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Meudon out pedals Heaven

The rider with one name (although the results sheet gives a surname) narrowly won the race with apparently two names: The A3CRG Hardriders 10 aka "The Winter Nut Cruncher":

http://www.velouk.net/2012/02/25/results-a3crg-hardriders-10/

(For power fact fans Gabriel put out 410 watts average).

Death. And how to survive it.

The answer might be to not ride a bike.

What does VC Meudon webmaster Colin Addison do of a Sunday night? Surf the web and look for interesting titbits to motivate and inspire club members. Unfortunately he didn't find anything so he sent us this instead. Colin hasn't ridden his bike for some time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_professional_cyclists_who_died_during_a_race

Chris' gets first points on the board

Keen to get racing? Why not try two races in one day? Here's Chris Sharrock's report from Portsmouth:

"Mountbatten Circuit Races – Sunday 19th February 2012

This Sunday just gone, VC Meudon riders Craig O’Neill and I travelled down to the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth to compete in the 3rd category only race. After hearing of devastating attacks on the Saturday training ride by Richard “Unwinator” Unwin around the Dunsfold race circuit, we were sceptical to the idea that Richard would show his face in Portsmouth. Lo and behold, Richard and Pauline turned up shortly before the start of the 3rd cat race, prepping for the E/1/2/3 later on in the day. Straight after the 3rds-only race with Craig, I would be competing in the E/1/2/3 race with Richard where I’d spent the week prior getting my head round a nutrition strategy. The final decision was to eat 3 gels every 15-20 minutes in the first race and stay hydrated just so I could survive the second race.

It was clear that that it was very cold despite brilliant sunshine. There was a steady yet biting wind blowing off the “lake” next to the track which meant it would be a headwind halfway around the track and a tailwind on the final turn into the finishing sprint.

3rd Category Race:
The 3rds race started off at a relatively tame pace although picked up on the second lap where a couple of riders went off of the front. The duration of the race constantly went from surging after a break went off to sitting up as it was caught. The moment the breaks were chased down there would be a swamp of riders overtaking on the outside, trying to jostle for positions near the front. Shortly after each of these lulls, another attack would go and the field would quickly string out, making position adjustments in the pack very energy consuming. It was clearly looking to be the sort of race where energy conservation tricks would make a massive difference in the final metres. Craig wasn’t holding back at all and spent a significant amount of time right on the front of the pack, chasing down multiple breaks, chiselling away into their time advantage. After he was ready to sit up, he’d look over his shoulder and not a single rider would willingly come through. Nobody wanted to match his efforts in chasing down the breaks! Inevitably, and with the help from Craig, the pack wouldn’t allow any of the breaks to gather more than 3 or 4 people, which meant the race would end in a bunch sprint. Feeling good and highly motivated after a couple of days tapering, this was the perfect situation for me so I made a real effort to fight for a good position into the final 6 laps or so, keeping my eyes open for any gaps forming that I could move into. On the final lap, I felt as if I couldn’t have been in a better position. 3 riders back from the front of the peloton, each one peeled off in succession, giving me a clear run to the line at an ideal distance. Head down and back flat in an attempt to stay aero, my peripheral vision was clear until about 20 metres to go where a rider surged past on my right, crossing the line to win with about a bike length of an advantage. I just didn’t have the legs to contest. The winner turned out to be Matthew Bone (I-Team CC) who has had a terrific start to the season by getting 3 out of 3 wins at races in January at both Hillingdon and (now) Mountbatten. What a rider, hats off to him!
3rd Cat Race – Sprint Finish


E/1/2/3 Race:

