The Hillingdon Winter Series 2006/7

[Kevin Rynne]

No Hillingdon for me either

[Dr Frigo]

Wow survived racing with the E/1/2

Chickened out of the clubrun as it was still drizzling at 9am, but seing as the weather improved I decided to get my arse up and go racing at Hillingdon.

Tim was the only other rider I knew there among loads of fast-looking guys in club kit, the signing sheet was full of 1st and 2nd cats, and the air in the clubroom was heavy with embrocation as I tried to keep warm from the ride from Victoria.

The strong SW wind turned the uphill into the easy part of the course, and if you had the misfortune to hit the downhill at the front you seemed to come to a near standstill.

Tim went into an early break that lasted a decent time. There were breaks tentatives practically every lap, mostly on the downhill, and each time I went and tried to follow one it cost me so much energy it was a struggle to latch onto the bunch when it went past - after one which almost cost me to get dropped I decided I would stay within the bunch for the rest of the race.

Just one of those breaks were successful and lasted over five laps. The pace increased at the one-hour mark which marked the start of the last five laps, and I was careful not to position myself too far down the massive field (I'm guessing 80 riders), at the same time trying not to do any unnecessary work.

The sprint launched at the exit of the last turn onto the climb, I got on the outer right, and surprisingly managed to pass quite a few people in a clear line, as they all seemed intent on keeping slipstreaming one behind another. Was even more surprised to pass Tim, whose efforts had cost him precious energy. I think I was just outside of the top ten, will have to see what category everyone ahead were. There was a crash behind, one of Tim's new teammates went down quite badly and hit his head, Tim said it wasn't too bad but the guy had to be taken to hospital.

Think this was my hardest road race so far, average speed 25.5mph - and I'm sure that will increase without wind and as the "season" gets under way ... really glad I decided to get out on my bike today anyway.

Caught a train back with Tim and just before Croydon a drunken old fellow spectacularly stumbled onto my bike and almost snapped my bars! We had to call a medic on the train as he was in a bad way.

[Toks]

Wow there I was sitting in MeadowHall Shopping Mall up in lovely Sheffield trying to talk my eleven year old son out of buying yet another Nintendo DS lite game with Christmas approaching - and then the phone rings "...Blah.. Blah... Hillingdon Race...Blah... Blah...crash...blah...blah... and finally there was this bloke from Addiscombe who did really well..." Chapeau Sylvain.

[Andrew G]

Sylv the [url=http://www.londoncyclesport.com/news/article/mps/UAN/1281/v/1/sp/]LCS site[/url] has robbed you! It says DNF, with Tim 17th?
I think you need to round up some of the bigger member of the club and 'ave words. All that work and they give you a DNF . It looks like an Addiscombe jersey (you?) sprinting in the photo.

[Dr Frigo]

Check now

[Stu Merckx Man]

wahey good one sylvain!! 15th!

you beat a few elites !!

[Andrew G]

well done, on the result and getting it corrected so quickly!

[Dr Frigo]

It's not me on the photo - it was a bit chilly and I had to wear a no-name long sleeve jersey as I don't have an ACC one.

It seems from what someone has written on LCS forum that they might now put the 3/4 cats separate from E/1/2.


Is that 2 points then?

[Dr Frigo]

That's a great one of Tim! (he hasn't got his kit yet)

[img]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/editorialGallery/galleries/hillingdon_winter_06_1/061202-150806-400-1159.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/editorialGallery/galleries/hillingdon_winter_06_1/061202-151018-400-1168.jpg[/img]

And that's blurry me on the far left of the pic

[img]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/editorialGallery/galleries/hillingdon_winter_06_1/061202-153622-400-1240.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/editorialGallery/galleries/hillingdon_winter_06_1/061202-153632-400-1247.jpg[/img]

[George]

Sylv the guy that won the race Dan Rudd was out on the Elmers End chain gang last Thursday.

We were having a good old ding dong on the front

[Dr Frigo]

George if you do the 35-minute race with the 4ths cat you could be hoping for a win. Then the next week you get promoted to the E/1/2/3 race - just as hard as a chaingang!

Next Friday is office Xmas do but hope to be in a state to race on Sat.

[ajay khandelwal]

25.5 mph in winter - that's fast ! Congrats Sylvain, sounds like you rode a very smart race

[Dr Frigo]

...

[Dr Frigo]

What a tool I thought I was getting 10 BCF points - it's only points for the series!

[Andrew G]

Imperial RT Circuit Series 2 - 9th December.

E/1/2/3
1 Daniel Rudd Citihub
2 Steve Golla High Wycombe CC
3 Lewis Atkins Pacific RT
4 Wouter Sybrandy http://www.agiskoviner.com
5 Jason Edwards Wildside RT
6 Ben Moores Privateer
7 James Foster Team Quest
8 Paul Delahunty London Dynamo
9 Gianluca Cappello Pearson cycles
10 Jason Streather VC St Raphael
11 Vince Halpern awcycles.co.uk
12 Sean Sumner Interbike RT
13 Ed Graefe Team Economic Energy
14 Simon Whiten http://www.roadcyclinguk.com
15 Mike Bisson Dhcyclesport.co.uk
16 David Griffiths Twickenham CC
17 Mike Inder Thames Velo
18 Jamie Streather VC St Raphael
19 Ben White Finchley RT
20 Martin Garratt London Dynamo
21 Vaughan Luff Archer RC
22 Rod Freeman Imperial Racing Team
23 Tim Harris Addiscombe CC
24 Nat Spurling Finsbury Park CC
25 James Leach Twickenham CC
26 Peter Jones Hillingdon CC
27 Michael Sneyd London Dynamo
28 Phil Holloway Southend Whlrs
29 Nick Wallis Hounslow & Dist Whlers
30 Richard Collins Imperial Racing Team
31 Gavin Spiers Reading CC
32 Rudie Marais Archer RC
33 Jeff Baird GS Metro
34 Richard Barrowclough Privateer
35 Paul Stedman Reading CC
36 Mario Manelfi http://www.agiskoviner.com
37 Robert Hemming Team Economic Energy
38 Andrew Stronge London Dynamo
39 Lee Chaplin Twickenham CC
40 Paul Bennett Beyond Mountainbikes
41 Martin Docker http://www.agiskoviner.com
42 ?
43 Pete Smith Team M.K.
44 Andrew Harvey Kingston Whlers Evans
45 Stuart Jackson Team Quest
46 Graham Owen Team Quest
47 Mike Anderson VC St Raphael
48 Simon Bateson Economic Energy
49 Simon Hewins Eagle RC
50 Kirk Jenns PCA CiclosUno
51 Mick McManus Twickenham CC - The wrestler?
52 Mike Knight VC Meudon

Tim, are you still riding for Addiscombe until the end of the year or are they so sad your leaving they refuse to acknowledge it.