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Regional Talent Development coach Ric Jamieson and Go Ride coach Jo Shackleton came along to the last coaching session as Stover and passed on some top tips.
The schedule was expanded to provide a 2 hour coaching session with Ric advising on group riding followed by some Go Ride Racing
Despite the arctic weather Ric and Jo were impressed by the club turn out with 16 riders attending the coaching session and an additional 12 taking part in the races! |
Next week will see round three of the popular series return with another full field of entrants demonstrating cycling's surge in popularity. We are expecting some exciting racing with a bumper prize list on offer, with the money from the cancelled event carried forward
 Girvan 3 day not pursuits ! |
This year the South West Regional road
race championships has stepped up a level and will showcase bike racing at its
best. With increased participation in the westcountry, championships for Women,
Juniors and Men will take place on the same day. Marcin Bialoblocki will be hoping to take
the win for the third year running.
The Mid-Devon cycling club
has worked in partnership with the South West road race work group, and
attracted headline sponsorship from Kitson Solicitors and assistance from Kalas
clothing, for the winners jersey, Mercedes Exeter and Colin Lewis Cycles, . This has enabled the prize fund
to be increased to £600. To encourage participation across the category's there
will be a separate prize list for 3rd category riders. The event willl be supported by NEG motorcyclists and race service will be provided by Primal Europe, Commissaires vehicles by Mercedes Exeter. A new course for seniors will feature a 30 mile loop around Roadford Reservoir returning to Hatherleigh for six laps of a flat finishing circuit. Juniors and ladies will cover the smaller circuit five times The scene is set for a great days racing, make sure you're there ! If you are available to lend a hand let event organiser Jake Durant know |  |
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Doug Dewey of Team GWR won Saturday's final springtime pursuit, beating Motorpoints Marcin Biablocki into second place.
Marcin would go on to complete a weekend double when he finished second in Sundays prestigious Severn Bridge Road Race at Bristol
Seventeen year old Brennan Townshend, managed to latch onto the winning break finishing sixth on the day and claiming the overall for the Mid Devon CC |
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Lucy Commander from Exeter Whls was the winner of the final women's pursuit on Saturday.
By the end of lap two groups 1 and 2 had combined forces and formed a lead group of 10 riders. A touch of wheels in group 3 prevented the chasers from catching and it was Commander who proved the strongest on the finishing hill.
Wiebke Rietz of 1st Chard Wheelers was the overall winner across the three events with consistant results in each race
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Follow the link to the report on the BC website, congrats to Pete Vincent |
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Junior Townshend wins first pursuit
Mid Devon cycling clubs Junior Brennan Townshend from Chagford rode to a fantastic solo victory in Saturdays first pursuit race of the season.
Ali Holland was the victor in the second dedicated womens pursuit which started earlier in the day at 1100 am .The ladies were split into three groups spread over four minutes. This years event attracted 20 Female riders and as a dedicated womens event is growing well in stature every year.
On a dry spring sunny day which even saw Mid Devon club chairman Andrew Perkins decide to apply the fake tan to his legs the first time this year , riders from all over the country couldn’t have had better conditions to start their first race of the season.
The Race promoted by the Mid Devon Cycling Club is a handicap race which allows riders of all ages and abilities to compete on a level playing field. A group of 10 juniors were under starters orders at 2.30 P.M. closely followed by the first group of 22 senior fourth category riders 2 minutes later. Another 3 minutes saw the start of the group of 20 third category riders leave, then it was a minute to the first tier of second category riders, a minute to the second tier of second category rider. Finally the 1st category and elite riders were set off at 2.39. This group included former Tour De France stage and Paris Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt!
The Juniors set a good pace from the start, never looking under threat of getting caught by the fourth category riders. At the back of the race though the second tier of second category riders were working well and making good ground averaging a speed of 26 mph for the race, sweeping up the rest of the second category riders by lap two. In the meantime the third category riders had reeled in the fourth category riders.
At the rear of the race the 11 Elite and First category riders had their work cut out starting 9 minutes behind the head of the race. Averaging a race speed of 28 mph they were still determined to try to get to the front of the race though with Pendragon Le Col and Team Uk Youth driving the group hard.
Lap three saw the second category riders sweep up the third and fourth categories. The Mid Devon riders who had been driving the second cat train now slowed down, starting to work for Brennan under orders from team leader Andy Parker who knew Brennan was still at the front of the race and strong enough to beat the other juniors.
