riders. However, Stuart Thompson showed that
he can mix it with the Elite riders by consistently finishing in point scoring
positions to finish in 16th place overall. Fellow Wheelers Gregg James and Mike
Webber used these events more as hard training sessions but were also
pleasantly surprised with their form in being able to stay with the leading
riders for most of the races.
Saturday 26th June – Club TT
League Update Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
Believe it or not we are more or
less at the half way point through the club time trial season. So this is a
good time for a quick review of the leagues.
In the A league things are very
tight with Alan Spurden commanding top spot with 249 points ahead of Simon
Healey with 238. Then comes Hefin Richards on 204 and Nick Adnitt on 167. New rider Terry Smith is dominating the
B league having amassed 278 points. In second is Lizzy Yates with 125, third
Mitch Webber, 97 and fourth Mick Risdale on 95.
As well as mixing it with the adults
in the B league Mitch has been unstoppable in the U18 league with a perfect 40
points. He has not only consistently beaten his target times but also done so
by ever increasing margins, in the process taking well over two minutes off his
PB for the Monxton course in less than a year. Mitch will have to keep on his
toes though because second in the league Lili McLean (25 points) has shown
consistent improvement and managed to beat her target time for the first time
this week. Remaining league places are held by, in order, Jed Webber, Tom
Bolton, Cameron Thompson, Chris Cardy and Hamish Pike.
Monday 14th June –
Andover Advertiser Early Club Events Report
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
Andover Wheelers are now well into
their club time trial events. The weekly events started with the popular 8.25
mile course around Monxton and Grateley and the course draws a large field of
riders with club members, youths and other local clubs. The first event held in
early April saw some unseasonally good weather with perfect conditions to
produce some good times. One of these was 14 year old Mitchell Webber who
finished the course in an impressive 23:19, a personal best time, and now leads
in the under 18’s league. Club Captain Simon Healey came first overall,
completing in a time of 19:08, Jake Prior from VC St Raphael came second by
only seven seconds in 19:15 and the third best time of the evening was Rob Ward
20:06 . Lizzy Yates was the first lady with a time of 25:45.
In the following Monxton Event even
better weather conditions improved the overall times, with warm weather and
hardly any head wind. Simon Healey improved on his time to 18:51 and was the
fastest Andover wheeler in the event. The fastest rider on the night, with a
very impressive time of 18:29, was Allan Rider from the Army Cycle Team
followed by Rowen Horner (18:57) and Jake Prior (18:46) both from VC St Raphael
and just managing to beat Simon Healey but again closely matched. New Andover
Wheeler Ben Pearce also managed to do a sub 20 minute time of 18:59. Sarah
Webber was the second lady in the event with an improvement on the previous
event and a good time of 27:25.
Wednesday 5th May –
Andover Advertiser Thruxton Circuit Races Report
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
The Andover Wheeler have started
there road racing season taking part in the first Thruxton road races. The first event on Sunday the 21st
of March saw three of the wheelers in the 3rd cat race in a field of
sixty eight. The race was quickly split into two as a group of riders escaped
the bunch and quickly formed a large gap. Simon Healey made an attempt to close
the gap but was too late. The bunch realised the leading group wasn’t
coming back and became content riding for 10th place. Overall Simon
Healey finished 14th place just missing out on his first set of
points. Mark Skeates followed shortly after in 23rd place, he felt
the race went well for only his second race of the year “I felt good
through most of the race and had the legs to test myself in the sprint”.
Junior Tom Bolton finished shortly after still in the bunch sprint.
Junior Christopher Cardy was alone
as the only Andover Wheeler in the 4th cat race but kept well within
the bunch throughout the race which came down to the final sprint in which he
came 38th. A promising start to the season.
In the youth young Alex Hall in the
under 12’s just missed out on his first set of points in 4th
place. Emily Hall was 2nd in the under 14 girls. Mitchell Webber had
a good race that he was pleased with, managing to stay in the leading group
until the final sprint were he came 5thinthe under 16 boy’s.
The following Sunday had a bigger
turn out for the club with six wheelers in the 3rd cat race. Gregg
James attacked from the start with a small group of riders who were quickly
pulled back after half a lap. This was followed by a few more attacks splitting
the field up. Simon Healey then managed to break away from the bunch with seven
other riders. They quickly built up a minutes lead. With Simon in the leading
group the rest of the wheelers played a supporting role and shadowed any
further attacks that tried to chase down the leading group. It came down to a
final sprint for Simon Healey among him and the several other riders. “As
the sprint opened up I found myself passing riders. Out of the final corner
there were just two left in front of me. I passed the first but unfortunately
the second was a rider that had managed to sit in for most of the race, he had
just a little bit more left in the tank. I got close to overhauling him but
lost out by a wheel length. As I wasn’t expecting to do so well in the
sprint I think I was a little under geared - lesson hopefully learnt!”
This put Simon Healey in second place! Scoring his first points of the season.
The rest of the wheelers finished in the bunch sprint. Mark Skeates described
the second Thruxton race as a good one but much harder; due to the smaller
field it was harder to find shelter from a strong headwind and there were many
attacks which split the field up.
The five youths also performed well
in there event with Alex Hall getting an impressive first place in the under
12’s. All in all the first
two racing events at Thruxton show a promising start to the Andover Wheelers
road racing season.
Sunday 11th April –
Open 10.2 mile Hilly TT Andover Advertiser Report
Andover Wheelers have kicked off the racing
year with their early season open time trial, the ‘Hilly 10.2’. The
course is located on the quiet and scenic country lanes North of Andover. On a
chilly Saturday afternoon the race started with twenty-six brave riders taking
part. The course begins with the tough, steep climb of Conholt Hill; this hill
is a race within the time trial with riders being timed to the top, a prize
being awarded to the rider that makes the most rapid accent. There then follows
a long fast decent to Hatherden, before turning back towards Upton up an
equally long climb which this year was combined with a demoralising headwind.
The finish line is then reached after a steep decent.
The event was won convincingly by Trejvan
Pettinger in a time of 24:05. He also bagged the prize for the fastest ascent
of Conholt with a time of 3:14. Unfortunately there could be no course record
this year because the start had to be moved due to hedge cutting effectively
shortening the course by approximately half a mile. This is a shame because
with such a dominant performance Pettinger would surely have not been far off
beating the course record of 25:13 set last year by Chris Birch. William Girvan
in second with a time of 25:48 followed his tradition of the past few years of
holding a position in the top three. Just five seconds slower was Sean Williams
in third who also had the satisfaction of being second in the race up Conholt,
only ten seconds behind Pettinger.