The E/1/2/3 race had a somewhat smaller field than the 3rd cat race yet it was much more formidable. Looking down at the start sheet before the race, 5 or 6 Team UK Youth riders had pre-entered and many other faces from Perfs Pedal Race showed up, including Pedal Heaven’s Paul Pickup, Chris McNamara and Rob McCarthy.
The pace was slightly higher than that of the 3rd cat race but without the constant surges in speed. Within the first 15 minutes a move went which included some big names forming a break of 9 men, including a couple of Team UK Youth riders and all of the Pedal Heaven RT riders. Both Richard and I missed this opportunity and it wasn’t long before all 9 were working efficiently together and gaining a serious time advantage over the main field. Not long after, they had a quarter-lap of an advantage over the main field when another 3 riders tried to bridge to the break. Sadly for them, there was no chance they were going to catch the 9-man breakaway and spent most of the race “cooking” in no man’s land, without the aerodynamic shelter of the peloton.
Several laps later, the break had officially lapped the field which meant the top-ten was effectively decided not even half-way into the race! Many attacks in vain went off the front and each one was denied in succession to protect the team leaders that had made it into the successful breakaway. It included Simon Brooks, Paul Pickup, Chris McNamara, Rob McCarthy and Greg Mansell. VC Meudon’s Richard Unwin put in several big efforts on the front of the bunch while I sat in, just trying to survive until the end. After hearing stories of Richard’s pain-inflicting pace at Dunsfold the day before it was remarkable he still had the strength to tow the peloton around the way he did. We both knew the race was over for us and we were out of the points so we didn’t really know what to do apart from get a good workout from the rest of the race!
In the run up to the last lap, the leaders quickly positioned themselves for the mass sprint finish with both Richard and I (outside of the points), well tucked within the main field. Greg Mansell (Team UK Youth) timed it perfectly to grab first place with Harry Bulstrode (Peter Hansford Cycles) in second place and Chris McNamara (Pedal Heaven), Rob McCarthy (Pedal Heaven) and Richard Tanguy (Team UK Youth) taking third, fourth and fifth places successively."
A photo finish of the E/1/2/3 race can be seen here, courtesy of Graham Robins: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20120219-road-Road--Mansell-wins-opening-race-at-Mountbatten-Centre-0


Race details can be seen here:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/76723/Mountbatten-Circuit-Races

"Newall's Garage Gems" for sale

The latest offers from everyone's favourite cross jockey....



KONA ZING DELUXE 2011 CUSTOM SPEC 53CM
Little Use Road bike 53cm Compact Road Bike
Ally Frame with Carbon Fork
Ultegra 6700 Groupset 10 Speed
Easton EA50/EA70 Wheels
Hutchinson red.blk Racing Tyres
Fizik Aliante Carbon Saddle
geometry on http://2011.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=zing_deluxe
£650ono
jamieracernewall@aol.com 07966 273243/01276 24536
FFWD F2 CARBON TUBLUAR WHEELS
DT 190 CERAMIC HUBS SHIMANO
1KILO WHEELS VERY VERY LIGHT
WHITE WITH FFWD DECALS LIMITED EDITION WHEELS VERY RARE
£1600 NEW - VERY LITTLE USE AS I DONT REALLY DO HILLS
RITCHEY TUBS DOUBLE WHEEL BAG
£850 ono
jamieracernewall@aol.com 07966 273243/01276 24536

50% off Cycle Kingdom closing sale!!!!!!

Everything must go! Closing down sale! 50& off everything! Including bikes! Starts Saturday 18th Feb! Ends 25th Feb! Starts 9:00!

Exit Cycle Kingdom. Enter Pedal Heaven.

Long time sponsor Cycle Kingdom in Fleet has now closed. Just a few doors along - you can't miss it - you will now find Pedal Heaven, a new much bigger and more modern bike shop run by your favourite ex-Cycle Kingdom staff. The Wednesday and Sunday rides will now leave from Pedal Heaven and you will be able to pick up club kit from there - always speak to Craig first before turning up for kit and remember to pay by cash or cheque. Pedal Heaven will also be sponsoring the Eelmore series in 2012. Here's some before and after pictures:


Sunny Spain anyone?

