Sarah Storey's Latest Blog

Sarah Storey has been very busy with winning races, media commitments and Paralympic Games selection ..It may only have been a couple of weeks since my last blog but the racing has been packed in and the team announcement for London 2012 was finally made after what felt like an eternity of keeping it a secret! There was also time to fit in visits to 2 primary schools, a High School awards night as well as a visit to recce the Brands Hatch course being used for the Paralympic Road Races, see the London 2012 medals being handed over to The Tower of London for safe keeping and squeeze in two of my best performances in a road race!
Shortly after the soggy time trials of mid June we were blessed with a window of sunshine and the opportunity to visit the Brands Hatch circuit for a test day of the circuit being used for the Road Racing at the London Paralympics. The 7.8km loop takes in some of the racing circuit and some of the surrounding roads and given the location normally hosts racing cars that reach incredible speeds, the roads are unfamiliarly wide and smooth, with sweeping corners and not a pot hole or gravelly section in sight!

After a few loops rounds the circuit to get to grips with gearing and racing lines, it was straight home for a day and then on up to Yorkshire where Barney and I stopped off on the way to visit Roecliffe Primary School just outside Boroughbridge. The school is very small compared to some we have visited but with the Olympic Torch on the premises, thanks to one of the parents, the school is gripped with Olympic and Paralympic fever and we spent the afternoon seeing all the pupils and taking their questions. Some of the older children had been designed a nutrition plan for athletes and it was fantastic to see the meals they had planned for us!

Heading off we completed our journey to hook up with the Escentual For VioRed girls in the Ryedale district of Yorkshire to spend some time together and ride the course ahead of the National Road Race Championships. It is always good to be able to spend a few days together, although the weather was less than kind to us on the first day and we ended up driving the course before riding the rollers as an alternative to getting freezing cold and soaked! The next day we managed to get a couple of loops done, but never have I been in full winter gear on my bike at the end of June before, it felt like winter!

For the last three years the women’s race has been held at the unsocial hour of 9am, meaning an early alarm so there was time to get as much breakfast in as possible before the 107km race, 7 loops of the undulating circuit that started and finished at the impressive Ampleforth College. Our team plan was to try and make sure we got at least one rider in the expected front group of pro riders and to see how the race panned out after that. We kept the pace high in the first few kilometres and then tried to hit the first climb hard so as to be ready for the expected attack from the AA Drinks girls.

By the top of the climb Emma Pooley had taken Sharon Laws and Lizzie Armistead clear of the rest of the field and Nikki Harris and I were the lone chasers, with Nikki making contact and me spending the remainder of the race trying to make contact! I was always closer to the front four riders than the chasing peloton, which eventually split, so there seemed no point in sitting up, so I pressed on and bagged myself some good Time Trial training at the same time! Finishing in 5th was the best result I have had at National Road Race and after pushing on for around 60 miles on my own, I couldn’t pedal another stroke and could barely speak when I was interviewed!

Heading south from the race there was an easy day planned for Monday and a trip to another primary school just outside Huddersfield. Scottish Widows had asked me to attend to present a framed picture to the young prize winner of a recent Lloyds Banking group competition, where young people from around the country could send in their pictures for inclusion in a message book to be given to the athletes at Games Time. The best pictures were chosen for the book and I was lucky enough to meet one of the budding artists whose picture will be in the final book. The school was also gripped with Olympic and Paralympic fever and I took part in some fun games in the school yard that were themed around the Games.

After what has seemed like the longest build up to the announcement of a sports team for the Paralympic Games, the day for the official announcement from ParalympicsGB of the cyclists that have been selected for the London 2012 Games finally arrived. Being able to say that I have been selected for my 6th Paralympic Games is huge, I never could have imagined this when I was selected for my first Games back in 1992, but a Home Games is what every athlete dreams of and the final build up can now start.

With the announcement complete it was back to business and a visit to Flixton Girls School for their Annual Sports Awards evening, which was a truly impressive display of the talent they have at the school. With performances from the dance, drama and sports departments as well as the presentation of awards to the high sports performers, it was an evening of celebration and again themed with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in mind. It is always fantastic to be asked to speak at events such as these and be able to see first hand the talented young people we have in our schools.

