Kerry Harford Race Report 6

Hi All

Free wifi at the velodrome so this is hot off the press. News is all bad. The TT was good, lowered my PB by a second and generally went well coming 13th which was the first half of the field. This was used as a good hitout for the pursuit this morning NZ time.
The pursuit wasn't very good, 5th the same as last year but the time was very slow 3.39, way below what I had been training at and way below my PB, and I am not sure quite why. Rode Ok but needed a calendar to time myself, lost two seconds on the last lap when I thought I was lifting the pace.
As a positive I will now be able to watch the soaps on TV tonight with all german dubbing.

Kerry

Saturday Race 30th October 2010

Race Circuit: Tuki Valley
Venue: Haumoana School
Registration: from 1pm (pay your $3 and be registered before your race start) Race start time: 2pm Race Starter: Gavin Bush and Don Kennedy Race Day Emergency Phone: 0274266895

Interested in Being a Race Starter?

One of things we all love about Ramblers is that we are able to race all year round… on almost EVERY Saturday we can join a club race.
This does mean that we need volunteers as race starters for every weekend.
Sometimes our hard working committee need a break.
If you are interested in being a race starter, please let us know. You will receive training and support and everyone in the club will be grateful to you.
Please email expressions of interest to info@ramblers.co.nz or talk to one of your committee.

B.R. Turfrey Plumbers Ltd Tour de Beautiful Central Hawkes Bay

It's that time of year again to take part in a beautiful and challenging fun ride catering for all abilities with different length courses through picturesque countryside in Central Hawkes Bay. Exciting spot prizes including the chance to win a new Ford Fiesta car. Entries will be excepted Saturday 4:00pm to 6:00pm and Sunday morning 7:30am to 8:30am at the CHB College Hall Svenson Rd.
Cut and paste this URL to enter online
http://www.coolrunning.co.nz/races/tourchb/

Thanks again to our Committee

Monthly meetings, organising and running races and events, policies review and development, the logo and uniform, race programmes, liaising with other clubs, rider development; our committee do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to ensure Ramblers success.
Thank you Gavin Bush (Chair), Don Kennedy, Mark Coombe (Treasurer), Tony Hartley, Ken MacKenzie, Dean Clifford, Roy van Panhuys, Rob Oliver and Hilary Green (Club Captain) for your ongoing and often unseen work to enable the club to be the success it is.

Message from Butch Allen

“I'm a Havelock North resident who has friends flying to NZ on the weekend of Dec 4-5 and are seeking to rent road bikes for a 100K scouting trip of the Ironman Taupo course. Obviously bike shops, don't rent road bikes but everyone recommended we contact Ramblers for suggestions. They are seeking two 58cm bikes and are very willing to rent, put down full value cash deposit, etc. but unfortunately cannot bring their own bikes for a myriad of reasons.”
If you are willing to help a couple of fellow bikers in need out, please contact Butch at butch@akcenter.org

Mountain Bike Workshops: 6-7 November

A reminder to those interested that there are still places available in workshops by Jacquie Phelan. All enquiries/applications/payments to attend these workshops can be posted to or dropped of to Vicki at BikeHB. Postal
Address: Bike HB, PO Box 7537, Taradale, Napier 4141 or in person to SportHB, Pettigrew Green Arena, Taradale.

Upcoming events around the country

30th October: K2
20th November: Hamilton City Cycling Club Open and Fun Ride.
21st November: Hampton Downs Cycling Festival.
27th November: Round Taupo Challenge
23 January 2011: Bill Turfrey Plumbers Tour de Beautiful Central Hawkes Bay
13-19 February 2011: Lion Foundation Wellington to Auckland Cycle Challenge.
26-27 March 2011: The Ultimo Central Hawkes Bay 2 Day Junior Tour

Fraser Gough in Pure Black Racing U23 Squad

Pure Black Racing has announced squads ahead of Tour of Southland next week.
Read full article http://www.endurancesport.co.nz/story.cfm?id=59616

PureBlack Racing 2011 UCI US Continental Tour Squad
Glen Chadwick Captain
Michael Torckler
Daniel Barry
Michael Northey
Scott Lyttle
James Williamson
Roman Van Uden
Shem Rodger
Taylor Gunman
Mark Langlands
James McCoy

PureBlack Racing U23 and U19 Squad
Scott Creighton U23
Fraser Gough U23
James Oram U23
Dion Smith U23
Nick Sutton U23
Nick Hand U23
James Northey U19
Alex Ray U19

Offical Pure Black Racing Website (Click on splash page to enter) http://www.pureblackracing.com/

Kerry Race Report 4

Bit of racing going on here. The Final of the European stayers Championships was exciting to watch. The Swiss won but the papers claimed the Germans where paid to take a dive and the Swiss winner didn't like the crowds attitude, I was there and it all looked above board to me. Eight stayer motorbikes with riders roaring round Alkmaar track was an impressive site, the final was a one hour race at speeds of around 70kph, both stayer and riders looked pretty sore at the finish.

