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News

Gil Jessop Sporting 14 mile Time Trial

The 2010 edition promises a good battle between the top riders. Habitual winner Peter Tadros will come up against Sigma Sport's Wouter Sybrandy, and other contenders include the promoting club's Ben Elliot and the VC Meudon's Dan McCarthy. There are five clubs in line for the team competition too. Click here for more information, including the startsheet.

Help is still needed so please get in touch. Remember, if you plan to race this season it is only fair to help out in a race. Should the Club 10s prove over-subscribed, as they were in previous seasons, then priority goes to those who have helped.

London Womens Cycle Racing League

The Kingston Wheelers CC is backing the London Womens Cycle Racing League, being an affiliated club for this new organisation. With a growing number of women taking up cycling and becoming more competitive, they've identified the need for a league in which London-based women can be introduced to racing and develop their racing skills, while getting involved in healthy local competition. The league consists of 12 race and time trial events in London and the South East between March and August, with prizes up for grabs for both individuals and teams. You earn league points for yourself and your team each time you ride in any of these events, with your best seven results over the season counting towards your final score.

The Hall of Fame

The list of time trial PBs has now been updated and you can now view the updated Hall of Fame. Martin and Gafyn will be compiling the list once a month as well as providing a quick bit of commentary as to who's up and who's down each month so if you do a regular time trial, don't forget to send in your time.

Annual General Meeting - Reminder

The club's AGM takes place at 8.00 pm on Monday 8 February in the Waggon & Horses pub on Surbiton Hill Road. There's parking in the nearby residential streets and Surbiton station is not far. The AGM sees the committee elected to run the club's admin and it's a chance to meet them in person, to review how the club has been working and to discuss any future plans.

If you have suggestions for the club please get in touch with a committee member. Or if you want to put an item on the agenda for the meeting, drop an email to info@kingstonwheelers.com in advance of the meeting. As well as official business, this is also a glorified club night, usually with a big attendence and members can make full use of the bar at the Waggon & Horses. If you want a copy of the minutes from last year, send an email to the usual address.

Time Trial News

Sporting 14
Help is still needed for the Sporting 14. If you can spare a hand on Sunday 14 February, please get in touch with race organiser Nicola Wadham. Alternatively it's your very last chance to ride, so long as you can get your entry form to Nicola by Saturday morning. More info on the event is here.

Time Trial Series
The calendar of events making up the club's Time Trial Series is being finalised but as usual the Redhill CC 18 and the East Surrey Hardriders will count so if you want to take part in the series, now's the time to fill in your entry forms. There's a trophy up for grabs but the aim of the series is to have fun and pick events for us all to ride together, if you've tried a Club 10 and want to go further then these events are idea.

Club Circuit Race Championship
There's a club trophy for the fast circuit rider, for doing an open time trial on a circuit and this is decided annually during the East Surrey Hardriders time trial in early March. So think about entering this event, it's right on our doorstep too.

The Hall of Fame
There's a page on the website dedicated to cataloguing time trial performances, the Hall of Fame. As well as a leaderboard of fast times, it allows you to compare yourself to fellow members and in past seasons there's been some fierce mid-table rivalry with riders keen to leapfrog others. The table's involved a lot of work by Gafyn MacMillan - it runs on a behind the scenes database - and now Martin O'Sullivan will be helping too. He might be off the bike because of a broken hip but Martin will be keeping an eye on the time trial scene. If you have a time to add to the board, then email Martin or Gafyn.

James Platt Wins

Well done to James Platt for his win in the thirds race at Hillingdon on Saturday. Cold conditions made the racing hard but there was also an unusually high number of crashes on the day, many riders went down including a Kingston Wheeler or two although so far no club members appear to be too injured. James was helped in his win by some selfless teamwork from Jim Ley and Damien Breen, well done to all those who survived the day's racing. Thanks to a string of successful results James tops the third category leaderboard but he can't defend the lead any more as he's already been promoted up to second category.