Having been thoroughly inspired by the talented youngsters I had met, it was time to turn my attention back to racing and a trip back up north, this time to Northumbria, for a couple of days on the course of the Curlew Cup. Being held for the first time, and alongside the men’s Premier Calendar race of the Beaumont Trophy, the Curlew Cup was one of the longer events for the women in the National Road Series, covering 55 miles around the undulating circuit that started and finished in the village of Stamfordham. The weather during the week had been horrific in parts of the region and when we arrived there was plenty of debris on the circuit and a rather exciting looking water feature just after the short rise from the start!

The women’s race was to complete four laps of the shorter circuit, whilst the men were taken on a longer circuit to incorporate the Ryles climb. I know there were a few women who would have loved to have seen our race take in the big circuit too!


The race started with another small field and after a rather pedestrian first lap I decided to test my legs and see if I had the speed to take the first of three sprints that were up for grabs on the finish line each lap. To my surprise no one came round me and I took the points so it looked as though the legs were good and I started to work out when a good time for an attack would be. Keeping the pace high after the sprint, I had Cath Williamson, Eileen Roe and Sarah Byrne for company at the front, so I decided to attack as we turned left into the headwind, where the road goes gradually uphill for a couple of kilometres.


The plan worked and I took four other riders with me and managed to build up a 30 second lead by the top of the climb. Cath Williamson, Eileen Roe and Bex Heath were all driving the pace too and by the time I took the points on the line for the end of the second lap, we were 1 minute 30 ahead and could just ride to the pace of the chasers and take a bit of a breather. The break worked well, with Cath, Eileen and Bex all putting in strong turns and as we took the bell, Cath had the final prime sown up and it was all down to the final kilometre to sort out who would take the win.

I found myself on the front as we crossed the 1 kilometre to go mark and so ended up leading it out. I never expected to have enough speed for the win, so put my head down and didn’t dare look round until I could see the line approaching. When I finally sneaked a look, there was a gap and I realised I had won! I couldn’t have been happier and no one was more surprised than me to find I had a better gallop on me than I realised.

So with the washing machine on full tilt to get the kit washed and ready for the next race, I snuck down to London for a lovely evening with Rio Tinto at the Tower of London. As official metal providers to the Games, Rio Tinto have provided the gold, silver and copper that has gone into making 4700 medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Made by the Royal Mint, those medals were officially handed over to LOCOG on Monday 2nd July and will be housed with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London until they are needed for medal presentations. After the official part of the evening, there was an opportunity to view the Crown Jewels which was truly breath-taking, I can’t think of a more appropriate place to store the precious medals we will do battle for at the Games in a few weeks time!

Next on the agenda is a flight to Czech Republic where the Krasna Lipa Tour starts on Thursday. I will be back with an update soon!

Sarah Storey: London Nocturne & Capernwray Road Race!

.."The second Saturday of June has, in the last two years anyway, been the traditional date for me to start the John O Groats to Lands End route alongside 600 or so participants sponsored by Deloitte. This year however I was doing an epic journey of a different kind and hoping that my powers of recovery would stand me in good stead for a double header of racing in two of the best UK women’s races of the year.

With Cheshire Classic [picture on left after our team helped me win there] being my all time favourite event close to home, I soon discovered that I also thoroughly loved the fast and frantic circuit of the London Nocturne at Smithfield Meat Markets and the lumpy course on heavy roads of the Capernwray circuit in Lancashire.

With the help of my lovely team mate, Gaby Shaw [pictured on the right], I headed over to the Capernwray circuit on the Tuesday before the race and we did four laps, checking everything from road surface to corners and also working out how to attack the changing gradient of the finishing climb. It was a recce well worth doing and one that fellow entrants to the race, Claire Rutherford and Nicola Butler did at the same time.

Working for Deloitte on the day before the Nocturne at their impressive hospitality venue on the edge of Olympic Park, Barney and I were already based out in the lanes of Essex and able to have a little spin on the Saturday morning. After a leisurely lunch we headed in to London to find our spot in the pits of the circuit and enjoyed catching some of the support races that were held in the run up to the elite races. We also met up with the team which was an impressive line up of Belinda Goss, Sarah Kent, Elle Hopkins, Rohan Battison, Hannah Manley and myself. The plan was to attack from the gun and try and get the fastest speed across the finish line, something I did manage to hold for a short time, before getting beaten by just 0.4km/h. The field was strung out in one long line for the first few laps before gaps started to appear and there was a smaller group of 15 or so riders off the front. Belinda got caught in a crash on one of the bottom corners, but after a lap or two out to straighten her bike, was straight back in and we were still losing riders from the front group as we started to lap the back markers.