Our turn to race on Tuesday night. I raced the open omnium consisting of points, scratch, miss and out, mystery distance and a race where only the first two across the line each lap get points. I seem to have made the mystery distance my specialist event, sadly it is not on the World champs program next week. I came third in the omnium, which is an overall for the five events. There was a couple of races on the program for stayers. I resisted the temptation to enter, anyway I didn't bring my stayer bike over to Europe.

Also spent a night at the Amsterdam six day event. Six days of track racing under disco lights and DJs stirring the crowd up. At half time we were even “entertained” by some short fat Dutchman who sang songs about Amsterdam and windmills. Anyway the riders played up to the crowd, in the sprint events the Dutch cleaned out the American team and lots of beer and frites were consumed.

You had to be impressed by the skill level displayed by the riders, the interesting thing was a few of the riders are the same ones I train with on Thursday nights group sessions, young kids get to train and interact with the stars of the sport which can only be inspiring to them. I have no idea how it is possible to to hear riders attacking or communicate between teams when Lady Ga Ga is doing her thing over the speaker system.

I have been listening to a lot of Irish Folk & Country music lately. Its not that I enjoy it or even can stomach it, its what Mrs Hopman puts on the stereo. I suspect that she does this to get me out of the house, and I have to admit that after half an hour of hearing about the green fields of Ireland I'm only too happy to head out into the wind, rain and cold weather and ride my bike for hours.

John Cleese once said of Palmerston North that he thoroughly recommended going there if you were contemplating suicide but lacked that final push to end it all. I now can offer a cheaper alternative than driving all that way through the Gorge, and all for the cost of a simple CD.

Of course I understand that some people do enjoy this type of music and I don't wish to offend anyone but there is a lucrative market out there that can be exploited and I have been thinking how to tap into this. The good news is that all these songs follow a rigid pattern with their lyrics, and it would appear that as long as you stick strictly to this pattern you can pretty much sit back and watch for the royalty checks to start appearing in your mail box. All songs sing of a poor orphaned blind Irish boy who gets deported on a convict ship to Australia, discovers when he gets there that the pub has no beer and then for no properly explained reason dies in prison. Its as simple as that.
So next time you feel a strange urge to marry your sister and move to Taranaki, write a country music song and make some money.

All Good here.

Kerry Harford Race Report 5

Kerry's Report 4 seems to be lost in transit, will track down and post asap -

Training all done. Now a case of getting down to Portugal for the track familiarisation and then the racing which begins Tuesday the 26th. The program for me is; Tuesday 750m time trial, Wednesday 3000m pursuit heats and final, Thursday 10km scratch heats and final, Friday and Saturday is the sprints and last day is the 20km Points race heats and final. There is also the team sprints held throughout the week as well.

I'm really only interested in the “endurance” events, the pursuit, scratch and points races, with the other two on the program to keep me out of the Pub.

At one stage we were considering driving down to Portugal through Europe but that has been canned and we are taking the two hour flight. The drive would have been impossible anyway as the Communist surrender monkeys who are sometimes known to themselves as the French, are all on strike and there is no petrol to be bought at the pumps, hence you can't drive through France.

The idle French workers are all upset because the government has pointed out that the country is going broke, because everyone is on strike and do stuff all anyway if they did decide to check out what their workplace looks like from the inside. Not taking this provocative insult lying down, the workers decided their best option was to go on strike. Even the idle French farmers are out, some refusing to jump in their flash new tractors and go down to the bank to cash their European subsidy cheques for not planting maize or not planting grain.

The nation as a whole can now turn their attention to far more pressing things like working out ways to disqualify any foreign cyclist who dares finish ahead of the first Frenchman at the Tour. By my count that will probably be most of them. The only positive thing I can say about the French is that they helped clear some much needed wharf space in the Auckland harbour basin circa 1985.

