2016 WECC RIDERS IN OPEN TIME TRIALS
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FARNBOROUGH & CAMBERLEY CC 10
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H10/8
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Saturday 17 December 2016
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Just when all of Excelsior's racers are in the middle of their winter base period Colin decides to keep his hand in by going off to Bentley and riding in Farnborough & Camberley's festive 10.
Report from Colin: I entered mainly to try out my new TT position (lower front end with ski bend bars). It was cold and foggy but at least that meant no breeze. The start was delayed for 30 minutes to let the fog lift a bit, but it was still touch and go whether to race. A big field with very few DNS, so it would have been a shame to cancel. Anyway, I got within 1 second of my course best with slightly less power. Given the conditions today I was pretty happy with that and hopefully it shows my new position is a bit more aero. I’ll probably do the Brighton Excelsior New Year’s Day race on G10/97, hangover and weather permitting. |
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BRIGHTON MITRE CC 25
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G25/93
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Sunday 23 October 2016
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Not a good morning for Colin. A problem with his rear brake became apparent just before the start. After some emergency adjustments he set off with a 4 minute time penalty for the resultant late start. Then it deteriorated during the ride and he abandoned his ride midway down the A24 and limped back to Steyning.
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RTTC NATIONAL CLOSED CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIPS
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P/Thruxton
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Sunday 16 October 2016
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As reported by Martin:
The weather was doing exactly as forecast, heavy rain and wind, and the roads were flooded on the drive up to Thruxton Motor circuit with Simon and our Supporter Claire. Signing on, getting our numbers and timing chip was the first unusually tricky task, as the queue was out of the door back into the rain. It seemed they hadn't catered for about 300 riders... A quick recce around the paddock, pit lane and a look at the last chicane and we were already soaking wet, during which a large field of juniors were setting off, the youngest being 7 years old! I was off at 10:30:30 (30 sec intervals) at number 61, Simon about 20 minutes later. Just as i was contemplating a wet warm up on the turbo the rain started to stop and sun and blue sky appeared. The start was at the pit lane exit and straight away I was into a nice slight downhill stretch with the wind behind me, heading into the complex of 3 corners which I had to be cautious on the first time out with such a wet surface. It was then a fast section before Village corner where the wind then started turning against us and tried to take the front wheel away. It was then a headwind and surprisingly steep hill up to the final chicane, which then led on to the start finish straight. The race was 5 laps and 11.5 miles. Although very hard work and unrelenting, this race was great fun and a good experience. It was a National and part of a series, so the standard of riding was very high. I finished with a 29:50, Simon a 29:26 min.        |
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BRIGHTON MITRE HILL CLIMB
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GH/92
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Saturday 8 October 2016
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As reported by Neil:
It was horrible (although we didn't get the conditions of the previous week's SCA/WECC Championship). It was my first hill climb (and I hate Bostal anyway) and I went off way too hard. It was only the fact that there were about 25 people cheering you on halfway up the second climb that kept me going to the end. The time was a little slower than I hoped for but I wasn't too disappointed. I'm doing one up Ditchling (Sussex Nomads) at the end of October which will be a nicer climb as you can do the same pace the whole way up. |
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LEWES WANDERERS CC GRAND PRIX des GENTLEMEN
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GS/838A
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Sunday 2 October 2016
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A great result for Dom and Paul as they take the £40 prize for third place, being just a tantalising 4 seconds behind the second placed pairing.
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SUSSEX CA HILL CLIMB (incl WECC HILL CLIMB)
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GH/92
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Saturday 1 October 2016
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There were truly appalling conditions for the riders in this event. The weather, both before and during the event, varied between hard rain and absolute torrential cloudbursts. Many of the riders were huddled in a bus shelter near the start line in a vain attempt to dodge the worst of it. The course itself became a raging torrent with flash flooding and debris.
