Women's (&Juniors and youths) coaching 14th and 28th Nov.

[Andrew G]

Training and coaching sessions at Hillingdon cycle circuit for women riders:

* who compete in triathlons (and want to improve their cycling skills)

* who currently race (all categories of licence)

* who plan to race next year (and so wish to train well this winter)

* who planned to race this summer just gone (but somehow missed out
on making a start)

* juniors

and

* youth (U16 and U14)

session 1 - Sunday 14 November 2010

session 2 – Sunday 28 November 2010

Hillingdon is a car-free circuit, so there is no problem with on-coming traffic. It has a smooth tarmac surface and is about 0.9 of a mile round.

The Hillingdon circuit loop includes a straight (often into a headwind), a mild/gentle drag section (that goes on for 250m) and a short fast descent followed by a tight corner (one that you can pedal round and get an advantage over riders who lack the nerve to push forward and who opt to freewheel instead).

This is continuation of the eleven previous sessions run over the past four winters by Power Pack Coaching/Surrey Cycle Racing League.

They all had a common purpose of looking to get you fit and ready for racing with a combination of individual bike handling skills, group riding and a couple of exercises (in effect mock racing) containing elements of "flat out" effort.

Typical example of what a coaching session might contain:

warm-up
laps with sprints (so comparable to a points race)
riding in through-and-off groups… the basics…getting closer to other riders' wheels
three-lap race

15-20 min break

through-and-off…..this time in ability groups so riding at different speeds
skills…such as weaving through cones and cornering
two short races, each with different format…. one a handicap race

timetable: assemble at 12.15pm onwards
(to register and warm up)
on the track 1.00pm
finish 3.15pm – 3.45pm

So hopefully out there, if weather favourable, for a total of 2hr 30min…. or longer if the mid-session break gets extended…. though possibly trimmed back in the case of particularly bad weather.

There is a mid-session break, so please bring a snack/drink.

If you've not been to Hillingdon for a while, then the news is that there is now a cycle-specific clubhouse… it was opened to quite a fanfare a month ago.

I've seen/used the new facility once (it was last Wednesday evening for a race) but apart from the room we used for the signing-on and the stream of riders heading off for the toilets I'm not sure what else I can point to by way of facilities… anyway perhaps we don't need anything extra to just that.

The adjoining site has been developed by Goals, the operator who runs five-a-side football sessions on mini-pitches that are all wrapped up within high netting fences.

I do know that the Goals facilities include changing rooms, toilets, showers and drinks…including strong alcohol (should you wish to go on a blinder)…. but the floors are slippery and so you are advised to remove cycling shoes.

Bookings made in advance:
Price: £14 each session (or £22 for both) Places: 30

Bookings on the day:
Price: £22
Please note:
Last year we had sufficient numbers to trigger a call for a second coach….so this time I'm thinking I need to get on and ask Debbie Knott to join us again.
My hope is that interest remains sufficiently high for all the places to be taken in advance, which would result in the sessions becoming full…. so what I want to say is please don't expect to turn up on the day and still find a place available….much safer to make a call beforehand for a last-minute up-date.

My email has changed:
…but this time only from Googlemail to the shorter form of gmail…. and the previous ones come through automatically anyway.

Contact: John Leitch, coach, Power Pack/Starter Pack
johnleitch65 [at] gmail.com


directions….

for your overall bearings click onto….
[url]http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=510500&y=180500&z=3&sv=510500,180500&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=509500&ay=180500[/url]

and there in the white space is the cycle circuit.... look on the map again for the big green letters saying A312...and that empty area space is where you want to be... the access to it is down the white-coloured road over to the right-hand side.

it's called Springfield Road and
for a closer look go to:

[url]http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=511530&y=180485&z=1&sv=511530,180485&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=511530&ay=180485[/url]

and our entrance is immediately south of the green plot marked as Sports Ground (it's a football pitch)

[Toks]

If only...

[Andrew G]

Well there is an operation that could make you eligible Toks, but you probably wouldn't be "ready" until John's sessions next year.