First and second vet went to Geoff Smith and Stan Maciak. First lady was
Nicky Xandora ahead of Wheeler, Iris Williams. Fastest Wheeler was Simon Healey
in an impressive 5th place and a time of 26:26, Roger Hartnell showing
promising early season form claimed 9th in 28:26. Other Wheelers who took part
were Jamie Shearer, 30:18 and Stuart Anderson, 33:40.
The event was made possible due to the
commitment of the marshals, organisers and time keepers from the club, a thank
you for giving up their time. A very special thank you is owed to Bob Smith who
has been the event secretary for many years and is now passing the role onto
someone else, he has put a lot of effort into making this event successful.
Wednesday 17th March – New U18
time trial league series for 2010
It will be based solely on the Monxton course.
Each rider will be given a target time based on their gender and exact age.
Participants will then be ranked and awarded points depending on how well they
do against their target time. Due to this handicapping process it is possible
for any rider to win the league regardless of age or gender. It will be the
quality of their performances over the season that will count. There are eight
club time trials planned for the Monxton course this year, one of which is also
the Athletes’ event. All will count towards the league but riders must
obey the special rules in the Athletes’ event. At the end of the season the final
league positions will be decided on each riders five best results, so make sure
you ride at least five events!
Wednesday 17th March – Sunday
rides attendance "Top 20"
Here is the Sunday rides attendance
"Top 20" from start of October through to 7th March. This includes
the YHA weekend and the hilly ride the week before that. Given the Winter we've just had it's somewhat
amazing we only lost three or four rides due to bad weather. Thanks to everyone
who attended the rides, even if it was just one. Simon would have been lonely
doing them on his own!
1. Simon Healey 20
2. Mike Webber 14
3. Jamie Shearer 12
4. Nick Williams 11
Jake Prior 11
6. Max Webber 10
7. Mitchell Webber 9
Tom Bolton 9
9. Simon Hall 7
10. Eric Wilcock 6
11. David Pike 5
Hamish Pike 5
Chris Cardy 5
Lizzy Yates 5
Stu Thompson 5
Roger Hartnell 5
17. Harry Lodge 4
18. Mick Risdale 3
Paul Walsh 3
Mark Skeates 3
Gregg James 3
Mike Taylor 3
Tuesday 2nd March –
Simon Healey & Roger Hartnell finish 1st and 2nd in a NHRC Club
TT
Last Saturday Simon Healey and Roger
Hartnell flew the flag for the Wheelers in the NHRC 18.5 TT around the Dummer
circuit. Simon led the field home
to win in a time of 45.21 with Roger finishing a creditable 2nd in 46.31. Full results, from the NHRC website, can
be see here.
Thursday 26th November
– Watership Down Audax Details
Kick-start your training in the new
year by riding this 108km hilly audax!
It starts and finishes at Kings Worthy and only costs £5 to enter.
Several* Wheelers have already said they are going, or at least considering,
doing this ride so don't miss out on the fun**. You'll need to pre-enter by
filling in this form and sending it to the organiser. If you do enter let me
know so we can meet up at the start and/or arrange lifts if required. Finally
don't delay as I understand it was over subscribed last time.
(*Well, Simon Heally and Mike.
**Cycling is fun!)
Tuesday 10th November
– Monday Night Youth Training Sessions have now finished for 2009
Monday Night Youth Training Sessions have now
finished for 2009. These will start
up again early next year.
Tuesday 10th November
– Andover Advertiser Road Race Season Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers youngsters had
another excellent road race season and showed that the club has plenty of
strength for the coming years. Their consistent form throughout a very long
season meant that the Wheelers were one of the leading clubs in the south of
England. The 'DHCyclesport' series of events throughout the Summer at the
Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth outlined the clubs dominance with a clean
sweep in the U12/10/8 category. Cameron Thompson won overall and was well
backed up by Alex Hall in 2nd, Emily Hall 3rd and Jed Webber in 4th. In the
U16/14 category Mitchell Webber continued to improve over the season and was
rewarded with 3rd place overall. Cameron and Jed also capped a good season by
finishing 3rd & 4th respectively in the end of season 'Ray Martin Circuit
Series'.
In the season long points
competition, which takes into account every race in the South, there was yet
more success for the Wheelers. In the U10 Boys Alex Hall topped the table with
Carla James finishing 7th in the U10 Girls competition. Alex's sister Emily finished
1st in the U12 Girls with Cameron Thompson taking 3rd overall in the U12 Boys.
Mitchell Webber placed consistently well in all his races to grab 2nd overall
in the U14 Boys and Lili McLean, in her first season of racing, finished an
excellent 4th in the girls competition. Probably the best result came in the
very competitive U16 Boys competition. Tom Bolton has shown great improvement
this season and underlined this by winning the prize overall. He was ably
supported by Hamish Pike in 19th and Chris Cardy in 25th with all three riders
looking forward to moving up to the Junior ranks next season. In the Mens
competition the Wheelers had two riders in the Top 10 with Simon Healey in 2nd
and Mark Skeates in 9th.
Junior rider Rob Ward also proved
that he isn't just good against the clock when he won the overall prize in the
'Generation Sports' road race circuit series. These races take place around
Upavon airfield on a very open and challenging circuit and Ward rode
consistently well throughout the Summer against some top opposition to grab
enough points to take an excellent win.
Thursday 22nd October – Andover
Advertiser South DC BAR Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
With the
time trial season now over for another season, the Andover Wheelers had one of
their best seasons locally for a number of years. Simon Healey demonstrated his
overall strength with an excellent 3rd place overall in the South DC Best All
Rounder competition. His times of 55mins 18secs for 25 miles, 1hr 54mins 25secs
for 50 miles and 4hrs 13mins 05secs gave him an average speed of 25.684mph.
Healey was well supported in the Team competition by Pete Dennett in 10th place
(22.989mph average) and Veteran rider Paul Welch in 13th place (19.085mph
average) and these combined averages gave the Andover Wheelers the overall
prize with a team average of 22.586mph.
Promising
Junior rider Rob Ward also added to the Wheelers success by winning the Junior
Best All Rounder competition. His two fastest 10 mile times (22.22 & 23.00)
and 25 mile times (59.26 & 1.00.19) gave him a winning average speed of
25.755mph and made him the first Wheeler to win the Junior competition since
William Grainger back in 1993.