Attacks started flying out of the main bunch thick and fast now with riders realising the juniors were not going to get hauled back in, the Mid Devon all worked well to police the moves, watching them all come back to the bunch.
The handicapping times set up by Ken Robertson and Andy Parker from the Mid Devon CC proved to be extremely well judged. The Elite and Second category riders caught the main bunch with five miles to go, they went straight to the front to try to pull the group of five juniors remaining back. The time gap was coming down rapidly now and the juniors looked set to be caught right on the line.
Junior Brennan Townshend saw the danger though and attacked at the bottom of the long finishing hill. The bunch caught two of the juniors on the finish hill, but Brennan stayed away winning by six seconds proving he is a name to watch for the future. Junior George Pym from Exeter wheelers came second with fellow Junior Jack Plummer from Somerset R.C third. Peter Vincent from the Mid Devon was the first of the main group home in fourth place, Junior Daniel Mckimm from the Bristol development squad held off for fourth, The first elite rider in was Yanto Barker in fifth place.
It was a successful day for the Mid Devon CC ( Le Col- Colin Lewis Cycles) with six riders in the top twenty including Jake Durant, Andy Hitchens, Andy Parker, Alain Drury and Mark Dolan. A well organised event thanks to Ken Robertson who is at present recovering from an heart operation. All those in the cycling community who know him wish him a very speedy recovery.
Ali Holland Primal Europe was the victor in the second dedicated womens pursuit which started earlier in the day at 1100 am .The ladies were split into three groups spread over four minutes. This years event attracted 20 Female riders and as a dedicated womens event is growing well in stature every year. All three groups came together one lap from the finish and a tactical battle ensued with Ali Holland and Angie Pike Shred Racing launching several attacks only to be brought back into the bunch. At the foot of the finishing hill twelve riders were still in contention, Miriam Freemantle launched an early attack and nearly held off the fast finishing Holland for the win.
After the event Holland was impressed with the standard of the racing and was fullof praise for the pursuit format |
For more pictures follow this link to Ann Owens' flicker site
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The South West Road Race workgroup have announced the date of their season long "star trophy" competitions for men, women, youth and juniors. The nominated youth races will also act as selection events for the South West team at the inter regional championships.
The South West region also has its own dedicated Facebook paged, where organisers and competitors can post information and pictures on their events. British Cycling South West- Road Racing and get posting. |
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A wind that was tearing the leaves off the trees and driving rain, fortunately on the rider's back, were the weather conditions for the Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA Twin Hill Climbs.
Despite these testing conditions there were some fine rides none more so than by 16 year old Jack Baker, Mid-Devon CC/Colin Lewis Cycles. The Torquay Boys Grammer School Sixth Former showed that his fourth place in his club's Haytor Hill Climb was no fluke. Riding a brand new bike his first effort up the 4.4 miles between Douseland and Princetown over Peek Hill began rather badly. He misjudged his starting time and arrived as the timekeper was counting down "3,2,1 Go". He still had his training top on and as that was ripped off his jersey came with it. All in all he lost 12 seconds on the start line.
Fastest to the mid-way point was eventual winner Richard Oram, Guerciotti/JJ Coach in 5 mins 41 secs. Nine seconds slower was Lee Sanderson, RN & RM CA. Gary Pike, Alltrax was third in 6 mins 11 secs with Baker 11 seconds slower or almost all the time he squandered at the start. Level with Baker was Mid-Devon CC/Colin Lewis Cycles' Adam Holmes
At the finish it was Oram in 13 mins 19 secs, Sanderson was 10 secs slower with Pike timed in at 13 mins 53 secs. Pike had turned on the power on the flatter exposed section to draw away from Baker who finished in 14 mins 9 secs.
Adam Holmes was fifth in 14 mins 27 secs. Martyn Holmes took 15 mins 25 secs with both Tom Dracup and Andrew Hitchens just 1 second behind him. Clayton Baker took 16 mins 14 secs and 13 year old Tom Green completed the Mid-Devon CC/Colin Lewis Cycles times with a fine ride of 18 mins 46 secs.
With an hour's rest and the conditions deteriorating the riders had to face the 4.17 mile challenge of dual ascent of Pork Hill followed by Merrivale.
At the head of the field the positions were shuffled. Gary Pike was fastest in 14 mins 50 secs coming from fourth spot at the mid-point. Second was Oram, 7 seconds slower with Sanderson a further 16 seconds adrift.