I have been outside riding on the roads in Holland and it is slightly un-nerving. For a start the motorist seem “extremely reluctant” to kill you. Coming from New Zealand, the law that cars give way to bikes crossing the road on bike paths is disconcerting, as is their courtesy and willingness to share the road. Not that you really need to ride on the roads as hot mix bike paths are everywhere and are far smoother to ride than anything in NZ. A quarter of the sixteen million Dutch claim to ride their bikes every day so I guess that's a lot of votes.

The law here is that if a car bowls a cyclist its the cars fault unless proven otherwise. You can't have it always though, if a cyclist bowls a pedestrian its the cyclist fault unless proven otherwise, this makes a lot of sense.
Anyway am looking forward to the warmer weather and the delights of the home of Port.

All good here.

Ramblers Steal Open Womens Silver at National Team Time Trials

The newly formed team of Ashleigh Neave, Hannah Van Kampen, Hayley Davis and Megan Watson had a great race to take the Silver Medal in today's Nationals Team Time Trials in Hamilton.

With one senior and 3 junior riders and having had only one practice ride they managed an average speed of just under 40km/hr over the 40km course and finished 1:40 behind the winners Counties Manakau (Rachel Larner, Toni Bradshaw, Marion Webb and Mel Bourke).
Bronze medal winners Te Awamutu Sports Cycling Clubs Laura Gretton, Brittany Thompson, Courtney Grenfell and Maddie Brunton finished 2:50 further back.
The Mens Open was won by Counties Manakau (Nick Lovegrove, Karl Murray, Aaron Strong and Gordon McCauley)who covered the 40km course in 50:48.88.

Ex Rambler David Joyce showed that he is coming back to form with his Forestland Wheelers Tokoroa team finishing first in the Masters 2 event.
Click Here for Full Results from BikeNZ

SATURDAY RACE 23rd October 2010

Race Circuit: Clive Criterium
Venue: please note, this course has no venue so bring plenty of water, and please use public facilities in Clive Village
Registration: from 1pm (pay your $3 and be registered before your race start) Race briefing: on the line

Race start times:
G Grade: 1:15pm (15 minutes + 3 laps)
F Grade: 1:35pm (15 minutes + 3 laps)
E Grade: 1:55pm (20 minutes + 3 laps)
D Grade: 2:20pm (20 minutes + 3 laps)
C Grade: 2:45pm (20 minutes + 3 laps)
B Grade: 3:15pm (20 minutes + 3 laps)
A Grade: 3:45pm (20 minutes + 3 laps)


Race Starter: Ken Mackenzie
Race Day Emergency Phone: 0274266895

This race will be run as a true criterium. That is, first across the line wins.
There will be no sprint points.

TOUR OF THE BAY - HUGE THANKS TO OUR ORGANISERS, VOLUNTEERS & HELPERS

A lot of work goes into this event in the months preceding ‘the day’. Thanks to Vicki Butterworth of BikeHB and to Ramblers volunteer Ken MacKenzie who co-organised the event this year. Thanks to our committee, especially Gavin Bush for supporting them. Also particular thanks to all Ramblers members and families who assisted in the week before, or over the weekend.
With rider numbers equaling last year, you helped to make an enjoyable day for many people.

MEDIA RELEASE: TRACK CYCLING STARS TO SUPPORT UNISON VELODROME BID AT HAWKES BAY A&P SHOW ON FRIDAY

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Alison Shanks and Hawke’s Bay’s silver medal winning cyclist Westley Gough will be the stars of the Hawke’s Bay A and P Show on Friday. The two shining lights of New Zealand cycling will be showing their support for the Hawke’s Bay Unison Velodrome bid by riding stationery training bikes and signing autographs at the MORE FM site from noon.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Trust chair Lawrence Yule said it was extremely exciting to have the backing of Alison Shanks and Westley Gough, who had pledged their support for the Unison Velodrome bid before leaving for Delhi.
“We would encourage Hawke’s Bay people to come to the site to show their support for Alison and Westley and for the Velodrome bid.” Mr Yule said it would be the first opportunity for Hawke’s Bay fans to get a glimpse of the Commonwealth Games medals won by the two track cyclists.

Alison Shanks was the first athlete to win gold at the Games in Delhi, taking out the 3000m individual pursuit. Westley Gough won silver in the team pursuit.
While Westley was well known in the Bay, 27 year old Alison Shanks had also recently spent time here, spending a week training in Hawke’s Bay as part of her build up to overseas competition. Her partner and coach Craig Palmer is also originally from Hawke’s Bay. Mr Yule said the public campaign to show the decision makers that Hawke’s Bay is the most suitable place for the Velodrome will be revealed this Friday at the Show.

