19/11 Dinner and Prize Presentation
The annual Witham Wheelers dinner and prize presentation was held at the Angel & Royal on Saturday evening with a full house of members and guests enjoying the occasion. After the meal Tony Mendham welcomed the guests on behalf of the members and reply was made by Rod Ellingworth, currently a key member of the Sky professional coaching team and club life member.
There was then a Question and Answer session with Guest of Honour local rider Katie Colclough winner of several European track championships and this year has ridden for the HTC Columbia professional team all over the world.
 Prizes and trophies were then presented by Katie with Tony Mendham winning the Club Person of the year, as voted by members on the night. Peter Cocker who took most awards was unable to attend in person as he was competing in the Revolution Track meeting in Manchester. He received his trophies at the following weeks Turbo training session.
An interesting side note was that the Ken Baker who donated the 50 Mile Champion Cup back in 1961 was back in Grantham for the first time since then and saw the trophy presented again.
Further presentations of a Lifetime Membership certificate was made to Jeff Ellingworth to honour his contribution to the club over the years. Peter Storey then presented a certificate of thanks to the club from Kidney Research UK for the money raised over the last 3 years, since it became its nominated charity. Photo Album» Full List of Award Winners»
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LRRA 2011 Results
The links below show the the awards from the LRRA Time Trials held during 2011.
As you can see we had some success during the year. With more members engaging in club Time Trials this year, it would be great to see participation in the LRRA events increasing next year. I'm sure we could take a bigger share of the pots.
LRRA Trophies 2011»
Long Distance B.A.R.»
over 25, 50 & 100 miles & 12 Hours
Club by Club awards»
Schedule: Open Time Trials being held in 2012» |
19/11 Revolution Manchester
With Mark Cavendish attracting a sellout crowd of 4000 to the Manchester Velodrome, Peter Cocker was invited again to compete in the second round of the DHL future Stars competition.
However his luck was out, as halfway through the first 5km scratch race Peter crashed heavily trying to avoid falling riders in front of him and with a badly bruised shoulder was unable to compete again in the evening. Hopefully there will be further invitations to the final 2 Revolution events in January. |
29/10 Revolution, Manchester
Peter Cocker took part in the DHL Future Stars competition at Manchester track on Saturday evening. There was a mix of races with 24 professional riders, 24 sixteen and under boys and 24 sixteen and under girls each in their own competitions throughout the evening.
Peter was part of the SKY team for the evening and took part in a 5km scratch race, 6 lap dash and 5km points race. With most of the top boys in the country including several national champions in the field, the pace in all the events was fast throughout. Although he didn't figure in the top positions, Peter was competitive in all the races just missing out on the top speed required in the final sprint for the line.
A great experience competing in front of an almost full house at Manchester Velodrome, with hopefully further invites to the other 3 events in this winters series. Photos»
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Results are out for the Viking challenge and with some 1,130 riders completing the 50k route it's difficult spotting all the club riders who took part.
Some good times, with Rich doing well to get in something like the top 30 finishers and Ian and Dave in the top 50. Paul Conneely is known to have been well to the front, possibly a top 10 finisher but is missing from the results. Photos»
Rich Ellingworth 2hrs 15
Ian Makevit 2hrs 22
Dave Moulds 2hrs 23
Rob Johnson 2hrs 25
Patrick Cutmore 2hrs 31
John Farmer 2hrs 34
John Clifton 2hrs 37 |
2011 Club 10 Mile handicap league
Its been a record breaking season in more ways than one, with more riders taking part than ever before, times generally getting quicker and the first sub 21 minute time, albeit in a 2-up. A total of 103 riders rode at least one event this year, with many new riders coming back regularly througout the season.
You can download two lists: the final calculation of the points for the handicap league, taking into account who is a paid up first claim member and also a list of the fastest rides during the season by each rider.
If anyone wants any more stat's let me know and they can be generated in due course. |
23-25/9 Inter-Regional track Championships Newport
 Peter Cocker rode as part of the 7 rider East Midlands team at the Newport Velodrome against the 11 other British Cycling regions competing over the full UCI Omnium set of disciplines over 3 days.
On day 1 Peter competed in the Scratch and Points races, Day 2 Individual Pursuit and 500 m TT and day 3 Team Pursuit and Team Sprint.
His best result came in probably the points race where he finished 13th and overall the team finished in 9th place.
A great competition to take part in with the top Juvenile riders in the country taking part. For areas only able to get a limited amount of time competing on indoor tracks, it's always going to be difficult to compete against areas that have regular access to the tracks.
Picture shows Graham Waters (Manager) James Shaw, Hannah Blount, Harry Crew, Anna Gill, Jeff Snodin (coach), Peter Cocker, Saskia Hook, Matt Waters, Steve Palmer (coach 2)
Report and full results at www.britishcycling.org.uk/track
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26/9 World Road Race Championships - A few club connections
Fantastic win by Mark Cavendish to round off the World Road Race championships. Some of the newer club members will probably not be aware that the architect of this victory was Rod Ellingworth, son of Jeff, who started his cycling with the club and is a life member. He is Mark's coach as well as being a senior coach with Team Sky. In 2008 Rod brought Mark to the club dinner. photos»
Read more» about Rod and Mark at Cycling News.
 Also, Lucy Garner who won the Junior womens title took third in the sprint of the open race we promoted at Barkston Heath back in May.
Finally Katie Colclough (right) who rode the Senior Womens race is from nearby Frieston and will be guest of honour at the club dinner this year.
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25/9 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross
The mass start in Helwith Bridge saw some 600 riders set off in wet and misty conditions with the going very muddy. Visibility on the first two hills, Ingleborough and Whernside was very poor but had improved by the time they reached Ribblehead viaduct and the sun came out for the final climb over Pen y Ghent.
Sean East punctured at the bottom of Pen y Ghent losing some 30 places but still did well to finish 377th overall and 2nd placed Lincolnshire rider in a time of 4hr 52.49. Chris Crawford finished in 5 hr 43.06 a bit battered and bruised but both riders are talking about going back for another go next year.
A great achievement, see some photos here».
Report and full list of finishers at www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross |
10/9 GHS National 10 Mile Juvenile Championships
Five Club riders took part in the National final on the Sixhills course after qualifying in the Lincolnshire heat. There were some 150 riders on the start list representing all the Time Trial districts in the UK, with most of the top youth riders in the country taking part.
On a windy afternoon they all produced some excellent times. 3 of the riders were competing at this level for the first time with Adam Egner recording 30.09 11th in the 12 year old category, James Carter 28.22 for 16th in the 13 year old category, Harry Browning 25.36 25th in the 16 year old age group
Karl Baillie was taking part in his second final and really rose to the occaison by reducing his personal best by over a minute to 23.03 for 5th in the 14 year old age group and 23rd overall.
In his third final Peter Cocker also recorded a personal best by 20 seconds for a time of 22.24 to place him an excellent 8th overall. Overall winner was Germain Burton in 21.15 and the Isle Of Man was the fastest team.
Below:Harry Browning, Karl Baillee and Peter Cocker on the start line.
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3/9 Scunthorpe Open Omnium meeting
Karl Baillie took part in the U14 omnium race held over a 1 lap time trial, 3 lap pursuit, 6 lap scratch race and 6 lap points race. Karl rode consistently throughout placing in the top 3 in each event and finished an excellent 3rd overall, and first East Midlands rider. Overall winner was Joe Walker, son of ex Milk Race winner Chris Walker. Peter Cocker contested the U16 omnium held over 1 lap time trial, 4 lap pursuit, 8 lap scratch race and 8 lap points race. Peter started slowly in the 1 lap time trial but a good pursuit improved his position, but a bold move with 2 laps to go in the scratch event failed as he was caught on the last corner before a good ride in the points pulled him back up to 7th overall and 2nd East Midlands rider. Winner was National Youth scratch champion Oliver Wood Aire Valley RT |
28/8 LVRC North Bucks
Two Witham Wheelers distinguished themselves in their respective races. Paul Conneely in the B category was fourth in the bunch sprint in a high quality National standard field and finished ninth overall in the race. Phil Etches fared a little better in the E category with a second place overall winning the bunch sprint but not being able to bring back lone rider Don Parry who escaped the bunch with two laps to go.
