Leaguer 12003.p65

E
E OF V
U
AG
LE
The official newsletter of the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists
G C Y C LI S
Leaguer
Volume 12 No 01
R A N RAC
IN
Veteran
TE
TS
The
Spring 2003
Contents
Editorial
Correction s, addition s
Graham Webb
Obituaries
Point of View: Tom McCall
Regional News
Caption Competition
BC in 2003 AD: Brian Cookson
2
3
4
4
5
6
6
7
Feeding Station: Vitamin C
8
No-Nonsense Chairman –
Pete Ryalls: Jim Golden
9
International Racing
11
Results
11, 12, 14
Picture Page
13
Doing Refreshments
14
Cyclo-Sportives: Dave Watson 15
Review
What d’you do about …?
Trevor Fenwick
Train hard, Fight easy:
John Bettinson
Letters
Peace on the Road
Regional Officials
Crazy thing: Coaching page
16
17
17
18
20
23
24
Objective of the LVRC
The provision of a programme of competitive and social cycling events for male and female members
of 40 years of age and over
U E O F VE
C YC L
IS
AG
R A N RA C
TS
TE
G
IN
LE
The Veteran Leaguer
is the official Newsletter of the League
of Veteran Racing
Cyclists
Executive Committee
Chairman
Peter Ryalls, 11 Devonshire Close,
Dronfield, Sheffield S18 1QY
01246-413515
Secretary
Peter Wilson 52 Knoll Drive, Southgate,
London, N14 5NE.
0208-368-0698
Treasurer
John Flear, 14a Water Lane, North
Hykeham, Lincs LN6 9QT 01522-687738
Newsletter Editor & Coaching Secretary
Ray Minovi, 45 Augusta Road, Moseley,
Birmingham B13 8AE
Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347
email:[email protected]
Registrar
Colin Dooley, 62 Gillhurst
Harborne, BirminghamB17 8PB
0121-427-2149
Road,
Stock Controller
Chris Singleton, 23 Barnwood Road,
Quinton, Birmingham B32 2LY
0121-427-1912
Event Co-ordinator
Colin Willetts, 201 Mildenhall Road,
Great Barr, Birmingham B42 2PE
0121-358-6768
Results Co-ordinator
Tom McCall, 1 Norfolk Road, Thornton
Heath, London CR7 8ND 0208-7680081
International Racing Secretary
Mick Ives, 78 Mill Hill, Baginton, near
CoventryCV8 3AG
Tel/fax: 02476-304009
e-mail: [email protected]
Plus one representative per region
LVRC Website:
www.lvrc.org
We welcome all contributions from anyone –
letters, comments, results, articles, reports,
pictures, even abuse as long as it’s in the best
possible taste. We’d rather have your stuff
handwritten than not at all, but if you can
type it or supply it on computer disk we’re
even happier. Word, .rtf, or ASCII are all fine.
Deadline for next issue: 10th June 2003
Page 2
Newsletter Editor
Ray Minovi,
45 Augusta Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AE
Tel/fax: 0121-449-1347
email: [email protected]
Go for it
So another racing season gets itself into gear and moves off,
and I still can’t think of anything to write in this space to combat the tyranny of the blank page. If I write about the past,
drop a few names, I risk losing those youngsters, only forty, who
weren’t born until 1963, by which time the Beatles (who?) were
already well on the way to immortality.
It’s curious to consider that the age range among racing cyclists
is far greater in veteran racing than among younger riders. From
fifteen to forty is only twenty-five years; with us the range is
from forty to nearly eighty. Even more strange to remember that
in the nineteen-sixties, even in time-trialling, veteran racing was
a minor curiosity. In the Cotswold Gateway road race of 1969 I
was one of a small group which chased for twenty miles behind
a two-up break of the 19-year-old Phil Bayton and 34-year-old
Geoff Cross. Thirty-four! And he’d ridden the Milk Race that
year! Unbelievable! And now that 19-year-old is a C Category
rider in LVRC races. Only a few years earlier I’d been on the
Concorde Racing Club’s weekend ride to Llanberis and back,
returning from Llangollen to Walsall with Stan Jones, who was,
believe it or not, forty-four! Difficult then for me to grasp how
he was able to stagger out to the shed to get his bike out, never
mind about making me suffer for fifty miles down the A5.
No doubt you’re expecting me to extract some significance,
some cosmic meaning, from these elderly ramblings, these
senior moments? Well, tough. Extract your own significance.
But while you’re thinking about it, just remind yourself daily
how lucky you are to be able to do it. Carpe diem, seize the
day. Time for a quick squirt of WD40 on the transmission, and
then get out there and go for it. You’ll never get a better
chance.