For the numbers geeks [like me!] my power trace showed 33 spike of power over 800 watts with the highest being 1,129 watts! Many of the in between spikes were also between 500 and 800 watts too! It is little wonder we were lapping so fast! [yes I did have the box correctly calibrated!]

By the bell lap it was a case of hang in there and take as many places as possible as the speed lifted again, I ended up crossing the line in 10th place and couldn’t have been happier, it’s not often I get to ride a race with that sort of power requirement, I spend most of my time working on best average power for the long races, breakaways and medium distance time trials. Belinda had taken a well earned 3rd spot too.

A warm down and Pro Mr recovery shake from CNP Cycling started the recovery process and then it was straight into the car for the 250 mile drive to Lancaster. We had pre warned the hotel we would be arriving after 2am and so when we pulled up at 2.05am, we knew we’d had a good run.

I ate my breakfast in the car on the way to the HQ and then at 10am we were in the fastest neutralised section I think I have ever experienced at a bike race! The Capernwray course is just short of 10 miles long and with 5 and a half laps to do, six times up the Sunny Bank climb to the finish line, it was going to be a war of attrition to whittle the group down to a manageable size for the narrower lanes on the back end of the circuit.

Claire Galloway and I were straight to the front with Claire [pictured right] keeping the pace high on the hills so I could take over on the downhill sections and make sure no one had a chance to recover. The group was strung out as we had hoped and by the time we reached the finish climb for the first time, Claire was back to the front and the group was noticeably a lot smaller.

Around halfway through the race there were just 13 riders left at the front and so Claire and I took a breather and allowed some of the other riders to take up the pace setting. The race got very negative at this point, with the speed dropping significantly as everyone seemed to be taking the opportunity to recover. My fellow breakaway partner from Cheshire Classic, Molly Weaver was again showing strongly at the front alongside Laura Murray, but didn’t have any team mates to help and everyone seemed happy to risk the group behind coming back to us. Sarah Byrne attacked at the bottom of the climb with two laps to go and this split the race up and by the top of the climb there were only 5 riders left. I decided to attack whilst as we got over the brow and took Tamina Oliver from Abergavenny with me. We gained 50 seconds in the first lap away and another 40 in the second lap, so by the time we reached the bottom of Sunny Bank for the finish there was no way we could be caught.

I had spoken to last year’s winner Dani King about the race and she had told me you couldn’t attack the finish too early, so I waited until I thought it was almost too late before sprinting for the line. It’s not often there is a gap to give you the confidence to get your arms in the air, but I was delighted to be able to and take the win after what had felt like an epic weekend of racing!




Claire Galloway had given me so much in the first half of the race and after her superb ride in the National 25 the day before showed her awesome powers of recovery to finish inside the top 10 in the race as well. It was a fantastic weekend for the team and the final UK race we will do before the National Road Race in 2 weeks in Yorkshire.

I am now back in the Altitude Chamber at Manchester Metropolitan University for a couple of sessions this week and also looking forward to spending some time with one of my main charities, The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust. We have their Annual Ladies Lunch at Mere Golf Club on Wednesday and I will be appearing on the catwalk for the Fashion Show!

.

New Title Sponsor for Storey ahead of Bedford 2 Day

Press Release: New Sponsors & New Name for For VioRed RT

On the eve of what is arguably the UK’s biggest women’s race of the season, the Bedford 2 Day, with Sarah Storey the defending champion of the past two editions on the team, looking to make it a clean hat trick , the For VioRed women’s Racing Team is delighted to announce a whole host of new backers and suppliers, helping the team to grow even further and fulfil its potential and ambitions.
First and foremost the team will have a new title sponsor in Escentual (www.Escentual.com) one of the UK biggest online retailers of beauty products. The backing of a major company like Escentual is a massive boost for the team.

