News

Have you got any news, results or a story to tell? Email info@kingstonwheelers.com

Gezza's Journal

Just a few days to go for Gerry Rosen. Can he go from 21 stone London Cabbie to Etape du Tour finisher? He's highlighted the highs and lows of his challenge so far. Click here to read his journal.

Who Broke the 25 mile Record?

Steve and I headed down to Liss this evening for the A3 CRG open 25 on the P885/25 course, writes Adam Page. Conditions were near perfect - warm, with with a light wind working in our favour on the long north-bound stretch. Riders were set off at 30 second intervals which led to having plenty of targets on the road to chase, with me off at 7.22pm and Steve seven mins later.

I had plenty of riders to chase and picked them off at regular intervals, going through 10miles in 21:45 and 15miles in 32.10 meaning that I was roughly on target for the club record of 53.17. Coming off the final turn with six miles to go I was doing a spot of mental arithmatic - I needed to pretty much average 30mph till the finish on the fastest section of the course. But as the miles ticked down I was finding it tough into the slight headwind, and with a mile to go it was touch and go. But I managed to pick it up for the finish and crossed the line in 52.56, a new club record by 21 seconds.

Now the big question was how had Steve got on? Out on the course it looked like he was going well, and when I passed him in the opposite direction towards the end I wasn't convinced that he was still seven mins behind me! Eventually we caught up back at the car and he had done 53.13 - also inside the old record! Not bad for his first ever 25! He had also been suffering cramp during the race, and with a bit more TT specific training (particularly getting used to riding in the position for longer times) there is no doubt that he'll go faster! I'd better get down to some training...

Despite our record breaking times we still only place ninth and tenth in the event. Winner was Nik Bowdler (he of the 77 tooth chainring!) with 50.18. The results board paid testament to the excellent conditions with at least 75% of the field scoring PB's.

Webmaster: Congratulations to Adam and Steve. Adam's ride means he breaks a record that has stood since 1990. Charlotte East also rode and she got a PB too of 1.05.37.

National Championships

Well done to club member Andy Bye who took a great 16th place in the National Championships on Sunday. Andy came in towards the front of the bunch in a race won by Rob Hayles. "The bunch was driven along at an incredible tempo by Millar, Stannard, Cavendish and Hammond. Those four seemed to be a completely different level of ability than the rest, capapable of riding at an unbeleivable speed all day" said Andy.

Chersey Race Report

There was a good turnout of Kingston Wheelers for Saturdays Surrey League races at Chertsey, writes Adam Page. In the thirds the club was represented by Alan Sherman, John Coolahan, Tim Lawn, James Wasley and Russell Seekins. Unfortunately Alan and Russell both suffered punctures but Coolers came through for fourth in the sprint finish with James and Tim both finishing in the bunch. I didn't spot any Wheelers kit in the 4ths race.

Myself, Steve Saunders and Thorsten Klassen lined up for the E/1/2 race in a field of nearly 50. I had a minor panic 15 minutes before the start when I discovered that I didn't have a skewer for my rear wheel but thankfully Steve was organised and had a spare one in his toolbox so I managed to make the start. The first few laps were full of short bursts and surges with both myself and Steve active in trying to make or chase breaks. My legs were feeling pretty strong (a complete contrast to Wednesday's Club 10!) and I was happy to do the work at the front of the race.

Eventually a break of five or six riders got away after several laps and the bunch settled in at a fairly leisurely pace! The break had a gap of 40-60 secs for most of the middle of the race, and with few riders in the bunch prepared to work, it looked like it might end up staying away. This was quite frustrating for Steve and I as we constantly found ourselves on the front with only two or three other riders sharing the work. Often the gap would close, then open up again when other riders couldn't pull through. However, we eventually reeled them in with about six laps to go, but one of the breakaway riders immediately managed to get away again as the bunch seemed happy that their work was done in catching the break.

