Category: News

At last a nice day and the chance to wear a skin suit as it is supposed to be worn. It was about 15 degrees wind and rising as the Sydenham boys made their way from the hall along the rolling A24 to the start at Kingsfold. The breeze was light but got up a bit as the morning went on. The one thing no one was warning of was the temporary traffic lights on the railway bridge about 2 miles into the event. This caught a lot of people out. 2nd claim member Mark Newton was the first member to start and flew around this sporting course to finish in 56.54. He didn’t hang around afterwards as he had two tickets for centre court at Wimbledon in the afternoon and witnessed Andy Murray’s win. Dave Twin was off three minutes later and finished in 1.00.37. Lastly Pete Mahoney finishing in 1.00.34 even with getting caught up at the traffic lights. There were a few riders who had recorded 52 minutes but at the time of leaving the overall winner appeared to be Steve Kane of Brighton Excelsior in 52.18.

When will this wind disappear? Another race met with strong winds, this time coming from the South was what faced the field. Due to the on-going new development on the Horsham course the event was moved to this course further south. A rather sporting course with the wind thrown in for good measure resulted in slower times. First Sydenham rider of was Richard Birtwhistle who unfortunately did not finish. Dave Twin was second off followed just two minutes later by Pete Mahoney riding his first 50. It only took Pete about 15 miles to haul David in. There then followed a bit of a yo-yoing as the Pete went away Dave closed the gap etc till the last few miles when Pete finally disappeared out of Dave’s sight. Dave finished with a 2.10.28 and Pete with 2.06.47. At the time of leaving Steve Dennis, East Grinstead CC looked like he had picked up another win in 1.51.42.

Richard Birtwhistle was the sole Sydenham rider in this event on the Q50/1 course. He flew the club flag in style winning the 55-59 Age Category with a time of 02:10:20 which was also good enough for 12th overall on the day. Full result available HERE! The winner was Nick Malins (4T+Velo Club) in 01:59:58 the only rider under 2 hrs.

Driving down onto Romney Marsh it looked like the impossible might happen. There seemed to be a lack of wind and the sun was shining. Of course once you were out on the course you discovered the wind was of course still present and it seemed to change direction during the event. 6 members of the club took part. President Bob Loader was first off and finished with a 2.42.47, which was quicker than last year. 2nd was Paul Delicata who finished with a 2.21.05, The star ride of the day was Richard Birtwhistle who finished in 2.01.43. Robert Royston did a 2.05.41. Dave Twin got a front puncture at 45 miles and rode straight across the Brenzett roundabout back to the hall. Steve Thurgood finished with a 2.09.00 which he was well pleased with considering he only rode one 10 last year and did this was only his second event of this year following the 10 the other evening. Kevin Tye of Velorefined Aerosmiths won in 1.51.45.

Where is the sun? seemed to be the common theme of the riders taking part in this sporting event. The day stayed overcast with the delights of a North Easterly wind yet again chilling things off. Generally though due to tree shelter etc the conditions were not as hard as people expected especially for the last section into the wind. There were three club riders taking part , first off was Rob Royston who never liking the colder conditions finished in 1.49.19 (20th). Steve Thurgood was next finishing in 1.50.51 (25th), this being the same time as when he last rode this event two years ago and therefore equalling his PB. Last was Dave Twin who finished in 1.48.18 (16th). This was Dave’s fastest time in this event for a few years. The overall winner was Chris McNamara Pedal Heaven RT in 1.35.32.

Second claim members Jon Coulson and Ben Wimpory riding for PMR@Toachim House represented Loughborough University at the British Universities and Colleges sports (BUCS) cycling time trials in April. First up was a very tricky and technical 3 up TT. Conditions on the day could only be described as dreadful, heavy rain and blowing winds made it difficult to ride behind one another. Along with Loughborough team mate Chris Bates completed the 31 mile course in 1:14:07 19th on the day and 9th University team. Everyone was pleased to get round safely and a 25.1mph average showed how blustery the wind was.

Next up was the BUCS 10 mile TT. Unfortunately on the way to the start Jon punctured his tubular disk and didn’t have a chance to change his wheel. This disappointment was compounded by being a very fast day. Ben who was off later completed the course in 20.49, 2 seconds away from his PB and 5th on the day, 4 seconds away from 3rd. This didn’t tell the whole story as he was held up by traffic and had to perform a rather interesting overtaking manoeuvre to get round the cars.

The following weekend was the final TT in the championships the BUCS 25 mile TT around 2 loops of a sporting course in Cambridge. The wind was going to be key on the exposed section of the course and then again for the final rolling section. Jon with a repaired tyre flew round the course in 58.28 possibly overcooking the first lap and hanging on in the second but taking off over 5 minutes off his PB! Next up was Ben who rode purely using his SRM, a new ploy which meant a negative split for the 2 circuits and finishing in 56.46. Overall a very successful championships.

Most recently was a trip to the super fast F11/10 course in Aylesbury. They almost didn’t show up because of the strong winds and long journey, but were glad they did. Jon was once again up first and smashed his PB to get a time of 21.08 showing how a great winter has reaped benefits and how quick the course was running despite how windy it was. Ben off later knowing the course was running quickly knew a new PB was possibly on the cards. Hitting 45mph on the downhill section got to the last turn with 2 miles to go at 30.4mph average knowing a 19 was on the cards. The finish line seemed to drag on forever but he crossed the line in a new PB of 19.52, ecstatic but knackered!