Staying on as co-sponsors for this year are For, out of the ordinary Accountants (www.For.to) and VioRed, one of the world leaders in treating sleeping disorders (www.VioRed.org). Both these sponsors have supported the team from the start and are delighted with the increased opportunities the growth of the team is offering them.

Another new backer of the team is the Cardiff Hip Clinic, part of the Cardiff Spire Hospital (http://www.spirehealthcare.com/cardiff) one of Wales’ leading independent health clinics.



Finally the team will be supported by Goscomb Technologies (www.goscomb.net) a London based internet service provider for the business market.


Besides financial backing the team will also be supported by a group of very supportive technical partners. Continuing from 2011 will be Rapha, the UK’s premier online clothing retailer (www.rapha.cc). New for the 2012 season are CNP (www.cnpprofessional.co.uk) who will provide the team with their wide array of sports nutrition and energy products. Also new supporters of the team, but loyal supporters of women’s cycling in the UK are Schwalbe (www.schwalbe.co.uk) and Taya chains (www.tayachain.com).


With all these new sponsors on board, the team hope to build on their great victory in the Cheshire Classic this weekend at Bedford.

Andover Wheelers 10 Result Board, win for Walking, Wins also for Storey & Gilfillan

A win for Steve Walking, (VC ST Raphael/Waites Contracts)with a new course record 20.37. A chilly 3C at the start, Walkings team mate Simon Tout took 2nd in 20.46 with Dave Pickering 3rd, 20.57
Result
1 Stephen Walkling VC St Raphael 20.37
2 Simon Tout VC St Raphael 20.46
3 Dave Pickering Bournemouth Jubilee Whls 20.57
4 Paul Jones Bournemouth Jubilee Whls 21.00
5 Steve Potts Somerset RC 21.13
6= Ben Pearce Andover Wheelers 21.21
6= Simon Berogna VC St Raphael 21.21
8 Stuart Martingale Sotonia CC 22.02
9 Chris Cain Andover Wheelers 22.28
10 Jon Downing Salisbury RC 22.45
11 Michael Naulls VC Revolution 23.3
12 Philip Evans Bournemouth Jubilee Whls 23.32
13 Chris Hughes New Forest Cycling Club 23.38
14 Lesley Walkling VC St Raphael 23.41
15 Marc Barfoot Contre La Montre 23.49
16 Jonathan Asbridge Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA 24.27
17 Nicky Barfoot Contre La Montre 24.32
18 John Murphy Gloucester City RC 24.35
19 David England Crabwood CC 24.37
20 Rob Ellis VC St Raphael 24.45
21 William Reed Tri Team Wessex 24.49
22 Chris Boulton Newbury RC 25.35
23 Chris Mullett Gillingham & District Whls 25.53
24 Ian Knight Andover Wheelers 26.06
25 Tracy Cornell North Hampshire RC 26.13
26 Colin Crocker Sotonia CC 26.26 inc 40 sec LS
27 Chris Summers Sotonia CC 27.46
28 Dave Gaida Reading CC 30.45


In other local news James Gilfillan(Contre la Montre) won the Alton CC 50km

Gilfillan said...“I think the big thing from my point of view was putting 30secs into Jules on the opening 1km prime, straight up the hill from the start! It’s a good circuit, perfect for the all-rounder shame they don’t use it for more events and every year, perhaps then it’s get a bit more support. Couple of weeks off racing for me, mainly due to lack of events locally, before hitting some longer distances in May!”

Bournemouth Jubilee Wheeler 2nd claim, Sarah Storey (For viored) won the Chesire Classic Womens Road Race. Storey finished with 56.02 good enough for 7th in the Manchester & Dist 25 on Saturday.

Local Riders,Local Races

Mark Chadbourne (Ridebike.co.uk) won the opening round of the Southern XC mountain bike series at Checkendon, Kent. Racing in the veterans category Chadbourne lead from the gun and revelled in the muddy conditions. Lewis King (Beeline Cycles) managed to stay in contact with the Poole man as the rest of the field lost ground. However King had no answer to Chadbournes strong sprint for the line. Shaftesbury’s national veteran champion Paul Hopkins (Merida) had to settle for an unaccustomed third place. Darren Shepherd (Primera) finished 7th while Chadbournes team mates Jon Hayes & Ro Tilley placed 8th & 13th respectively. Round 2 of the series is at Pippingford, East Sussex on April 15th.