With four laps to go I decided to have a go and attacked up the back straight, quickly establishing a gap on the bunch. I could often see the breakaway rider ahead of me but the gap never seemed to close so I kept my head down in the hope of staying away from the bunch. As the laps counted down it looked like I'd do it, but as I came through the bell a quick glance back told me that a group of riders were closing in on me. And so it was as these five riders caught me with half a lap to go, but I just managed to jump on the back of their train. We were safely ahead of the bunch so as we came into the back straight the usual games began as we eased up in preparation for a sprint. Unfortunately I chose this moment to panic, and as the other riders peeled over to the right of the track, I decided to stay left and go for it. This 'element of surprise' tactic is good in theory, but my problem was that we were still about 600+ metres from the finsh line! Consequently my legs were toast with a good 200m still to go and as I slowed the others were just accelerating and I was overtaken 100m from the line!

So seventh place for me, I'm reasonably happy as I rode strongly, but a bit annoyed that I got my finishing tactics so badly wrong. Thorsten and Steve sprinted in with the bunch, Thorsten near the front and Steve not far behind, although i'm unsure of their exact placings. Chertsey's flat profile is a much happier hunting ground for me than the hilly road circuits of Surrey and Sussex!

BSCA Best All Rounder: Anthony Anderson wins!

The road race and time trial events that conclude the British Schools Cycling Association Best All Rounder were held at Darley Moor on 22 June, writes mum Nicola Wadham. In very windy but dry conditions there was a strong field of riders for both events. In the road race Anthony made the break with four others on the first lap. Two more were shelled in the later stages and this left Anthony to lead through to the line. He was pipped for the win in the sprint by the track specialist Joel Partington, who showed a good tactical sense throughout.

The time trial (three miles) saw the same one-two result with Joel riding 9.21 and Anthony second in 9.33. For reference the record is held by Adam Blythe (8.04) – but the day was far from record conditions. I think some of the wispier U-8’s may have been blown into the next county. As a first year U-10 Anthony will have another chance to look at this record next year – but if you do the math its pretty quick for a nine or ten year old!. He will also (apparently) need the aero helmet, tribars and the rest of the traditional TT gear that was used to good effect by some of his competitors!

With four wins (cyclo cross, mountain bike, hill climb, grass track), three seconds (time trial, road, track) and a fifth spot (roller racing) – Anthony takes the U10 BSCA BAR scoring 153 points out of a maximum 160.

Join Now For Half Price

As we are halfway through the year, club membership is now only £15 for the remainder of the year. If you've been hesitating, join us now. Click here for more on membership.

Surrey League Jaunts

In the final stage of the Jaunts, Steve Saunders took fifth place and finished in seventh place overall. A great result by Steve who was placing in the top-10 on many stages and racking up a haul of BC points. The race was won by London Dynamo's Richard Hoult. "This was a really good race, I've learned more about stage racing and will definitely enter the Revolutions later in the year!" said Steve.

Coming up soon, the Surrey League Revolutions is a five day stage race for 1/2/3 category riders held in mid-August. If you can spare the time, enter it as it would be great to field a team of riders.

Ardéchoise Cyclosportif

The Ardéchoise is France's biggest cyclosportif with over 13,000 riders taking part, writes James Beaumont. Held around the semi-mountainous Ardéche region, you choose the route you take on the day, with six circuits from 66km to 266km. Riding were Glenn Chamberlin and myself from the club, plus ex-Wheeler Ben Cousins, now with Stockholm's CK Valhall and wheelbuilding expert Rob Pennell, we'd all had spent the previous week riding in the Alps. Sadly two club members were absent, Tony Lane and Gerry Rosen. Tony was struck down by a virus and Gerry didn't want to drive down alone. But Geneva-based Ian Collins and Parisian Yves Millière were there.

Glenn opted for the 216km route, as did Ben but problems with a front wheel forced Ben to stop twice for mechanical help and he was forced frustratingly to switch to the 171km route. Glenn just missed out on his goal of a top-100 place.

Meanwhile I went for the 268km Ardéchoise Vélo Marathon, complete with 16 cols and over 5000m of vertical climbing. The start - 12km uphill - was even more demented than last year thanks to the presence of two Française des Jeux pros. I rode with the 20 strong lead group for an hour until it split in half and luckily I was at the back of the group, the pace was too high as too many in the group doing a shorter route and others wanted to show off to the pros. I got some respite and was able to get a moment to eat and drink.