Sporting 14 - Get involved

Race organisers Peter Anderson and Nicola Wadham are still short of a few helpers for the Sporting 14 in February so if you are around and would like to help out, please get in touch. Remember, if you plan to ride a few time trials this year then this is your chance to do your duty in return and ensure the club puts on a safe and succesful race.

Also, subject to having enough help, it's your chance to enter. Whether you're tempted by the generous prize list or just fancy being cheered on by roadside club mates, click here for more information.

Potholes

The traditional season-opening race for the South-East, the Perf's Pedal Race, has been cancelled because the roads used are in a mess. Our local lanes can be full of character at the best of times but the hard winter so far is creating extra damage and many potholes and cracks and other defects are appearing. It goes without saying that they are bad for cycling and sometimes even dangerous.

So if you spot a pothole then report it with the CTC's Fill That Hole website. It doesn't take long to report the problem and you will be doing a service to all cyclists. Reporting a defect is easy and in many cases it gets fixed within a week or two. Just as we'd like smooth roads, it's normal to assume the likes of Surrey County Council won't survey every lane on a weekly basis so don't wait for someone else to fix things, use the website to get things done.

Membership Renewals

Many thanks to all those of you who have already renewed your membership for 2010. Renewals, along with new applications, have been coming in thicker than the snow. If you'd like to do the same, you can do it online. A reminder that if you're racing in club colours or even posting times for things like the Box Hill Challenge on the forum, please get your membership sorted quickly. If you do it by the end of January it will save us sending your a reminder notice.

Similarly, if you've tried the club runs a couple of times and want to come back then it's time to sign up. Existing members shouldn't be shy about reminding regulars who don't join. Once your a member, it's up to you to get stuck in, you can do as many club runs as you want, maybe try racing or join members for a trip to the Newport Velodrome or even the Alps.

Leaf Cycling

As mentioned in December, Richard Williamson has launched a new venture, Leaf Cycling. They are offering a discount to club members of 10% on any bookings before the end of February. See their website or contact Richard Williamson on 01372 383199 for more details.

Introducing Interviews

New to the club? An established member? Either way a new candidate is needed for the Introducing interview out each month. February will see an interesting interview but sadly they haven't filled in the online membership application yet so it would be nice to accompany the piece with something from a genuine Kingston Wheeler. For your copy of the questionnaire, drop an email to info@kingstonwheelers.com.

Richmond Park Update

Recent users of Richmond Park will have noticed the deteriorating road surface. In times of bad weather they can be damaged by ice but in previous winters the roads of Richmond Park have been almost immune to the cold. However this time the resurfacing work carried out last autumn is coming undone, in places the road lumpy and in others there is loose gravel. There are reports of tar: leave your white Sidis at home.

The good news is that the Park authorities are aware of this and they are having to hire sweeping lorries to clear up the mess and will be investigating more durable solutions for the road surface in the months to come.

Park Parking
One other related bit of news is that the Park will now be charging for parking. The car parks within Richmond Park had previously been free but plans are in place to introduce charging. Some local residents are upset but the moderate deterrent to motorists might prove beneficial to users of the park who do not park inside it. Time will tell if it makes any difference.

Gil Jessop Sporting 14 Time Trial

The club opens one of the traditional season-opening races, the Sporting 14. Held in memory of the club's former President Gill Jessop, it is a 14 mile time trial on lanes near Hungry Hill. An excellent way to test your legs at the start of the season, the race is worth targetting given the winner collects a good trophy and there is a generous cash prize list as well.

Entries are now open. Send a completed CTT entry form along with a cheque for £7.00, payable to Kingston Wheelers CC, to Peter Anderson, 28 Wolesey Road, Hampton Hill, Middx, TW12 1QW. The club will need helpers to ensure the event is safe and successful.

Martin O'Sullivan's Hip

If you're squeamish, don't click on the image above as you'll see the full X-Ray of Martin's hip break. You'll be pleased to know Martin's on the mend but it'll be a while yet before he's back on the bike.

