Booking is now open for this Thursday's 11.3 mile Time Trial. You can book at enter_el.php
Live results will be available at book-to-ride.com and fully ranked and scored results for each rider category will be available at the results center.
New feature from this Thursday:
Compare your performance against your rivals - overlay graphs of avg. speed for each event, with you and any chosen rival on the same graph.
Don't let them get the better of you! If you don't ride, you show as a 0.000 on the graph - we can't have your rivals gloating over that - book now!
Evening League event on 3 May, 18:45 - bookings open
The Evening League BBQ on Saturday 28 April was fantastic! What a surprise, we were expecting nobody to show up! The weather was HORRIBLE, so to see 50 people arrive for a BBQ, and ALSO to ride 21.3 miles in the cold, windy rain was a real surprise! Well done to you all, and thanks for making it such a fun event.
See here for a summary from those who braved the pouring, blustery, cold 'drought' we are currently experiencing.
Booking is now open on Sunday and Monday before the event for BRCC members. Opens on Tuesday to Thursday for all other CTT affiliated members.
See book-to-ride.com.
Cyclist killed in accident near Langford
Our deepest sympathies and condolences are extended to the family and friends of Orla Lawlor who died in a road traffic accident on Sunday morning near Langford, whilst riding with her club from the Cambridge area.
A full enquiry is in progress, but we have heard that the accident may have been caused by a touch of wheels, causing Orla to veer into the path of an on-coming car.
Biggleswade Today report Cambridge News
MK Bowl Youth Road Race, 21 April
Weather held off for the races which was good, Rosie came 2nd overall (only girl) in Under 8s mixed race.
1st in was a boy from Welwyn, 2nd Rosie, 3rd a boy from MK, 4th was Colby only four of them in the race;
Rosie made me laugh apparently the lad who came third told her to go easy on him LOL.
Ben finished 10th or 11th in the U12's, as usual Welwyn Wheelers had a strong team and made it a 1-2-3
on the podium.
Quality of the picture attached not great as I took it with my mobile, there was someone there taking a load of shots
which will probably be on MK site at some point I guess.
Report by Maria Lupo.
Inter-Club 10 mile TT - 21 April 2012
Many thanks to Icknield Road Club for hosting todays Inter-Club 10 mile time trial on the F15/10 Brogborough course.
We were blessed with almost ideal weather, whilst all around us, we could see black stormclouds with veils of rain plummeting out of them.
Here are a few photos sent in by Captain Steve James...
Emily Robertson - Beds Road CC - fastest lady competitor
Isaac Anstee - Beds Road CC
Mark Anstee - Beds Road CC
Jan Laming - Beds Road CC - youngest competitor at 13 yrs.
Graham Laming - Beds Road CC
Cyclists and motorists - the Highway Code
Please be considerate to other road users. We recently published guidance for cyclists when approaching horses. We would also like to remind riders of the Highway Code in relation to cyclists and other road users.
Rule 66. Never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.
This is particularly important in country lanes, such as those around the club, which have many blind bends and are narrow in places. Riding 2 abreast can hinder faster traffic behind you.
If you hear motor traffic behind you, and you are riding 2 abreast on narrow lanes, please drop to single file without delay, to allow the traffic to safely pass you. An impatient driver, angrily overtaking you on a bend can end in tears. Similarly, riding 2 abreast on a busy road can put you at serious risk of a collision with a car from behind. It is clearly in your own interests not to hinder or obstruct car and van drivers behind you.
Club members and Evening League prize winners from 2011 are invited to a BBQ at the Beds Road CC Clubhouse on Saturday 28 April at noon, free of charge!
We will have the awards to present to the winners from last years evening league series, so please join us to congratulate them.