It was hot early on and after two hours I stopped at the first ravitaillement at the top of the Col de Mézilhac to grab some water only to see the rest of my group ride on. I lost around 40 seconds, took back around 20 seconds during the brilliant 15km descent and started the next climb trying to chase them down. Riding at close to my maximum, I got to within five seconds of them but couldn't close the gap and they began to pull away on the next descent. Physical and mental agony.

I resigned myself to riding at a decent tempo and soon caught a couple of riders and then we were joined by five others and I rode with them for an hour. I'd been riding for four hours in all when came the point at the Gerbier de Jonc, the extinct volcano cone that is the source of the river Loire where you turn left for the Marathon 268km route or turn right for the 216km route and I headed left and the others went right, leaving me to ride alone. I didn't know it at the time but it meant I was to ride the next 140km alone.

Enjoying the scenery, I rode on as it was getting hotter and hotter, the tar was melting, sounding like a bowl of rice crispies as you rode over it. The views of the ancient volcanoes were stunning but didn't matter, it was just a question of riding hard and eating and drinking a lot. I'd started the ride with my jersey sagging with 10 Powerbars and six gels and was working my way through these culinary delights. The climbs and descents came and went, I just kept tempo to hold off any riders behind. It was tiring but you could just ride steady and gradually I got closer to the finish line. On the way to the finish, you join others who have done shorter routes, which lead on the same roads into the finish and in past years I'd motored past them, this time I was passing slowly. Sure enough the finish line came and I was pleased to finish, taking fifth place. Without knowing it, I was closing in quickly on those ahead of me during the last hour and missed out on a podium place by just four minutes. Had I known, I would have ridden harder. Thanks to bad weather and work in May and June, I've been really short of training so I'll be back next year with the aim of winning this.

The event is highly recommened, great routes, well organised and there's a special atmosphere on the day from the thousands of locals. Think about it for 2009...

Surrey League Jaunts

Adam Page and Steve Saunders have been racing in the Surrey League's 5 day stage race, the Jaunts. In the prologue on Friday, an eight mile hilly time trial around Withyham, Adam took sixth place and Steve was eighth. Saturday's road stage saw Steve finish 11th, gaining a few seconds on the bunch but Adam finished behind the bunch.

Sunday's stage was on the Ewhurst circuit, with the "summit" finish up Leith Hill. Ready for the stage, Steve hit bad luck when he punctured and after a wheel change, burned up precious energy in his efforts to return to the bunch. "I sat in slobbering like a dog trying to recover for a few laps. On the finishing climb, my legs still felt awful but I thought I'd give it a go anyway, and took off about halfway up the climb. I clearly didn't have the legs though, and got overtaken by five riders on the final pitch to finish in sixth" says Steve, collecting more points and securing a place amongst the top-10 overall. It was a harder day for Adam who pulled out.

There are two stages remaining. Current race leader is the impressive Richard Hoult (London Dynamo), a fourth category rider at the beginning of the year who has already stood on the podium at the South-East Road Race Championships.

Giles Ree Memorial: Birks on podium

Jules and I rode the 25th edition of the Giles Ree Memorial Road Race on the roads around Handcross and Warninglid last Sunday, writes Steve Saunders. There was a strong looking field with a good prize fund available and the racing was good with several breaks getting away, including an early move with Jules which got pulled back, then a bigger break with neither of us in it. Luckily Norwood Paragon and Sigma Sport were also not represented so they worked hard to chase and brought it all together again.

As the race came onto the finishing circuit I was feeling strong for the 'finale' until I was completely unsighted on a very deep pothole that I rammed straight into, thinking "I'll be lucky to not flat here..." sure enough 200m up the road my rear tyre was flat... The service van took an age to appear, and then zoomed off into the distance without giving much help in the way of a tow.

