Bournemouth Cycle & Tri Expo

The Bournemouth Cycle & Tri Expo was hailed "a great success with over 5,000 visitors flocking to the show at the Bournemouth International Centre. Leading names in the cycle trade including,Specialized, Cannondale,

Kuota, Argon 18, Pinarello,

Lapierre, Ragley, Lynskey, Assos, Trek, Fusion, ISM, Powertap, Fast Forward, Felt,
Enve, Torq, Cervelo,

Tacx Turbo Trainers, Focus, Fulcrum, Look,

Zipp, Sram, Zone 3, Fizik, 3T, GoPro Cameras, Garmin, Giro, Bell, Parlee,

Lightweight, Sportful Clothing,

South Coast Sprints, 2XU, Orca, Zone 3, Rotor,

Swift Carbon,

Speedfill & Lezyne showed off their latest products. Plans are already underway for an even bigger expo next year

All photo's Eamonn Deane

Entry's Needed for Boxing Day 10!

Entry's needed for New Forest Boxing Day 10!
Think you're fit enough to ride a rapid 10 after stoking up on turkey and Christmas pud? Or do you fancy a leisurely potter down the Ringwood-Sopley road in festive fancy dress?
Whichever you choose, now is the time to get an entry form and £7 cheque off to Maggie Bracher for New Forest CC's annual Boxing Day 10-mile time trial.
If you haven't got a stock of official Cycling Time Trials entry forms, they can be downloaded from the CTT website (www.ctt.org.uk).
Your entry needs to get to Maggie by December 11, by the absolute latest. Her address is 38 (not 31 as per the CTT handbook) Stannington Crescent, Totton, Southampton SO40 3GB. Telephone 023 8048 5872.
If you don't fancy competing, get on your bike, blow away the Christmas cobwebs and enjoy a traditional southern cycling festivity by cheering on those brave enough to enter.

New Forest CC Annual Dinner & Prize Presentation!

With the social season in full swing cycling clubs up and down the country are holding their traditional annual “bun fights”. Toasting monarch & club, the saying of grace, honouring the club 10 champion and the odd rude cross-toast, the scene is very familiar. Bob Jolliffe reports on the New Forest CCs Dinner &Prize Presentation………………. THE surprise and joy of finding a way of being paid to be involved with the sport he loves came over loud and clear from Eamonn Deane, guest of honour at New Forest Cycling Club’s annual dinner and prize presentation.
The former top time trialist and ace road racer told the 60-plus members and friends at the dinner at Lyndhurst’s Crown Hotel how he left the Royal Mail to became a successful sports masseur and soigneur, culminating with a position with the successful UK Paralympic cycling squad in London this summer.
Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers’ Chairman, Eamonn, who is also a cycling photographer with his own well-read local biking blog, went on to present the awards to New Forest CC members following one of the best season’s in the club’s recent history.
Lion’s share of the trophies went to Gary Lock who won the Tim Millward Trophy for first in Division One of the 10-mile series, the Broomfield Bowl for fastest club 25-mile, the Thoresby Cooke Cup for short distance best all-rounder, the Keith Mitchell Shield for fastest forest circuit and the Matthews Cup for best on handicap times.
The Pennington-based cyclist also shared the Cook Cup with Ben Boardman as joint club champions, won the Thorney Hill Series and was Most Improved Rider.
Joint club champ Boardman also won the Wareham Cup for the fastest 50-mile by a club member and the Marsh Shield for club best all-rounder.
Hugo Walters, 16, collected the Pope Cup for winning the two-event hill climb competition, the Knightwood cup as juvenile champion and the Jonathan Bottomley Cup for fastest junior in a club “25”.
John Heffernan took the Ted Joyce Memorial Cup for best “Round the Forest” and shared the Road Race Champion award with Andy Betteridge.
Junior rider Konnor Bracher-Walsh was lauded for his mile-munching Land’s End to John O’Groats relay with his Uncle Dug (correct spelling). The pair completed the charity ride in just 67 hours.
His efforts earned Konnor the Dawkins & Lodge Award for outstanding achievement. He was also presented with the Drayton Cup for junior best all-rounder.
Chris Grant was victorious in Division Two of the 10-mile series and earned himself the Rhinefield Trophy, while Donna Shaw was winner of Division Three and claimed the H E Figgures Bowl for female best all-rounder.
Club secretary Peter Weaver won the Bolderwood Trophy for best ride by a rider aged 55-plus and the Golden Jubilee Cup for the fastest 100-mile time trial, while Chris Hughes went home to Hordle with the Terry Jefferies Cup for veteran short distance best all-rounder.
New Forest CC also won the inter-club competitions against Crabwood CC and Sotonia CC.
The Hincheslea Cup for club person of the year was presented to club coach, Barry Wootten, for the enormous effort and dedication he has brought to the post.
In addition to leading Saturday training rides throughout the year, he has also organised winter turbo training classes, summer “chain-gang training”, is helping to introduce young riders to the sport and has just held the first of a series of training talks.
Late in the evening Deane was heard to remark “Any club do that has real ale gets my vote!”

