Monday 27 July 2009

TDF Sweep winner


Sweep winner
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Stage 20 - Results

Anth sends in the final report for the TDF sweep:

Well, barring a lightning strike, plague of killer bees, or doping scandal, Malcolm Wake will be rolling into Paris today with the yellow jersey firmly on his shoulders. Craig Sinclair pushed all the way up Ventoux (as in attacked a lot, not got off and pushed the bike, though that would have been amusing to see), but in the end the Spaniard Wake proved too strong for everyone else in the field.

I think it's again worth mentioning Bradley Wiggins matching the best ever result for a Brit in the race, who knows what future Tours may bring, after all, Lance didn't win his first few.

All that remains to see is if Little Mr Arrogance Mark Cavendish can get a striking 7th stage win of this year's Tour, and see if Thor Hushovd manages to come absolutely nowhere in the sprint (though he seems such a nice bloke I'm not sure anyone can genuinely begrudge him the green jersey).

Thanks to everyone who has followed this, and apologies for it not being every day as planned - lurgy has a habit of striking at the most awkward of times. I'm not sure the prize will be available at the Social later today (I need to see from Foz just how much people have handed him in my illness-ridden absence), but I'll get on with sorting all of that out asap.

Ta ra!

Anth

Friday 24 July 2009

Week 12 TT report

Graham send in this week's report:

I think we can all agree that it's been a frustrating period of weather. My own hopes ran high after a dry day in Polmont, until I headed east only to see one solitary great big cumulonimbus hanging right over Bridgend like an alien mothership. So the second wet week in a row, though the wind definitely dropped in the evening.

Despite that, there were 8 riding, though they were seriously outnumbered by those who had turned up to time them, cheer them, hand out new club kit to them or just say hi. It made for a pretty good night in the end.

For the first time ever, someone missed their start slot. And then someone else did it. One quarter of the field . I won't name names - you can probably guess from some of the times and they will probably still have a big riddy if you see them at the club social on Sunday. Well done to Andy B as timekeeper for getting it spot on under the club rules - if you miss your slot the clock is still running.

Times. First of all well done to Mark Ewing for smashing his PB and being only the third club rider under 25 minutes. Bear in mind the conditions, the complete lack of aero equipment and his attempts to take off a flapping gilet in flight and there could be much more to come from Mark! Ross also broke his PB but came in third, leaving him tied with Matt on 176 points in the league. John McC isn't far behind on 160, then there's a big drop to a few on around 100 points. Big thanks to Andy B & Allan McC for doing the honours and Grant for dropping off the club kit - appreciated as ever!

1 M Ball 24.27
2 M Ewing 24.55
3 R Dewar 25.39
4 J McComisky 27.44
5 J Dominguez 29.03
6 D Campbell 29.38
7 D Middleton 29.50
8 S Fraser 30.55

On a more serious note. Someone pulled out of the Bridgend junction into the path of riders again just before the finish. We put a sign up that road but the message may not get through some thicker skulls, so please be aware of that risk when going for the finish line. And someone threw a glass bottle from a passing car at the pre-race gathering in the layby. Yes, really. Police were called but no show. Thankfully no-one was hurt. Both these incidents may add to the case for rethinking our choice of course in the close season but in the meantime look out and take care every week.

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Enter the Mid Scotland 50 TT champs

The local Mid Scotland Cycle Association 50 TT champs will take place on 8th August, closing date 2nd August. All club members are eligible to enter as we are one of the affiliated clubs.

More details here

And detail on how to enter an open event here

This is a local race based at Stirling. Remember that if you want to enter the club's Best All Rounder competition you must ride a 50 TT. BAR details here

Ride the Scottish Team Time Trial Champs


WLCTTT Team
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Are you interested in taking part in one of the best events of the year? Then put your name down to represent the club in the Scottish Team Time Trial Champs. If you've ridden the club 10 then give the team event a go.
We are looking to enter at least two teams of four with three of each team having to finish the event.
If you give it a go you wont be doing any worse than last year - the club came last! ... but had a blast getting the Lantern Rouge!