Thursday 15th
October – Andover Advertiser Hill Climb Report
Article courtesy
of Mike Webber
As the
cycling racing season starts to draw to a close, the Andover Wheelers most
feared Championship event, the Hill Climb, was held recently on the short but
steep Ham Hill to the North of Vernham Dean. Down the years this event has been
the domain of the younger rider and this year was no exception. The majority of
the competitors rode out to the hill from Andover and the excellent weather
ensured the biggest turn out for many years and over half the field were Junior
riders! Defending Champion Rob Ward rode the hill on a 'fixed' gear bike and
set a quicker time than last year of 1min 29secs, a time that left Club
Champion Simon Healey (1min 37secs) and Jamie Shearer (1min 30secs) trailing in
his wake. Past Hill Climb Champions Simon Hall (1min 48secs), Lee Gardner (1min
45secs) and Mike Webber (1min 43secs) gave it their all to improve on the
Ward's time but the final rise to the finish line proved too much for them. The
biggest cheer of the day came for the three youngest riders, 12 year olds
Cameron Thompson and Jed Webber and 14 year old Mitchell Webber. To them the
hill must have seemed like a mountain but they all did fantastically well,
Cameron (2mins 35secs), Jed (2mins 42secs) and Mitchell (2mins 11secs). Two
other riders, Hefin Richards (2mins 5secs) and junior Ben Armes (1min 50secs)
did very well on their first attempt at the hill and Lizzy Yates (2mins 33secs)
showed that it isn't just the men that can climb! But it was left to another
Junior rider to topple the defending champion. Tom Bolton has been quietly
riding well all season in local youth road races and demonstrated that he will
be a future force to be reckoned with by storming up the hill in a superb time
of 1min 25 secs
The hill climb isn't the
easiest event at the best of times but Simon Hall and Lee Gardner showed that
they are suckers for punishment when they decided to dust off their tandem and
ride the Reading CC Tandem Hill Climb! Streatley Hill has an average gradient
of 16% (like Hurstbourne Hill but twice as long!) and neither rider had trained
particularly hard for the event. In their words "We grovelled up the hill
from Streatley but it was pleasing to reach the top and end the torture, and
there was a great crowd to add to the atmosphere" They finished in a
creditable time of 4mins 25secs and both assured me that they really enjoyed
it!
Tuesday 29th
September – Andover Wheelers are now on Twitter
The Andover Wheelers are
now on Twitter. Just click the
“Follow us on Twitter” icon in the Right hand sidebar to view the
latest updates.
Wednesday 16th
September – Final Club TT League Report
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
So
that’s it for another season! The Elite, A and B leagues were won in
convincing style by Simon Healey, Rob Ward and Hefin Richards respectively.
Lizzy Yates takes the prize for taking part in the most events, 21 in total!
It has been
a good year with many young riders showing great promise. Not only did Rob win
the A league out right, in the B league Tom Bolton won all but one of the
events he participated in. (All done on a normal road bike too!) Well done to
all of you that had a go. Now you have times to beat next year!
Overall we
were also lucky with the weather with only three events being rained off. It
was just a shame they were bunched together over a period of five weeks at the
height what should have been summer!
Thirty-two
first claim and nine second claim members took part at least once this year. A
number boosted with what must have been a record number of ‘come and try
its’ plus many visiting riders from other clubs. Our thanks go to John
and everyone else who has helped run these events. They are invaluable both as
a tool for increased fitness and as an introduction to competitive cycling.
Wednesday 26th
August – Club TT League Update Report
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
There are
now just three rounds of the club time trial league remaining and it’s
the riders who have put in plenty of appearances and produced good performances
throughout the season that have come out on top.
In the B
league Hefin Richards, who has had Lizzy Yates snapping at his heals all
season, now has an unassailable lead. Outside of these top two, the minor
places are still very much up for grabs with Alan Spurden best placed of the
chasing pack.
Having been
pushed all the way by Roger Hartnell, all Rob Ward needs to do to seal victory
in the A league is score points in one of the remaining rounds. Roger still
needs to keep on his toes as, from a solid third place; Nick Adnitt can still
mount a challenge to take the runners up spot.
Finally in the Elite &
2nd Claim league, where Simon Healey is 62 points clear with only 30
remaining on offer, interest is restricted to the minor placings. Jake Prior is
looking fairly safe in second As is third placed Ian Knight who is in good form
at the moment and has a 13 point advantage over fourth placed Stuart Thompson.
Monday 10th August – Wheelers Clock 53.59 in the
Farnham 4 Up Team Time Trial
Article
courtesy of Nick Adnitt
Andover Wheelers
fielded a team of first-claim (and first class!) riders in the Farnham RC 25
mile 4 up team time trial today, Sunday 9th August. This is a short report on
my experience:
After an
unsuccessful training session on the Wednesday which all ended in tears (well,
mine anyway), a few e-mails were exchanged agreeing communication, riding
sequence, team leader and contingencies for unexpected events like punctures
and breakdowns.
Roger and I
arrived at the event HQ with an hour and a half to spare, so after signing on,
we did some serious warming up. When Simon and Rob were ready, we rode down to
the start in a lay-by on the A31. We had a quick chat with Lizzy and Simon who
had just finished a tandem ride and it was time to line up; Simon, Roger, Me and
Rob.
At 09:24
hrs we were off and up to 33mph within the first two hundred metres going up
hill! Thankfully Simon eased back to 27mph (“I was just injecting some
pace into the ride and getting the heart and lungs working” he said
later, well he certainly did that).
We crested
the hill and descended at a “leisurely” 38 mph, even having to ease
out of the slipstream to slow down a little, and then on towards the first
turn. The gap which opened up at the roundabout was soon closed down and we set
off on the longest leg to the second turn.
Those who
know the Bentley by-pass will be familiar with the uphill gradient after the
turn. We all kept together going up, but clearly Simon recovered quickly and
had to back off slightly to regain a tight formation. We went through the
finish point for the first time at about 34 mph, tight formation, Wheelers
colours flying, we looked great. As I said to the others before the start
“never mind about this speed and time nonsense, as long as we look
good”.
Focussed on
the wheel in=2 0front, I was a bit surprised how quickly we arrived at the
second turn. I was first into the roundabout and determined not to slow the
others down. It was a bit tighter than I had anticipated and had to crank the
“Special” well over, again concentrating on style.
We reformed
for the third leg like the well-oiled, professional team we were and attacked
the gradient. Simon continued to take big turns on the front, well supported by
Rob and Roger. I disregarded foolish pride and kept my turns to the minimum.
With an eye
on the team, Simon kept us together on the third and last turn and we headed on
to the finish. I knew the dreaded hill was coming and made a decision to do a
big turn on the front and bury myself. At the beginning of the climb I peeled
off and told the team to leave me, as it is three riders which count.
With legs
full of lactic, I watched the gap open, “go on lads”. Our third
rider crossed the line at 53:59 and I followed in 90 seconds later.