National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Round 3

Kevin Eeckhout (Coollens CT) took a second consecutive victory in the National Trophy series at Southampton, pulling away from a select group to win alone. Paul Oldham (Team Hope Factory Racing) held off a race-long challenge from Tom Van Den Bosch (Hargroves/Specialized/Trant) to secure second place and take the series leader’s Yellow Jersey.

Oldham tried to seize the initiative in the early stages but Eeckhout always seemed to have another gear. The Belgian forged ahead and thirty minutes into the hour long race he held a lead of 20 seconds which would only get bigger. Despite not feeling 100% Oldham looked strong, and he had to be as Van Den Bosch pushed hard and was never far behind.

Series leader going into round 3 at the Southampton Sports Centre, Oli Beckinigsale (Endura MTB Racing) had to settle for fourth place. Bright sunshine, after a frosty start, helped to dry the course cut up from the supporting races but conditions could have been worse had rain forecast for Saturday had amounted to more.
After the race Eeckhout spoke to “Local Riders, Local Races”
Was it as easy as it looked?
“No, No, sure not, it’s a hard race, its fast but it’s still tough because it is always uphill, never flat and with the sections with the running it’s not easy for the muscles as there is a lot of tension. I love to race in England so much because you can race for the win because in Belgium the level is so high, I am not a bad racer but I don’t have the skills of the top guys. The people are so friendly here and I am pleased to see them, I am motivated to come here. I ride the road in Belgium in the summer but it is a bit too long for me, I prefer the shorter distance. I raced in Belgium yesterday and came second, I am very happy about my condition and form. I slept in Folkestone last night for eleven hours so that is enough to recover? Next week I have the regional championships in East Flanders”

Local riders Mike Cotty (Wheelbase-Cannondale) & Stu Bowers (Hargroves) found the going tough and finished well down the field
“I am not the rider I used to be “joked Bowers, “It’s just hard, I need to train, at 36 I can’t wing it anymore”

Cotty was more upbeat ”It was sort of draggy all the way round, you have to stay as composed as you can, you think you are going backwards but everyone is going backwards because it is so draggy. Someone caught their handlebar in the tape and brought three of us down I lost a few seconds apart from that it was great fun”