Newport Track Weekend

After last year's succesful weekend in Newport, the club has plans to return to the indoor velodrome in June. If you're interested, see the forum.

If you can't wait then neighbouring club the South Western Road Club are holding a session in March and they've invited the Kingston Wheelers to join them. It's over two sessions on Saturday 6 March, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm, and Sunday 7 March from midday to 3.00 pm. Each session costs £10. Email kingstonwheelers.com for more information about the trip and the relevant contact details. Track bike hire is available.

Got a blog?

Several club members keep a blog, the latest being Damien Green. If you'd like to add your name to the list of blogs linked to this site then just drop an email.

LVRC National Championships

The club is going to be running the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists National Road Race Championships on Sunday 8 August 2010 in conjunction with the South Western Road Club. We will need all the help we can get as around 150 riders across the various races are expected. The venue will be the Dunsfold road circuit and Winn Hall, the HQ used for the annual Surrey League road races. There will be three races on the day.

"We will need lots of marshals, race cars and general helpers on the day if you can only do half a day that is OK.I am keen to put on a great event and raise the profile further of both clubs" says race organiser Richard Williamson. Any questions please contact Richard on 01372 383199 or by email.

Race Entry Fee Fund

Last September the club announced a scheme to help members reclaim a portion of their race entry fees. The conditions are that you need to be a member for 2010, you can submit a claim for any registered British Cycling road race, Open CTT time trial or cyclo-cross race and you must have finished the race. We will be auditing a selection of claims to ensure all is in order.

For a copy of the spreadsheet to fill in with your details from the 2009 season, email info@kingstonwheelers.com. You need to submit your claim by 1 February.

Ice and Snow Forecast

No self-respecting news page can afford to be without a piece on the wintry conditions we've got right now. In case it helps, here's some advice for riding on icy roads.
- don't ride: if it's very cold then you don't have to ride. Think about going for a run, stretching, cleaning the bike or just having more sleep.
- avoid the ice: the Surrey roads are often shady, hilly and prone to surface water, ideal conditions for ice to form and to remain in place all day long even if it warms up a bit by the afternoon. It's often less icy towards Windsor and Chobham and Richmond Park is usually salted, although not always first thing in the morning.
- follow the cars: stick to main roads that are gritted and warmed by passing traffic.
- ride over it: emergency braking is risky as it could be too late. On a small patch of ice try to avoid any sudden movement. You want to ensure the wheels keep turning and you roll smoothly over the ice towards grippy tarmac. It's when the wheels go sideways that you'll come a cropper, remember even pushing hard on the pedals can cause this.

O'Sullivan's plans on ice
Martin O'Sullivan's bid for a strong start to the 2010 season has had a setback after he fell on ice and broke his hip. Martin had recorded some excellent times in 2009 and was preparing to better these in the coming season, which will hopefully still happen, only maybe later than expected.Get well soon Martin.

Surrey Hills

Several club members and others have been working together to make a comprehensive list of the Surrey Hills, picking out each sadistic lane for you to try. You might be familiar with Box Hill and White Down but have you tried Thorncombe Street or Green Dene? Click on the map above to go to the full map with listings of each hill as well as café stops.

2010

Many thanks to all those of you who have already renewed your membership for 2010, we've got loads of applications this month. If you'd like to do the same, you can do it online. Note that if you're not a member, if you've done a club run or two and want do more, then please join up.

Talking of club runs, note that there will be a club run as usual on Sunday 27 December and 3 January too.

Looking ahead to the New Year, the club will again be backed by Sigma Sport, Telford, PredictorPro.com and the NSPCC will be supported by the club on a voluntary basis, you can opt to donate a proportion of your membership dues and club jersey purchaes to the charity. The kit's unchanged.

Finally, do you want to feature on the website for the new year? New candidates are needed for the Introducing interview. If you'd like to have a go, drop an email to info@kingstonwheelers.com for your copy of the questionnaire. Best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year.

News Archive

December 2009 November/October 2009 September 2009 July / August 2009 June 2009 May 2009