Baker once again claimed fourth place in 15 mins 15 secs beating Adam Holmes by 54 seconds. Andrew Hitchens had the biggest placing improvement jumping from thirteenth place to eighth with a time of 16 mins 42 secs. Martyn Holmes was ninth in 17 mins10 secs. Tom Dracup finished in 17 mins 43 secs and Clayton Baker in 19 mins 27 secs. Tom Green rode with grit and determination to finish in 21 mins 18 seconds.
In the overall standings Oram had done enough in the both races to beat Sanderson by 31 seconds and Pike by 32 seconds. Baker was fourth, Holmes fifth and Hitchens who took the over 40s prize ninth to win the team prize for the Mid-Devon CC/Colin Lewis Cycles and edge out the host club.
Haytor Hill Climb
Once again the 30 year old course record for the tough climb from Bovey Tracey to Haytor Roacks Car Park remained intact at the end of the Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles promotion. The winner this year was once again James Dobbin of Arctic Premier RC - he was the winner for the previous 3 years.
In 1979 Jeff Williams, GS Strada set a mark of 12 mins 44 secs over the 3.125 miles to win that year's National Hill Climb Chapionship. Since then the record has stood despite several national champions trying their best to claim a new record.
The best that Dobbin has done was get to within 17econds of the record in 2007. This year he ended up some 26 seconds away. He was not able to blame the weather conditions to any great extent. On the lower slopes the hedges kept any wind at bay. He passed the time check above the cattle grid in 8 mins 33 secs and leading the eventual runner up, Lee Sanderson, Royal Navy & RMCA by exactly 1 minute.
Once out on the open moor the wind was still light albeit a headwind and despite Dobbins best efforts the seconds ticked by and he crossed the line in 13 mins 10.7 secs.
Sanderson lost a further 46 secs to finish in 14 mins 56.s secs. Third place went to Marc Allen of the Swindon Road Club in 15 mins 15.6 secs.
In fourth spot was 16 year old Jack Baker. He was the fastest junior and the fastest rider from the Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles team. Despite riding a bike from the club's bike pool he did a very creditable time of 15 mins 26.4 secs. He beat Paul Caton, Andrew TMG Horizon by 0.5 sec - Caton last rode the course in 1979 championship when he was a junior and was 38th in 14 mins 46 secs.
Adam Holmes, Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles, made a welcome return to racing having been out of competition for almost a year. He took 15 mins 55.4 secs for sixth place and beating team mate Andrew Hitchens by 13 secs and his father Martyn by 43 secs.
16 year old Clayton Baker took 18 mins 32 .8 secs. The first lady was Jo Edwards, Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles. She has recently completed a very satisfactory half Ironman in Ireland that included the Healy Pass. On Haytor she took 20 mins 32,2 scs and beat her clubmate Sue Hewings by 1 min 47 secs.
Camel Valley 25
A season's best time of 53 mins 55 secs by Julius Jennings, Guerciotti/JJ Coach on the Goss Moor course gave him his seventeenth win of the year. He beat Gary Drew, Royal Navy & RMCA, by 55 scs and Stuart Hall by exactly 1 minute.
Fastest of the Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles was Adam Beams in 56 mins 20 secs with Andrew Hitchens taking 57 mins 48 secs.
Junior Tom Dracup took 1 hour 1 mins 52 secs a personal best by2 seconds.
Super Vet Ralph Hitchens could be excused for thinking he is in a rut. He took 1 hour 5 mins 42 secs - the same time as 8 days prevously at Andover but this was a better ride as most riders went slower and he did not. His efforts earned him third veteran's award |
.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rugbyworldcup/2007/09/man_against_mountain.html&usg=__JVOsbSpGXpIa2vs_Y3qAAINx6X4=&h=406&w=788&sz=11&hl=en&start=78&sig2=tePkBu5sldkdU0oWsHtXRw&tbnid=MIlrR1c7DzcCwM:&tbnh=74&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcycling%2Bup%2Bmountains%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBR_enGB300GB300%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60&ei=dPnZSuLSO8-LjAeX8OXeCA) The only way is up !
