Latest News
Saturday 28th
August –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Two Wheelers teams recently
participated in the annual Farnham Road Club 25 mile 4-up team time trial. Although
a four rider team competition the finishing time is taken on the third rider to
cross the line. It was a fine, sunny and warm morning that greeted the riders
on the Bentley By Pass course near
The first Wheelers team to start was a
mixture of youth and experience. Simon Hall and Will Grainger have been riding
for many years, and Terry Smith, in his first season of cycling, and Junior
rider Alex Harding made up the quartet. Young Alex was having his first attempt
over the 25 mile distance but he and Terry combined well with the more
experienced Hall and Grainger to finish in 7th place in a time of
The second team comprised
of Alan Spurden, Ben Pearce, Roger Hartnell and Simon Healey, probably the
fastest four riders in the club at the moment. The team worked well together,
initially taking equal pulls on the front. But from about half distance, as the
pace began to tell, Pearce and Healey started to take the lion’s share of
the work. Just before the end there were a couple of short but at this stage
very taxing climbs. It was here that Hartnell, having given his all, had to
ease off leaving his compatriots to head for the finish. Spurden was doing all
he could to help the Pearce/Healey duo but relief came as they crested the
final climb leaving a fast gradual downhill all the way to the finish. The team
crossed the line in 53:29 to claim 3rd place less than two and a half minutes
behind the winners, A3CRG. All were very please with the time, which equated to
an average speed of just over 28mph!!
Wednesday
11th August –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Leading Wheelers Lady Lizzy
Yates had another good ride recently in the North Hampshire RC Open 10 mile
time trial which is based on Bentley Bypass near
The latest round of the
Hilly Circuits Championship was held on the tough 14 mile circuit to the north
of
The last three club events of the season
are held on the popular 8.2 mile Monxton circuit. All of these events are
classed as 'Come & Try It' so if anyone would like to have a go at a time
trial they are welcome to turn up on the night and give it a go. The HQ is at
the Amport Cricket Club and you will just need a roadworthy bike and a crash
hat (recommended but a definate requirement for all U18 riders).
Friday
30th July –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
A number of Wheelers
recently made the trip down to the
The adult race saw Gregg James, Mark Skeates and Simon Hall all take part for the Wheelers. On the larger and more open circuit, a number of riders tried to get away on their own, including James, but the stiff breeze made it extremely difficult to do. Eventually two riders slipped away but another chasing group formed between them and the main bunch and James was part of the group. They worked well together to try and catch the leading duo but ran out of laps and were left to sprint it out for third place and James gained a well earned fifth place. Mark Skeates also confirmed he has lost none of his sprinting legs by winning the main bunch sprint for ninth place overall.
The Wheelers road race success in the South region has seen the club's riders dominate the points leagues. In the Youth series Alex Hall, Jed Webber, Emily Hall, Lili McLean and Mitchell Webber are all leading their age groups with Cameron Thompson also second in the U14's. And in the Adult 3/4 category, Gregg James is well placed in second and should challenge for the top spot over the next couple of races. James has been well backed up by Simon Healey in 7th place. In the tough Elite league, Stuart Thompson has consistently ridden well throughout the year and holds onto an excellent 14th place.
Saturday
24th July – Andover Advertiser NHRC Interclub TT Report
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
In the first leg of the interclub time trial
competition with the
Regular tandem pairing Simon Hall and Lizzy
Yates took part in the 'Charlotteville CC' 25 mile open time trial near
Friday
23rd July –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Junior rider Tom Bolton recently took part in the
Regional Divisional Junior Road Race championships at Upavon and demonstrated
what a promising rider he is. In his first proper road race on open roads since
moving up from the youth ranks, Tom was a bit nervous and not sure what to
expect. The tough course started at the Upavon Airfield and headed towards
Everleigh before the fast, dangerous descent into Pewsey and then back through
Upavon village and the long ascent back up to the airfield, a 16 mile circuit
to be tackled 3 times. The Junior race was combined with a 3/4 category race
which gave a total field of about 40 riders, a much bigger field compared to
what Tom had been used to in the past, and the first two laps were all about
sticking with the main bunch and conserving energy. On the final lap, with his
confidence high, Tom started to move nearer to the front of the pack for the
final deciding ascent up to Upavon airfield. Many of the strongest riders
started to attack but Tom was able to hold the wheels and put himself in a good
position for the final sprint for the line, finishing in an excellent 5th place
overall. Other Wheelers in the race were Simon Healey and Mike Webber. Healey
was unlucky to puncture on the second lap but Webber finished well in 23rd
place.
Friday
23rd July – Road Records Association (RRA) attempt on the London to Bath
and back Record
There’s a Road
Records Association (RRA) attempt on the
Rider starts at Knowl Hill
(East of Reading) at
Hungerford (86.8 miles) 8.40 am
Hungerford (178 miles)
Finish Knowle Hill (211.9 miles) in 7 hours exactly.
May be an idea for the club
run to see him at Hungerford on the way back (know there is no club run, but if
anyone fancies a cycle ride somewhere this may be somewhere to go.)
Thursday
15th July –
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers club time trial season is
now well underway and a couple of new riders have shown very well in the clubs
season long time trial leagues. In the 'A' league things are very tight but
former 'Come & Try It' rider Alan Spurden has improved massively this
season and is commanding top spot with 249 points. This has definately given
Club Champion Simon Healey something to think about and will have his work cut
out to catch Spurden from 2nd place with 238 points. Hefin Richards is in 3rd
place on 204 points and Nick Adnitt in 4th on 167 points. Another new rider
Terry Smith is dominating the 'B' league having rode consistently throughout
the first half of the season to amass 278 points followed by the Wheelers top
Lady rider Lizzy Yates 125 points. Although only limited to riding certain
events, U16 rider Mitch Webber has done well to hold onto 3rd place with 97
points from 4th placed rider Mick Risdale on 95 points.
As well as mixing it with the adults in the 'B'
league, Mitch has been unstoppable in the 'U18' league with a perfect 40
points. This league is based on age related times and he has not only
consistently beaten his target times but also done so by ever increasing
margins, in the process taking well over two minutes off his PB for the Monxton
course in less than a year. Mitch will have to keep on his toes though because
2nd in the league is Lili McLean with 25 points and has also shown consistent
improvement, managing to beat her target time for the first time recently. The
remaining league places are held by Jed Webber, Tom Bolton, Cameron Thompson,
Chris Cardy and Hamish Pike.
Friday
9th July –
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
A good winters training is paying dividends for some of the Andover Wheelers youngsters and the early season "Ray Martin Points League" proved this point. 15 year old Mitchell Webber has been training with the clubs adult riders in preparation for his move up to the U16 ranks and his improvement has been excellent. Not only did he manage to stay with the leading riders, most of whom are a school year older, but he was also able to ride attacking races and still be there to contest the sprint for the leading positions! This consistant riding enabled Mitchell to take a creditable 5th place overall league position.