28/8 Lichfield Town Centre Criteriums
After some success at Darley Moor the previous day there was not much luck for the club juveniles in the City centre races at Lichfield. In the under 14s Karl Baillie was riding well in third position until a heavy rain shower made the circuit very slippery and Karl crashed but remounted to finish 4th just out of the prizes. In the under 16s after riding strongly at the front throughout the race Peter Cocker was leading the front group of 7 riders on the final lap when he crashed heavily with just 2 corners to go and was forced to retire. Harry Browning rode a steady race and finished well in in the second chasing group. Kerrigan Robb also finished 4th in the under 10s. |
Event: Sunday 16 October - for those runners that like to cycle as well as run, the Caythorpe Chase, 28 or 12 mile mainly off road cycle challenge will start from the Caythorpe Playing Field.
Full details» Entry Form»
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Event: Sunday, 2 October - the 2011 Viking Challenge, raising money for The Ear Foundation.
www.vikingchallenge.org.uk
Click to enter online» |
21/8 LVRC Great Limber
Witham Wheelers very own Super Vet is back to winning ways with a well deserved victory in the LVRC Tour Of The Wolds road race at Great Limber on Sunday. On a hilly circuit in hot conditions Phil was constantly on the attack or being counter attacked by Alister Cameron of Leeds Mercury or Ken Corbett of Wakefield CC. With three laps of eight miles completed the peloton was still together but cracks were beginning to show with riders looking for an easy tow round the circuit.
On the fourth lap Phil put in a massive effort to get away, with Brian Sunter quickly joining him followed closely by two more riders to make a four man break. This break was the winning move which stayed away for three more laps and finished three minutes in front of the peloton. A very tired four man break contested the sprint finish with Phil just having the edge over Ken Corbett with Brian Sunter 3rd and John Elliott 4th. Another good day at the office. Top of page» |
14/8 LVRC - Flintham
Phil Atherton and Rob Johnson entered the CD race on the flat Flintham course and the 50 strong peloton included, amongst many good names, the ex-pro Phil Thomas an ex Tour of Britain winner. Conditions were good and the pace was unrelenting, over 24mph averaged over the 51 mile route. With this pace attacks were never likely to get away but with 3 laps of the 8 to go, 4 riders, including Phil Thomas, managed to open up a gap that was never more than 30 seconds. The peloton threatened to chase but never quite got enough riders pulling at the front. Rob and Phil sat in the bunch and it was only on the last lap when they got involved, both moving up for the final sprint. With the peloton just failing to catch the breakaway, Rob and Phil couldn’t get clear runs on the narrow finale but Rob managed an excellent 14th place, side-by-side with Phil who was 15th.
In the EF race, Phil Etches faced the in-form Alan Kemp and Don Parry, 1st and 2nd respectively in the national championships. Phil knew a breakaway was likely to succeed eventually and provoked a number of attacks throughout the race, but this was to his detriment as he failed to go with the winning break with half a lap to go as he looked for help from others that never came. Kemp and Parry were predictably in the break and finished 1 and 2, with Phil winning the bunch sprint for 4th. Top of page» |
12/8 Scunthorpe Track League
In breezy conditions with rain threatening there was still a full programme of racing in the latest round of the Track League. Peter Cocker continued to score points competing in the senior A events. Attacking on the first lap of the 10 lap points race with fellow youth rider Callum Rogers, he took enough points for the win before Tony Nash crossed the gap to take the last 2 sprints. Peter was then 2nd in the final 10 mile event as Tony Nash had too much power in the final sprint after a quick race time of 21.30, considering the conditions. |
10/8 Lincs Handicap League - Alford
The final 30 mile race of the league took part at Alford with 3 club riders taking part Rob Johnson (gp 2) Simon Cocker (gp3) and Peter Cocker (gp4). On a windy night with rain in the air it was important that the groups got organised, which group 3 did the best, catching the remnants of gps 1 and 2 with around 10 miles to go. Some 20 riders contested the tough uphill finish into the wind and now heavy rain, with Simon holding on for 5th in his best ride of the season. Groups 4 and 5 were still around a minute behind at the end with Peter leading the sprint out and taking 3rd in that group. Rob retired on the last lap not enjoying the descent in the heavy rain. Photo Album»
In the league overall the 2011 champion was Ben Green from Lincoln with Steve Wakefield of Grimsby the over 50 champion, best club rider was Peter Cocker in 7th place.
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8/8 Mansfield Track League
Some competitive racing at the weekly Monday night meeting at the Forest Town track saw Peter Cocker placing well in the Devil and scratch events, before a series of attacks in the final event of the evening, the 10 mile scratch event, saw him ride the last 10 laps on his own to win by a comfortable margin. |
5/8 Scunthorpe Track league
Karl Baillie joined Peter and Simon Cocker for the latest round of the Scunthorpe Track league and showed some real promise with top 3 placings in all the Juvenile events, 200m TT, 4 lap scratch, 200m sprint and block handicap.
Riding against the top Senior A riders Peter's best result was 3rd in the Devil behind Tony Nash and Matt Fenton but was out of the placings in the 10 lap scratch and in the block handicap the A riders never got organised enough to catch the B riders. In the 32 lap 10 mile scratch event an early attack with Callum Rogers saw them almost gain a lap after around 10 laps before the bunch reacted and brought them back and Peter was just lacking the power of the older riders in the final sprint for the line won by Dave Brearley
In the senior Bs Simon proved that some training is required. Top of page» |
30/7 Heckington Show
The annual Go-Ride Grass Track challenge took place at the Heckington show and was contested between clubs from Witham Whs, Sleaford Whs, Spalding CC and Lincsquad (Scunthorpe). With teams of 6 riders 16 years old and under to include at  least one girl and 3 riders 12 or under contested over Pursuits, Sprints, Team Sprint and scratch races, with points for every place. Racing was very competitive throughout.
Witham was represented by Rob McAndrew, Kerrigan Robb, Karl Baillie, Matt Waters, Peter Cocker and Eleanor Crawford. With some very close racing the overall result hinged on the 3 lap team sprint with each rider taking the front for half a lap before dropping out and Spalding with 1.45.40 just pipped Witham by 1.46.47 by 1 second.
Final points score was Spalding 112, Witham 96, Lincsquad 91 and Sleaford 64
Photo shows Witham Whs as named above from L to R.
Photo album» Download the full results here». |
7/8 LVRC Percy Stallard Series, Alford
Phil Etches travelled to Alford for the latest round of the LVRC Percy Stallard Series. With top fields assembled in each of the age categories, Phil Atherton decided to join him in the 25 strong EF race. A 20 mph wind played havoc with the peloton’s thinking and, at times, the pace slowed to pedestrian with riders only willing to make any effort in chasing down the repeated short-lived attacks. Phil Etches had been prominent all day with Ken Corbett of Wakefield CC but he was a marked man and rarely got more than 20 yards down the road before the sleeping peloton responded. Phil Atherton got himself involved from time to time and was allowed to drift off the front on one occasion, his only regret being that Alan was not there with his camera!
With a lap to go Ken Corbett kicked with what looked like another forlorn attack into the headwind but it was the winning break as the peloton refused to respond as everyone looked to save their legs. Other riders jumped off the front one by one and Phil Etches got into a two man group and got 2nd place over the line. Phil Atherton delayed his attack longer than he should have done but still managed to get away from the peloton in the last two miles and soloed over the line for 7th place. |
27/7 Lincs league Road race - Ashby de La launde
A good field of 74 riders for the latest round of the Lincs Road race league in warm dry conditions.
Good turnout of Wheelers:
Group 1 John Farmer, Dave Moulds and John Clifton
Group 2 Rob Johnson
Group 3 Simon Cocker and Ross Tomblin
Group 4 Peter Cocker and Paul Conneely
With a big bunch of riders and 4 minutes handicap the rest of the field never saw group 1 until after the finish with Schoolby Harry Bellars from Spalding sprinting clear for his first win. The two Johns and Dave found the pace a bit too quick in only their second road race but will have gained some good experience.
Group 3 caught group 2 for 2 mintes with half a lap to go but groups 4 and 5 never quite made up the 3 minutes and 1 minute handicaps respectively and were still some 30 seconds adrift at the end. All the other club riders finished safely in their groups. Top of page» |
24/7 National Juvenile Circuit Championships - Bradford
Three club riders travelled to Bradford for the National Circuit race champs in Lister park Bradford. An excellent circuit on wide, well surfaced roads, it has a significant hill on each lap of just over a mile that guaranteed some hard racing from the best Youth riders in the country, in warm dry conditions.
The Youth A race for 16 years old and under saw 88 riders take to the start line for 22 laps. A fast pace from the start saw riders being dropped from the first lap with Peter Cocker prominent at the front of the bunch. However he missed the key break when 5 of the top riders jumped clear after around 10 laps and quickly established a 20 second lead. With the bunch struggling to co-ordinate itself the lead steadily grew to a minute and the bunch reduced to around 20 chasers. Peter was riding well in the chasing bunch until with 2 laps to go he unshipped his chain at the bottom of the climb and missed out on the sprint for 5th place eventually finishing a frustrated 22nd. Chris Lawless from Maxgear Racing was an excellent winner proving too strong for the other breakaways.
