20 quid per year for adults.

Affiliation with all governing bodies including British Cycling, Welsh Cycling, Cycling Time Trials, British Schools Cycling Association, British Triathlon, Welsh Triathlon

10% LBS discount
Continental Tyres sponsorship (VERY good discount)

2 road races per year
1 criterium per year
full season of wednesday night time trials
thursday night chaingangs
saturday morning chaingang/race pace ride of the race circuit
sunday morning club runs
4 hill climbs
winter spin classes

then on the MTB side
weekly night ride
monthly big ride somewhere further afield.

forum
well maintained website
great social club. extremely friendly and welcoming.

Lazy lie in with the wife, then town for coffee, croissant and cycling weekly while wife went to church. Bit of shopping then off to the pub for Paris Roubaix with clubmates. Wife re joins after the race and we have a walk on the beach with chips. Visit parents on way home and finally tuck into lovely roast stuffed pork with creamed cabbage and a balsamic reduction and a couple bottles of red. Could have been worse I guess

Flickr is one of the few sites on the web I am happy to pay for.

Here’s the video. Walking in evidence at 7:40 but worth watching the whole vid.

Oh and if it wasn’t already full, the Betty Pharoh road race would have been on the cards too.

Was HONCing but sold my place in order to ride my own clubs 100k Classics-themed ride followed by the real Hell of the North on the TV in the local pub with Belgian beers a plenty and a lunchtime buffet for club members :D Can’t wait

Just to confuse matters even more, I’ve heard a lot of people say that Shimano sizing is equal to Sidi sizing. i.e. 46 Shimano = 46 Sidi. I’m curious too as I’ve been a Shimano wearer exclusively but fancy treating myself to a pair of Sidis soon.

Even the pros were pushing up the final climb of the Pais Vasco (Tour of Basque Country) yesterday. Mental stuff.

Oh, if you don’t have the money, they close ALL the gates in BOTH directions, set an alarm off and you are escorted whilst you perform a U Turn infront of everyone and they send you back in the oposite lane. Happened to my cousin once. He said it was a tad embarrassing!

I seem to remember that they changed recently and now take plastic. Double check though. It certainly rings a loud bell.

I keep questioning the price, but right now I’m not even getting through a box a week so it;s not that costly. I tend to forget to eat them and I’ve got 2.5 boxes piled up on my desk and next weeks order already cancelled. I seem to go through phases of remembering to eat them and when I do I love them.

Interested to hear opinions of alternatives like Holand and Barrat though. We’ve got one in town but I’ve never been in.

I’m bailing out as I was the only one in the club to get a place and now we’re organising a similar style ride locally, followed by watching the real Hell of the North in the pub with Belgian beers on tap.

Anyone want my place?

I feel somebody needs to speak out on behalf of road clubs.

My club appears to be amazingly friendly and has a very active membership with 50+ turning out to weekly time trials, 5-10 racing on weekends, sunday club runs attract 30+ in good weather, the chaingangs need 3 separate groups to keep the numbers manageable. The car park at the TT HQ is buzzing with chatter, newcomers are really well looked after. And all of this in a town of 12,000 fixed population and another 8000 odd students (who have their own MTB club). I might add that our catchment area is quite big but mostly comprises of sea or the Cambrian mountains.

It’s not just us though. At races and events all the local clubs are friendly and if we are on foreign turf racing in another region for example, there is a certain camaraderie amongst other welsh clubs. It’s not just a Welsh thing though. When visiting the in-laws, I decided to look up the local club (Wigan Wheelers)
and ask if I might join them for their club run. I was welcomed with open arms and spent 4 hours being shown the hills around the Commonwelth Games road race circuit. There wasn’t a moment during that ride that I wasn’t chatting away to one of the group.

I can’t quite begin to imagine what some of you might be doing to report that nobody even said a word to you when you joined in on their runs. If they were competing in a TT or on a chaingang then obviously you can’t talk, but other than that, I’m flummoxed.

I’m thinkin about throwing my hat in with ‘conventional’ mtb. Big old money pit which I get little pleasure from.

I did this. Well almost. I sold my full sus frame and gears and built a singlespeed for all my off rod needs. Ploughed the funds into a full carbon road bike for the race season. it sits alongside my cyclocross bike which doubles as a commuter and winter trainer. Next purchase will be a TT bike after carbon low profile wheels.

Road kit doesn’t break very often but MTB kit wears quickly and is more prone to getting damaged. This is what lead me to singlespeed and it has the advantage of being goot strength training for the road bike too.

I’m no longer a fat bastard since I took up road riding, and now have no issues with getting into a skinsuit or trisuit to compete.

Western Mail “broadsheet” :lol:

Mostly road these days. I keep an MTB singlespeed for local events like the Dyfi but I seem unable to find the time to fit social MTB rides in at the moment. Racing on the road twice most weekends and next week the time trials and chaingangs start in the evenings. CX through winter and I’ll be at HONC in a few weeks time.