Russell Kober (Hainault RC) came out on top in the Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers 42km hilly time trial on the Lulworth course. Kober clocked 1.02.07 on the tough circuit that includes the long climb up from Wool village. Dean Robson (Somerset RC) took 2nd with 1.02.40, with Simon Berogna (VC ST Raphael) a further 21 seconds back in third spot. Gary Dighton (Poole Wheelers) led the local challenge taking 4th just 9 seconds down on Berogna.

Dighton rode for Great Britain at the Barcelona Olympics and is enjoying his racing more than ever.
Jason Eastwood (Primera-Specialized) grabbed 5th place in the sprint at a very windy Thruxton circuit race.

The new Primera Specialized team was officially launched last week and they will be targeting all of the Southern area races. Eastwoods 5th place came after he had escaped in an eight man break that included team mate Toby Neave. Matt Jones (Corley Cycles) slipped clear of the small group to take a solo win ahead of the Eastwood group. Junior Will Stephenson had opted for the 90 mile Hounslow spring road race and finished comfortably in the bunch.

Bob Joliffe writes......
Triathlete Gary Lock shut the door on the opposition when he claimed victory in the second of New Forest Cycling Club’s 2012 time trials in cool but sunny weather on Sunday.New Forest CC rider Lock, from Lymington, beat Southampton bike shop boss Gary Allan (GA Cycles) into second place by 13 seconds, clocking 32-10 for the testing 12.8-mile circuit taking in Holmsley, Brockenhurst, Rhinefield and the A35 back to Holmsley.Allan finished with 32-23 to his credit. After that it was New Forest CC all the way with John Heffernan taking third with 32-37.Colin Humm was also on form with 33-14 for fourth, Ben Boardman claimed fifth with 33-54, Stuart Peckham sixth with 34-38 and Chris Hughes seventh in 34-48.Juvenile Konner Bracher-Walsh showed true tenacity clocking 38-49 for 17th after completing the NFCC’s “Shaftesbury Century” 100-mile training ride between Ashurst and the Dorset hilltop town the previous day.The previous afternoon in north Hampshire, High Wycombe CC’s Adam Topham was the worthy winner of Farnborough & Camberley CC’s 10 powering around the breezy Bentley-Alton course in 19-54, a shade over 30mph.Second place went to Sotonian Harry Bulstrode who led the newly-formed Contre La Montre squad to the team win with a cracking 20-34, a time which beat Gabriel Martinez (VC Meudon) into third by a scant two seconds.Fourth went to Lyndhurst’s Julian Jenkinson (Contre La Montre) with 20-59, while John Sibley completed the winning team with 22-03. Other results (NFCC unless stated) – New Forest CC 12.8: Chris Grant 36-07, Richard Mason 36-33, Nick Williams 36-35, David Wilson 37-18, Phil Underwood 37-26, Richard Rajski 37-38, Ian Bouwker (CORR) 38-16, Nigel Gemmell 38-20, Stuart Grace (GA Cycles) 38-55, Donna Shaw 41-49, Nick Cooper 42-28, Martin Balk 43-27, Bob Jolliffe 44-18.Farnborough & Camberley 10: Stuart Martingale (Sotonia) 22-26, Alan Emmott (Fareham Whrs) 24-21, Nigel Ford (Fareham Whrs) 25-00, David Hanbury (Sotonia) 25-10, Martin Ward (Sotonia CC) 25-22, Chris Jolliffe (NFCC) 27-44, Bob Jolliffe (NFCC) 29-07, Barrington Day (Fareham Whrs) 29-25, Philip Morris (Fareham Whrs) 32-14.

Storey Storms to Gold!

Sarah Storey won gold in the 500m Time Trial on the opening day of the World Championships in Los Angeles. Recording 37.371, Storey's victory was never in doubt.The world champion spoke as she cooled down on the rollers "Really happy to win the 500m,it's always a bit tense when the world record holder rides!(China's Ju Fang Zhou) I have won this event 3 years on the trot now which is a surprise for a diesel like me!!"