In the Youth B (14 and under) race over 14 laps Karl Baillie also had a frustrating race with another big field of almost 80 riders. Karl looked strong on the climb, always being up with the front runners as the bunch steadily reduced in size without any breakaways managing to establish a significant lead. Misjudging the finish Karl went a lap too early and was overhauled on the last lap to finish 25th overall out of 35 finishers. James Ireson of Wolverhampton Wheelers winning the final bunch sprint.
In the Youth D (10 and under) held over 4 laps Kerrigan Robb finished an excellent 18th overall with the hill splitting the bunch up completely and riders finishing either on their own or in groups of two or three.
Good rides by all our riders and great to see them competing at a national level and not being overawed by the quality and size of the fields.
Full results and photos can be seen at: www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20110724
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22/7 Scunthorpe Track League
With the upcoming National Championships on Sunday, Peter Cocker got some good speed work at the latest Track League meeting, despite rain showers in the area there was almost a complete meeting. Best results came in the 3 lap sprint, as the senior riders watched each other, Peter crossed a gap to Callum Rogers and came round him for the win, with the seniors closing fast.
In the 10 mile scratch Peter got into a break of 3 for the first half of the race, which had a maximum lead of just over half a lap, before being caught by the bunch, then with half a lap to go Peter went for the line and was just overhauled by top senior riders Matt Fenton and Tony Nash to finish third. |
Sunday 24th July Outlaw Triathlon
If you fancy watching a bit of masochism this weekend then Home Pierrepoint is the place to go as club member Martin Harlock tackles his first Ironman distance Triathlon (2.4m mile swim, 112mile bike and rounded of with a marathon), should be a doddle after riding on Gorse lane every week.
Martin is raising money for Gifts/St Barnabas hospice and you can donate at www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Harlock
Paul Letchworth is also taking part in what will be his first Ironman as well, so please give them a cheer if you are in the area.
More details can be seen at www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/the-outlaw-triathlon.php
The bike course goes out to a circuit around Southwell |
16/7 Curborough Youth Races
Two youth riders took part in the final round of the West Midlands Lichfield road race series. Kerrigan Robb in the under 10’s rode in the main group chasing a lone breakaway rider, constantly attacking off the front attempting to close the rider down. But he was unable to bridge the gap and despite riding strongly all race, he was to miss out in the final sprint to finish 5th.
In the under 14’s race Karl Baillie had to endure a heavy downpour which led to a slippery track which caught him out early in the race as he came off while negotiating the hairpin. After rejoining the race he stayed in the leading group of four riders. With 2 laps to go he was caught out by a rider in front coming off taking him down as well, he quickly remounted riding strongly to finish 3rd (plus a few grazes). Top of page» |
14/7 Lincs league - Alford
Latest round of the Handicap Road Race league at Withern promoted by Alford Wheelers with 4 club riders, Rob Johnson and Tony Mendham in Grp 2, Peter Barnes on grp 3 and Peter Cocker in the combined gp 4/5.
Grp 2 rode well together at times but they were caught by Grp 3 on the 3rd lap shortly before catching Grp 1. This combined bunch then rode quickly enough to just hold off the scratch group who despite having them in sight on the last lap were only just catching the back of the bunch as the leaders sprinted for the line.
Tony took 11th and Rob 15th in the bunch sprint with Peter Cocker sprinting well for 2nd in the scratch group, but missing out on the main places. Peter Barnes did not finish. |
8th - 10/7 Inter Regional Road Race Championships - Perth Scotland
After riding well in early season Road Races, Peter Cocker qualified for the East Midlands team of 4 boys and 4 girls that took on the other 11 British Cycling regions in the UK. Competed over a hilly time trial and 2 road stages the East Midlands eventually placed 4th overall when with a little more luck they could have had a third place finish. The boys team placed 4th in the TT on a tough hilly course, the second stage was stopped due to heavy rain with Peter crashing twice including a minor argument with a barbed wire fence. The third stage was a tough 70 km with Peter attempting several breaks and taking 15th in the bunch sprint. More details are given on the attached report courtesy of Chris Blount from the Derby Mercury and an interesting video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snGS80vuCNA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Hopefully from the great group of young riders we have in the club, we will have more riders qualifying for events such as this in the future. |
Event: Thursday 14/7 Handicap Road Race, Rockingham near Corby. Entry will be courtesy of our Club sponsor Richard Ellingworth. Unfortunately Juveniles are not eligible.
"There's a handicap race being organised on the Rockingham Motor Speedway circuit in Corby. Its a 2.5 mile circuit and open for any 2/3/4/w/J/V This would be good for local sponsorship as Echo has its main site in Corby. It takes aprox 45 mins to get to the racing circuit. Would be good to get a few Wobblies there. It starts at 7.15 and £8 on the line. I'll pay the entry fee for anybody that rides!!
Let me know if you're up for it."
Richard. email» Top of page» |
2/7 Bishop’s Castle Tandem Triathlon Report
 The annual Bishops Castle Tandem Triathlon took place on Saturday 2nd July. Eleanor Crawford competed in the junior event with her friend Louie, which involved Eleanor Swimming 200m, Louie running two laps of the sports field, then them both cycling two laps of a grass course, They both enjoyed this non-competitive event with Eleanor's swim time improving on last year.
 The Junior event follows the main adult event which involves teams of two - one swimming 1000m, both cycling 40k on tandem and a 10k run (up a mountain). Eleanor in previous years supported her parents in the full event providing a extra set of legs on the tandem ride via a tag along in which they won first prize (fancy dress).
Then on the Sunday, Eleanor competed with her Father, in the very competitive Tandemania, a series of tandem based ‘it’s a Knockout’ events, the Tandem limbo was their best event. |
5/7 Lincs GHS 10m TT Round at Alford
Great success for the Witham Wheelers youth riders in the Lincolnshire heat of the GHS national championship for riders 16 years old and younger, taking almost a clean sweep of the boys places. Fastest rider on the night was Peter Cocker 22.44 taking 37 seconds off his previous personal best to beat Callum Rogers of Scunthorpe 22.51 and Peter Rothery of Alford  23.02 all very quick times for schoolboys on a bumpy course which was luckily offset by good weather conditions on the night. Other age group winners on the night were Adam Egner, James Carter and Karl Baillie with Karl, Peter and Harry Browning also winning the team award.
The age group winners and winning team go on to take part in the national final in September, this year on a relatively local course at Sixhills.
Club Results:
Adam Egner 30.03 first 12 year old
Reece Egner 27.48
Carl Jennings 27.44
James Carter 27.44 first 13 year old
Ashley Money 27.00
Harry Browning 25.01
Karl Baillie 24.29 first 14 year old
Peter Cocker 22.44 first 16 old and overall winner. Photo: Reece, Carl, Adam, James, Karl, Ashley, Peter, Harry
Photo Album» Top of page» |
Fri 1/7 Sherwood Pines MTB race
Two youth riders, Kerrigan Robb and Karl Baillie plus veteran John Hill took part in the British Cycling Mountain Bike race held at Sherwood Pines in Notts.
Kerrigan (aged 9) entered the under 12’s race and performed well keeping with the leaders despite suffering gear problems, finishing 5th.
Karl (aged 14) competed in the 14-16 year old youth race which was combined with the adults giving a field of 80 riders. Karl and two other youth riders made an early break and held onto this lead during the race. On the last lap Karl managed to pull away from the other two riders to take victory.
In the adult race veteran John Hill rode strongly on what must have been the oldest bike in the field shod with road tyres! With the finish in site a puncture from a 6” screw in his rear tyre ended Johns race. |
26/6 LVRC Barton on Humber
Second LVRC victory in E category for Phil the supervet Etches. On a very warm Saturday afternoon at Barton upon Humber 118 LVRC riders contested the testing Deepdale circuit for 9 gruelling laps with 2 climbs on each circuit. In the 60 years plus group Phil was very active at the front either attacking or going with the moves to form a breakaway. In the end one rider Rob Stones from Hull clipped off the front on the last lap to win the F category, but the peloton were then poised for the sprint out which Phil won with ease by jumping 400m from the line to win the E category event. In the C and D category event Chris Samler worked extremely hard to bring back the break that formed on the first lap. Despite their efforts the chasers could not reel in the break and it was down to a sprint finish with Chris over the line for 10th position.