After the wheel change I dug deep, until reaching the finishing area where the marshals told me I was about 3 minutes back- not much point trying to get back on with the bunch at full stretch going for the finish. I gave Jules a good cheer, and helped out with the finish judging, Paul Delahunty of London Dynamo took the bunch sprint, with fellow sprint specialist Steve Calland of Norwood Paragon taking second. Our very own Jules Birks showed how his track training has improved his sprint by getting third place just ahead of SE Champ Gary Dodd - a great finish. Bring on the Pearson 5-day Jaunts next.

Designated TT series event 5 - Farnham RC25 - Saturday 14 June

Several riders took part in the 5th event of the club's designated TT series on Saturday, which was a 25 mile event held on the Bentley course, writes Naz Peralta. Whilst waiting for the official results, highlights include Adam Page riding a short "54" (a PB), Lawrence Smith a short "55" (his first 25 mile event and hence a PB, though with a 7 minute late start his official time will be 62+ minutes!) and Ben Elliott a storming "56" (also a PB). Having already set the club's 10 mile event record at 20:04 in September 2007, Adam is now not far off the club's 25 record which stands at 53:17 set by David Williams in 1990. Chapeau!

Interclub 10 - Saturday 14 June

Five Wheelers took part in the Interclub 10 on Saturday at Holmwood held in conjunction with the Kingston Phoenix. The results were as follows:

Ali Cigari22-36
Martin O’Sullivan24-25
Will Horrocks 25-41
Andrew Melbourne26-12
David O’Donovan28-50

Kingston - Worthing TT Sunday 22 June

If anyone is interested in a unique "one-way" time trial being held this Sunday, please see details on the forum thread and let Naz know asap so that he give the organiser a list of names. Riders must be registered in advance for this event.

There is a great interest in this season's TT events which is fantastic news for the club. So far, the club 10 series on alternate Wednesday has seen over 30 members take part, and we are only half way through, and the designated series is also attracting many more members than last year.

LVRC Racing

The club put on a day of racing under the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists' rules on Sunday 8 July. The day was a resounding sucess, writes organiser Richard Williamson, we had the weather, 97 entries spread across three races and superb racing. All races had a high calibre field with many of the riders having ridden at the top of UK road racing in their younger days.

I would like to thank everybody that helped on the day you were all fantastic. My particular thanks go to Dave Wylie and Jack Haswell who were on the course at 7.30 am putting the signs out and then marshaled all day, Stewie Martin for videoing and recording the finish perfectly and Lindsay Pullen and Thorsten Klassen who drove the course cars. My thanks also go to Jenny and Jemma for taking the catering burden off my shoulders. Many riders commented on how good the standard of marshalling was and the excellence of the catering. It was good also to see part of the Sunday club run pay the races a visit.

A brief resume of results:
A/B/C (40-54) 58 miles
1st Andrew Meilak ODLS Racing.Com
2nd Martin OGrady VC Deal
3rd Craig Wilson Ciclisti Vechi

D/E (55-64) 51 miles
1st John McMillan Finchley Racing
2nd Keith Brooks Ciclisti Vechi
3rd Ray Palin Kingsnorth International

F/G (65-74)
1st Roly Crayford San Fairy Ann CC
2nd Brian Dacey DeLaune CC
3rd Arnie Russell Whitewebbs CC

I may well run the races again next year and it would be good to see some new faces helping out along with some other established members coming out of the woodwork. For those over 40 that fancy having a go at road racing you will find the racing exciting, fast and tough, but above all the standard of riding is of a high standard making generally for safe races. Check out www.lvrc.org

Hillingdon: Russell Seekins Wins in Wheelers 1-2

Racing on Tuesday night at Hillingdon, Russell Seekins took a fine win in the fourth category race. "James Wasley was busy at the front throughout the race and he and I were both well positioned on the final bend", says Russell Seekins. As the sprint wound up Russell launched his sprint on the inside line, "I held on for the win", says Russell and James took second place. Both now move up to 3rd category, well done.

Portsmouth Racing

The race in Portsmouth was held on the 550m semi-track at Mountbatten Centre, writes Thorsten Klassen. In the E/1/2 race was a field of around 30 starters. Short after the start two groups of five riders each went clear, joined together and lapped the field after only 11 minutes of racing. That's it for a top 10 finish I thought however than the events tumbled, literally ...