Third and final in this week's spam series is this from sunny Spain which I liked!

"Hello Meudon Cyclists

Please excuse this abrupt contact.
We have approached many clubs in the UK, US, Canada, Japan and Denmark and interest is growing in what we do. At the end of the day we would like to see more British riders enjoying Barcelona and the Catalans. A stay and challenge of the hills locally could be the ideal training for the Little Lumpy Sportive in May

This letter is unfortunately marketing, a necessity in todays world to get the word out, however we would prefer to work with clubs not just flog spam about the globe.
Our offer is different in that, though we love our hills and rides here and the sunshine too, we also enjoy the culture and experience of Spain. Sharing that experience with riders and non-riders alike is what brings something special to a riding club, family or couple. Attached is a flyer which if you would be so good as to circulate by whatever means your club policies allow, we would be most grateful.

But we know clubs need to survive too and we are willing to work with clubs in offering discounts on our packages, advertising in club handbooks, raffle prizes or whatever means possible to enhance what your members can enjoy out of their cycling life. A trip to Spain can be a major event for some whereas for others it is just a hop on an Easy Jet flight and you're here. The euro is weak (ening?) and flights are more reasonable that one might expect.
We hope to provide your members with great rides and hard training as well as a taste of Spanish culture.

If you wish to pursue the idea of bringing a group for warm weather training/touring/triathlon sessions or just enjoy our bike friendly B&B, drop us a line and let us help bring a touch of Spain to you. We would welcome any suggestions of how we may support your club activities in return."

Ride safe.
Best regards,
Kevin Farran
www.sitgescyclingtours.com
www.azureguestvilla.com

Physio

For those of you who don't know Duncan Hards - he's a long time local rider and friend of the club. He's also a physio who works out of Farnham Sports Centre. If you ask around club members he's treated you'll find he couldn't be more highly recommended.

http://www.midasphysiotherapy.co.uk/

If you can't get to see Duncan or his manly Scottish ways are too much for you then below is the second in our spam series which might be useful:

"I'm writing to introduce our sports injury clinic to the VC Meudon members and yourself.

We are a new sports injury clinic based in Camberley, we have a fantastic team of therapists who have worked with all types of athletes from recreational to professional levels. Several of our running clients have improved their PB's already this year with help from our therapists and I believe that with our help, some of your members will be able to get that extra help this season to meet their goals whether that be to move up a Cat, reduce injury or just get more power to those pedals!

Along side our usual appointments we are now offering a biomechanical assessment for cyclists. This assessment covers general flexibility, core stability, muscle balance, range of motion and pelvic alignment. Once the muscles are working in a balanced way you will find that there is a reduction in injury, less strain on the ligaments and increased power.

The cost for the biomechanical assessment is £60 for an hours appointment. Should any of your members wish to have follow up appointments for a sports massage or any rehabilitation to correct any weakness or imbalance the cost is £45 for a 45 minute appointment. If your members would like to book an appointment for any of our other services that are listed on our website, we will offer them a 10% discount on their initial consultation if they mention VC Meudon.

Please have a look at our website www.optimumperformanceclinic.co.uk or contact us to make an appointment or for further details.

Wishing you and your members a safe and enjoyable cycling season,"

Jenny McGuinness
Clinic Manager

Bikebox hire - local service

1st is a series of postings of spam we have received which is either local, useful or nicely customised (ask about club member discount):

"Bicycleboxhire.co.uk is your local Bike Box Hire specialist.

Based near Farnham on the Surrey Hampshire Border, we are your local specialists offering the
award winning BIKE BOX ALAN hard bicycle travel cases for hire.

Why buy when you can rent the best bike box around?
Renting makes more sense:
· No big up-front cash outlay
· No ongoing storage headaches

Bike Boxes can be hired for short weekend trips or for longer periods.
Our bike boxes can accommodate high-end road and TT bikes as well as mountain bikes.
Our boxes can even accommodate bikes with integrated seat posts.