The Open 25 result is now available – CLICK HERE. Big thank you to everyone from the club who helped out and made the event possible. Congrats also to Velorefined Aerosmiths, with 5 riders under the hour, 4 in the top 10 and a clean sweep of the top 3 – a dominant team performance.

Dave Twin and 2nd claim member Mark Newton entered this two lap event starting at Kingsfold in Surrey. They were met by the delights of a rather windy, very wet and chilly day. Order of the day was loads of layers, but the conditions showed in general with people’s times. Mark came 8th with 1.00.16. Dave was given 9th with 1.00.50. This according to his computer was wrong by 4 minutes which would have dropped him down to 19th. The overall winner was Sebastian Ader A3crg in 54.14.

If you had believed the weathermen a few days before the event it sounded like the temperature was finally rising and the sun might actually show its face. Well they got that one wrong. Pete Mahoney and Dave Twin were met by a strong wind and driving rain. The result board had plenty of DNS’s on it but at least both Sydenham riders finished. Pete recorded a very impressive 59.48 and Dave a 1.02.15. At time of leaving it looked like the winner was J. Stratton of London Dynamo.

Driving down riders were met by dry, bright conditions the only problem being that the white fields confirmed that the temperature gauge was right reading -2 to -3 degrees. Thankfully once out on the rather rolling course things did improve a little. The Sydenham times were as follows ; Rob Royston 1.03.17 (20th) and Dave Twin 1.04.57 (26th). 2nd claim member Mark Newton 59.38 (8th). The overall winner was Elliott Porter Rapha Condor JLT in 54.01.

The result for the first Inter-Club event of the year is in. See links on the ‘Events & Results’ page. Sydenham have started strongly, lets see if we can keep the fight up for a little longer this season!

Note that the change in the rules for the competition allows second claim members to score points, however the website doesn’t support this at the moment so to make the points add up we have had to record the 2nd Claim Riders as riders of an Inter-Club team. This means Ben, Mark, Jonathan, Kevin, Denis & Rachel are listed as members of either Sydenham or GS Avanti. We will get this fixed before May when the evening events start.

There were 5 Sydenham riders down on the start sheet for this early season classic, however Kevin Beament didn’t ride due to personal reasons and Dave Twin wimped out after being meet by a blizzard on the M25 and deciding bed was a warmer place to be. The riders that did take part were meet by cold windy conditions. Richard Birtwhistle came out on top of the remaining trio with 1.21.11 (53rd), he was shortly followed by Robert Royston with 1.21.55 (55th). Ed Rieu brought up the rear with a 1.27.54 (69th). 2nd claim member Mark Newton turned in a 1.14.11 (20th). The overall was won for another year by Steve Berry, Team Swift in 1.07.05.

While Sydenham riders were riding solo in Surrey, second claim members Ben Wimpory and Jon Coulson were making up a trio for their first claim club PMR@Toachim House in the KCA 3up. They road well in tough conditions to finish 3rd overall in 57.13. The winners Artic SRAM RT finished with a 54.18.

It’s only three weeks until the Club Reliability ride on Sunday 10th Feb. We will be running the usual mix of 107k and 72K starting at 9:00 & 9:30 respectively. EOL available for both at £6 per rider with the start and finish being Knockholt Village Hall. Hopefully we’ll have had a Big Thaw by then with and will get a good turn out. Like every year helpers from the club, either at check points or the hall, are very much in need and appreciated!

It was a disappointing turn out for the last 2 trophies of the year but it was cold! A big thank you, to Bob for time keeping and Dave Fleming as the ‘race director’. The Down Hill was won by Rob Royston but the victory in the one that really counts went to Pete Mahoney. Pete Mahoney – 6.48, Robert Royston – 7.07 and Dave Mulford – 11.08.

The White Hart in Claygate has been selected for the Presidents Ride on Saturday the 8th of December. The price is £13 a head for a 3 course meal. IF we can get good numbers, then this price will be £10 a head. Please let me Pete Mahoney know if you are coming along.

Bottom of Polhill, setting off at 9:30
Hadlow, setting off at 10:30
Whit Hart, eating 12:30

Report from Pete Mahoney
Rob Thatcher recorded his first win of the year at the Gravesend Cyclo Park on the 13th of Sept. Rob out sprinted ex team mate (and second claim member) Paul Butler. This event was held under flood lights, in the Thursday League competition.

In the Summer Series Rob recorded a 2nd place at the same venue the previous Saturday, 8th of Sept.

Pete Mahoney finished his racing season off with a 6th place in the SERRL Summer Series, 22nd of Sept. This was also held at the Cyclo Park.

Also, congratulations to second claim member Paul Butler on gaining his 2nd Category Race license. A season goal!

If you have not been to the Cyclo Park yet, I would recommend it. No need to be into racing. Take the whole family up there and enjoy a leisurely ride around the trails or track, without the hassle of road traffic.