Warming up was an interesting concept. Mike opted to stay in his car until seven minutes before his start time but despite that was utterly soaked and frozen by the start and his ride reflected that (almost a minute slower than last year). Rick decided for the more traditional warm up on the road and was sent away from the start line by the officials as by that time he was verging on hypothermic. Well done indeed then to Chris and John for overcoming the conditions and putting in fine performances. The club championship was decided by the slenderest of margins with Chris regaining the title that he held in 2014 in a time that was only a couple of seconds slower than his 2014 time. John was always expected to be a close contender and so it proved to be. Having gone through the grimness of a ‘warm up’ in lashing rain poor Aaron then managed to get himself a late start with the consequential time penalty of 6 minutes. If not for that then it was a good ride, being slightly quicker than last season. This event was part of the SCA Championship series, with vets placings based on CTT target times (as opposed to VTTA standards). Big congratulations are due to John as he was the SCA vets winner with Chris in second place and Mike in fourth place. Their combined time was good enough to win the SCA team title for Worthing Excelsior CC, with Brighton Mitre finishing in second place. Well done to all involved throughout the season as WECC have won the SCA team titles at 15, 30, 100 and now Hill Climb as well.               |
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EMERGENCY SERVICES 25
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F13/25
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Sunday 4 September 2016
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SCCU 25
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G25/54
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Sunday 4 September 2016
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Andrew, Nicole and Joan all recorded their quickest 25s of the season on a damp and blowy morning. Nicole's ride means that Worthing Excelsior are now the SCCU BAR team champions for 2016 (the team being Nicole, Martin and Mike).
Mike's dismal weekend continued as he slid off on the very first roundabout suffering extensive road rash, a wrecked skinsuit and bike damage. Martin's view: It was a tough one, unusually quick to the North turn but really hard coming back south. Having seen what happened to Mike I was maybe a bit over cautious into the roundabouts on the first lap, but then I stayed upright so cannot complain! On this course i expect to be down on average on the out leg and then gain it on the return but it was the opposite today, I was losing speed rather than gaining. Still 19 secs over the hour seemed a fair time looking at the board afterwards, apart from the usual aliens like James Rix in the 52's)! That's it now for me until some fun ones in October. To be honest I am ready for a rest and a lie in on a Sunday!! |
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EMERGENCY SERVICES 10
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F15/10
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Saturday 3 September 2016
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Report from Ian:
So a brisk wind made the return 4.5 miles hard into a headwind. Great event and organisation. I placed 41st out of 80 so midfield with a time of 23.22. Mark Trimmer did 23.03 but both pleased as there were 25 riders posting times between 22 mins and 23.30 so very close. The fastest was ridiculous at 19.46 - inhuman!!! |
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BUXTON & DISTRICT CA 100
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A100/4
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Saturday 3 September 2016
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Mike's efforts to break the club's 100 record came to naught and he had a long wasted trip which was a triumph of optimism over common sense.
A 390 mile round trip which took over 7 hours and it was rained off - just as logic and the preceding weather forecast had foretold. Visibility and spray atrocious. Ah well, there's always next season. |
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SUSSEX CA SPORTING 25
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G25/49
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Monday 29 August 2016
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Not an easy course at all. Well, that's a massive understatement. Narrow country lanes with tight blind corners; an appalling road surface with little smooth tarmac but plenty of potholes and craters. Oh, and nearly a thousand feet of climbing.
Huge credit to Joan. She only seems to enter the seriously tough events. Her aim was to get to the finish without being passed by either of her team mates. It's always good to have targets! When Rick caught her with three miles to go she focused on keeping Mike at bay but was thwarted in the final mile. Mike was pleased with a personal course best of 44 seconds, whilst Rick was somewhat disappointed to have fallen away from his time of last year.             |
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SOUTHDOWN VELO 25
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P901/25
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Sunday 28 August 2016
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A tricky breezy day and a fair bit of disappointment today.
Martin felt that he was on to beat the hour but found the return from Arundel just too hard. Neil Crowther completed his first 25 (having packed in his previous try) but felt that his pacing could have been better as he was 'too conservative' in the opening stages. Simon was unimpressed with his time and wished that he'd stayed in bed. There are no reports from our other three finishers but Allan's time looks like a good one and is reflected in his plus on standard. Mike was going well and then got lucky or unlucky depending on perspective. He had a front tyre blow out just as he started the climb back up from the Arundel roundabout. If that had happened immediately before on the descent then it would have been catastrophic. |
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UTAG 10
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P881R/10
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Saturday 27 August 2016
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A full field of 150 riders with all the top men from far and wide looking to impress. Amazingly there were five 18 minute rides plus sixteen 19 minute rides.