After the first five riders of the lead group have lapped the field and went through and big crash happened in the steep section of the curve after the finish line. Suddenly I saw a VC Meudon rider sliding down the track just a few meters in front of me. I tried to steer around but instead hit his back and made a clean somersault on the grass (my first crash in a race since ages ...). I immediately realised what happened and having landed softly I reclimbed my bike, adjusted my brake lever and continued the race. There must have been at least 10 riders involved in the crash. The VC Meudon rider continued the race with big bruises on this leg, arm and hand and lost at least five laps. Others had to surrender from the race.

The commissaire gave me a lap out for the crash and after a while I counted the remaining riders which were 16. The race was a Band 3 race which means, points for the first 15. The field more or less stayed together for the rest of the race. Only Jason Streather (VC St. Raphael) together with a teammate, Simon Brooks, the latter winner of the race, got a couple of meters clear in the last three laps so the bunch prepared for a mass sprint. Going into the last lap I was positioned 10th which was a bit far back so I moved up on the inside lane of the track. In the final turn it looked that everybody was riding above the red line (which means the lower portion was clear) so I launched my sprint immediately and got a third place in the field sprint.

Now the most exiting question is: which place did I end up? - Good one, because also the commissaire lost the overview after the crash. He said, that I should be first of the lapped riders. In the end I was placed 10th which seems about right.

Cedric Klassen won another race in the Under 10 category earlier that day and would have been fourth in the Under 12.

In the fourth cat race Richard Waldren and Damien Breen took on the challenge after a longish train commute down to Portsmouth. Both look good inthe race staying at mid field and alert all the time for breakaways. Richard punctured after half of the race. No one got away to the field settled for a bunch sprint where Damien took 15th place.

Summer BBQ - Monday 7 July

It's time for the Wheelers' annual summer BBQ. Our venue this year is the Waggon & Horses in Surbiton on Monday 7 July, the Monday after the start of the Tour de France so there'll be plenty to talk about whilst reacquainting yourselves with members old and new. As always meat eaters and veggies will be catered for. Friends and family are more than welcome.

Payment is strictly in advance. The cost is £10 per person, payable via PayPal (click on the button above) or send a cheque to "Kingston Wheelers", or cash, to Derek Griffiths or Naz Peralta (details in the members' list). Please sign up as soon as possible so that we have a good idea of numbers.

Photo: Smithfield Nocturne


Jules Birks sprints and wins third place in the 2/3 category support race

Surrey League 4-up Team Time Trial

Andy Lack, Adam Page, Steve Saunders and Lawrence Smith rode the Surrey League 4-up team time trial event on Saturday.

In an under-subscribed event (only 12 teams entered) the Wheelers came in fifth place with a time of 1:22.59, some way off the winning time of 1:18.32 set by London Dynamo's A-team. "We got off to a bad start when Lawrence had a mechanical a minute before starting resulting in his big ring ending up out of action", says Steve Saunders. "Then, in the first 10 minutes of the race Andy was suffering, mainly due to being dropped on the tight bends and finding it hard to get back on to the pace line". There was an element of indecision about whether to sit up and hope Andy came good or press on as the fastest three riders contributed to the time. "In the end we pressed on, eventually hitting a good rhythm on the back of the course including some climbs that slowed the team up (although some quick descents, 70kph on one stretch). It was a fun event to do, and would recommend it to anyone!"

Eelmore

Racing mid-week, Thorsten Klassen took ninth place at Eelmore in the E/1/2. "As usual in Eelmore we saw a lot breakaway attempts however all were caught back probably due to the headwind on the home straight. So in the last lap all line up for a bunch sprint and everybody wanted to be in the first line going around the last hear pin turn. I managed to get the inside line and came around quite good avoiding the take Lee Smith (agiskoviner) wheel (because coming around in third position on Lee's wheels two weeks back he slipped out of his pedal). So he did this week again but luckily I was on the other side of the road finish in a nice ninth place."