Post your interest on the blog or visit the forum's TTT thread

Order a T shirt

tshirt2

Let me know if you are interested in getting an unofficial - Joy Division inspired - club T shirt. It costs £25(+VAT) to set up the screens and then £10 (+VAT) per black T shirt for a front and back design.

Screen printed with water based inks

'Fraid the design isn't new If you want to get an original design go here

Malcolm leaves everyone in his wake

Malcolm has moved into the the lead in our Tour sweepstake with just six days to go...

See the latest report on the forum

And visit the GC here

Prizes will be awarded at the Summer Social next Sunday at the Black Bitch.

West Lothian lead Clarion Points Championship

After two events West Lothian Clarion are top of the points championship for both individual and team leagues.
Points are awarded for each event with 50 points awarded to the winner.

There are still four events to go, and its a long way for West Lothian riders to travel but entering the events will give the club a good chance of winning the team prize.

See the National Clarion events link

Points Competition scores as of 18 July 2009
1 Matthew Ball W Lothian 100
2. Andy Horner Bury 80
3.Duncan McLaren Stockport 40
4. Ian Clarke Fenland 40
3. Andy Fisher M/c Stretford 30
5. Geoff Downs Bury 16
6. Jez Hastings W. Lothian 15
7. Stephen Tinker Bury 14
8. Ian McNally Cambridge 13
9. Chris Goode M/c Stretford 12
10. Martin Perfect London 11
11. Allen Armstrong Sunderland 10
12. Michael Hastings W. Lothian 9
13. Morwena Hastings W. Lothian 8
14. Terence Lynch M/c Stretford 7
15. Megan Hastings W. Lothian 6
16. Alex Ball W. Lothian 5


Top teams
1. West Lothian 124
2. Bury 110
3. Manchester & Stretford 42

With four championship events yet to go in the points competition it is hoped that there will be some keen competition for the medals – top three, first vet, first lady and first junior.

Monday 20 July 2009

Club kit has arrived!

club cap

The first chance to pick up your gear is after the TT on Thursday at Bridgend. Why not come along, ride the event and cycle home in a brand new jersey!

Email Bill for more details: president@westlothianclarion.co.uk

Sea to Sky record smashed again!

For the second time in two weeks our club place to place record has been broken. On a stormy night last Wednesday Steve McCaw set off from Blackness to the Knock and back, smashing Craig's record by 2 minutes. Steve posted a time of 1.06.45 and said "It was a bit moist out there today and I think there is more time to come off in the dry, though the rain kept me nice and cool!"

Well done Steve!

Fastest times so far:

Steve McCaw 1.06.45
Craig Marshall 1.08.49
Bill Young 1.09.34
Mike Ewart 1.10.23
Why not give it a go and test yourself on this route which provides "A near perfect blend of time trialling skills, hill climbing ability, and fearless descending"

Route can be found on bikely

Summer Social next Sunday

Ride over to the Black Bitch next Sunday to watch the last stage of the tour and have a bit of a get together. Proceedings kick of at 2pm

All the details here

See you there!

Matt wins Clarion 50 TT champs

I went down to England on Saturday to ride the Clarion 50 TT champs. The race was on a three lap course around Knutsford city limits (I had the bloody song in my head all the way round!). The circuit was lumpy and pot holed with a reasonable headwind which hit the riders all around the course as it meandered around the Cheshire countryside. The heavens also opened twice to drench the competitors and at the end it got pretty cold for the later starters.

The sporting course didn't seem to hamper the winner of the race - he did a stunning 1.51 for 50 miles, absolutely amazing!

Before I started I had a chat with the Clarion club man of the year, 80 year old Derek Hodgkins who posted a 2.16 last year! He reckoned the best way to ride the race was to keep it steady for the first two laps and then "get it all out" on the last lap.

I followed what he said and rode within myself, covering the first 10 miles - in 24.30. After that I picked up the pace a bit and really felt good and made it to the halfway mark in an hour just as the down poor started.

I came to a RAB which I'd been through before and took the first exit which I thought the marshal was pointing to and straight away realised I'd gone the wrong way! I slammed on the brakes (big mistake) and the back wheel slid from under me and I skidded on my backside across the greasy road. Luckily the RAB was a small one so the cars weren't moving quickly, but one coming in the opposite direction had to come to a halt quickly.