The action moves north to the Temple Park Centre, South Shields. Round 4 in the 6 race series is on December 2nd
Elite Men/u23
1 Kevin Eeckhout Coolens Cycling Team Belgium 1.5.48
2 Paul Oldham Team Hope Factory Racing 0.39
3 Tom Van Den Bosch Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant 1.0
4 Oli Beckingsale Endura MTB Racing 1.16
5 David Fletcher Orange Monkey/Cannondale 1.36
6 Steven James Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant Under 23 2.39
7 Peter Ghyllebert An Post – Sean Kelly – Belgium 2.40
8 Adam Martin Cestria Cycles RT Under 23 3.7
9 Ben Sumner Beeline Bicycles RT Under 23 3.12
10 Dany Lacroix VC de l’Espoir Condruzien (Belgium) 3.18
11 Edward McParland GT Racing UK Under 23 3.20
12 Lewis Craven Wheelbase.co.uk/MGD 3.22
13 Robert Jebb Team Hope Factory Racing 3.45
14 Michael Cotty Cannondale Racing 4.57
15 Angelo de Clerq Belgium Under 23 5.27
16 Dieter Droger Dirtwheels Cycles 5.29
17 William Bjergfelt Cycle Premier – Kovert 5.30
18 Lee Williams Team Wiggle 5.33
19 Darren Barclay Arctic Sram RT 5.45
20 Nicholas Barnes www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG Under 23 5.45
21 Crispin Doyle Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant 6.15
22 Lorenzo Pepermans Cycling Team Zemst (Belgium) Under 23 6.19
23 Dave Collins Team Hope Factory Racing 6.31
24 George Thompson Sleaford Whs CC/Chandlers/Solo Under 23 6.42
25 Jack Humphreys Wheelbase.co.uk/MGD Under 23 6.52
26 Matt MacDonald Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant 7.3
27 Tom Payton Islabikes 7.26
28 Steven Ward MTS Cycle Sport/Inkland/Elvet RT 7.34
29 Mark Cotton Ellmore Factory Racing 8.7
30 Scott Chalmers Dream Cycling 8.42
31 Stuart Bowers Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant 9.18
32 Alex Payton Team GWB – ACTIV at 1 lap
33 Andrew Waterman Vicious Velo
34 Charles Coleman Cadence Cannondale Under 23
35 Dennis Lisbygd Icknield RC/Compomotive Wheels
36 Andrew Taylor Craven Energy
37 Bruce Dalton The Kinesis Morvelo Project Under 23
38 James Dalton Pedalsport CC
39 Neil Hayward Torq Performance
40 William Thompson GB Cycles.co.uk
41 Simon Maudsley Dirtwheels Cycles
42 Chris Atkins Team Specialized
43 James Cotty Cannondale Racing
44 Mark Smith Crawley Wheelers at 2 laps
45 Michael Guilford Team Silva/Craft
46 Ben Spurrier Vicious Velo
47 Jeremy Hicks Rugby Velo
48 Oscar Hutchings VC Venta Under 23 at 3 laps
49 Neil Ellison WDMBC Beyond Mountainbikes/Rapid
50 Joe Atkins Coventry RC Under 23
51 Stuart Nisbet Crawley Wheelers at 4 laps
52 Glenn Whittington Individual Member
53 James Atherton VC St Raphael
54 Stewart Ward Ful-On Tri Club
55 Greg Anderson Team Probikekit.com at 5 laps

Under 23: Steve James, Hargroves Cycles,

Primera/Specialized: An Autumn Almanack!

With the dust well and truly settled on the racing season, Primera/specialized captain, on & off the road, Jason Eastwood looks back on the team’s first year and ahead to the second!
The season began in March this year when Primera-Specialized pinned numbers on for the first time and headed out onto the Mountbatten circuit in Portsmouth. Our race plan, well, still awaiting the arrival of the first Venge Experts into the UK we decided that we’d simply expose our legs to the intensity of racing, unfold the lungs after weeks of winter miles and enjoy the day. So when Toby Neave slipped off the front in the closing 5 laps and claimed the win I don’t know who was more surprised, us, Toby or the aging alloy tubes of his decaying Colnago. Toby went on to claim 2 further wins and finished 4th overall in the Portsmouth Mountabatten Series.
A great start which was soon to get better. Will Stephenson previously of Bournemouth Arrow had shown huge potential but had never worked as part of a team. Early races found him in the wheels almost struggling (or so it seemed) with the pace at times. Just before the start of another Mountbatten a couple of weeks after Toby’s opening victory, I recall having a quiet word with Will which went something like “just stay in the front 5 wheels, be as aggressive as you can and follow every attack you can. “ If you only last half the race, then that’s ok”. I’m not sure if Will took that on board literally or I had just really pissed him off as from the start of that race he went from local Club Junior to Pro Tour Potential. Will won the race, his first E/1/2 victory and soon established himself as a marked rider amongst the local peloton. Will’s performances in the UK, Belgium and latterly the Junior Tour of Wales led to a place on the junior team representing Great Britain at the world championships in Valkenburg, Holland. A strong performance only to be halted by the wheels of others in a crash 5k before the chequered flag. However as most now know his performance was followed by interest from a number of larger teams one of them being Rapha Condor Sharp who Will will be joining in the New Year. As sorry as we are to see him leaving the team it was obvious to us that his rise through the ranks was inevitable and I’m sure I speak for Primera and the team as we wish him all the best for 2013 and beyond.

