Dear Nomads
The longest day came around all too quickly, and we’re into July already with lots of events having taken place recently. However we still have several summer months ahead with lots more events to look forward to and hopefully this wonderful weather will continue! Plus the Tour De France starts tomorrow, yay! One event that took place recently was the Lee Valley Velodrome trip. Everyone who took part had a really great time and they would like to extend a big thank you to Will for organising it. You may have seen some photos from the event on twitter/facebook and there are also some video clips from Mark & Joanne on FB too showing all the action. However my absolute favourite photos that came back from the day are these 3 because I think they perfectly epitomise the fun loving nature of the Nomads 😀
Gary Jones has very kindly done a write up from the event, and this is what he had to say about it:
“Despite an early start there were 13 of us attending the session; we had exclusive use of the track and a coach who set the activities from track side. We were of varying track experience (from none to experienced racers) and of varying speed and fitness. This didn’t phase the coach who managed all the activities for 2 hours with all of us on track together. Loads of track time and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the experience.
The majority of us hired bikes and shoes, which were quickly sourced and fitted. Then we were straight on track. The first session helped familiarise those of us who had never ridden track bikes before – a few slow laps, progressing further up the banking and gaining speed. No brakes, no freewheel and a steep track definitely took some getting used to. Then on to the real riding, with multiple sessions each briefed by the coach before we rode; a free session to do as we pleased, a chain gang session with changeovers using the banking, a one rider at a time flying lap that the coach timed, a catch the pack by making up a lap session, and a final free riding session. All the while the coach was track side providing instruction and calling out help and encouragement to each rider. It was awesome riding fast, using the banking and being part of a chain gang. Everyone rode really well, without any incidents, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was amazing and exhilarating being on the actual Olympic track where I’ve watched so many medals being won. I’m going again, I suggest others sign up too.”
Another event that took place recently was the Coast to Coast in a Day ride. Jason Green and Neil Glover took on this epic challenge. Here is a write up from Jason, on what turned out to be an eventful day!
“On the 23rd June, I and fellow nomad, Neil Glover, took on the coast to coast in a day ride from Seascale to Whitby.
A ride already familiar to some club members and on a lot of cyclist’s wish list, it’s a stunning 150 mile road trip from the mountainous Western Lake District, through the Yorkshire Dales, across the flat vale of York and finally the Northern Valleys of the North Yorkshire Moors, finishing by the sea in Whitby. There is sum 4500m of climbing to tackle and the ride normally includes a ferry ride across Lake Windermere, however, due to a serious mechanical failure the ferry was non-operational this year and we were forced to ride around instead.
In spite of spending all day in the saddle, taking a hard-knock whilst climbing Hardnott, suffering a mechanical on Wrynose pass that required some running repairs (see photo), dealing with cramp, believing more than once that the next hill “must be the last” and discovering that all the fish and chip shops close early in Whitby, both Neil and I agreed it was both a pleasure and a privilege to ride.
For any club member considering entering this iconic ride we would highly recommend it as there is definitely something quite satisfying about crossing the country in a day.”
Now onto some upcoming events that may be of interest to you. On Thurs 12th July, the film ‘Time Trial’ is showing at the Duke of York Playhouse in Brighton at 18:30. It’s a new feature documentary about David Millar’s attempts to compete in a final Tour De France in 2014. You can buy tickets by clicking here. If enough people go, then Will would like to organise a dinner afterward at Fatto a Manno pizzeria just down the street, so if you book tickets for it and fancy a meal after, then please let Will know ( willfaas@btinternet.com). You can watch a trailer for the movie by clicking here.
Another event coming up on Sun 2nd Sept is a ‘friendship ride’, whereby some French cyclists are hopping on the ferry to Newhaven and coming over to have a ride out with any Sussex based cyclists that are interested. There will be 2 rides to choose from (70km and 100km), and the event is suitable for all levels of ability because the French riders vary from very quick to not quick at all! The starting point is the South Downs YHA, Itford Farm at 08:30am and there is an elevenses stop at the Raystede Animal Centre café and then a lunch stop at Berwick Village Hall. The village hall will be providing a 2 course meal and drinks for the French plus as many of the British riders as it can on a first come first served basis. The cost of the meal is £10 and must be booked in advance. The day finishes around 3pm. Will is attending and acting as a translator, so if you are interested in taking part, then please let Will know and he will co-ordinate with the organisers.
Also, a reminder to you all that our 40th anniversary celebrations are on Saturday 22nd Sept. There will be two social rides starting at 2pm. Then, in the evening there will be a hog roast, paella and veggie dishes at Westmeston Parish Hall, all for a reasonably priced £10 per person. Partners and family members are invited.
Now onto some committee role updates. From the beginning of July, Mark Sturgis has taken on the full role of Club Run Secretary. Previously this role was shared with Steve Ratford. The reason for this is that Steve has kindly filled the Club Treasurer vacancy. Obviously the club doesn’t operate without the work of the committee volunteers, so a big thank you to both of them. Mark has lots of ideas around club runs and wishes to expand upon and improve the scope of them, giving more variety whilst at the same time meeting the needs of all riders ( for example, including longer distances, round trips with a coffee stop at the end, short routes for those still building fitness etc). He will be putting up a forum post to collect your views and ideas, so please keep an eye out for it and contribute your thoughts if you have any. You can find our forum by clicking here.
Next up, I’d like to say good luck to Adrian Bennett, Alan Dainty, Darren Bird, Gemma Hobson and Jason Blenkarn who are all racing early tomorrow morning in the Crawley Wheelers Open TT on course G10/97. There is a team prize available and they are hoping to go fast enough to win it. We’re just hoping that Jason turns up to the start line with more than 3 seconds to spare and that he remembers his shoes! Good luck also to our road racing Nomads in their races over the coming week. You’ll have seen from the photos on twitter/facebook that Josh, Alex and Ben have been in action a lot at various road races along with our second claim Nomad friends at URDT. Keep an eye out for more photos and news of their achievements on our social media feeds. I’d also like to extend a thank you to Alex for being a good sport when I am posting various funny photos and info about him on twitter, and to Clive for keeping me constantly supplied with amusing pics 😀
Please do keep sending me news and photos of any events you have taken part in. It’s great to be able to share them with everyone. You can send them to me directly on whatsapp, or on the various Nomads whatsapp groups or via email.
Lastly, don’t forget that our evening club 10 TT series is still happening and there are a few weeks left to take part. The next one is this evening and all the info you need to take part can be found by clicking here. For those doing the club run on Sunday, it is heading to Cuckfield. The route and venue info can be found here, but I’ll also be posting it out later as usual on strava/FB/Twitter.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Sally