Mr Yule said Hawke’s Bay’s bid ticked all the boxes to be the home of a velodrome and “stands out” as the only suitable option and it was now important that the community showed its strong support. “Hawke’s Bay has the best climate, the best cycling terrain and cycling routes and two of the strongest cycling clubs in New Zealand. We now just need to show the Government that the people of Hawke’s Bay really want the Unison Velodrome,” he said.

Hawke’s Bay’s fundraising campaign is also ahead of the other regions’ bidding with over $4.5 million committed including $1m from Unison as naming rights sponsor. The Unison Velodrome is estimated to cost about $15m and will cater for riders from elite levels to recreational riders. It will be built to international specifications and the inner area will be used for netball, tennis and futsal. It is estimated that the Velodrome would generate $4.5 million in its first five years of operation.

Shout out to Vicki from Fraser Kitt

Fraser wrote:
"This is a big shout out to Vicki for hosting yet another fantastic Tour of the Bay. Had a great time and even got time to take a couple of photos. flicker photo of 110km finish

Yunca Junior Tour of Southland (Fraser Gough)

Coming off a month of big miles in the legs and a recent 4th at Taupo Napier I ventured down to the City of Dreams, Invercargill. This year’s Yunca Junior Tour of Southland was a lot like last years, windy. But for most of the racing the weather held off and we got good, summer like conditions. I even got sunburnt which is unheard of in Invercargill! I won this tour last year in the under 17 age group and hoped to step up and win in my first year as an under 19.
Friday
Prologue: This was quite a fun stage in that the course was three laps of the Teratonga race track just south of Invercargill. The 7.8km prologue TT was run in dry but windy conditions which meant the twists and turns of the race track provided head winds, tail winds and a cross wind. It was a solid hit out and I came in 5th, 8seconds down on the U19 yellow jersey of local lad Dillon Bennett.
Saturday
Stage 1, 80km: This stage suited me with its false flats and cross winds and after the small first circuit the stage continued through and did a larger loop which included a nice piece of false flat and a strong right to left wind, which was an ideal launching pad for a break to get away. I put the hammer down and the peloton split up and a lead group of six formed including the yellow. Having the afternoons 80km stage in mind I started to work the other guys, putting in a few attacks and stringing them out in the gutter! After hitting the front a bit soon coming into the sprint I just lead it out and cruised in a comfortable fifth looking forward to creating carnage that afternoon.

Stage 2, 80km: With the yellow jersey still on the back of the local boy, Bennett, and me sitting 8seconds back in fourth overall, I needed to make my move! This stage began from the famous Tuatapere, sited close to the southern coast and known for its atrocious weather. The weather was miraculously alright apart from a nasty crosswind which favoured me. The stage began and 10km’s out of town we hit the first section of cross wind . I thought I would give it a nudge sitting hard on the centreline driving the pace up to the 50’s and gradually squeezing the acid on to hurt the others. This proved to have worked 15km’s later when , after the intermediate sprint, I put in a strong attack and threw it in the gutter. When I saw the group had split I peeled off and started to lap it out with the 4 others who had made the junction. This refined group included the yellow jersey again! The group worked well at the start of the second lap and the gap starting increasing back to the main peloton with time check from the commasaire like 2 minutes 40.... 3minutes 30... With the yellow still in tow I thought I would use the little climb to see if I could shake him. We hit the climb and I took the front gradually increasing the pace and putting pressure on the yellow. I looked around and saw a face of pain which spurred me on to increase the pace even more. This was too much for him and he blew up big time (very happy!!) but there was still three guys left in the break with me so I got back to work .After the second intermediate sprint I put it in the gutter once more with about 10km to go and managed to drop another guy so that left the 3 of us battling it out in the wind. As we approached the finish we got a time check that was quite satisfying, 7minutes 45... Over the yellow who had regained with the main peloton. I smacked it up the finishing straight which led the other two to settle for the minor placings. This stage win put me in yellow with a 1 second lead over fellow breakaway companion Scott Creighton from Hamilton. With Bennett coming in 8 minutes later (happy face!).
Sunday
Stage 3, 30 minute crit: This was the only staged that rained at this year’s tour. The tight inner city criterium mixed with the wet equalled a perfect place to get time back on the second placed Creighton who was hot on my heels 1 second behind. After about 5 laps or so I launched of the front of the peloton to chase down the two who were in the early break. I caught them after a lap or two and began working hard, dropping one of the original escapees. I came into the first corner and my bike slid out from underneath me but I regained control and looked down to discover a rear puncture. After creeping to the finish with a flat tyre I got a wheel and rejoined in the break. We continued to work well and put a tidy 30seconds over the bunch which put me in yellow by 31 seconds. Stoked.
Stage 4, 80Km: This was the final stage of this year’s Yunca Junior Tour of Southland and a stage where I had a jersey to defend. I stayed close to the front and out of trouble rolling through and keeping the pace up. A break went early which lasted 60km so I was relieved when that got pulled in 20km’s from the line. A few late attacks from Creighton had me on my toes but proved to be unsuccessful as I retained the yellow and won the tour!!
This was an awesome Tour which I will be back at next year, trying to win, and make it 3 in a row. I would just like to thank my parents for the plane ticket and all their support. Ollie, Brenda, Dan, Tony and Andy at THE HUB Hastings and Raisey’s Nutrition for their huge support!
Cheers
Fraser Gough

