Alex's Race and TT Blog

Updates

2011-05-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Due to ill health of Fiona’s dad I have been unable to post results He is now back home so hopefully I can get back into the habit of doing the reports!!!

April 13th

2011-04-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dumfries Cycling Club’s 3rd ten mile time trial in a series of 10 events was held at Lockerbie on the 13th April. 13 members finished the time trail on a cold night.

J. Moir was first at 23:32 with J. Paterson second at 24:02. R.Carey was third with 25:21.
Other results were:
D. McCalley 29:20, D. Thompson 29:29, G. Kerr 29:30, C. Little 29:04, C. McCann 26:31, R. Waitt 28:28, N. Henderson 28:47, R. McCallay 26:14, N. Pearson 26:19 and A. Crieghton 27:03.
Future events are:

20th April – Park Farm (18TT Club 18-25 Handicap Round 1).

27th April – Beattock (25TT Club 18-25 Handicap Round 2).

Further information and contact details can be found at www.dumfriescc.btik.com

2011 Season- 1st TT

2011-04-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Dumfries Cycling Club 30th March

Dumfries Cycling Club’s 2011 season kicked off at Lockerbie on the 30th March. 11 members finished the first time trail of the season. This was the first in a series of 10 x 10 mile time trials.

J. Patterson was first with a time of 23:40, R.Carey second at 24:47 with P.Crosbie third 24:49.

Other results were:

R. Waitt 29:04, D. Thompson 28:39, A. Johnston 27:29, R. McCallay 26:15, C. McCann 25:12, N. Pearson 24:50, A. Crieghton 26:35 and C. Little 27:27.

Future events are:

6th April – Lockerbie 10 mile time trial (2nd of 10 handicap 6:30 start).

13th April – Lockerbie 10 mile time trial (3rd of 10 handicap 7:00 start).

Further information and contact details can be found at www.dumfriescc.btik.com

Dumfries Cycling Club 1st September 2010 Loch Etterick

2010-09-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

John Paterson capped a fine season by winning our hill climb trophy at Loch Etterick. His time of 11:44 was 10 seconds faster that 2nd place John Moir’s time of 11:54. 3rd place was Jack Taylor at 12:43.

Other results were:
Neil Henderson 14:05, Alastair Johnson 15:27, Neil Pearson 13:25, Paul Crosbie 14:12,Colin McCann 13:31 and Rueben Hutton 13:44.

PLEASE NOTE: WOULD LAST YEAR’S TROPHY WINNERS PLEASE RETURN TROPHIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THINK YOUR’RE ENTITLED TO A TROPHY? – SEE THE AWARDS TABLE AND SEND YOUR CLAIM TO aure060@aol.com

Events still to go:

8th September (6:30) - 5TT Pie Eaters Handicap

Dumfries Cycling Club 25th August 2010 Lockerbie

2010-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

The last of the ten mile handicaps were at Lockerbie and there were a few 3YPB’s.
1st place went to John Paterson with a 3YPB of 22:55. 2nd was Alan Creighton 3YPB of 24:18 and third was Paul Crosbie with a 3YPB at 24:35.
Other results were:
Goggs Johnson 32:07, Tom Sherry 32:21, Adrian Garrett 28:37, Ron Love 28:53 Dave Thompson 27:44, Alastair Johnson 27:56, Donald McCalley 28:03, Neil Henderson 26:46, Alex Ure 29:03, Rob McCallay 25:26, Jack Taylor 25:49, Andrew Taylor 27:38, Colin McCann 25:25, David Prichard 25:08 3YPB and Guy Graham 26:22.

3YPB denote a 3 year personnel best at this distance
The result means that following John Paterson 2nd handicap victory in a row, Paul Crosbie, in his first year claims the Vets and top Lady was Maire Young, also in her first year.
PLEASE NOTE: WOULD LAST YEAR’S TROPHY WINNERS PLEASE RETURN TROPHIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Events still to go:
1st September (6:30) - Loch Etterick Hill Climb –
8th September (6:30) - 5TT Pie Eaters Handicap

Dumfries Cycling Club 11th August 2010 Beattock

2010-08-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

On a windy night where the rain always threatened, John Moir managed to clinch the 18-25 mile handicap time trial.
John Moir’s time of 58:27 was more than enough for 1st place on the night. 2nd was Chris Prichard’s PB of 60:56. John Patterson 61:01 gave him the 3rd place.

Other results were:
Neil Henderson 69:30, Alex Ure 68:25, Colin McCann 68:24, Dave Thompson 75:52, David Prichard 69:13, Alan Creighton 67:49 and Colin Little 70:21.

PB denote personnel best at this distance

Events still to go:
18th August – Hoddam TLI H/C RR (Brydekirk School)
25th August - Lockerbie 10TT Handicap Event 10/10
1st September (6:30) - Loch Etterick Hill Climb – Watch web site for further details
8th September (6:30) - 5TT Pie Eaters Handicap

Dumfries Cycling Club 28th July 2010 Lockerbie

2010-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Numbers were up for our 8th in the series of 10 ten mile handicap time trials, with all 21 riders managing to finish.

John Paterson was already the 10 mile 2010 champion following last weeks results (so congratulations to John) and was fastest on the night with a 23:14. Dave Barnes was 2nd at 24:52 and Terry Kowalski 3rd at 25:03.

Other results were:

Gogs Johnston 32:58, Adrian Garrett 28:05, Dave Thompson 27:22, Donald McCalley 27:34, Alison Mc Connachie PB 30:18, Alastair Johnson 27:24, Alex Ure 26:31, Neil Henderson 26:47, Graham Kerr 27:23, Colin Little 26:30, Jim Mc Connachie 26:56, David Prichard PB 27:20, Alistair Stang 28:33, Paul Crosbie PB 25:08, Alan Creighton 25:54, Kenny Hogg 26:44, Peter Jackson PB 27:49 and Scott McBain 25:28.

PB denote personal best at this distance

Remember even though the 10 mile TT handicap league has been won by John Paterson, there still the Ladies, Junior and Vets titles available at this distance!

Dumfries Cycling Club 14th July

2010-07-23T02:10:00.000-07:00

Despite the heavy rain and mud all over the road at Loch Ken for our 25 mile time trial, John Paterson managed a PB and his first local time below the hour. It wasn’t enough to beat John Moir but it did get him the full ten points and as a result he can still beat John Moir in the handicap league. However, if my calculations are correct JP needs the full ten points!
(Remember only 4 races count – best 4 from 7)
The results were: John Moir 1st 58:53, John Paterson PB 2nd 59:31, Alan Creighton 3rd 66:58, Davy Doherty 68:23, Colin Little 69:08, Alex Ure 69:28 and Donald McCalley 72:15.
The last in the 18-25 mile races is Beattock on the 11th August. Hopefully this will be after the holiday period and the turnout will be better. Maybe the Sun will be back by then!

Dumfries Cycling Club 7th July

2010-07-23T01:59:00.000-07:00

Our last visit to Park Farm on a windy but sunny night saw John Moir extend his lead at the top. He can now only be caught by John Paterson, however JP needs to score max points on the next two 25 mile TT races and hope JM doesn’t get a runners up place. (Remember only 4 races count – best 4 from 7)

A excellent night was also recorded by “the Heckler” Colin Little who recorded a PB
How did he do that?

John Moir’s 1st place was achieved in 42:56, 2nd was John Paterson with a time of 46:25 and 3rd was Wullie McCubbin at 48:41.
Other results are as follows:
Donald McCalley 52:51, Dave Thompson 55:23, Alex Ure 51:45, Neil Henderson 50:46, Colin Little 51:07 PB, Alan Creighton 49:33 and Matt Wallace 49:07.

