2008 Old
News
Tuesday 2nd December –
The Andover Wheelers AGM is on Tuesday 9th
December at Wyke Down PH starting at
As is the way, we can always do with more volunteers on the committee to help with the running of the club. If the club is to continue moving forward we really do need to get more people involved and the following posts to be filled. I’ve put a brief description of whats required from each post but please contact me if you want to discuss further:-
Honorary Secretary
The secretary shall:
- record and maintain club records, documents, communications and membership details.
- receive club correspondence and communicate to club members in a timely fashion as appropriate.
- ensure that an agenda for committee meetings and the Annual General Meeting is available .
- ensure that full and accurate records of all club committee meetings, Annual General Meeting and any other official club meeting.
- receive BC racing licenses on behalf of club riders and send them on.
- produce reports as directed by the committee.
- manage and maintain club affiliations.
Club PR Officer – Press officer to regularly put news articles and pictures in the local press of Andover Wheelers events and exploits in races etc. (Needs to have a creative way with words!!!)
Club Clothing secretary – To look after the clothing stock etc.
Website Editor – To manage and keep up to date the clubs website.
If you wish to take on one of the above roles or discuss further please contact the Club Chairman.
Saturday
15th November - C2C
and Reivers back ~ Extracts from a diary
Bob MacDowall and Paul Welch (June 2008)
Paul wanted
to celebrate his 60th birthday with something slightly different.
Bob said he could play too and thought Glenys Ennis’s idea of the Sea to Sea
(the C2C) ride from Whitehaven in the
The route in summary:-
Day From and to Day’s
Distance Trail Distance Aggregate Distance
Monday Start of C2C
Whitehaven to
Greystoke 48 48
Tuesday Greystoke to Rowlands Gill 71 119
Wednesday End of C2C:-
Rowlands Gill to
Start
of Reivers Trail:-
Northshields
to
Total
for Wednesday 69 188
Thursday
Westlinton
to Blackford for Dandy
Campsite, then flog
to Rockcliffe & back
for Pub Supper 5
Total
for Thursday 64 252
Friday Back to
route 1
Westlinton
to Whitehaven 64
Total
for Friday 65 Reivers
179 miles 317
NB Total split as:
Actual route 311
Odd diversions,
etc !...say 6 317
Monday ~ 48 miles
Started the
138 miles
Breakfasted
in Macdonalds, sustaining but not quite the usual traditional fry-up !
Friendly
and expectant photos were snapped at the start signified by the modern
stainless steel C2C sign at the harbour in Whitehaven, back wheels were dipped
in this the Irish Sea, following a nice new tradition, and we looked forward to
dipping the front wheels in the North Sea at Tynemouth when we finished.
Started with several other groups, one group from a twinned town near
Wound our
way through Whitehaven and onto the converted railway track for a very pleasant
gentle climb into the countryside, passed lots of attractive signposts
depicting local activities and rode through the remains of old stations.
Later
joined quiet twisting lanes with great views of the Lakes, and enjoyed a long
climb up
Tuesday ~ 71 miles
Woke up
after a cold night to the splosh splosh of rain on the tent. Packed our gear,
sat in the garden gazebo and tucked in to a great bowl of home made porridge
topped with fresh honey; ”pay what you want” said our delightful host, ”and
lock up when you go”, leaving the place to us as she took her son to school !
Long day
today, through the rain to Carlisle, lovely assistant in the Penrith bike shop,
on to 11’s in the bus shelter at Langwathby, where Bob chatted to a local
waiting for the weekly Fellrunner bus. Then lots of climbing, slight hold up
behind a shepherd with a large flock of sheep following our lane for a mile.
Great descent, then straight over the road to the track, some track ! All
uphill, rideable for a while, then off and pushing, nose on handlebars, till we
eventually arrived at the Cafe at top of Hartside Fell; Phillipa’s group in the
cafe already, but they went via the roads, softies! Very windy and wet again!
Great drop now though, strong wind behind, glad I had disc brakes, I think Bob
wished he had too! Now another climb and good drop down to Nenthead. Still
raining and blowing! More climbs to Allenheads where we stopped for 4’s and met
Phillipa’s group again, they had finished for the day and couldn’t believe we
were continuing for another 30 miles that day ! Great roughstuff climb now,
rideable for two miles on stones and rocks to the summit, then a tremendous
ride across the moors of Stanhope and Edmondbyers Commons, remote and sunny at
last, but so windy...we could hardly keep a straight line as the wind tried to
grab the handlebars from us...but challenging riding and great views all the
way to Parkhead Station. This ex-railway station seems to have been used in the
past for a mineral quarry railway line, climbing up from Consett in the glory
days of steam and the iron and steel industry. Now it was just a cyclists’
dream of a track, the
Wednesday ~ 69 miles
Challenge
today, tent put away wet again, but weather then cleared for an easy and sunny
first bit of riding down into
Celebrated
the finish by tucking in to real fish and chips at the traditional old
“Kristians Fish Restaurant” at Fish Quay in North Shields, a fitting end to
this part of our adventure.
Now we had
to get to
An
excellent route too, similar to the C2C with great lanes, converted railway
lines and Waggonways, as well as superb tracks; though nowhere near as well
signposted as the C2C, take care and a map when you ride this trail.
We followed
the Waggonway, an aged sloped railway for simple wooden wagons built before the
days of steam trains, out of Northshields towards Ponteland. This was an
excellent and easy ride away from the built up towns and into the countryside
again.
Be careful
how you pronounce Ponteland, we were working out the next part of the route
from there when a local vicar on a scooter stopped to offer help. It seemed
Paul may have innocently caused offence as the vicar gently guided Paul to say
Ponteeee-land, not Ponty-land, maybe it rhymes with something else ! Anyway, he
was an affable vicar, suggested a quick route to
Back on
course we then began serious climbing, and the rain began serious falling, and
the countryside became seriously remote. After a dark afternoon of serious wet
riding we finally saw the signs for Bellingham and just hoped the Bunkhouse we
were planning to stay at was open, easy to find, and not at the top of a hill.