It was a
tough, but very satisfying ride. We played to our strengths and the
communication and discipline delivered a fine result. I was proud to be part of
the team and look forward to the next one.
Monday 10th August – Come & Try It Andover
Advertiser Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover
Wheelers had another successful 'Come & Try It' event to attract new riders
into having a go at racing against the clock. 26 riders of all ages and
abilities signed on at the Amport Cricket Club HQ and prepared themselves for
the 8 mile event. The course started outside the cricket club and headed off
through Grateley, turning at Grateley Station and heading towards Kentsboro
before turning left onto the final leg to the finish in Monxton. The riders
went off at 1 minute intervals with many having a nervous wait before their
number was called by the timekeeper. 12 year old Jed Webber was first off and,
although experienced in closed circuit races, was having his first attempt at a
time trial. The first leg to Grateley Station was into a block headwind which
all the riders struggled with but, once they had turned, the remaining two legs
had the wind in their favour to give everyone a fast finish. The majority of
the riders were having their first attempt at time trialling and everyone put in
an excellent effort to record commendable times and every rider received a free
'Behind the Bikeshed' water bottle for their hardwork. Particular mention goes
out to the younger riders who showed some of the adults the way - 13yr old Joe
Thomas (25mins 06secs), 13yr old Lili McLean (29mins 32 secs), 12yr old Cameron
Thompson (26mins 08secs), 15yr old Codi Briley (25mins 50secs) and Jed Webber
(26mins 15secs). Fastest rider on the night in a superb time of 20mins 42secs
was Tom Baybutt, a time which would challenge a lot of the top club cyclists!
Special thanks goes to everyone that helped make this event such a success
especially the Amport Cricket Club for the use of their facilities as the event
HQ.
Monday 3rd
August – Simon Healey’s Thruxton 4th Cat Circuit Race
Report
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
On a windy
but thankfully dry morning at Thruxton thirty-nine riders took to the start
line of the 4th Cat race. A ten lap, 23 mile race around the motor
racing circuit.
At the very
start of the race two riders attacked, developing a reasonable lead. Up the
climb at the end of the first lap however one of the riders was dropped leaving
the other, a former Andover Wheeler now riding for Rutland CC, out on his own.
As this rider looked strong and was obviously waiting for support on the second
lap I decided it was time to act. When the bunch slowed as it turned into a
headwind at the bottom of the climb I swung off and injected some pace towing a
couple of riders with me. Unfortunately the bunch responded and any fractures
were soon healed. Undaunted I maintained a position near the front of the field
up the climb. Crossing the line to commence the third lap, now with a tail
wind, I once again increased the pace through the chicane. On exiting, noticing
a gap behind my back wheel, I redoubled my efforts soon catching the loan
escapee with a good lead over the main field.
As there
was another rider trying to cross the gap we elected to wait, a three man break
would have a better chance of survival on such a blustery day. Once together at
the base of the climb near the end of the third lap we started to work
together. Unfortunately the last rider to join had perhaps expended too much
energy in his efforts to jump across and was soon dropped leaving the two of us
to fight on.
Despite
this setback the gap slowly grew to 25 seconds at around half distance. The
next lap the bunch must have slowed because the gap shot up to 50 seconds, then
next time it was one minute ten. With two laps remaining and a healthy lead we
agreed to ease to pace. This was perhaps a mistake for me as riding fast is my
bread and butter and the other rider was obviously beginning to struggle. Up
the climb for the last time the Rutland rider, now recovered, jumped clear to
take the win. However it was very much job done as far as I was concerned as
second place gave me more than enough points to move up to 3rd Cat
status.
Monday 27th July – South Division Circuit Race Championships
Andover Advertiser Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover
Wheelers youngsters had more excellent results recently in the South Division
Road Circuit Championships at Castle Combe. Showery conditions made things
difficult for the U10's with a dead turn at each end of their pitlane circuit
and Alex Hall suffered most when he hit the deck going into the first turn! But
he bravely remounted after being allowed a lap out and fought his way back to
the front of the field to take a well earned victory. Not to be outdone by her
younger brother, Emily Hall was tackling the full race circuit in the U12 Girls
race and led from start to finish to win her respective Championship, a fine
double success! In the U12 Boys race, Jed Webber and Cameron Thompson were part
of a large field that set off at a cracking pace. Windy conditions soon slowed
everything down but Jed and Cameron were racing well for a top position. Into
the last lap and the race began to split apart but Cameron hung in well and
produced a superb sprint to take 3rd place. Jed battled away to the end and
sprinted in for 6th place. The U16's and U14's races had a line up of quality
riders from across the region and Tom Bolton and Mitchell Webber knew that they
had a battle on their hands. Mitchell looked to be struggling from the start
but managed to hang in with the main group right until the final sprint for the
line where he matched his brothers effort to finish in a creditable 6th place.
A tactical U16's race played right into the hands of Tom Bolton. With no one
wanting to go on the attack in the windy conditions, Tom was able to conserve
some of his energy for the final sprint. Coming up the long drag to the line,
Tom held his nerve to time his effort perfectly and grab a fantastic 3rd place.
Photos from
Graham Robins can be viewed here.
Tuesday 14th
July – Riders are reminded to observe the no drafting rules whilst
competing in all TT’s
All riders
are reminded to follow the no drafting rules whilst competing in all
TT’s. Below is the precise
rule (21) from the CTT handbook.
21.
Paced & Company Riding
Competitors
must ride entirely alone and unassisted and not ride in company or take shelter
(commonly known as drafting) from other riders or vehicles. A competitor
overtaking another must pass without receiving or giving shelter. The onus of
avoiding company riding shall be upon the rider overtaken.
Friday 10th
July – Andover Advertiser Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Three
Andover cyclists, Simon Healey and Lizzy Yates of the Andover Wheelers and
Stuart Thompson of Behind-the-Bikeshed, recently participated in the Team Axiom
Weekender time trials based in Liss. Seventy-one riders contested the ten mile
event in near ideal weather conditions on Saturday afternoon. Healey was
pleased to record a time of 21mins 26secs, just three seconds off his
seasons’ best and good enough for 13th place overall. Thompson recorded
23mins 11secs for 39th place and Yates was 3rd Lady with 26mins 43secs. Much cooler
conditions welcomed the riders early the following morning for the '25' mile
event, a situation made worse by a nagging crosswind. However, Thompson battled
valiantly to finish with 1hr 1min 25secs, a mere two seconds shy of best time
since his return to competitive cycling. Yates was the fastest lady with 1hr
11mins 58secs and Healey managed 15th overall with 56mins 23secs. The following
weekend saw Thompson and Yates joined by Scottish based Andover Wheeler David
Smith, back in the area for a few weeks, to ride the Wessex RC 50 mile time
trial between Poole and Bere Regis. The rolling course is quite tough but
excellent conditions made for some good times. Thompson got within 2 minutes of
his PB and finished in a fantastic 10th place with a time of 2hrs 7mins 48secs.