Dumfries Cycling Club 24th June

2010-06-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

First off all correction on the following event:

7th July Reads “ Collin 18TT Club 18-25 Handicap Round 5”

Should Read “Park Farm 18TT Club 18-25 Handicap Round 5”

We were at Beattock for the second time this season. Twelve riders finished and there were 2 PB’s but it was Neil Henderson who stole the show. The look on his face was a picture when he realised his keys were locked in the car! Thanks for the memories Neil, Fiona and I have just recently stopped laughing. Back to business –

A return from a 2 week absence and a PB were more than enough for John Moir to claim another 1st place, with a very impressive time of 57:51! 2nd was John Paterson with a time of 60:48. 3rd was Paul Crosbie with another PB and a time of 64:49.

Other results are as follows:
Donald McCalley 72:16, Dave Thompson 71:06, Alex Ure 68:50, Graham Kerr 76:11, (Not sure if the six and seven are the wrong way round Graham?), Neil Henderson 68:49, (You got the last laugh Neil beating me by one second. The next 2-up we do, I’m hiding your keys), Colin Little 69:30, Wullie McCubbin 66:16, Alan Creighton 66:26 and Mike Thompson 64:50.

That result means John extend his lead at the top, but with it being the best 4 from 7 he could still be easily caught.

Dumfries Cycling Club 16th June 2010 Lockerbie

2010-06-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

On the best night of the season so far, surprisingly only 18 riders turned up for the 6th in the series of our10 ten mile handicap time trials. 17 of our riders managed to finish.

With John Moir absent, the fastest on the night was John Paterson with a 23:06 PB. It’s a shame JM wasn’t there as JP’s time equalled that of JM for this season. It also gave JP yet another ten points and a huge lead in the handicap league. 2nd was Rob Carey with a PB of 24:36. Neil Pearson was third at 24:45.

Other results were:

Reuben Hutton 30:01, Ron Love 28:39, Dave Thompson PB 26:42, Adrian Garrett 27:53, Ashley Kerr 31.01, Alex Ure PB 25:54, Alastair Johnson 27:14, Graham Kerr 27:39, Colin Little 27:12, Dave Moss PB 28:24, Neil Henderson 26:42, Rob McCallay PB 25:44, Alan Creighton 25:46, and Mike Thompson 24:53.
PB denote personnel best at this distance

There was a total of 6 PB’s not bad when you consider recent events:

Dave Thompson - He had done the Northern Rock recently but found the miles to be a bit too easy and decided to do some extra miles. He thought he was going really well because no one could catch him, turns out he was the only rider in the event going in that direction.

Alex Ure – He was attacked by 2 Jack Russells in Beattock. He was at the bottom of the crooked road searching for possible hill climbs, when he was surrounded by these huge beasts. Despite a valiant effort to fight them off (waiting for the traffic light to turn green) one of the blighters managed to bite into his leg (just a little).
Rob McCallay – Continuing his Jinx, hit the only pot hole in the course and slackened his handlebars as a result – otherwise his time would surely have been better?

Remember we have a new event “5TT Pie Eaters Handicap” to qualify to compete in this event each rider must complete 3 ten mile time trials in the one season. There are 4 ten mile time trials left so still plenty of time – but don’t forget!

Dumfries Cycling Club 9th June 2010 Loch Ken

2010-06-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Loch Ken was the venue for our one and only 2 up time trial. It was a 25 mile time trial around the Loch. First to finish were John Paterson and Bob Virgo with a time of 62:55. Second was Alan Crieghton (one his own) with a time of 67:21. Third were Brian Young and Owen Young with a time of 69:31.

Other times were:

Maire Young and Loughlin Young at 78:00, Jim Mc Connachie and Alison Mc Connachie at 72:59, Colin Little and Alastair Johnson at 69:55, Alex Ure and Neil Henderson 71:21.

Dumfries Cycling Club 26th May - Collin

2010-05-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

23 riders turned out for our 5th 10 mile time trial of the season. It was a good night at Collin but the road was in a poor state.

John Moir, still struggling to better his best time was first at 23:09. John Paterson, closing the gap, was second at 23:20 and Mike Thompson 3rd at 24:32.

Other results were:

Alison McConnachie 31:01, Adrian Garrett 29:34, Dave Thompson 28:14, Alastair Johnston 27:33, Alex Ure 26:37, Ron Love 28:34 PB, Dave Niblock 27:35, John Andrew 28:46 PB, Dave Moss 29:14, Colin Little 27:12, Robert McCallay 26:05 PB, Jim McConnachie 27:21, Alan Crieghton 26:03, Colin McCann 25:08, Dave Barnes 24:55, Dave Martin 27:14, Neil Henderson 26:53, Paul Crosbie 25:34, Donald McCalley 28:27.

PB denote personal best at this distance
John Moir was seemingly followed by a car – either someone was checking his speed or trying to get some tips. (wonder who that was). Even the very slight uphill start couldn’t stop 3 PB’s and a near back to form time for the race secretary (Niblock where’s my pound?)

Dumfries Cycling Club 19th May - Park Farm

2010-05-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

We were back at Park Farm for the 3rd race of the Club 18-25 competition. It was the second 18 mile time trial of the season.

John Moir still continues to dominate. 1st with a time of 43:16 but like everyone else he was down on his personnel best. 2nd with a time of 44:34 was John Paterson. 3rd was Mike Thompson 47:04.

Other results were:
Dave Thompson 57:52, Donald McCalley 53:00, Alex Ure 51:39, Colin Little 52:55, Neil Henderson 52:09, Dave Martin 52:10, Matt Wallace 50:10, Neil Pearson 48:18, Dave Barnes 49:07 and P. Crosbie 50:14.

Dumfries Cycling Club 12th May - Dalbeattie

2010-05-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

There was a record turnout for our 10 mile time trial at Dalbeattie with 24 riders. It was the fourth in a series of ten – 10 mile time trials where the best 7 results from a possible 10 count.

Fastest on the night was John Moir at 23:27. John Patterson was second at 23:55 and Mike Thompson 3rd at 24:49.

Other results were:Heather Thompson 36:03, Loughlin Young 31:12 PB, Owen Young 29:00, Maire Young 29:22 PB, Allan Thomson 31:21, Alex Ure 27:22, Graeme Kerr 27:44, Paul Crosbie 25:16 PB, John Andrew 29:24, Colin Little 27:44, Alastair Johnston 27:15, Dave Docherty 26:03 PB, Adrian Garrett 29:16, Donald McCalley 27:55, Neil Pearson 25:28, Wullie McCubbin 26:06, Dave Barnes 25:10, Alan Crieghton 26:41, Colin McCann 25:48, Dave Thompson 29:09, Terry Kowalski 29:28

PB denote personal best at this distance

John Patterson continues to lead the 10 mile TT League but watch out for Paul Crosbie (2 x 10 points in a row and kitted up with a new TT bike) he’s worth watching.

Dumfries Cycling Club 28th April - Beattock

2010-05-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

A windy night had only 12 of us turn out for our first 25 mile time trial of our 2010season. John Moir continues to show us how it’s done. He came in 1st with a time of 60:11 but was way done on his best time of 58 minutes. 2nd was DCC new comer, Brian Young with a time of 63:35 and 3rd for the second week running was Mike Thompson, producing another PB with a time of 64:46.
Other results were:
Alex Ure 72:10, C.McCann 66:01, Graham Kerr 75:00, Alastair Johnston 72:13, Paul Crosbie 67:51, and Dave Barnes 65:15 PB.
PS. According to my records there were 2 PBs ( PB denote personnel best at this distance) and 2 entrants who had never done a 25 in the last 3 years with DCC.
The table shows this race against what I believe is previous best – please report any errors back to me.
I finally managed to solve the 18 mile formula. The league table for the Club 18-25 is now available. Many thanks on behalf of Graeme and I. To all those who didn’t turn up or had to pack in. We now have a place in a DCC league.

