Women's Racing 2007

London Cyclesport have very helpfully posted a list of all confirmed dates for women's road and track racing this year - at last, all the dates you need in one place! Hallelujah!

Also, a day of women's racing will take place on Saturday 21 April at Hillingdon. It seems like a great idea, especially for novices, as it is lots of small races so you can make plenty of mistakes, have a rest and then have another go. The downside is its the day before some of us leave for Majorca ... Details on Shecycles.com.

Florence

Clun Mill

Hi
Just to let you know that I'm looking after Clun Mill Youth Hostel from 28th April to the 5th May it's in great cycling country and a lovely hostel. I hope to do some good steady base miles while I'm there (after I've cleaned the place up every morning).I'm sure there will be plenty of room in the middle of the week.So any one that can't make Majorca what about Shropshire instead!
John.

My Mercian is sold

A girl with an inside leg of 37", Jennifer Clifton from Manchester, bought my beautiful Mercian. It is only just big enough for her. She was a Junior British Fencing Champion and a very good high jumper. I'm hoping she gives me some reflected glory from her bike racing results. It went for £350 and my frined found some Campag tools of mine to give her as well as the bike and the sprints so it was a real bargain. She's a Carpenter fan so I told her about visiting Frank with Bee in a hospice the day before he died.

Blog Upgrade

Sorry folks.

As those of you who have posted recently will know, Blogger has been pushing "New Blogger".
All the blogs have now been moved over to New Blogger, but this means (I think) that for you to post, you will all have to create "Google" accounts from your original Blogger accounts. It's a bit of a hassle, so my apologies, but in the long term it will be beneficial. I also think that the Google accounts will allow other possibilities with the club sites, so it is all for the best really.

I believe that next time you log in to post, with your old account details, you will be prompted to create a new account based on an email address. It seems to be fairly straightforward, but if anyone has any problems please get in touch and I will try to talk you through it.

Please make a note of your new username and password, as I will no longer be able to look usernames up for those who forget (I think).

Anyone with a @kprc.org.uk email address, I suggest you use that. Anyone who hasn't got one and would like one, please ask, there are some left.

Finally, anyone who hasn't yet signed up for the Blog and would like to, please email me for an invitation.

Lisa

The Hell of the Ashdown

I will be riding the 'rebadged' Catford Reliability, now known as The Hell of the Ashdown (it's not that bad!) on 28 January if anyone wants to come. There are 100k and 61k options. It starts at Knockholt Village Hall 8.30 for a 9am start or 9 for a 9.30 am start if you do the short one. I can give 1 person a lift if you don't mind your mudguards possibly getting slightly squashed in the back of my rather small car.

Florence

Kingston Phoenix Road Club

Off Road Cycling Tips

Tip No1

When riding along a path and you come across pedestrians and you feel like being courteous and decide to pull off the path to ride on the grass:-

make sure that the grass verge is not going up hill, is so soft that your tyres and rims disappear and when you try to get back on the path there is not a drainage ditch for about 200 metres. Some drainage ditches can be difficult to spot due to the long grass.

Tip No 2

Disc brakes are not very efficient on very soft ground

Tip No 3

If as a result of your efforts you are in such oxygen debt that you must stop, try to find a spot where nobody can see you. It can be embarrassing if a little old lady comes up to you and asks "are you OK son" (or dear, not wishing to sound sexist)

I am new to this off road stuff, does anybody else have any tips they would like to share?

PS. does anybody know the minimum speed you need to be travelling at to jump an 18" drainage ditch?

Hilly 50

http://freespace.virgin.net/graham.hill3/Hilly50.pdf

This is the web site for the Hilly 50 route sheet!
Feb 17th 10.30 at Rykas Cafe.
Burford Bridge, Mickleham Bends A24 Dorking
Save time on the day by pre registering. Phone Edd on 020 8394 1697 or Jake on 01372 720061
Leave name address and phone no for emergency contact.
Pay £3 when you arrive and sign your name.

Kingston Wheelers 14

11th Feb at 8.30


£6 to Peter Anderson 28 Wolsey Rd, Hampton Hill, Middx, TW12 1QW
Closing date 2nd Feb
Check on www.kingston wheelers.com

Flo and I are doing it. There is a team prize, so any one else?
Jake

South Western Road Club 100K Cyclosportive

http://www.swrc.org.uk/spring_sportive_mar07.html

This is the web site to preregister £5 or £7 on the day.
Meet Fetcham village hall on sun 5th March at 9.15 to leave 9.30

I fancy doing it, anyone else?

F H Pratt Cycles

Nostalgia publication - recently released by the V-CC, ‘Frederick H. Pratt & Son – Complete Cycle Engineers’. This shop at Salfords on the A23 main road which many of us will have known, was sadly closed during last year. The 55 years history was written into a book by the V-CC’s ‘Media Watch’ reporter Alvin Smith and was funded by the John Pinkerton Memorial Publishing Fund.
Its an interesting story of the demanding fight by Fred and his severely disabled wife Joan who was a sister to the famous Claud Butler, together with their son Noel, to keep the shop at Salfords alive. Fred was employed by Claud Butler in his frame building workshops where he was responsible for the design of the patented Claud Butler Ultra Short Wheelbase rear bracket for tandems developed in the mid – 1930s. The USWB Tandem was owned by a number of members of this DA. Derek Robinson has recently reconditioned his fine example of this famous design tandem. Fred promoted and built frames from Salfords with the unusual design concept which he developed and called 'The Jack Knife'. The book refers to ownership of Jack Knife frames by a number of Redhill Cycle Club and Kingston Phoenix Road Club members which included owner Noel Pratt and writer Clive Oxx who is pictured in the book riding his first Time Trial looking very youthful and described as ‘one of the new likely racing lads in 1952’.
For anyone interested, a copy can be obtained via Clive by telephoning 0208 647 0766

Majorca Update

The balance is due for Majorca by the 1st Feb

Pete, Andy, Jackie, Andrew and Gary owe £240.
Grant, Flo, Heather and Jake owe £211

15kg allowancefor bike is included

FlightEasy Jet 5205 Dept 11.45 am 22/4/07 South Terminal
Ticketless booking ref EC4L TQP and EC4 KPKS

Can you send cheques to me made payable to Gary Smith by end Jan please?
Thanks Jake

Next committee meeting - Jan 07

Next Committee Meeting is to be held at Ron & Doreen's on January 12th.

As decided at the last committee meeting, we will have "nibbles" first, so don't have a big dinner 5 minutes before leaving for the meeting and then look surprised when you get there.....!

Agenda Items:

Menu for Dinner?
Confirm as members our latest applicants


etc.

Lisa

DA Competitions

The first submissions of their 2006 mileage are on the mileage table .

Send your totals to Pete Mitchell for inclusion (by email, text or phone).

And don't forget the Photographic competition - Pictures to your section Sec if s/he will take them or else also to PeteM.

Lisa

New Year Eve Party Rock Chicks Rule