Tour of the Bay Results

Many thanks to those who contributed to another great Tour of the Bay Day.

Results are now posted and can be downloaded Here

Kerry Harford (Race Report 3)

I have actually got a race report this time. On Monday we drove over to Apeldoorn for a night meeting on the track. The velodrome complex is very impressive and posters everywhere informed us that this was the venue for the track world champs in March 2011.
I raced open, and we had five events; points, scratch, miss and out, keirin heats and final and a mystery distance event. The first couple of races were ok as I was still finding my racing legs, but I improved throughout the evening. In my keirin heat everything was going fine when I got this huge hook that smacked my front wheel that sent me up the banking, I managed to stay upright and still qualified for the final. The guy who hooked me rode up beside me and patting me on the back and apologised, or so I think, he could have been telling me to eat splinters for all I knew. In one of the other heats a rider was disqualified for “dangerous riding” which I thought was almost impossible in a keirin, so the guy may have been covering his tracks.
We had the mystery distance race before the final and I can report that I won this most prestigious event. Ivar told me just to keep an eye on the guy with the bell. The commissionaire's stood round talking while we raced ignoring what was going on for ages. I went out on the attack with two others, who eventually had enough of being out the front and just as I was left out front by myself they rang the bell for the final lap. The bunch never caught me.
I made a mess of the keirin final, I drew place one which is the guy who has to catch and sit behind the motor bike for the first 1300 meters. The motor bike goes faster and faster until at 50kph and 700m to go the motorbike pulls down and the real race begins. All the other races that evening the bunch had slowed and pulled up the banking as the motorbike pulled up so I though I would take a flyer off the motorbike and surprise them. Only one guy wasn't awake so I had four grinning Dutchmen sitting on my wheel thinking that surely this dopey Kiwi didn't expect us to fall for that old one, going into the last lap where, consequently I got cleaned out in the dash for the line.
Next day we headed down to Belgium for a kermesse, which is basically a booze up with a bike race. I was short changed with this race because even though we had cobbles, narrow roads and spectators blowing cigarette smoke in your face the weather was totally un-Belgium by being a nice fine day with little wind. This was of little comfort to me during the race as it rapidly turned to “slagroom” as we say in Holland. I was also hoping to try the local beer as Belgium is renown for its fine selection. You go to a supermarket and will be greeted by big long aisles of the stuff, starting from weak as “tui' like brown fizzy water up to the real knock a cow out at ten paces stuff. I will be endeavouring to do an exhausting in-depth study of this important subject before getting back to New Zealand.

Track training has been going well. At the weekly group session this week the Dutch pro road champion Nikki Terpstra has been training with us. Honestly no one takes much notice, he is just back from the world champs in Australia where he covered himself in glory by almost winning with a late breakaway which was caught in the last kilometer.

On Friday night at the local track they had the first heats of the European Stayer champs. I mentioned these in the last report. Very spectacular racing, the British moto rider smacked the wall and went down and one of the German moto's chopped a Dutchman to the delight of the Dutch crowd. This sport is huge in Germany where crowds of ten thousand will routinely show up to races. The pressure was on the Germans to perform in front of their supporters as the Dutch had won two heats so the Germans had to win the third.
Now as every Dutchman knows, when Germans swarm across the border thinking it's 'third time lucky' this has never in the past been a time for celebration. Ivar and me committed the fatal error of sitting by them in the stand and found out why.
In the late 1930s the Germans had a dive bomber plane called a “Stuka” which they used to great effect. Now the Stuka wasn't a great plane but some enterprising German put a siren on it which when the Stuka started to dive down to bomb, the siren would wind up producing a screaming sound which was found to cause far more damage to the population physiologically that the actual bombing itself, so the stuka was used more as a tool for physiological warfare. If you ever wondered what happened to the guy who thought this all up, I suspect he works for the air horn factory that the German supporters shop at. I have never heard anything so loud or so many different noises as when the German riders shot past and it may have scared me for life, certainly when they didn't win I noted many happy faces, much like VE day.

