VC10 Club TT Championship Events 2010

	Date	Distance	Course	Start Time	Riders
1	Wednesday 19th May 2010	10	F41/10	7.30pm	35
2	Wednesday 26th May 2010	10	Gt Miss/new	7.45pm	35
3	Wednesday 2nd June 2010	25	HCC/114	7.45pm	30
4	Wednesday 9th June 2010	Rest Week
5	Wednesday 16th June 2010	10	F41/10	7.30pm	35
6	Wednesday 23rd June 2010	10	Gt Miss/new	7.45pm	30
7	Wednesday 30th June 2010	25	HCC/114	7.45pm	30
8	Wednesday 7th July 2010	Rest Week
9	Wednesday 14th July 2010	10	F41/10	7.30pm	30
10	Wednesday 21st July 2010	10	F41/10	7.30pm	30
11	Wednesday 28th July 2010	10	Gt Miss/new	7.45pm	30
12	Wednesday 4th August 2010	25	HCC/114	7.45pm	25

West London Combined Events 2010

7th March  Middlesex RC 10:  Course 10/2 HQ Yes Start 9.01 Closing Date: 25th February

21st March Hillingdon Tri-Stars:   25 Course CC113 Start 8.01 Closing Date: 9th March

11th April High Wycombe CC:   25 Course CC114   Start 07.31 Closing Date: 30th March

30th May Hillingdon CC:   25 Course 114   Start 07.31 Closing Date: 18th May

27th June WesterlyRC:   50 Course H50/4 Start 07.31 Closing Date: 15th June

5th September Bath Road Club:   25 Course CC114 Closing Date: 24th August

19th September Amersham RC: 10 Course HCC011 Closing Date : 7th September     

17th October West Drayton MBC: Hill Climb Course HCC011 Closing Date: 5th October

To enter WLC events you need to e-mail before the closing date.

e-mail greg.lewis@vc10.org.uk

Fast Courses for 2010

Course	Location	Distance
P613	Andover	10
A25/11	Derby	25
F20/10	Hertford	10
U47	Swindon	10
R25/l	Resolven	25
R25/h	Resolven	25
U46b	Swindon	25/50
E2/25	Newmarket	25/50
E2/10	Newmarket	10
V718	Hull	10
F2/10	Caxton	10
E2/50	Newmarket	50
J5/8	Stoke	25

Target Events For Vc10 in April & May

Date	Club	Distance	Course	Comments
2nd April	HWCC	10	H10/17R
4th April	a3crg	25	P881/25
5th April	Alton CC	30	H31/9
10th April	Lee Valley CC	25	E2/25
10th April	VTTA	10	V718
11th April	Southgate CC	10	F20/10
17th April	Antelope CC	31	H50/19	3TTT
17th April	BDCA	25	A25/11
17th April	Andover Wheelers	10	P613
18th April	Acme Wheelers	25	R25/3H
24th April	Bath CC	10	U47
1st May	Cambridge CC	10	F2D/10
2nd May	Ogmore Valley Wheelers	25	R25/3H
8th May	South Pennine RC	25	A25/11
8th May	Shaftsbury CC	25	E2/25
8th May	Corinium CC	10	U47
9th May	Army CU	25	P881/25
15th May	Lee Valley CC	10	E2/10
16th May	Norland TT	50	F1/50
16th May	HWCC	25	H25/2
22nd May	ECCA	50	E2/50C
22nd May	Sotonia	10	P613	Middle Markers
23rd May	VTTA	10	U47/B	VTTA
30th May	Spirit	10	F5D/10

Other Club Events on Fast Course in 2010 

Whitewebb CC/Hertford Wheelers
Club	Date	Course	Distance	Start Time
WWCC	5th May	F20/10	10	7.30pm
Herts W	11th May	F20/10	10	7.30pm
Herts W	1st June	F20/10	10	7.30pm
Herts W	8th June	F20/10	10	7.30pm
WWCC	30th June	F20/10	10	7.30pm
Herts W	3rd August	F20/10	10	7.30pm
Hert W	10th August	F20/10	10	7.30pm

Whitewebbs 11th August F20/10 10 7.30 

Hertford Wheelers 17th August F20/10 10 7.30

 

 

http://www.whitewebbscc.freeserve.co.uk/events2009.htm

http://www.herts-wheelers.org.uk/race/club.htm

Plus keep and eye on www.lwdc.org.uk for events west of London

If you have read my Lands End to John O’Groats story else where on the VC10 web page. You will know I have been cycling since 2004. During that time I have been suckered or convinced that there are golden bullets around which will make you go faster on your bike almost straight away.