Smiths visit to the area was made all the more worthwhile with a time of 2hrs
10mins 39secs and Lizzy Yates produced her second PB time in as many weeks to
finish in an excellent 2hrs 26mins 21secs.
The Andover
Wheelers are once again promoting another 'Come & Try It' event on Thursday
30th July. The Amport Cricket Club will be the HQ and start point, and the 8
mile course will be based on the quiet roads around Monxton & Grateley.
Anyone wishing to take part just needs to turn up with a roadworthy bike and
the club recommends that a crash hat be worn. Signing on will start from 6.00pm
with the first rider off at 7.00pm. Certain conditions will apply to U18 riders
Wednesday 1st
July – 25 Mile TT Championships Andover Advertiser Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Perfect
conditions greeted the riders in the recent Andover Wheelers 25 mile Time Trial
Championship with a number of PB times being set! The course takes the riders
in a eastbound direction towards Basingstoke before turning and retracing to
finish adjacent to the 'Twinings' building, with each rider heading off at
minute intervals. Lizzy Yates was the fastest Lady on the night with her
best ever time of 68mins 55secs. Rob Ward was having his first attempt at the
distance and, although unshipping his chain at the turn, still produced an
excellent time of 61mins 22secs. This was good enough for 3rd place in the
Championship and a time that he is sure to improve on during the rest of the
season. Nick Adnitt has had a fairly low key start to the season but his
time of 60mins 48secs shows that his form is coming together at the right time
and was good enough for 2nd place overall. But it was Club Champion Simon
Healey who is once again proving to be the dominant rider this season. Healey
sliced well over a minute off his PB to win the event in a time of 54mins
31secs, an average speed of over 27.5mph!
The
Wheelers events are fast approaching the mid point of the season and a
quick scan of the Points League tables would appear to suggest that in each
league one rider is dominating. In 'B' League Hefin Richard is the
only rider to have participated in every club time trial this season
and has a 37 point advantage over second placed Lizzy Yates. Elsewhere
new rider Alan Spurden is showing great promise having already climbed to
fourth place after joining the club after a 'Come & Try It' ride just over
a month ago. In the 'A' League junior rider Rob Ward has a 28 point advantage
over Nick Adnitt, with Roger Hartnell a further ten points back
and in the 'Elite and 2nd Claims' table Simon Healey has established a 40
point advantage over Jake Prior (VC St Raphael). However Prior is the
undisputed ‘class act’ of the league with 6 wins from just 7
appearances and should keep Healey on his toes for the remainder of
the season.
Thursday 25th
June – Andover Wheelers at the Axiom Weekend
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
Three
Andover cyclists, Simon Healey and Lizzy Yates of the Wheelers and Stuart Thompson
of Behind-the-Bikeshed, recently participated in the Axiom Weekender time
trials based in Liss.
Seventy-one
riders contested the ten mile event in near ideal weather conditions on
Saturday afternoon. Simon was pleased to record a time of 21’26”,
just three seconds off his seasons’ best and good enough for thirteenth
place overall. Stuart recorded 23’11” in thirty-ninth place and
Lizzy was third lady with 26’43”.
Much cooler
conditions welcomed the riders early the following morning for the twenty-five.
A situation made worse by a nagging crosswind. However, Stuart battled
valiantly to finish with 1h1’25” a mere two seconds shy of best
time since his return to competitive cycling. Lizzy was the fastest lady with
1h11’58” and Simon managed fifteenth overall with
56’23”.
Thursday 25th June – Racing Roundup
Andover Advertiser Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover
Wheelers evening time trials have been well supported this season as we now get
into the Club Championship events. The fast '10' mile TT course to the West of
Andover hosted the clubs 'Handicap' Championship at that distance and it
produced a very close result. Club Champion Simon Healey was the 'Scratch'
rider, which means he has no time taken off his actually ride time, and he very
nearly produced another winning ride but it was talented Junior rider Rob
Ward who took the honours in an adjusted time of 21mins 35secs and
beat Healey by 18 seconds. New club rider Alan Spurden has shown some
promising form recently and he again put in a good ride to take 3rd place
in 21mins 58secs with a 3min 26sec handicap.
The
following week saw a new Championship event added to the Wheelers calender. The
'Athletes' Championship does away with any aerodynamic aids, so
competitors have to ride on standard road bikes with no tri-bars, deep
section/disc wheels and aero lids etc. The aim is for everyone to be
on a more level playing field so that no one has anymore advantage than anyone
else. Although the winner was never going to be in doubt, Simon
Healey was pushed all the way by 2nd placed Roger Hartnell who only finished 25
seconds down, the closest he has been all season! The race for 3rd place
was equally as close with junior rider Rob Ward pipping Alan Spurden by
just 17 secs and the closeness of the whole event was underlined when the next
5 places were all seperated by under a minute. Other notable rides on the night
were from U16 riders Chris Cardy and Alex Harding. Both were having there first
attempts at a time trial and they did well to challenge a number of the
regular club competitors with Alex just getting the better of Chris by 16
seconds.
Friday 19th
June – Club TT League Report
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
Well, time
flies when you are having fun does it not? Believe it or not we are fast
approaching the mid point of the season. A quick scan of the league tables
would appear to suggest that in each, one rider is dominating.
Starting
with the B league Hefin Richard, the only rider to have participated in every
club time trial this season, has a 37 point advantage over second placed Lizzy
Yates. Elsewhere new ‘boy’ Alan Spurden is showing great promise
having already climbed to fourth place after joining the club just over a month
ago.
In the A
league Rob Ward has a 28 point advantage over Nick Adnitt, with Rodger Hartnell
just ten points further back. While in the Elite and 2nd Claims table Simon
Healey has established a 40 point advantage over Jake Prior. However Jake is
the undisputed ‘class act’ of the league with six wins from seven
appearances having only been denied a clean sweep due to an illegal bike in the
‘athletes’ event.
In the
first paragraph I said that it ‘appears’ each league is being
dominated. This caveat is because there are still 15 rounds to go and with only
the best 18 results counting in the final shakedown there is more than enough
time to catch up with the league leaders. From now on beating your nearest
competitor will become ever more important
Monday 15th June
– Simons Healey’s view of the 25 mile TT Championship
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
I drove to
work. I usually cycle but this evening I will need fresh legs. First thing I do
is check the weather forecast. It’s good; light winds and mild. I leave
promptly at five.