Heart of Hastings 10k Funride Course Notice

We will be using last year’s 10k Funride course, please note that the advertised course change on the entry form is incorrect. We apologise in advance. We are using last years 10k Funride course.
For all those entering online there is NO late entry fee for the Heart of Hastings 10k Funride - just enter online before Thursday 14th October.

2010 RaboDirect Team Time Trial National Championship (Sunday 24th October, Hamilton)

There is an epic weekend planned for the RaboDirect Team Time Trial National Championship – make sure you get your entries in now! It is the opportunity to prove that your club has the fastest team in the country. Hamilton will host a whole weekend cycling feast with a central city criterium on the Saturday afternoon, and a charity road race on the Monday. Both events have awesome prize money up for grabs! Entries close Wednesday 16th October. More information available here.

Extract form BikeNZ Road and Track Rules 2011:
4. TEAM TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
4.1 Entry is open to Club Teams only
4.2 Team entry will be limited to a maximum of 7 riders. Riders must be
licenced with the club that is entering the team
4.3 The team competing will be 4 riders, who may only be drawn from
the list of the 7 riders entered as part of that team.
4.4 Teams will be timed on the 3rd rider to cross the line.
4.5 Team Grades are: U17 (20km), Open (40km), Masters (40km), all
with separate mens & womens categories
4.6 Masters Grades consist of M1 (35 to 44), M2 (45 to 54), M3 (55+).
4.7 Teams can consist of mixed grades, however, the team grade will
then be determined by the youngest rider – e.g. a team consisting of
M1 & M2 grade riders will be categorized as an M1 team. U17 teams may not be mixed with any other category
4.8 Teams will start at 3 minute intervals. A draw shall be made for start
position, based on known results / previous years placing, with the
fastest team starting last
4.9 Riders will NOT be held or assisted at the start. Riders who break
the start will be awarded a time penalty.
4.10 The standard 25m x 2m drafting box applies
4.11 In the event of a team being overtaken, such team will avoid all
contact with the overtaking team.
4.12 The overtaken team has 1km to drop back to at least 25m behind the
other team.
4.13 Any rider dropped from a team may not join another team, or receive
or provide assistance.
4.14 Riders comprising the same team may exchange cycles, parts, food
and drink between themselves
4.15 All members of a team shall be entitled to a medal
4.16 Riders must compete in Club Colours.

Kerry (Race Report 2)