Expensive aero wheels for your TT bike. Creatine being another. Aero wheels do make a difference. However, the most import nut on a bike is the nut that holds the handelbars and turns the pedals.

Having refined equipment to suit my riding style and phsyic over the first few years of my cycling career.  I have spent the last few years looking at things which improve my physical performance. This includes: diet, training, supplements, hydration, sleep and rest. Plus the area of core strength and suppleness.

Virtually every week there are articles in Cycling Weekly or on Bikeradar about stretching and non bike fitness.

Despite my best efforts I am still lacking in routine and application concerning suppleness and stretching. However, in 2005 my long term windsurfing nemisis and second claim VC10 member Willy Banham recommended I try sports massage and in particular Angela Byne who works just outside Guildford. As we have several members in Surrey I thought it would be of interest to know about Angela and how useful or not sports massage has been to me.

In 2005 and 2006 sportives were the main focus. The objective being to build base fitness and develop my bike riding skills. During the summer months this would mean most weekends would be spent doing hilly or even mountainous rides. Often leading to fatigue and severe muscle stiffness. Even with regular stretching my legs would start to resemble the timbers lifted from the sunked wreck of the Mary Rose. They would be stiff and lifeless.

So I started sports massage on monthly basis with Angela. The proceess starts with a in-depth interview by Angela of your sporting activities and your future goals.  This process always occurs before each session. Allowing Angela to judge how hard to work your muscles and not to take out too much muscle tone  if you are racing within 24 hours of your session.

Over the first few sessions a good sports masseur will apply deep tissue pressure to your muscles and ask you for a pain threshold based on a scale of 1 to 10. This allows them to judge how deep they can go into your muscles and how much pain you can stand.

As the sessions go by your masseur starts to judge what you need to keep you going. This may be the whole session on your lower back after a very hilly sportive or your IT bands after a 25 mile TT.

In todays money a 1 hour session costs about £40.00. As I do not spend money on drink or smoking I am happy to justify this cost once a month for Angela to patch me up and head out again for more miles on the bike as one of lifes extravagances.

One of the side effects of massage is the flu like sensation felt later in the day as the lactic acid released from your muscles is removed from your body. Angela suggests plenty of fluid and sleep after a session. I am normally convinced that I am coming down with a cold after a massage and the person before me has left cold germs all over the massage table. However, after a good sleep this goes away.

Angela will now give you her perspective on why sports massage for cyclists.

By Angela Byne

Member of Sports Massage Association and practicing therapist for 12 years. 

Whether it’s the Tour de France or a jaunt out with a group of like-minded buddies…world class and otherwise, cyclists are learning the lessons of Sports Massage for injury prevention, enhanced performance and  faster recovery.

Cycling is a physically demanding activity which can involve hours in the saddle, short recovery periods followed by further prolonged riding. It is due to this that a lot of cyclists suffer with overuse injuries usually as a result of poorly fitting equipment. Their training tends to be very one-dimensional which does not allow them to develop all round fitness and strength.  The legs take a lot of the strain but it can also affect many other areas of the body. To prevent some of these becoming problems, World Class cyclists factor Sports Massage into their daily routines and often have preferred messeurs travelling with them as part of their support teams.

What is it about Sports Massage that makes such good sense for bike riders?

The benefits of massage have been recognised for many years, the specifics of Sports Massage have perhaps not been around for quite as long. It differs from conventional massage, or perhaps what you may know as therapeutic massage, because it targets the muscles at a very deep level, (I should add this can be fairly painful!). A general massage will leave you feeling relaxed and a little oily but if you, like a lot of us, are suffering with muscle tightness conventional massage will not target that and will probably end up making you feel more frustrated than relaxed. Sports massage administered by a well-qualified professional will help promote recovery in ways rest and nutrition alone cannot.

How can Cyclists benefit?

 As a group, cyclists can really benefit from Sports Massage.

Due to the endurance aspect of the sport there is a great build up of waste products which are stored within the muscles, this slows down the muscles ability to recover. Removal of this waste product is just one of the areas in which Sports massage can help.

The hamstrings are never fully lengthened while cycling causing them to shorten slightly which could go on to cause back problems, the deep stretching techniques applied in a Sports Massage can help to relengthen hamstrings. The posture assumed in the upper body whilst cycling is very flexed causing long weak upper back muscles and a tight chest. Working across a tight chest and loosening upper back neck and shoulder muscles can help alleviate this. The biggest problem most cyclists face is that their bike has not been set up correctly for them and this is the cause all sorts of problems. The pure repetitive nature of cycling on a poorly fitted bike can lead to injuries, it can also place undue stresses though wrists, shoulders, hips and knee joints.

