Festival RC AGM

The Club AGM will be held on Tuesday 9th November 2010 at:

St Paul's Centre
Hook Road
Hook, Surrey
KT9 1PF

Start time is 8.00pm


ps can all last year trophy winners please bring the trophies with them.

Soggey League Win

Last week saw my 6th road race of the year in the Surrey League morning race at Alfold, after a summer of testing. Yet another day of heavy rain and wind with a bunch of approximately 50 3rd's setting off.

Immediately the neutralised flag dropped a group of three riders drifted up the road and with the gap growing to 20 seconds, I jumped across to the break on the drag up towards Plaistow, into the wind. The four of us worked well for another lap and were then joined by 4 others to stretch the lead further. On the next lap various riders slipped back to leave just three of us working hard into the last lap. Having not raced on the road for a few months, I was glad that there was not more attacking and with the three of us staying together until the finish I managed to jump through from the back and hold a long sprint for the line and my second win of the year. Back to 2nd cat now so will hvae to have a Sunday lay in now for the afternoon races!

Next I'm planning to ride the Ottershaw Series - Mark /James are you up for it?

Do you remember riding with Tony Whitmore?

Hi All

Had a message (below)from Tony Whitmore who many of you may remember riding with in the 1960's onwards. Let me know if you want to make contact:

"Hello Colin, Many thanks for your reply, most welcome.

Over 40 odd yrs ago, memories get a bit stretched - particularly when I have had a scotch or three when I actually get around to looking at my mail of an evening! You are going to think me mad as a hatter now - I have downloaded your photo's and yes I am positive I recognize Baz / knew him on the road etc. on the two old photo's (we all had similar race ones taken then didn't we? ) and I well remember the surname. But you have jolted my memory with the others you mention. The person I was actually thinking of the other night (but quite wrongly associated with your name) was - Alan Fidgett !!??

It is he who will well remember me as the 'nutter' referred to in my 1st mail. Tuesday & Thursday evening training runs starting from the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth - used to be a whole gang with other club riders joining in (like me and Pete Miles from the Phoenix). Bryan Staples and Adrian Morris ring a bell, John Froud of course. There was another guy - I can't remember at the moment - but he was a good roadie / sprinter (could have worn glasses - I think) but I will know his name when mentioned. Crystal Palace on a Thursday evening - the handicap all category road races that usually ended in a bunch sprint - Your guys used to ride there , so did I, Peter Miles and Barry Arnison from the Phoenix. I did finish in the 1st dozen one night and I am sure (the sprinter guy in the glasses ?from Festival may have been ahead of me - I'm sure was). But I did actually beat John Sargent, Norwood Paragon then. Not bad for 16yrs old ?? Cock a hoops until Pete Miles (Surrey RR junior champ in 1968 (could be '69) actually won ahead of everyone one night (he was the same age as me - no one could believe it ! probably the older guys thought he was a lap behind?) Barry Arnison who was a senior (about 5 yrs older than Pete and myself ) and recorded faster times and wins in TT's and BBAR placings - but he could sprint only like a donkey. Bob Woodley (of the Phoenix and later Twickenham CC) was not actually racing in those late 60's days as he was travelling the world - but as you older guys will know - he actually made quite a name for himself in road races in the early to mid 70's. The Phoenix still have an amazing guy in the form of Ray Dare and his age related records now - he doesn't look any older than he did in 1966. I will attach a photo - it will jog the memory of Alan, maybe yourself and others. taken during the Wessex 24 hr in '68. I was just 16yrs old. No slouch though as less than two months before I rode a 2-7-50 open 50 when I was still 15yrs old. Now you recognize the "nutter" tag given to me by Alan and others. Ah well, carefree days, (I don't think so really) The only thing I can remember is unlimited amounts of energy - what happened to it?