I did write a long response but deleted it in favour of a simple MTFU and learn to ride a road bike properly whilst wearing the proper clothing.

muppetWrangler

My first race was in a park in Ealing sometime in the late 80’s. The course was probably closer to a cyclo cross course than what we’d now consider a mountain bike course. Anyway myself and a friend lined up with about 70-80 others and sprinted away at the start.

Elthorne Park?
I raced there in 1990 or so on my Ridgeback 600 STI. It was a cross and MTB race I think.

@TrickyDisco 4th cat. 0 BC points so far.

Yup. Can’t stand the look of hairy lycra. It feels better and is a bit more hygenic but I’ll admit it’s mostly for looks. I’m considering alternative methods though as weekly shaves are a bit of a pain. are chemicals (veet) better? I know waxing lasts longer.

Bit of an update.

After last weeks race-based depression, I was up early to drive the 2 hours to Shrewsbury to race again on Saturday morning. Arrived early and watched the E12 race first then made sure to get a full 30 minutes warmup out on track. Before I knew it, the clock was showing race start imminent. I finished my warmup lap and rolled up to the start line.

I had words of wisdom from team mates and forum goers from Bike Radar ringing in my ears as the whistle blew and we all struggled to get clipped in whilst hurtling into the first corner. I fought to hold onto wheels and made sure I made up places when opportunities arose. The racing was close and the bunch was 3 wide for the most part. If anyone’s raced Shrewsbury, it’s a purpose build bike track and quite tight in places compared to a motor circuit.

I soon found myself in the zone and wasn’t worried about riders inside or outside. We were just working as a unit together. I looked down at my computer and we were at half distance already! I’d stayed with the bunch for 30 minutes and felt fine. I should be here for the duration it seemed!

Now I was inspired to move about a bit more, I took a dive down the outside when the group sat up at the same point on every lap, and had a look at the front. Club mates were holding their positions nicely. I moved right to the front but took a poor line into the hairpin and dropped back a few positions. I sat back up in mid pack until the 5 laps to go sign went out. Time to strat thinking about position. I had 5k of racing left and only a couple of good overtaking points per lap.

The pace picked up naturally and spread things a little thinner which gave me room to move around the bunch easier. 2 laps to go and I was well into the top 1/3. I closed down the odd position here and there and going into the last 500m I could see the leader ahead. We were all widing it up to near 100% now and I knew I’d not get into the points but sprinted as best I could as there was plenty of space to take around 13th on the line.

I’d not only completed a 3/4 circuit race but stayed with the bunch and finished in the sharp end of it. I was ecstatic. All I wanted was to be able to compete and actually race. Getting shelled all the time was killing me, but now I knew i could do it. Results were out today and 1 – 10 were all 3rd cats bar 1, so that made me feel even better.

25MH average, 34MPH max
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/73839848

After a 2 hour drive home I went straight down the pub for the 6 nations matches and some Peroni based recovery. 6 pints later I cabbed it home to get an early night, Sunday is another race day and I’m not passing up the chance!

So after a poor nights sleep, partly due to an early night, partly due to pre race excitement, it was time to get on the road again. Another 2 hour drive, this time down to Llandow Motor Circuit near Cardiff. This was a cat 4 race and only 36 in the field on a very open course which is pretty much a rectangle with a chicane which they pull out for the final 5 laps. Should be faster and smoothing I thought.

We lined up on the line and I got clipped in first time for once. I put a few good pedal strokes in and realised there was nobody around me. Had I false started? A glance behind me allayed my fears, I’d just led out the race into the first corner. I held onto this lead for a subsequent 4 laps, even gaining a gap of around 30M on the front of the bunch at one point. Eventually I sat up and the bunch came flying past. I jumped on a mid pack and took it easy for a while. Not sure what the bunch was up to. I’d not been tanking it along, and the bunch was averaging a higher speed now than when I was on the front.

2 primes came and went. I’d not been bothered with these as I was saving my legs after my turn on front. I still thought I might have something for the sprint. However when 2 laps to go came around I knew I only had so much left in the tank. I used this in the only way I knew how, to launch a massive attack on the bunch on the back straight. I swear somebody in the bunch cracked up laughing at this point. Probably thinking my futile attempt was hoping to stay away. I knew it wouldn’t, but it did spread things out nicely for my club mates who got positioned and took 3,4, and 5th positions in the sprint. A GREAT racing experience for me and points and prizes for my mates. Brilliant day out.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/74085692

Shrewsbury again next Saturday and I’m almost gutted I’m doing a Triathlon on the Sunday or I’d be back down to Llandow again for the 3rd and final race in the series. I can almost smell the BC points now.

I’ve been a little depressed all week after my first race of the year. I finished last season the best I’d ever felt on a bike (bare in mind I was coming from NOTHING). I’d got PBs on all of the club TT courses, and I was looking forward to racing ‘cross over the winter to keep fitness up. As well as cross I was losing weight, swimming, started running and doing circuit training, spin classes and turbo intervals. You’d think I would be well placed for the spring wouldn’t you?