Photo: New Forest Half Ironman Triathlon


Ian Russell on his way to completing a half Ironman triathlon on 4 May

Charlotteville CC 25

Seven riders took part in the 4th event of the series on Saturday 24 May, the Charlotteville CC 25 held on the H25/8 course at Bentley, Hampshire. It was a very windy day and this was reflected in the times, with the event winner recording a short 55 on a course where the top riders usually record around 50 minutes.

Ali Cigari59:07
Andy Lack1:00:20
Jack Haswell1:02:25
John Coolahan1:02:28
Naz Peralta1:05:14
Colin Gray1:07:24
Svilen Marinov1:08:48

As a result, Ali Cigari collected full points and now moves into the lead of the club's Time Trial Series. For the full rankings, click here. The next event of the series is the Farnham RC 25 mile time trial on Saturday 14 June.

Offers to Club Members

This website gets plenty of offers every day from people and companies offering their services, from B&B in the Alps and South American travel, to plenty of spam emails. Even for the legitimate offers, it's impossible to mention them all. But two recent emails are worth sharing. First is La Fuga, a local travel company which is offering a special discount to club members. Next is a training course for bike mechanics. Neither offering is endorsed by the club but by the looks of things, they could well be of interest.

La Fuga Holidays
La Fuga is the first UK company to offer cycling enthusiasts a luxury travel experience to the best European sportives. La Fuga tours combine the greatest cycling roads in the world with specially selected accommodation and an authentic taste of local culture. La Fuga has been established by elite riders, Ross Muir and Ian Holt. Having both lived and raced on the continent, they are excited to share their passion and knowledge of European culture and cycling with their guests.

We are pleased to offer a 10% discount to Kingston Wheelers members on parties of five or more people. In addition to our scheduled tours, we are also able to create custom tours to the destination or event of your choice and to cater for any budget. We offer a chance to test ride the latest kit from Zipp wheels to the latest Garmin GPS. For more information visit www.lafuga.cc or give us a call on 0208 144 1441.

Park Tool School
The Park Tool School Workshop is an introductory level course and is written for cycling enthusiasts who would like to consolidate any self-teachings with official techniques. It is a unique programme for learning bicycle maintenance, service and repair in a hands-on environment and benefits from the curriculum being designed by the Park Tool Company.

The Park Tool School is taught by ATG training, the preferred supplier of cycle industry qualifications, at our state-of-the-art, purpose-built cycle workshops in Aylesbury, Manchester and our newly opened workshop in Glyncorrwg, Afan Valley. Our new venue allows you to combine bike maintenance with some of the UKs best riding terrain. As part of the course, you will receive the Park Tool School manual, providing you with information on basic mechanical wheels, bearing assemblies, braking and shifting systems - everything you need to know to keep your bicycle rolling smoothly and safely. The next available dates in our Aylesbury Workshop are:
Thursday & Friday the 19th & 20th of June and Thursday & Friday the 21st & 22nd of August. For more information, download a guide here. For some more literature and information, call 0161 230 6241 or email e.powell@atg-training.co.uk.

Club Run

If you've enjoyed our club runs, then now is the time to join the club. We're happy for potential members to try the run but if you want to come along after a couple of tries, then you should think of joining.

As a member, you get the right to ride every club run but also a lot more. You can join a club and take part in other club activities, from trips abroad to curry nights. On hand you'll find plenty of like-minded members, to share everything from mechanical experience to a lift to a race. Click here for more.

In Gear Tour of Sussex

I rode the third cat support race at the Ingear Tour of Sussex on Sunday, writes Tim Lawn. We told the kids we were going to the seaside and headed off to Beachy Head in torrential rain in Kingston, but miraculously the sky had cleared by the time we go to the south coast and the roads had also dried.

The course was seven laps of seven miles long without a metre of flat and billed as having a 3km climb in it. This turned out to be about 2kms of false flat with a couple of small descents before the final kilometre up to Beachy Head itself which was pretty steep with three switchbacks. Remainder of the course was more false flat and mostly downhill back to the HQ from where the run up the climb started again. This made the racing slightly odd as most people were content to wait for the hill each lap.