Dumfries Cycling Club 24th April - Park Farm

2010-04-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

It was a change of venue (Park Farm) and the change of competition (Club 18-25) for the first 18 mile time trial of the season.

John Moir was again 1st with a time of 42:30 PB and with a time of 43:55 John Patterson PB was 2nd . 3rd was Mike Thompson 46:27 PB.

Other results were:

Alex Ure 53:09, Dave Thompson 55:08, John Andrew 55:42, Graham Kerr 54:42, C.McCann 48:51, Colin Little 52:09, Alastair Johnston 52:14 PB, Dave Niblock 52:02, Neil Henderson 51:00, Alan Crieghton 48:30 PB, Neil Pearson 48:18 and Dave Barnes 47:56.

PS. According to my records there were 5 PBs (PB denote personal best at this distance) and 3 entrants who had never done an 18 in the last 3 years with DCC.

The table shows this race against what I believe is previous best – please report any errors back to me.

The points system will be done as soon as I can make up a suitable method. I’ve been given some ideas but have rejected the one that says “If your name starts with D. and ends with an M and you have a beard you automatically get 10 points”

Dumfries Cycling Club 14th April

2010-04-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

We had a record 28 riders (in my time anyway) at Lockerbie on the 14th April for our third in the series of 10 mile time trials.

First with a time of 23:13 was J. Moir. 2nd was J. Patterson at 23:31 and third was M. Thompson at 24:24.

Other results were:

A. Thomson 29:59, L. Young 31:30, M. Young 29:44, D. Thompson 27:51, A. Garrett 28:32, G. Johnson 32:23, J. Andrew 29:41, G. Kerr 27:26, C. Little 27:21, A. Johnston 27:25, R. McCallay 27:23, R. Love 30:16, P. Crosbie 25:54 PB, C.McCann 25:45, D. Barnes 25:02, G. Graham 25:03 PB, A. Crieghton 25:55, N. Henderson 27:16, W. McCubbin 26:16, R. Carey 25:15, A. Ure 28:14, T. Kowalski 25:57 PB, N. Pearson 25:42, B. Young 24:58 and A. Woodman 25:23.

PB denote personnel best at this distance.Next week it’s a change of venue and a change in competition. It’s off to Park Farm for the first of our new Club 18-25 Handicap competition. Hopefully the turnout will be better than previous Park Farm’s. It’s not that difficult just a few little hills!

Dumfries Cycling Club 7th April

2010-04-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

A return to Lockerbie was the venue for our second in the series of 10 mile time trials.
It was a full house at one stage (25 riders) but in the end Gogs changed his mind, gave his bike to Dave and had a fag. That resulted in 24 riders and a fine suntan for Gogs.
That came down to 23 riders who finished due to Allan Thomson, on his debut puncturing with just a few miles to go.
With John Moir on holiday it was an opportunity for someone else to finish first and with a time of 23:31, John Patterson claimed that first spot. 2nd was Chris Prichard with a PB and a time of 24:08. Brian Young on his first DCC TT was 3rd with a time of 24:19.

Other results were:
Loughlin Young 31:19, John Andrew 29:21, Dave Thompson 27:44, Adrian Garrett 28:07, Paul Crosbie 27:06, Alastair Johnston 27:07, Donald McCalley 27:50, Neil Pearson 25:48, Dave Barnes 25:22, Graham Kerr 27:26, Jim McConnachie 26:08, Alan Crieghton 25:26, Neil Henderson 27:10, Guy Graham 25:15 PB, Rob McCallay 27:03 PB, Wullie McCubbin 26:14, Rob Carey 25:11, Terry Kowalski 25:27, Mike Thompson 24:35 and Colin Little 28:02.

PS. Congratulations to the 3 riders that recorded PBs (PB denote personnel best at this distance) but how can riders be faster last week than in the glorious sunshine this week – not my place to name and shame – so check your-self! (I’ve highlighted in blue to help)
After 2 events the League looks like this but that may change when some of the new comers time start counting at the next race.

TTs are Back for 2010!!!

2010-04-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dumfries Cycling Club 31st March

After that long horrid winter, the worst I’ve experienced in Dumfries (but I missed the now legendary “big snow”) the 2010 season finally kicked off at Lockerbie on the 31st March. With snow on the hills just a few miles away and after the recent weather it was doubtful if it would be on at all.
But with our timekeeper, Fiona kitted up with her new “all weather clothing” she was desperate to try them out. I knew I wasn’t ready for the cold weather, hence my bad time and the parachute I was wearing didn’t help either but I dragged myself there on her behalf!
16 members of our club attended the first time trail of the season. This was the first in a series of 10 mile time trials.

John Moir , who obviously trains in all weather was first with a time of 23:06, John Patterson, warmed up after a few races under his belt was second at 23:30 with Rob Carey third 25:23.
Other results were:

Adrian Garrett 29:33, Dave Thompson 28:36, Graham Kerr 27:28, Alastair Johnston 28:06, Alex Ure 29:41, Guy Graham 25:50, Rob McCallay 28:03, Wullie McCubbin 27:04, Ron Love 29:28, Alan Crieghton 25:33, Neil Pearson 26:11, Colin Little 27:28 and Neil Henderson 27:16.

John's Holiday Report

2009-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

It is one of the many fantasies of the married man that his wife will leave him with a promise to return in nearly six weeks time with her love for him recharged. As she prepares to leave she pleads with him not to fall apart on account of her absence but to do all he can to keep himself together by making a life for himself whilst he is deprived of his one true love. Cast adrift in such a manner he seeks solace in the only friend he can rely on and one morning in early July he opens the garage door and pedals off into the darkness and uncertainty that is the lot of the abandoned male.

Saturday 11 July

Scottish 50 miles time trial championship.

Trip to Inverness and beyond for the Championship at Invergordon. Strong headwind from the east resulted in several very fast (and very slow) legs. 2:02:02 for 16th.

I visit the Culloden battlefield site and take a particular interest in the Jacobite graves, in search of money. These guys owe the family for shoes taken and not paid for during their recent visit to Dumfries in 1745.

Camping out in the car for a lovely recovery evening overlooking the Moray Firth at Cromarty, I cook a meal on my camp stove – without vegetables.

Sunday 19th July

100 miles time trial at Aberdeen. Up to Aberdeen to face the distance that had wiped me out physically and mentally last year. It was to be a case of the same distance on a different day. I felt good throughout and sadly still fresh at the finish. 4:14:19 was a PB and ten minutes ahead of my time last year. A good weekend of cycling and catching up with people.

Saturday 25th. London Edinburgh London

A Tale of Time Spent in Not Altogether Fitting Company.
At last the point in time arrives and I am on the way to London. The bike fully assembled, has been accommodated well on the train by the free booking service. At Euston I meet Robert McCreadie of Inverclyde Velo (no relation to Steve but still had that strange kind of look). Two of the seven Scot’s are accounted for. I cycled with Robert through London to Victoria and then onto the train for Cheshunt. At the station we meet a fellow from Hampshire who is also there for the event. His bike was spectacularly beaten up and the way he spoke, he seemed to specialise in just finishing within the time limit. This was later confirmed when waiting in the sign on queue.

At Cheshunt, I choose to join the queue and register early. This was the only part of LEL that was badly organised. I queued for an hour and at the end of that experience all I was given was a number and instructions to join the second queue. An hour and a half later I am at the head of the second queue and have my brevet card, two sets of earplugs, reflective bands, and a souvenir bidon with the name of the secret control on it. On reflection, perhaps I could have offered to help in resolving the problem and this might have speeded up the queue and allowed me to cut a deal to get away early. I was not keen to lose my place in the queue however.

