apyatez May 15th, 2013
The unseasonably cold night didn’t deter 8 hardy riders ready to tackle the longest of the clubs TT routes.
The rain managed to hold off until the riders were on the course and didn’t really dampen the spirits.
Once again Stew Pickard took the honours and even managed to pass his main rival Woody before Strawberry Hill.
Brian is starting to reap the rewards of a hard training camp and distanced Adam his Div2 rival by almost two minutes. Dawn turned in a great time and sneaked in under the hour mark despite riding her normal road bike. Once she gets the confidence to use her TT bars her times should tumble down. Great effort by all the riders, and thanks to time keepers and marshals.
Thursday sees another visit to the Hilly 10 and this time Matt Pilling is going to race without carrying his spare tube, chain tool, pump, mobile phone and bike lock!
Results
apyatez May 8th, 2013
As the bank holiday sunshine gave way to a chilly evening 11 riders lined up outside Grindale to tackle the short but sharp Mountain 10’
Different riders had different agendas and targets for their 30odd minutes against the clock. Kev was hoping to build on his impressive sub 30min during the last ride, Dawn was still concentrating on mastering going fast round corners, Matt had his sights set on a sub thirty on only his second TT, Trish was eyeing up her second PB of the season.
At the top end of the race, Mel, Mark and Martin were hoping to close the gap on Stu, and the course seemed to be perfect for Woody to use his considerable climbing abilities to pinch the points from bigger and heavier Pickard senior.
Trish and Matt achieved their goals with a PB and a sub thirty, but Dawn and Kev still have some work to do as they get used to the discipline in their first season. Seb seemed to be uncomfortable on his bike from the off and still has not come into form despite a strong training camp, whereas Brian used his Heart rate monitor to record a PB.
With riders going off in a seeded order it will be interesting to get some feedback whether it helped or hindered those chasing maximum points, which once again went to Stu but with the the next three chasers closing the gap.
Next week sees the first long TT of the season with the testing Hilly 20. Will the longer route see Mel or Martin taking max points?
Thanks again to the marshals, timekeepers and pusher offerers
RESULTS
apyatez May 5th, 2013
This sport is not about the multi-millionaire teams like Sky and BMC, its not even about superstars fighting it out on Italian roads, its about 11 club riders turning out on a cold Thursday night to give 100% in friendly rivalry. The sport is all built on club members marshalling, pushing off and time keeping
If the Grand Tours ceased being run, we as club cyclists would be devastated but I would like to think we would turn up on Tuesdays and Thursdays to pit our legs against the clock and each other.
Looking at the big names taking part in todays Giro Team time trial is interesting and great TV but the look on Kev’s face when he got under thirty seconds on Thursday filled me with more pleasure. At the other end of the leagues the contrasting emotions of Stu and Woody shows how much these provincial gladiatorial show downs mean to all riders. Stu has set the bar for others to try and get over, but now that the road race league seems to have been cancelled the road men such as Mel and Martin can try and turn the tables on the runaway league leader.
RESULTS
apyatez May 1st, 2013
A cold and windy evening saw 13 riders take to the start line just outside Haisthorpe to tackle the challenging ride to Nafferton roundabout and back. Its a very familiar road that looks flat in a vehicle but constantly rises and falls, with strength sapping climbs both ways between Burton Agnes and Nafferton.
The second TT of the season saw the second debutant trying their luck. New tri bars and an altered saddle position saw hairy legged Matt Pilling rocket off the start line chasing last weeks new boy Kevin. A very respectable 30.05 saw Matt cross the line, and after recovering, seemed to have enjoyed the experience.
At the other end of the race Stu won his first club TT for over four years by putting in an outstanding performance and distancing the clubs newest superstar Woody by 19seconds. Stu was understandably pleased with his time and his result as there were three previous winners including last years run away Champion Andy Askwith. Its a good thing for the club that there are so many potential winners on any given night as competition spurs on performance and this cascades down to riders in the other divisions. Next weeks Hilly20 is potentially the first time when all the top men are racing, so expect some quick times.
