Newsletter - May 2003

  Message from the President

I would like to welcome our new members; Caroline Middleton, Jeanette McBoyle, John Allan, Russell Craig and Jake Vellacott. Hurray!

 The Confined Time Trial Series has had a great start with a record turnout on the second race of the season on 6th May. We had seven Ladies entering which must be a Scottish record, and we welcome back Dave Smith who has returned to Ellon, after a few years in England .  

The first open race organised by Ythan this year, the Hilly 20, was cancelled due to lack of entries. Please support our SCU events as we organise them locally to attract our members to participate. The other events this year are:               

                Australian Pursuit                                18^th May (Charlie Allan 01651 806218) Success!

                Road Race                                             31^st May (Jack Grant 01358 722551)

                Balmedie 10 Time Trial        10^th August (Mike Harper 01779 841724)

If you enter these events or help you receive points in the Confined Series. The Glegg Trophy event for Aberdeen District on 14^th September is not being held at Ellon, so it is not in the series. If you do not wish to enter our events, contact the organiser and help with running the race. The APR required 10 helpers, the Road Race requires 12, and the Time Trial 5 All SCU events are in the 2003 handbook which can be ordered from Lorna with your subscription. Also SCU events and event application forms are on the SCU web page, follow the links from the Ythan web site www.yhancc.org.uk.

 Our members have been and will be taking part in various cycling activities in the first half of the year. Lorna and Mark were at Aviemore in March and biked up to the Ski Centre. In April Graham and Neil Gerrard were at Aviemore with road bikes, cycling around Kincraig, Kingusie, Loch Garten , and Nethybridge. On one of the days they hired mountain bikes from Bothy Bikes in Aviemore and cycled round the Rothiemurchus Estate and Loch Morlich. We have a few members taking part in the Drumtochty mountain bike fun challenge on 25^th May, and Mike Harper and Bob Hill are tackling the Pyrenees in June.  

Ellen Thornell has been the most active of our members in open Time Trials this year winning ladies’ prizes as far away as Forress,, Lochaber and Esslemont. Charlie Allan was the fastest auld mannie in the first Ten up at Forress and Mike Harper finished in the bunch in the Garlogie road race. Let us see some more open entries.  

On June 1^st, the day after Jack’s Road Race, the Ellon Rotary Club are organising a 20 mile Charity Bike Ride as part of the Ellon Gala Day events. This is the 3^rd year of the event .Last year it raised £1246 for charities. The charities this year are ALEC and Childline. The event is getting bigger every year and we will soon overtake the Inverurie Bike Ride, so please support the Ride, Entry Forms available from the Meadows or Graham Gerrard (01358 721599).  

Graham Gerrard, President

  Steve Donaldson  

We have suffered a severe loss with the death of Steve Donaldson who was often the commissaire allocated to us for our open races. He was a very nice man, totally lacking in pomposity or officiousness who kept us right and whose style was to explain rather than complain.

  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TOLBOOTH MONDAY 25th MARCH 2003

 PRESENT:

        Graham Gerrard   Jack Grant  Lorna Adam  Alan Yateman  Debbie Yateman         Flora Mason

       Graham Ward   Jennette McBoyle  Carol Middleton    Mike Harper   Dave Carnegie     Charlie Allan

      Gordon Cairney  Graham Parley   Paul Winter   Dave Allan   Russell Craig   Bob Hill     Tom Gunn

Committee 2003-04

            Elected members

            President / Chairman                 Graham Gerrard

            General Secretary                     Jack Grant

            Treasurer                                  Lorna Adam

            Club Run Captain                     David Allan

            Race Secretary             Mike Harper

            Coach                                      Bob Hill / Charlie Allan

            Committee                                Flora Mason

                                                            Alan Yateman

                                                            David Carnegie

                                                            Bill Dallas

                                                            Norman Fraser

                                                            Graham Ward

Gents Team

Three members are to represent the club at SCU race events and will compete in 100, 50, and 25 mile events

Ladies Team

 Two members are to represent the club at SCU race events and will compete in  50, 25 and 10 mile events  

Guest Speaker    

The remainder of the meeting was handed was over to the guest speaker Alistair Brodie who gave us an excellent slide show and talk on his spectacular charity cycle runs taking us to Katmandu to Base Camp Everest, the Kingdom of Lowe, and his more recent events to Malawi.

 Winter Training. Thanks to Lorna and Dave Allan the winter training was a great success. The spin sessions, organized at Inverurie by Lorna were much better attended (well into the teens every fortnight). They made a good starting point for our two new enthusiasts from Tarves, Jeannette and Carole.

Then there were the turbo sessions in Dave’s Gymnasium(garage) which also got a good response. Charlie estimated the heart maxima of four of the members at those sessions and is still able and willing to do anyone else who needs to take the first step towards scientific training.

Dave organized Sunday morning runs with his usual flair but there is still a shortage of people whose first choice on a sleety Sunday morning is to don the lycra.  

Confined Time Trials

Flora Mason has once again got the 10TT series off and running with the minimum of fuss. Numbers are up so far.

  Time Trial Report from Ellon Advertiser 25.05.03

 Ythan Cycle Club saw 19 riders start another season of 10 mile time trials to Haddo House and back to Ellon on Tuesday in freezing haar that turned the legs blue.

Lycra gives no protection against the April mist off the North Sea .

Stlll there were some good performances notably from former club champion Mike Harper from Peterhead who beat Bill Dallas from Crichie, one of last year’s most consistent performers by a minute.

Graham Parley and Dave Carnegie finished in third and fourth their highest finishes in several years.