Once again we were lucky as we stopped at the first cottage in
Thursday ~ 64 miles
Real
roughstuff day today. Good weather too. Steady climbs up to Falstone and an
excellent cafe in the converted schoolhouse. Then continued climbing up to the
Dam end of Kielder Reservoir ! Fabulous views, fantastic spread of water, and
an excellent 8 mile ride round the edge of the reservoir to the start of 15
miles of superb off road tracks through the
Friday ~ 65 miles
Last day;
the first morning we were able to break camp in the dry, sunny all day and a
great route through gorgeous country. Started alongside the River Eden and the
salt marshes and then rode into
But it was
near here that Paul lost Bob again! Paul had stopped to take some photos and
Bob went slowly on ahead. Paul then flogged on because he thought Bob had
flogged on, but Bob wasn’t there for the next four miles. We hadn’t swapped
mobile phone numbers after all and Paul finally needed to phone our wives to
get each other’s own phone numbers so that we could phone each other and get
riding together again...how embarrassing was that ! Sigh of relief when we
finally met up again, Bob had missed one of the many signs that wasn’t there!
So we rode very close together from then on, and in good weather and
countryside to Cockermouth, quite a trendy town these days. Followed the lanes
out to Camerton and then joined yet another excellent ex-railway line converted
to cycle and footpath. This was a splendid downhill route past monolithic wind
turbines, with classic views to the sea, and wound down into Workington. Once
through the town we then got back on the cyclepath and rode towards the
outskirts of Whitehaven, where we needed all our touring skills to work out
which way next as some major road works were disrupting routes as well as
cutting a rather ugly swathe through this magnificent scenery. Success though
and we joined the last part of the route where it clings closely to the foot of
the cliffs via the coast track.
We finished
with the backdrop of a setting sun and placid sea back almost where we started,
five days later, on Friday evening at 8.00 p.m. True to form of the poor
signing throughout the Reivers Route though, we never did find the official finish
and couldn’t dip our wheels in the sea again, so took some pictures by
Whitehaven Harbour to prove we had got back anyway.
We had
ridden, wobbled and walked the C2C and Reivers in 5 days, a truly unique route,
especially on mountain bikes and camping; it’s a great circuit, although 5 days
is probably a bit of a flog for this type of 317 miles, but it’s very enjoyable
and we would recommend trying aspects of this to anyone, whatever their age!
Now what will Bob want to do for his 60th ?.....I’ll be ancient by
then !
Monday
20th October - Sub Hour for 25 miles - Bring on the Stig! (by Ian Knight)
The Holy Grail
for any time trial rider has to be the sub hour ride for 25 miles, to those who
regularly have done it this seems to be so easy but I can verify it is not
quite so simple.
One way to go under the mystical hour is to ride a tandem but that is
technically cheating, the other way is to ride a 2 up, but you really want to
be behind the other rider the whole time, as this is a team ride you should
really do a fair share of the work so it means you have to ride for 12.5 miles
the equivalent of a 24min dead 10 mile TT again this is still a tall order if
you have not done that.
So the basics are you need to ride flat out for 12.5 miles at 25mph with the
other 12.5 miles sheltered enough that you do not blow up before the end,
realistically this is still hard work for the average club rider.
So it would appear the thing to do is to ride behind someone else for 25 miles,
luckily the Veterans Time Trial Association have an event that promises just
that one rider must be a Vet and they have to be towed around a race called the
Gentleman’s 2 up, every year late September early October on the Upton Bypass
course.
I know it is hard to believe that I am old enough to be a VET (damn it that
hurts when you have to write it) the first envelope I opened on my birthday was
membership to the VTTA I was in complete shock, I am now officially an old git
who remembers 27inch wheel bikes with cottered cranks saddlebags and when we
punctured we mended them under our rain capes, bloody hell I am soooo old!!!!
But then I realised I must find a quick rider to take me around.
Unfortunately for me I have always been the “young” rider with the task of
towing around the VET for the glory of the sub hour ride, I first rode this
event in 1995 with my first ride as the VET in 2008. I have never managed a sub
hour ride, I have listed below the times and partners that I have ridden with
1995 Dave Rayner 1.11.04
1996 Dave Rayner 1.06.06
1997 Dave Rayner 1.06.51
1998 Les Harris 1.00.05
1999 Les Harris 1.02.52
2000 Les Harris 1.03.15
2001 DNS
2002 Paul Welch 1.04.22
2003 DNS
2004 John Martin 1.02.11
2005 DNS
2006 Mike Webber 1.02.26
2007 Harry Lodge 1.00.03
2008 was the year for going under that pesky hour, I was fortunate to go under
the hour myself this year after only managing it once before, a reliable solid
partner was needed and the one I found was just that roll out the “Stig” some
say he is not normal, some say he eats south American frogs to make him breathe
more easily all I know he is an awesome bike rider roll out the Stig.
When I told people I was riding with the Stig most thought it funny not in a
hilarious way but funny mad, but then I always do things with out thinking through
the consequences.
The Stig was duly collected from his oxygen tent at 6.00am the morning of the
ride, we carefully placed him in the car with his plate of toast, this was
covered in what I thought was frog juice but he said it was butter, being an athlete
I don’t touch that stuff, on the journey he asked what speed I wanted to ride,
my reply was 26mph this is a 57.41 some 17 seconds quicker than I had ridden
this year.
We arrived out came his bike with normal spoked wheels and normal crash helmet,
he went off to find some tea, while Stig was foraging for his drink, my bike
came out with no computer but with a disc wheel, aero front wheel and my
favourite piece of kit my pointy hat, I tell you I looked awesomely fast and
dangerous.
Stig was ready we set off for the start he asked me again how did I want him to
ride, 26mph I said, Stig replied no problem, it was at this point half a mile
from the HQ my chain snapped, damit, Stig took over pushed me back to the HQ
found a chain tool, I fixed it in a few minutes so we set off again, this time
with a bit of urgency arriving at the start with 3 minutes to spare.
Sat on the line Stig asked me again how are we going to ride this I said I am
here to enjoy it but I must break that pesky hour, what I didn’t tell Stig was
my lack of miles since early August with this ride would mean my total for the
last 8 weeks was going to treble figures.
We started off and Sitg got excited and after 100 metres I was already dropped,
I shouted the practiced call SLOW DOWN, this seemed to work, got tucked in
behind the Stig as most people know the Upton course does 3 laps, at the end of
the 1st lap Stig shouts we are doing 28mph ave what do you want to do, keep
going was my reply. On our second lap we were overtaken by another team on
their first lap, I shout to Stig don’t get excited but he doesn’t hear me and
duly chasing them down and we overtake them.