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25/6 National Youth Series - Curborough
Five of the clubs Youth riders took part in the latest round of the National Youth Circuit race series near Lichfield. For four of the riders this was a tough introduction to riding at this level on a tight circuit with big fields of riders.
U10s Kerrigan Robb found the speed of the front runners too fast but kept going well and wil only learn from the exerience.
U12s James Browning in only his third ever race produced the star ride of the day, staying up with the front group throughout the race and finished an excellent 9th.
U14s Carl Baillie was also well in contention throughout in the front bunch but lost out for finishing speed in the final sprint for the line.
U16s The most competitive age group with 67 riders taking to the start line. In the hour long race Peter Cocker rode well at the front of the bunch throughout and attacked with 2½ laps to go but after a lap on the front was reeled in by the fast moving bunch and finished just outside the top 20 in the frenetic finish. Harry Browning after initially finding the bunch pace a bit too quick, settled into a chasing group and rode strongly to the finish. Top of page» |
Event: Ikea Criterium Races - 10th July
New event on the BC calendar with Go-Ride youth races and a 2/3/4, see BC Road Calendar site for more details or download pdf document
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18/6 National Youth Series - Hetton Newcastle
Peter Cocker made the long trip North for the latest round of the National Youth circuit series at Hetton-le-hole. 33 laps of a 1.8km circuit with 2 hills each lap was made even tougher by heavy rain throughout the event. Peter kept with the front group until 5 laps to go when the fast race pace and frequent attacks finally told and he fell back to finish just outside the top 20.
17/6 Beeston CC MTB Cotgrave Country Park
In the latest round of the summer mountain bike series in a big field of 37 in the under 12s Kerrigan Robb took an excellent 3rd place, and was also first in the U10s.
17/6 Scunthorpe Track league
With heavy rain circling Scunthorpe on Friday evening by some miracle the track stayed dry enough to allow a full programme of events, but with fewer riders turning out the seniors all rode together. Events included a 4 lap individual pursuit, Devil, Block Handicap and the traditional 10 mile scratch event to finish the evening. Simon Cocker found the extra speed of the senior A riders a bit too much and didn't score any point this week. Peter Cockers best result came in the 10 mile when getting into the right move on the penultimate lap he was able to take a good lead going into the last lap and just failed to hold on by half a wheel from a very fast finishing Matt Fenton, but held of Tony Nash to take an excellent 2nd place.
15/6 Lincs Road race League - Brocklesby
Four club riders made the long trip to Brocklesby near Grimsby for the latest round of the Lincolnshire handicap league. On a tough course all the groups had come together by the last lap and in big bunch sprint finish Peter Cocker took a good 4th place, with Tony Mendham and Rob Johnson further back. Peter Barnes retired with a lap to go.
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Event: Saturday 18 June in Nottingham. Carnival of Cycling is a celebration of cycling in the East Midlands and everyone is invited. We've got a massive bike jumble sale, bike stunts from the UK's leading display team, a bike racing competition (courtesy of Rollapaluza), pedal powered fun, lots of info stalls, films and much more. Visit our website for more details: carnivalofcycling.wordpress.com or our facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=187707997946928 |
10 July Sleaford Wheelers 25
The 5th edition of the Nev Crane Memorial '25' will be held as usual on Course C25/35. A much improved road surface too. The quickest time ever seen on Lincs DC roads was done last year in this event. 51-17 an astonishing time indeed. But then Matt Bottrill is an amazing rider.
Sleaford Wheelers are once again hoping for an entry of near 100 riders for an event that arguably offers the biggest and best prize list in the County, with an exceptional amount again being made available to the Ladies.
SLEAFORD WHEELERS CC present THE NEV CRANE MEMORIAL
25 Mile Time Trial
Sponsored by:
Chandlers/Mitsubishi,
Solo Club Sleaford,
Pedal Pushers of Grantham
Course C25/35
Donington. Under the Rules and Regulations of Cycling Time Trials
HQ. British Legion Hall, Donington.
0ver £800 in Prizes:
£100 Fastest rider then £50, £40, £30 with awards going down to 10th place.
£50 Fastest Lady then £40, £30, £20, £10.
£20 Fastest Vet on Standard Going down to 5th place.
£10 Fastest Vet, Junior, Juvenile.
£10 each Fastest Team of 3 riders.
£10 each to Fastest rider slower than 1-00-59, 1-01-59 going down to an including 1-11-59.
£50 to winner if Course and Event Record (currently 51-17 held by Matt Bottrill) is beaten.
£20 additional if winner is inside 51 minutes and
£50 to Fastest Lady if Ladies course record (currently 59-30 held by Fliss Hart) is beaten.
If 20 or more ladies appear on the Start Sheet then £100 will be added to their prize pot.
THE NEV CRANE MEMORIAL TROPHY
will be awarded annually to the Fastest rider from the Sleaford Wheelers.
Entries close 6pm 28th June.
Entry forms along with Entry Fee £7.50 (Cheques payable to D. Laidlow)
should be sent to:
Doug Laidlow, 17 Fen Road, Little Hale, Sleaford, Lincs, NG34 9BD.
Tele: (01529) 461018. Email: douglaidlow@btopenworld.com |
TLI National Championships 2011
Fancy a weekend away in beautiful Northumberland and Durham?
Saturday 10th September
National Criterium Championship - Hetton Lyons Park, Hetton Le Hole, DH5 0RH
Sunday 11th September
National Road race championship - Stamfordham Village, Northumberland
See Website "Events Calendar" for details.
Please note these two events are TLI Members Only. If you are not a member and wish to participate please ensure that you become a Full member and receive your membership card in good time to enter the event.
Saturday 17th September
National Spoco Open 10 mile TT Championship - Lower Withington, Nr Jodrell Bank, Cheshire
Sunday 27th November
National Open Cyclo Cross Championship - Gateshead International Stadium
Please note that for both the Time Trial and Cyclo Cross events, Day members are welcome.
As our Full Membership year now runs until the end of February 2012, cyclo cross riders may find it worthwhile to take out full membership to cover the cross season. |
11/6 5th Round Youth Circuit Races
Another trip over to Darley Moor for the 5th round of the Saturday circuit race Youth series or races, and uniquely for Darley the weather was almost warm.
All the races seemed to stay together ending up in a sprint, with all the club riders in the mix but just missing out on the top positions. In the Under 10s Kerrigan Robb was 4th, in the unders 12s James Browning was 4th and the under 14s Karl Baillie was also 4th. Peter Cocker spoilt the sequence in the under 16s taking 3rd with Harry Browning a few places further back in the group. |
21/6 Jack O'Connor 25 mile Time Trial
This is reported to be the 50th running of the annual interclub 25 mile Time trial between Witham Whs, Sleaford Whs and VC Lincoln and as its nearly 50 years since we last won the race then it would be great to see as many club riders as possible taking part. With the improved overall standard of Time Trialling within the club, and Jim leading the way, then this has to be the best chance for several years.
Its also a good chance for all you newcomers to try something different to the usual club events without the pressure of a full open race.
The event HQ will be at Saxilby on the A57 West of Lincoln
You need to pre-enter by 14th June, sending a CTT entry form (download pdf), with £4 to John Cotton, 15 Vindex Close, Lincoln, LN1 1AH |
5/6 LVRC Norwell
 In the EFG race super vet Phil Etches won his first LVRC race of the season on the breezy Norwell course on Sunday. The race was run at a fast and then slow pace as fast attacks were quickly snuffed out by the chasing peloton who then brought the speed down. After three laps a decisive break was initiated by Mick Allen with Phil quickly jumping across but 5 other riders managed join to make a 7 man break. The break worked well to keep away from the peloton and with only half a lap to go, repeated attacks were fired off by  Chris Gunter and Mick Allen with Phil just able to hold on and this became the winning 3 man break. With the 200m to go flag in sight, Phil showed his sprinting ability by jumping early with 400m to go and was never in danger of being caught by the finish line. Tony Mendham had sat in with the peloton and finished comfortably in the main bunch.
In the CD race a six man break got away on the first lap and by the end of lap two their lead had gone out to two minutes and, although this never increased further, they had done what they had to and fought it out amongst themselves for the main positions. Chris Samler and Mark Colclough just failed to get into the break, despite chasing hard for half a lap and the peloton, containing Phil Atherton and Rob Johnson, eventually closed them down. Attacks from the thinning peloton came every lap but none were allowed to get far down the road and at the end of the 5.5 lap race covering 52 miles there was a bunch sprint for the minor placing’s with Chris, Mark, Phil and Rob all in the bunch and managing to secure top 20 positions. Photos»
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4/6 Curborough Youth Races
Some good racing by club riders at the Youth races on the Curborough sprint circuit near Lichfield, with big fields in all the events.