After such a a good race and an outstanding result for Team Pickard with all three of them battling it out, the night ended on a sour note when a strong gust of wind caught the youngest Pickard out. With only one hand on the bars the deep section wheels caught the strong crosswind and Seb ended up on the deck with severe road rash. Luckily Mel was on hand in the broom wagon to take the injured rider home with just cuts and bruises and wounded pride.
Result.
apyatez April 28th, 2013
After a sunny week at Compos training camp, the Time Trial season got underway with the Prologue between Rudston and Burton Flemming. Mark took the honours by the slimmest of margins over Miles and only thirty seco
nds separated the first 6 riders. Dawn finished with a very good time of 6mins 30secs in her first taste of the Race of Truth. RESULT
The Hilly Ten was the course for Tuesdays first TT proper with a 11 riders facing the tough course and the cold and windy conditions. The usual suspects pinned the numbers on with some notable absentees namely Andy Askwith and Ben Roberts. Its always good to see new riders pitching up and pitting themselves against the clock and young Kevin Helliwell turned in a very respectable time of
32.08 on his road bike. The non-aero position on the back half of the course into a very strong headwind did him no favours but he seemed to enjoy it. Matt Pilling perhaps spurred on by Kevins participation has splashed out on some Areobars and will be pinning a number on for the Haisthorpe 10.
Mark continued with his 100% points total with a 12second victory over the rest of the field, but a strong performance by Stu pushed Martin into 4th place. Its a long season but it looks as if the race for Div1 could be tough.
It was a tight race for the Div2 riders with Adam just pipping Brian by a second to take top points but Seb was marshalling so has yet to start his campaign.
Its a great reflection on the club to have two strong ladies fighting it with the men and more than holding their own, Trish turned in a PB reflecting on a successful training camp and Dawn putting a good time on the board of under 30mins which is very good for a first look at a difficult course.
See you all at Haisthorpe on Tuesday night. Please check the results page for your turn at marshalling.
apyatez December 12th, 2012
I have updated the clothing page so anyone that wants to order has the full list at their disposal.
Please have your order submitted by Januarys meeting.
Thanks to Harry from http://www.halosportsmanagement.com/management.html for his very helpful visit with the samples and listening to the feedback at the last meeting.
Merry Xmas and be careful out there on the ice.
apyatez December 12th, 2012
thanks to Trish for the pictures
apyatez October 14th, 2012
Part two: Check Point 1 to Newcastleton
This picture shows me smiling leaving the second check point at Newcastleton just over the Scottish boarder. Last year this is where my race was slowly grinding to a halt in the mud and the rain.
This year conditions were almost perfect and I left here with an hour or so to spare and only 37miles to go.
The route from to here from checkpoint 1 was the best bit of the route, lots of single track, great northshore over the top of the moorland above Kielder Water and this year I could actually see the scenery.
My average speed was still well above the 8mph needed to meet the cut off times and I was feeling ok, more importantly the bike was still performing well and both brakes were still 100%. I didn’t want to fail due to a technical problems so I had heeded the harsh lessons from last year and was carrying 4 sets of spare pads and had two new sets fitted to the bike,as well as a bottle of oil to avoid chain suck in the wet conditions. As an added precaution I had taken my bike back to Wheelbase Cycles in Staverley and had paid for a full service and a new bottom bracket, £300 well spend
The piper at the Scottish boarder was a welcome sight this 
year, and I owed him some payment from last year when I grumpily crawled past him in the low cloud and rain. Although I didnt have any money this year I did have a packet of mini Oreo’s that I chucked in his hat for payment which made him smile. He plays there all day to raise money for the local school in Keilder village.
Part of me was beginning to enjoy this but it was only 2/3rds of the way through. The taste of energy bars and gels was starting to make me feel sick, and riding a hardtail mtb over this rocky single track was starting to make my back sore.
Rolling into the feed station at Newcastleton with lots of time in hand and a functioning bike was a great feeling. Having a pit crew made up of my friends wife and father was a great timesaver. As I oiled my chain and checked the brakes Debbie restocked my supplies and Stewart filled my water water bottles. I was refuelled, restocked and back on the course in less than ten mins after rewarding my self with a cup of coffee at the refreshment tent.
Just one more cutoff point to make and I would be safe……