Cameron Thompson and Jed Webber have also moved up from U12 to U14 age group and both have shown a dramatic improvement! Using the clubs turbo training sessions throughout the winter months, the youngsters have both gone from being nowhere near the U16 riders, as last season, to looking comfortable staying with them even on their restricted gears. This improvement has seen them both score some good results in their age group races which left them both in the top three positions overall in the final league table! This all bodes well for another successful season!
The adult races in the "Ray Martin League" are one of the few events that pitch all rider categories together in the same race. This makes for a very challenging series of races for the majority of the Wheelers riders. However, Stuart Thompson showed that he can mix it with the Elite riders by consistently finishing in point scoring positions to finish in 16th place overall. Fellow Wheelers Gregg James and Mike Webber used these events more as hard training sessions but were also pleasantly surprised with their form in being able to stay with the leading riders for most of the races.
Saturday 26th June – Club TT League Update Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
Believe it or not we are more or less at the half way point through the club time trial season. So this is a good time for a quick review of the leagues.
In the A league things are very tight with Alan Spurden commanding top spot with 249 points ahead of Simon Healey with 238. Then comes Hefin Richards on 204 and Nick Adnitt on 167. New rider Terry Smith is dominating the B league having amassed 278 points. In second is Lizzy Yates with 125, third Mitch Webber, 97 and fourth Mick Risdale on 95.
As well as mixing it with the adults in the B league Mitch has been unstoppable in the U18 league with a perfect 40 points. He has not only consistently beaten his target times but also done so by ever increasing margins, in the process taking well over two minutes off his PB for the Monxton course in less than a year. Mitch will have to keep on his toes though because second in the league Lili McLean (25 points) has shown consistent improvement and managed to beat her target time for the first time this week. Remaining league places are held by, in order, Jed Webber, Tom Bolton, Cameron Thompson, Chris Cardy and Hamish Pike.
Monday
14th June – Andover Advertiser Early Club Events Report
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
Andover Wheelers are now well into their club time trial events. The weekly events started with the popular 8.25 mile course around Monxton and Grateley and the course draws a large field of riders with club members, youths and other local clubs. The first event held in early April saw some unseasonally good weather with perfect conditions to produce some good times. One of these was 14 year old Mitchell Webber who finished the course in an impressive 23:19, a personal best time, and now leads in the under 18’s league. Club Captain Simon Healey came first overall, completing in a time of 19:08, Jake Prior from VC St Raphael came second by only seven seconds in 19:15 and the third best time of the evening was Rob Ward 20:06 . Lizzy Yates was the first lady with a time of 25:45.
In the
following Monxton Event even better weather conditions improved the overall
times, with warm weather and hardly any head wind. Simon Healey improved on his
time to
Wednesday
5th May –
Article courtesy of Daniel Hobson
The Andover Wheeler have started there road racing season taking part in the first Thruxton road races. The first event on Sunday the 21st of March saw three of the wheelers in the 3rd cat race in a field of sixty eight. The race was quickly split into two as a group of riders escaped the bunch and quickly formed a large gap. Simon Healey made an attempt to close the gap but was too late. The bunch realised the leading group wasn’t coming back and became content riding for 10th place. Overall Simon Healey finished 14th place just missing out on his first set of points. Mark Skeates followed shortly after in 23rd place, he felt the race went well for only his second race of the year “I felt good through most of the race and had the legs to test myself in the sprint”. Junior Tom Bolton finished shortly after still in the bunch sprint.
Junior Christopher Cardy was alone as the only Andover Wheeler in the 4th cat race but kept well within the bunch throughout the race which came down to the final sprint in which he came 38th. A promising start to the season.
In the youth young Alex Hall in the under 12’s just missed out on his first set of points in 4th place. Emily Hall was 2nd in the under 14 girls. Mitchell Webber had a good race that he was pleased with, managing to stay in the leading group until the final sprint were he came 5thinthe under 16 boy’s.
The following Sunday had a bigger turn out for the club with six wheelers in the 3rd cat race. Gregg James attacked from the start with a small group of riders who were quickly pulled back after half a lap. This was followed by a few more attacks splitting the field up. Simon Healey then managed to break away from the bunch with seven other riders. They quickly built up a minutes lead. With Simon in the leading group the rest of the wheelers played a supporting role and shadowed any further attacks that tried to chase down the leading group. It came down to a final sprint for Simon Healey among him and the several other riders. “As the sprint opened up I found myself passing riders. Out of the final corner there were just two left in front of me. I passed the first but unfortunately the second was a rider that had managed to sit in for most of the race, he had just a little bit more left in the tank. I got close to overhauling him but lost out by a wheel length. As I wasn’t expecting to do so well in the sprint I think I was a little under geared - lesson hopefully learnt!” This put Simon Healey in second place! Scoring his first points of the season. The rest of the wheelers finished in the bunch sprint. Mark Skeates described the second Thruxton race as a good one but much harder; due to the smaller field it was harder to find shelter from a strong headwind and there were many attacks which split the field up.
The five youths also performed well in there event with Alex Hall getting an impressive first place in the under 12’s. All in all the first two racing events at Thruxton show a promising start to the Andover Wheelers road racing season.
Sunday
11th April – Open 10.2 mile Hilly TT Andover Advertiser Report
Andover Wheelers have kicked off the racing year with their early season open time trial, the ‘Hilly 10.2’. The course is located on the quiet and scenic country lanes North of Andover. On a chilly Saturday afternoon the race started with twenty-six brave riders taking part. The course begins with the tough, steep climb of Conholt Hill; this hill is a race within the time trial with riders being timed to the top, a prize being awarded to the rider that makes the most rapid accent. There then follows a long fast decent to Hatherden, before turning back towards Upton up an equally long climb which this year was combined with a demoralising headwind. The finish line is then reached after a steep decent.
The event was won
convincingly by Trejvan Pettinger in a time of 24:05. He also bagged the prize
for the fastest ascent of Conholt with a time of
The event was made possible
due to the commitment of the marshals, organisers and time keepers from the
club, a thank you for giving up their time. A very special thank you is owed to
Bob Smith who has been the event secretary for many years and is now passing
the role onto someone else, he has put a lot of effort into making this event
successful.
Wednesday
17th March – New U18 time trial league series for 2010
It will be based solely on the Monxton course. Each rider will be given a target time based on their gender and exact age. Participants will then be ranked and awarded points depending on how well they do against their target time. Due to this handicapping process it is possible for any rider to win the league regardless of age or gender. It will be the quality of their performances over the season that will count. There are eight club time trials planned for the Monxton course this year, one of which is also the Athletes’ event. All will count towards the league but riders must obey the special rules in the Athletes’ event. At the end of the season the final league positions will be decided on each riders five best results, so make sure you ride at least five events!
Wednesday 17th March – Sunday rides attendance "Top 20"
Here is the Sunday rides attendance "Top 20" from start of October through to 7th March. This includes the YHA weekend and the hilly ride the week before that. Given the Winter we've just had it's somewhat amazing we only lost three or four rides due to bad weather. Thanks to everyone who attended the rides, even if it was just one. Simon would have been lonely doing them on his own!