However, John Heaton-Armstrong of Mosquito Bikes took off immediately the neutralised zone ended and was never seen again. Annoyingly, you could see him heading to the finish line each lap as we were at the bottom of the final kilo of climb, but he managed to gain and hold about a two minute lead. I tried to bridge across on the 2nd lap but without any help I only managed a lap frying on my own to no avail. After that, I was following wheels most of the race and putting in a few digs on the climb to lose people. Of about 35 starters, there ended up being three off the front and a group of about 20 which split at the bell and we were 12 racing for fourth at the finish. My legs were shot on the last couple of laps and I had no jump at the end so salvaged 10th which was not so bad for my second race of the year.

Had a good picnic and ice cream on the Head after the race and watched the juniors for a few laps. A good day out!

South-East Road Race League Stage Race

The South-East Road Race League is a sister organisation to the Surrey League. Once known as the Kent League, it runs a series of events in and around Kent. Steve Saunders rode their Bank Holiday stage race and got a decent result overall and a second place on one stage but seems to have been denied a better placing because of inconsistent rules.

I traveled to Kent this weekend to take part in the SERRL stage race, an event Andy Bye won last year. I had reasonable form so was aiming for a solid top-10 place overall.

Stage 1, Sat 24 May
This stage was held at the new Betteshanger purpose built circuit in East Kent- a nice enough circuit but a bit gloomy for a 120km race in high winds. The early move stayed away, and I finished 14th in a chase group of several riders a couple of minutes back from the lone winner, Dan Stait (Python RT).

Stage 2, Sun 25 May
I was looking forward to stretching my legs in the 10mile TT in the morning, and the rain cleared up just in time for the 11am start, and I ended up in 10th place with a 22:17, with the winner completing the course in 21:23. This boosted me a couple of places on GC.

Stage 3, Sun 25 May
This was a shorter 80km stage after the morning TT, and my legs were beginning to feel pretty good. An early move stayed away for the first half of the race but the yellow jersey and top GC contenders were in no mood to let it slip away and things came back together on the last lap. I fancied my chances on the uphill finish, so got in a good position at the bottom of the climb. Billy-Joe Whenman (Sports Beans) attacked and got 50 metres on the rest of us, before myself and Dan Stait opened up the gas on the final pitch, with him leading me out nicely for second place, sadly I was half a bike length down on Billy-Joe so missed out on a good chance for a win! Still, at the end of the two Sunday stages I had gone from 14th to 8th on GC.

Stage 4, Mon 26 May
The weather was bleak for 120km of the Tenterden circuit, better known for the Wally Gimber RR. Lots of riders were interested in protecting their GC positions, but after a couple of laps Gareth McCullough (Medway Velo) and Billy-Joe Whenman got a good jump and stayed away from a twitchy bunch, pushing out to just under a minute ahead. The person most likely to loose out from this was me, as both of these riders were just behind me on GC, so I rode the last 2 laps hard with Dan Stait (still in yellow) and Dan Kogan (PCA Cycles Uno, secon on GC). We got to within 15 seconds when Darren Barclay (Arctic-Premier) bridged the gap, and then for the second time this year, a tree came down on the course in front of me. The race convoy stopped, although the break kept riding. The chief comm assured us they would be DQ'd for having passed the lead car, so we cleared the tree and finished the last lap on the climb where I got a decent 6th place, 24seconds down on a couple of riders who had chipped away with 2km to go.

So there I was in the HQ, wet and tired but very content that I had met my goal of a top 10, thinking I had finished 8th on GC. I was therefore shocked when the prizes were announced that I was in 11th place overall. How had this happened? I can only assume the DQ'd breakaway riders had kicked up a fuss and they were awarded the same time as the stage winner - 24seconds faster than me which was enough to leapfrog all 3 ahead of me on the overall. I complained to the chief comm that this was unfair: we had been told they were DQ'd, we would clearly have caught those riders on the last lap and I had worked my socks off to chase hard, but I didn't want to kick up a stink over three places from 8th to 11th, even though I had forked out £60 for the entry fee and had my heart set on a top 10. SERRL organise good races, but beware that often at the end of a disputed race it seems to be who can complain loudest that will get rewarded...