Some Injury Prevention tips which you may find useful.

• Make sure that you are properly fitted for your bike. Visit a reputable bike shop and have them check your measurements and then adjust your bike accordingly. If you are thinking of buying a new bike make sure you seek expert advise so they sell you the correct frame size!
• Implement a graduated training schedule, build up your base riding in on flat ground before implementing long hilly rides.
• Give some attention to your core muscles with conditioning exercises, Pilates is an excellent way of building core strength.
• And finally make sure that you stretch properly!

Try and have a Sports Massage regularly, for most of us this is not an option financially, but once a month would be a good compromise.

Where do you find a reputable sports therapist?

There is a data base of therapists who have qualified with the LSSM (London School of Sports Massage). These therapists will have completed a very thorough training. http://www.theisrm.com/directory.php

You should also look for someone who is a Member of the Sports Massage Association (MSMA). http://www.sportsmassageassociation.org/

Written by Angela Byne LSSM MSMA

I have been a Sports Therapist for 12 years and have a practice in Hampton (East Molesey) within the Pavilion Health Club. I also have a treatment room in Guildford. I am remedially trained and studied with the London school of Sports Massage. I am also a fully qualified Remedial Pilates Instructor, I have studied a full Diploma with the Pilates Institute in London. I work with cyclists regularly so I can appreciate the many muscular issues that come with this sport, I am also a fairly keen cyclists myself. My website address for more information, www.totalpilates.co.uk. I look forward to meeting you soon?

Thank you Angela.

If you live or work in the Guildford area I would highly recommend Angela. If not sports massage is very effective. All my personnel bests in 2009 were set within a few days of a massage session with Angela. So it may to be time to find a sports masseur close to you and start rebuilding your suppleness and core strength. 

Greg

Rob MacCulloch VC10′s long distance rider. Who has the habit of popping out the door and riding to the South of France writes a report a review of two tyres that have served him well over the last few years.

Over to Rob.

After Greg Lewis’  review of the fast and light Continental Tempo tubular tyres, it seems only fair to submit a review to VC10 members for a pair of slower and heavier training tyres from the same country as the Contis. Here’s a review of two different Schwalbe ‘Plus’ series tyres: the touring cyclist’s favourite, the Marathon Plus tyre, and their slightly faster brother the Stelvio Plus (now re-named Durano Plus) tyre.

 First a bit of background as to why I’ve chosen to review a pair of tyres that make you feel about as far removed from Eddy Merckx as its possible to be. I live in an area of Chalk downs, like many parts of the South of England. Mixed in with that chalk is flint – lots of it. All of that flint washes onto the road (and trails) over time and in my experience, flint causes mayhem with tyres. The local back roads round here, such as my commuting route into work (see picture below), are great training roads with marvellous scenery and rolling terrain, but those roads are in about the same condition as Paris-Roubaix.

On one winter audax around my home patch in 2008, my riding partner and I suffered twelve punctures between us, actually running out of puncture patches and tubes that afternoon (and having to be rescued via a car lift back home). That same winter, I also wrote off one set of Continental GP4000’s, one set of Vittoria ‘cross tyres and one set of Michelin Carbons due to flints, as well as buying around three puncture repair kits and countless spare tubes. In all, the total cost must have been well beyond £100 for tyres, tubes and puncture kits over about five months. Flint – love it when it’s used for building a wall, hate it on the roads.

By the end of February 2008, I’d had enough – enough of fixing muddy punctures by the side of wet roads in the cold, enough of patching tyres when I got home, enough of repairing inner tubes every evening. There’s more to life, quite honestly. That’s when I invested in a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25mm tyres.

I’m still on the same tyres. I still haven’t had a puncture with them. I’ve lost count of how many miles I’ve done on them, as the same pair of tyres has been used on three bikes at different times, but suffice to say a lot of miles. They look slightly dirtier now, but that’s about it. Oh – and I’m a lot fitter now than when I bought them, partly as a result of using these tyres.

These are supreme training tyres: they’re heavy as sin (the 25mm’s weigh around 580g each – i.e. about the same weight as using three Michelin Pro 3’s on a single wheel). But that’s OK, because the object of training is to make you stronger – and powering these things over a typically hilly Hampshire ride does exactly that. These tyres also allow you to train effectively. By that, I mean that you don’t lose any minutes or any heat on a winter ride through having to repair punctures.