At home I
put the kettle on and make a mug of strong black coffee. Into it I dunk a
biscuit, then another, and another…. The family are at the dinner table.
The time is twenty to six. One hour twenty to go. I take the coffee with me upstairs
to change.
I return
down stairs to shouting and an upset daughter. No pudding for her today. I dive
into the garage. I fit a bottle cage to the time trial bike and inflate tyres
to 120 psi. I head to the kitchen to fill a bottle with squash. Daughter
doesn’t want me to go. I point to the mantelpiece. ‘I’ve got
to go and win that trophy so I can keep it for another year’. She
understands; it was her first ever school sports day today. It is quarter past
six. Forty-five minutes to go.
I always
feel odd cycling through town on my TT bike. It must look strange to others;
disc wheel, pointy hat. It’s made worse by the fact my muscles are cold.
I don’t feel fast.
A car
flashes its lights and beeps its horn. The driver shouts out of the
window….a fellow cyclist. He is not a first claim member of the club. He
can’t win the cup.
A small
crowd at the start. I sign in and exchange a few words. There is a friendly
atmosphere. I’m number eight, last of the Andover Wheelers to start. With
twenty or so minutes still to go there is nothing to do but socialise. There is
nowhere to warm up in the small lay-by.
Seven
o’clock. First rider is called to the start line. I take off my long
sleeved jersey and place it in the back of the time keepers’ van. The
riders start departing, one minute between them. Numbers one, two, no three,
four, five…..time for me to make my excuses and line up at the start. A
few gulps of squash. Number six departs, seven takes his place and is held
upright by the pusher-off, a former professional cyclist. I climb onto my bike.
Seven is sent on his way. I take his place and clip in my right shoe. Thirty
seconds. The former professional cyclist takes hold of my bike and I clip in my
left shoe. Fifteen seconds. I take a few deep breaths. Five, four, three, two,
one, go.
A golden
rule of successful time trialling is not to start too quickly. I try to
accelerate smoothly getting into an aerodynamic seated position as soon as I
can. Fortunately the first couple of miles are downhill. I’m quickly up
to speed concentrating on pedalling as smoothly and powerfully as I can. My
muscles warm up and my breathing deepens.
After about
three miles the road kicks up a little. I catch my first glimpse of a rider in
front. Now my legs have warmed up I try to increase the effort. I set about
reeling him in. I ask myself if I’m trying too hard; I am catching him
sooner than I anticipated. I elect to postpone answering until I make the
catch.
The fifth
mile. As luck would have it I pass number seven near the top of a small hill.
This is followed by a dip before another climb. I’m glad of the reprieve
however brief. Climbing again I imagine number seven coming back and passing
me. I daren’t look behind. My breathing becomes erratic but thankfully
the gradient eases and I regain speed. I spot another rider in front. I try to
pedal smoothly.
Seventh
mile. I pass number six. Nothing in front but empty road. It is exposed and
slightly up hill, but as there is very little wind I am faster here than
normal. I’m feeling good. Time to knuckle down.
Less than
two miles to the turn now and three riders, quite close together, come into
view. A dump truck joins the carriageway from a slip road cutting across early
to avoid the riders in front. It throws up a lot of dust. I hope it
wasn’t as close to the last of the three riders as it looked.
The first
of the trio I pass is number one, the only woman rider. I try to shout
encouragement. That is one, six and seven. No number three. I try to work out
who is left out in front. I give up. I notice my breathing has slowed. My mind
has been wandering. I pedal harder.
Number
five. Before the start number five and I had discussed the forthcoming race. We
agreed that I would catch him at the half way turn. I’m slightly early. I
pass with just under a mile still to go. I think ‘I must be doing
well’.
Between me
and the slip road for the turn is number four. I need to get to the turn first.
It is down hill and we are probably travelling at close to 40 mph. I turn 53x11
over as quickly as I can. I’m passed. I can now pick my own line for the
tight right hand turn.
After the
turn it is payback time for the fast down hill section as I climb back to the
dual carriageway. As speed drops aerodynamics become less important. I sit up
and try to take some swigs from my bottle between breaths, this is difficult.
Some maths.
Down the hill at 40 mph, back up at 20. Average speed is 30 mph right? Wrong!
You spend twice as long at 20 mph than you do at 40. The average is actually 26
2/3 mph.
I have a
thought; there is one more rider out in front and, as if by magic, he appears
on the horizon at the top of the hill. It doesn’t take long to pass
number two. Now I’m on my own. Eleven miles to go. I concentrate on my
breathing. The sun is getting low. I hope I don’t puncture.
The last
few miles are up hill. I try to give it everything but in a smooth manner. The
road winds its way through woodland and then opens up as the gradient eases. I
attempt to accelerate but the road surface here is rough and it absorbs my
efforts. It’s not far now to the turn off to the finish. There is a cruel
sharp climb here. Fortunately it is also fairly short. I remain seated and
manage to keep the big ring turning, 53x17. A small crowd has gathered to watch
the suffering. I’m over the top with half a mile to go. All of it down
hill. I give it everything. 53x11.
After. I
circle a roundabout to return to the finish. I’m still travelling fast.
It’s a fast night. The club chairman is at the finish.
“Couldn’t you go any faster?” He says. I think of the times I
found myself breathing too easily. I say ‘Probably. But I don’t
want to kill myself’. I look
over the time keepers’ shoulder. 54’31”. A personal best time
by one minute and thirteen seconds. I’m satisfied with that.
I watch the
other riders come in. Starting after me were eleven non Wheelers, three of
which finished with faster times. Still room for improvement then!
I get home
in time to say goodnight to daughter. I tell her I won the cup. I eat dinner
and open a bottle of beer. I don’t sleep well. I’m too hot from
eating late and still on a high from the ride.
Monday 15th
June – Youth Circuit Racing
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The cycling
season is now in full swing and it is the youngsters that are showing the way.
In the recent 'Ray Martin Circuit Series' held over a 5 week period down at the
Mountbatten Centre in
There was
yet more success for the youth riders when they recently competed down at
Wednesday 6th
May –Wheelers TT League Table Update
Article
courtesy of Simon Healey
After the
opening five rounds all three leagues are taking shape with some interesting
duals emerging.
In the
Elite/2nd Claim Jake has thus far had the edge and established a
three point lead over Simon. The battle for third spot has been nip and tuck
with improving form from Ian (thanks to the club Chairman making
him do some quality training during the Alton 50K) helping him gain
a slender one point advantage over Stuart.