Ellon Housewife, Lorna Adamwas the fastest woman, reasserting herselfafter her shock defeat in last year’s championship by Ellen Thornall, who was second on Tuesday.

With Carole Middleton and Jeanette McBoyle, both from Tarves, joining the club now has six ladies which augurs well for our plans to enter a team in both the ladies and Men’s Scottish Championships this year for the first time.  

Times on Tuesday;

Mike Harper 25.35. Bill Dallas 26.31. Graham Parley 27.55. Dave Carnegie 28.17. Gordon Cairney 28.43. Dave Allan 28.47. Charlie Allan 29.04. Russel Craig 29.19. Murray Bryce 29.54. Dave Harrison 31.13. Lorna Adam 31.45. John Allan 32.07. Donnie McLean 33.21. Ellen Thornall 33.27. Graham Gerrard 34.24. Carol Middleton 26.35. Jeanette McBoyle37.48. Norman Frazer DNS Paul Winter TM.

 Time Trial Report 08.05.03.from Ellon Times.08.05.03.  

There was a record turnout for Tuesday’s fortnightly time trial from Esslemont Circle in Ellon to Haddo House and back. Including the commissar and marshals we had 28 in attendance. If we could just get the young men who turn up to make witty remarks like “are ye nae caul we that briks on” and “fit wye hiv ye nae got sheen on” to join in instead of using their bikes as fashion accessories, we’d be well away.

            We do have progress on gender balance. We had six ladies on Tuesday, not counting commissar Flora Mason. Lorna Adam was again fastest lady and was tenth overall. Second among the ladies was Kay Stott with her first run of the season with Barbara Loester (from Germany via Aberdeen third).

            Fastest overall was Jake Vellacott in the fastest time this year of 26.04 followed by Bill Dallas and Dave Carnegie, the pedalling policeman was in third.

            The next race is on Tuesday 20 th May at 6.30 at the Mace at Esslemont Circle . All welcome. Ages on Tuesday ranged from 12 to 67 and ability likewise.

 Times on Tuesday 6th.;

Jake Vellacott 26.04. Bill Dallas 26.39. Dave Carnegie 27.29. Russell Craig 27.33. Gordon Cairney 27.40. John Allan 28.05. Charlie Allan 28.18. Steven Barr 28.26. Murray Bryce 28.33. Lorna Adam 29. 35. Dave Smith 30.04. Kay Stott 30.30. Donnie McLean 30.32. Paul Winter 30.45. Barbara Loester 32.04. Dave Harrison 32.10. Graham Gerrard 32.52. Norman Frazer 32.56. Carol Middleton 34.16. Bob Milne 34.17. Jack Grant 35.58. Jeanette McBoyle 36.45. Jamie Parley. 43.50. Graham Parley 43.50. Ellen Thornall and Lorraine Campbell did not finish.Dave Allan TM.

APR report and Confined TT. from Ellon Advertiser 20.05.03

One of our best ever fields contested the Ythan club’s road race on Sunday. Top cyclists from all over Scotland including several from top sponsored teams took part, but the blustery conditions and severe handicapping under the Australian pursuit rules, and some outstanding performances meant the top prizes went to North-east riders.

Derek Stuart of Westhills was first, Kevin McCool of Portlethan was second and David Morris of Drumoak was third.

And Ythan cyclists had a good day with seven among the finishers, including club champion Ellen Thornell who won the ladies’ prize and Dave Carnegie and Gordon Cairney who were fourth and fifth after the forty miles – that was five times round a circuit from Esslemont to Pitmedden and back by Logierieve.

Star performers in the fortnightly 10 mile time trial were Lorna Adam, the club’s fastest lady this year, her daughter Kirsty, and young Jamie Parley. Lorna had her usual racer but attached to the back was a one wheeled trailing cycle on which Kirsty, who, at five, is more used to toddling, sat and pedalled away.

They went at the same speed as Jamie who at nine requires an adult with him for safety purposes. Lorna even stopped to take a fly out of young Parley’s eye.

Still Ellon’s gleesome threesome managed a remarkable time of 43minutes and 43 seconds

Fastest on the night was Mike Harper from Hatton, making up for his mechanical failure in the big race on Sunday with 24 minutes and 54 secs. He beat Peterhead tooth puller, Stuart Scott by just over a minute and Methlick’s Dave Allan, who had his best time so far on the difficult hilly course.

There were a lot of good performances not least from Carole Middleton of Tarves in her first season and still cycling in her jimmies, and club secretary Jack Grant from Ellon who won the handicap.

Times on Tuesday; Mike Harper 24.54. Stuart Scott 26.01. Dave Allan 26.10. Gordon Cairney 27.21. Graham Parley 27.51. Dave Harrison 30.18. Paul Winter 30.27. Kay Stott 30.32. Donnie McLean 30.45. Ellen Thornell 31.08. Graham Gerrard 32.08. Norman Frazer 32.21 Carol Middleton 33.17 Jack Grant 33.34. Jeannette McBoyle, 36.53. Lorna and Kirsty Adam, and Jamie Parley 43.43. Commissaire Flora Mason.

  Summer Training

Training for this summer season is held on the alternate Tuesdays (from the confined) at 18.30, starting at the Mace at Auchterellon.  

  YCC Open Races 2003

This is a list of YCC open events for 2003, as submitted to the SCU. Unless the organiser has been contacted by the SCU, then the event should be held on the date we submitted.

Take part if you can, but keep date clear in your 2003 dairy, as we need lots of help, especially on the road race.

Graham Gerrard

  Next Newsletter

Please send articles and/or gossip for the next Newsletter to Charlie Allan.

Charlie Allan