Deadlines and intended publication
Issue
Deadline
2/2003
10 June
3/2003
31 August
4/2003
10 December
1/2004
25 March
dates of future issues
Publication
1 July
27 September
3 Jan 2004
25 April
Cover Picture
Leaving the Warwickshire plain below, the field grinds its way up the
spectacular Magpie Hill in last year’s Ken Smith Memorial Two-day.
Photo: Peter Northing
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Corrections, alterations, additions
Changes of date
Inkberrow Road Race, in Handbook
for 11th May, now moves to 25th May
to avoid clashes with three other
events. All other details as Handbook.
Scale Hall Criteriums, (in Handbook
for 11th May) now moved to Saturday
10th May. Other details as Handbook.
LVRC Road Race Championships
E Category Championships are now on
Sunday 22nd June, in the afternoon.
Change of organiser
Sunday 8th June, Leeds Premier RR
Entries to
Phil Norfolk (Leeds Mercury RT)
2 Holt Park Green, Leeds, LS16 7RE
Dave Edge’s postcode
Owing to the slapdash corner-cutting
techniques employed by the editor in
a desperate but vain attempt to save
time, Dave Edge’s postcode has been
wrongly printed in the 2003 Handbook. Anyone concerned should note
that Dave’s code is FY6 8EG.
Changed start time
Newbury RC Criteriums on 17th May
at Newbury Show Ground.
AB
start 2.00 p.m.
CD start 12.30 p.m.
EFG start 11.00 a.m.
All events 1 hr + 5 laps
Queries to organiser Jeff Garner,
01635-31832 or [email protected]
MI Racing website
Team MI Racing announces its new
website which is now online although
it’s currently going through its final
design stages.
Feel free to add a hyperlink to your
web site:http://www.miracing.9f.com
Region 9 News
Accidentally omitted from Handbook:
Region 9 Newsletter Correspondent is
John Scott, 39 Montrouge Crescent,
Epsom Downs, KT17 3PB
Tel: 01737-352025.
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Wanted:
Stock
Controller
Chris Singleton, the present
Stock Controller wishes to
relinquish the post. A volunteer (or volunteeers) is/are
required to replace him.
Ring 0121-427-1912 or any
Committee member
ANNOUNCEMENT
There is no LVRC Track Championship this year (2003). The
event allegedly being promoted
by Dennis Tarr has no official
approval by LVRC. Dennis Tarr
has no authority to promote
this or any other events for the
LVRC and LVRC will not accept
liability for debts or insurance
claims which may arise from
his promotions.
LVRC National Road Race
Championships 2003
Saturday 21st/Sunday
22nd June
Saturday 21 June
D Category, 66 miles, star t 10.00
F & G Cat, 40 miles, start 13.30
Sunday 22 June
A Cat, 79 miles, star t 09.30
B Cat, 79 miles, start 09.40
C Cat, 66 miles, start 13.30
E Cat, 54 miles, start 13.40
Race HQ
Priors Marston Village Hall, Napton
Road, Priors Marston, Warwickshire
Prize presentation & accommodation:
The Holly Bush Inn, Hollybush Lane,
Priors Marston. 01327-260934
Organiser
Mick Ives, 78 Mill Hill, Baginton, Coventry CV83 3AG. Tel: 02476-304009
Asst Organiser: Barrie Mitchell, 15 High
St, Mar ton, Warks. 01926-632948
Track Training at
Manchester
Dave Watson writes: because the
track management will no longer
accept long term advance bookings, I was not able to publish
dates for the coming winter in the
Handbook. However I intend to
run one event a month throughout the winter and I will publish
the dates in the Veteran Leaguer
as soon as I know them. I will also
e-mail my regulars. If you would
like to be on that list, simply send
an email with your name and the
word ‘subscribe’ to
[email protected]
Percy Stallard
Points Series
Six remaining events:
10/11 May: Angel of the North
2 1 / 2 2 J u n e : LV R C N a t i o n a l
Championships
27 July: Newbury RR
10 Aug: Circuit of Bredon Hill
14 Sept: Brian Hawkridge Mem
5 Oct: Ray Levers Trophy
Points will be awarded for each
age category, 10 for 1 st Place
down to 1 for 10th place.
Points to be counted from any 5
events (i.e. best 5 from 7 for
those completing all events)
Competitors who move up in age
category during the year will retain the points accumulated in
the younger age group.
Suitable awards, to be announced during the season, will
be made to all winners at the
prize presentation after the Ray
Levers trophy on 5th Oct 2003.
Page 3
Webb rides again
Those of us who went to Liege for the
ICF World Championships last year
were delighted to renew acquaintance
with 1967 World Amateur Road Champion Graham Webb.
Graham now lives in the Belgian
province of Luxembourg, not to be
confused with the Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg , where he spends his
summer break. Recently retired from
full-time work, Graham is racing again
with the WAOD, and finished in the
top ten in his first races. After a 13year lay-off, he writes to Dave Orford,
this seems like a miracle. He’s also emailed the editor but we haven’t yet
cracked the format of the letter, and it
prints as so many squiggles.