Both Mike and Andrew were delighted with their own efforts. Mike managed to take 3 seconds off his PB which was set last season (having narrowly missed with a 21:26 a three months ago). Andrew had even more cause for celebration as he hit his goal of recording his best time for over 20 years. And Andrew too had come close to his target recently.   |
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FARNHAM ROAD CLUB 25 - 4 Up TTT
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H25/8
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Sunday 21 August 2016
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Entertaining report by Cheesy:
So the WECC quartet of Martin, Cheesy, Simon and Group Captain Leeding arrived at HQ of the Farnham Road Club 4 Up Time trial just after 7 am with Martin and Cheesy being debutants at the discipline. This was an achievement given that for most of Thursday evening and Friday Cheesy was struck down by a sickness bug and felt quite “empty”. After a team warm up on turbo trainers (and with the exception of Simon who was seen disappearing along the road shouting “turbo tossers”) Captain Leeding gave a brief master class of through and off as well as echelon riding to combat the very breezy conditions that were better suited to kite surfing rather than time trailing with 60% of the ride being into the wind. At 0816 hrs the team set off and rode at a good pace with smooth transitions all the way round, despite the rainy end and the non-rainy end of the course. As the last mile beckoned Captain Leeding rallied the troops with a battle cry of “Kick the tyres and light the fires” urging us all on to finish in a time of 59.20 on the line. The initial debrief was that this was a good ride given the conditions and again Captain Leeding summed it up by the immortal words “Even if we weren’t the fastest we looked like we know what we’re doing!!” Back at HQ some very fast times were set but WECC finished in the middle of the pack at 8th fastest but most encouraging, ahead of the upcoming Interclub, was that we were three minutes faster that SDV and six minutes faster than Hampshire Road Club. |
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BEC CC
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G25/54
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Sunday 21 August 2016
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A great report from Nicole - and big credit to both riders today. Not at all easy in those conditions. And being Nicole's second 25 of the season she now has a complete set of qualifying rides for the club Ladies BAR (Best All Rounder).
Shall we pretend I didn't do it!! Roundabouts v scary and 17 of them! Ok going out but headwind coming back so average speed dropped uncontrollably 🙂. 1:14.09 for me and 1:05.38 for him. I promise to try to go faster on the Southern Counties one in 2 weeks - this was a good reccy ride. We went to the tea stop afterwards and then hurried down to the Raw Energy 1.5 and 3km swim race in the river at Littlehampton - my swimming is much better than my cycling, I got 3rd place female in that. Absolutely shattered and hungry now 🙂 |
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NATIONAL VTTA 50
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H50/8
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Sunday 14 August 2016
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Good performances by our riders in the National Vets 50.
Having finished sixth last year Mike finished in seventh place overall this time around (being a VTTA event it is based on plus against standard) and was well pleased with his ride. Trevor definitely improved on his ride of last year (he was unfortunate to puncture when on a great ride in 2015). The organisation was disappointing to say the least - particularly for a national event. There were start sheet errors and poor distribution of the material in advance. However the much bigger problem was that the opening of the race HQ and availability of race numbers on the day was far too late, being only 50 minutes before the first rider was due off (two miles away). This meant that a proper warm-up was impossible. Unfortunately Trevor was the very first rider off and suffered the most. Then when he returned his time was wrong; then they omitted it from the race results board and we had to remind them; and finally when his correct time was shown on the results board then his plus on standard had been incorrectly calculated. Is this a VTTA problem? Mike experienced similar issues with the VTTA London & Home Counties 10 in Tring earlier this year. Hopefully the results will come out quicker than they did last year. They took over two months after chasing them down and were never entered into the CTT system.                  |
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SOUTH EASTERN ROAD CLUB 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 13 August 2016
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Colin: For once, I paced this pretty well and got a decent run through the roundabouts. I ended up with a new course best of 22:18, which is only 8 seconds off my PB, so very happy.
(It is also Colin's fastest Open 10 of the season, beating his ride on P901/10 by a single second). |
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EASTBOURNE ROVERS CC 25
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G25/89
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Sunday 7 August 2016
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Both Trevor and Martin managed to get personal course bests in what was decidedly not August-like conditions.