Last weekend I entered a closed circuit cat 3/4 on a purpose built cycle track in Shrewsbury. I held onto the bunch for 6 laps (10 minutes) but somehow found myself off the back despite all my best intentions to try and stay mid-pack. Once you are off the back, you are finished. The elastic is nigh on impossible to gather up again once it’s snapped. I soloed around the course until the bunch caught me at about half distance and tried to jump on again but my solo TT pace had left me with nothing in the legs to get back on and stay there. I was gutted and pulled up at the commissaires the next time I passed.

I’m back again tomorrow for another go and will be fighting like hell for position, trying not to get trapped and boxed in. Maintaining my line and not getting bullied into letting a gap open. The racing is brutal but addictive. If I don’t fare well on Saturday I’ll be driving down to Llandow for the 4th Cat race on Sunday morning. THe likelyhood is that I will do 9 hours of driving for around 30 minutes of riding in the bunch all weekend if last week is anything to go by.

Race stats: Paramount CRT at Sundorne Circuit Cat 3/4, average bunch pace 25.5MPH, Max bunch pace 32.5MPH

Hill Intervals, 2x20s, TABATA, 3minsOn2minsOff x 7, 1 min over 1 min under x 15, that sort of thing.

5 road miles from home on the back of a tough 70 mile cyclocross clubrun I was blowing out of my arse, legs in pieces. I got overtaken by a guy on one of these. I died a little inside.

Did my SPSA training a long time ago but struggled to ever have confidence in my own gear placement so never enjoyed lead climbing. Left it behind now in favour of the bikes, which take up my every spare minute anyway.

I borrowed my cousins Lusso knee warmers on the weekend and they were superb. But they are a knee warmer as opposed to a leg warmer so the lower leg is not catered for.

Any more spots going spare? I’m sorted but a clubmate is looking.

Hillclimbing
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Me on Primrose Hill Hillclimb[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Cyclocross
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Crickhowell Cyclocross[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Criterium Racing
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Tywyn Crits 2010[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Time Trialing
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Starting Ystwyth CC Cwm Rheidol 10 mile TT[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Sportive Riding
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photos from The tour of Pembrokeshire 2010[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Oh and I have been know to do some Mountain Biking too
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Me at Dyfi Enduro 2010[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

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Builth Wells MTB Marathon Crop[/url] by Surfrdan[/url], on Flickr

Can you get to Swansea and get the Ferry? 10 hour crossing I believe, Swansea to Cork

These have recently grabbed my attention

Aviva Stadium

Cowboys Stadium

135M in 4.5 miles. Most of that is concentrated into a half mile on the way in and a short 20% climb straight up through the uni campus on the way home. Followed by 3 mile descent and a draggy false flat back to the house. Nice mix of riding.

LS: I know I was being tongue in cheek. Cross is awesome, the racing is fun the people have been ace and the bikes are massively capable in all sorts of scenarios. I’m plenty happy :)

I don’t know what my Jake the Snake is. It sounds like it’s a tourer though, as it’s got bottle and rack bosses. I don’t know what I was thinking, daring to race ‘cross on it this season. Everybody must have been sniggering at me. Oh, no, wait. Everyone was really welcoming to me and even the oddballs on singlespeed 29ers and the guy racing a road bike with 23mm slicks on the frozen tundra that was Pembrey Park this year.

If I had the money, I might look into a Ridley and a set of tubs but as I’ve spent my bike funds on a carbon crit bike, I’ll have to race on my tourer again this season. Tomorrow I’m taking it on a 250 mile club training weekend in North Wales so it must be a road bike too. I’ll get on to Kona and inform them of their pigeon holing mistake immediately.

Drop bars,
cross frame with disc mounts and a single rear ortlieb pannier
sturdy mavic 700c wheels with singlespeed hope pro 3 disc hubs for noise and rim saving shod in 25mm conti 4seasons

I imagine a custom build of a pompetamine would do the trick.

Currently riding my jake the snake with a courier bag and it’s awesome but I’m worried about drivetrain and wheel wear, and I’d like to move the bag onto the bike as it moves around.

Bright and cool. Perfect. Started the daily commute again at the beginning of the week after a dark, icy, potholed wintery absence. It’s good to be back :) Felt stronger than ever yesterday up the hills and not too shabby today given the extra weight of my pack. Tomorrow I’m taking the wife’s car in for a service on the way so I’ll leave the cross bike at home, stick the Scandal on the back of the car and finish the route to work on that. I feel a little play on the office steps coming tomorrow :)

Office steps:

52 was perfect for me in the end

4.5 miles and 130m ascent each way

I’d just like to thrown the Jake the Snake into the ring as I absolutely adore mine, and they have a very proud following it seems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO0VLouJFNQ&feature=player_embedded is the proper link, and there’s loads more course-side videos in the suggestions list on the right hand side. Looks properly mental.

ooh this one has some good frame-mount footage halfway through

Yup it definitely has a ring of DIRT about it. Still awesome though :)

Fascinating article on Anterior pelvic tilt. I’m off to the loo now to measure the gap in the small of my back but I have always suffered lower back pain when standing around for any amount of time. I’ve been doing core stability classes and circuit training for the past few months and have learned a lot of exercises which should really help with this. I only started them to give my cycling muscles a better platform but looks like I could be on for a double win if I am suffering from anterior pelvic tilt too. Cheers for the heads up :)