…Or Not

No confirmation from anywhere official but the rumour is that, due to commitments elsewhere, the league will now not be happening.

Don’t watch this space.

Coming Soon, The Wessex League 2011

Watch this space: http://www.entryweb.co.uk/

No idea what, where or when but SOMETHING will DEFINATELY be happening.

No more details, except that, what ever it is, it won’t be at Barnsfield.

BJW 50 mile Reliability Trial

This Sunday (7th Nov) sees the first of the Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers reliability trials, this one starting in Merley at 9am and running over fifty miles.

If you’ve never done one before then it’s like a sportive but at a fraction of the cost – £1 if you’re a member, a little more if you’re not. There are three start times, the main group at 9am, a faster group at 9.15 and the fastest group, that will very likely include a rider for a pro-tour team and several of the Wessex League big hitters, leaving at 9.30. A route map is available.

Meet at Merley Community Center, Harrier Drive, Merley (near to the Barley Mow pub) and make sure you get their with a few minutes time to sign on. Bring a puncture kit and a waterproof jacket and stick around for the tea and bacon butties afterwards.

There are further reliability trials later in the winter. Full details here.

A Chat With League Winner Andy Rivett

This year’s Wessex Cycle Racing League was won by VC St Raphael rider Andy Rivett, but the season long win came down to a sprint finish on the last race in which Andy took the overall honours by less than the width of a tyre. Andy had started the season on the DHC team but when that was forced to close, Andy was taken in by Mick Waite’s long established club team.

Andy has been prominent on the local road scene for many years and he said of that time int he season “I needed a quality team and VC St Raphael is the best around”. The team has some class riders to push him on and he also has his “guru” Mike Anderson to keep him honest, along with team boss Mick who puts his heart and soul into the sport year after year.

Andy lives in Bishopstoke (Southampton), a place where he has now firmly set his roots. “I love it around here with it being central to everything I need”. There is plenty of good riding here, the New Forest is not far away and it’s only a short hop to London.” Andy works in Basingstoke as an Occupational Therapist, and travelling to work is a 55 mile commute which Andy use’s for training. The time on the bike is used well and is not just a slog to and from work.

Andy can regularly be found training in the New Forest with friends and training partners Jules and Julia (current men’s and women’s BBAR champions). “They push me on a bit, although as a roadie, I like to turn the screw a bit as we climb, although they certainly give me pay back on the flatter roads“.

Although Andy calls himself a roadie and revels in the big hilly events, he can also turn his hand to most disciplines’ within the sport. Andy is also an accomplished track rider and does enjoy Time trials. Andy’s showed his versatility by winning the National University Team Time Trial championship and more recently winning the RAAM 4 man team (Race across America).

Turning his attention to this season, Andy said the Wessex League is a “real boom to local cycling” and said that the work that Don and Mark (Standhaft) do is “EPIC”. “They have real passion for the sport and during times when organisers are pushing more towards circuit races, it’s great to see ‘Road ‘ racing being given a real push.”

Andy had a steady Wessex League picking up points at several events but the real push came towards the end of season. After winning a stage of the Tour of Dorset and finishing fourth overall, he went on to win the Autumn Road race and finished the season strong with a 4th and 5th in the last two races. Andy was pushed all the way to the title by his good friend Rowland Tilly from the Ride team. Before the last race, the Sotonia Heath race in the New Forest, the two riders even found time to embark on a little ‘wresting match’ before the action started.

The eventual overall win was taken on a very windy event where Andy only needed to finish ahead of Rowland to take the title. Andy set off fast from the gun hoping he’d (Rowland) would miss the break but to no avail as the pair finished together on the line after a super big sprint. The organisers had a difficult task of splitting them on the line and although the decision was awarded to Andy, it took the race organisers, the rest of the day to analyse the photos on the finish line to be 100% sure.

Now the season has finished, Andy has bigger things to look forward to as he and his wife Kim are expecting their first child, “the most exciting prospect ahead” he says. Andy will be racing next season but with the new arrival, not as much. He does promise however that he will be back to “hurt a few legs” but for now, Andy is looking forward a good rest, a ‘couple’ of beers and a change to his diet (eating cake).

Andy’s team manager Mick Waite added “Andy has had a superb season with some good results, including winning the season long W.C.R.L. overall. We were fortunate, despite other offers, to get Andy back in the team mid-season. As well as being a 1st category road rider, Andy rides some time trials, especially hilly ones; this fits in well with the team. Having achieved 14th in the National Team Rankings and 1st in British Cycling South Regional Rankings, in 2010, the team is looking forward to 2011 and Andy will be very much part of the team” says Mick.

Photo and interview Graham Robins

An evening with Garmin-Cervélo’s Daniel Lloyd

On Monday 8th November at the Hotel Collingwood, Bournemouth professional cyclist Daniel Lloyd (Garmin-Cervélo) will be on hand to answer questions from guests, sign autographs and enjoy a social evening all hosted by the Bournemouth Arrow CC.

Entry to the evening is £5, with proceeds going to the £26,000 budget required to purchase all the necessary and essential items (hire bikes, starting gates, lap boards, etc) to successfully run the Bournemouth Cycling Centre (www.bournemouth.cc) located at Slades Farm in 2011.

With a world class cyclist in the area, beginners through to regional based riders could well rub shoulders with Lloyd on the track next year when he will be able to use the track as part of his preparation for some of the world’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, Giro D’Italia, Tour of Britain and the Paris-Roubaix.