Trevor: "Bloody horrible day, fogged up visor, damp/wet roundabouts ,tail wind for the last couple of miles only. Middle bit of the return leg was unpleasant to say the least. Hope I've painted the picture, very steady and off the aero bars in to the roundabouts 😵. Quite happy with that tbh, with the conditions, and couple of off weeks, course pb by a chunk."
Martin: "It was a bit of crappy morning, a strong westerly which didn’t seem to help on the out leg or return leg. It also started to rain as I went out to warm up so we also had wet roads to contend with. Trevor went earlier so had the worst of it, and in fairness once it stopped raining it did dry out fairly quickly, but not enough to give me the confidence to barrel into the roundabouts! The out leg seemed tougher this time around, and i actually gained speed after the turn with a decent last half mile after the final roundabout.
My ride followed the same current trend, power just not there as it was earlier in the season. Looking at the data now it seems my FTP is a good 10 watts down, which I’ll now set for the rest of the season. There was good field out there today, and many were complaining of ‘slow’ rides! Simon McNamara said he had a bad one - only managing a 54!! I finished with a 1:01:16, actually 19 secs up on earlier in the season with less power, and Trevor had a great ride with a 58:37." |
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EASTBOURNE ROVERS CC 10
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G10/87
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Saturday 6 August 2016
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Colin was initially underwhelmed with his efforts: "Reasonable conditions, still but a bit chilly. My first time on this course and I feel that I rode it rather too conservatively, so I had a fair bit left at the end. Definitely scope for improvement next time.". When other comparable performances were pointed out to him he then realised that it is a tough course and ended up being much more enthusiastic: "I finished 14th overall, which is my best ever open 10 placing and 2nd in my age category. Have to be pleased with that."
Nicole was another to be underwhelmed: "The TT was terrible, I went at a faster pace on the 100 I think! Lots of daydreaming and slow cycling ...bit of a waste of a 4am start :)". We have yet to hear from Clive.
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SUSSEX CA 30 (incl WECC 30)
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G30/91
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Sunday 31 July 2016
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Yet another fine turnout by Excelsior riders for another club championship event held within the SCA Championships and some great performances all round with lots of reasons to be pleased. It’s wonderful to see the vibrancy, competition and camaraderie within the club. Our old legend Don Lock would be so very proud.
Huge congratulations to Karen McGrath once again as she continues to set new club records. Her 1:23:34 beat the previous mark (Jan Scotchford 1:28:05) by four and a half minutes. She now has the club record at 10, 15 and 30 miles. Husband John continued his remarkable first season by claiming the club 30 title as he finished in a fine fifth place overall. Trevor Leeding and Mike O’Gorman provided the necessary support as WECC claimed the Sussex CA team title (to add to the 100 that the club won only last week). They finished over 12 minutes clear of second placed GS Stella. Mike retained his Sussex CA vets 30 title and also the Sussex CA Vets short distance Best All Rounder (for 10, 25 and 30 miles). He had already retained the titles for both middle and long distance. It’s heartening to see last season's 30 champion Simon Atkinson back in action and showing clear signs of returning to his old form as he got a great fourth place. This burst in form caught the handicapper by surprise and Simon won the WECC Handicap Competition. Debutant Dan Cobby was just one second further back on scratch so plenty of potential and promise there one suspects. Dan took second place in the Handicap Competition ahead of Martin Booker. Ian Cheesman finished with a very good time given the number of self-induced problems that he faced: “Having read the sheet I assumed we had to go via Wiston to the start and assumed the 2.2 miles was that route but it wasn't so I ended up 12 seconds late start (very lucky not to be penalised with a penalty other than the 12 seconds. Then I realised up B2135 that my skinsuit wasn't fully done up. Then to cap it all as I turned left on A24 my left arm rest came loose. All in all I am very pleased with my ride and only 24 seconds off my PB. Responsibility for all of it lies with the idiot rider!!!” |
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EPSOM CC 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 30 July 2016
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Colin didn’t feel that great for the first few miles and traffic forced him to a halt at one roundabout early on (just the thirteen of them on this 10 course). So he was very surprised and somewhat delighted when he found that he had knocked 17 seconds off his course best.