Legg Leads the Bunch

Ian Legg started his season slowly unable to find form. After a trip to the dentist he found that unbeknown to him he had a tooth infection which was affecting his whole body (apparently Cavendish had something similar so it’s a cool excuse to use). Once treated things started to pick up but what was obvious to the team in these first races was Ian’s frustration but thankfully he continued to race, burying himself for each of us when needed until he could give no more. We are not professional cyclists, work and domestic duties have to fit in somewhere and for Ian and Fiancée Amy the birth of their first child would no doubt take its toll on training/racing. Or so you might think.., a week later Ian was winning at Moreton and followed that up with a string of top 3’s at Portsmouth and Ludgershall. Ian ended his road season strongly with a 3rd overall in the Mountbatten Series and now the once Junior National Mountain Bike Champion is back in the mud racing the Cyclocross season where he is currently holding a podium spot in the Wessex League Senior Category.
As for myself, 2012 has been a great season with the challenge of establishing the team and its results in races, however, there was the opportunity to clock up a few results including the Moreton TLI series for the third successive year, 2nd overall in the Mountbatten E/1/2 Series and a string of top 3’s which led to an Elite BC licence for the first time.

Racing changes a little when you are responsible for not only your own results but that of the Team. A new avenue for Primera, they have never before supported a team of riders competing sometimes up to 5 times per week (nearly always in the rain or so it seemed this year) requiring frequent bike servicing and kit replacement, demands that any sponsor of a cycle team will be more than aware of. So, special thanks goes to Bill, Alex, Lewis and the team in the Bournemouth shop who have provided us with first class unlimited support, Specialized for the bikes and Manbi for their support with our Salice Glasses.
As for 2013: Will is off to the Pink and Black side and Toby has decided to spread his arm warmers and move on. This has given us the opportunity to recruit two new riders, Mitch Webber, will be joining us from Andover Wheelers and Jason Duckworth from VC St Raphael.
Mitch is a 1st year junior and has already shown huge potential finishing 2nd behind Will at this year’s Regional Road Race Championships and as well has some high placing in senior E/1/2 events. Jason is a senior rider who brings with him a wealth of experience. As a Junior Jason mixed it up with the likes of the Dowling brothers and Jeremy Hunt before racing fulltime in France. Pausing to concentrate on his career Jason spent a few years off of the bike but is now back with a vengeance and since applying for his 4th cat licence has quickly progress back up the points with 4 wins this year.

Mitch Webber & Will Stephenson
For a small team we have achieved a huge amount in our first year, currently ranked 25th in the BC National Rankings with at least 100% less riders than every team above and below us.
Results include:
Team wins: 21 (including Bmth Track League)
Team top 3’s: 67, 21 wins, 26 2nds and 20 3rds
Crashes during races: 3 (all Will and none his fault)
Baby’s: 1 (all Ian Legg’s Fault)
Weddings: 1 (thank you Laura)
Photo finishes: 3 all between myself and that damn Justin Hoy (Felt Colbourns)

Finally, in September I travelled to Plouren on the west coast of France where I was competing for the GB National Police team in the Emergency Services European Cycling Championships. On a pre-race ride on my borrowed TT bike I was joined by the Belgium team who in much better English than my Flemish shouted “hello Primera, how are you?” Yes I was wearing my Primera team kit but it turns out that one of the riders recognised the logo from reading “Local Riders,Local Races”

Bournemouth Cycle & Tri Expo Saturday 17 Nov

2nd Annual Bournemouth Cycle & Tri Expo in association with Primera Sports on Saturday 17th November 2012.