   Adam "Stig" De Volder |
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Mid Devon youth riders Tom Green, Will Kelly and Adam Fursdon travelled to Mallory Park motoring racing circuit in Leicestershire for some expert training under the guidance of British Cycling coaches. Organised by Talent Team coach Ric Jamieson the event pulled in over a 100 youth riders from across the country. All the lads had a great day, learning bunch racing tactics and how to slipstream they covered sixty miles during the day long event . The training should put them in good form for the south west regional seniors, with places up for grabs for the regional team in the youth Olympics competition should be hot !
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 Mallory Park motor racing circuit
 When was the last time you saw 100 youth riders ?
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Though dry, it was a surprisingly windy day for the riders of the Yeovil Cycling Club Ham Hill Road Race. There was a good outcome from Mid Devon for what proved to be a blisteringly fast race. Of the Pittard's Trophy (The Category 3/4 race), best result from Mid Devon went to Alan Drury, who got 7th in the race. The first lap went well for him, keeping well within the bunch and doing his turn of the work while many were being dropped. However during the second lap, the pace just kept getting quicker. Drury had to really push to keep with it. The third lap gave him his ticket out of the miserable bunch. Digging deep, Drury went with a small breakaway group and reaped his reward of 7th place. With 1st place being won by Charles Rees (Gillingham & District Wheelers) and prime won by Richard Oram of Revo. Along with Alan's success, there were several Mid Devon riders finishing in the main bunch, a good result considering the fast nature of the race. With such a large number of elite riders in the Ham Hill Road Race (Categories Elite/1/2), the pace was manic. Mid Devon rider Andy Parker's computer clocked up a massive 29 mph average speed in the bunch! Though this wasn't fast enough for some. On the main climb of lap 2 a group of 9 riders opened up a 35 second gap. All of them were Elite and 1st categories, except one rider. Mid Devon rider Matthew Hill had seen his chance once again. The group continued to work hard. By lap 3, their gap reached 1 minute 3 seconds. On the main climb of lap 4 though, many of the riders in the breakaway began to feel the punishing pace they'd put on. Hill seemed to show signs of losing contact, but by the top of the hill he was back on and doing his turn. Towards the end of lap 4, Marcin Biablocki of Willier/Big Maggys (who had punctured earlier) was the first to cross the now 24 second gap to the drained breakaway group. It was not long after that until the group and their efforts were swallowed up by the peloton. The race then ended in a sprint won by Chris Opie, Pendragon/Le Col who had also won the prime. Matt Rowe of Willier/Big Maggys second. Yanto Barker of Pendragon/Le Col and former Mid Devon member, also in the breakway group with Hill got 6th. Matthew Hill, fatigued from his efforts along with several other Mid Devon riders finished well within the bunch. Pittards Trophy Results Ham Hill Road Race Results  Chris Opie Celebrating his win. Photo Chris Rhymer. |
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Simon says don't letthe bad weather stop you from training
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Cavendish and Hausler go head to head in the stage finish at the Tour of Switzerland
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The club has a 3 hour training session booked at Newport velodrome on Sunday 20th. The costs are £7 bike hire and £5 for track time, contact Andy Parker andy-parker@blueyonder.co.uk if you are interested |
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Dartmoor Classic in association with SpecializedPress Release 26th Oct. 2010
After much research of the domestic sportive calendar, leading bike manufacturer Specialized are now all set to team-up with what is acknowledged, by many riders, to be the U.K’s best sportive. By supporting its continuing growth, the global brand plans to help the highly popular Dartmoor Classic reach the next stage in its ambitious development programme. Having been invited to visit Specialized’s stand at the recent London Cycle Show, representatives of the Devon event left with a proposal which will add substantially to all who take part in the annual ride through the Dartmoor National Park. "We always like to try and spoil the riders in our event, by giving them the professional racing experience without the racing." said Ron Keegan, spokesman for the Mid-Devon Cycling Club, who stage the annual fixture. "Now, with Specialized’s generous offer of support, we can really add great value to the whole sportive experience" he added. The "Classic’s" organising chairman, Stewart Bergman, who was also at the Earl’s Court exhibition, seeking trade support for the event’s extensive Depart Village, commented "I totally buy into the whole ethos of Specialized because it sits very comfortably with what we aim to give our riders. The riders come first and the event is truly theirs. Their support has made the event the huge success that it now is and we will always repay them for their trust in what we endeavour to offer." Bergman’s comment reflects the opinions of Specialized’s founder Mike Sinyard who said, before the meeting between the two parties, "Passion for riding and a