1. Simon Healey 20
2. Mike Webber 14
3. Jamie Shearer 12
4. Nick Williams 11
Jake Prior 11
6. Max Webber 10
7. Mitchell Webber 9
Tom Bolton 9
9. Simon Hall 7
10. Eric Wilcock 6
11. David Pike 5
Hamish Pike 5
Chris Cardy 5
Lizzy Yates 5
Stu Thompson 5
Roger Hartnell 5
17. Harry Lodge 4
18. Mick Risdale 3
Paul Walsh 3
Mark Skeates 3
Gregg James 3
Mike Taylor 3
Tuesday
2nd March – Simon Healey & Roger Hartnell finish 1st and 2nd
in a NHRC Club TT
Last Saturday Simon Healey and Roger Hartnell flew the flag for the Wheelers in the NHRC 18.5 TT around the Dummer circuit. Simon led the field home to win in a time of 45.21 with Roger finishing a creditable 2nd in 46.31. Full results, from the NHRC website, can be see here.
Thursday
26th November – Watership Down Audax Details
Kick-start your training in the new year by riding this 108km hilly audax! It starts and finishes at Kings Worthy and only costs £5 to enter. Several* Wheelers have already said they are going, or at least considering, doing this ride so don't miss out on the fun**. You'll need to pre-enter by filling in this form and sending it to the organiser. If you do enter let me know so we can meet up at the start and/or arrange lifts if required. Finally don't delay as I understand it was over subscribed last time.
(*Well, Simon Heally and Mike. **Cycling is fun!)
Tuesday
10th November – Monday Night Youth Training Sessions have now finished
for 2009
Monday Night Youth Training Sessions have now finished for 2009. These will start up again early next year.
Tuesday
10th November –
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover
Wheelers youngsters had another excellent road race season and showed that the
club has plenty of strength for the coming years. Their consistent form
throughout a very long season meant that the Wheelers were one of the leading
clubs in the south of
In the season long points competition, which takes into account every race in the South, there was yet more success for the Wheelers. In the U10 Boys Alex Hall topped the table with Carla James finishing 7th in the U10 Girls competition. Alex's sister Emily finished 1st in the U12 Girls with Cameron Thompson taking 3rd overall in the U12 Boys. Mitchell Webber placed consistently well in all his races to grab 2nd overall in the U14 Boys and Lili McLean, in her first season of racing, finished an excellent 4th in the girls competition. Probably the best result came in the very competitive U16 Boys competition. Tom Bolton has shown great improvement this season and underlined this by winning the prize overall. He was ably supported by Hamish Pike in 19th and Chris Cardy in 25th with all three riders looking forward to moving up to the Junior ranks next season. In the Mens competition the Wheelers had two riders in the Top 10 with Simon Healey in 2nd and Mark Skeates in 9th.
Junior rider Rob Ward also proved that he isn't just good against the clock when he won the overall prize in the 'Generation Sports' road race circuit series. These races take place around Upavon airfield on a very open and challenging circuit and Ward rode consistently well throughout the Summer against some top opposition to grab enough points to take an excellent win.
Thursday
22nd October –
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
With the time trial season now over for another season, the Andover Wheelers had one of their best seasons locally for a number of years. Simon Healey demonstrated his overall strength with an excellent 3rd place overall in the South DC Best All Rounder competition. His times of 55mins 18secs for 25 miles, 1hr 54mins 25secs for 50 miles and 4hrs 13mins 05secs gave him an average speed of 25.684mph. Healey was well supported in the Team competition by Pete Dennett in 10th place (22.989mph average) and Veteran rider Paul Welch in 13th place (19.085mph average) and these combined averages gave the Andover Wheelers the overall prize with a team average of 22.586mph.
Promising Junior rider Rob Ward also added to the Wheelers success by winning the Junior Best All Rounder competition. His two fastest 10 mile times (22.22 & 23.00) and 25 mile times (59.26 & 1.00.19) gave him a winning average speed of 25.755mph and made him the first Wheeler to win the Junior competition since William Grainger back in 1993.
Thursday 15th October – Andover Advertiser Hill Climb Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
As the cycling racing season starts to draw to a close, the
Andover Wheelers most feared Championship event, the Hill Climb, was held
recently on the short but steep Ham Hill to the North of Vernham Dean. Down the
years this event has been the domain of the younger rider and this year was no
exception. The majority of the competitors rode out to the hill from
The hill climb isn't the easiest event at the best of times but Simon Hall and Lee Gardner showed that they are suckers for punishment when they decided to dust off their tandem and ride the Reading CC Tandem Hill Climb! Streatley Hill has an average gradient of 16% (like Hurstbourne Hill but twice as long!) and neither rider had trained particularly hard for the event. In their words "We grovelled up the hill from Streatley but it was pleasing to reach the top and end the torture, and there was a great crowd to add to the atmosphere" They finished in a creditable time of 4mins 25secs and both assured me that they really enjoyed it!
Tuesday 29th September –
The Andover Wheelers are now on Twitter. Just click the “Follow us on Twitter” icon in the Right hand sidebar to view the latest updates.
Wednesday 16th September – Final Club TT League Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
So that’s it for another season! The Elite, A and B leagues were won in convincing style by Simon Healey, Rob Ward and Hefin Richards respectively. Lizzy Yates takes the prize for taking part in the most events, 21 in total!
It has been a good year with many young riders showing great promise. Not only did Rob win the A league out right, in the B league Tom Bolton won all but one of the events he participated in. (All done on a normal road bike too!) Well done to all of you that had a go. Now you have times to beat next year!
Overall we were also lucky with the weather with only three events being rained off. It was just a shame they were bunched together over a period of five weeks at the height what should have been summer!
Thirty-two first claim and nine second claim members took part at least once this year. A number boosted with what must have been a record number of ‘come and try its’ plus many visiting riders from other clubs. Our thanks go to John and everyone else who has helped run these events. They are invaluable both as a tool for increased fitness and as an introduction to competitive cycling.
Wednesday 26th August – Club TT League Update Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
There are now just three rounds of the club time trial league remaining and it’s the riders who have put in plenty of appearances and produced good performances throughout the season that have come out on top.
In the B league Hefin Richards, who has had Lizzy Yates snapping at his heals all season, now has an unassailable lead. Outside of these top two, the minor places are still very much up for grabs with Alan Spurden best placed of the chasing pack.
Having been pushed all the way by Roger Hartnell, all Rob Ward needs to do to seal victory in the A league is score points in one of the remaining rounds. Roger still needs to keep on his toes as, from a solid third place; Nick Adnitt can still mount a challenge to take the runners up spot.
Finally in the Elite & 2nd Claim league, where Simon Healey is 62 points clear with only 30 remaining on offer, interest is restricted to the minor placings. Jake Prior is looking fairly safe in second As is third placed Ian Knight who is in good form at the moment and has a 13 point advantage over fourth placed Stuart Thompson.