Back to my brother’s for seven p.m. This was perfectly timed to allow him to get away to a party without me and to allow me to watch the Ventoux stage of the TdF. Peter seems keen to see me and returns at 8 to persuade me to go to the party. A good move in part that allowed me to meet my brother’s extended family in London but perhaps a bad move in keeping me out of bed on the night before and for getting my face into a couple of pints of Guinness. Back at 11:30.

Preparing for the off

What is the motivation for undertaking a trip of 870 miles in less than six days? I have no answer to this apart from it is a challenge that exists, one that has the attractions of a back-roads trip between two of the countries capitals, and one that promises a degree of hardship, adventure, and lots of the unexpected.

I first came across LEL in 2001 when a colleague asked what all the bikes were doing passing through Langholm. I had no idea but was intrigued. In 2005, I did a brief stint helping out at the control at Canonbie and on that warm summers night, I wanted to join the riders as they headed south into the night. Whatever the motivation, I have wanted to meet this challenge for four years.

The motivation to get out of bed at 6a.m. for 90+ miles every Saturday and in the garage through the week was not a problem. I like riding my bike, I like seeing the countryside, and to achieve the objective in the time that is available to a man with a family, job, and other stuff, I need to do the miles in the wind and in the rain to build up the stamina over shorter distances. The motivation to spend money on training equipment and a shiny bike is without difficulty.

My decision to do as much of the training as close to home as possible and within a long and short distance BAR competition season was on reflection, perhaps stretching things a bit much and I hardly competed at the “10” distance and much of the season was spent recovering from the on-going efforts. The on-going racing and training and the delays in getting my bike properly sorted prevented me from testing equipment fully over a useful fraction of the time that would be required on LEL. The only long distance that I was able to complete (475k) highlighted some equipment problems that I had to hope that I had solved. My home-grown 500k however confirmed in my mind the great pleasures of long-distance and in particular overnight cycling on a warm dry summers night.

Sunday: Left Behind Already
So the day arrived and I am at the start. Nerves get the better of me and I head for the toilet with 15 minutes to go. With ten minutes to go I, and about 30 others are stranded at the wrong side of a railway crossing. We watch the first group of 100 riders head off under police escort through Cheshunt and out to wherever is past Cheshunt.

The railway crossing left behinds are soon on their way and with Garmin equipped bikes to the fore, we are soon out of town. The LEL adventure has begun………

I quickly spot two Scots women leaving three more Scots to find. I settle in with Phil Crale from South Carolina and we are destined to be together on and off through the night of the first day to Coxwold. Whilst Phil is easy to talk to he is easy on the ears and at times he drops back into his own space. He is slower than me but he has a Garmin and amongst the maze of roads that are soon to be in darkness, he is my friend.

‘ot Foot and a pain in the hands………

At 60kms something is very wrong. I have a problem with my feet. They are sore, pretty sore, questioning whether they have another 13401kms in them sore. I changed my shoes just prior to the event due to a small amount of the same problem in my previous shoes. I bought the same shoes but one size bigger to take a sorbethane insole. This problem is clearly not solved. I begin to think of what I will say on my return to Dumfries having failed to get the length of the average club run.

By the first control (Thurlby: 151km) the tea volunteer diagnoses that I am suffering from “’ot foot”. It takes me a while to recognise that this is ‘ot as in ‘elp, ‘otel, and ‘elicopter. So there was the diagnosis, and the solution that finally delivered was getting into a pattern of asking for scissors and a cardboard box and making a supply of cardboard insoles that are piled into the shoes at each stop for food or to remedy foot discomfort. Discomfort seems to start when the cardboard becomes compressed and throughout the ride, no cardboard insoles are removed, only more are added. Final measurement is that by means of cardboard insoles, I am an inch taller at the end than I was at the beginning.

The reach on the bike reach becomes uncomfortable early on and throughout the ride I am adjusting the bars up and down, rotating up and then down. This goes on throughout the ride. The back end of the bike is very comfortable and the Brooks saddle, and ASSOS shorts and cream are fabulous. The other new purchase of Montagne waterproof is a blessing.

Keeping going into the night

As we approach Thorn (Doncaster: 321km) on the first night, the rain is torrential and it is cold, very cold. At the control I meet Scots person number five. He is shivering uncontrollably from the cold or DTs but he is determined to drink the pint that he has promised himself. He is unable to steady himself for this most basic of tasks and I find myself arguing with him that he has to put on the clothes that I am lending him. I also meet for the first time, Mr Bleak. Mr Bleak (probably not his real name) always had a negative answer to how things were going for him. As the ride went on when our paths crossed I would seek him out to ask him how things were going, purely for my own entertainment.

Leaving Thorn in the middle of the first night, I feel that I am leaving the south behind and onto the next stage of the journey that is across the Humber, through the flat lands of the West Riding and into Yorkshire and Tees-side. The scenery so far has been mixed but fairly flat. I have seen rural England, travelling by roads that will be difficult to find and recognise again.

At Coxwold (411km), Phil heads for some sleep but with dawn only a couple of hours away, I have less worries about route finding and head off alone into what remains of the night. Sleepiness becomes a problem and in the dark near to Middleton Tyas (Darlington) I see a big cat in the road that is not for moving. With a few seconds to go before evasive action is required, the “cat” looks up to reveal itself as an owl that is unhappy to be disturbed.

I begin to fall asleep on the bike and as the head drops, the bike pushing forward as a consequence of the redistribution of weight wakens me. I have ten minutes sitting dozing in a field and continue to Middleton Tyas where I recognise that in 24 hours I have covered 463 km without any real sleep, and in very mixed but never warm weather. The problems with my feet are eased and I am confident that I have found a solution that will get me round. Staying with Phil and the feet problems have taken from me any thought of going for a “time”. I consider the extent to which the distance is untested by me and opt to continue as well as I can and to enjoy what ever comes my way.

Monday, Day 2: Help arrives just in time…..

Near Middleton Tyas I meet my sister by the roadside. I hop into her car for a pre-arranged hour on the airbed. It is not to be an hour of sleep unfortunately and I am on the road again within the hour. Isabel accompanies me and gives much support to the tiring mind and body. The stretch to Alston is tiring and annoying. The bike begins to make a noise that takes some time to trace to the mudguard. Once traced it is easily sorted. Isabel gets a puncture and the stop/start continues. Isabel recognises that I am struggling and not thinking straight, and insists on a food stop at Middleton Teesdale. This was a wise instruction and I am fuelled for the climb to the top of Yad Moss where I say goodbye to family for a while and I continue alone to the Alston control.

At Alston (539 km), I continue to struggle. I meet Graham from work who is one half of the two northern motorcycle escort crew. Graham accedes to my request for a cuddle and I drag my wet and cold corpse for food and a sleep. Whilst food appears instantly, sleep does not come and after two hours at the control, I am on the road again and still on my own.

Part of a gang……..

Some fifteen miles out of Alston I come across a mixed crew who funnily enough are heading the same way as I am and I join in. Ed from Shropshire, Jim and Martin from Derby, Drew and Andrew from VC167, and Martin from North Yorkshire. We will stay together until the final night.

Between Longtown and Canonbie we see the first rider heading south and as we head through Eskdalemuir (633km), other groups are appearing. The run across the familiar territory from Brampton to the Gordon Arms feels short within the group and across the well-known ground. I am well into previously untested distance.

The second night over the Wiss and then the Moorfoots is a delight due to the quiet night, the lack of traffic and the company. After a midnight feast at the secret control near Traquair of cake, porridge, cake, porridge, cake we continue towards the long descent into Dalkeith. Half way – less than two days – no sleep so far, and 716kms.