I got up, dusted myself down (didn't check over the bike) and had a chat with the driver who had stopped to make sure he was ok.

By the time I'd remounted all the riders I had overtaken had come by so I got going and tried to pick up the speed. My saddle was a bit wonky but I could live with that and my left calf and thigh had been burned by the slide.

It took me about 2 to 3 miles to get going again, by which point I was overtaken by a fast man and realised I should be going quicker than I was so I started to up my tempo. Almost straight away I regretted eating the last 'safety' banana I scoffed before the start because it started reappear, bite by bite. I was following Derek Hodgkins advice of 'getting it all out' in more ways than one!

After about another 8 miles I got my self straightened out and started to push for the finish and gave it my all on the last lap, and actually felt pretty good again.

I crossed the line in 2.05.17 and went back to the HQ to wait and see how well the other Clarion riders had performed in our race-within-a-race.

Ian Clarke posted a 2.11.xx (Fenland) which he was pleased with as was Andy Horner (Bury Clarion) with his 2.8.xx. So I was in first place waiting for Stockport Clarion fast man Duncan Hewitt to finish. By all accounts Duncan had been "flying" But the second down poor and his fast start had got the better of him and by the last lap he had slowed and crossed the line in 2.5.40-odd.

So I'm the Clarion 50 TT champ! And will have to pick up a nice bit of silver at the Clarion Easter meet next year..

Saturday ride report

Andy Hemingway sends in this report about the Saturday run:

Following a deluge on the Friday, it was a cool and showery on Saturday.
A good turnout of Steve, Jim, Kevin, Graham, Andy, Jamie (newbie) plus AN Other from Falkirk who’s name unfortunately I can’t remember.
We thought long and hard about where to go and someone had this crazy idea of Slamannan.
For added interest we started off with hills - Cairnpapple, down to Bathgate and uphill via Bridgecastle, Gowanbank to Avonbridge. Then on autopilot via Slamannan, Longriggend and back to up the hill to Beecraigs.
Graham showed the old guys what sprinting’s all about in a race for the 30mph sign at Avonbridge (despite having cycled from Caldercruix to KWM earlier)

New Member!


Alan Massey
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Welcome to Alan Massey who joined last week. Alan says "I use to mountain bike a fair bit about 10 years ago, but hadn’t cycled much for a while.
I bought a road bike (Specialized Allez) last year to commute to work. I then entered the Etape Caledonia and started training for it in March, I did better than I thought and really enjoyed the group riding experience. I have since modified the Allez to make it more suitable for sportives.
Due to having a toddler and another child due in November, I don’t have the chance to get out cycling as often as I would like, and therefore my sportive entries are rather limited.
I have been to a couple of Saturday morning club runs and really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and banter associated with the 30 sprints.
My aim for the rest of this year is just to try to keep my fitness level up, so I can enter more sportives when I have more time."
Alan owns a Specialized Allez (Road) and GT Avalanche (MTB)

Friday 17 July 2009

Ross takes over the lead of the TT series

Craig Sinclair came first in lasts night's club TT but Ross Dewar's second place is enough to move him into top spot in the club's season long points competition. John McComisky consolidates his third place in the league by opening up a 33 point gap on fourth place Graham Gilhooly, who is closely followed four riders: Tobias, Graham, Dean and Craig all jostling for fifth spot and separated by only 7 points. It promises to be an exciting race right up to the end of the season.

Many thanks Time Keeper and Pusher-off , Grant and Dean.

URGENT: We need a time keeper for next Thuraday 23rd, contact graham on treasurer@westlothianclarion.co.uk to volunter

Last night's results will be posted later but this is how the league stands after 11 weeks:

R Dewar 178
M Ball 176
J McComisky 143
G Gilhooly 110
T Bauer 105
G Foster 99
D Campbell 99
C Sinclair 98
B Young 77
G Thomson 74
A McCrimmon 72
S Mir 71.5
S Fraser 69
A Brown 61
M Paul 57
S McDowall 55
N Fraser 55
J Dominguez 53
D McTurk 50
R Simpson 49
D Hamill 48
M Muir 47
M Ewing 36.5
A Hemingway 31
A Richards 29
A Weaving 29
J Bird 29
M Ewart 28
D Schofield 19
A Black 18
K O'Hara 16
A Gallie 16
C Marshall 15
J McDonald 15
M McMeechan 13
M Antony 12
S Waldron 11
D Middleton 11
B Campbell 8
R Duffy 7
A Robson 5

Clarionista at the Tour!