By all means ask around the club - place on blog (with cuttings !!) I only potter about now and then on the bike - you know how it is, on cold dark winter nights before January 1st and when the 12 yr old malt is flowing - going to crack eggs with big sticks this year- never seems to happen does it ? (actually it does in your case) . Got 5 sons from ages 34 to 22 yrs. Two are good part time racing bikies - because of committments, one who races and trains in Italy where his business is based, the other with Army CC. Something rubbed off then.

Best wishes Colin, Tony Whitmore."

Club 25 Mile TT championships

This weekend saw the battle for the Festival RC 25 mile TT title held within the North Hampshire RC event on the Bentley course. With Colin McDermott on holiday and Mick Gowan a non-starter, it was down to Barry McDermott, John Froud and myself to fight it out.
Off early in a full, high quality field John posted a time of 1:03:44 on what was an extremely blustery day which made the outward leg particularly gruelling. To add to the fun, it then began to rain for the
latter part of the field !
Next to go was myself, and though not particularly in great shape after just returning from holiday, was reasonably satisfied with a 58:44. Even so, I figured it would take a strong ride from Barry to topple me, but in what was, in my opinion, one of his best rides of the last couple of years - that's exactly what he did, to record an excellent 57:41 and take the club 25 trophy to add to his 10 mile TT trophy that he won earlier in the year.

Nice one Baz!

Surrey League at Goodwood

A rather overcast and damp day was in order for the last weekend Goodwood race of the season. I lined up with about a million other 3rd cats and Mark Workman was in a relatively large E12 cat field.

In my race, after a steady first few laps, any moves were snubbed out immediately by a concerted bunch effort. I must have been involved with ten attacks but it was impossible to get away as quite a few riders seemed desperate for a bunch sprint. I managed a little escape with three others for half a lap but it fizzled out.

Anyway, I realised with half a lap to go a bunch kick was inevitable so got out the way and let them get on with it. Watching things unfold down the back straight it was just a matter of time before people crashed. The headwind slowed the bunch, everyone squashed together, the shouting started then bang 20 riders hit the deck. I observed all this from behind and felt massively relieved I stayed out of the sprint….especially when riding past the carnage.

The E12 race split into two groups with Mark in the second coming about 5th in his group sprint for a top 20 position.

No racing this week, next up the SL Handicap Worlds.

I am not a fish

The London Triathlon was last week set at the Excel centre in the Docklands. The Olympic Distance Mens race was last Sunday during a very hot afternoon. The aim was to just get through the swim and finish the race! I started off with a nerve racking 1.5km Swim in a nice, clean, warm, Thames Doc….. Apart from swimming right over to the left in the wrong direction, I felt like I was punched, kicked, elbowed and swam over!

I eventually came out of the swim 320th in my category. The bike ride up to Tower Bridge and back was the circuit, I managed to climb from 320th to 250th in the bike ride. After the cycle the run was a circuit along the doc. My legs almost gave in, but with the constant 'come on Chelsea audio' being chanted at me from young cheerleaders and spectators, I managed to pass another 50 people and finish 199th.

I am going to invest in some swimming lessons then have go at a longer distance

Surrey League RR at Walliswood

I rode the third cat Surrey League event at Walliswood on Sunday which saw a full field of 60 riders tackle 8 laps of a 7.6 mile circuit (61 miles). The weather was a bit chilly to start but soon warmed up with a fairly strong southerly wind making things tough on parts of the circuit.

My plan for the race was to stay out of trouble for the first 4 laps then try to get involved on what is a fairly lumpy circuit but with no especially tough obstacles.

For most of the race the bunch seemed fairly happy to plod along with various riders happy to ride hard on the parts of the course suitable for an attack but not hard enough to cause any damage.

Annoyingly, as I was loitering at the back feeding, four riders did manage to get away with two eventually getting dropped and the remaining two fighting for the win. I attacked with about five miles to go and stayed out for a few miles until I was brought back for a bunch sprint to decide the remaining places. It’s a shame no one came with me as I reckon with a few riders we would definitely have stayed away as the bunch crawled along A29.

It’s Goodwood on Sunday…