ceaseless drive to innovate is what makes Specialized and it’s what will allow us to make your next ride better." Following agreement on Spezialized’s proposal, the event’s Chief Organiser, Ken Robertson, said "The association with Specialized, a company with a worldwide reputation, is a result of the hard work put in by the membership of the Mid-Devon C.C. over the life of the event. Specialized recognises the detailed planning that goes on and that has resulted in each year’s Dartmoor Classic sportive exceeding the standards set in the previous year. With the undoubted expertise that Specialized can bring to bear, the 2011 event will surpass anything that has been seen in South West cycling circles." Richard Hemington, MD of Specialized explained "Sportives are a popular activity and a great way of getting out on your bike and challenging your abilities. The Dartmoor Classic is a prestigious event that we are proud to be involved with and a perfect partnership for Specialized." Simon Aske, the proprietor of club sponsor Colin Lewis Cycles said "This is a great opportunity to take the Dartmoor Classic to the next level and I will continue to support the event and the club in any way I can." The 5th edition of the Dartmoor Classic, which takes place on 26th June 2011, certainly promises to deliver a fantastic cycling experience and Specialized’s association with the event launches on Oct. 31st when on-line entry opens at www.dartmoorclassic.co.uk |
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The Abbrook Aces move their activities to Stover Caravan Park from Saturday 21st November, Parking is available on site. Please note the new start time of 1030. We have been developing some great session and will be advertising them in the local papers and schools in the hope of attracting the stars of the future
The tarmac circuit enables us to develop our sessions an introduce an element of competition with our Star (Stover All rounders), prizes will be on offer ! See holiday flyers doc below for more info
Next Sessions are Saturday 9th + 23rd January,
Saturday 6th +20th February |
John Andrews Memorial Road Race The Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis Cycles Team showed well in a very aggressively ridden John Andrews Memorial Road Race. The 60 mile race, promoted by the Yeovil CC, and based on a circuit near Langport was action packed from start to finish. In the first 10 miles Matt Hill, Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis, went clear and soon opened up a 10 second lead. No one else from the fast moving pack joined him. The high speed soon saw the weaker riders dispatched from the rear of the bunch. After several miles on his own Hill was reeled in. The next key move happened just after half distance had been reached. A quintet of riders went away including Matt Hill and team mate Andrew Hitchens. The maximum lead they attained was 50 seconds. One by one the number of riders at the head of affairs was whittled down. It was a combination of the speed, the heat and the aggression of Jules Birks, VC Londres and Tavis Walker (Inverse Racing). Eventually Hill and Hitchens were forced back to the bunch. Birks and Walker’s lead became tenuous in the final miles with the bunch sensing that they could be caught. The final kilometre was up Catgore Hill and the bunch was now only 200 metres behind the lead pair. Nevertheless Birks and Walker held out for first and second respectively. 9 seconds later the bunch sprinted across the line with a vintage performance from Andrew Hitchens to grab third place. Of the other local riders Will Hornby, Cycle Sport South Hams was eleventh just edging out Adam Holmes, Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis. In fourteenth spot was Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis junior rider Brennan Townshend. These placing meant that the Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis had the best team aggregate.
Camel Valley C & TC 50 Mile Time Trial While not the perfect conditions of 2009 the Camel Valley C & TC 50 mile time trial still yielded some fast times. A capricious breeze across the course making it difficult to judge pace. As each lap passed the breeze seemed to increase, or was it the legs growing weaker. Despite the wind the winner was Sean Childs, Royal Navy & RMCA in the fast time of 1 hour 48 mins 18 secs. This was 28 seconds slower than his winning time 12 months ago. In second place was his colleague Gary Drew. He was 2 minutes 59 seconds slower than Childs. Drew beat third placed Mike Westwell, RAF CC by 41 seconds. Fastest of the Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis team was Adam Beams in ninth place. He took 1 hour 56 mins 12 secs – this was 1 minute 4 secs slower than in 2009. Mark Sanders, Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis, was fourteenth. One rider to buck the trend was Stephen Dart. Dart has been showing good form in the club’s regular Tuesday evening 10 mile time trials so it was no surprise that he improved nearly 6 minutes to a new personal best of 2 hours 8 mins 5 secs. A rider to go home with a spring in his step was Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis’s veteran Ralph Hitchens. Despite nearing 70 he managed to carry off the veteran’s prize. While he was marginally slower than in 2009 he still a remarkable time of 2 hours 16 minutes 45 seconds. This gave him a plus of 35 mins 31 seconds beating the second placed and much younger veteran, Simon Edney of the North Devon Wheelers by 17 seconds.