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SCCU 100 (incl SCA 100 and WECC 100)
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G100/61
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Sunday 24 July 2016
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A small but committed turnout by Excelsior riders for this club championship event held within the SCCU Championships with some considerable successes achieved.
Whilst this event was promoted by the Southern Counties CU there were additional championships within. The Sussex CA 100 Championships and the WECC Club 100 Championships were held as part of the race – so lots of opportunity. And great support from Andrew Lock, Claire Booker and Chris Putnam. All very much appreciated by the riders. Worthing Excelsior won the team prize for both the Southern Counties and also the Sussex CA Championships with Nicole, Martin and Mike comprising the team. Unfortunately Simon had a mechanical and withdrew on the first of the laps. Each team member wins £15 and the club will receive the SCCU Sid Gray Shield (to be held for a year). Huge congratulations are due to Nicole. This was her first 100 and she did very well, despite paying the price somewhat in the second half for over-committing in the first half. And without that effort there would be no team prize. Nicole was also the fastest SCA women and so wins a medal for that too. Mike retained his Sussex vets 100 title, and also his WECC title. He will also be retaining his SCCU and SCA Vets Best All Rounder titles. So this was reward for battling through the pain barrier of extreme saddle sores which affected the last half of his ride. That and another £30 to add to the team prize. |
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SOUTHDOWN VELO 50
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P901/50
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Sunday 24 July 2016
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Trevor Leeding rode a fine 1:55:28 to finish in eighth place in the Southdown Velo 50 on Sunday. The was just a single second slower than his PB which was gained last season on P885/50.
He is the only WECC rider to have beaten the two hour mark this season, having now done it twice. With just one 50 remaining he is now almost certain to capture the Richard Shipton Trophy this season. It is awarded for the fastest 50 of the season on any course. The other three Excelsior riders were all delighted as they achieved personal bests for the distance:. |
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ADDISCOMBE CC 10
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G10/42
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Saturday 23 July 2016
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Colin's time is a new course best by 45 seconds. As Colin says:
This really is a tough course for a dual carriageway 10, with very little flat and some sections of poor road surface. It can’t be often that both Simon McNamara and Keith Lea fail to break 21 minutes! So not one to chase a PB on but a good challenge. I guess that’s why quite a lot of regional/national competition events are held on this course, so it once again attracted lots of women and juniors with a high quality field. |
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VTTA LONDON & HOME COUNTIES 10
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F11/10
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Wednesday 20 July 2016
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A long trip to Hertfordshire for what was hoped to be an attempt at a personal best on a reputedly fast course. However the day brought strong gusting winds up to 28 mph, and the course had 6 miles into a strong headwind and recent road resurfacing that was unhelpful. In the end it was a good time rather than a landmark.
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HOUNSLOW & DISTRICT CC 25
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H25/8
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Sunday 17 July 2016
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In Sunday’s Hounslow and District 25 the late starters were affected by a traffic jam caused by a vintage bus rally late on. This affected both Trevor Leeding (55:12) and Mike O’Gorman (55:44) who were both relieved with their times in the circumstances. Mike had the additional issue of a deflating rear tyre (for the second 25 in a week) so a new tub is definitely required.
Rick Hughes rode his quickest 25 of the season with 59:39. |
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BRIGHTON EXCELSIOR CC 25
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G25/93
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Sunday 17 July 2016
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Ian Cheesman rounded off a fine weekend in the Brighton Excelsior double header as he was again the fastest WECC rider. Martin Booker’s improvement continued as he was close behind with 1:01:47.
Andy Haste rode his first 25 mile even of the season. His time was considerably slower than his four efforts last season but this is definitely a tougher course. Neo time-triallist Neil Crowther found his first 25 to be tougher than he had anticipated. Having set off too hard early on he then 'blew' and withdrew partway through. Perhaps using a time trial bike that he had acquired only the previous day may also have had an adverse effect. |
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BRIGHTON EXCELSIOR CC 10
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G10/97
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Saturday 16 July 2016
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Ian Cheesman and Colin Barton shared the honours this morning as the fastest Excelsior riders.