At Dalkeith, I understand that sleep is essential but there is no room at this particular inn. The church is full of sleeping people and the control is a mixture of bodies everywhere, people coming and going, and eating and talking. There is no-where for me to lie down. I resort to trying door handles and to my surprise I discover a deserted changing room. There are benches along the wall and I climb aboard. The reason that they are deserted is immediately obvious. The benches are too narrow for the average person. The body fits but not the arms. I need to sleep and find the answer by streamlining the body by means of putting my arms down the legs of my shorts. They cannot therefore flop around but I am promised a face plant if I fall off the bench. The only falling I do is asleep and I wake fresh after a wonderful three hours.

Halfway there. Breakfast in Edinburgh. Now the catastrophic return journey is about to begin. Rain and high winds that were to follow during the day left about 2-300 cyclists stranded in Eskdalemuir and Alston. I was lucky to get over Yad Moss before dark and to leave the worst of the weather and most of the cyclists behind before it caught up with me at Coxwold.

Tuesday, Day Three: The Road Home

The start of day three finds me and my new found friends on the long climb out of Edinburgh. The weather deteriorates and it is jackets on to Eskdalemuir (799kms) and beyond. I get a cuddle from a colleague at Eskdalemuir and refuse one from Neil Henderson. Neil provides instead a preferential service for food and water and some encouragement.

Down through Langholm in the rain to Alston. It has been raining consistently for much of the day and as we leave Alston at 7p.m. it is raining quite heavily. I regale the group with stories of my last trip over Yad Moss “where it was so bad……..” At the top of the climb I offer that this was as bad as my last trip over the climb. It is truly foul. As we descend, the weather improves and the temperature rises. We arrive at Middelton Tyas (969kms) in the dark at 10:30p.m. I call my sister who comes and picks me up. A camp-bed awaits and I have no trouble sleeping for a whole five hours.

Wednesday, Day Four: The final day – well almost.

The group assembles for a 7a.m. start and we are off towards Thorne where in my mind, we leave the north behind for the final leg to the finish. We hear from the control, tales of abandonments and crowds stranded at Eskdalemuir by severe weather and floods. We understand that the organiser has allowed a whole extra two hours for completion of the event.

The weather is dry as we head south but it appears that this was just to tempt us from our beds. As we cross the West Riding it is windy and wet. The flat lands give no shelter from the wind and the sections of busy road, no respite from spray. It is truly dreadful summer weather but I celebrate the success of my new jacket to the extent that I resolve to thank the manufacturers. The food at Thorne is plentiful and provides great comfort. I meet Mr Bleak again who lives up to his name and appears to be thankful that some-one is taking an interest in his misery.

We ride out into the night and it is wet to the extent that we are temporarily defeated and take shelter under the canopy of a closed filling station. I am cold and riding on is the only option. Thankfully, we outrun the rain and the night is fresh. In the middle of the night we reach the Thurlby control (1250km) and the group decide to call it a night. I resolve to go on and finish.

Day 5, Thursday: The Final leg

With my ride colleagues resting, I team up with Daniel from Brazil. Daniel is riding in shorts on a Cervelo race bike and with a small rucksack on his back. He is good company but as dawn signals the end of the night and the relatively traffic free roads, he is tiring and falling back. I plough on alone an hour before the last control but on a bright morning.

I have the final control at Gamlingay (1340kms) to myself and I am made aware that there are a large number of abandonments from the 540 who started (later confirmed as 70). It has been a tough test, over a long and hilly route, in foul weather. In my mind it is well and truly cracked and in a couple of hours or so I will have met my challenge.

The Finish

I finish at 10:15 a.m. on the Thursday morning, four days and just over two hours from the start. Four years of thinking about the event and almost a year in from the planning, purchasing, persuading, and training that has gone into it, and it is finished. I feel good, and in my mind I could have carried on for another session. I am too tired to feel other than moderately satisfied and although I did not expect some kind of feeling of rapture of fanfare of trumpets, my mind is not sure what to feel. An achievement of that size immediately begins the question of “what next”. My body does not question and within five minutes of sitting in my brother’s car, it has called for a time out and I am asleep.

In Conclusion.

London Edinburgh London was a great experience. It was long and it was tough and there is some perversity in triumphing over such awful weather and with so little sleep. There was the added and quite unnecessary challenge of coping with equipment that I did not test adequately. There are no crowds at the side of the road to encourage you as there are in Paris-Brest-Paris but there is fellowship on the road and at the controls. I am grateful to Phil, Ed, Martin, Drew Andrew, Jim for their friendship over the four days, to Graham, Jill, and Neil at the controls, and to my sister Isabel for getting me through a bad patch, and brother Peter and sister in law Sue for picking me up at the end and feeding me back into life. In the preparation I was particularly grateful for the advice of PBP veterans Les and Ian and amused by the bewilderment of others. Biggest thanks to my better half for somehow and most of the time being able to tolerate her husbands many obsessions.

For all the things that LEL was it is all summed up in the audacious madness of four days of hard physical work with only eight hours sleep, cycling distances that leaves non-cyclists disbelieving, and the joy of cycling in the stillness of a summer’s night (even with appalling winter weather).

Whilst Paris-Brest-Paris is now firmly on the radar, the question in my mind is already, “and then what?”

Hill Climb 5th September

2009-09-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our last event of the season was the traditional end-of-season hill climb. Fastest to the top was J. Moir at 4:49, second N. Pearson at 5:17 and third J. Patterson at 5:19.

Other results were:

A. Barclay 7:01, A. Johnson 6:03, N. Henderson 6:06, P. Jackson 6:02, A. Crieghton 6:12 and M. Thompson 5:36.

Final Ten Mile Race

2009-09-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

With the weather only a little better than 2 weeks ago it was Lockerbie for our final ten mile time trial of the 2009 season. With John Paterson in pole position leading up to the event the pressure was on the second placed and 2008 champion Mike Thompson.

Mike replied with a PB however he wasn’t the only one with a PB. John Paterson also got a PB and claimed the ten points to ensure he is the 2009 Champion.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN!

John Moir was fastest with a time of 23:14. In second place with a PB was John Patterson at 23:27 and Mike Thompson with a PB third at 23:56.

Other results were:

Alex Ure 27:36, Alistair Johnson 27:10, Davy Thompson 28:23, Adrian Garret 28:10,Kenny Hogg 27:09, Peter Jackson 28:01 PB, Colin Little 26:14, Alan Crieghton 25:03 PB, Guy Graham 25:25, and Neil Henderson 26:32.

Penultimate Ten Mile Race

2009-08-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

On a horrendous wet and windy night 18 riders turned up at Lockerbie for the 9th of ten handicap races where the top seven results count. Wisely Colin McCann decided it was dangerous so headed home but Graham Kerr started. However he didn’t last long. Some say it was because he had no chance of overtaken Ashley in the handicap league but I think that he was wearing Ashley shorts by mistake and after the power went in they couldn’t take the strain and burst.
John Moir was fastest with a time of 23:18. In second place with a PB was John Patterson at 23:39 and Mike Thompson third at 24:20.

Other results were:
Donald McCalley 28:29, Davy Thompson 29:16, Adrian Garret 29:27, Peter Jackson 28:32, Alistair Johnson 26:55, Alex Ure 27:11, Colin Little 26:53, David Barnes 25:27, Neil Henderson 27:08, Chris Prichard 24:55 PB, Guy Graham 25:48, Wullie McCubbin 25:36, and Alan Crieghton 25:21.

PB denote personnel best at this distance

These 10 mile time trials are handicapped races which gives every member a chance to win points. The seven best from ten are taken into account.