Josh Hunt While the rest of the Mid-Devon C.C./Colin Lewis Team have been sampling the delights of the local races Josh Hunt, now in his first year as a senior, has been doing battle in the National Premier Races. Hunt has been putting in his usual gutsy performances. His first sortie into Premier Races was at Dumfries. As Hunt put it “The pace was manic from the start. From the gun the bunch was doing 36 m.p.h. on the flat. After 45 minutes the race had averaged nearly 30 m.p.h. With 100 miles of racing in their legs 15 riders slipped away off the front. Despite being chased hard 11 survived to the finish. In the closing miles Hunt tried a solo attach to snatch twelfth spot but by then his lags had turned to jelly. All he could do was ride in for a top 30 place. One week later Hunt was at the Ryedale Grand Prix. It was a very wet day in Yorkshire with many sections of the road covered in floodwater. Despite this Hunt was well to the fore. Near the finish a quartet broke away. The finish was uphill and Hunt had little left in the finishing sprint but was still in the top 30. This last weekend he was riding the Beaumont Trophy. This was 108 miles with the HQ near Newcastle. Hunt had a plan “sit in for the first half and see what develops”. Plan and reality were far apart. Inside 5 miles he found himself in a break of 20. By 40 miles he had settled in and was feeling strong. At the feed station 6 riders attacked – Hunt missed the move. With 30 miles left 10 riders caught Hunt’s group. The leaders were 3 minutes ahead. The bunch was 2 minutes behind. Then with 5 miles to go came tactical error number two. Hunt was at the back ‘resting’ when his group split in half. Despite chasing hard they could not catch those in front. Despite his errors Hunt got eighteenth place – his best Premier result to date and a top 10 beckons. |  Josh Hunt in action  |
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To prove that lightening can strike twice in the same place Adam Beams, Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles, went to South Wales scene of his record breaking ride in 2010 and came home with a new 25 mile club record.
Initially the day did not go too well. As he was warming up he suffered a front wheel puncture. Fortunately he was able to get back to his van and put in a spare wheel. A rush to the start line and he was there with less than 5 minutes to spare.
Once away he was soon into his rythmn and descended the opening hill at close to 50 m.p.h. The route of the Port Talbot Whhelers race took him down the Neath Valley and back.With occasional showers and a blustery wind to contend with many riders were slower than in 2010. Beams was one of the exceptions. He crossed the line after 53 mins 25 secs shaving 4 seconds off the record.
Team mate Mark Sanders took 54 mins 19 secs - dropping back 46 second on his 2010 effort.
Will Kelly, Mid-Devon Cycling Club/Colin Lewis Cycles, put in a top performance in the National Under 16 year old National Championships. On an exposed Bristol to Gloucester road the Teignmouth based youngster was third in is age category, 12 years. His time of 27 mins 23 seconds was done despite a wind that blew riders to the turn at over 27 m.p.h up the hills and slowed then to13 m.p.h on the way back and down hill. He was a scant 10 seconds from second spot.
Brother Joel, who had put in some impressive pre-event training rides, took 25 mins 41 seconds. This gave him tenth place in the 14 year old category. |
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The Mid Devon's popular evening 10 series starts on Wednesday 1st April. Based on two circuits of the Kingsteignton to Chudleigh road with the HQ at Abbrook Park.
The races are run on an informal "come and try it" basis with competitors turning up on the day and paying £2 enter, £1 for youths who will also need the attached parental consent form.
Its a good way to sharpen your skills and reduce your times over the weeks. Last year we had up to 30 entrants and it looks like this year will be busier ! To encourage our youth riders we offer the following incentives (not bribery) two rides = an inner tube, four rides = tub of Maxim, 6 rides an MDCC jersey
On alternate Wednesday's we host the weekly chaingang. Simply turn up at Abbrook and find a group that suits your ability. The route is along the Teign Valley to Dunsford and return, if you get dettached from your group you can pick them upon the way back.