We settle back into our rhythm and they come by again so this time I tell Stig
to let them go which he does, end of the next lap still doing 28mph ave, not
sure if I really needed to know or not but I felt ok, the third lap the road
starts to get a bit heavy but we maintain the speed, with only the leg to
Holten Heath to go Stig opens up the gas a bit and I am just being put under
too much pressure but I concentrated and dug in, with only 2 miles to go I am
expecting a sub hour ride, we crossed the line with a 55.06.
This was a great way to end my season and 13 years of trying to get someone
under the hour, it was great to be dragged around with such an awesome bike
rider, perfect speed it could not be any better, so thanks to the Stig my
target has been achieved when I became the old git, the identity of the Stig is
no secret he can be seen winning time trials and road race across the south he
is Rowan Horner.
Saturday 20th September - GHS Championship
Andover
Wheelers youngsters Tom Bolton, Rob Ward and Max Webber put in some great
personal best performances when they recently took part in the National
Schools 10 mile Time Trial Championships in Hertfordshire. After qualifying
locally earlier in the season, they were now up against some of the best young
riders in the country. The young Wheelers had prepared well in the build up to
the final and they were all riding specific time trial bikes with deep section
front wheels, solid carbon rear disc wheels and tri-bars. The event was a
straight forward out and back course based on the A10 near Hertford and the
conditions were good but with a slight headwind on the outward leg. Rob was the
first Wheeler away followed 2 minutes later by Tom. Both riders gave it
everything and were rewarded with PB times of 24mins 49secs and 25mins 05secs
respectfully. Max had to wait another hour before his start time but had the
advantage of having experienced the event last year and knowing what to expect.
He also didn't disappoint and produced another PB of 23mins 44secs, beating
last years time by 29secs. Overall Tom finished in 50th place, Rob in 44th
place and Max in 27th place out of the 105 finishers but their combined times
were good enough for a fantastic 3rd place overall in the Team event! Tom,
Rob and Max would like to thank everyone that helped them with equipment,
travelling and coaching to produce such a great result for the club.
Monday 15th September -
Andover Wheelers youngsters are hitting
form just at the right time as they prepare for the up and coming National
Schools 10 mile time trial championship. 16 year olds Max Webber and Robert
Ward had an early Sunday morning start when they took part in the Reading
CC 10 mile time trial on the A4 just north of Aldermaston on a course
that can be quick if the conditions are right but a nagging southerly wind
made life difficult on the outward leg. Both Wheelers youngsters rode time
trial machines with disc wheels and both finished in personal best times.
Rob sliced well over a minute off of his PB time by recording 25mins
16secs to finish in 18th place and 2nd Junior rider overall. Max took 11
seconds off of his PB and rode his first 25mph time trial in recording 23mins
50secs which left him in 5th place overall and earned him 1st place in the
Junior competition. The overall event was won by another local rider Jake
Prior, who rides for
The two
youngsters then headed off to take part in the Andover Wheelers Hill
Climb Championship. The shortest Championship event but quite possibly the
hardest of all the events is held on Ham Hill near Hungerford and is a
flat out effort to the top to determine the winner. Conditions were damp which
caused some traction problems but it was the youngsters who came out on top. 15
year old Tom Bolton, another rider preparing for the Schools Championship,
pedalled smoothly in a low gear to finish in a time of 1min 45secs for 3rd
place. Simon Healey has been dominating the Championship events all season but
had to make do with 2nd place in a time of 1min 43secs but it was Rob
Ward, fresh from his efforts in the earlier 10 mile time trial, who stormed up
the hill in a time of 1min 37secs to win his first ever club championship. Max
Webber paid for his earlier efforts finishing in 5th place in a time
of 1min 47secs but, worst of all, finishing 1 second behind his Dad
Mike! Other times were Daniel Hobson 1min 55secs, Stuart Thompson 2mins
05secs, Mark Skeates 2mins 20secs, Gregg James 2mins 26secs and 13 year old
Mitchell Webber 2mins 46secs.
Monday 1st September - Olly
Pritchard tackles the Junior Tour of Wales
Local rider, Olly Pritchard - who
normally rides for Andover Wheelers – recently took part in the Junior Tour of
Wales – a 3 day event held over the August bank holiday weekend. The race
travels through the Welsh counties of Gwent, Dyfed and Powys, as well as the
harsh climbs in the Brecon Beacons. There were teams from all over
79 riders started on the first stage, a
short 7.2km individual time trial. The winner of this stage was Erick Rowsell
who went on to win the race overall 3 days later. Olly completed the stage in
14 minutes 31 seconds giving him 64th place. The second stage was a
72.4 km road stage, finishing at the top of the grueling climb of
The beginning of the second day was a
1-hour criterium around the Bryn Bach park circuit. Conditions were awful, with
the tarmac track little more than a stream of muddy water. The race was fast
and hard from the gun, and many riders including Olly were rapidly shelled out.
The race split into smaller groups, which finished at their own pace. By the
end of the stage all riders were coated in a thick layer of mud. After a quick
shower and change of clothes was Stage 4 a 75.6km road stage, where Olly
finished a steady 42nd place.
The final stage was the hardest of the
lot, a 100km road stage taking in many hills of the Brecon Beacons. The peloton
soon split, and Pritchard found himself in a group of 20 riders off the back of
the leaders, who were happy just to roll along and finish the stage. By the end
of the final stage Olly was in 55th overall out of the 72 finishers.
Fashion designer Jeff Banks presented the prizes at the presentations, and Tour
De France rider Magnus Backstedt was spotted in the audience.
Thursday 31st July -
The local Thruxton '10' course has produced some fast times over the last
few weeks with good performances from the Wheelers. The first event again saw
Simon Healey fastest Wheeler in 21mins 19secs but the next three riders battled
it out for 2nd place and were only split by 12 seconds! Ian Knight came out on
top with 22mins 18secs followed by Dave Dinsdale in 22mins 29secs who just
pipped Harry Lodge by 1 second. Fastest rider on the night was Nick Bowdler of
Farnborough & Camberley CC who pushed a massive gear to produce a 30mph
ride in 19mins 55secs.