It was a great night for John Patterson, he successfully manage to get rid of all but one of his competitors for the handicap league. John is in pole position now but any thing can happen on the last race. The battle for 2nd and 3rd place remains close.
NOTE: Lockerbie 10 mile time trial is a 6:45 start!

Last 25 of the Season

2009-08-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

It was Beattock for the last 25 mile race of the season on the 12th August. John Moir (returning from 2 weeks hard training in France where he just happens to have a cycle in storage) was the only rider below the hour with a time of 58:00. John Patterson is getting back to form and got second place with a time of 61:46 and third W. McCubbin at 62:36.

Other results were:
Davy Thompson 70:48, Alistair Johnson 68:48, Donald McCalley 70:01, Peter Jackson 71:42, Guy Graham 67:14, Nick Prichard 69:24, Chris Prichard 64:47, Colin McCann 65:45, Neil Henderson 66:44, and Alan Crieghton 64:38.

15 riders turned up but Alex Ure burst a spoke before the start and Jim McConnachie was collected by the meat wagon shortly after the start with a puncture.

It was noticeable that 3 of the riders who can still win the ten handicap league were missing. Were they saving themselves for the main event next week?

Next year at Beattock please don’t park on the grass as a local gent cuts it. It not exactly a golf green but he’s proud of it!

5th August TT

2009-08-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

Lockerbie 8th of ten handicap races on 5th August
A head wind on the way out made all the difference compared to last week. There was a couple of PB’s though.
Ben Smith was fastest with a time of 23:34. John Patterson was second at 24:42 and Brian Elliot at 24:25 ended up third.
Other results were:
Donald McCalley 27:55, Adrian Garret 27:49, Kenny Hogg 26:35, Alistair Johnson 28:40, Alex Ure 27:23, Sam Ewart 27:01 PB, Graeme Kerr 26:52, Colin McCann 26:10, Chris Prichard 25:32 PB, Colin Little 26:57, Neil Henderson 25:56, Wullie McCubbin 25:43, John Robson 32:55.
PB denote personnel best at this distance
With regulars missing due to holidays that meant that big points were up for grabs. John took full advantage on his return from illness and has opened a small gap at the top.

Good news for Wullie – he finally moves off the bottom – bet he was glad with the lower numbers of riders.

seven of ten

2009-08-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

Lockerbie 7th of ten handicap races on 29th July

We started off this time trial in heavy rain expecting it to be a night where PB would be in short supply. The rain only lasted ¾ mile then the road was bone dry. The result was PB’s for 9 riders.

Ben Smith with a PB was fastest with a time of 23:05. Mike Thompson was second at 24:27 and John Patterson, just 2 seconds behind Mike at 25:25 ended up third.

Other results were:
Donald McCalley 26:56, Davy Thompson 27:11, Chris Prichard 26:21 PB, Kenny Hogg 25:53 PB, Adrian Garret 27:41 PB, Alistair Johnson 26:54 PB, Alex Ure 26:58, Graeme Kerr 25:47, Sam Ewart 27:22 PB, Colin Little 26:08 PB, Alec Barclay 26:19 PB, Neil Henderson 26:00, Jim McConnachie 25:37, Neil Pearson 24:31, Wullie McCubbin 25:21, Alan Crieghton 25:07 PB.

PB denote personnel best at this distance

It’s a real shame that guys pretty close to their PB don’t get any points, but our Chairman gets a PB and still doesn’t get any points.
John Moir on holiday in France will be delighted with the result as the top 2 only collected the lower points.
As a result of Wednesday’s results the handicap championship is now down to the top 8 riders.
Let’s hope for a good turnout for the remaining 3 events as this makes it difficult for the league leaders to gain the higher points on the night, keeping the league close until the end of the season.

Apologies for error that has and will appeared in paper (especially to Jim cause he’s got no points! Same as me!).
I made a mistake with Adrian’s handicap.

Dalbeattie 22nd July

2009-07-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

It was Dalbeattie for the 6th of our ten handicap races where the top seven results count. John Moir was fastest with a time of 23:16. Neil Pearson was second at 24:29 and Mike Thompson third with a time of 25:19.

Other results were:
Rob Mc Callay 28:03, Adrian Garret 28:25, Donald McCalley 27:44, Alex Ure 27:27, Graeme Kerr 27:08, Alec Barclay 27:24, Jim McConnachie 26:23, Colin Little 26:35, Neil Henderson 26:28, Alan Crieghton 25:24, Chris Prichard 27:01 PB, Wullie McCubbin 25:43, John Patterson 25:25,

PB denote personnel best at this distance, that occurred once where Chris back from injury claimed the ten points as a result, despite a headwind on the way out.

These 10 mile time trials are handicapped races which gives every member a chance to win points. The seven best from ten are taken into account. John Patterson appeared despite feeling the worse for wear after the flu. As a result he didn’t claim as many points as Mike and John and they were able to close the gap at the top.
With John Moir, now on holiday there’s a chance to open a gap and for someone else to get 1st place! (PS John is in France, where he has a hidden bike that he will be training hard on for two weeks!).

Thanks to all our helpers and especially John Sturgeon who looked after the riders at a gravelled u-turn.

Now the bad news, with only 4 events left and a maximum of 40 points available any one below Alec Barclay can’t win the handicap league. Only pride to play for?

Final Loch Ken Visit

2009-07-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Only seven riders turned up for Loch Ken for a 25 mile time trial on the 17th July. It was the club’s last visit to the Loch for this season. John Moir was first with a time of 59:19. Jim McConnachie second at 67:23 and Wullie McCubbin third at 67:45.

Other results were:
Colin Little 68:45 and Alan Crieghton 67:49.

With Donald McCalley failing to finish that left us waiting for one rider. All the riders, time keepers, officials and Norman Ferguson (who came along to help out, then drove out to the course to see what had happened to the last competitor) started to show concern in case there was an accident!
At the end Captain Chaos himself – Dave Moss, to set a new course record of 1 hour and 35 minutes for the longest time. Turns out Dave lost heart in the time trial and decided to cheat by taking a short cut. The short cut turned out longer than the course route.

Park Farm

2009-07-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Our last visit to park farm to Park Farm for an 18 mile time trial took place on the 8th July. John Moir was first with a time of 42:37. That was well ahead of second place John Patterson 45:05 and Neil Pearson third at 45:49.

Other results were:
Davy Thompson 53:13, Alex Ure 51:36, Graeme Kerr 52:01, Alan Crieghton 48:57, Neil Henderson 49:57, Kenny Hogg 49:55, Dave Martin 51:07, Robert Mc Callay 54:06.

Only 11 riders turned up, which was disappointing but we are entering the holiday period. We have a visit to Loch Ken before we turn our attention to the very competitive 10 mile handicaps.
Dave Martin was out with me on Sunday, mountain biking in the rain – bang goes the theory of Dave being a fair weather cyclist!

Beattock the Second!

2009-06-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Only 12 riders turned up at Beattock for the 25 mile time trial. John Moir was the quickest and the only rider below the hour with a time of 58:35. John Patterson is getting nearer that hour mark with second place at a time of 60:41. Mike Thompson third at 64:21.

Other results were:
Dave Thompson 71:11, Donald McCalley 70:29, Graeme Kerr 70:19, Colin Little 68:10, Jim McConnachie 66:37, Alan Crieghton 66:08, Dave Barnes 66:25, Wullie McCubbin 66:42 and Matt Wallace 66:45.

The hard luck story of the night was for Jim. On target for a PB then one of his front spokes snaps.
Judging by the improvement in Colin’s time we can guess that farming is not as hard as it used to be?