Because of their construction (more on that later) these tyres also shrug off potholes, so you also don’t have to worry too much about damage to wheel rims, which is especially reassuring if you have to train in the dark over winter, where potholes often aren’t too visible. Basically, once these things are on your training bike you can do just that – train and get an extra strength and time benefit. Perfect.

A note on these tyres’s construction: Schwalbe tyres, in my experience, ‘do what they say on the tin’. Therefore, where Schwalbe specify a 25mm tyre, the tyre measures a ‘real’ 25mm. Compare this with another well-known UK winter tyre, the Continental GP 4 Seasons 28mm, which measures 3mm less than stated at an actual 25 mm in my experience: I’m reassured by Schwalbe’s accuracy. There is a deep chevron style tread on the tyres – enough tread for light gravel paths like towpaths – yet there is enough rubber along the crown of the tyre for reasonable rolling resistance for such a heavy tyre. The tread also copes well with wet, mud and ice on roads; I’ve found them to be pretty grippy tyres. There’s also a few extras built in to the tyres: a luminous band around the circumference of the sidewall (handy for visibility in traffic) and a reinforced area on each sidewall for a tyre-driven dynamo, handy enough if you use them.

The secret to these tyres, however, lies under the tread. Between the stout rubber tread of the tyre and the inner carcass of the tyre is a thick layer (at least half a centimetre thick) of stiff blue foam rubber. This layer of protection basically prevents flints and thorns from penetrating the inner carcass – the foam rubber is stiff enough that it seems to almost push sharp objects out. Therefore – punctures are minimal and if you hit a pothole, you’ve got an extra layer of bounce that absorbs the shock. At times, when I’ve got home from a ride, I’ve pulled out big bits of sharp flint from these tyres which would have punctured ‘normal’ tyres in an instant, yet these tyres just shrugged it off.

But what’s the downside of Marathon Plus’s? OK, you can probably puncture them if you really try, but it’s going to be a really rare occurrence. They’re not fast tyres either, but then again, they’re not meant to be. The added layer of foam rubber between the tread and carcass also means that the sidewalls have extra carcass layers too, so these tyres can be quite a stiff ride (low tyre pressures are advisable – I use a maximum of 90psi for the 25mm’s). However, I find that the 25mm version of these tyres gives a more comfortable ride than Continental GP 4 Seasons 28mm’s. The other downside of the thick, stiff carcass is that getting a new pair of these tyres onto your rims is a struggle – patience and a set of rounded steel tyre levers to help gently lever them on to the rim is advised. You’d also be right in thinking that these tyres aren’t going to get you up a hill faster – until you get back on your race wheels, when you’ll really notice the long term benefit from training with these.  Also, a true 25mm is as thin as these tyres come, so you need to have a frame with some clearance to fit them. The last downside is the cost – these tyres ain’t cheap, being about £35 each. But they’re an investment, as they’ll probably last you for 2 years or more, even if you ride a lot, as well as giving you extra savings through buying fewer spare tubes or puncture kits.

All in all, when you think “winter training tyre”, when “winter training” means a long, wet, gritty, cold ride because you’re riding to get stronger, Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25mm are hard to beat. I love them – they’re like a poor man’s Powertap hub.

That leads me on to a review of Schwalbe Stelvio Plus tyres (now re-badged as Schwalbe Durano Plus). Much as I love the Schwalbe Marathon Plus for my commuting and training bike, I do actually want to go faster sometimes, especially in summer. That’s not always easy on the Marathon Plus’s, unless you have Miguel Indurain-size lungs and legs. But, round my way, that flint on the road doesn’t magically disappear over summer, so I’ve still found that a puncture resistant tyre is well worth having in order to get the miles into your legs.

Enter the Schwalbe Stelvio Plus 25mm. These are my favourite tyre of all time, because for 80% of the riding I do (Hampshire back lanes), they’re perfect for about 90% of the time. Realistically, you can’t expect much more from a humble tyre.

Basically, the Stelvio Plus are the ‘race’ version of the Schwalbe Marathon Plus – they have the same stiff, puncture preventive blue foam rubber layer in between the tread and the inner carcass, but a much slicker, thinner tread and a lighter sidewall and overall weight, because the tread, foam rubber layer and carcass are all a bit thinner. A 25mm tyre weighs around 380g per tyre – so they’re not a ‘race’ tyre, but they’re a decent enough weight for a training bike: and for flinty back roads most of the year round, they’re fine. The Durano tread looks a bit different to the Stelvio tread, but basically the construction and weight is the same (unless Schwalbe did something technical, like change the rubber compound – I can’t say I’ve noticed, so as far as I know, they’re the same tyre with a changed tread pattern).