Best placing on the day was by Karl Baillie 2nd in the Under 14s. Best ride by James Browning in his first ever race placing 7th in the Under 12s after riding confidently at the front of the group and just loosing out for speed on the finishing lap.
In the Under 10s Kerrigan Robb placed 7th. In the under 16s Peter Cocker placed 5th after being baulked by some lapped riders going into the final corner as the sprint started and Harry Browning 9th following some early attacks which were quickly closed down by the main bunch. |
3/6 Scunthorpe Track League
Another fine warm evening at Scunthorpe, with Simon Cocker taking part in the senior B results taking a 3rd place in the 8 lap scratch, 2 laps in the 10 lap course de primes and even qualifying for the final of the 3 lap sprint. Was the standard lower or is he improving, only time will tell. Peter Cocker stepped up to compete in the Senior A events and although out of the places was competitive in all the races and should only improve with more experience. |
2/6 Lincs League handicap R-R Ingham
Latest round of the Lincs league with around 70 riders taking part with club riders Tony Mendham and Harry Browing (gp 2), Simon Cocker and Rob Johnson (gp 3A), Peter Cocker (gp 4A).
Held over 8 laps of a course including a short climb up Lincoln Edge each lap. all the groups came together with around 3 laps to go, giving a chance to the faster riders to get in the placings this week, after failing to make up the handicaps in the first 2 rounds. Around 30 riders hit the last climb together with 1 km to the finish, Peter Cocker attacked and got a good lead but was overhauled by around 6 riders within sight of the finish line, to take a top 10 place. Harry and Simon finished about 1 minute down on the leaders after being dropped on the penultimate climb with Tony and Rob a little further back.
Note the event on July 13th will now take place at Alford. |
28 to 30th May North West International Youth Tour
314 Riders across all the Youth categories took part in the 5 stage race based in the North West, with club rider Peter Cocker taking part in the Youth A category which had 85 riders with nearly all the top UK riders along with national teams from Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
Day 1 - Stage race glamour Blackpool North Promenande with the wind whipping in of the sea, at least it wasn't raining. A 2 km prologue time trial, 1 km out downhill with a gale behind then 1 km back along the bottom by the sea into a block head wind. Peter around 50th loosing 20 seconds to the Belgian stage winner Nathan Van Hooydonck. Second stage in the evening, a road race 28 laps of the same course for a total of 35 miles, this was tough, a lack of racing miles due to exams didn't help and Peter lost the bunch after around 10 laps but got into a good chasing group which almost got back into contact with the leaders but they never quite closed the gap. Running out of energy with 4 laps to go he did well to finish just 2 laps down in again around 50th. The same Belgian broke away to win by 7 seconds to extend his lead.
Day 2 - Salt Ayre Sports centre Lancaster a 1500m circuit similar to Barkston Heath but with trees, a damp circuit and 85 testosterone charged 16 year olds, more a question of when rather than if there will be crashes. Stage 3 in the morning 18 laps, although there were the inevitable crashes, with the Belgian team protecting their leader, no attacker gained a significant lead and the bunch sprint was won by Oliver Wood from Leeds. Peter recovered over night and kept out of trouble to finish in the bunch. Stage 4 in the afternoon, same circuit now dry 18 laps but in the different direction. More crashes with Peter getting caught behind one and not taking a lap out like several other riders, he was unable to get back to the fast moving bunch. Oliver Wood won the sprint again with Peter in the bunch a lap down.
Day 3 - Preston Sports Arena for the final stage 30 laps of a 1 mile circuit and its raining quite hard. The race is full on from the start with riders continually jumping away trying to shake up the GC or go for a stage win, with the Belgium team trying to keep it together. The inevitable big crash happens and split the bunch in two with Peter again held up and chasing hard. Despite being in a good working group they never regain the fast moving front group, which is continually attacking and are lapped with a lap to go. Jack Ragan of NW region attacked with 3 laps to go and held on to win by less than a bikes length.
Overall the Belgian held on to win by just 2 seconds from Oliver Wood with Peter 48th at 14.07
Pictures and results can be seen at:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20110528-Report--North-West-Youth-Tour-0
Overall a great experience but if you are not on top form and committed its very difficult to stay at the front of the bunch where you need to be to stay out of trouble and avoid the inevitable crashes that will happen with big groups on these tight circuits. It was also interesting to watch the use of the lap out rule in the event of crashes or a mechanical and the way it was used and 'abused' in certain cases. Top of page» |
Sat. June 11. The Hope Against Cancer Leicestershire SuperTour Sportive
112 miles plus 5 km run, 112 mile ride, 62 mile ride. Entries close on Thursday 9th June at 23:59
The SuperTour is an innovative new charity sportive which covers almost a complete circuit of Leicestershire. I have designed the routes for this event to serve the purposes of all types of rider from a variety of backgrounds. The routes are hilly in places but rolling in others, so you will get the chance to ride at a good average speed in a group, giving you the chance to ride for the day with friends and make new aquaintances on the road. For any triathletes in training for an Ironman, the long route is 112 miles, with the option of a 5km run for those who want it. There is also a 64 mile option, which is hillier overall than the long route. The long route can be divided into quarters in terms of difficulty, with the first and third quarters providing the sterner test.
The ride and run part of this event is limited to 50 riders. See www.itpevents.co.uk |
Thursday 2nd June Go-Ride Road Race Coaching
Chance to get 4 hours quality coaching at the Yarborough Circuit Lincoln, at Half term from 10.00 to 2.00, at the bargain price of £10.00.
Contact to Book or for further details Steve Crosland - East Midlands BC Go-Ride coach
Mobile 07793 844650
email: stevecrosland@britishcycling.org.uk |
Saturday 21/5 Curburough Circuit Races
Two Witham Wheeler's youth riders took part in the West Midland road races held on the club motor racing circuit at Curborough. The event included a time trial and one or two races depending on age. with a large entry in each age group. In the youth D Kerrigan Robb came 14th out of over 30 in the time trial and also competed in two road races. In the first race he rode strongly until his chain came off in the final lap resulting in a retirement. In the second sprint race any disappointment from the earlier race disappeared as he secured the race victory. In the youth B race Karl Baillie came 6th in the time trial again out of over 30 competitor's only six seconds off leading time. Youth B had one long race only, Karl rode strong in the leading bunch often initiating breaks but missed out in the final sprint to the line.
Monday 23/5 Mansfield Forest Town Track
Karl Baillie competed in the weekly Track league on one of the Witham Wheelers track bikes, recently purchased thanks to a Grassroots grant. In only his second time out on a fixed wheel bike he rode strongly to finish second in the first youth event. However the evening didn't end quite so well as whilst battling for the lead on the last lap a dropped chain forced Karl to retire. |
22/5 Newcastle Under Lyme National Youth Omnium selection race
Second round of the Northern area qualifiers and in a big field of 26 riders Peter started with a good 10th place in the 5.2km scratch race followed up with 11th in the Devil. However 17th in the 15 lap points race after getting on the wrong wheel which meant he lost his place in the bunch early on, dropped him down the seedings for the 3 lap Kierin sprint and following the 2 lap time trial he finished 17th overall. A good event with riders getting 5 races throughout the day and the chance to see the exciting National tandem spring champs also taking place throughout the day.
Pictures and a report can be seen at www.britishcycling.org.uk/track
20/5 Scunthorpe Track League.
Kerrigan Robb made the long trip up to Scunthorpe to try out the track for the first time and had a good time in the various Youth events which will only benefit his development as a young cyclist.
In the Senior B events Simon Cocker was a bit more competitive having got the gear selection right this time compared to the first week and stayed the course in the final 10 mile event finishing in the second bunch half a lap down on the winning sprint. Peter Cocker moved up to compete in the Senior B events and despite being prominent at the front of the various races didn't get the results with GCSE's having taken the edge of training in the last few weeks.
16/5 Forest Town Mansfield
Karl Baillie had his first go at the Monday night track league getting in the mix in the various events throughout the evening.
14/5 Scunthorpe National Youth Omnium Selection race
First round of the Northern Area selection series for the National Finals saw Peter Cocker having a bit of a baptism of fire in only his third track meeting with some of the top Youth track riders in the country. It proved to be a tough afternoon when on only the 2nd lap of the first event (the Devil) a big crash took out several riders resulting in various broken bones. Rain showers also caused a few breaks in the programme and Peter was relieved to survive the afternoon finishing 15th overall after the 4 events. Top of page» |
 14/5 National Paratriathlon Champs Nottingham
Kev Flint made a bid to defend his British Paratriathlon title for the 3rd consecutive year at Nottingham. However after not the most consistent winters training, he new it was going to be a difficult task.