The event is being held at the Bournemouth International Centre - 10.00am till 5pm

Bournemouth International Centre, Solent Hall
Exeter Road, Bournemouth ,BH2 5BH

Parking is available at the BIC car park. It offers a great location where the whole family can come and enjoy a day out by the sea

The main area will be for trade stands with the biggest brands in the industry showing Bikes, Frames, Wheels, Parts & Accessories, Nutrition, Triathlon Clothing, Cycle Clothing, Indoor Trainers, Sports Coaches and a Sports massage area. The Solent Hall offers 12,000 square metres of floor space so there will be plenty to see and get involved with!

Roller Racing Events for adults and children! Prizes for Fastest in Class.

Club Section: Local Cycle and Triathlon clubs will be attending with lots of information on what they do and how you can join. Along with Coach’s on hand to help and give advice on all aspects of training and riding

Race Events Area: Lots of information on how you can get involved with all varieties of racing.

Here is a small selection of top brands attending with more to follow:

Specialized, Cannondale, Kuota, Argon 18, Pinarello, Lapierre, Ragley, Lynskey, Assos, Trek, Fusion, ISM, Powertap, Fast Forward, Lemond Trainers, Felt, Enve, Torq, Cervelo, Tacx Turbo Trainers, Focus, Fulcrum, Look, Zipp, Sram, Zone 3, Fizik, 3T, GoPro Cameras, Garmin, Giro, Bell, Parlee, Lightweight, Sportful Clothing, Rotor, South Coast Sprints, 2XU, Orca, Zone 3, Newton Running, Race New Forest, Rotor, Swift Carbon, Speedfill & Lezyne.

Entry to the event is FREE. There will be a variety of competitions running throughout the day.

For all the latest event information either follow the Primera Facebook page or the Primera Web Site (Link at top of page)

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Steve Joyce Rides for Baby Bo!

Steve Joyce makes an appeal..........
"My wife recently gave birth to Twin boys, Bo & Baxter, a little premature but nothing to worrying in the case of twins…
We knew one of the twins was going to have some Kidney/urine problems as this was diagnosed through the scans during the pregnancy, although this was deemed to be not that serious.
Bo was the one born with the kidney problems and it soon became apparent that Bo was pretty sick, most of Bo’s tubes that release urine were blocked, and the kidneys themselves were not working that well.
As well as this Bo struggled to breathe when first born, and he managed to tear one of his lungs, this although serious, soon started to mend well after some help.
When Bo’s Lungs started to heal, he came out of sedation and one of his Kidneys started to kick in and produce enough urine that he may have a positive outcome, despite this Bo still needed Dialysis treatment to help clear his body of waste product. Things were starting to look positive for Bo although he would still need a lot of specialist care; there was a good chance of a positive outcome for him.
Unfortunately during a break from the Dialysis treatment, one of Bo’s lines into him got infected, the infection spread rapidly within a few hours and Bo suffered a septic shock, the infection caused a lot of damage, including a substantial brain injury, after 11 days of ups and downs the fight became too much and Bo passed away.
Bo spent his final 11 days in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton hospital; this is the main hub unit for the most critically ill children in the south of England. It really was the premier league of sick kids!
Whilst we were there I learnt of just how dependant of charity funding the ward is, regarding buying equipment and so on, I jokingly commented I would help do some fund raising and pick a stupid event to do as the PICU has its own Charity called “Friends of PICU”. A day before Bo passed away my joke comment turned all too real and I signed up to do the “Twentyfour12”, as the title suggest it’s a 24 & 12 hour endurance race, I have entered the 24hour race as a SOLO entrant ! A 24 hour solo mountain bike race is just about one of the hardest thing you can do in the world of cycling, and it’s one of the only things I have left to do as I have done most epic/endure events before. The race is in July 2013, so I have a few months to train and prepare.
I’m doing the race in memory of my son Bo and to help raise some much needed cash to help support this amazing hospital facility.
I’m sure I will see you all out on the bike very soon as I get myself in shape for race!"

http://www.justgiving.com/Steve-Joyce3 (link on right Top)

Top Triathlete in Bournemouth!

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Marko Albert has been at the top of the game in triathlon world for over a decade. He has represented his country twice in the Olympic Games and is now successfully competing in longer distances like Hawaii Ironman where he this year was second man out of the water. So he knows about triathlon, he knows about high level performance sport and he also knows what it means to be seriously injured but not to give up! The evening will also include a Q&A section .