The tread has a grooved pattern for wet weather, but wet weather can overwhelm these tyres a bit – they’re OK in the wet, but they’re not superglue. That’s my only note of caution. Otherwise, the tyre looks like a ‘normal’ 25mm road tyre – no dynamo or reflective strip like the Marathon Plus – and behaves like a normal 25mm tyre. And yet just like the Marathon Plus, the Stelvio Plus is pretty much puncture free and definitely a bit softer over potholes (due to the foam rubber layer). I’ve had one puncture, ever, over two pairs of these tyres, after a combined 10,000-odd miles. That puncture was a sharp bit of flint, about half a thumbnail wide, which only just penetrated the inner carcass. It would have slashed open most other tyres. I used these tyres to cycle through France in summer 2008, with panniers, a few gravel roads thrown in and with one accidental ride over a broken glass bottle in a dark tunnel: 1606 miles in eleven days cycling with not a single puncture. There was a small cut in one of the treads when I got home (probably from the broken glass) and that’s it – and I’m still using the same tyres now, as they haven’t worn out yet. From a puncture resistance point of view, that’s remarkable.

The Stelvio/Durano Plus are also pretty fast tyres. OK, they’re not like time trial tubulars – but for your average training ride, on your average UK road, in your average UK conditions, they’re fast enough and they’re very comfortable (a thinner carcass than the Marathon Plus makes them more comfortable by far). The only thing they’re not – like their stable mate, Schwalbe Marathon Plus – is cheap. Again, Schwalbe Durano Plus are around £35 each. Possibly that’s a result of the currently weak pound against a truly European, Euro-priced, imported product, but these tyres are worth it, in my opinion. They last for ever, they’ll save you from most punctures and a lot of pothole damage, and they’ll give you many happy training miles, making you all the stronger on race day.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Durano Plus – the perfect winter/summer training tyre combination, with added ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’. 

Cervelo S1 with Ultegra 6700 review

Shimano Dura-ace WH7850 CL Carbon Laminate Wheel set with Powertap Hub review

Panaracer Fire XC Pro Clincher review(already posted)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Club Kit Arrives. Tested and Reviewed 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiemeyer Track Bike build and review by Rob M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Planet X Track Bike v Cervelo P3 Track Bike

Cervelo P4. Ridden and tested. March 2010

Drag2Zero Wind Tunnel Test

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

USE MaxxD Long term review

 Cervelo S3 Initial Review

Polar CS600X Fitness Device with Power Output.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the curse of black ice VC10 enjoyed two great rides today.

Both the MTB Group and Road Group met at West Wycombe. Having looked at the forecast on Thursday Dave Johnson and Nick Calkin decided the ice could be an issue for an early start. So 10.00am was agreed.

The ice was worse than expected so the Road Group decided on a 10.30 start as the MTB Group under the leadership of Nick set off at just after 10.00am.

Nick’s Garmin 705 download tells the story of a great ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22569233

The trails had been firmed up nicely by the cold weather during the night. Giving fast conditions.

Nick,Kev and Rick covering an amazing 28.2 miles in 2hrs  43 minutes. Heading out towards Bledlow and then via Whiteleaf passing Hampden House of horrors. Well the Rocky Horror picture show was filmed there.

Then back via Kings Hill and the Hughenden Valley. After an epic ride Nick and Kev were the first back to enjoy the bacon rolls and coffee in the garden centre.

The Road Group headed up to Longwick and then Long Crendon. After several attempts to get towards Brill. We decided to turn around and head down to Wheatley. Roads were either flooded or looked a bit icy to use. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point Ralph and Phil Fryer Ward headed back towards home on an indirect route.

The roads around Worminghall and Wheatley seem to have being exposed to the sun more than the roads in the Aylesbury Wolds. S0 we enjoyed some good conditions.

David Johnson and Joe Holloway lead the fast boys back along the old A40 and up Aston Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the guys following on not far behind. Anna and Andrew Jackson showing good winter fitness with strong climbing up Aston Hill.

The garmin connect account tells the story of the Road Group day out:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22593619

The MTB guys were soon joined by the road guys for a coffee and debrief.

Another great days riding for VC10 riders.

Well done to all those who rode today.

Chiltern Classic Reliability Rides await next weekend.