Monday 10th August – Wheelers Clock 53.59 in the Farnham 4 Up Team Time Trial
Article courtesy of Nick Adnitt
Andover Wheelers fielded a team of first-claim (and first class!) riders in the Farnham RC 25 mile 4 up team time trial today, Sunday 9th August. This is a short report on my experience:
After an unsuccessful training session on the Wednesday which all ended in tears (well, mine anyway), a few e-mails were exchanged agreeing communication, riding sequence, team leader and contingencies for unexpected events like punctures and breakdowns.
Roger and I arrived at the event HQ with an hour and a half to spare, so after signing on, we did some serious warming up. When Simon and Rob were ready, we rode down to the start in a lay-by on the A31. We had a quick chat with Lizzy and Simon who had just finished a tandem ride and it was time to line up; Simon, Roger, Me and Rob.
At
We crested the hill and descended at a “leisurely” 38 mph, even having to ease out of the slipstream to slow down a little, and then on towards the first turn. The gap which opened up at the roundabout was soon closed down and we set off on the longest leg to the second turn.
Those who know the Bentley by-pass will be familiar with the uphill gradient after the turn. We all kept together going up, but clearly Simon recovered quickly and had to back off slightly to regain a tight formation. We went through the finish point for the first time at about 34 mph, tight formation, Wheelers colours flying, we looked great. As I said to the others before the start “never mind about this speed and time nonsense, as long as we look good”.
Focussed on the wheel in=2 0front, I was a bit surprised how quickly we arrived at the second turn. I was first into the roundabout and determined not to slow the others down. It was a bit tighter than I had anticipated and had to crank the “Special” well over, again concentrating on style.
We reformed for the third leg like the well-oiled, professional team we were and attacked the gradient. Simon continued to take big turns on the front, well supported by Rob and Roger. I disregarded foolish pride and kept my turns to the minimum.
With an eye on the team, Simon kept us together on the third and last turn and we headed on to the finish. I knew the dreaded hill was coming and made a decision to do a big turn on the front and bury myself. At the beginning of the climb I peeled off and told the team to leave me, as it is three riders which count.
With legs full of lactic, I watched the gap open, “go on lads”. Our third rider crossed the line at 53:59 and I followed in 90 seconds later.
It was a tough, but very satisfying ride. We played to our strengths and the communication and discipline delivered a fine result. I was proud to be part of the team and look forward to the next one.
Monday 10th August – Come & Try It
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers had another successful 'Come & Try
It' event to attract new riders into having a go at racing against the clock.
26 riders of all ages and abilities signed on at the Amport Cricket Club HQ and
prepared themselves for the 8 mile event. The course started outside the
cricket club and headed off through Grateley, turning at Grateley Station and
heading towards Kentsboro before turning left onto the final leg to the finish
in Monxton. The riders went off at 1 minute intervals with many having a
nervous wait before their number was called by the timekeeper. 12 year old Jed
Webber was first off and, although experienced in closed circuit races, was
having his first attempt at a time trial. The first leg to Grateley Station was
into a block headwind which all the riders struggled with but, once they had
turned, the remaining two legs had the wind in their favour to give everyone a
fast finish. The majority of the riders were having their first attempt at time
trialling and everyone put in an excellent effort to record commendable times
and every rider received a free 'Behind the Bikeshed' water bottle for their
hardwork. Particular mention goes out to the younger riders who showed some of
the adults the way - 13yr old Joe Thomas (25mins 06secs), 13yr old Lili
Monday 3rd August – Simon Healey’s Thruxton 4th Cat Circuit Race Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
On a windy but thankfully dry morning at Thruxton thirty-nine riders took to the start line of the 4th Cat race. A ten lap, 23 mile race around the motor racing circuit.
At the very start of the race two riders attacked, developing a reasonable lead. Up the climb at the end of the first lap however one of the riders was dropped leaving the other, a former Andover Wheeler now riding for Rutland CC, out on his own. As this rider looked strong and was obviously waiting for support on the second lap I decided it was time to act. When the bunch slowed as it turned into a headwind at the bottom of the climb I swung off and injected some pace towing a couple of riders with me. Unfortunately the bunch responded and any fractures were soon healed. Undaunted I maintained a position near the front of the field up the climb. Crossing the line to commence the third lap, now with a tail wind, I once again increased the pace through the chicane. On exiting, noticing a gap behind my back wheel, I redoubled my efforts soon catching the loan escapee with a good lead over the main field.
As there was another rider trying to cross the gap we elected to wait, a three man break would have a better chance of survival on such a blustery day. Once together at the base of the climb near the end of the third lap we started to work together. Unfortunately the last rider to join had perhaps expended too much energy in his efforts to jump across and was soon dropped leaving the two of us to fight on.
Despite this setback the gap slowly grew to 25 seconds at
around half distance. The next lap the bunch must have slowed because the gap
shot up to 50 seconds, then next time it was one minute ten. With two laps
remaining and a healthy lead we agreed to ease to pace. This was perhaps a
mistake for me as riding fast is my bread and butter and the other rider was
obviously beginning to struggle. Up the climb for the last time the
Monday 27th July – South Division Circuit Race Championships
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers youngsters had more excellent results recently in the South Division Road Circuit Championships at Castle Combe. Showery conditions made things difficult for the U10's with a dead turn at each end of their pitlane circuit and Alex Hall suffered most when he hit the deck going into the first turn! But he bravely remounted after being allowed a lap out and fought his way back to the front of the field to take a well earned victory. Not to be outdone by her younger brother, Emily Hall was tackling the full race circuit in the U12 Girls race and led from start to finish to win her respective Championship, a fine double success! In the U12 Boys race, Jed Webber and Cameron Thompson were part of a large field that set off at a cracking pace. Windy conditions soon slowed everything down but Jed and Cameron were racing well for a top position. Into the last lap and the race began to split apart but Cameron hung in well and produced a superb sprint to take 3rd place. Jed battled away to the end and sprinted in for 6th place. The U16's and U14's races had a line up of quality riders from across the region and Tom Bolton and Mitchell Webber knew that they had a battle on their hands. Mitchell looked to be struggling from the start but managed to hang in with the main group right until the final sprint for the line where he matched his brothers effort to finish in a creditable 6th place. A tactical U16's race played right into the hands of Tom Bolton. With no one wanting to go on the attack in the windy conditions, Tom was able to conserve some of his energy for the final sprint. Coming up the long drag to the line, Tom held his nerve to time his effort perfectly and grab a fantastic 3rd place.
Photos from Graham Robins can be viewed here.
Tuesday 14th July – Riders are reminded to observe the no drafting rules whilst competing in all TT’s
All riders are reminded to follow the no drafting rules whilst competing in all TT’s. Below is the precise rule (21) from the CTT handbook.
21. Paced & Company Riding
Competitors must ride entirely alone and unassisted and not ride in company or take shelter (commonly known as drafting) from other riders or vehicles. A competitor overtaking another must pass without receiving or giving shelter. The onus of avoiding company riding shall be upon the rider overtaken.