Dean Campbell
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Dean showed off the club jersey at the Tour last week and says: "During my holiday in Benidorm I managed to sneak away to Barcelona to watch the riders coming in. I positioned myself 200 meters from the finish - in Clarion colours - It was a really enjoyable and thrilling experience watching the riders battle to the line... only one complaint though, I have no idea what went on before or after my 20 second glimpse!"

Clarionista's on tour!


Mortirolo Summit
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Malcom sent in this photo of himself in club colours with his wife, Jackie, on the Mortirolo Summit and a wee report about their trip:

We've been cycling in South East Switzerland a few times but last year we had to resort to the train because the weather was just too dangerous on the route we'd chosen. Looking to complete some unfinished business I stumbled across an excellent write up of Sadiq's trip to Bormio last year with Allan Nelson and decided to combine the two.

We started with a warm up day crossing the Bernina which was fairly easy going and followed up on the following 2 days with the Mortirolo and the Gavia.

Mortirolo which was just too hard (a sustained 22% at one part) but had the Marco Pantani memorial plus the best cycling chat (didn't ask the Dutch guys too many questions about what their 'preparation' for the Granfondo Steven Rooks - for which they were wearing the shirts - might be).

Gavia was awesome. I know Andy Hampsten had it bad but we enjoyed the snow walls. A really fast safe descent into Bormio too.

If the club trip to Mallorca sets a trend, I'd strongly recommend a summer week in Bormio. Classic climbs on every road out of town and fantastic bike hotels with all you can eat meals plus a secure garage, workshop and free overnight cycling kit laundry service. Not overly pricey either.

From there we headed back north over the Foscagno and finally got to ride the lake road at Livigno. We arrived 2 years too late to ride through the 3km tunnel back into Switzerland but since the ban they've started to run a bike bus through. We finished with a rough stuff trip over the Castainas which we managed to get over just as it looked like the weather was finally going to break.

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Where is it?


Where is it?
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

Another fantastic, empty local road... but where is it? The person with the first correct answer gets a free Topic, the chocolate bar with "a hazelnut in every bite"

Club runs

Nine riders were out on Saturday for a ride down to the Dalmeny Estate, in a group Included a couple of newbies, Alan and Charlie. Tobias said he had a great time "It was a great run and renewed my enthusiasm for group riding"

On Sunday two groups of riders managed to miss each other and leave separately from the Cross. From the first group Jim said "3 of us out. Me, Allan and Donnie. Did 31 lumpy miles or maybe just over in almost exactly 2 hours. Went out to Threemiletown, then cut down to Abercorn, through South Queensferry and Dalmeny, through the Dalmeny Estate, back into a fairly serious headwind via Kirkliston, Winchburgh, Faucheldean, Ochiltree, then a scoot down Kingscavil (only managed 46.2 mph, but that was because I squeezed the brakes halfway down as I thought I might take off otherwise !), and back to Linlithgow on the B9080.

In the other group Simon (just back from his RAAM ride) and newbie Robert rode a 20 miler, Robers says "I rode into Linlithgow just in time to meet Simon leaving on his own. He said no-one else had showed up. We had a short ride of approx 20 miles (Simon has just returned from doing the Race Across America). The rain stayed away but it was a little blustery. We had a good blether and a nice cycle before heading for home. Home for me is in Kirknewton. So, I rode about 13 miles there and 13 back as well making it a good morning out. I'll no doubt show up again in the near future"

Law Wheelers 25



Jez and I rode the Law Wheelers 25 TT based on the Kippen flats near Stirling on Sunday. Jez made the journey down from Islay to enter his first 25 in just as many years. A quarter of a century ago he just missed going under the hour, not bad for someone on a trike!