 With a steady swim Kev found himself in the middle of the pack out of the swim and was then able to put in a solid performance on the bike, which pushed him into the lead by about 50 seconds. However the lack of winter miles took their toll on the run and towards the end of the first lap Kev was caught and with nothing left in the tank just tried to hang on. He was really pleased take second spot for the Silver Medal in 1hr 18min. (750m swim,20Km bike, 5.6km run)
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MTB Friday Night Race Series
A great way to start the weekend with a series of 4 Mountain Bike events in the Nottingham area for all age groups and abilities.
First race is on 27th May at Bingham, full details can be found at www.vcnottingham.co.uk |
8/5 - Tonya's Challenge
Last Sunday John Clifton, Dave Moulds and Michael Dean took part in the annual Tonya's Challenge off-road ride at Southwell. They tackled the 37 mile black route which took in the villages around Southwell and followed the Trent through Gunthorpe, completing the course in 3hrs 31mins to give them joint 33rd position out of 250 entries.
A great event with the forecast rain never materializing, fantastic views across the Trent Valley at the top of the many climbs and cake and drinks for all riders after the event. More details can be seen at www.tonyaschallenge.co.uk |
| 7/5 No. 4 Darley Moor
Some more good results for the club young riders with Kerrigan Robb continuing his good form with another fine sprint to win the Youth E category and Karl Baillie 3rd in Youth B.
Also taking part Harry Browning Youth A and Paul Conneely in the senior 3/4 |
| Saturday 7/5 LVRC - Wyre Forest RR
Phil Etches and Phil Atherton travelled down to Worcester for the LVRC Wyre Forest Road Race and both competed in the CD race over 48 miles. The 35 starters left the changing rooms at the last possible minute due to heavy rain that had soaked them thoroughly by the end of the neutralised section. The flattish circuit meant that any breakaways were quickly closed down and no attack got more than 50 yards down the road before the peloton quickly reeled it back in. With the rain unrelenting Phil Etches was struggling with the cold conditions and when his lone attack was nullified at the midway point he decided to abandon as the dreadful conditions showed little sign of improving. Phil Atherton was always comfortable in the bunch which had thinned slightly for what was obviously going to be a sprint finish up a slight incline. No one was prepared to lead out for the finish and 25 riders were heavily bunched as the line beckoned and a mass free for all sprint from the 200 yards flag lead to mayhem. Phil had a good line on the outside but was only holding his own for a possible finish somewhere around 12th place (ish) when he was forced onto the verge and lost his momentum and rolled over the line in about 20thplace, still pleased to have finished in the lead bunch in his first CD race. Top of page» |
Friday 6th May Scunthorpe Track League
First trip by Wobblies to the Friday night track meet at Quibell Park. Eleanor Crawford rode the Youth CDE events and although out of the places rode really well in her first go on hard track and will only improve as she gets used to the bike and the right gear ratio.
Simon Cocker tackled the Senior B races and without a warm up struggled with the early pace in the 8 lap scratch event and never got into contention in the points race but started to contribute in the Block Handicap.
Peter Cocker started slowly with 5th in the Youth A 6 lap scratch race then 2nd in the 6 lap points event and won the Devil, by controlling it from the front.
Stand out ride of the evening was in the final 10 mile (32 lap) scratch race when the leading Youth A riders could ride with the Seniors. After around 8 laps with 4 riders starting to build a lead on the bunch Peter crossed the gap with another rider and joined the break. With Peter doing some big turns on the front of the break the 6 riders stayed away to contest the finishing sprint. Winner in 20minutes 42 seconds (10 miles) was Dave Brearley Cottingham Coureurs from Ben Green VC Lincoln and Tony Nash Scunthorpe Poly, with Peter in 5th as he lacked the finishing power of the older riders, but a great ride in some very experienced and quick company.
For any club riders interested in riding track, the track league is held every Friday evening (weather permitting) through the summer, with around 4 races per evening for all Youth categories and Senior A (good) and B (not so good) riders.The track is around 475m round, with smooth tarmac not too steeply banked and is a great place to try track racing. You need to leave Grantham around 5.00 it takes around 70 minutes to get there which gives time to sign on and warm up. Racing is from 7.00 to 9.00 so you get home about 10.30. If you think you might want to have a go talk to Simon as we have some track bikes available that should suit most sizes.Top of page» |
4/5 - Lincs League Aisthorpe
The second round of the Lincs league promoted by Lincoln Wheelers over 7 laps of a short course featuring a climb up the Lincoln ridge each lap.
Club riders taking part:
Group 2 - Tony Mendham. Simon Cocker, Rob Johnson
Group 3 - Peter Barnes
Group 4 - Paul Conneely, Peter Cocker
The handicapping just failed to work out exactly as the scratch were still around 30 seconds behind group 2 which rode steadily throughout the race to stay away to contest the sprint. Best placed clubrider was Simon Cocker in 8th with a disappointing sprint after working hard to keep group 2 clear to the finish.
Note the Lincs league event scheduled for the 18th has been cancelled due to lack of an organiser and the next event will be the VC Lincoln event on the 1st June. |
Sun 1/5 LVRC Race Serlby, Doncaster.
Super vet Phil Etches sprinted to second place in the wind swept LVRC road race at Serlby South Yorkshire on Sunday. The winner Mike Allen of Ripley was allowed to slip off the front of the bunch and rode away to a deserved victory two minutes clear of the field. Phil is still looking for that illusive first win of the season in a LVRC event.
Spalding Flower Festival Criteriums
Witham Wheelers had a good turn out at the Spalding Flower Parade Criterium held on closed roads in the town centre. Good weather and a strong wind made for exciting races with excellent results for some of the clubs young riders.
In the under 10’s Kerrigan Robb was in the leading group of 3 making attacks throughout, on the final lap he produced a strong sprint to take the win. Adam Egner in the under 12’s kept with the main group and just missed out on a podium finish in final sprint.
Karl Baillie in the 14 & under’s made a break on the first lap which he held to the end to take victory by a comfortable margin. Reece Egner rode strong in the chasing group and only just missed out on a podium finish.
In the under 16’s Harry Browning initially got caught out and was dropped by the leading group, he however dug deep to catch them up, then stayed with the leading group often attacking at the front. On the final lap he missed out on the final sprint but still finished well. Photos» |
29/4 - 1/5 Isle of Man Youth Tour
As a round of the National Youth Circuit Race championships the 3 day event attracted 200 riders in the various Youth categories with many of the top riders in the country. On Friday evening it started with a 1.29km prologue time trial on the sea front at Douglas. Peter Cocker finished in 1.55 which was 34th out of the 62 riders in the Under 16 category and 10 seconds behind the winner Jacob Ragan of the NW Region.
The second stage on Saturday was the decisive one taking in 5 laps of a hilly 7km closed road circuit at Ellerslie. The bunch quickly split under pressure from the stronger riders on the main climb with Peter holding his place well in the lead group until the last lap when he lost contact over the top of the climb. Chris Lawless also of the NW region sprinted clear on the final climb to win by 20 seconds from the remnants of the bunch with Peter a further minute down in 18th place.
The final stage on Sunday was a 28km criterium around a tight circuit at the national sports centre. With the Youth A boys field split into two events Peter was in the final event with the top 30 riders overall. With the NW region team in control no rider escaped the bunch for more than 2 laps with Peter making one break, it all came down to a final sprint won by local rider Jake Kelly. With Peter safely in the bunch just avoiding a last lap crash.
The overall race was won by Chris Lawless in 1.41.20 with Peter pleased to finish his first stage race in 17th overall 1.33 behind.
This was a great event, well organised culminating in a dinner and prize presentation on the final evening. For any young rider looking for some wider racing experience then its worth considering going to next years event. See www.youthtour.co.uk for more information.
See also www.britishcycling.org.uk
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Wed 27/4 Lincs league - Long Bennington
The first round of the Lincs Handicap Road race league was promoted by Newark CC on a course near Long Bennington. Results are a bit sketchy at present but it sounds like some generous handicaps meant that the groups did not all close up and Harry Browning is rumoured to have finished an excellent 6th place starting from group 2. Other riders understood to have taken part Dave Moulds (1) Rob Warner (2) Peter Barnes (3a), Peter Cocker and Paul Conneely (4a) and Jim Coleman marooned back in group 5. |
Sat 30/4 - VTTA (East Mids) 25 mile Time Trial
Saturday afternoon saw 4 wheelers take to the A1 to ride the VTTA East Mids 25 from Long Bennington to Carlton on Trent and back. With a 20+ mph north easterly wind, the outward leg was a real slog making times a couple of minutes slower than usual, apart from the flying Matt Bottril, national 25m bronze medallist (team i ride uk ) (50.00) who seems to be in amazing form so far this season and has so far won every round of the national time trial series by some big margins.