Friday 10th July –
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Three
The Andover Wheelers are once again promoting another 'Come
& Try It' event on Thursday 30th July. The Amport Cricket Club will be the
HQ and start point, and the 8 mile course will be based on the quiet roads
around Monxton & Grateley. Anyone wishing to take part just needs to turn
up with a roadworthy bike and the club recommends that a crash hat be worn.
Signing on will start from
Wednesday 1st July – 25 Mile TT
Championships
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Perfect conditions greeted the riders in the recent Andover
Wheelers 25 mile Time Trial Championship with a number of PB times being set!
The course takes the riders in a eastbound direction towards
The Wheelers events are fast approaching the mid point of the season and a quick scan of the Points League tables would appear to suggest that in each league one rider is dominating. In 'B' League Hefin Richard is the only rider to have participated in every club time trial this season and has a 37 point advantage over second placed Lizzy Yates. Elsewhere new rider Alan Spurden is showing great promise having already climbed to fourth place after joining the club after a 'Come & Try It' ride just over a month ago. In the 'A' League junior rider Rob Ward has a 28 point advantage over Nick Adnitt, with Roger Hartnell a further ten points back and in the 'Elite and 2nd Claims' table Simon Healey has established a 40 point advantage over Jake Prior (VC St Raphael). However Prior is the undisputed ‘class act’ of the league with 6 wins from just 7 appearances and should keep Healey on his toes for the remainder of the season.
Thursday 25th June – Andover Wheelers at the Axiom Weekend
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
Three Andover cyclists, Simon Healey and Lizzy Yates of the Wheelers and Stuart Thompson of Behind-the-Bikeshed, recently participated in the Axiom Weekender time trials based in Liss.
Seventy-one riders contested the ten mile event in near ideal weather conditions on Saturday afternoon. Simon was pleased to record a time of 21’26”, just three seconds off his seasons’ best and good enough for thirteenth place overall. Stuart recorded 23’11” in thirty-ninth place and Lizzy was third lady with 26’43”.
Much cooler conditions welcomed the riders early the following morning for the twenty-five. A situation made worse by a nagging crosswind. However, Stuart battled valiantly to finish with 1h1’25” a mere two seconds shy of best time since his return to competitive cycling. Lizzy was the fastest lady with 1h11’58” and Simon managed fifteenth overall with 56’23”.
Thursday 25th June – Racing Roundup Andover Advertiser Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover Wheelers evening time trials have been well supported this season as we now get into the Club Championship events. The fast '10' mile TT course to the West of Andover hosted the clubs 'Handicap' Championship at that distance and it produced a very close result. Club Champion Simon Healey was the 'Scratch' rider, which means he has no time taken off his actually ride time, and he very nearly produced another winning ride but it was talented Junior rider Rob Ward who took the honours in an adjusted time of 21mins 35secs and beat Healey by 18 seconds. New club rider Alan Spurden has shown some promising form recently and he again put in a good ride to take 3rd place in 21mins 58secs with a 3min 26sec handicap.
The following week saw a new Championship event added to the Wheelers calender. The 'Athletes' Championship does away with any aerodynamic aids, so competitors have to ride on standard road bikes with no tri-bars, deep section/disc wheels and aero lids etc. The aim is for everyone to be on a more level playing field so that no one has anymore advantage than anyone else. Although the winner was never going to be in doubt, Simon Healey was pushed all the way by 2nd placed Roger Hartnell who only finished 25 seconds down, the closest he has been all season! The race for 3rd place was equally as close with junior rider Rob Ward pipping Alan Spurden by just 17 secs and the closeness of the whole event was underlined when the next 5 places were all seperated by under a minute. Other notable rides on the night were from U16 riders Chris Cardy and Alex Harding. Both were having there first attempts at a time trial and they did well to challenge a number of the regular club competitors with Alex just getting the better of Chris by 16 seconds.
Friday 19th June – Club TT League Report
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
Well, time flies when you are having fun does it not? Believe it or not we are fast approaching the mid point of the season. A quick scan of the league tables would appear to suggest that in each, one rider is dominating.
Starting with the B league Hefin Richard, the only rider to have participated in every club time trial this season, has a 37 point advantage over second placed Lizzy Yates. Elsewhere new ‘boy’ Alan Spurden is showing great promise having already climbed to fourth place after joining the club just over a month ago.
In the A league Rob Ward has a 28 point advantage over Nick Adnitt, with Rodger Hartnell just ten points further back. While in the Elite and 2nd Claims table Simon Healey has established a 40 point advantage over Jake Prior. However Jake is the undisputed ‘class act’ of the league with six wins from seven appearances having only been denied a clean sweep due to an illegal bike in the ‘athletes’ event.
In the first paragraph I said that it ‘appears’ each league is being dominated. This caveat is because there are still 15 rounds to go and with only the best 18 results counting in the final shakedown there is more than enough time to catch up with the league leaders. From now on beating your nearest competitor will become ever more important
Monday 15th June – Simons Healey’s view of the 25 mile TT Championship
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
I drove to work. I usually cycle but this evening I will need fresh legs. First thing I do is check the weather forecast. It’s good; light winds and mild. I leave promptly at five.
At home I put the kettle on and make a mug of strong black coffee. Into it I dunk a biscuit, then another, and another…. The family are at the dinner table. The time is twenty to six. One hour twenty to go. I take the coffee with me upstairs to change.
I return down stairs to shouting and an upset daughter. No pudding for her today. I dive into the garage. I fit a bottle cage to the time trial bike and inflate tyres to 120 psi. I head to the kitchen to fill a bottle with squash. Daughter doesn’t want me to go. I point to the mantelpiece. ‘I’ve got to go and win that trophy so I can keep it for another year’. She understands; it was her first ever school sports day today. It is quarter past six. Forty-five minutes to go.
I always feel odd cycling through town on my TT bike. It must look strange to others; disc wheel, pointy hat. It’s made worse by the fact my muscles are cold. I don’t feel fast.
A car flashes its lights and beeps its horn. The driver shouts out of the window….a fellow cyclist. He is not a first claim member of the club. He can’t win the cup.
A small crowd at the start. I sign in and exchange a few words. There is a friendly atmosphere. I’m number eight, last of the Andover Wheelers to start. With twenty or so minutes still to go there is nothing to do but socialise. There is nowhere to warm up in the small lay-by.
Seven o’clock. First rider is called to the start line. I take off my long sleeved jersey and place it in the back of the time keepers’ van. The riders start departing, one minute between them. Numbers one, two, no three, four, five…..time for me to make my excuses and line up at the start. A few gulps of squash. Number six departs, seven takes his place and is held upright by the pusher-off, a former professional cyclist. I climb onto my bike. Seven is sent on his way. I take his place and clip in my right shoe. Thirty seconds. The former professional cyclist takes hold of my bike and I clip in my left shoe. Fifteen seconds. I take a few deep breaths. Five, four, three, two, one, go.