The following week saw the same course used again but this time there was the
option to ride the 2 lap 25 mile variation of the course. Ian Knight produced
his PB time for 25 miles finishing in 57mins 58secs and 1st Wheeler home.
Comeback rider Harry Lodge is getting back to full fitness, also beating the
hour with a time of 58mins 43secs and was followed by another PB time from
Peter Dennett in 61mins 18secs and Nick Adnitt in 62mins 25secs. In the 10 mile
event Simon Healey finished in 21mins 10secs with Dave Dinsdale in 2nd place
with 22mins 15secs and Tim James producing a 25mph ride in 23mins 58secs. The
fastest time of the night came from tandem pairing Mark Jones & Howard
Waller from Oxford City RC who produced a stunning ride of 18mins 33secs for
the 10 mile distance!
Another 'Come & Try It' event promoted by the Andover Wheelers saw a number
of potential racing cyclists take part. The 8.5 mile circuit around the roads
in Grateley and Monxton saw some fast, close times achieved. Tim Jude was the
fastest on the day with 22mins 36secs but the next three riders, Giffin
Lorimer, Terry Smith and Lee Hinchcliffe were split by just 9 seconds with
times of 23.09, 23.17 and 23.18. A couple of youngsters put in some great rides
also. 12 year old Paul Double rode his first ever event and finished in an
excellent 27mins 41secs and 13 year old Mitchell Webber beat his previous best
time by over 2 minutes by recording an impressive 24mins 26secs. Many thanks go
out to Amport Cricket Club for the use of their facilities as race HQ and to
everyone that helped to make this event a success.
Sunday 27th July -
Its been a busy period for the Andover Wheelers recently, which has seen a
great deal of success! There have been plenty of Wheelers taking part in road
racing this season and two riders have gained enough points to move up to the
next category. Stuart Thompson started the year as a 3rd Cat rider and has been
scoring points regularly in races at
On the time trial front, the first leg of the annual 'Interclub' event between
the Wheelers and the North Hampshire Road Club took place recently. The course
was over a distance of 18.5 miles on the roads around Dummer, near
Dave Dinsdale and Peter Dennett have put in some good performances in longer
distance time trials. Dinsdale braved some horrendous conditions to ride the
East Sussex CA 100 mile time trial on the roads around Horsham. Without doing
any distance training it was always going to be difficult but Dave put in an
excellent performance to finish in a time of 4hrs 51mins 29secs for 10th place
overall. The previous weekend Dave travelled to the West country to ride the
Bristol South CC 50 mile time trial in much better conditions. Much suited to
this distance, he finished in a great time of 2hrs 00mins 18secs and just
missing out on a 25mph average speed but setting himself up nicely for the
club's Best All Rounder competition. Local triathlete Peter Dennett is training
hard for the Ironman event and has seen his cycling times improve greatly. He
recently rode his first ever 50 mile time trial on roads near Poole and showed
his improvement by clocking a time of 2hrs 13mins 39secs. A great first attempt
at the distance and good enough for 19th place overall.
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Monday 7th July - GHS Championship Southern Final
Three Andover Wheelers youngsters teamed up well recently in the southern final of the GHS Championship. The GHS is a national time trial competition for riders of school age and the south final is run over a distance of 10 miles on a tough course just outside Ringwood. Rob Ward and Tom Bolton were having their first attempts at the competition and both produced excellent personal best times. Rob rode round in 27mins 13secs with Tom just edging him in a time of 26mins 47secs. Max Webber rode this competition last year and has been in good form this season. Riding a specific time trial bike with a carbon fibre rear disc wheel, Max produced another PB time of 24mins 01secs, virtually a 25mph average ride. His ride was good enough for 2nd place overall, only 45secs behind British Talent Team rider Jonathan Dibben. All three Wheelers times were good enough to win the team prize and qualify for the National Final in September.
Thursday 3rd July - Updated League tables
|
A league |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
|
S. Healey |
20 |
20 |
20 |
|
20 |
20 |
20 |
|
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
200 |
|
I. Knight |
12 |
12 |
18 |
20 |
|
18 |
|
20 |
18 |
16 |
16 |
|
150 |
|
N. Adnitt |
16 |
10 |
16 |
18 |
16 |
|
12 |
|
14 |
14 |
|
|
116 |
|
D. Dinsdale |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
16 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
88 |
|
S. Hall |
|
|
14 |
|
|
14 |
16 |
|
12 |
|
|
|
56 |
|
A. Slack |
18 |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
10 |
|
56 |
|
S. Thompson |
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
12 |
12 |
|
50 |
|
R. Hartnell |
|
14 |
|
|
18 |
16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
48 |
|
H. Lodge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
14 |
16 |
48 |
|
Max Webber |
14 |
16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 |
|
R. Ward |
10 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B League |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Dennett |
20 |
20 |
20 |
|
20 |
|
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
200 |
|
H. Richards |
|
|
12 |
18 |
14 |
20 |
16 |
14 |
|
16 |
16 |
|
126 |
|
J. Foster |
|
|
8 |
16 |
12 |
8 |
14 |
|
|
14 |
12 |
12 |
96 |
|
M. Morgan |
18 |
|
16 |
20 |
|
16 |
18 |
|
18 |
|
18 |
|
82 |
|
T.Bolton |
16 |
16 |
|
|
|
18 |
|
16 |
|
|
|
16 |
82 |
|
W. Sawyer |
14 |
18 |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50 |
|
T. James |
|
|
14 |
|
16 |
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
48 |
|
Mike Webber |
12 |
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
44 |
|
N. Benham |
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
|
36 |
|
L. Yates |
10 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
36 |
|
M. Skeats |
8 |
14 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
32 |
|
D. Hobson |
6 |
10 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
28 |
|
G. James |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
14 |
|
M. Benham |
|
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Tuesday 1st July - Latest
The last 3 weeks have seen the Andover Wheelers Championship events dominated by Simon Healey. The 'Andover Advertiser' trophy is held over 25 miles and Healey demonstrated his excellent form by coming home 1st in a time of 55mins 47secs. 2nd place went to another rider in good form, Ian Knight, who finished in a time of 59mins 39secs with 3rd place going to Dave Dinsdale who, after a slow start to the season, recorded 60mins 02secs. The 25 Championship also incorporates a 'Handicap' 25 Championship event which was won by Simon Hall whos allowance of 6mins 58secs gave him a winning time of 55mins 23secs. Scratch ride Healey was 2nd with Knight in 3rd.
