August 2002

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Three more new members have joined the club recently – Mark Simmons, James Ashton and Steve Jeremiah. All have taken part either in club time trials or club runs. Club membership is now well over 70, the highest for some years.

Our riders continue to perform well on the racing scene. Lesley Cliff recently won the Gold Medal in the over 50s European Triathlon Championship in Hungary. Tim Pigula has had two more fourth placings in road races at Huddersfield and Telford earning him a second category licence. Neil Walker did a 21:38 in the Don Valley 10, 55:20 in the Mapperley 25 and 56:55 in the N. Notts 25 (30 June) where Nigel White did 56:30. Neil then did 54:32 in the Meersbrook 25. Chris Frost did a 1:00:55 in the Beauvale 25 – his fastest since the 1960s!

FORTHCOMING TIME TRIALS

Evening Tens each Tuesday 7.00 p.m. from north end of Old Epperstone Road, Lowdham (near Springfield pub). The last event is 20 August.

Sunday 18 August, Club Championship 50-mile TT incorporated in the BDCA 50 – enter by 6 August, see RTTC Handbook.

Sunday 1 September, Nottingham-Skegness Race Burton Road 7.30 a.m. For details see below.

Sunday 22 September is the ANDCC Lighthouse 25 on the Granby circuit. The coveted Lighthouse Trophy goes to the fastest team of five riders. I don’t think we have ever won this – could we make a challenge this year? Entries by 10 September as RTTC Handbook.

SKEGNESS RACE SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 7.30 A.M.

This 75-mile time trial has two trophies on offer. The D H Brooks Trophy for the winner and the Jack Ferguson for the handicap. Bring a completed entry form and £1 entry fee to the start.

We are hoping the road works at Gunthorpe will be completed on time otherwise some course change may be necessary. As well as the time trial we will also have a club run, on a slightly different route, starting at 7 a.m. for those not inclined to race. Keith Jackson has booked a coach to take out any non-cycling supporters and to bring the riders back home (unless you want to ride back).

The coach fare is £10 and children under 14 accompanied by 2 fare paying adults go free. The coach will leave the start after the last rider and will leave Skegness at 4.30 p.m. so that we get home before dark. Bookings with £5 deposit to Keith or me as quickly as possible please.

CLUB NIGHT

Club nights and open Committee Meetings are held on Mondays towards the end of each month at the Burton Road Community Centre, (opposite Walker’s Garage) Carlton 7.30-9.30 p.m. The next two meetings are 19 August and 23 September.

TREASURE HUNT SUNDAY 28 JULY 2002

About 25 turned up for Rob and Jude’s Treasure Hunt and these formed half a dozen teams who wandered round the city complete with clipboards on a sunny warm evening. We finished up with a drink outside the Company Inn near the new Evening Post offices. The best team was the Frost Family.

All had a great time. Thanks to Rob and Jude.

AWARDS FOR ALL

As reported last month we were unsuccessful in our bid for Lotto money from this scheme. After discussions at the Committee Meeting it was felt that we failed to demonstrate how we would benefit the community, our bid was really to benefit the Club as it stands. Where awards have been made they have been to fund specific projects such as training school children. We should really think about a project first and then apply for funding rather than deciding to apply for a grant and thinking about a project to fund.

Of course, any project requires commitment and drive to see it through. Most members are in the Club to do the things they like doing (nothing wrong with that), have limited time and are not prepared to, say, forsake their Sunday morning ride to look after a group of novices.

If anyone has ideas for projects that they would be prepared to see through please come along to a committee meeting to discuss.

CLUB RUNS

Club runs meet at the Shearing Hill/Burton Road junction on Saturdays at 9.30 a.m. and Sundays and Monday 26 Aug. (Bank Holiday) at 9.00 a.m. Wednesday runs meet at Lowdham War memorial 9.15 a.m.

The Limes Café, one of our main Saturday venues, is being upgraded with new crockery, lighting, doors, tablecloths and even the toilets are being renovated!