Jim managed to get 2nd place (53.44) with 3rd place going to Alan Cooke (VC chesterfield) 54.44. Chris Carter was the next Wheeler with a sub 1hr ride (59.39) with Kim Paxton riding strongly to close the gap on some of her rivals with (1.07.43) Mike Lewis also put in a good ride stopping the clock on (1.09.52). |
Youth Racing
Sun 24/4 - East Midlands Youth Circuit Race Champs
The East Midlands Youth Circuit race champs took place in the grounds of Thoresby Hall near Ollerton with some competitive racing in the warm dry conditions.
In the combined CDE race, Adam Egner rode well but couldn't stay with the fast pace set by the leading riders while Kerrigan Robb placed second in the under 10 age category.
Youth B (under 14s) Karl Baillie rode strongly at the front of race throughout but lost out in the sprint finish to finish 4th overall but it was good enough to take the medal for First East Midlands Boy. Adam Egner finished the race well but was outside the medal positions.
Youth A (under 16s) the biggest field of over 30 riders included 3 club riders Peter Cocker, Harry Browning and Cameron Bibby. Peter was constantly at the front of the race helping push the pace on. Although there were no successful breakaways the front group was reduced to 10 riders contesting the final sprint, which was won by Kristian Woolf (Kings Cliffe Flyers) with Peter in 6th overall and 4th East Midlands rider. Although out of the medals this result confirmed his place in the East Mids team for the 3 day Inter-Regional championships at Perth in July.
Harry finished strongly after finding the initial pace a little too quick and Cameron rode a steady race gaining experience in only his second race.
Sat 23/4 Scunthorpe Track Youth Omnium
A glorious day of sunshine for the opening event of the season at the Scunthorpe track. Riding his first hard track race Peter Cocker had a slow start finishing 5th in the 1 lap Time Trial and 7th in the sprint. However things improved as the distances increased, he took 3rd in the 5 lap handicap and was lying 3rd overall going into the final 7 lap scratch event. A tactical race saw Peter take the win by a tyres width which gave him enough points for overall victory from Simon Beedham of Lincsquad.
17/4 Owston Youth race
Supporting Youth races were held on a closed road circuit in the village of Owston near Melton Morbray on the morning of the Melton Classic International Road Race. The boys race was 32 laps of just over a 1 mile circuit, climbing up the hill in Owston on each lap. A combination of a full field of 50 riders, with some of the top ranked Youth riders in the country, hot sunshine and a race time of over 90 minutes (double the normal Youth race) duration made this one of the toughest youth races that will be held in the country this year.
Club rider Peter Cocker rode a good race missing a crash on the first lap, he got into the lead group of around 15 riders which gradually whittled down until at half distance there were just 8 left in front and Peter chasing with 2 others at around 18 seconds. With 10 laps to go the relentless pace told and Peter dropped away from this chase group to ride on his own for a few laps until another chase group caught up. Staying with this group until 5 laps to go Peter eventually finished a very respectable 18th. Winning the sprint from the lead group was Chris Lawless from Maxgear RT. |
3/4 Thoresby Hall Race 2
Another strong showing by the Witham Wheelers Juvenile riders in the second race at Thoresby Hall.
Under 10s Kerrigan Robb, riding more strongly each week, was 2nd for two weeks running with Adam Egner out of the places in the U12s but also looking better with each race.
In the combined U16/U14 race Peter Cocker was actively forcing the pace at the front of the big field which after 45 minutes came down to a 7 rider sprint with Peter taking 2nd in a photo finish with James Shaw of Heanor Clarion by less than half a wheel. Karl Baillie finished 9th overall and first Under 14 rider, a great performance against riders up to 2 years older. Reece Egner had some mechanical problems but kept going well to the finish.
Seniors Rob Warner and Simon Cocker rode the 3/4 category event and although not on the pace of the front group had a private duel with Rob taking the club honours on the last lap. Photo Album»
The next local race will be promoted by Witham Wheelers at Barkston Heath on Saturday 16th, click here for more details |
27/3 Spalding Hilly 27 mile Time Trial
A great turnout so early in the season, 9 Wheelers tackled the testing course from Edenham to Grantham and back. Professional rider Steven Lampier (Sigma Sport rt) with top 10 finishes in both Rutland/Melton classic and the UK time trial championships to his credit was the event favourite. Jim Coleman with a strong first quarter matched him for speed early on but as the race progressed Lampier managed to edge ahead and by the end won by 36 seconds from Jim for a well deserved win. Photos»
 1 Steven Lampier(team sigma sport) 58.28
2 Jim Coleman(ww) 59.04
3 Julian Gromett (cottingham couriers) 1.00.0
With good back up from Neil Sentance and Chris Carter Witham Wheelers also took the team prize.
Neil Sentence 1.08 27
Chris Carter 1.08.45
Bill Harrison 1.08.58
Toby kieley 1.13.30
Chris Crawford 1.14.11
Kim Paxton 1.17.22
Martin lister 1.18.12
Mike Lewis 1.24.00 |
27/3 Thoresby Hall Circuit Races
Good results for club riders in the first round of races held on a testing course in the grounds of Thoresby Hall.
In the Under 10s Kerrigan Robb placed 3rd feeling the benefits of his new bike, just behind Adam Egner who started well and held on for 4th in the Under 12s. A big field in the combined Under 14/16 saw another competitive race over 40 minutes plus 2 laps. Peter Cocker was one of the main animators and forced a break of 3 after around 15 minutes which stayed clear to the end where Peter lost out in the sprint to finish 3rd behind winner Kristian Woolf of Kingscliffe flyers. Karl Baillie figured well in the 2nd group for 10th overall and the 3rd Under 14s and Reece Egner kept going well in his longest race to date for 20th overall.
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26/3 Darley Moor Circuit Races
Some good rides but no placings for club riders in cold but dry conditions on Saturday morning.
A big field in the Under 16s event made for a competitive race with Peter Cocker getting into the lead break of 9 but missing out in the final sprint to finish 7th and Harry Browning riding strongly in the second group. Karl Baillie featured well in the Under 14s lead group but also missed out in the final sprint. Simon Cocker rode safely in the bunch in the senior 3/4 category event but didn't trouble the judges. |
19/3 - Retford and District 10 mile TT
There were four Wheelers riding the 10m course from Carlton on Trent using the old A1 to Tuxford and back using the fast A1 duel carriageway. Not a bad course and some decent times for an early season 10.
With a headwind outward leg Mike Lewis rode strongly to record (29.40), Martin Hedley received a one minute time penalty for missing his start time and so was given (25.59), Chris Carter, wanting to improve on recent weeks, put in a strong ride to close the gap on some of his rivals with (23.23). With only 9 seconds separating the top 3 riders Jim Coleman managed to gain 3rd place (20.50) again Julian Ramsbottom (team i ride) took the win (20.41) with second place going to Matt Sinclair (Lutterworth cycle centre) (20.45). A familiar name still riding strongly to take 4th place was time trial legend Ian Cammish (Planet x race team). |
12/3 - Darley Moor Road Races
A successful trip for Witham Wheelers Youth riders at the second event at Darley Moor on Saturday. In the combined Under 16 and Under 14 event Peter Cocker got in a group of 6 riders that broke away on the first lap and stayed clear to the end. Going into the final lap Peter made a lone attack and as the other riders hesitated, took a big enough lead to just hold on for his first Open road race win as the chasers closed in rapidly at the finish.
In the second group Carl Baillie rode well making several attacks on the last lap and finished well to take first place in Under 14s. Harry Browning also did a lot of work to pull the second group along but paid for his efforts in the sprint finish at the end. In the under 10s Kerrigan Robb kept going well for 6th place.
In the 3/4 category event Simon Cocker rode comfortably in the bunch but with a big field of over 100 riders found it difficult to get to the front in the hectic finish. Rob Warner was also riding more comfortably in the big group than in his first race the previous week, but was forced to retire at half distance due to cramp.
