Next Friday (5th) should be the Club meeting but it’s also the Bradfield Hill Climb on Woodfall Lane and I know several people like to go out and watch the hill climb, some people even ride it!
With that in mind we’ve changed the date of the meeting to the following Friday the 12th July.
Hill climb starts at 7:30 for those that are interested…
Race report from Joe LeSage on his record breaking ride in the:-
ECCA 100 – 26th June 2019.
High expectations. The ECCA is THE fast 100 – as the event approached, conditions looked good and the time trialling forum was full of predictions of just how fast could Marcin go? Sub 3 hours 10 minutes was mooted as a possibility. 31.57mph for 100 miles and over 7 minutes better the current comp record.
I was off 16 minutes ahead of Marcin Bialoblocki, and was hoping to hold him off to halfway, and in the process go somewhere around 3:45. I was off at the back end of the field, with a 6am start (slept in the van at the HQ but still needed a 3:30am alarm call).
There’s not a lot to report about riding a 100. Don’t start too fast and just endure the rising discomfort and try not to think about the final 45 minutes or so that are pure purgatory.
Anyway, I wasn’t going as fast as I’d hoped, and a pb looked very unlikely at one-third distnce. Stay positive and keep pushing. Halfway came and went, and no sign of Marcin. Two-thirds distance, temperature and speed rising, it started to look as though things were coming together. Still no Marcin.
As expected, the final hour was awful. I managed to push on to hit my pb speed with 10 miles to go. Touch and go. Off the final turn, just over 4 miles to go, and 9 .5 minutes to do it in… couldn’t do the maths, but it seemed feasible.
Finished with 3:46:12, to skim 24 seconds off my pb and the club record. And still no Marcin… he went off course and probably ended up in Norwich just in time for breakfast.
Meeting at the normal teacake meet at 7pm on Friday (28th) for our Nocturnal Teacake ride. A steady ride up to Eyam for the drinking chalice competition and then up to the Barrel Inn at Bretton where the landlady will do us chip butties for a fiver each.
Then on to the Norfolk Arms at Ringinglow in good time for a pint or two whenever that is. Bring an unusual drinking chalice, some beer vouchers and ligths for your bike.
This years summer outing is heading west out to Jodrell Bank.
Meet at the Teacake start, 8 for a 8.15 depart, coffee stop in Longnor, lunch at the Jodrell Bank cafe, Ice cream/cafe in Tideswell on way back, then maybe a pint or two at the Norfolk Arms if folks are keen.
Current route is around 90 miles with a decent amount of climbing out and back with a respite in the middle. Plenty of opportunity to add a bit on the way home if people are keen to tick 100. Usual summer rules apply, everyone welcome, we’ll wait or slow down at the top of all major climbs and regroup/admire the view, social pace.
The roposed route: https://www.strava.com/routes/19435302
Hope you can make it.
This might be of interest to anyone that wants to get their hill climb season started early…
On Tuesday 16th April I received some news that I had been dreading for some time, John Barnsley had passed away today at his home in Ashford, Kent. John was 70 and had been suffering from cancer since the end of last year. As a schoolboy joining the Rutland and growing up during the 1970’s and 80’s to me and many others John was the ‘Master Rutler.’ He leaves his partner Jane, his two sons Matthew and Mark and grandson Oliver.