A golden rule of successful time trialling is not to start too quickly. I try to accelerate smoothly getting into an aerodynamic seated position as soon as I can. Fortunately the first couple of miles are downhill. I’m quickly up to speed concentrating on pedalling as smoothly and powerfully as I can. My muscles warm up and my breathing deepens.
After about three miles the road kicks up a little. I catch my first glimpse of a rider in front. Now my legs have warmed up I try to increase the effort. I set about reeling him in. I ask myself if I’m trying too hard; I am catching him sooner than I anticipated. I elect to postpone answering until I make the catch.
The fifth mile. As luck would have it I pass number seven near the top of a small hill. This is followed by a dip before another climb. I’m glad of the reprieve however brief. Climbing again I imagine number seven coming back and passing me. I daren’t look behind. My breathing becomes erratic but thankfully the gradient eases and I regain speed. I spot another rider in front. I try to pedal smoothly.
Seventh mile. I pass number six. Nothing in front but empty road. It is exposed and slightly up hill, but as there is very little wind I am faster here than normal. I’m feeling good. Time to knuckle down.
Less than two miles to the turn now and three riders, quite close together, come into view. A dump truck joins the carriageway from a slip road cutting across early to avoid the riders in front. It throws up a lot of dust. I hope it wasn’t as close to the last of the three riders as it looked.
The first of the trio I pass is number one, the only woman rider. I try to shout encouragement. That is one, six and seven. No number three. I try to work out who is left out in front. I give up. I notice my breathing has slowed. My mind has been wandering. I pedal harder.
Number five. Before the start number five and I had discussed the forthcoming race. We agreed that I would catch him at the half way turn. I’m slightly early. I pass with just under a mile still to go. I think ‘I must be doing well’.
Between me and the slip road for the turn is number four. I need to get to the turn first. It is down hill and we are probably travelling at close to 40 mph. I turn 53x11 over as quickly as I can. I’m passed. I can now pick my own line for the tight right hand turn.
After the turn it is payback time for the fast down hill section as I climb back to the dual carriageway. As speed drops aerodynamics become less important. I sit up and try to take some swigs from my bottle between breaths, this is difficult.
Some maths. Down the hill at 40 mph, back up at 20. Average speed is 30 mph right? Wrong! You spend twice as long at 20 mph than you do at 40. The average is actually 26 2/3 mph.
I have a thought; there is one more rider out in front and, as if by magic, he appears on the horizon at the top of the hill. It doesn’t take long to pass number two. Now I’m on my own. Eleven miles to go. I concentrate on my breathing. The sun is getting low. I hope I don’t puncture.
The last few miles are up hill. I try to give it everything but in a smooth manner. The road winds its way through woodland and then opens up as the gradient eases. I attempt to accelerate but the road surface here is rough and it absorbs my efforts. It’s not far now to the turn off to the finish. There is a cruel sharp climb here. Fortunately it is also fairly short. I remain seated and manage to keep the big ring turning, 53x17. A small crowd has gathered to watch the suffering. I’m over the top with half a mile to go. All of it down hill. I give it everything. 53x11.
After. I circle a roundabout to return to the finish. I’m still travelling fast. It’s a fast night. The club chairman is at the finish. “Couldn’t you go any faster?” He says. I think of the times I found myself breathing too easily. I say ‘Probably. But I don’t want to kill myself’. I look over the time keepers’ shoulder. 54’31”. A personal best time by one minute and thirteen seconds. I’m satisfied with that.
I watch the other riders come in. Starting after me were eleven non Wheelers, three of which finished with faster times. Still room for improvement then!
I get home in time to say goodnight to daughter. I tell her I won the cup. I eat dinner and open a bottle of beer. I don’t sleep well. I’m too hot from eating late and still on a high from the ride.
Monday 15th June – Youth Circuit Racing Andover Advertiser Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The cycling season is now in full swing and it is the youngsters that are showing the way. In the recent 'Ray Martin Circuit Series' held over a 5 week period down at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, Cameron Thompson came 1st overall in the U12/10/8's age group and was supported well by Jed Webber in 3rd and 8 year old Alex Hall in 8th place. The U16/14's also saw good performances from Mitchell Webber in 5th place overall with first time competitor Andrew Bungay showing good potential to finish just outside the Top 10 in 11th place. The South Division season long points competion has also seen the Wheelers youngsters dominate so far, with the Top 4 positions in the U12/10/8's taken by Cameron, Jed, Alex and his sister Emily Hall.
There was yet more success for the youth riders when they recently competed down at Thorney Island. Experienced youngsters Tom Bolton and Mitchell Webber were joined by Ben Armes, Chris Cardy, Paul Double and Hamish Pike, all of which were having their first attempts at circuit racing. All age groups went off together and conditions were perfect apart from a nagging wind coming off the sea and it was U16 rider Tom Bolton who went away with another rider and quickly opened a big lead. The U16's chasing group included Armes, Cardy and Pike and they were working well together to keep the leading riders in sight. Mitchell Webber was riding strongly and found himself on his own leading his age group and U12 Paul Double was riding well with another group. Going into the final lap and Tom Bolton took a flyer and gained a good gap on his rival. It looked like Tom was going to take the win but he paid for his initial effort and was just caught on the line to finish in a hard fought 2nd place. Ben Armes pulled away from his team mates in the final stages to finish in an excellent 3rd place with Chris Cardy in 4th and Hamish Pike in 5th. All great results in their first ever race! Mitchell Webber time trialled his way to a solo victory in the U14's and Paul Double proved his potential by outsprinting his breakaway rivals to win the U12's race. A great team effort by all the Wheelers youngsters!
Wednesday 6th May –Wheelers TT League Table
Update
Article courtesy of Simon Healey
After the opening five rounds all three leagues are taking shape with some interesting duals emerging.
In the Elite/2nd Claim Jake has thus far had the edge and established a three point lead over Simon. The battle for third spot has been nip and tuck with improving form from Ian (thanks to the club Chairman making him do some quality training during the Alton 50K) helping him gain a slender one point advantage over Stuart.
The A league has seen a similar close battle for top spot between Rob and Roger. Head to head Rob has a 3:1 advantage, that and the fact that he has taken part in all five events to Rogers’ four has given him the upper hand by twelve points. It will be interesting to see if Roger can bring his greater experience into play over longer distances later in the season or if Rob will simply take this, as everything else, in his stride.
Finally in the B league good, consistent riding by Hefin has built a ten point advantage over second placed Lizzy. The dark horse though is Tom in third place with three wins from his three appearances.
Thursday 30th April – Easter Weekend Andover Advertiser Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
The Easter weekend saw plenty of local riders competing in events across the region. On Good Friday Simon Hall paired up with Lizzy Yates to ride the tandem event in the Bournemouth Arrow 10 mile time trial. The cold and wet conditions made the Ringwood course tougher than usual but the Wheelers pair battled round in a time of 26mins 35secs. Simon's wife Elaine rode her first 'Open' event for 10 years to record a respectable 32mins 26secs in the solo event.