Silver & bronze went to the American's Greta Neimanas and Jennifer Schulbe. Shortly after Sarah's lap of honour, tandem pair Helen Scott & Aileen McGlynn took silver in the 3,000m pursuit, giving second best to the Irish pairing, Frances Meehan & Catherine Walsh. The girls had gone 3.38 in qualifying but faded to 3.42 in the final. Helen "Scottie" Scott said " I could feel it in my legs as soon as we left the gate" They ride the 1km time trial on Friday and will hope to turn silver into gold.

Fiona Duncan & Lora Turnham had to settle for fourth place after a gutsy ride that was not quite good enough. Day 2 promises to be exciting with all of the British squad in action, apart from Storey who has a day off. She rides again on Saturday in the pursuit and again on Sunday in the Team Sprint.

Great Britain Para-Cycling team warm up for 2012

Great Britain Para-Cycling team warm up for the 2012 world track championships in Los Angeles!

The World track championships start on Thursday 9th Feb and the British squad took advantage of a final chance to ride the boards.

World Titles and rainbow jersey's are in the squads sights!

The Championships run till Sunday and Great Britain were looking very sharp in training!

Local Riders,Local Races

Paralympic Champion Darren Kenny, OBE is in hard training for next month’s world championships. Verwood-based Kenny has just spent two weeks at the Newport Velodrome in Wales ahead of the Championships in Los Angeles, California. A mixture of high intensity speed work and pacing behind a motor bike should see Kenny in top form. At last year’s championships in Italy he won three gold medals and will be looking to defend all his titles in the USA. He will start as favourite in the 1km TT and the 3,000m individual pursuit.

The team sprint however will prove a harder ask. A change in the rules means the GB team cannot pick their strongest three riders. Kenny will line up with world & Paralympic champions Jody Cundy and Sarah Storey.
The three were picked after a series of trials at the Welsh cycling centre, Mark Colbourne and Jon-Allan Butterworth were the other riders in contention.
The London Paralympic games are on the horizon and media interest in the squad is intense. BBC Wales, BBC Sport, The Sunday Times Channel 5, Reuters, The Press Association & Cycling Weekly were all in attendance at the squad’s hotel Also heading to the states will be tandem pilot Barney Storey. Now based at the national cycling centre in Manchester, Storey, from Corfe Mullen remains a member of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers. Storey, along with visually impaired stoker, Neil Fachie will compete in the 1KM time trial and the tandem sprint. It promises to be a busy year for the squad and both Kenny and Storey will hope to be selected for the London Paralympic games in August/September.

Roger Papp, operations manager at BCC tells "E D" about the recent meeting to discuss the future use of the Bournemouth Track:

The first meeting of “Friends of BCC” (Bournemouth Cycling Centre) took place at the Hotel Collingwood in Bournemouth on Monday 16 January 2012.

The first meeting was open to everybody which enabled a broad selection of views on the centre to be received.

BCC were very pleased with the attendance, which included local clubs and riders, in addition to organisations and businesses that have made bookings at the centre since it opened.

A broad and detailed selection of information was provided to the meeting, and it was interesting to note there are already 150 riders registered with BCC who have taken advantage of the 117 sessions arranged so far.

From a financial prospective the centre is meeting their target for year one, which from a standing start has been very encouraging.

Bournemouth Borough Council have agreed a progressive ramp up in charges for ground and site maintenance, payable by April of each year, and while their objective is to be “cost neutral”, this still requires a significant and increasing sum to be paid each year to the council.

BCC is run as a not for profit “Ltd” organisation, and to support their development they presented a comprehensive business plan which includes growth in track usage, through Schools, University and Youth groups.

Sessions already booked for 2012 include:
• A weekly Track League to be run each Tuesday evening commencing 17th April to end of August. This is a British Cycling open series.
• A weekly intermediate training session each Wednesday commencing 18th April. This is for BCC licensed riders, or those who have progressed to stage 2 accreditation or above.
• A Saturday kid’s club. Start date and details to be advised.

In addition BCC also plan to extend use of the site to include Cyclocross events which would certainly maximise use during winter months.

The business plan includes a requirement, if funds permit, for a comprehensive website development to enable organisers and riders to enter and pay for sessions and events in advance.

BCC were keen to advise that no development is possible without volunteers being willing and available to offer their time and expertise in all areas essential to ensure the day to day operation of the facility. This of course includes those who can support the administration and control of regular events, but also professional support in all commercial areas essential to maintain and grow any progressive business.