Dorset Miles, Bear Cross Group Ride

Eighteen riders at Bear Cross on the kind of autumn day that would rival anything spring or summer could offer. Out by Canford Arena, Merley and Ashington. Dropping down Pardy’s Hill is always a blast, mind the horses though. In a nice warm car at the junction with the A350 we would have been waved across almost instantly. Cyclists are seldom offered such courtesy, some practised track stands, others unclipped. Once across, it was Lytchett Matravers, East & West Morden and Bloxworth. Through the small town of Bere Regis and on to Milborne St Andrew, it was warm! The chocolate box village of Milton Abbas is always overlooked, coming down the hill it is too fast, going up you only see the wheel in front, if you can hang on! Stronger legs opened a gap then waited smugly for the regrouping. A pause to remember the fallen, the choice to muck about on bikes is ours, paid for expensively by others. Then it was fast down to Winterborne Stickland and up above Bryanstone school, a wrong turning, a minor domestic but we were soon all together again. Down to Durweston and through the School grounds, it feels like we shouldn’t be there but it is allowed. Around the one way system in Blandford, under the By-pass and onto Langton Long, the pace was high now, a good pipe-opener. Left to Tarrant Keynston, give way at the True Lovers Knot pub for black leather and high viz vests and it was up the Cliff to Hogstock. A familiar route, saw Witchampton, Holt, Pig Oak & Furzehill come and go. Wimborne Minster and the group split, depending on home address. Three of us headed to Little Canford, at pace along Ham lane and then Parley Cross. It was good and fast, the wind socks, unemployed at Hurn Airport,offering a clue to our good form perhaps. At 3hrs 49 we were home to soon.

The Next Step! Will Stephenson Signs For Rapha Condor!

After a season that saw him take a handful of wins, countless podiums, top the British Cycling 1ST category rankings and culminate in the world championships in the Netherlands, Will Stephenson has signed with Rapha- Condor for the 2013 season. A crash in the last 5km of the world junior road race put paid to any ambitions of a high placed finish but he acquitted himself well, marking the early moves in the 129km race. Stephenson, who lives near Ringwood on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, started riding with Bournemouth Arrow at the age of 14, after briefly flirting with triathlon and rowing. As with many, the club 10 was the starting point and he soon caught the eye of club coach, Alan McRae. McRae was struck by Wills ability to “absorb information and act on it”. “It was obvious there was some talent there” he says.
Already thinking about riding with Ed Clancy and Kristian House, Will is a few weeks into his winter programme but the World Championships are still fresh in his mind!
“The Worlds was an incredible experience. It was basically living the dream for a few weeks. It felt slightly surreal and I had to pinch and remind myself that I was actually here and we all had a job to do. I was really nervous building up to the race and puncturing a new tub 5 mins before sign on didn't particularly help. I surprised myself a lot during the race. My legs felt really good at the start, and at a number of points I found myself actually on the front, first wheel with 180 odd riders following me. I was surprised I could go with attacks and was top 5 up the Bemmelberg several times. Towards the end of the race the hills seemed to be getting steeper and longer as my legs were paying for their efforts. I had so much determination though, I felt so focused. I can't describe how gutting it was to hit the deck so close to the finish. I know I wouldn't have won but I missed the action and the pride of being there at the end and helping my team mates out. I can remember how patriotic I felt and it will always be an ambition to represent my country again. Being selected felt to me, as a way of thanking everyone who's supported me and believed in me. This has been one of the first times I feel I've actually achieved something 'pretty cool'.

What about Rapha? When did he know they were interested?
“Once I'd got back from the World Championships I sent my rider CV off I didn't hear back from them for a week and I almost assumed that they'd already filled their spaces for 2013, I was pretty surprised. I was not really expecting much. I'd never really considered them as I thought it would be a bit 'out of my league'.” (Team Manager, John Herety had been tracking Will all season)

I ask what his role in the team will be. Does he have any targets?
“Next year the team's aim is to develop riders. I'll be given a taste of racing from Premier Calendars to UCI stage races in Europe. I'd like to give as much as I can in all of the races I do and try not to just sit in at the back. If I have the legs and it fits in with the team tactics, I'd like to get in a few breaks. I want to prove my place on the team as much as I can next year. I don't have any specific races targeted yet, but when the calendar comes out and I know which races I'm doing I'll probably choose a few that suit me best. It would be a pretty big ask to be selected for anything like the Tour of Britain as the riders will be selected only on ability. I'm not expecting much but it’s always good to have something to aim for.”