The chaingang is traditionally the staple training of cyclists throughout the country and where intending to make ours a succes this year. The more people who participate = more people of similar ability = more groups= a fun time for all ! |  |
On 10th May the Mid Devon have booked Newport Velodrome for a 4 hour training session. The emphasis will be on introducing our youth riders to the track and having some healthy competition. There will be a minibus for South Dartmoor College students and we'll probably book another bus to take the rest of the Aces and any club members. We have also offered six places to participants in the Torbay schools cycling event at Broadsands and it will be an opportunity for them to meet the club
Contact Andy Parker for more info andy-parker@blueyonder.co.uk |
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Craig Macalpine is planning a cycling adventure to watch the famous Tour of Flanders and participate in the cyclo sportive. Craig has room for three passengers with bikes and has the following itinerary.
Bank Holiday Friday 2nd April – drive to Belgium leaving at about 1pm (this allows club members to ride the Teign Valley TT). Eurostar across channel. Stay night in Brugge
Saturday 3rd April – ride Sportive (option of 250km, 150km or 75km) http://www.sport.be/cyclingtour/rondevanvlaanderen/2010/eng/parcours/150.html.
Sunday 4th April – watch the Tour of Flanders and then drive home afterwards. Returning back to Devon at about 1am The cost will be a share of the diesel cost and Eurostar for car (estimate cost to be about £50 to £60 each) plus accommodation in Belgium and entry to the sportive. if you are interested email craig on craig.macalpine@epagency.net
Fellow Mid Devon members Jonathon and Simon Aske, MikeParker and Alain Drury are also making teh trip to ride the sportive |
 Tom Boonen on the Muur de Grammont, Gerardsbergen
 Stijn Devolder wins |
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This year the Tour of Britain has two stages in the South West, on Tuesday 14th there's Minehead to Teignmouth and Wednesday 15th Tavistock to Glastonbury. Make sure you go along and support Mid Devon old boys Jon Locke of Rapha Sharp and Jeremy Hunt of Cervelo. Also in the convoy will be Colin Lewis guesting in the Cervelo team car, Darren Moore employed by the TOB at all the stage finishes whilst Ken Robertson and Roy Hopkins experience the hospitality of the VIP enclosure!
Jon had this to say to the local press
“I want to do well in front of a home crowd. It’s a good opportunity for people who may not traditionally be interested in cycling to see a race. It’s a great showcase for cycling in the UK and I’m sure it will leave a positive impression.
“I ride all of the roads of the two south west stages in training, particularly the road from Tavistock. It’s going to seem strange riding those roads with 100 other riders but I’ll definitely look to get involved in the local stages. We’ve got the riders in our team who are capable of winning a stage, so the goal is to get in the breaks and get some stage wins.” The former Mid Devon Cycling Club member and Estover Community College student is a relative late starter in the sport, having focused on racing mountain bikes as a teenager. He didn’t even own a road racing bike until his 18th birthday but one year later, under the guidance of the Mid Devon Cycling Club, he was representing Great Britain at the World under-23 championships in Verona in 2004. To gain some experience of racing on the continent, he moved to France to race for one of the country’s top amateur cycling clubs, UV Aube. However, a bout of Glandular Fever looked to have put paid to his ambitions, and Jonathan had more than two years away from the sport before making a full recovery. On his comeback, Jonathan raced locally and nationally for the Mid Devon Cycling Club, including a guest ride for Team Qoroz/South West Bike Academy, and a brief stint with the Plowman Craven team. His impressive results, which included the overall win in the Memorial Battle of Crete cycle race in 2008 and second in the Premier Calendar Richmond GP in 2009 against Britain’s elite cyclists, saw him snapped up at the start of this year by Rapha-Condor-Sharp. Since pulling on the black jersey of his current team, Jonathan has notched up some notable victories in top class domestic races as well as abroad. This year he has won the Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race and won a Stage of the Ras Tailteann in Ireland, which ranks as his best result to date. “I hadn’t touched my bike for a long time and it felt like a lot of time had been wasted,” recalls Jonathan. “When I came back I still hadn’t had much experience but I thought I could maybe do something with my career and earn a living from cycling. I’m still only 25 now and I’m enjoying racing. John Herety, the manager of Rapha-Condor-Sharp, saw the results I was getting and gave me a chance, which was great. He said he hadn’t seen the best of me. “It feels great to be selected to race for our team in the Tour of Britain. We’ve got some races abroad to prepare but after that I should be where I need to be physically. When you’re in a team like Rapha with riders such as Chris Newton who have Olympic medals and world titles, you have to ride for them. There’s a certain amount of responsibility and you have to do the job for the team which means there’s still pressure even if it’s not directly on you. You don’t want to let them down.” see links to Tour of Britain
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