The following weekend saw the clubs 30 mile Championship and, although Simon Healey took top spot again with a time of 1hr 8mins 36secs, there were some notable rides by the other competitors. Hefin Richards was racing at the distance for the first time and produced a good time of 1hr 21mins 25secs for 6th place. Stuart Thompson and Pete Dennett were having a ding dong battle for 4th place with Thompson just edging Dennett by 7secs in a time of 1hr 15mins 36secs. 3rd place went to Nick Adnitt who has been consistently improving throughout the season, finishing in a time of 1hr 13mins 35secs leaving Dave Dinsdale to collect 2nd spot with a 25mph average ride of 1hr 11mins 54secs.
The Championship '10' was run off in near perfect conditions and the times reflected this. Hefin Richards rode a PB time of 24mins 39secs and was unfortunate to miss out on 3rd place in the Handicap event by just 1sec from ex. Pro rider Harry Lodge. 2nd place in the Handicap event with an amended time of 21mins 9secs was taken by another rider coming into form, Stuart Thompson. The main event saw two riders who are coming into form, Dave Dinsdale - 21mins 56secs, and Ian Knight - 22mins 27secs, taking 2nd and 3rd places respectively but the very in form Simon Healey took 1st place in the main event with a time of 21mins 3secs and, as the Scratch rider, took the Handicap prize also.
Sunday 15th June - Large
Wheelers turnout for road racing
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
The Andover
Wheelers have had some of their largest ever turnouts for recent road races
with results to match! 13 riders took part in the popular Mountbatten races at
The following
week saw another 14 riders compete in the local circuit races at Thruxton with
more success. Again, youth riders Alex and Emily Foster won their events with
Jed Webber having one of his best races to finish in 2nd place in the U12's. In
the main adult 3rd Cat race Ollie Pritchard, Max Webber, Stuart Thompson and
Simon Hall were all active in the bunch. The tough circuit proves to be
difficult for anyone to get away and it came down to a big bunch sprint!
Youngster Pritchard found his sprinting legs to finish in an excellent 6th
place with Hall, who had also ridden a 25 mile time trial that morning,
finishing just behind him in 10th. But it was the 4th Cat race that proved
how teamwork can bring success with six riders taking part. Simon Healey
tried his hand at road racing and was just as successful by getting into a
break of three riders that stayed away to the finish. Team mates Ian Knight,
Mike Webber, Mark Skeates, Gregg James, Jamie Shearer and Junior rider Daniel
Hobson all countered any riders who tried to get across to the three leaders.
Healey finished in a fantastic 3rd place and Ian Knight had enough left in the
tank to take 6th place overall in the final sprint. A special mention must
go out to Daniel Hobson and Jamie Shearer who were competing in their first
road race and did extremely well to contest the final bunch sprint. A
great effort by all the Wheelers which bodes well for the future!
.JPG)
Thursday 12th June - Youth
training session
Article
courtesy of Mike Webber
Another good
training session tonight with the youngsters (and Lizzy!!)
30 minutes of steady
thru and off followed by each rider having to lap the group one at a time
(which is harder than it appears before you have a go at it!!). All riders are
cornering well at speed, even Lizzy managed it towards the end without putting
her brakes on!
Finally, a 1
lap TT, times as follows:-
Jed Webber -
1min 16secs
Mitchell Webber
- 1min 07secs
Hamish Pike -
1min 07secs
Daniel Hobson -
1min 02secs
Lizzy Yates -
1min 09secs
David Pike -
1min 00secs
Wednesday 11th June - Wheelers
road racing update - June 2008
Article
courtesy of Stuart Thompson
As most of you are aware there are quite
a few Wheelers road racing now, and we would just like you to know how they are
getting on. There is a regular crowd of at least 4 normally racing but
numbers have been as many as 11 at the weekends, like this weekend just
gone. We are bringing on the youth cycling within the club with at least
5 youths regularly turning up at races, which I'm sure the Thursday night
training sessions are helping with.
Gregg James
came 2nd gaining 8 points towards his 3rd Cat licence at the Mountbatten Centre
which is outstanding for his first season. Even his daughter has had a go at
Castle Combe winning her 1st race in her Cat. Gregg only needs two points
for his 3rd.
Stuart
Thompson's best result this season was also at the Mountbatten Centre with a
third place and he too hopes to have his 2nd Cat licence by the end of the
season. He has 16 points and needs 24 more. Cameron is regularly winning
his Category and is ranked 8th Nationally. He is hoping to hold this position
until the end of the year
The Webbers are
having a great season with Max now gaining his 3rd Cat Junior Licence giving up
his top 10 placing Nationally in the U16 Youths. Max regularly sacrifices
himself for other team mates to help them with a top placing - he is an
excellent team player. Mitch is regularly finishing high in his races and is
ranked 28th Nationally which is excellent considering he is one of the youngest
riders in his group. Jedd is also ranked 22nd Nationally and is regularly
finishing in a top place at the Mountbatten Centre. Dad, Mike could not
restrain himself from dusting the cobwebs off his bike too and is now having a
go. No top results yet but a very loud cheer when he finishes!
The Halls are
having a good season also. Simon has gained 5 points already and even
competed in the Regional RR championships. Brave man! Emily leads the way
for the girls regularly winning her Category and has 17 points and is ranked
12th Nationally. Alex has 12 points and is ranked 12th which will be the
one to watch for the future.
Oliver
Pritchard who is a 3rd Cat Junior is doing extremely well at racing with the
adults and is regularly off the front or chasing down. No points yet but
they will come.
Its nice to see
novices like Mark Skeates having a go and being able to stick in there with
some quick riders. Its early days yet for Mark but if he keeps going the
way he is he will have his 3rd Cat by the end of the season.
Its really nice
to see so many Wheelers Road and Circuit Racing, Adults and Youths and its also
nice to have a bit of a banter too when we go to these events. The more
the merrier!