The A
league has seen a similar close battle for top spot between Rob and Roger. Head
to head Rob has a 3:1 advantage, that and the fact that he has taken part in
all five events to Rogers’ four has given him the upper hand by twelve
points. It will be interesting to see if Roger can bring his greater experience
into play over longer distances later in the season or if Rob will simply take
this, as everything else, in his stride.
Finally in
the B league good, consistent riding by Hefin has built a ten point advantage
over second placed Lizzy. The dark horse though is Tom in third place with
three wins from his three appearances.
Thursday 30th
April – Easter Weekend
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Easter
weekend saw plenty of local riders competing in events across the region. On
Good Friday Simon Hall paired up with Lizzy Yates to ride the tandem
event in the Bournemouth Arrow 10 mile time trial. The cold and wet conditions
made the Ringwood course tougher than usual but the Wheelers pair battled round
in a time of 26mins 35secs. Simon's wife Elaine rode her first 'Open' event for
10 years to record a respectable 32mins 26secs in the solo event.
Good Friday
also saw a number of youth riders compete in the popular Castle Combe circuit
races. Carla James was having only her second ever race but showed good
determination to finish 4th in the U10's Girls event. A large field of over 30
riders took part in the U12's race but Cameron Thompson showed that he has good
form to finish in 7th place while Jed Webber is improving all the time by
taking 15th place. In the U14's race Mitchell Webber was up against some strong
riders but his initial pre-race nerves disappeared as soon as flag dropped and
he rode a sensible race by following wheels and conserving energy. Coming into
the sprint for the line, Mitchell hung in well and was very happy to finish in
8th place.
Easter
Monday saw 6 local riders take part in the Alton CC Hilly 31 mile time trial.
Club Champion Simon Healey teamed up with Junior rider Max Webber (Behind the
Bike Shed) and Mike Webber teamed up with Ian Knight (KFS VC) in the 2-up
event. Healey and Webber junior combined well together to finish in a time
of 1hr 14mins 51secs for third place overall. It wasn't quite the same story
with the pairing of Webber senior and Knight. The KFS VC rider was by far
the strongest on the day and Webber spent the majority of the race hanging on
to Knight's back wheel! But both riders were pleased to finish in 1hr 21mins
09secs for 4th place team overall. In the solo event Roger Hartnell showed that
he is coming back to form by finishing in 1hr 26mins 31secs with Stuart
Thompson (Behind the Bike Shed) a further minute back in 1hr 27mins 32secs.
Friday 24th
April – First Monday Night Youth/Novice Training Session Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Well done
to everyone who turned up to the youth & novice training on Monday. We
had an excellent session getting used to following and sitting on wheels,
cornering at speed, a couple of hard efforts around the big circuit and then a
1 Lap time trial with times as follows:-
Steffan
Burgess 1min 12secs
Hamish Pike
1min 03secs
Mitchell
Webber 1min 05secs
Andrew
Bungay 1min 03secs
Jed
Webber 1min 13secs
Daniel
Hobson 1min 00secs
See you
again next Monday
Click here
for more photos from the first Youth/Novice Training Session, courtesy of
Barrie Austen.
Friday 17th
April –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Weather conditions
played a major part in the first two Andover Wheelers Tuesday evening time
trials on the 8.25 mile course based on the roads around Monxton and Grateley.
Cold and windy conditions greeted the riders at the first event which made for
a more difficult ride on the outward leg to Grateley Station but it was Club
Champion Simon Healey that carried on from where he left off last season. His
time of exactly 19 mins made him fastest Wheeler on the night followed by
Junior rider Rob Ward showing great improvement on his new time trial bike
with a PB time of 20 mins 23 secs with another youngster, Tom Bolton, recording
21 mins 51 secs and 3rd Wheeler on the night. Another notable ride was 12 year
old Cameron Thompson who was competing in his first ever time trial. He has
been racing for a few years in closed circuit road races and seems to have
transferred this experience over to racing against the clock and
recorded an excellent time of 28 mins 01 secs. Fastest rider on the night
was another local rider Rowan Horner (VC St Raphael) in a time of 18 mins 28
secs.
The
following Tuesday saw a complete turn around in the weather with near
perfect warm and still conditions that saw most riders improve on their
previous weeks time. Simon Healey rode a standard road bike without tri bars
and still managed to post the fastest Wheelers time but Roger Hartnell
pulled out an excellent ride to equal Healeys time of 19 mins 41 secs. Rob Ward
managed to dip under the 20 minute mark with 19 mins 59 secs and Tom Bolton
posted a PB time of 21 mins 21 secs. Fastest Lady was Lizzy Yates in 23 mins 53
secs and Andrew Frost was having his first attempt at a time trial and did well
to comfortably beat 20mph average speed in a time of 23 mins 59 secs. There
were also 3 'Come & Try' riders taking part in their first ever race
against the clock. Alan Spurden showed plenty of potential in recording a time
of 21 mins exactly and Junior riders, Jack Struthers and Sam Goacher, did
fantastically well in posting times of 24 mins 52 secs and 27 mins 6 secs
respectfully.
For full Results & Photos click here.
Thursday 16th
April – Wheelers TT League Table 2009
Now we have
completed two club time trials it's time for the first league tables of the
season. Changes from last year are
the winner of the B league, Peter Dennett, is promoted to the A league and the
winner of the A league, me (Simon Healey), promoted to an 'Elite and second
claim' league. This new league will give the second claim members something
to race for and also provide me with some competition! This year your
final league position will be calculated on your best 18 performances.
Hopefully this will mitigate the effects of bad luck (punctures etc),
work and family commitments, as well as not penalise rides for helping out if
required.
Round up so
far:-
In both the
A and B leagues young riders have been leading the way. A win and a second
place has given Rob Ward the advantage in the A league. While in the B league
Tom Bolton is unbeaten. Also in the B league a mention should be made of
Andrew Frost who, in his first ever time trial, managed to comfortably beat the
20mph barrier. Jake Prior has been
leading the way in the Elite/2nd Claim league, however I'm going to use my TT
bike from now on to keep him on his toes! (No more showboating on a 40
year old
For the current
table, click here.
Monday 30th
March – TT and Thruxton Circuit Races roundup
Article courtesy
of Mike Webber
Andover
Wheeler time trial champion, Simon Healey, had an excellent weekends racing
recently. Riding in his strongest discipline, Healey took 5th place in the
tough 18.5 mile Dummer time trial with a time of 42 minutes 40 seconds, just 3
seconds off his best time for the course. In fourth place was another local
rider Jake Prior (VC St Raphael) in 42:31. The event was won by Richard Prebble
of Pinarello-Candi TV in 39:57, just one second ahead of North
Hampshire RC rider Adrian Lansley with Peter Tadros (In Gear Quickvit RT) third
in 40:18.