Not a lot of racing has been going on but we are spending a fair amount of time at the local velodrome and training with the locals working on leg speed, riding in tight groups and started some work on pacing.
On Thursday nights here they have a track training night open to anyone who shows up. Under 15 through to national representatives from Holland and Indonesia were there, roughly 45 riders on a track with a maximum racing limit of 24. The trainer would stand at the side of the track and call out instructions over the public address system and groups would form up, sprint or whatever on his instructions just like a square dance on track bikes. This works extremely well, assuming everyone speaks good Dutch of course. It was soon worked out that the idiot in “The Hub” shorts did not in fact speak good Dutch. Once they found out I came from New Zealand everyone was really pleased to ride beside me telling me what was happening next etc and striking up conversations between efforts that always went along the same lines of asking where in New Zealand was I from, then they would say they had an Aunty / Uncle / Cousin who lived in Auckland / Wellington / Te Puke and did I know them?.One guy was even riding round in a New Zealand skinsuit and he tearfully told me how he wasn't allowed to go back to New Zealand by his Dutch wife.
Really good two hour session tightly run and everyone got a good workout. Apparently Thomas Dekker was at one session when he took a call on his cellphone, he was instantly booted out, so even national hero's have to strictly follow the rules or leave.
After we finished, training got really spectacular because the Stayers came out to train. Stayer bikes have their fork turned round backwards, have a little 24inch front wheel, reinforcement stays under the handlebars and seat and an enormous Ken Mackenzie type chainring. One bike I looked at had a 66 tooth front and 13 tooth cog on the back. The riders, and I can confirm they did have a crazed look in their eyes, charge round behind big motorcycles at up to 100kph on some tracks. When things go wrong they really go wrong as there have been a number of deaths over the long history of Stayer racing. Apparently last year when a motorbike and rider went down, the nurses took four and a half hours to remove all the splinters from their bodies.
The pacers are Honda CN400cc twins with a roller stuck out the back. The local velodrome has nine identical ones lined up at the track. The motor cycle rider stands on the back pegs and wears this special helmet that makes him look like a cyberman. This has bulges open at the back around his ears so he can hear the rider yelling at him. He also wears some very fetching leather pants and jacket, think Doctor Who meets the Village People. Anyway the macho cyberman stands up straight on the back pegs of the bike with his arms straight down by his side. Once again think village people when they do the “M” in YMCA and you get the idea. The handlebars are extended back all the way to their hands held by their sides, and that's how they charge round, trying to make as big as possible windbreak for the rider as possible. The noise and the speed make this an amazing spectacle, specially when you get them roaring round side by side.
The Dutch love “out there” sport. There was a tv channel which only broadcast tractor pulling. But this would appear pedestrian to surely, what would on paper at least, be the most exciting spectator sport known to man, the sport of 'dyke jumping'. I tried to find out more about this exciting sport, possibly the liberal minded Dutch would screen it on late night tv, after all any culture which doesn't bat an eyelid over B & D cybermen whizzing round a velodrome on motorcycles would be right into televised dyke jumping. Sadly it would appear this sport sounds far more exciting than it actually is. Its sort of like pole vaulting across real dykes.
I have discovered in Holland you have to be ready for some of these simple traps. For instance if you were to go into a pub and ask for the “slagroom” they will bring you a plate of custard, where's the fun in that.

All good here.

Kerry Harford entertains with race reports from Europe

RACE REPORT NUMBER 1

I had been asked to keep everyone updated on progress so I will do regular updates and this is the first. As there has been no racing to report on I will fill this report with “stuff”.
Ivar and me staggered into Amsterdam airport on Saturday night after two days of flying and discovered that the bikes and gear hadn't been as diligent at making the same flights. Mind you totally by luck Ivar woke up in Heathrow and realised our flight was being called, he quickly woke me and we staggered to our gate. The legs didn't handle inactivity as well as they could.
First day in Holland and we went to watch a “mountain bike race” at a local park. Clearly as Campagnolo don't make mountain bike componentry I normally wouldn't be seen dead there but they also allow cyclocross bikes in the race as well so things weren't too bad. The course was a mix of single track through some bush and fast stuff along muddy grass and bike paths that are all better engineered than say the Auckland motorway. They handle their bikes very well considering that the paths and roads they ride around on here make some velodromes look treacherous.
Bikes and gear turned up on Monday and I didn't waste time getting out. If you enjoy a gentle breeze while out riding you are in for a treat here. Mind you I got suspicious that a wind might spring up from time to time here when I looked out my bedroom window the first morning to see nine enormous wind turbines quietly turning over. These guys are the same as in the Manawatu and in this part of Holland the place is full of them. You can own your very own wind turbine and one guy makes 75 thousand euro from his each year.
We are close to the sea here, the land was reclaimed back in the 16th century and originally all the dykes and drains were pumped out using windmills. The windmills are mostly gone as it has been found that an electric pump works better. The house is in fact 1.5mtrs below sea level and the ground is mostly sandy with a bit of earth mixed in. Obviously growing options are limited so this is tulip country with grass grown in the off season to stop your paddocks from disappearing in whatever direction the wind has been blowing.
Tuesday we visited the local velodrome for our first training session. The velodrome surrounding land has a mountain bike track and trials area as well as the clubs administration offices. You leave your track bike at the track in a lock up and use your road bike to ride there for a warm up. The velodrome is of course an indoor 250m wooden track with shorter straights and longer curves than Invercargill, it has been used to set the derny hour record, which is where some crazy fat bloke sits on a special motorbike while a crazy skinny bloke rides a special track bike designed to get as close to the motorbike as possible while withstanding the high g forces that are generated in the curves when travelling at 70kph plus. Eddy Merckx had a crash on one which stuffed his back for life and killed his derny driver. Most likely will be staying away from derny races. Anyway first day on the track I stayed upright and worked on trying to generate some leg speed.
Wednesday was the same. The local elite track sprinters were there training too. Track Sprinters have a great life. Leisurely warm ups and warm downs, the odd sprint flying down off the banking, in other words not too much training, and then sit round and talk about it. They generally have big legs and bums and don't like you saying things about their mothers. Listening to them talk I can report the Dutch word for “supercharger” is the same as ours, and they obviously were not talking about me. All good.