Martin Booker was close behind and his 23:28 was a personal fastest for that course. Worthing Excelsior came second in the team competition, behind Sussex Nomads, with all of these three riders contributing to the aggregate time. 73 year old John Lucas rode in his first open time trial for many seasons finishing with a very respectable 28:16. |
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ESCA 100
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G100/861
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Sunday 10 July 2016
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Mike O’Gorman attempted to improve his best time for a 100 mile time trial in the East Sussex CA event. He was going well initially but the weather and road conditions deteriorated rapidly after about an hour with gusting wind and rain resulting in treacherous road surfaces and an unnerving ride. Having considered packing in he did then complete the last 60 miles in 'non-race mode' frequently off the aero bars. Even then he had to contend with a two mile static traffic jam fifteen miles from the finish. In the circumstances a good placing and a second fastest ever 100 was a surprising, albeit welcome, consolation for battling through what was a thoroughly unenjoyable ride in the cold and wet.
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CRAWLEY WHEELERS 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 9 July 2016
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Colin was pleased with his time which was his best ever on this course. Mike opted not to ride because he felt that the early start would affect his 100 on the following day.
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BOGNOR REGIS CC 10
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P901/10
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Thursday 7 July 2016
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SUSSEX CA 50 (incl WECC 50)
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G50/10
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Sunday 3 July 2016
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Personal bests for three of our riders on this tough course with poor road surfaces. Congratulations to Ian, Rick and Rome.
Mike retained his Sussex vets 50 title, and also his WECC title albeit by the narrowest of margins from Trevor. Ian Cheesman completed the squad that placed second in the team competition. WECC were just pipped to the Sussex team title as Brighton Excelsior recorded a 6:11:09 to our 6:11:56. Rome had the misfortune to puncture on the treacherous last corner but was determined to finish and made it to the end. The initial scoreboard showed Phil Frean’s time as being 2:05:08 which would have been really special and placed him highly. He was honest though and did point out that there were an extra 20 minutes to be added. Ah well. |
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SCCU 50
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G50/10
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Sunday 26 June 2016
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Ian Cheesman was the fastest of the Excelsior riders with a fine 2:06:04.
Mike O’Gorman was close behind with 2:06:52 and this gave him the win in the Veterans category. Mike is now well placed to retain his Southern Counties Veterans Best All Rounder title with just the 100 remaining. Two Excelsior riders made their debuts at this distance: Andy Haste with 2:14:53 and Nicole Patterson-Lett with 2:29:24. |
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ESCA 50
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G50/90
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Sunday 19 June 2016
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Mike's second fifty of the season, and his first time on this course.
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FARNHAM ROAD CLUB 25
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H25/8
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Sunday 19 June 2016
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A worthwhile trip for all of our riders. Trevor was fastest and produced his fastest time on that course. Both Martin and Rome were riding on the course for the first time and each rode a PB.
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TEAM AXIOM 25
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P885/25
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Sunday 12 June 2016
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Ian is delighted with a 53 second improvement in his PB for the distance. Mike's ride is his second fastest 25 of the season and wins him his age group. Torrential rain persuaded more than half of the field not to start.
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TEAM AXIOM 10
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P881/10
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Saturday 11 June 2016
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Having held back a bit in the morning's 15 Mike sped to a season's best 10. This was a course record for him and just two seconds outside his PB. Mike wins his age group.
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SUSSEX CA 15 (incl WECC 15)
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G15/93
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Saturday 11 June 2016
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Dom Maxwell (winner of this event last season) is 7th this time but as fastest WECC rider takes the WECC 15 Title. John McGrath continues to improve and finishes just behind Dom. Only a handful of seconds separate our other riders.
Both Ian and Mike win their age groups. WECC take the team title through Dom, John and Mike. |
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NORTH HAMPSHIRE ROAD CLUB 10
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H10/8
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Saturday 4th June 2016
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In Saturday’s North Hampshire Road Club 10 Mike O’Gorman’s 22:27 was his fastest Open 10 of the season and he finished in first place in his age category. Colon Barton’s 22:54 was a personal record for an Open 10.