The
following day saw Healey take part in the 4th Cat road race at Thruxton. Being
fairly new to this type of racing Simon did the thing that he does best,
attacking off the front and trying to time trial his way to the finish. He
stayed out front for 6 of the race's 10 laps but never really gaining more than
a 30 second lead with the large bunch of 70+ riders able to just stay within
touching distance. With 2 laps to go another rider managed to jump away from
the bunch and bridge the gap across to Healey, giving added impetus to try
and stay away to the end. With one lap to go the lead was a precarious
one as the bunch increased its speed for the final sprint to the finish.
Into the final straight and their lead was a matter of metres but
unfortunately, having given it everything, Healey just faded in the final
metres but still finishing in a very well deserved 8th position to
gain his first points of the season. In the supporting Youth races there was
further success for Wheelers riders as Tom Bolton had his best result of
the season so far finishing 2nd in the U16's event. Carla James was having her
first ever race and did very well by finishing in an excellent 2nd position in
the U10 girls race with Emily Hall 3rd in the U12 girls and her brother Alex
3rd in the U10's boys. Other notable results were Cameron Thompson (5th) and
Jed Webber (8th) in the U12 boys and Mitchell Webber (6th) in the U14 boys.
Click here for photos from the Thruxton Circuit Races, courtesy of
Barrie Austen.
Tuesday 10th
March – Wheelers ride early season TT
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Two Andover Wheelers Ladies get their season started with an 11.5 mile time
trial near
Click on a
thumbnail image to expand. Photos courtesy of Simon Hall.
Monday 2nd March - Youngsters race at Milton Keynes
Article courtesy
of Stuart Thompson
2 Young Andover Wheelers competed in there 1st
Circuit Race of the season at
Young Cameron Thompson was up 1st in the Under 12’s. The weather was good and the wind was almost non-existent. Cameron was up against a very strong field with over 15 riders. As soon as the whistle went they raced off. A group formed almost straight away consisting of 8 riders with Cameron being one of them. The going was tuff but Cameron settled into a good rhythm holding his own. Cameron managed to attack on the 4th lap up the hill but got caught just at the top. He hung in there for another few laps but unfortunately just couldn’t hold on and got dropped with 3 laps to go. He finished a very respectable 8th overall.
The Star of the Day was Mitch Webber in the under 14’s. With fewer numbers in his race, about 8, there was no where to hide. He was going to have to work hard against some of the Larger riders he was up against, and he did. As soon as the race started a 3 man Break attacked and Mitch was one of them, dropping everyone else in the race. The full 15 laps consisted of the 3 working well together to stay away, coming down to the sprint finish. The attack went in on the last lap up the long drag by one of the riders but Mitch and the other rider hung on to make him work for it. Mitch just got pipped at the line coming in an excellent 3rd overall and 2nd in his category.
I’m sure both riders will have an excellent season.
The Milton Keynes Bowl holds regular cycling evens and is a
good safe circuit. It is about an hour and a half drive from
Click on a
thumbnail image to expand. Photos courtesy of Stuart Thompson.
Tuesday 24th
February –
Words
courtesy of Mark Skeates & Mike Webber.
A number of
Andover Wheelers riders ventured down to
In the 3rd
Cat race Junior rider Ollie Pritchard was the lone Andover Wheeler
but had a very aggressive race, spending time off the front in
breakaways. These breaks were unsuccessful and it all came together again
for a bunch sprint finish for the line with Ollie powerfully holding his own
among the older riders to score 7th place.
Wednesday 18th
February –
The Andover
Wheelers kicked off their 2009 time trial promotions recently with a Hilly 10.2
mile event based on a course at Vernham Dean. This early season event is one of
the hardest on the calender with the riders tackling the tough climb of Conholt
Hill within the first mile, the long descent into Hatherden and then the
deceptively hard drag of a road out of Wildhern towards
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a
thumbnail image to expand. Photos courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Click here
for more photos from the event, courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Wednesday 11th
February – 2009 Club Events Schedule Released, including a new
Championship – the Athletes TT
The 2009 Club events
schedule have now been added to the Website, so we can all start planning our
summer of racing.
For 2009, the club has
decided to add a new Championship to the schedule, The Athletes TT. This to be held on the Tuesday 2nd
June, and will use the Monxton P614c course. The idea behind the event is to see how
quickly we can go without any aerodynamic devices or TT bikes (although if you
want to ride the event on your TT bike you can, you just won’t qualify
for the Championship). The rules
for the Athletes TT are as follows:
1.
No
TT bikes, only normal Road Bikes (e.g. the kind you would use in a Road Race)
2.
No
Disk Wheels or Deep Rimmed Aero Wheels.
Rims must not exceed 3cm in depth.
3.
No
tri bars or corn horns. Drop
handlebars only.
4.
No
Aero Helmets or Aero Fairings, although we do recommend everyone uses a normal
Road Helmet.
5.
Skinsuits
and Aero Oversocks are OK.
Friday 6th February –
The Andover
Wheelers kicked of their 2009 season with a coaching session down at the
cycling track at Calshot. With the success
of the GB cyclists at last years Beijing Olympics still fresh in the minds,
many of the clubs riders hadn't experienced this type of cycling before and
were looking forward to finding out first hand what it was like. The Calshot Velodrome is the only
indoor banked track in the South of England and, at 140 metres in length, is
the shortest and most steeply banked in the country. Add to that bikes with no brakes and a
single fixed gear that means you can't stop pedaling, this can be a daunting
prospect for the most experienced of riders.
The riders
were split into three groups of varying experience - U14
youngsters, novices who had never ridden the track before and the more
experienced riders. Under the careful guidance of local coach, Tim Knight, each
group was put through their paces with a variety of different training
routines. Everyone was soon riding round with confidence and were able to ride
at speed with no problems at all. The younger riders in particular showed the
rest of the riders the way and were quickly confident enough to ride up
high on the steep banking before dropping down to the inside line for a flying
lap. Such was the success of this track session that another has already been
booked for later this month.
Click here for photos from the Track Night, courtesy of Barrie
Austen.
Link to 2008 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2008
Link to 2007 old
news archive click on this to see the news from
2007
Link to 2006 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2006
Link to 2005 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2005
Link to 2004 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2004
Link to 2003 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2003
Link to 2002 old news
archive click on this to see the news from 2002
Link to Reports Archive click on this to see the reports archive for write ups on
various Wheelers exploits