Before the BBQ, we will have a "Captains Ride" of the two courses starting at 10:00. In fact, there will be 3 rides:-
1. A slower paced ride around 12mph for juniors or anyone who may be starting out in cycling.
2. A medium paced ride around 15 mph
3. A faster paced ride at 18mph+
Please let us know if you are coming, and how many guests you would like to bring, with any special dietary requirements, so that we can cater for you, or if you have any questions by emailing Graham
We look forward to seeing you there!
Cycling near Horses - please note!
We share the roads with many other road users, including horses. There have recently been 2 reported incidents we know of, where cyclists have ridden at speed, very close to horses, with the risk of startling the horse. This could result in the horse bolting, rearing up, kicking out or otherwise responding to something it didn't expect. Such sudden reactions could cause injury to the rider, any bystanders, the cyclist, or nearby vehicles.
Please ensure that you minimise the risk of startling any horses you may encounter, by taking these steps, whether in everyday leisure cycling, commuting or taking part in a competitive event...
1. Ensure that you make your presence known to the horse/rider well before you draw level with them, to reduce the possibility of surprise. If approaching from behind, please clearly announce "Cyclist approaching" and repeat if you think the horse rider may not have heard you.
2. Once you know the horse rider is aware of your presence, note and respond to any advice or request he or she may give. The horse may be young and inexperienced on the road, or may be particularly uneasy around bicycles.
3. When safe to do so, pass the horse slowly and as far from the horse as you can.
4. Please be courteous to horse riders, who have every bit as much right to use the road as cyclists or car drivers do. A pleasant greeting and a wave does much to help us co-exist happily on the roads.
New Club record set for 10 mile TT
Congratulations to Mark Cook for setting the new club 10 mile TT record, with 20:21 !
This takes 2 seconds off Ian Butchers record, which had stood for many years.
Mark achieved this impressive result at the City RC (Hull) Good Friday event, on the V718 course.
More BRCC successes at MK Bowl
Beds Road CC Go-Ride members took advantage of the wonderful weather and were again competing strongly at MK Bowl on Saturday 24 March.
Well done to Ollie Course for coming 7th in his group, to Rosie for her second win in a row, and to Charlotte and Annabel for 2nd places in their age groups.
Many thanks to David Course for the photos.
GoRide successes at MK Bowl
Beds Road CC Go-Ride members were out competing at MK Bowl on Saturday 17 March.
SPOCO registration & bookings now open
The SPOCO registration and booking page is now open here.
Inter-Club 30 mile SPOCO date change
Hitchin Nomads have advised us that they have had to change the date of the InterClub 30 mile SPOCO, which is now Saturday 19 May at 2pm. Please download the latest calendar here, which contains this revision.
Short Sleeve Club Tops only £29.99!
A special offer to all members, available once to each member, each year. Order a standard issue BRCC short-sleeved clup top for only £29.99 !
That is really great value, and the quality is good too. Be seen to be part of the team, whether you represent your club in competitive events, take part in Club Rides, commute, or ride offroad.
Samples available to try at the clubhouse - ask for Graham, or text 07858 402683
SPOCO Series 2012
Sadly, the first Sporting Course time trial of the year was to have been held at the club house on Sunday 4 March at 9am, but has been cancelled due to roadworks on the course.
Not to worry, there are plenty more for you to enter!
If you are new to time trialling and want to give it a go, the SPOCO series is an ideal way to do so. The roads are fairly quiet early on Sunday mornings and the atmosphere is friendly.
You don't need a special bike and you don't need to be a top athlete to have fun!
We will open registration shortly on this page - you only need to register your details once, and then you can just log on and tick a
box each time you want to enter an event. Print off the calendar at the top of this page and stick it to your fridge to help remind you of all forthcoming events.
More details to follow ...
Awards Dinner 2012 Photos
We held our annual awards dinner at Box End Lake in Kempston on January 21, 2012. Here are a few photos and a brief report from what was a lovely night again!
Thanks to everyone who attended, especially our guest of honour , British Cycling Commissaire Trevor Hughes. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Many thanks to everyone who took part in the Reliability Ride on Sunday 19 February. We were delighted to welcome 125 riders to this popular annual event, which was held on an alternative route due to roadworks on the planned route.