Collection is flexible including nights, early mornings and weekends from our base near Farnham.

For more information, including details about the bike box, packing instructions, hire rates and location please visit
www.bicycleboxhire.co.uk"

Kind regards,
Steve

Bicycleboxhire.co.uk
www.bicycleboxhire.co.uk
email: bookings@bicycleboxhire.co.uk
mobile: 07763 615 115

"Belgian Team Cars" by Steve Barnsley


On May 20th 1979 a classic bike race took place in the UK; the 260 mile London-Bradford pro race….riders included Paul Sherwen, Sean Kelly and National pro road race champ Geoff Wiles who is still giving us vets a hard time today as well as a number of French and Belgian pros and most of the UK pros at that time. The race was won by multiple Tour de France stage winner Barry Hoban riding for the famous Miko-Mercier team.

Gs Vecchi rider Steve Barnsley was in the field that day and here are some of his memories;

The race was something like 265 miles if I remember correctly, and as a new pro and basically a trackie I decided that it was pointless doing the 10 hour+ training rides that friends of mine like Steve Heffernan were doing, I’d just do my usual thing and see how far I could get – I was getting belted in every race, although going ok on the track. There were no pro – am races in those days, so it wasn’t easy to re-build my confidence.

Two friends of mine were going to follow the race in my car (I had a sponsored car in those days) and feed Steve Heffernan and me, and we agreed that I might, if they started steady at 5am in the morning, get to the first feed at 70 miles, but after that they should keep with Heff as he had a chance of winning.

At 3am we were all up for breakfast, and Heff and I were feeling smug! While Sid Barras and the other ‘traditionalists’ tried to force down steak and rice, we’d been out for a vegetarian nut cutlet the evening before, and just went for a bowl of cereal at 3am and some toast!

The race didn’t start steadily, Paul Sherwen attacked from the flag and we were lined out at 5am!! This is when I started to realise that physically I was the same as the others, it was my confidence that was the problem – because it was place to place we only hit every hill, every corner, once, so I was much more positive...and basically didn’t get dropped in that initial purge!! The race then settled into a bit of a pattern, which was full on for about half an hour, then a bit steadier for the next half hour, broken up by the occasional primes which were something like £1000 each, which in 1979 was a lot!

I remember us riding near to Wolverhampton and Hugh Porter, who had only retired the year before, joining the peleton for a few miles. He was my hero when I was growing up!

My friends cheered me on at the first feed, and at the second feed, I think after about 130 miles, they were jumping up and down when they saw I was still comfortably in the bunch. At the third feed, I can’t really remember when but I think about 200 miles, they just handed my mussette up gob-smacked, as I was still there!! I didn’t have the heart, or the breath, to tell them that I was never going to get over the next manhole cover, never mind any hills, we were really racing by then and the lack of miles was always going to come back and bite me!

I went off on the next climb. I remember one of the Belgium team cars coming alongside me and handing me food – and I was so out of my head that I was just stuffing it all into my pockets rather than eat any of it!! I eventually sat down on a kerb in Oldham...I had had it!! It was ‘only’ 40 odd miles to go, and looking back people ask why I didn’t finish, but that 40 miles included some major climbs like the Snake Pass or Cat and Fiddle or something like that, and I was done for!

Driving back down south after the race, neither Heff nor I could walk down the steps at the motorway services, we had to slide down on our backsides....really!

What I really found amazing was that this was on the Sunday...on the Tuesday I won pretty much everything at Paddington track, I was flying!! How does that work!

I was offered a contract on one of the big teams of the time based on that ride and that year’s Champagne 10 at Herne Hill when I was also flying, the MAN – VW team, but it was scuppered at the last moment by politics.

Since then I’ve always found that I go well in the long place to place rides – I’ve done the Milan San Remo Gran Fondo twice, the first time finishing right up there in top 100, and even last year I went ok for an old git in the Picardie!