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HOUNSLOW & DISTRICT WHEELERS 100
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H100/88
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Sunday 29th May 2016
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With the help of Andrew Lock Mike made a bid for the club record at this distance. The cool windy conditions, combined with 20 miles of appalling road surface on the course were ultimately to prove crucial. Mike was slightly ahead of schedule for the first 70 miles but he was unable to sustain this and he faded to finish 2 mins 1 second off the record. He did have the consolation of a new PB by over 14 minutes.
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BRIGHTON MITRE CC HILLY 10
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GS/995
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Sunday 29th May 2016
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Blustery conditions made things difficult and the Steyning Bostal hill climb finish on this course merely added to the challenge. Rome was pleased with his effort and is keen to do more.
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BRIGHTON MITRE CC 10
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G10/97
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Sunday 29th May 2016
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Blustery conditions made things difficult and Rick was most disappointed with his time.
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BEC CC 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 28th May 2016
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Colin misunderstood where the start was so had to double back and managed to miss his start time by 30 seconds. He went off a few minutes later with a time penalty, but his heart wasn’t really in it after that, so didn’t give it anywhere near 100%.
Clive's 'return to run' program took priority and so he opted not to ride. |
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HIGH WYCOMBE CC 25
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H25/2
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Sunday 22nd May 2016
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A bit of a trek up to Buckinghamshire and a new course to experience. Mike was delighted with his 3rd fastest ever 25 (and his second fastest this season). In a full field of 120 riders he picked up £35 for 4th on vets standard.
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FARNHAM ROAD CLUB 10
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H10/8
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Saturday 21st May 2016
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Both Mike and Colin were pleased with their rides. Mike's was a preparation effort prior to tomorrows 25 and he picked up a £20 prize as first in age group. Colin was not far behind in what was his quickest open 10 of the season so far.
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ELITE CYCLING 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 21st May 2016
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Clive's first open time trial of the year.
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WECC 25
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G25/54
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Sunday 15th May 2016
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A fine ride by Dom as once again he is the fastest of a large Excelsior contingent.
Rome recorded another PB. In Nicky's first race at this distance she did well to finish despite extreme discomfort at adopting an aero position for so long a time. |
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SCCU 10
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G10/57
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Saturday 14th May 2016
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In his first ride of the season on this 13 roundabout course Mike picks up £20 for 2nd on old standard (he would have won had the current standards been used).
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CHARLOTTEVILLE CC 50
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H50/8
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Sunday 8th May 2016
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In high temperatures Trevor puts in a strong ride to put down a good early marker for the club's fastest 50 of the season. Mike faded badly very early on in his ride and did consider packing. He eventually finished over 7 minutes slower than in this event last season.
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NORWOOD PARAGON CC 25
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Sunday 8th May 2016
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Dom improves his season's best by just over a minute as he puts in another consistent and impressive performance. Colin smashes his previous PB of 59:59 and is showing encouraging improvement. Martin records his second fastest ever 25, falling 10 seconds short of his PB having had a 17 second hold up at one of the 31 roundabouts on this course. Rome also smashes his PB (by 4:46). A good day all round.
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SUSSEX CA CHAMPIONSHIP 25
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Sunday 1st May 2016
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The temperature was actually at zero for the early riders, whilst the later starts had to contend with congestion due to the concurrent triathlon.
Trevor continued his fine form in 25's this season with an excellent sub-hour ride. For the second day running Mike is pleased to retain his SCA Vets title at the distance (and also with another £20 prize money), but not so happy with his time. Martin Booker and Rick Hughes (a personal best for the course) both put in really good rides in the conditions. Colin was pleased too with his course best. Phil was happy to get round and to not shred another tyre. |
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SUSSEX CA CHAMPIONSHIP 10
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Saturday 30 April 2016
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Still a cold day with temperatures barely above zero and a northerly wind making the return leg particularly challenging. Considerably better conditions than recent weeks though.
Once again Dom is our fastest rider. Mike is pleased to retain his SCA 10 Vets title (and also with the £20 prize money). Schaeff also does well by winning the Juniors/Juvenile category and pockets a very handy £10. Overall a very consistent display from our riders with mere seconds making the difference in many cases. Hard luck for Phil. An emergency stop caused by the actions of a lorry driver stripped his tub and ended his race. |
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ESCA 25
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Sunday 24 April 2016
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A brutally cold day with freezing sleet. Rick warmed up, then changed his mind - and he wasn't alone in doing that. Very similar times for our riders. Trevor was our quickest on the day and Mike won his age group.