The day was overcast with intermittent showers and a decent wind blowing from the East but the weather wasn't bad enough to restrict the times. The course was an emergency fall-back because of roadworks on the Blairdrummond circuit. Starting at the M9 motorway bridge and heading West to the dead-turn at Buchlyvie, the route is pan flat until just before Amprior where the road gets a bit lumpy with a long drag and 2 or 3 bumps

I was off 5th person and was planning a 58. I started steadily and gradually picked up speed but kept well within myself, hoping to save a bit of energy for the ride back. I arrived at the turn in 29 minutes with the intention of hammering home. Everything was going well until the Kippen Flats where I'd decided to up my pace. Rather than going faster my speed started to drop, however much I tried I couldn't get above 23mph. By the time I crossed the finishing line the hour had ticked by, and I was well into my 61st minute, final result was a disappointing 1.01.25.

Jez was on the mainland with his fixed wheel cyclo-cross bike. The night before the race, he converted it into something closer to a TT bike, attaching tri-bars, smooth 28mm tyres and swapping over to his 'larger' sprocket producing a spin-tastic 63" gear!

Using a 'Preying Mantis' style position, Jez found the outward leg tougher than the return and was overtaken a few times but said "The fixed really came into its own on the hills, testers who had passed me on the flats slowed up and I started catching them back up on the lumps before the turn" Jez got to Buchlyvie in an incredible 35 minutes! He has just completed the London to Paris ride on a fixed and not touched a geared bike all year ,so was used to riding at a high cadence. He crossed the finish line in a stunning 1.09.38, which meant he was peddling at 115 revs for over an hour. an incredible effort!

The race was won by Graeme Cockburn of the Glasgow Nightingale in a time of 54.52, with the Mid-Scotland championships won by the Royal Albert's Keith Anderson in 58.24.

Law wheelers organised another grand event, many thanks to the organiser George McLaughlan and all the helpers from the club.

Monday 13 July 2009

National Clarion at Manchester Velodrome

ClarionTrackChamps1

Saturday 22nd August

Coaching Session
1pm - 1.50pm
£5
Ring Bob Duckworth for more details: 01204 884297
Track bikes available for hire - £9.60, pre booking advisable

National Clarion Track Champs
3pm-6pm
£15
For first and second claim clarion members
Hired track bikes NOT allowed
Second claim members can ride events but wont qualify for championships (ie wont get a medal) unless they are in the third year of membership

Inexperienced entrants MUST ride the coaching session beforehand

Saturday 11 July 2009

TT Report: Week 10

Steve

Graham sends in his TT report:
Back to fresher, bright conditions this week but the road diggers were back too, along with their traffic lights.
We fell back on the contingency plan of a sprint TT. I made it 2.4 miles. If you fancy trying it it was the usual start but the finish was at the big telegraph pole on the right just before the Jet garage. So uphill and a good test of strength - most riders actually looked more wasted at the end than after the usual 10.

Good performances all round again - with Ross pushing Matt quite close, whilst Neil impressed again on his second outing and Tobias did quite well for a self-confessed tourer....

1 M Ball 5.41
2 R Dewar 5.51
3 N Fraser 6.02
4 T Bauer 6.07
5 A McCrimmon 6.13
6 C Marshall 6.14
7 A Weaving 6.27
8 J Dominguez 6.39
9 S Fraser 6.45
10 D Middleton 6.47

Thanks to everyone for their flexibility on the night, especially Allan and David. With a separate starting and finishing point we needed a few extra gophers, assistants etc so I had the pleasure of Jim's company at the garage. I'm going to make up a new rule - 3rd and all subsequent volunteers get 15 points each. Normally we should only ever need two volunteers to give up their time but needs must....

Which leads on to plans for next week as we just don't know what's going to happen. The sprint TT went down okay as a stop-gap and some felt it was good to mix it up, but we probably don't want to do it every week. But sorting out a new 10 takes quite a lot of work to measure it and risk-assess it for its safety, which must come first. Any thoughts very welcome online here or treasurer@westlothianclarion.co.uk. Roadworks could all be over next week though, fingers crossed. If anyone's in the area, report back! Thanks.