Lockerbie TT

2009-06-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

5th Race of our ten mile handicaps

22 riders set off at Lockerbie for the 5th of ten handicap races where the top seven results count. John. Moir was fastest time with a time of 23:57. Ben. Smith, with a PB, was second at 23:57 and John. Patterson, also with a PB , third with a time of 23:59.

Other results were:
Billy Geddes 30:03, Rod Waitt 29:31, Ron Love 28:20, Adrian Garret PB 28:05, Donald McCalley 27:38, Colin Little 26:34, Alec Barclay 27:04, Alistair Johnson 27:08, Alex Ure 28:29, Nick Prichard 25:59, Graeme Kerr 26:21, Jim McConnachie 26:33, Alan Crieghton 25:32, Neil Henderson 26:08, Wullie McCubbin 25:06, Dave Barnes 25:27, Matt Wallace 25:31, Mike Thompson 24:28. Alfie Geddes was a non finisher.

PB denote personnel best at this distance

These 10 mile time trials are handicapped races which gives every member a chance to win points. The seven best from ten are taken into account.
John Patterson has increased his gap at the top over reigning handicap champion Mike Thompson. The gap is growing between them and third place John Moir, but watch for Ben Smith – he has scored 2 tens!
John had mechanical problems just after he started, so his time could have been better. Then again he could have restarted at the next available slot but his time would have counted from the time he should have started.
Wullie been getting a bit of a slagging at work for being bottom of the league. Shame we don’t print all those with “no points”.
If John Patterson scores a nine or a ten the next time he is out, then he would have ruled out 16 plus members out of the 35 who have ridden a ten any chance of winning the title!

Loch Ken

2009-06-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

Including Colin Mc Cann, who had to withdraw with a sore throat after only a few miles, we only had 12 competitors at the 25 mile Loch Ken time trial. John Moir was the quickest and the only rider below the hour with a time of 59:45. John Patterson continues his improvement with second place at a time of 61:47 – will he get below the hour this year? It was nice to see Ben Smith return and get third at 61:58.

Other results were:
Donald McCalley 73:45, Alex Ure 74:14, Graeme Kerr 72:17, Alistair Johnson 74:21, Alan Crieghton 68:46, Neil Henderson 70:41, Matt Wallace 66:01 and Wullie McCubbin 67:10.

League of champions!!!

2009-06-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

You would have thought with the Champions league game on telly the turn out would have been poor. I was expecting a maximum of ten riders to turn out on a cloudy windy night. That way any one that made the effort would be guaranteed at least a point. Instead we got 22 riders!
It even looks like only a PB will get you marching up (or even on) the league table.
On a night where personnel bests were achieved by approximately a third of the competitors, Collin may prove to be decisive in the League Table. This was the 4th of ten handicap races where the top seven results count. John Moir domination as regards to fastest time continues with a time of 22:53. Mike Thompson, with a PB, was second at 24:08 and John Patterson, also with a PB , third with a time of 24:24.

Other results were:
Donald McCalley 27:22, Adrian Garret PB 28:19, Alfie Geddes PB 29:13, Colin Little PB 26:29, Alex Ure 27:40, Nick Prichard PB 25:46, Ashley Kerr 29:49, Kenny Hogg 27:05, Alec Barclay 27:47, Davy Thompson 28:14, Neil Henderson 25:55, Alastair Johnson PB 26:57, Colin McCann 26:06, Graeme Kerr 26:08, Billy Geddes 29:03, Wullie McCubbin 24:59, Matt Wallace 25:58, Neil Pearson 24:46 and Robert McCallay PB 27:39.

These 10 mile time trials are handicapped races which gives every member a chance to win points. The seven best from ten are taken into account. John Patterson has regained top spot over reigning handicap champion Mike Thompson. The gap is growing between them and third place John Moir.
Holidays are coming soon so some riders, like John Moir , will miss a few weeks – shame!Alan Creighton has had his Seasons moment of glory. He overtook John Moir during the downhill at Park Farm. John’s problem is you can’t practice down hills on the rollers! So I thought we should consider changing the hill climb to a descent but then mad Mossy might win it!

Park Farm

2009-05-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

We managed to get round Park Farm without traffic lights on the 20th May for the 18 mile time trail. It was a breezy headwind to begin with but, by the time the competitors reached Beeswing the wind was in their back. John Moir was fastest round the hilly course with a time of 43:32. John Patterson was second at 46:45 and Mike Thompson was third with a time of 47:08.
Other results were:
Davy Thompson 54:06, Colin Little 52:22, Dave Moss 55:38, Sam Ewart 53:56, Alec Barclay 56:05, Rob McCallay 51:51, Colin McCann 49:50, Alistair Johnson 53:50, Nick Prichard 49:49, Donald McCalley 53:13, Neil Henderson 52:06, Alan Crighton 50:06, Wullie McCubbin 48:00 and Matt Wallace 49:10.

Next week we’re back to the handicap league where Collin is the setting for the 4th of 10 handicaps. The league is close but there is still a chance that anyone can win the trophy (except Graham and I). In between we are hosting the Beattock Open, so good luck to all our club members who are taking part in that or the Criteriums.

Dalbeattie TT 13th May

2009-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

3rd Race of our ten mile handicaps

It was back to time trial business after the TLI road race at Chaplecross. Dalbeattie, for the first time this year was the venue for the 3rd in a series of ten road races. The winner again was John Moir with a time of 23:29, but Ben Smith recorded a PB with a time of 24:27 closing the gap between the two of them. Mike Thompson continued his run of for and was third with a time of 24:32.
Other results were:
Adrian Garrett 29:02, Colin Little 27:18 PB, Alfie Geddes 30:12 PB, Alec Barclay 28:42, Billy Geddes 29:51, Graham Kerr 26:44, Colin McCann 26:20, Alan Crighton 25:48, Guy Graham 27:22, Nick Pritchard 26:21, Jim McConnachie 28:33, John Patterson 24:55, Wullie McCubbin 25:44, Neil Pearson 24:45 and Robert McCalley 27:53 PB.

PB denote personnel best at this distance

These 10 mile time trials are handicapped races which gives every member a chance to win points. J. Patterson has lost top spot to reigning handicap champion M. Thompson. The seven best from ten are taken into account, so there’s plenty of time for the table to alter. Also bear in mind that the handicap alters with every PB.

I’ve been missing in action due to a cold but I quote from my spies out in the field. “Guy Graham done really well in his triathlon at the weekend. He was 8th (though I later heard it was closer to 3rd) out of 200 plus. If only he had done 4 laps instead of 3” .Now I know what I’m doing wrong.

Beattock 29.4.09

2009-05-02T15:03:00.001-07:00

Our first 25 mile time trial of the season, on the 29th April took place at Beattock. This is the course for the Dumfries cycle festival “open” 25 mile time trial. So it was an excellent warm up.
John Moir was the only rider who broke the hour mark with a time of 59:02. Ben Smith second at 64:05 and John Patterson third at 64:21.
Other results were:
Davy Thompson 73:15, Nick Prichard 68:01, Colin Little 71:28, Alastair Johnson 73:18, Dave Barnes 66:29, Graeme Kerr 69:33, Colin McCann 67:34, Alex Ure 74:32, Neil Henderson 69:18, Guy Graham 69:28, Alan Crighton 67:15, Wullie Mc Cubbin 65:58, Mike Thompson 65:50 and Neil Pearson 64:26.
I spent most of the post race trying to convince Yvonne I didn’t go for chips. Sorry I took so long but I’ve ran out of excuses. Talking of which the prize for best excuse for not riding goes to Alf Gedes, who managed to lock both his helmet and car keys inside his car. It’s made even more amusing when he was asked if he was “riding or hiding” only 15 minutes earlier. We also got to the bottom of John’s Dad’s music tastes. Last week it was his brother’s not his Dad’s MP3 player. Dave listens to Glen Millar, George Formby, Nat King Cole and the likes.