Of course nothing at all is possible without promoters, organisations and clubs booking sessions so BCC can get riders on the track and make use of their fantastic facility.

The Centre is one of the few facilities dedicated to cycling in the country and organised by cyclists for cyclists. It is BCCs aim to retain that position.

The summary slide of their presentation covered the four key areas.

Track Bookings and enquiries – Roger Papp
Coaching – David Gilham
Track League – Alan McRae
Development Plan roll out – Andrew Mayfield

Should you be able to assist with any of these areas, please contact info@bournemouth.cc

For updates to the above events and other general information, please refer to the BCC website http://www.bournemouth.cc/
(link on right)

Luke Gray (Baboco) returned to his Belgium base after last week’s national championships for a world cup race at Lievin in France. The former national under 23 champion has been working with his new Danish coach and is starting to find some consistency.
Gray was the only U23 GB team rider in a select group of 6 GB riders, with Junior Hugo Robinson also in GB kit. The others where, Gabby Day who stays at the same place as Luke in Oudenaarde, Helen Wyman and Nicky Harris along with Elite Ian Field who also live in the same town. There was no GB back up at this race but Stef Wyman was acting manager. Speaking to “E D” Gray said:

“On race day the weather was a cold 0 degrees with most of the course covered in frost. There were some very short sharp steep climbs and a huge flight of steps to run up. Apart from a couple of places where there was some very draggy slow soft grass bits, it was a very fast race.
On the first lap there was a big coming together of bodies and bikes when a couple of riders failed to ride one of the steep banks. Luckily i managed to ride passed the mayhem of riders fighting to untangle their bikes.
I didn't quite have the power and seemed to be lacking top speed but after the race felt fine. I really enjoyed the slippery course as it tested your skill, with the last few downhill twisty bends being my favourite section.”
Danish U23 Champion Kenneth Hanson, who joined the Baboco team this year, crashed out of the race just in front of Luke. He is also the Danish elite Champ and with no GB pit crew, it was his father who was taking care of Grays pits throughout the race.

Photo's by kind permission of Rob Gray

This weekend is the last round of the Cyclo-Cross World Cup series in Hoogerheide, Holland. Luke will once again be riding for the GB team with a full GB support crew and staff on hand to man the pits.

This Sunday see’s the final round of the Wessex League Cyclo-Cross competion. Held at Thruxton motor circuit, entry is on the line, under 12s start at 10:00 with Senior’s at 12:45

Over 80 riders signed on for the third of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers 4 winter reliability trials.The 75 mile route took in some of the biggest hills in Dorset. The 100 mile event on February 12th concludes the series and those who have completed all four rides will receive a specially minted medal.

G B Para-Cycling Squad hard at Work in Wales: A Snapshot!

Paralympic Champions, Darren Kenny, Sara Storey & Jody Cundy will contest the team sprint for GB at next month’s Para- Cycling World track championships.

The trio were picked after a series of trials at the Welsh National Cycling centre in Newport. Jon-Allan Butterworth and Mark Colbourne were the other riders in contention and Butterworth, especially, was unlucky to miss out.

The ex-RAF man who was injured in Iraq now has others in the squad looking over their shoulders as his rapid improvement continues. The sprint trials certainly added some “edge" but it was all in a day’s work for the Great Britain squad on their intensive track camp at the Newport Velodrome. The world championships are in Los Angeles but the London Paralympic games are on the horizon and media interest in the squad is intense. BBC Sport, BBC Wales, The Sunday Times, Reuters, The Press Association, Channel 5 & Cycling Weekly, among others, was all in attendance for a media day at the team’s hotel. Interviews, pieces to camera and photo calls are all part of the job.

After a morning on the road the riders were given an afternoon off but work was never far away. A team from the UK anti-doping agency turned up unannounced. Instead of putting their feet up the Para-Cycling squad spent three hours providing samples!

Even after 8 hard days on the track there was still time for a bit of fun, Barney Storey & Neil Fachie & Helen Scott & Aileen Mcglynn held an impromptu tandem match sprint competition.Storey & Faichie, rather ungentlemanly, won 2-0. The Championships in Los Angeles will run from the 9-12 February and the strong GB squad will fly out the week before. Last year in Montichiarri,Italy, GB topped the medal table with 17 medals including 13 gold.