If anyone else
wants to have a go at Road Racing, more information can be found at http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/bchome/home.asp or
contact Stuart at smtaerials@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday 10th June - Hilly
circuit series underway
The Andover
Wheelers hilly circuit series got underway recently with a 14 mile time trial
around the roads to the north of
The following
week saw a return to the fast 10 mile course that starts and finishes near to
Thruxton race circuit. Good conditions were reflected in some great times
by a lot of the riders. Simon Hall, having rode a 100 mile time trial the
previous Sunday, produced his best 10 mile time for 3 seasons with 22mins
54secs and the ever improving Hefin Richards very nearly beat the 25 minute
mark by riding a personal best time of 25mins 08secs. Ex Continental Pro rider,
Harry Lodge, has started to get back on his bike more after a long lay off and
showed his class by recording a time of 22mins 43secs in what was his first
'10' for many years! Fastest club rider on the night was Simon Healey in a
time of 21mins 18secs and the fastest rider overall was Lee Tunnicliffe
with a 30mph ride of 19mins 58secs.
Saturday 31st May - Latest report for the Andover Advertiser
Many of the the Andover Wheelers have started to move up a gear now that the racing season is in full swing. Simon Healey is proving to be the rider to beat when finishing 6th in the clubs 25 mile 'Open' event with a time of 56mins 41secs. He was well supported by Roger Hartnell who finished in a time of 61mins 58secs, and Lizzy Yates in 75mins 02secs who also finished 2nd overall in the Ladies competition.
Stuart Thompson is also showing some good form by
already beating his best '10' mile time from the whole of last season. Thompson
rode the fast course to the west of
Simon Hall is another rider looking to have a good go at the
club's BAR and got it underway recently in the longest counting event,
the 100 mile time trial. The event that Hall entered was also on the A31
near
Sunday 25th May -
Four Andover Wheelers competed in the Castle Coombe
Crits recently, Gregg James and daughter Karla and Stu Thompson and son
Cameron. Karla had a top first race finishing 2nd in her Category of
Girls on a Mountain bike and is looking forward to trying out her new go faster
road bike next time. Cameron too had an excellent race finishing 3rd
overall but 1st in his Category, putting in plenty of attacks after the tight
corners. This now ranks him 7th overall in the
Tuesday 13th May - Good times to be had in Club 10s
The popular 10 mile course to the west of
Fine weather conditions the following week saw Ian Knight
improve on his previous time by 47secs and take 1st Wheeler overall in a
time of 22mins 07secs. Nick Adnitt also improved his previous weeks time
to finish in 22mins 53secs for 2nd Wheeler overall followed by Malcolm Morgan
in 24mins 06secs. Other notable rides saw runner turned cyclist Hefin Richards,
who is improving his times week by week, record an excellent
25mins 57secs and Andover Wheeler stalwart John Foster who is taking the chance
to ride in instead of organise all the club events and recorded a fine 32mins
29secs. The two fastest riders on the night were Dafydd Dylan and James Stewart
of the KFS Special Vehicles Racing Team who recorded 20mins 04secs and 20mins
12secs respectfully. The team, as the name suggests, are sponsored by local
firm KFS Special Vehicles who are based on the
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand.
Wednesday 23rd April - Monxton events report
The Andover Wheelers new club event season got underway recently with the
8.25 mile Monxton time trial. There was a surprisingly large but welcome turn
out for this first event with everyone keen to gauge their fitness after the
winter break. Although conditions were dry & bright, a strong headwind on
the outward leg to Grateley greeted the 25 competitors and made it hardwork to
the first turn. But after the turn it was a tailwind all the way to the next
turn at Kentsboro with some riders nudging 40mph in places! The final leg to
the finish, although not as quick, saw the riders keeping the pace high and
able to maintain a good effort to the finish. Fastest Wheeler on the night was
Simon Healey in 18mins 38secs followed by Adrian Slack in 19mins 25secs and
Nick Adnitt in 19mins 59secs. Local rider, Jake Prior, riding for
The following week saw less windy but more even conditions all the way round
the course. Again fastest Wheeler was Simon Healey in 18mins 57secs followed by
Adrian Slack in 19mins 39secs but 16 year old Max Webber showed his potential
by being 3rd Wheeler home in a time of 20mins 13secs. Lizzy Yates was fastest
Lady in a time of 24mins 4secs. On the Sunday between these two time trials,
the Andover Wheelers put on another 'Come & Try' event but the weather put
paid to a large turn out. The 10 riders that braved the wintry conditions made
it all worthwhile and, regardless of the conditions, put in some excellent
rides! Dom Clacy was fastest on the day with a time of 21mins 57 secs followed
by Steven Winter in 23mins 7secs. Andover Wheelers youngster, Tom Bolton, was
due to ride at Thruxton which was cancelled due to the weather but he decided
to come and ride the time trial and recorded a solid 24mins 26secs.
Wednesday 16th April - Wheelers race in the Ray Martin Distance League
RAY MARTIN
DISTANCE LEAGUE 2008
RESULTS: WEDNESDAY 16th APRIL 2008
SENIORS
1st 5 Jason STREATHER VC St Raphaël / Waite Contracts / Hewitt Cycles 01:10:00
2nd 50 Sam REDDING GWR Team st
3rd 51 Sam PATRICK i-team Cyclist's Club st
4th 69 Lee TUNNICLIFFE DHCyclesport.com st
5th 44 Simon BROOKS VC St Raphaël / Waite Contracts / Hewitt Cycles @ 2 laps
21st 24 Simon HALL Andover Wheelers st
41 STARTERS
YOUTHS U16/14
1st 3 Max WEBBER Andover Wheelers
5th 13 Mitchell WEBBER Andover Wheelers
YOUTHS U12/10/8
1st 23 Harvey WATSON Velocity Bikes CC
4th 22 Jed WEBBER Andover Wheelers
5th 24 Emily FOSTER Andover Wheelers
6th 41 Alex FOSTER Andover Wheelers 1st U8
15 Starters
RAY MARTIN
DISTANCE LEAGUE 2008
RESULTS: WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL 2008
SENIORS
1st 14 Tim ELVERSON Felt Racing 01:12:00
10th 7 Sean FAULKNER GB Fire Service Prolite RT @ 1 lap
11th 56 Gianluca CAPPELLO VC Meudon @ 2 laps
14th 4 John HYDE Velocity Bikes CC @ 3 laps
18th= 24 Simon HALL Andover Wheelers st
40 STARTERS
RAY MARTIN
DISTANCE LEAGUE 2008
RESULTS: WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL 2008
YOUTHS U16/14
1st 3 Max WEBBER Andover Wheelers
4th 13 Mitchell WEBBER Andover Wheelers
YOUTHS U12/10/8
1st 23 Harvey WATSON Velociity Bikes CC
4th 22 Jed WEBBER Andover Wheelers
5th 24 Emily FOSTER Andover Wheelers
6th 41 Alex FOSTER Andover Wheelers 1st U8
17 Starters
RAY MARTIN
DISTANCE LEAGUE 2008
RESULTS: WEDNESDAY 2nd APRIL 2008
SENIORS
1st 12 Justin HOY Felt Racing 01:08:45
10th 17 John WAGER Felt Racing @ 1 Lap
17th= 49 Max WEBBER Andover Wheeers st
40 STARTERS
YOUTHS U12
1st 21 Kate METALLI Palmer Park Velo RT / awcycles
2nd 22 Jed WEBBER Andover Wheelers
7 Starters
Monday 7th April - Wheelers race at Castle Coombe and in the Alton Hilly TT
The recent Easter weekend brought with it some difficult conditions but the
weather didn't deter the young Wheelers. Good Friday saw the traditional
meeting at the Castle Coombe race circuit with hundreds of riders of all ages
and levels taking part. Max Webber has trained hard over the Winter months and
showed his improvement by taking a hard fought 2nd place in the U16 Youth race.