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ESCA 10
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Saturday 23 April 2016
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There's a relentless theme to this season. Cold (5 degrees) with a stiff northerly wind making the hard return leg even harder. It will soon be May! It was Rick's first visit.
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ADDISCOMBE CC 25
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Sunday 17 April 2016
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Another seriously cold day with temperatures close to zero and all of our riders kitted out accordingly. A great ride by Dom in these conditions to notch a super time and a top 10 position. Identical time to three weeks earlier but much better placing. With his second 25 mile event inside 17 hours Mike fails to beat the one hour mark for the first time in a year, whilst Phil and Rome also find it difficult.
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SCA 2 Up TEAM TIME TRIAL (24.86 miles)
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Sunday 17 April 2016
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FARNBOROUGH & CAMBERLEY CC 25
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H25/8
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Saturday 16 April 2016
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A unpleasant torrential downpour before the start and a serious drop in temperatures mid-ride made this particularly challenging and at the end Mike was shivering. So in the circumstances a reasonable time.
Colin Barton rode but, being distracted by a flapping race number took the wrong exit at the first roundabout and went off course. |
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LEA VALLEY CC 25
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Saturday 9 April 2016
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With little racing available at the weekend Mike O’Gorman chose to travel further afield and to compete in the Lea Valley CC 25 at Newmarket. He was rewarded with reasonable conditions, albeit still with a stiff breeze on the outward leg (4 mins quicker on return leg). Riding in excess of 27 mph he recorded a new personal best time for the distance at 55:34. Mike was both surprised and delighted with this landmark achievement so early in the season.
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KINGSTON PHOENIX ROAD CLUB 10
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Saturday 9 April 2016
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Colin Barton had his second race of the season in Saturday morning’s Kingston Wheelers 10 at North Holmwood. Gusty winds made things tricky and in the circumstances Colin was pleased with his time of 25:11 which placed him 6th in his age group.
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SCCU 25
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Sunday 3 April 2016
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On a treacherous damp road surface, made worse by extensive diesel spillage, Dom Maxwell put in a cracking ride to finish well up the leaderboard. Also showing good form was Trevor Leeding as most of the WECC riders finished very close together on positions.
Due to the results at the headquarters being shambolic it wasn't until several days later that Mike realised that he hadn't taken the main prize for Vets on Target. |
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BRIGHTON MITRE CC HILLY 10
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Saturday 26 March 2016
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ESCA HARD RIDERS (15.06 miles)
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Sunday 20 March 2016
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SCCU HARD RIDERS (21 miles)
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GS/334
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Sunday 20 March 2016
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Strangely I enjoyed it. I was starter no 9 so finished well before the last riders and had time for coffee and cakes in the village hall while the later riders were still on the course. The winner was a guy I know from my British Triathlon involvement, Carl Ferri, team Cadence Performance, and his amazing time was 51:50 (+3.01 on Vet Standard!!). Keith Lea (Paceline RT) was second in 52:01 and Mark Emsley (Team ASL360) was third in 52:40.
For the women, the winner was Katie Crowe (Dulwich Paragon) in 1:03:39, second was Alys Matthew (Clapham Chasers) 1:04:58 and my time was 1:20:34. Last woman of course (6 women total and the other 5 were all more than 20 years younger than me), but interestingly I wasn't slowest overall!! There were three guys behind me based on time and four behind me based on Vet Standard times, so I'm happy with that. I had the pleasure of overtaking rider no 3 and then rider no 2, a rare phenomenon for me! It's a cracking course, not easy with 1520 feet of climbing altogether and the cakes were good afterwards. Carl says he eats porridge for breakfast. I too had porridge but he finished 29 minutes quicker then me. It must be a better brand of porridge. |
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FARNBOROUGH & CAMBERLEY CC 10
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H10/8
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Saturday 12 March 2016
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SCA HARD RIDERS (21.4 miles - shortened course)
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Sunday 6 March 2016
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SOUTH DOWNS BIKES CC SPORTING (34K)
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Sunday 7 February 2016
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SOUTH DOWNS BIKES CC SPORTING (17.78K)
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Saturday 6 February 2016
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