GB Para-Cycling, Track Camp

Eight days of intensive track training will put the finishing touches to Para-Cycling GB’s preparations for the world championships. The fourteen rider squad are at the Newport Velodrome in Wales before heading to Los Angeles, California for the championships. A mixture of high intensity intervals, motor pacing and steady road work will keep the squad busy. Video analysis and physiological testing will provide vital data for the coaches to work with. The London Paralympic games are less than 200 days away and media interest in the athletes is all in a day’s work. It promises to be a busy year for the GB Para-cycling team on and off the bike. However, the prospect of winning medals on home soil will no doubt keep them focussed! More to Come

GB Squad for Para-Cycling World Track Championships in L A
Jon-Allan Butterworth (C5) – Kilo, Pursuit
Mark Colbourne (C1) – Kilo, Pursuit
Jody Cundy (C4) – Kilo, Pursuit
Neil Fachie (B/Vi), piloted by Barney Storey – Kilo, Sprint
Anthony Kappes (B/Vi), piloted by Craig McLean – Kilo, Sprint
Darren Kenny (C3) – Kilo, Pursuit
Aileen McGlynn (B/Vi), piloted by Helen Scott – Kilo, Pursuit, Sprint
Shaun McKeown (C3) – Kilo, Pursuit
Sarah Storey (C5) – 500TT, Pursuit
Lora Turnham (B/Vi), piloted by Fiona Duncan – Kilo, Pursuit

Local Riders,Local Races!

Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles) is looking forward to this weekend’s National Cyclo-Cross Championships, after hitting form at the right time. Ensbury Park-based Bowers has had a slow start to the winter season but after some solid training miles he is starting to fire on all cylinders. A strong performance in the Crabwood CC Boxing day race saw the Hargroves rider take second place behind Mike Cotty (Wheelbase/Cannondale). Chantry Park, Ipswich is the venue for this year’s championships and Bowers will be more than satisfied if he can match his 6th place of last year. Mike Cotty will also be targeting a top ten finish at Ipswich.

New Forest-based Cotty has been racing in Belgium in preparation for the championships. Belgium is the home of Cyclo-cross and crowds of 10,000 or more are not unusual. “It’s phenomenal, I loved every minute of it, the noise from the crowd is intoxicating beyond belief” said Cotty. Reigning U23 Champion, Luke Gray (Baboco), from Broadstone is another local rider who will be racing at Ipswich. Gray has spent the last 4 months living and racing in Belgium and has found the competition tough. Successfully defending his title would be a rare victory for Gray in what has been a difficult year.

World champion, Darren Kenny OBE, from Verwood has been selected for the World Para-Cycling track championships. Kenny has been named in a 14 man squad for the championships in Los Angeles in February. The World Championships represent the last opportunity for qualification points towards the London 2012 Paralympic games. Great Britain are sending a strong squad, including Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers 2nd claimers Sarah & Barney Storey.

Tandem pilot Barney, rode most of last season with visually impaired stoker, Anthony Kappes. In L A Storey will pilot Neil Faichie, while former Olympic medallist, Craig Maclean will ride with Kappes.

Ahead of the World Championships the squad will be putting in some intensive work with two, four day training camps at the Newport Velodrome in Wales.

The Poole Wheelers are running a series of “Turbo Trainer” evenings at St Dunstan’s Church Hall Poole Rd, Upton. Running for twelve weeks on Monday evenings, the indoor sessions are designed to build speed, stamina and of course weight loss. Full details from adam.wykes@btinternet.com.

Matrix Fitness/Prendas Ciclismo is the new name for the Horizon Fitness Womens team, support from Johnson Health Tech UK – which includes the Matrix Fitness brand – and Prendas Ciclismo, has ensured the team’s continuation.
Prendas Ciclismo will be providing kit for the all British squad

2012 team line-up: Sarah Byrne, Dani King, Hannah Rich, Joanna Rowsell, Penny Rowson, Annie Simpson, Hannah Walker, Jessie Walker plus Team Mentor Helen Wyman.

Jason Falconer
Sustrans Bike It Officer,Working in partnership with Bournemouth and Poole Councils,
01202 451185
07827 927541
jason.falconer@sustrans.org.uk