A challenging route with a stiff breeze made sure we got a good pre-season awakening for legs and lungs!
Beds Road GoRide ranked 3rd in UK!
Beds Road Cycling Club's GoRide initiative is aimed at introducing young riders from 6 to 16 to the sport of competitive cycling.
We have just learned from British Cycling that the scheme run by Beds Road CC has been ranked 3rd out of 124 registered GoRide clubs!
The ranking is based on the number of competitive 'opportunities', as BC call it, the club provided to young cyclists during the year.
Congratulations must go to Mark Anstee, Paul Holmes and Brian Hill for their enthusiasm and commitment in providing regular, well attended GoRide training sessions on Saturday mornings at Robert Bloomfield Middle School in Shefford. Well done chaps!
And thanks to all the children who regularly attend in all weathers - their enthusiasm and progress helps enormously to provide the motivation for Mark, Paul and Brian to give up their time for the benefit of others.
If your children would be interested in taking part in this scheme, please see here and get in touch!
New Year's Day ride 2012
Many thanks to everyone who took part or came along to socialise in the ride, or vote in the EGM - we had 68 competing riders and around 20 non-riding guests, with rider ages ranging from 6 to 'very experienced'. This level of enthusiasm is a great sign for the New Year!
The results are available here. Particular thanks go to our sponsors for the event, ByerCycles of Clifton, who donated the prizes, to Terry Bush who organised the event and to Colin Buxton who logged people in and out.
The 4 event prize winners were the riders whose times were closest to their secret target, + and -, and the riders whose times were furthest from their secret target, + and -.
Rick Fisher was spot on his target time.
Jamie Fullen was next closest to his target time - negative 25 seconds.
Steve James was furthest from his target time - negative 1643 seconds.
Ray Crane was furthest from his target time - positive 1552 seconds.
The event was then followed by an EGM to elect the committee for 2012, which was swiftly completed, thank you everyone who has agreed to serve the club for the coming year.
Our next cycling events from the clubhouse are the reliability rides in February - we look forward to welcoming you all back then!
Hitchin Nomads Boxing Day TT
4 Beds Road CC riders entered the annual Hitchin Nomads Boxing Day 10 mile TT, held around the lanes of Old Warden.
The weather was a big improvement on the previous 2 years, which were plagued by ice. However, the course this year was still tricky, with plenty of loose gravel to temper the speeds around corners.
The event encourages entries from riders on veteran machines, and the results for this class were...
First - Tim Dawson - 1911 machine - Handicap time of 27:23!
Second - Clifford Tremayne - 1942 machine - Handicap time 32:00
Third - Mike & Tom ? - 1923 machine - Handicap time 34:21
Fourth - Martin Badham - 1936 machine - Handicap time 34:27
Well done to Tim Davies for coming first overall on a modern machine.
There were 38 entrants in total and the good folks of HNCC afterwards put on a super spread of food for all the participants and guests, in the Old Warden village hall.
Many thanks to HNCC for a fun event - full results are available here.
Final CycloCross event in Central League
Sunday 11 December saw the final event of the Central League CycloCross series, which was held at Hillingdon Cycle Centre.
Thanks to 'Cyclevidcrazy' for the video!
Beds Road had a very successful season, having put in riders from a wide range of age groups. Full results will be available soon, but we know of a few noteworthy contestants, as follows:-
Congratulations to Manishka, Annabelle and Toby.
The organisers gave out these final results after completion of all events in the series, at the race on Sunday 11 Dec.