But Lloyd is also looking forward to the opening of the track for reasons much closer to home. “I have an 8 year old son who loves his cycling, so it will be a great place for him to channel his energy and also to learn some important skills on the bike. It’s going to be a great facility for all local cyclists, where they will have a safe environment to ride, race and learn.”

A hot topic will no doubt be Lloyd’s use of power measuring devices in the last 3 years, and a representative from Paligap will be on hand to answer questions about the Saris PowerTap that Lloyd and his team mates will be using in 2011.

Lloyd will of course be riding for the World champion Thor Hushovd, a prospect Lloyd is looking forward to. “It is going to be a huge team and one of the strongest in the world. I think everybody is going to be training hard this winter; we are all going to have to just to make it onto the classics team for the cobbled races! It is nice that there is a group of us going over from Cervélo but I’m also looking forward to integrating with the great riders that Garmin already have.”

The evening starts at 7pm, with a licensed bar available for those who wish to toast the successful completion of the track in 2011.

Hotel Collingwood (www.hotel-collingwood.co.uk) is at 11-13 Priory Rd, Bournemouth. BH2 5DF

Copied and pasted from Andy Storey’s post on theBournemouth Jubilee Wheelers forum.

Downton 2 dayer

Again, not one of ours – although keeping chummy with the TLI is probably a good move right now – but still an excellent race and in need of entries. The race is over 2 days and based out of Downton leisure center on the A338 between Fordingbridge and Salisbury. Saturday sees a short hill climb followed by a short road race. Sunday sees a 25 mile time trial on a course that could probably be described as ‘challenging’. There is a buffet on the Saturday after the race, or at least there was the last time I did it.

Further details are here or email the man himself at rukglenntli@googlemail.com

Richard Horton Wins The Stockbridge Down RR

Congratulations to Wessex League regular Richard Horton, who has hit something of a late season run of form, winning Andover Wheeler’s Stockbridge Down Road Race. Not one of ours, although its near Winchester, which was the capital of the saxon kingdom of wessex, not that that has really much to do with anything. Also notable is that the report is dated the 29th september, which is tomorrow. Because we’re fine ones to talk about typos.

The Commonwealth Games

Keeping with the international flavour, Wessex League competitor Ann Bowditch will be riding at the Commonwealth Games, which start in Dehli this weekend.

Representing Guernsey, Ann was using the Autumn Road Race as part of her build up program. Hopefully, she’ll be giving us the full details of her exploits in a few weeks time.

In the meantime, you can follow her on twitter here: http://twitter.com/Bowditchfit,
Or visit the blog: http://www.blog.bowditchfit.com/

Our man Gale at the TofB

So who was it that our correspondent ran into at the sign on at Minehead for the Minehead-Teignmouth stage of the Tour of Britain?

Yes, it was none other than Graeme, one of our regular NEG motorbike marshals, helping out on the UK’s top bike race.

Its a hard life in the saddle. The rain didn’t let up all day and that burger he’s eating had been bought at 9.30am over 100 miles away at the start line. The Teignmouth finish, five and a half hours later, was the first chance he’d had to eat it.

Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know that the pros occasionally fall off too. But they, just like us, have a team of guys looking out for them.

After 1,821kms it came down to 1mm

So after 20 events, 23 races and 1,821kms it came down to this.

(pic1, Graham’s finish line photo – Roland Tilley – left, Andy Rivett – right)

After gathering all the evidence I could hardly split them. I’ve replayed the video, slowed it down frame by frame and seen Graham’s High Res photo’s, imported them into Photoshop messed around and tried to measure distances and it was so still to close to call, virtually impossible.

As the bunch hurtled towards the line it looked like Roland Tilley (Team Ride) was going to take it but Andy Rivett (VC St Rapheal) was clawing his way back from the opposite side of the road. Andy needed to beat Roly into 5th place to take the overall 2010 WXCRL championship, before the race only 2 points had separated them. This was the tightest of finales.

As this picture shows, taken a moment before they hit the line, the two top riders of the year could hardy be separated.

(pic2, This is how close it was, can you split them? I zoomed right down so I could see the pixels and measured the shortest distances to the line. I’m not kidding but it was something ridiculously close like .3 of a pixel. The two wheels were virtually identically level at this point in time)

The video (normally good enough to split the riders) wasn’t any clearer…

(pic3, This clip is a still frame from the video)

(pic4, This pic shows Andy was travelling slightly faster the Roly, so if he was identically level in pic1, about 30cm before the line then he must have been a fraction further on when the wheel actually hit the line)

On this evidence I have given Andy the verdict. It’s as close as it could ever be and has prompted us to update our rules because both riders ended up finishing level on points in this year’s final WXCRL table (Note: These new rules and removal of non-members have yet to be applied to the entire table).

1st New Rule; If two riders are equal on points the winner will be the rider with the most wins.
2nd New Rule; If both riders have same number of wins, the winner will be the highest number of second places, and so on.

So there you have it. Andy Rivett with 154 points is our new 2010 champion thanks to his wins on stage 2 of the Dorset Tour and the Autumn Road Race last week. Andy’s late season form has seen him pick up 76 WXCRL points in the 3 events an excellent effort brought about from his super ride in the Dorset Tour in late August.

Mr. consistent, Roland Tilley, has to settle for 2nd after his 4th place last year. Roly having not ridden the Dorset Tour this year has amassed even more points than his 2009 tally (124), an impressive achievement, especially after not competing in our flagship 3 day.

So there you have it, Andy wins the Ray Price Memorial Cup for one year – well done Andy!