National 10 Mile Time Trial Championships

Dan Sibbick and I travelled down to Liphook for the National 10 mile Time Trial championships on Sunday morning, writes Adam Page. Leaving Kingston it was grey and very wet, but the high winds of Saturday had all but gone. As we neared Liphook the rain had pretty much stopped and it was looking a little brighter, which was good news as there was talk of using a back up course off the A3 which had a great big hill in the middle! Sure enough they had decided to stay on the A3, but the start was delayed by 30 mins.

As the early results came in it was apparant that it was going to be a fast day with several PBs being set by the early riders. Dan was first off from the Kingston Wheelers and returned with a new PB of 20:45, an excellent ride in the now dry conditions. I set off a little after Dan's return and right from the start it was apparant that I didn't have the legs for it today. I finished with a disappointing 21:07, well off the pace of the quick boys going off before and after me. Not sure why it didn't happen for me but my legs have felt dead all week despite taking it pretty easy (my usual training regime!)

The event was won by Michael Hutchinson with a stunning time of 18:07 (yes, he was a full three minutes quicker than me!). All in all 28 riders went sub-20mins, which shows the high standard of the event. The event was extremely well organised and marshalled by the a3crg club. In the end, Dan placed 71st and I was 85th.

Second fastest time ever
This was the second fastest time ever by a British rider in an open time trial behind Bradley Wiggins' 17:58 set last year. Hutchinson's average speed was 33.1 mph. Whilst on the way back to the HQ, Naz Peralta and Will Meers passed Hutchinson and took the above picture of the man in action. "We were doing about 50mph at the time (in the car!) and Dr Hutch was doing about 45mph, phenomenal. Top snapping Will!" says Naz.

Andy Bye in Ireland

Racing in the "Ras", effectively the Tour of Ireland, Andy Bye is sitting in the top-10 overall. Riding as part of the Surrey League team, he's competing head to head against professionals and the Dutch and Polish national squads.

This time last year he wanted to ride but his university finals meant he had to turn down the offer. Indeed, Andy was a second category rider this time last year, making his progress even more impressive. Well done Andy! Keep up to date with Andy's results here.

Pyreenean Recce

Gerry Rosen visited the Pyrenees during the week as part of his build up for the Etape du Tour in July. In case you don't know the story, he's trying to go from 120kg London Cabbie to an Etape finisher in less than a year, for more, click here and has so far raised over £1,000.

Accompanied by James Beaumont who lent his experience in various guises as Frenchman, coach, mountain guide and cruel taskmaster, Gezza viewed the first part of the route on his first day and it's not as flat as the map suggests. Day two saw him tackle the infamous Tourmalet and he started well but riding into the clouds, the temperature dropped quickly and within no time, visibility was down to several meters and emotionally, he had to give up. Better weather on the final day saw him tackle the climb to Hautacam where he even managed to finish the climb with a sprint to the summit.

New Members: Introduce Yourself

More candidates are needed for the regular "Introducing" interview on the site. If you're a member and want to have a go, email and ask for the questionnaire.

Evans Cycles Discount Card

Having put news on here recently on how to get your Evans Cycles discount card, in fact it seems you can't get a card any more. The bike shop has contacted us to say it is suspending the discount cards. "I have been advised not to send out any new cards as our corporate sales team is currently reviewing the Priv Discount card" writes an employee of Evans. We hope to hear some positive news from this review, watch this space.

Club Kit Information

The contact email for club kit, kit@kingstonwheeelers.com will be switched off soon as it is bombarded by spam emails. If you want kit, please contact kitmaster Glenn Chamberlin direct, his details are in the members directory.

A word from the Webmaster: the club kit is great but please bear in mind that Glenn is volunteering to handle the kit. Behind the scenes, he's ordering thousands of pounds of kit, managing the stock levels and storing the stuff at home, and that's before he handles all your order. It's one of the hardest jobs in the club and despite what some might think, Glenn isn't salaried by the club! Be sensible, some have called him at 11.00 pm at night and others demanded he deliver to them. Remember, we're a cycling club and not a business. We're trying to update the kit ordering process, watch this space for more news.