Good Friday also saw a number of youth riders compete in the popular Castle Combe circuit races. Carla James was having only her second ever race but showed good determination to finish 4th in the U10's Girls event. A large field of over 30 riders took part in the U12's race but Cameron Thompson showed that he has good form to finish in 7th place while Jed Webber is improving all the time by taking 15th place. In the U14's race Mitchell Webber was up against some strong riders but his initial pre-race nerves disappeared as soon as flag dropped and he rode a sensible race by following wheels and conserving energy. Coming into the sprint for the line, Mitchell hung in well and was very happy to finish in 8th place.
Easter Monday saw 6 local riders take part in the Alton CC Hilly 31 mile time trial. Club Champion Simon Healey teamed up with Junior rider Max Webber (Behind the Bike Shed) and Mike Webber teamed up with Ian Knight (KFS VC) in the 2-up event. Healey and Webber junior combined well together to finish in a time of 1hr 14mins 51secs for third place overall. It wasn't quite the same story with the pairing of Webber senior and Knight. The KFS VC rider was by far the strongest on the day and Webber spent the majority of the race hanging on to Knight's back wheel! But both riders were pleased to finish in 1hr 21mins 09secs for 4th place team overall. In the solo event Roger Hartnell showed that he is coming back to form by finishing in 1hr 26mins 31secs with Stuart Thompson (Behind the Bike Shed) a further minute back in 1hr 27mins 32secs.
Friday 24th April – First Monday Night Youth/Novice Training Session Report
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Well done to everyone who turned up to the youth & novice training on Monday. We had an excellent session getting used to following and sitting on wheels, cornering at speed, a couple of hard efforts around the big circuit and then a 1 Lap time trial with times as follows:-
Steffan Burgess 1min 12secs
Hamish Pike 1min 03secs
Mitchell Webber 1min 05secs
Andrew Bungay 1min 03secs
Jed Webber 1min 13secs
Daniel Hobson 1min 00secs
See you again next Monday 7.00pm, the more the merrier!
Click here for more photos from the first Youth/Novice Training Session, courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Friday 17th April – Andover Advertiser Report on the first Club TT’s
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Weather conditions played a major part in the first two Andover Wheelers Tuesday evening time trials on the 8.25 mile course based on the roads around Monxton and Grateley. Cold and windy conditions greeted the riders at the first event which made for a more difficult ride on the outward leg to Grateley Station but it was Club Champion Simon Healey that carried on from where he left off last season. His time of exactly 19 mins made him fastest Wheeler on the night followed by Junior rider Rob Ward showing great improvement on his new time trial bike with a PB time of 20 mins 23 secs with another youngster, Tom Bolton, recording 21 mins 51 secs and 3rd Wheeler on the night. Another notable ride was 12 year old Cameron Thompson who was competing in his first ever time trial. He has been racing for a few years in closed circuit road races and seems to have transferred this experience over to racing against the clock and recorded an excellent time of 28 mins 01 secs. Fastest rider on the night was another local rider Rowan Horner (VC St Raphael) in a time of 18 mins 28 secs.
The following Tuesday saw a complete turn around in the weather with near perfect warm and still conditions that saw most riders improve on their previous weeks time. Simon Healey rode a standard road bike without tri bars and still managed to post the fastest Wheelers time but Roger Hartnell pulled out an excellent ride to equal Healeys time of 19 mins 41 secs. Rob Ward managed to dip under the 20 minute mark with 19 mins 59 secs and Tom Bolton posted a PB time of 21 mins 21 secs. Fastest Lady was Lizzy Yates in 23 mins 53 secs and Andrew Frost was having his first attempt at a time trial and did well to comfortably beat 20mph average speed in a time of 23 mins 59 secs. There were also 3 'Come & Try' riders taking part in their first ever race against the clock. Alan Spurden showed plenty of potential in recording a time of 21 mins exactly and Junior riders, Jack Struthers and Sam Goacher, did fantastically well in posting times of 24 mins 52 secs and 27 mins 6 secs respectfully.
For full Results & Photos click here.
Thursday 16th April – Wheelers TT League Table 2009
Now we have completed two club time trials it's time for the first league tables of the season. Changes from last year are the winner of the B league, Peter Dennett, is promoted to the A league and the winner of the A league, me (Simon Healey), promoted to an 'Elite and second claim' league. This new league will give the second claim members something to race for and also provide me with some competition! This year your final league position will be calculated on your best 18 performances. Hopefully this will mitigate the effects of bad luck (punctures etc), work and family commitments, as well as not penalise rides for helping out if required.
Round up so far:-
In both the A and B leagues young riders have been leading the way. A win and a second place has given Rob Ward the advantage in the A league. While in the B league Tom Bolton is unbeaten. Also in the B league a mention should be made of Andrew Frost who, in his first ever time trial, managed to comfortably beat the 20mph barrier. Jake Prior has been leading the way in the Elite/2nd Claim league, however I'm going to use my TT bike from now on to keep him on his toes! (No more showboating on a 40 year old Carlton for me).
For the current table, click here.
Monday 30th March – TT and Thruxton Circuit
Races roundup
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Andover Wheeler time trial champion, Simon Healey, had an excellent weekends racing recently. Riding in his strongest discipline, Healey took 5th place in the tough 18.5 mile Dummer time trial with a time of 42 minutes 40 seconds, just 3 seconds off his best time for the course. In fourth place was another local rider Jake Prior (VC St Raphael) in 42:31. The event was won by Richard Prebble of Pinarello-Candi TV in 39:57, just one second ahead of North Hampshire RC rider Adrian Lansley with Peter Tadros (In Gear Quickvit RT) third in 40:18.
The following day saw Healey take part in the 4th Cat road race at Thruxton. Being fairly new to this type of racing Simon did the thing that he does best, attacking off the front and trying to time trial his way to the finish. He stayed out front for 6 of the race's 10 laps but never really gaining more than a 30 second lead with the large bunch of 70+ riders able to just stay within touching distance. With 2 laps to go another rider managed to jump away from the bunch and bridge the gap across to Healey, giving added impetus to try and stay away to the end. With one lap to go the lead was a precarious one as the bunch increased its speed for the final sprint to the finish. Into the final straight and their lead was a matter of metres but unfortunately, having given it everything, Healey just faded in the final metres but still finishing in a very well deserved 8th position to gain his first points of the season. In the supporting Youth races there was further success for Wheelers riders as Tom Bolton had his best result of the season so far finishing 2nd in the U16's event. Carla James was having her first ever race and did very well by finishing in an excellent 2nd position in the U10 girls race with Emily Hall 3rd in the U12 girls and her brother Alex 3rd in the U10's boys. Other notable results were Cameron Thompson (5th) and Jed Webber (8th) in the U12 boys and Mitchell Webber (6th) in the U14 boys.