Not eighteen till December, Stephenson raced for Primera/Specialized in 2012, the small team ruled the roost winning most of the local chippers in Dorset & Hampshire and he speaks highly of the experience.
“Riding for Primera has been amazing the past season. It’s been great racing with the guys and I feel they've helped me move on a lot as a rider. They've improved my tactics and helped me read the races a lot better. The shop has given me a lot of support as well. I can't remember the number of times they've been able to replace a spoke or fix a buckled wheel in time for the next race. Jay Eastwood has helped me out a lot and been a sort of ‘mentor’; I feel a lot of what I've achieved this past year has been down to him and the support of the team. Jay even came out to support me in Holland (the men’s race was on the same day but I like to think he'd have come anyway!) and it was great to have some familiar faces in the crowd of over 100,000.”

We talk about training. Will’s approach to his winter work seems fairly traditional.
“I'll mainly be getting in the base miles this winter. (Watts and heart rate provide the detail). The races are a lot longer and tougher next year and I'm conscious I'll have to improve my engine. I quite enjoy base miles, it’s quite peaceful and it seems so far away from the intervals and hill repeats to come in the season. After a few months of steady rides I start to miss the high intensity stuff, so I guess it works well to mix it up.”

As a youth rider his coach encouraged him to try it all, road, track and time trials, he joined British Cycling’s regional school of racing and was a regular in National Championship events. McRae says, “Will has a great appetite for training, he thrives on 12-14 hours a week, more through the winter. It was this platform that carried him through this last season.”

Through independent feedback from local riders Daniel Lloyd & Roland Tilley, McRae recommended Stephenson to John Barclay, Director of South East Cycling. Barclay frequently takes riders across to Belgium to race. Will easily made the step up, Barclay wanted him for other events and he regularly crossed the channel. His coach understandably thinks highly of his rider but McRae knows cycling “Life as a junior is gone now, not only does Will have a new challenge of riding in a cohesive team but also preparing for the next step up to Premier calendar and beyond to the really big boys playground in a few years”

Talk in November is cheap, Stephenson has not arrived yet but perhaps he is on his way. Offered the chance to say anything else his response was worthy of any post victory interview. Maybe it was just a bit of practice but it never hurts to keep the girlfriend on side!

“I have to thank my biggest supporters who are my family who came out to wave Union Flags at me in Holland. They've put up with a lot this year and if they hadn't driven me to all the races and put in as much time as me, I wouldn't be in the same position. My coach Alan McRae, who I've worked with for several years now, has always been there for advice and guidance. My development over the past few years has been down to his experience and I can't thank him enough. I could write a book about the people I'd like to thank, but no one would buy it and most people would find it quite boring. My girlfriend Ellie does however deserve a medal for putting up with the amount of training I do and she's complained before when I haven't mentioned her so I hope this makes up for it!”

Rapha/Condor Team Roster 2013

Aaron Buggle
Hugh Carthy
Ed Clancy
Mike Cuming
Felix English
Luke Grivell-Mellor
Richard Handley
Kristian House
James McCallum
Elliot Porter
Will Stephenson
An announcement of a second title- sponsor will be made shortly

Dorset Miles: Bournemouth Jubilee 50 Reliability Trial: A Window of Opportunity!

The Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers 50 mile reliability trial has been running for some 25 years now and is, perhaps, the “official” start of winter training on the south coast. The route has not changed much over the years, the clockwise, anti-clockwise format adding some variation. Heavy overnight rain had left the lanes full of standing water as the smaller than usual groups headed out against the ticking hand. The sun was bright but the wind was strong. Water draining from the fields and hedgerows deposited gravel, grit and thorns on the roads, punctures were inevitable. The wind slackened and the sun shone, there was even temptation to remove gloves. A few hours earlier the driving rain had made more than a few change their plans, the 85 starters, (67 finishers) almost 100 less than last year.More than a few who targetted all four trials, saw there hopes dashed at the first hurdle with DNS against their names. The weather always seems worse looking out of the window and collective suffering is never as bad as the individual variety. Text messages asking “are you still riding today” are better left unsent, good mates will never let you live them down! 4Hours (including 30 mins for punctures) 70 miles total

Cyclo-Cross:Luke Grays World Cup Diary! Pt 2

After the first world cup, Monday was clean-up day, and a short spin up the road from where we were staying at Stare Mitrovice, in an old water mill now refurbished into a modern Hotel, to Milhostice and beyond where a found an old creepy railway station. On the way back I cycled through a small village called Dvorce and past a pond was an old scare crow was fishing with some sheep all around him, very strange.

Back at the hotel Dad told me we were the only two people staying, the weekenders had gone, along with British National Champ cross riders Helen Wyman and Ian Field to a new location along with American Jonathan Page a former World Champ silver medallist. But what we didn't expect was to be in the Hotel all alone that night as all the staff went home after dinner too. Of course they did return in the morning to get our breakfast with a big bundle of my freshly laundered cycle kit. You could say I was lazy for not doing it myself but the whole lot got done for only £3. Dad was pleased too as the beer was only 35p and our rooms were only £16.50 a night! And this was a 4 star hotel.

Tuesday was a long ride and it was very misty so Dad drove Bertie my Citroen Berlingo behind as back up and safety in the fog. I rode down the road to Sedlec-Prcice and past a really nice looking big old house but with bars on the windows, we later found out it was an orphanage. The road just kept going up and soon I found myself passing a ski resort at Moninec. There was a downhill MTB course there where you took your bikes up on the chair lifts. Over 700m up I passed through a rundown village call Cunkov on my way to Chysky and beyond. On the way back Dad needed to refill the windscreen washer bottle so I used an old hand pump and an old bidon for the water.

There were hardly any cars about and the roads which were perfect smooth tarmac winding up and down the hills and through the forested areas with some cracking bends. With no hedges on the road side you could see the whole corners through the mist. I spotted another old orphanage on the way down too, this one was disused though. Then next couple of days I had to rest, somewhere I had picked up someone nasty cold.

Friday we changed hotels to be nearer the second round of the World Cup at Plzen. Then on the Saturday I rode a lap of the course. It was going to be very muddy and very hard with bike changes every half lap. There were lots of running sections where the course was too muddy to ride and a very big flight of steps .
Early Sunday morning I looked out of the 300 year old stone building that was our hotel to find the snow coming down fast. Once Dad had cleared my Berlingo of snow we were off to the second Czech Cyclocross World Cup at Doubravka. I lined up on the grid as the sole team GB rider, knowing I was going to be the first rider to finish. OK that should be retire, as I knew my cold had really got bad by then and a had to really try hard not to sneeze as the start was in the last 30 seconds and the lights could go out at any time. So I was wrapped up warm in my Team GB roubaix skin suit knowing that I had agreed to retire after the first lap even in the unlikely chance I should be leading.
So the red lights changed to green and the U23 race was on, then somehow I had a very good start, not the lead but easily inside the top twenty from over 50 starters. Then I just cruised round until I met Dad waiting at the second pit with my spare bike only that was it for me, game over.

So the next day it was back home, with a couple of days driving, a nights stop in Belgium, and after 850 miles I'm home. Not the best trip but at least I got a fair result at the first round. It could have been far worse like my friend Danish National Champ Kenneth Hansen who retired at the first round with a torn ankle, then had to drive himself home and miss the second round. And if you want to know why I had to take a ride in a Czech Police car ask my Dad!

This weekend I was selected to ride for Team GB again at the European Championships in Ipswich. Unfortunately I have had to pull out because of the illness. I had been looking forward to this ride for some years as its not often you get the chance to wear the GB kit in front of a home crowd. Anyway in a few days I should be over this and then I'll be back to Belgium for the next round of the Superprestige series.