Saturday Race 9th October 2010

Race Start: Crystal Road
Venue Afterwards: Arohanui Centre
Race Circuit: Mutiny Road
Registration: from 1pm (pay your $3 and be registered before 1:45) Race briefing: 1:50pm Race start time: from 2pm Race Starter: Don Kennedy Race Day Emergency Phone: 0274266895

Tour of the Bay

Last call for online entries tonight to avoid the late entry fee of $15.00 from Oct 7th.

Remember - no on the day entries (on Sunday 17th).

Helpers needed on Saturday morning for packing bags. Please contact co-director, Vicki Butterworth, if you can assist: info@bikehb.co.nz 06 845 9333 ext.722

Helpers still needed for Sunday, drivers, marshals and general helpers. Please contact co-director, Ken MacKenzie, if you can assist cycle@clear.net.nz 06 839 5870

Thanks from Mark

Mark wishes to thank those who turned to ride the 110 TOB course last Sunday, it made it a super training ride.

Ramblers on Twitter

If you tweet, you’ll be pleased to you can find Ramblers Cycling Club there now @Ramblerscycling Follow what you're interested in and get Tweets in real time.

Tuesday Night Training Rides

A reminder that this weekly training ride from the bus shelter near the Taradale clock tower has resumed. Meeet at 5.15pm to thrash around Apley and Seafield Roads and a team time trial back from Bay View to the city.

Upcoming Events

17th October: Caltex Tour of the Bay.
Register online www.tourofthebay.co.nz or pick up an entry form from most bike shops and Caltex stations.

23rd October: Hamilton Criterium.
First across the line is the winner, special prizes for sprints. Elite Race – full bike NZ licence required. Open event - open to anyone of suitable ability.
Each race 60 minutes, limit 100 riders per race. For more information go to www.dynamoevents.co.nz

23rd October: Gwaloop
New Zealands longest one day cycle chalenge, Gisborne
For information: www.gwaloop.co.nz/welcome-to/

24th October: Rangitikei River Loop Cycle.
100km/43km/17km. Contact Barry Lamp ngatahi@xtra.co.nz For more details go to www.huntervillebikeride.co.nz

24th October: Raboplus BikeNZ Team Time Trial National Championships.
Hamilton. BikeNZ Club Team Event (male or female teams, U17, Open or Masters).
Recreational Team Event male or female teams, riders of any age). For more information go to www.dynamoevents.co.nz

25th October: The Charity Bike Ride.
A fundraiser for the Hamilton Rescue Helicopter. 100km or 75km options. Cash prizes, spot prizes, entry by donation. For more information go to www.dynamoevents.co.nz

20th November: Hamilton City Cycling Club Open and Fun Ride. Registration from 8am at Horsham Downs School. Open: A, B, C U17, U15 U13 grades – BikeNZ License required for Open. Fun Ride: D and E grades. Contact Mark markgreaves1@me.com or go to www.hamiltoncitycycling.co.nz

21st November: Hampton Downs Cycling Festival.
A new event, how many laps can you do? Road and mountain bike events on the 2.8km motor race circuit. Events start at 9am and go until 7pm. Entries close 7th November, no on-the-day entries. For more information go to www.dynamoevents.co.nz

13-19 February: Third Annual Lion Foundation Wellington to Auckland Cycle Challenge.
A seven day bike ride consisting of 13 stages from Wellington to Auckland, open to riders of all abilities and ages. For more information go to wellingtontoauckland.co.nz/

2011 RaboDirect National Schools Road Cycling Championships

The dates for 2011 are different to previous years to accommodate the changes to term structure caused by the Rugby World Cup.

The dates for the 2011 RaboDirect National Schools Road Cycling Championships are Oct 8 – 10.

Ramblers Logo Voting

If you were not at Bridge Pa on 2 October you will can access the Logo designs on line at http://www.ramblers.co.nz/files/concepts.pdf from today.
Voting closes on Friday 8 October.
Ramblers members who have not yet voted can cast their vote by emailing Concept A or Concept B to rcc.feedback@xtra.co.nz.

It is important to realise that the jerseys are concepts designed to give context to the proposed logos and may not be the final jersey design.

The vote is for the logo!