Click here for photos from the Thruxton Circuit Races, courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Tuesday 10th March – Wheelers ride early
season TT
Article courtesy of Mike Webber
Two Andover Wheelers Ladies
get their season started with an 11.5 mile time trial near Winchester. The
event was held on circuit that started in Kings Worthy, headed north towards
Popham before turning back through Micheldever, Stoke Charity and back to the
finish. Elaine Hall was having her first ride against the clock for
the best part of 10 years but hasn't lost any of her competitive
edge as she battled round the tough course in a time of 41mins 18secs.
Lizzy Yates has been the clubs leading lady over the last few years and
was pleased with her early season form by beating the 40 miniute mark with a
time of 39mins 07secs but she may well be looking over her shoulder
if Hall continues to improve as the season progresses! Mike Webber was the
only other Wheeler to ride the event, finishing in a time of 33mins 37secs.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand. Photos
courtesy of Simon Hall.
Monday 2nd March - Youngsters race at Milton Keynes
Article courtesy of Stuart Thompson
2 Young Andover
Wheelers competed in there 1st Circuit Race of the season at Milton
Keynes on Saturday the 28th of February.
Young
Cameron Thompson was up 1st in the Under 12’s. The
weather was good and the wind was almost non-existent. Cameron was up
against a very strong field with over 15 riders. As soon as the whistle
went they raced off. A group formed almost straight away consisting of 8
riders with Cameron being one of them. The going was tuff but Cameron
settled into a good rhythm holding his own. Cameron managed to attack on
the 4th lap up the hill but got caught just at the top. He
hung in there for another few laps but unfortunately just couldn’t hold
on and got dropped with 3 laps to go. He finished a very respectable 8th
overall.
The Star of
the Day was Mitch Webber in the under 14’s. With fewer numbers in
his race, about 8, there was no where to hide. He was going to have to
work hard against some of the Larger riders he was up against, and he
did. As soon as the race started a 3 man Break attacked and Mitch was one
of them, dropping everyone else in the race. The full 15 laps consisted
of the 3 working well together to stay away, coming down to the sprint
finish. The attack went in on the last lap up the long drag by one of the
riders but Mitch and the other rider hung on to make him work for it. Mitch
just got pipped at the line coming in an excellent 3rd overall and 2nd
in his category.
I’m
sure both riders will have an excellent season.
The Milton
Keynes Bowl holds regular cycling evens and is a good safe circuit. It is
about an hour and a half drive from Andover but is highly recommended.
Please see the British Cycling web site for more information
Click on a thumbnail image to expand. Photos
courtesy of Stuart Thompson.
Tuesday 24th February – Andover Advertiser Mountbatten Circuit Races report
Words courtesy of Mark Skeates & Mike Webber.
A number of Andover Wheelers riders ventured down to Portsmouth in what was, for many, their first circuit races of the year. With 5 Andover Wheelers in the 4th Cat race, everyone was hopefully of a good result. After a hard race that saw all of the local riders attacking at least once, it all came down to a final sprint finish. In the final 150 metres a rider fell at the front of the bunch which caused many the riders to take avoiding action, but through the melee 3 of the Wheelers managed to score their first points of the year, with Daniel Hobson crossing the line in 6th, Mark Skeates 7th and Mike Webber 8th. Jamie Shearer and Junior rider Rob Ward also finished well in 23rd and 20th places respectfully.
In the 3rd Cat race Junior rider Ollie Pritchard was the lone Andover Wheeler but had a very aggressive race, spending time off the front in breakaways. These breaks were unsuccessful and it all came together again for a bunch sprint finish for the line with Ollie powerfully holding his own among the older riders to score 7th place.
Wednesday 18th February – Andover Advertiser Open Hilly 10.2 TT report & photos
The Andover Wheelers kicked off their 2009 time trial promotions recently with a Hilly 10.2 mile event based on a course at Vernham Dean. This early season event is one of the hardest on the calender with the riders tackling the tough climb of Conholt Hill within the first mile, the long descent into Hatherden and then the deceptively hard drag of a road out of Wildhern towards Upton and the finish at Vernham. The conditions were perfect for the time of year with the roads clear and dry but the recent cold spell made for a picturesque climb up Conholt Hill with snow still covering the surrounding fields and verges. The Wheelers had five riders entered and Simon Healey produced a great ride to finish in 5th place overall in 27mins 51secs and was supported well by junior rider Ollie Pritchard who improved his time from last year by over a minute and a half! Ollie's time of 28mins 58secs was good enough for 9th place overall and earned him the top prize in the Junior competition. U16 rider Tom Bolton also improved on his previous years time with 31mins 55secs followed by fellow Wheelers Stuart Thompson 32mins 40secs, Jamie Shearer 33mins 18secs and fastest Lady rider Lizzy Yates in 37mins 23secs. The winner of the event overall was Chris Birch from East Street Cycles in a course record time of 25mins 12 secs.
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand. Photos
courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Click here for more photos from the event, courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Wednesday 11th February – 2009 Club Events Schedule Released, including a new Championship – the Athletes TT
The 2009 Club events schedule have now been added to the Website, so we can all start planning our summer of racing.
For 2009, the club has decided to add a new Championship to the schedule, The Athletes TT. This to be held on the Tuesday 2nd June, and will use the Monxton P614c course. The idea behind the event is to see how quickly we can go without any aerodynamic devices or TT bikes (although if you want to ride the event on your TT bike you can, you just won’t qualify for the Championship). The rules for the Athletes TT are as follows:
1. No TT bikes, only normal Road Bikes (e.g. the kind you would use in a Road Race)
2. No Disk Wheels or Deep Rimmed Aero Wheels. Rims must not exceed 3cm in depth.
3. No tri bars or corn horns. Drop handlebars only.
4. No Aero Helmets or Aero Fairings, although we do recommend everyone uses a normal Road Helmet.
5. Skinsuits and Aero Oversocks are OK.
Friday 6th February – Andover Advertiser Calshot Track Night report & photos
The Andover Wheelers kicked of their 2009 season with a coaching session down at the cycling track at Calshot. With the success of the GB cyclists at last years Beijing Olympics still fresh in the minds, many of the clubs riders hadn't experienced this type of cycling before and were looking forward to finding out first hand what it was like. The Calshot Velodrome is the only indoor banked track in the South of England and, at 140 metres in length, is the shortest and most steeply banked in the country. Add to that bikes with no brakes and a single fixed gear that means you can't stop pedaling, this can be a daunting prospect for the most experienced of riders.
The riders were split into three groups of varying experience - U14 youngsters, novices who had never ridden the track before and the more experienced riders. Under the careful guidance of local coach, Tim Knight, each group was put through their paces with a variety of different training routines. Everyone was soon riding round with confidence and were able to ride at speed with no problems at all. The younger riders in particular showed the rest of the riders the way and were quickly confident enough to ride up high on the steep banking before dropping down to the inside line for a flying lap. Such was the success of this track session that another has already been booked for later this month.
Click here for photos from the Track Night, courtesy of Barrie Austen.
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