On Sunday 21 July we had our long club run into Lincolnshire. There was quite a good turn out at the start and a lively ride with sprints for villages on the way to the Roman café for the first stop. Unfortunately, we lost Trev and Steven through Londonthorpe and they missed the right turn at Welby to end up doing their own 100-mile ride. It is often difficult to keep track of everyone in a large group, especially if it gets lively, so if you see someone is dropped please pass the message on so we can re-group.

At the café the backsliding started, not helped by the cloudy and windy conditions. Only three opted for the long run, so I gave a route home to the rest (and they still went wrong!) while Dave Bostock, Kevin Newbury and I headed east. A rough track off the A52 took us to quiet lanes leading to Folkingham. Through Billingborough to Horbling where we diverted for a quick look at Horbling Well the destination of my first ever club run 40 years ago! We kept a good average pace as we turned into the wind from Helpringham, Burton Pedwardine and Silk Willoughby. Onto the old Ancaster RR circuit at Rauceby and then a few miles up Ermine Street to Byard’s Leap for more refreshment.

Down Leadenham Hill and through Welbourne, Carlton-le-Moorland to Stapleford Woods, where Dave had to relinquish the front at last. To avoid the road works at Gunthorpe Bridge we returned to Newark and were able to use the big rings back to Shearing Hill to clock 104 miles at an average speed of 17.4 mph – and we weren’t even shattered!

OPEN 10 6 JULY 2002

Keith’s Open 10 was a success with a full field and reserves. Conditions were not super fast like last year, but the Long Bennington course is a good one. Sam Barker of Team Lighthouse was the winner with 20:33. Our riders were Neil Walker 22:05, Chris Draper 23:16, Chris Pearson 23:26, Dave Bostock 24:35, Maria Haynes 26:12 and Wayne Bradley 27:20. Nigel White was ill and had to miss the event.

ACORN POINTS LEAGUE AND CLUB BAR

Nigel White and Neil Walker are joint leaders of the Acorn Points League following the 25 Champs. The BDCA 50 (Club Champs), Skegness Race and the Lighthouse 25 are the remaining qualifying events.

Nigel has a commanding lead in the BAR with only the Lighthouse 25 and the last three tens remaining. If Neil can match Nigel’s 56:08 for the 25 and then improve his 10 to 20:48 he could beat Nigel – provided Nigel doesn’t improve, of course!

CLUB '25' CHAMPIONSHIP AND HALFORD TROPHY, SUNDAY 14TH JULY 2002

On a warm, sunny morning with a strengthening westerly breeze Neil Walker improved his best time for the Granby 25 course by 44 seconds to retain the Club Championship. Chris Draper, Chris Frost, Wayne Bradley, Jude Stevens and Craig Watson all beat their previous '25' times for this course for this year.

In last year’s event Trev did a remarkable bit of handicapping with 43 seconds covering the first five riders. This year he did even better with just 18 seconds separating the first five and 4 seconds difference in the first four!

Rob won the Halford Trophy by just one second from a tie between Wayne and Neil. Wayne was gutted!

Chris Draper was only 14 seconds outside the hour and 4 seconds off the handicap.

Thanks to Trevor and Stephen Adams for the timing and handicapping.

Private trials: Matt Hammerton 1:01:59, Adrian Reynolds1:11:00

EVENING TENS LEAGUE

We have had good fields for the tens this season. We have had to rope in Dave Gartside as an extra timekeeper as sometimes riders are due in before we can get back from the start. The most notable ride has been 21:28 by Nigel – the fastest ever in our tens. Competition is very intense even in heavy rain.

The new points system with only the best ten rides to count has made the competition more open. Rob leads with 56 points form 10 counting rides but Nigel has 52 points from 9 rides. If Nigel wins one more event he will have 58 points, two wins would give him the maximum of 60 points. Wins will only earn Rob an extra one point, so if he wins all three remaining events he will total 59 points. A tie is a distinct possibility. Wayne leads the handicap section by 6 points from Rob and anything could happen here. 

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