Max broke away straight from the gun, taking two other riders with him, and
they quickly built up a commanding lead over the main pack. Another attack from
Max reduced the breakaway to two riders for the remainder of the race but he
just missed out on the win after a close sprint for the line. Cameron Thompson
picked up where he left off last season with a battling 8th place in the U12
race with Jed Webber, getting fitter all the time, a further 6 places back. 12
year old Mitchell Webber is still finding his feet at U14 level but put in a
great effort to finish inside the top 10 places.
Easter Monday saw Max Webber team up with club stalwart Simon Foster for the
Alton Cycling Club Hilly 31 mile 2-up team time trial. With over a 20 year age
difference, Foster needed all his experience to keep Max in check and find the
right combination in working together. The freezing conditions didn't help
matters but with Max doing much of the work on the hills and Simon using his
strength on the flat and downhill sections they pulled out a great time of 1hr
25mins 45secs to finish in 5th place overall.
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Monday 31st March - Great results for Wheelers at Portsmouth
SOUTH CIRCUIT LEAGUE SOUTH
No 2 Mountbatten Centre,
RESULTS~ YOUTHS
Under 10’s 10km
1st Jake DAVIES Chippenham & District
Wheelers CC
Under 12’s 10km
1st Cameron THOMPSON
2nd Jed WEBBER
3rd Emily FOSTER
Under 14’s 15km
1st Toby WALTON Velocity Bikes CC
2nd Luke DAVIES Chippenham & District
Wheelers CC
3rd Mitchell WEBBER
4th Sara
Under 16’s 15km
1st Max WEBBER
2nd Ryan HOWLETT i-team.co.uk
10 Entries 10 Starters
RESULTS~ SENIORS
3 / J 53km
1st Jamie TRELIVING Trigon JJ Coach Wheels of
2nd Martyn HARRIS banjocycles.com st
3rd Sean CONWAY Bournemouth Arrow CC / Hotel
Collingwood st
4th Robin DIDYMUS Fareham Wheelers CC @ 1 lap
5th Steve MOSS Bournemouth Arrow CC / Hotel
Collingwood st
6th Shaun SMART Southdown Velo st
7th Chris BURCH www.agiskoviner.com st
8th Douglas FOX Crawley Wheelers st
9th Gary BULLOK Thames Velo @ 2 laps
10th Oliver PRITCHARD Andover Wheelers st
11th Steve KNIGHT Team Axiom st
12th= Chris PRIOR Team Probikekit.com st
12th= Simon FOSTER Andover Wheelers st
25 Entries 24 Starters
Thursday 27th March - Wheelers road racing at Thruxton
Another two weekends of cycling at the local Thruxton Racing Circuit
produced some more good results the Andover Wheelers riders. Windy conditions
in the first event made it extremely tough for all the riders but it was the
youngsters who produced some impressive results. Steffen Burgess and Emily
Foster were having their first ever races and pulled out excellent rides with
Steffen finishing third in the U10's race and Emily second in the U12 Girls
race. Mitchell Webber scored his first point of the season with a solid
performance and third place in the U14's and Max Webber was unlucky to miss out
after just being caught on the line after being away on his own for the whole
of the last lap. In the main adult race, Ian Knight and Gregg James rode well
in the 70 strong bunch but the constant headwind up to the finish took its toll
on James but Knight battled away well to gain a solid Top 20 position.
The following week saw the windy conditions replaced by extremely wet
conditions but this didn't deter the youngsters. Jed Webber produced his best
ride so far with a hard fought third place in the U12's race and Emily Foster
gaining another excellent second place in her race. 16 year old Max Webber
sprinted well in his race to finish third and 14 year old Tom Bolton, who has
only just moved up from U14 to U16 level showed plenty of determination to
finish in ninth place against boys who are up to 2 years older than himself.
The adult races again saw Ian Knight finish well in his race but Simon Foster
produced a great ride in the 3rd Cat race to finish in 14th position and was
supported well by junior rider Ollie Pritchard who finished inside the Top 20
but took third overall in the junior race.
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
.jpg)
Monday 17th March - Two Wheelers finish in the
Top 10 of the
A solid season of time trials in 2007 saw two Andover Wheelers finish in the
Top 10 of the South Best All Rounder Competition. The season long competition
is based on the riders fastest times over 25, 50 and 100 mile time trials
ridden on local courses in the south of
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand.