Sweep hots up after stage 7

Well the Tour always gets most interesting when it hits the mountains, and things certainly changed today. However the expected attack from Andy Richards didn't come, the leadership battle in Astana being settled in Malcolm Wake's favour as he broke free from the pack chasing the stage winner, Brice Feillu. Although Malcolm Wake has had to settle for second place in the overall classification behind surprise yellow jersey, Rinaldo Nocentini.

Rumours of a bust-up in Astana after the end of the stage have been quashed, team manager Johann Bruyneel saying that the raised voices between Richards and Wake were actually the result of a particularly competitive bout of thumb wrestling.

Elsewhere in Astana Anthony Robson and Bill Young swapped positions in the GC, while Matthew Ball proved himself to be (and how can I put this politely?) utterly rubbish at climbing (although 2 punctures sandwiched a demon descent to catch the peloton again), and the former maillot jaune is now 39th in the standings. Matthew Ball said at the end of the stage, "Yellow's not really my colour, it didn't match my eyes."

And we have our first abandonment! Grant just couldn't face the start of Stage 6, walking off in a strop he was overheard to say, "You're all mean and nasty, my mum said I could win this time!"

A final word for Bradley Wiggins. Storming ride up the mountain, and 5th in the overall. His top 20 aim could be a true reality, but it depends on how much he has to save to help his (lower placed) team leader, Ewan. And a final word from Mark Cavendish, "Where have my lead-out men gone?"

http://www.citycycling.co.uk/TdF/tdfsweep.html

Anth

Friday 10 July 2009

Tick, tick, tick...

I'm going to extend the deadline for the Gents race to Monday 13th. We don't have enough people at the moment, we still need seven more to make it viable.

If you were thinking of coming, NOW is the time to register your interest

All the details here

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Kit delayed again...

Endura's new deadline for the latest kit delivery will now be next week.

New Member!


Denis McFadden
Originally uploaded by westlothianclarion

A mighty welcome to Denis McFadden who joined the club last week

Denis says "I used to do a bit of mountain biking a few years ago but then became a bit of a couch potato. I bought a Giant FCR2 earlier this year to get fit and got hooked on road cycling. I then changed to drop bars, rode the etape caledonia in a decent (for me) 5.21 hrs without getting a single puncture!

I'm not really keen on the competitive side of cycling but I want to improve my fitness, hope to go out on a few more club runs and meet some like minded cyclists."

West Lothian Council's dismal cycle investment

A new survey by Spokes, the Lothians cycle campaign, reveals West Lothian Council spends a shocking 23p per head of population to encourage bike use compared to a national average of £2.54! Almost the lowest in Scotland - only East Ayreshire invests less in cycling.

If you think this isn't good enough, please write to Martyn Day, the West Lothian Transport Convener to express your opinion and ask for more investment.

Councillor Day's email: Martyn.Day@westlothian.gov.uk

New Sea-to-sky record!

Craig on Kingskavil

Craig smashed Bill's Sea-to-sky challenge record by 45 seconds last night! Read his report:

Finally managed to do the sea to sky challange today (07/07/09) with a lung busting 1 hour 08 mins and 49 seconds!!!!

Slightly windy conditions with it coming from the north so had some help going up the hills.

I didn't get off to the best of starts as I ended up having to do a restart. When I approached the very first corner in Blackness I was confronted by the 43 First bus. There was no way I was getting past that beast so back to the start I went.

Got underway again with it taking me 13 mins to get to the park bistro before slightly easing off to catch my breath abit for Kingscavil. It was the usual hard slog up the hill and opted for not busting myself on it so that I had something left once I got to the top.

By the time I started the hill up to Beecraigs Restaurant my climbing legs hadn't quite kicked in but gradually got into a slowish but steady rythmn. I took myself by surprise to find that I reached the KWM in 20 mins from the park bistro and then a further 7 mins to get to the Knock. Again I opted not to bust myself going up the last part of the climb so it took me 40 mins in total from Blackness to the Knock. About 3 mins quicker than what I thought it would.