Park Farm that turned into Brownhall

2009-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Park Farm (for an 18 mile time trial) was the planned route for our first change from the ten mile time trials we have been doing up to now. However road works on the 22nd April on our planned route meant a last minute change of venue and a return to Brownhall for a 13 mile time trail.
It was nice to see Colin Little returning to the time trials after his long term off with work and illness.
I was unable to attend due to work commitments at an area close to the Linwood Studios where the sun was shining whilst the filming of “The Clash Of The Titans” is taking place.
My reports were that the 17 riders were not so lucky with the weather with a cold windy night, however our own Clash of the Titans continues as John Moir winning run continues with a time of 31:23. Ben Smith second at 32:53 and Mike Thompson third at 33:59.
Other results were: Colin Little 38:00, Davy Thompson 40:22, Ron Love 40:36, Donald McCalley 37:27, Davy Docherty 35:26, Alastair Johnson 38:54, Nick Prichard 36:35, Wullie McCubbin 36:05, Guy Graham 36:05, Alan Crighton 35:39, Neil Henderson 36:36, John Patterson 34:17 and Graham Kerr 39:08.

PS. John Patterson likes to ride time trials whilst listening to his MP3 player. His choice of music leaves a lot to be desired. Neither Fiona nor Yvonne could concentrate to the sound of “My baby takes the morning train he works from 9 till 5 a day” coming from his MP3. Apparently it was his dad’s MP3 player. Yeah – what young guy listens to his dad’s MP3 player?

Lockerbie 15th April TT

2009-04-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Lockerbie 15th April was the venue for the 2nd ten mile time trial of our season. I picked the right night to forget my gear. The journey out was fine but coming back was a cold head wind that resulted in a drop in times from the previous weeks.
The turnout was again excellent with yet another good night with over 25 riders.
A few errors in the time keeping have been corrected. J Moir and Mike Thompson’s time were better than announced. It didn’t affect first place but Mike should have been second. I apologies for the errors.
We are working hard to try and eliminate errors so please bear with us (but please continue to point out errors, to ensure the accuracy of our handicap league).
John Patterson is leading the way from Mike Thompson. Both have the same points but as JP has scored a 10 I thought he deserved to remain at the top. He will need to keep improving as early season form indicates Mike Thompson will not give up the championship easily. John Moir’s performance has moved him into third place.
A noticeable addition to our league table is Ashley Kerr. I am assuming this will mean bragging rights belong to Ashley in the Kerr household?

The sheets show the result of race 2 and a table showing current league positions. Check website.

TT 8th April

2009-04-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

We were all back at Lockerbie on the 8th April where the Time Trial season got underway for real.
Again we had 25 riders and again we had as many PB’s (These are highlighted in blue on club website here )
Some of you will have noticed that the times from and including number 9 have 15 seconds added to the time. This is a correction due to a time keeping error.
John Moir was first for the second week running, Mike Thompson second swapping places from last week with Neil Pearson.
John Patterson is leading the way collecting the full 10 points for the handicap. Mike Thompson is looking to retain the championship collecting the 9 points whilst Davy Docherty is in third with 7 points.

Lockerbie 1st April

2009-04-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

In glorious sunshine our cycling season finally kicked off at Lockerbie on the 1st April. This was only a 10 mile practice season prior to the first race on the 8th April.

The warm weather left little excuse for getting a poor time so thanks to Alfie my time was highlighted and resulted in a rather excessive amount of slagging.

P.S. At least I brought ALL my equipment and didn’t forget the helmet!

Back to business.
Many thanks to all the 25 riders who turned up, including those who didn’t finish. Also I can’t recall so many PB in one event.

John Moir PB was first with a time of 22:49. Does anyone know where he trains? Neil Pearson PB second at 23:49 with Mike Thompson third 25:08.
Other results were:
Alan Mair 30:10, Dave Thompson 28:32, Robert McCalley 28:57, Ron Love 29:37, Goggs Johnston 32:37, Donald McCalley 27:34, Colin McCann 26:41, Alastair Johnston 28:49, Nick Prichard PB 25:55, Adrian Garrett PB 28:23, Alan Crieghton 26 :11, Alec Barclay 27:52, Alex Ure 29:08, Jim McConnachie 26:40, John Patterson PB 25:34, Neil Henderson 26:36, Davy Docherty 26:53, Wullie McCubbin 26:11, Matt Wallace 25:45, Mike Rennie 31:58, Sam Ewart 29:27.
PB denote personnel best at this distance

This result does not effect the handicap league, however it does effect the handicap system. The revised figures are included on the Club Website here

Alex has a correction to make!!!

2009-03-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

It would appear I was wrong with Yvonne. My sources have been un reliant. Davy has put his foot down and insisted Yvonne must continue with her role in the support vehicle - good for you Dave!

However, there are a few new bikes to look out for:

Graeme Kerr has Specialized (PS. My police informant tells me Graeme has been regularly visiting the local vegy store and is on a strict diet) and John Patterson has a "only one of it's kind in Scotland" bikes. Well chaps you've no excuses for not improving your times this year!

New club rule: New equipment may result in a penalty time unless you want to make a contribution to http://www.greedyunnecessaryaccessoriesformynewwilier.com/

Alex's preview of TT Season 09

2009-02-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

It’s been a long hard winter and the 2009 time trail season is fast approaching. Our time keeper, Fiona has been to DG1 doing winter fitness training so please comment on her drastic weight loss. It makes life so much easier for me.
PS. Fiona is 40 this year ( 26th March) so no old fart jokes.

John Moir looks good for another impressive year. He was seen on an Island doing secret training. Turns out this was a traffic island in Annan he hit when out on an icy day. Amazing how rumours spread.
Alf Geddess has threatened to have a go at all the 10 mile TT. But he may be at cycle jumble sale and unable to attend Wednesdays.
Les Kerr's plans for this season:
1st time trial he will ride his Cannondale
2nd time trial he will ride his Trek
3rd time trial he will ride his Bianchi
4th time trial he will ride his Wilier
5th time trial he will ride his Felt
6th time trial he will ride his Specialized
7th time trial he will ride his Pinnacle
8th time trial he will ride his Giant
9th time trial he will ride his Colnago
10th time trial he will ride his new bike – because he was 50 this year so needs a new bike.

Dave Moss plans for this season:
1st time trial he will ride his Aldi bike (bought for £50)
2nd time trial he will ride his Aldi bike (bought for £50) but minus a tri-bar cause it fell off!
3rd time trail he will not bother.

Jim McConnachie hopes he will not experience another speed wobble, I used to have these but that was in my youth and I’m clean now.

Neil Henderson has developed a new strategy – he will stay on his bike without falling off, this should show an improvement slightly in his times.

Rumour has it that Yvonne is time trialling this year so Davy needs to be at his best. Imagine listening to Yvonne all the way home after she’s beat you?

With the constant threat of global warming it’s guaranteed to be
Best bet for the handicap has to be all the folks that have had poor results in the last 3 years – that narrows it down to 90% of club members (including me).

However Graham Kerr is exempt from this. He peaked in 5th September 2007 and has gone downhill since. At least when he goes downhill he can reach speeds of 17mph plus!

Others to watch (assuming they take part) are:
Mike Thompson, can he be the first for years to win two in a row?
Neil Pearson, must be reaching his peak (I hope).
John Patterson, (like me) he has youth is on his side.
One of the Pritchard (not sure which one)

The important thing is please take part in the club event. It is friendly competition but needs your support.

Handicap system

2009-02-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

The handicap details are here http://www.dumfriescc.btik.com/calendar/all.ikml
Everyone's times have been worked out....all you need to do now is ride as fast as you can!