There is a tribute page to John where you can leave messages of condolences and make donations to John’s chosen charities
https://john-barnsley.muchloved.com/
Below is the eulogy that Malc Pearce wrote for John’s funeral and was read out by John’s eldest son Matthew
EULOGY TO JOHN
I was only a young kid when I first met John, I went out on my first Rutland Cycling Club run to Rudyard Lakes. This was one of the hardest rides on the club run calendar. I got dropped twice so John hung back and waited for me, we spent the rest of the day riding around Derbyshire, didn’t get to Rudyard Lakes. I felt pretty bad and apologized to John that I had spoilt his day – his answer was “don’t worry, I got dropped too I was knackered!” From there on we formed a bloody great friendship. It didn’t take long to realize that John had the same effect on everyone he met; he had such a fun filled personality. He was a bit like the Pied Piper. On the Rutland Club runs we would follow him over hills, dales, Moors till we finally gathered in a pub and sat having the best laughs of my life. John’s sense of humour was the best – he would tell jokes & stories that made us laugh so much we had stomach ache. Our Thursday night bike rides in winter took us over the rough stuff tracks and we finally got together in the Rivelin Hotel – also known as Lou’s Palace. Again we would sit around telling jokes, stories and singing songs accompanied by a local on the piano. John introduced us to his repertoires, “Beer is Best” – “I’m a Rambler from Manchester Way” and his specialty, “I love My Mother in Law”. At closing time we would ride down the Rivelin Valley whilst John and some of the others went home via Manchester Road – shouting Charlie at the top of our voices till we ran out of breath. Our winter club runs centred around “rough stuff” tracks over the Moors to finish up in a pub and play darts, tell jokes and laughs. Many times John would bring out a soccer ball so we had a full blown soccer match after the pub. Our favourite rides after Sunday lunch pub closing time would take us over Cut Gate and Kinder Scout – rides not for the feint hearted especially starting out after 3.00pm and finishing in the dark. John was always there to guide us and take the mickey out of the lads that moaned!! We organized weekends away racing, training or de-training rides. John was usually a part of these rides either participating or organizing but one thing was certain – we had plenty of beers and plenty of laughs. I’ll always remember one Friday night walking home to sober up after a night out with the lads which took me straight past John’s doorstep. At the time he had an Austin Midget which was parked up his driveway, his pride and joy. It seemed like a good idea at the time to fill his car boot with house bricks from the yard where he was having an extension built. I filled it right up to the buffers. During the next few club runs John kept bleating on that his car was running like crap with no power. Imagine his surprise when he finally opened the car boot – priceless. He also had a Citroen 2CV. He used to turn up to the bike races in his beloved car and take out the front seats and sit at the side of the road cheering us on. Every year at Christmas time we had our Boxing Day pub crawl starting at the Fox House and drink a pint in each pub till we finished in Castleton, one rule was that you couldn’t ride your own bike in-between pubs, you had to ride someone else’s. We also had our Christmas Fancy Dress ride out dinner to Castleton, fancy dress was obligatory and John always came up with a great costume. One year as Fagin from Oliver Twist, then as “Postman Pat” and another as a Christmas cracker with a note – “The jokes inside, pull here”.
I could write for hours with the great times we had and usually in the lime light John was there. He was the back bone of the Rutland Cycling Club and a true Stalwart. He used to write a quarterly newsletter which was always so funny it made you cry – he signed it as “Scoop Barnsley”
Once met, never forgotten. John had such an infectious influence on the Rutland Club runs and everyone he met, always remembered.
Malc & Tracey Pearce – AKA Pearcey
Most of our younger members won’t have know Brian but he’s certainly been around a long time and was a big part of the Sheffield Phoenix.
In recent years Glyn Singleton always used to bring him to our annual Club dinner and prize presentation.
Sadly he passed away last weekend after some time spent in St.Lukes, he was 92.
His funeral will be at 11:15am on Tuesday 19th March at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium.
On Sunday 14th April Chris Myhill from the Peak RC is promoting a 50ish mile hilly (okay – very hilly!) sportive based at Rowsley.
He’s sorted out a great course and is currently sorting out event supporters to provide food and drink before and after the event, all in all it will be a great day out.
Numbers will be limited so book your place early.
Routes and details can be found here:-
www.myhillcycling.co.uk/spring-classic
You will also see the event on Facebook if you search for ‘myhill cycling’.
I don’t have too many details about the loss of another one of our stalwart members Mick Booker as I only heard about it at the end of December.
I’d not seen Mick for a few years, he was one the Club’s top time triallists during the 1980’s/90’s but he had been battling with Alzheimers and died on the 9th December aged 77. The funeral was held at the beginning of January at Shireoaks church.
Just arrived and in time for Christmas are the new 7cm ‘Skinny mudflaps’
The first batch we had from @TopFlaps were their standard 9cm Big Flapper but they have kindly made us a 7cm flap suitable for those that don’t have full on winter bikes and ride 23/25mm tyres with clip on mudguards.
Priced at £8 each they are available from me – simon@rutland.cc or at any Club meeting.