Tuesday 11th March - Youngsters race at Hillingdon
Another trip to the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit and another successful set of
races for the Andover Wheelers youngsters. In the U16 race, Max Webber and Tom
Bolton worked well together and good teamwork allowed Max to initiate the
winning break of 3 riders. The small group leading riders were all doing their
bit to stay away while Tom was marking any moves to bridge the gap. The 3
leaders managed to stay away and contest a close sprint for the line in which
Max just missed out to finish an excellent 2nd place. Tom's hard work also paid
off when he finished just behind the leaders in 6th place. 12 year old Mitchell
Webber has only just moved up to U14 level and was competing against
riders almost 2 years older than himself. A fast start to his race didn't
help but he battled away bravely to finish in a satisfactory 8th place. 11 year
old Cameron Thompson and 10 year old Jed Webber were competing in their first
U12 race of the year but didn't disgrace themselves. Cameron finished well in
5th place with Jed not too far behind in 9th. The U18 junior race was included
in the main 4th Cat race and saw local riders Ollie Pritchard and Rob Ward
compete in a huge bunch of over 50 riders! The tight and twisting
Hillingdon circuit isn't ideal for a large group of riders and you
have to have all your wits about you just to stay in the bunch. But they
both stuck to their task well with Ollie finishing in an excellent top 20
position and Rob safely in the main pack!
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand.
Tuesday 11th March - MTB racing by Nick Adnitt
I’ve raced the Gorrick MTB series (www.gorrick.com) for about 6 years now,
competing in the Veteran category for the over 40’s. It is one of the most
hotly contested classes and the top 10 vets would perform well in any of the
other races when comparing lap times. Last season I saw my finishing position
fall as I became one of the oldest vets and found the “young” 40 year olds a
bit too quick
But this is the year of my 50th birthday so now I’m a Grand Vet. Looking back
over the past few seasons, my lap times showed I would be competitive and in
the previous events only 6 to 8 Grand Vets turned up, so I was looking forward
to an easier ride.
I missed the annual Salisbury Plain challenge but trained regularly on the
turbo and was optimistic, especially as I had a new Felt bike.
Round 1 of the Gorrick Exodus Spring Series was on 27th January . The venue was
changed at the last minute due to army manoeuvres on the original site. The practice
lap showed two very steep hills which were impossible to ride. You could get
about half way up and then had to dismount and push.
“Unfortunately” the weather turned out nice sunny and I was on the start line
with a field of 22.
The first lap was the usual chaos with riders fighting for track position to
avoid being held up in the single track section. There was also the added
problem of catching the slower vets who had started 3 minutes earlier. Just
under 25 minutes later at the end of the lap, I was in 11th place hanging on to
the top 10, with the next rider already 2 minutes behind. There I would stay
loosing 1 minute on the second lap and 1½ minutes on the third.
11th meant not scoring any series points as they are only awarded to 10th
place, plus I was over 17 minutes behind the winner.
© copyright Guy Swarbrick
The next round was in 3 weeks time on 17th February, time to concentrate on
off-road skills and bike handling. I setup a 25 minute circuit around Smanell
woods and did two laps about three times a week plus some more turbo, that
should do the trick.
17 riders turned up this time and the start was straight up a steep climb. I
got a good start but I was hanging on to 9th place and going faster than I
really wanted in the single track as I was conscious I was holding up a couple
of faster riders who were cursing me as there was no where to overtake until
the open sections and those are the bits I’m good at.
Inevitably they overtook and I paid for the fast first lap and suffered big
time on laps 2 and 3 ending up 11th again and point-less.
© copyright Guy Swarbrick
© copyright Guy Swarbrick
OK, so stamina is the problem, another three weeks until the next one on 9th March
2008. During that time I rode to work in Wokingham (80 mile round trip) every
week and got some 40 mile rides in over the weekends.
18 riders took to the start at Crowthorne Woods, a circuit I’ve ridden often,
though they do make a few changes to catch riders out. One special feature is
the “cork screw” which is a tight series of rolling peaks and troughs. It’s a
fantastic sensation if you can use the descents to roll up the ascents similar
to a roller-coaster, as long as a slower rider doesn’t hold you up or you come
a cropper on the many exposed roots.
13th place after lap 1. Two riders had clearly “over cooked it” and at the end
of lap 2 I was in the familiar 11th spot AGAIN!
© copyright Guy Swarbrick
© copyright Guy Swarbrick
The next event is in three weeks time on 30th March at Frith Hill, Deepcut,
Surrey and the last on 20th April at Porridgepot Hill, Deepcut.
The time trial season has started and I’ve got two open 10 events with Dave
Dinsdale on the tandem, maybe that will do the trick and I’ll get the illusive
10th place and into the points.
If anyone has some good, effective training advice, please let me know.
Race lap analysis.
|
Position |
Race time |
Behind winner |
Lap 1 |
Lap 2 |
Lap 3 |
|
11 |
|
|
24:56 |
26:01
+65 secs |
26:26
+25 secs |
|
11 |
|
|
25:49 |
27:42
+113 secs |
29:06
+84 secs |
|
11 |
|
|
24:42 |
25:49 +
67 secs |
26:13
+24 secs |
Sunday 24th February - Open Hilly 10.2 TT report
Fantastic weather greeted the record entry for the Andover Wheelers
Hilly 10 mile time trial and the local riders put in some excellent rides!
Starting and finishing in Vernham Dean, all riders faced the stiff climb of
Conholt Hill within the first mile before retracing round through Hatherden and
Upton to the finish. Simon Healey was the leading Wheeler in a time of 28mins
29secs for an eventual 6th place overall and, with the support of Max Webber
(29mins 44secs - 13th place) and Dave Dinsdale (30mins 22secs - 15th place) led
the Andover Wheelers to the overall team prize.
Two young Andover Wheelers, Tom Bolton and Ollie Pritchard, were having
their first rides in the event and showed that there is plenty of ability
coming through. Both produced excellent times, Ollie in 30mins 37secs - 17th
place and Tom in 32mins 32secs - 22nd place.
But it was the Ladies event that produced the most exciting finish! Lizzy
Yates and Iris Williams started 10 minutes apart and it was Williams who held a
12 second advantage over her rival at the top of Conholt Hill. But Yates wasn't
to be outdone easily and fought back on the rest of the circuit to finish in
the exact same time as Williams in 36mins 37secs, leaving both ladies in
joint 1st place in the Ladies event!
Other Andover Wheelers times were Roger Hartnell (30mins 29secs - 16th place),
Simon Foster (31mins 29secs - 20th place) and Stuart Thompson (32mins 45secs -
23rd place).
Words courtesy of Mike Webber.
Click on a thumbnail image to expand. Photos
courtesy of Barrie Austen.
Monday 7th January - 2007 Freewheel competition result
It has been brought to the attention of the website editor that the 'biggest' result of the season has not been formally announced on the site so far. Yes, yet again, Simon Foster won the freewheel competition!