Annabelle 1st U12-G
Manishka 3rd U12-G
Toby 3rd U14-B
Alison Cooper 4th-Womens
Rowly Wallbank - 6th - Vets
Chris Stuart-Leach - 6th - Seniors
Mark Anstee - 8th -Vets
Mark Cook - 9th - Vets
Steve James - 10th - Vets
Geoff Cooper - 13th- Vets
Cathy Johnson - 14th - Womens
Paul Holmes - 16th - Seniors
Adrian Wain -21st - Seniors
David Olney - 32nd - Vets
Matt Bowmer - 45th - Vets
David Course - 55th - Vets
Richard Piron - 62nd - Vets
Not bad, for these are positions in the whole of the Central Region, and it was most of our riders' 1st season of CX! Well done!
BRCC at Reading Cyclo-Cross 27 Nov.
Geoff Cooper skillfully flies over the hurdles...
This Sunday, Beds Road CC cyclo-cross team ventured to Sonning Common, near Reading for round 9 of the Central region Cyclo-Cross league.
The weather was bright, but the wind was brisk, making parts of the course a real struggle into wind, on stodgy ground.
David Olney holding off stiff competition.
Chris Start-Leach closing in through the wooded section...
Alison Cooper clearly enjoying herself!
Steve James back in action after his fall last week...
We entered members into the U14, novice, senior and Vets groups, and hope to have results to share with you soon.
Many thanks to Sam James for the photos!
Beds Road CC Cyclo-Cross event a big hit!
Bedfordshire Road CC hosted their first cyclocross race on Sunday 20 November for Round 8 of the Central Cyclocross League, at Box End Park, Kempston.
The gloomy start soon brightened up...
The early fog for the youth events gave way to misty sunshine for the seniors, with the race held around the water ski lake.
The damp course was a tough test, with some sharp climbs, and where the course was flat the going was far from smooth - both sapping the energy out of the riders' legs.
24 year old Nick Jones from Milton Keynes, mastered the course and finished ahead of his Team Corley Cycles team-mate Greg Simcock, while Paul Robertson (Sportstest) was third. That victory was the third in a row for Jones, and his fourth overall in the seven league races so far, and is a reversal of the result from Round Four when Simcock pipped Jones to the win.
In the race for first lady Delia Beddis (Vicious Velo) took the win in a photo finish from Katie Symcock (Team Hope Factory Racing). Beddis' Vicious Velo team mate Kevin Knox was a couple of minutes clear of local rider Gavin Rumbles (CC Luton) to take the first veteran prize.
Earlier in the day, Zinzan Heap from Team MK took the sprint for the line, narrowly outfoxing Welwyn Wheelers' Luke Morgan to take the U16/14/Novices race.
Beds Road CC had 29 riders taking part across all age groups, with many making their 'cross debuts. Notable performances were from Darcy Crowther in the U16s race finishing in 9th and 6 year old Harry Layton who finished 6th in the U10s race, beating many riders a few years older than him.
Chris Stuart-Leach was first home for the seniors in 23rd.
Many thanks to Mark Anstee for organising the event, to British Cycling for their valued support and to ALL the Beds Road helpers who turned out in force to help ensure the success of this fantastic event!
Thanks to Mark Gray for the photos above.
More photos from Terry Sykes available here and
here
11th November 10 Essential checks before you ride
18th November Tyre and tube repalcement and puncture repair
25th November Bearing lubrication and adjustment
2nd December Cable care, replacement and adjustment
9th December Gear set up
All sessions will start at 7.30 and will last between half an hour and an hour at the Club House in Cardington.
Every session will be a 'Bring your Bike' so that an assessment of its condition and serviceability can be carried out. Please confirm with me if you want to attend by text to 07771 804468 and whether you will be bringing your bike along. If there are any specific maintenance requirements, let me know so that I can bring along the appropriate tools.
Spring almost arrived, for our 2nd SPOCO event, on Sunday 13 March. The sun was out from time to time and temperatures were into double figures. Riders from 5 local clubs were competing ...
Despite the cold wind and treacherous potholes, a good turnout of hardy riders, not afraid of a challenge, signed on to get the Club's 2011 TT season off to a flying start...