Started the descent and worked hard trying to keep a good speed but struggled with the small uphill bumps/slopes at times. Got to the top of Kingscavil only to find Mike coming the other way who was confronted with me panting, sweating and slavering at the mouth and shouting to him "I'm doing the sea to sky, get you in Blackness". Whether he heard me or not I have no idea. My apologies Mike for it but hopefully you understand why I didn't stop for a chat.

It was head down the rest of the way and my legs were really burning by this point. Still managed to do a small sprint at the end for the 1:08:49.

If you want to have a crack at the record take a look at the route

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Gents race

Closing date for entering the race is Friday 10th July - this week! There are seven people down to ride but we need a minimum of 15 for it to go ahead. If you want to take part make yourself known! Otherwise the ride will be cancelled...

More details here

More Clarionista success!

Bob Simpson
Bob rode the Denny 25 TT on Sunday near Stirling. It was his first ever 25 miler, and only the second Clarionista to attempt the distance. He came 37th with a cracking 1:06:50 ride and was really pleased with himself. He also picked up 3rd place in the age related category and came home with an envelop bursting with cash. Overall winner was Carlos Riise from Shetland Wheelers with a time of 55:25.

Well done Bob!

Weekend rides

Saturday 4th July run
14 - Yes, fourteen riders turned up at the Korean war memorial on Saturday for one of the best rides I've participated in.

The 14 were: Ewan, Steve, Donald, Allan, Steve, Craig, Bill, Sadiq, Phil, Stevie, Andy, Graham, Steve. The ride was about 40 miles and we stuck together really well, the best bit of group riding I've seen from the club, taking in the Dalmeney estate and back up to the Bathgate Alpes via the super steep Kingskavil.

Craig sent in this report for Sunday's ride : After yesterdays cracking run I was still in the mood for more cycling so went along today for my first time on a sunday.

Just the four of us out today - Mark Ewing, Craig, Dave and myself. It was the two bridges run today heading out to the Forth Road Bridge first and then cutting back along the coastal route.

Stopped of at one of the villages along the route and found a small van selling crisps and coffee. Dave and myself had the old "I left my wallet at home" excuse so Mark kindly bought the coffees/teas - thanks again Mark.

It was a gently return back over the water and cut up over Bo'ness back to Linltihgow. 45 Miles today at a steady pace.

Follow the Tour sweep stake!

Anth is in charge of the sweep this year, here is his report after stage three...

Bonsoir tout le monde!

A bit of a surprise day in le Tour aujord'hui. Not really that Mark Cavendish made it two sprint wins out of two on a pan-flat stage, but more the way the peloton broke up in the crosswinds with around 30km to go. This meant a bit of shuffling in the order as Andy 'I'm riding for Wake honestly' Richards was in the right place at the right time, moving up to 3rd in the overall classification.

Biggest loser of the day? Bit of a left field suggestion this, but Bradley Wiggins. He had started the day a mere 6 seconds behind Matt Ball, but the yellow jersey was another who managed to find himself in the lead group. Six seconds was a possible margin to jump in the team time trial of stage 4, but the minute at which the gap now stands is probably asking a bit much (Matt Ball is, after all, a former world time trial champion).

Andy Richards' teammates (Malcolm Wake and Bill Young), also contenders for the top prize, will be ruing the mistakes today, but realising it's a 3 week race they'll be looking ahead to the mountains where they know that Matt ball likely won't have the legs, and Andy Richards could be tested.

Everyone's favourite dour-faced Aussie, Denise Schofield, meanwhile did what she does best. Sitting in the field, letting everyone do the work, before threatening to rip someone's head off for going near her dog.

Latest standings sont ici:
http://www.citycycling.co.uk/TdF/tdfsweep.html

No big drug stories broken yet, though Allan Black moved up a number of places by the end of the day and may soon be subject to a random urine test.

Sunday 5 July 2009

A silver and bronze for jules!

Julie Dominguez

Julie dominguez took part in the National Masters Championships and flew around the Manchester Velodrome over the weekend. On Saturday she won silver in the 500M sprint and on Sunday managed a bronze in the individual pursuit.

2nd claimer Steve McCaw rode the pursuit on Sunday afternoon, breaking his pb and narrowly missing out on a medal by just a second.