13/3- Darley Moor - Regional School of Racing
Four of the club's Youth riders took part in the first School of Racing of the year at Darley Moor on Sunday. Led by British Cycling Talent team coach Rob Sharman this was a full day of on the bike coaching learning bunch riding and cornering skills with a final workshop on bike maintenance. 30 Riders attended from clubs all over the East Midlands, those taking part were Reece Egner, Harry Browning, Carl Baillie and Peter Cocker
13/3 - Bourne Wheelers Hilly Time Trial
Seven wheelers tackled the testing hilly two lap course between Stamford and Bourne on a breezy, drizzly morning. Generally times were slower than last year due to the wet conditions and the technical nature of the course however there were great improvements by both Neil Sentance (1.01.26)and Kim Paxton(1.11.11) on their times from last year.
Also improving on last years times were Chris Crawford (1.09.43) and Bill Harrison (1.05.56) with Martin Lister tackling the course for the first time with a very respectable (1.11.06). Chris Carter, still trying to shake off a cold, was slightly down on last year with (1.03.41).
Jim Coleman managed to beat last years time by 2mins (54.01) which was good enough for 3rd position on the day, with in form Julian Ramsbottom, (Team i ride) taking the win (53.24) from course record holder James Perkins (Zenith cc) (53.54), fourth place went to Joel Wainman (team swift rt) (54.16) which made the finishing times of the top 4 pretty close.
Full Results» Photo Album»
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East Midlands Youth Development
This article may be of interest to younger memebers to see what is happening in the East Midlands with regards to Youth riders.
www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam |
 8/3 Prestigious Award for Club Coach
Head Coach for Witham Wheelers, Peter Pain, attended the British Cycling Awards evening at Birmingham's Hilton Metropol Hotel last weekend and received an Outstanding Contribution to Coaching award. Peter can be seen receiving his award from the British Cycling Federation Chairman Mr Brian Cookson OBE. Peter said that “he was surprised to receive such an award”.
More details about Peter can be found at www.a1healthandfitness.co.uk
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5/3 Darley Moor
Good turnout of Witham Wheelers at the first local road races of the season at Darley Moor near Ashbourne. Despite the cold wet conditions there were big fields in all the events which meant a baptism of fire for most of the club riders, who were riding their first open road races.
Best placings were by Kerrigan Robb 5th in the Under 10s and Karl Baillie 10th in the U14s. Unluckiest rider was probably Peter Cocker riding strongly in the under 16s at the front of the bunch until being stopped by a fallen rider on the last lap and missing out on the sprint finish. Other riders taking part were Adam Egner (U12), Reece Egner (U14), Harry Browning (U16) and Robert Warner in the Senior 3/4 category, who although not getting in the places all kept going strongly to the end and gained some valuable experience. |
5/3 Scunthorpe RC 10m TT
Saturday afternoon saw three Witham Wheelers tackling 10 miles with a 14mph north, easterly wind on the A15 near Scunthorpe. With a testing first half the return leg was a bit faster but still hard as early tens always are. Mike Lewis started his season off with a respectable 32.04, Bill Harrison rode strongly to improve his time from last year by nearly half a minute with 25.34 and Jim Coleman managed to get second place with 21.34 just 13 seconds behind course record holder Julian Ramsbottam (Team I ride). Top of Page»
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27/2 Yorkshire Cycling Federation 10m TT
Chris Carter and Jim Coleman rode the YCF 10m Time Trial near Ferrybridge on parts of the old A1 this Sunday .The course was not the quickest especially having to negotiate 10 roundabouts in cold driving rain. Times were all a bit modest with riders taking it easy on the wet roundabouts. Despite riding with a head cold Chris managed a respectable 25.58. Jim managed to get 2nd place with 22.16 and was pleased to take the scalp of Joel Wainman for the first time, however professional triathlete Philip Graves put in the fastest ride of the day to take the win in 21.10.
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Event: Lincoln Lions 3 Fifties Cycle Ride Sunday 29 May. All proceeds to Lincoln County Hospital Breast Unit.
More details: Poster | Notes | Application Form | Sponsorship Form | Sponsor form continuation |
British Schools Cycling Association
The club is in the process of affiliating to the BSCA which promotes regional and national events for school children. A copy of their January newsletter attached. Once the club has affiliated you will need to apply for individual membership which is Free and take part in their various competitions. More details to follow. |
Turbo Training
The weekly sessions at the club on Tuesday nights are proving increasingly popular with riders of all ages and ability coming along for a quality one hours coach led session. A few photos of a recent session to give you an idea of what it looks like, there is still space for a few more, if you are inspired and want to come and have a go. Photos» |
13 Feb - Ely 25 mile Time Trial
Excellent results for club riders in the first time trial of the season in the region, in windy conditions on an exposed Fenland course at Ely. Jim Coleman, back riding first claim for Witham Wheelers, stormed to a convincing win, beating last years winner and course record holder Sam Barker of Planet X race team by nearly 3 minutes to be the only rider under the hour in 57.24 - a full two and a half minutes faster than last year in the same event.
The other club riders also improved on last years times with Chris Carter improving by 3 minutes to 1.07.34, Neil Sentance 1.09.40 and Kim Paxton in 1.15.04 which was also good enough to take the fastest ladies award. Photos» |
 14/2 Grassroots Grants
Thanks to the hard work of Dave Beckett the club has recently been awarded 2 Grassroots Grants from the Community Development Foundation. The money has been used to purchase 6 Track bikes of various sizes to suit riders aged from 8 to 16 and help fund 2 club members on the British Cycling Level 2 coaching scheme.
The bikes have been initially set up for grass track racing and will be used at the club Go-Ride sessions to give youngsters of all ages and abilities a taste of racing in a safe environment. They will also be available for young riders in the club to use for grass track racing at events such as Heckington and Spalding. Also with a change of tyre they will also be suitable for hardtrack racing and it is planned to take part in local leagues at Mansfield and Scunthorpe.
Club coach Peter Pain says with the success of the British Track Cycling team in recent years there are great opportunities in track racing with one club member Peter Cocker having taken part in six Regional School of Racing sessions run by British Cycling at Manchester Velodrome over the winter.
Photo: Peter Pain is seen receiving one of the bikes from club chairman Janet East with Dave Beckett and some of the the club young riders looking on.
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Event: Feb 21 Off-Road Coaching, Bourne Woods
Good chance for developing some off-road skills in the half term holidays. Even if you are concentrating on the road this will help with bike handling skills etc. and is well worth going on. Details» |
17/1/11 LRRA dinner
The annual dinner of the Lincolnshire Road Riding Association, which organises the county Time Trial championships was held at Sleaford on Saturday. Club members picking up awards were:
Chris Carter - 2nd handicap in the Middlemarkers 25 and Kim Paxton - 1st Lady in the same event.
Jim Coleman, now back with the Witham Wheelers but riding for Cherry Valley last year, won numerous awards including 1st in the 10 and 50 mile championships, 1st in the 2up and short Distance Best All rounder, 2nd in the 25 and 30 miles as well as being part of the winning team in the 10 and 50 mile. |
Jan 2011 Jim Coleman
As I'm sure most of you are aware the club has recently welcomed back Jim Coleman as a full member after a year in the wilderness. Jim is probably the top local time triallist winning many events during 2010 and we look forward to him leading the club to more wins locally and also proving himself at national level. |
 Witham Wheelers had their most successful year ever in the Lincolnshire Cyclo-cross League both in terms of participation and results.
The league was held over 12 rounds around Lincolnshire from September up to Christmas. Cyclo Cross Results»
Under 12s: Eleanor Crawford was first girl and 6th overall
Under 16s: Peter Cocker was never out of the top 3 riders all season and won both the league and championship.
Seniors: Simon Cocker was 19th overall and 3rd in the over 50's, Karen Crawford was 48th overall and 2nd in the ladies, with Chris Crawford 40th overall with Sean East also competing regularly and Kerrigan Robb showed promise in the under 12s.
Right, Club medal winners
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Wednesday 19th January 2011 NIGHTRIDER G0-RIDE RACE at Abbey Road Primary School, West Bridgford, Nottingham.
This the first Go-ride Race which will be held in the dark!! Racing will start at 6.30pm so riders will need to bring both front and rear lights for this nocturne style race event.
If you don’t have a suitable bike then you can use one of the British Cycling mountain bikes just bring your own lights.
It should be great fun racing in the dark on an interesting and testing course within the school grounds, Team Sky Prizes are on offer for the evenings top performers and each rider will have three chances to race during the evening which draws to a close with an Italian Pursuit Race.
Looking forward to a great nights racing, hope you can come along and join in the fun !!
Regards
Steve Crosland- East Midlands Go-ride Coach Entry Form» |