Two brilliant performances from our Clarionistas - congratulations to you both.

Friday 3 July 2009

National Clarion Races

Clarion trophy 2

Below is a list of National Clarion events coming up for the racers amongst you. You'll need to enter the 50 mile Champs by this weekend if you want a ride.
Details of the TTs are in the CTT handbook, the track and cyclo-cross events are enter on the line.
Details about the 50 mile champs are here

18th July 50 mile champs - MDTTA event in Cheshire
25th July 10 mile TT champs - Fenland section near Peterborough
26th July 25 mile TT (NOT champs as stated) but near Peterborough
16th Aug 25 mile TT champs - Nottingham section
22nd Aug Track Champs at Manchester 3pm to 6pm (1pm to 3pm coaching/taster session)
26th Sept Cyclo Cross Champs - Heanor

Don't forget that anyone competing in these events gets points in the Clarion points Champs and the leader will become the National Clarion Champion. A true best all-rounder as it takes into account several disciplines not just time trials.

Your Personal best times for the club 10

Halfway in the series - good time to take stock. Looks like you need to be breaking 27 to get into the top 10 but it can only get harder as the summer rolls on. Well over half the club have participated with 37 entrants out of 66

The women's event is wide open, If you start riding the TTs next week, you can still win the whole series! - The series is based on points not times, see here for the league after week 8

Course record (men) - Matt Ball 23:37
Course record (women) - Julie Dominguez 28:38
Course record (junior) - Blair Campbell 32.53
Course record (fixed) - Matt Ball 27:00

1 M Ball 23.37
2 S McDowall 24.47
3 S Mir 25.09
4 M Ewing 25.39
5 G Gilhooly 25.43
6 R Dewar 25.46
7 C Sinclair 26.31
8 R Simpson 26.34
9 T Bauer 26.56
10 B Young 27.02
11 A Hemingway 27.04
12 J McComisky 27.22
13=M Muir 27.28
13=N Fraser 27.28
15 M Ewart 27.36
16=M Paul 27.53
16=A McCrimmon 27.53
18 D Campbell 27.55
19 A Gallie 28.01
20 G Thomson 28.03
21 K O'Hara 28.11
22 A Weaving 28.22
23 D McTurk 28.25
24 J Dominguez 28.38
25 G Foster 28.46
26 D Hamill 28.52
27 A Brown 29.12
28 J Bird 29.19
29 S Fraser 29.38
30 R Duffy 29.42
31 M McMeechan 30.16
32 D Schofield 30.21
33 S Waldron 30.33
34 A Robson 31.31
35 B Campbell 32.53
36 M Antony 34.23
37 A Richards 36.32

Like Monaco without the yachts....

2nd July TT

Foz send is his report for last night's TT:
Well, there was a time trial on and it was probably about as hot as the Tour de France riders will get when they start their wee race tomorrow. It hit almost 31 degrees in Polmont yesterday - within two degrees of the record for Scotland.

After all the concern about roadworks, it turns out that the road was clear after all. Sorry to anyone who decided not to come but we had two reliable reports of disruption and we had to work on the assumption it would still be there. If anyone local can keep an eye on it next week that would be very helpful - post up any news on the Week 10 thread thanks.

So unfortunately there were only a 8 riders there to sweat it out....very literally. But there were 4 new entrants, one of them a new member (Michael), one riding his first TT in 28 years (Angus).

Matt 'the Medicine' Ball was on a fixed and broke the club fixed record, despite being undergeared and looking like a broken sewing machine on the final descent. Allan McCrimmon keeps going from strength to strength with another big cut in his PB and Neil's second place in his first outing was a great effort. So a small turnout but new faces, new challenges and a lot to be chuffed about in the sapping heat. The only real shame was that the 'fixed tourney' didn't really happen but there are another 8 weeks left...

Me and Craig sat on our backsides with stopwatches and cold beer. This was a great innovation.

1 M Ball 27.00
2 N Fraser 27.28
3 R Dewar 27.45
4 A McCrimmon 27.53
5 A Gallie 28.01
6 J McComisky 28.08
7 J Bird 29.19
8 M McNeechan 30.16