Graham is now coaching his two
grandsons (!), aged 10 and 12, who
attend the Flemish School of Cycling
and train on the indoor track at Ghent.
‘They’re so young,’ he says, ‘and yet
they know nearly as much as me about
the bike and bike racing.’
He may take part in the Masters
Champs at Manchester Velodrome,
and in the meantime we’ll do our best
to crack the secret code of his letters
to us.
On the mainland of Europe, like
most prominent cyclists, Graham is
well-known, and still gets fan-mail from
all over the globe. He appeared in full
colour on the cover of the June 2002
issue of Coups de Pedales. In July he
and his former Mercier team-mate Jean
Stablinski (World Road Champion,
1962) gave the start at Luxembourg’s
l e a d i n g R a n d o n n é e , t h e ‘J e m p y
Schmitz’, and appeared on national TV
that night. He has a page in his village’s
Golden Book of Residents, and has
been twice decorated by the King of
the Belgians for services. Yet in Britain
his home town, Birmingham, his country, and his national governing body
hardly know of his existence.
Obituary
Keir Maris
Keir Maris died very suddenly on
10th February 2003. He was 41.
Known locally as ‘Stealth’ in the
peloton, Keir was one of our newer
members. It was his first year as an
LVRC member, and in that short time
he made a significant impact both locally and nationally, where his string
of successes, not only in LVRC events
but in many other national competitions made him a major force.
Keir began riding as a schoolboy
and junior with the Rugby Velo. He
was a frequent winner in his division,
and took a bronze medal at the
Butlin’s Youth International. He returned to racing two years ago.
Among his victories were three in
the LVRC evening criteriums at the
Milton Keynes Bowl, where he finished second overall in the seasonlong series. He also had a major success in the LVRC time-trial championship, where he underlined his allround abilities by winning his age
group.
In September he won the Masters
C group title in the British Circuit TT
Page 4
championships, and in his last race
on 6th October he finished second
in the final round of the Peter Fryer
series.
He will be sadly missed.
Ron Day
Hosts required
for gentle cycling holidays
in Austria and Switzerland
this summer
Freewheel Holidays is a British
holiday operator specialising in
soft-pedal holidays throughout
Europe. Applicants should be
over 24, speak good German
and possess a full driving
licence. Pleasant personality
and knowledge of bicycle
maintenance essential. Wage
£150 per week plus bonus.
Accommodation and training
provided.
Applications from couples
welcomed
Apply:
Freewheel Holidays, Temple Court, Cathedral Road,
Cardiff CF11 9HA
or online at:
www.freewheelholidays.com
Obituary
Graham Bufton
I am devastated to report the death
of Graham Bufton on 20th February, writes David Mellor.
Graham was riding home from his
shop during the evening and was
turning right into the lane to his
house when he was hit from behind
by a car. He died from head injuries later in hospital without regaining consciousness. His wife
Rosemarie and other family were
with him at the hospital.
On the podium after winning the LVRC
A Cat Time-Trial Champs, 2002
Graham was amongst other things
Junior National Road Champion Pro
road rider and Vets National Cyclo
Cross Champion. He was an inspiration to many Shropshire cyclists,
unstinting in his support, both emotionally and financially, and he will
be greatly missed.
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Point of View
Dear oh dear, another cage rattled,
and another scathing letter, this
time from Eric Dyer (Letters,
Winter edition).
Well, Mr Dyer, I have actually
now read the Simpson book in
question by Alastair Fotheringham,
and my views remain the same. I
feel that it is ‘a book too far’, and
that Simpson has been used as the
vehicle to highlight the drug
problems of the time.
I want to make one thing clear – I
am totally against the taking of
drugs in athletic sport, but neither
you nor I have any control over
these matters, and they have to be
left in the hands of the rele-vant
authorities. You obviously feel
strongly about this, but I think you
are a bit of a closet critic, and, if I
were a sensitive person, I may even
start to feel that this was all my
fault! However, I have to be careful
here, as an unthinking person
would not have any views at all!
Well, we are heading into another season, and many of us will
be off to warmer continental areas
to fine tune our training. Majorca
and Lanzerote are still great favourites, although I go down to the
South of France these days, but no
doubt some of you are well into
those mind-blowing schedules that I
remember from last year. It is great
that so many of us are still competitive in later years, and we can feel
justifiably proud of the fact that we
had five of the six top fnishers in the
over 60’s World ICF Road Championship. When you look at other
sports that have Seniors competitions, they do not begin to compare
with the competitive urge that still
exists in so many of us.
By the way, I understand that
Malcolm Elliott is back in business,
and that he is now over 40. Get an
LVRC form to him right away!
We have the new Percy Stallard
series to look forward to for the first
time this year, and it will add an
interesting new dimension as the
GCs evolve. I am pleased to see two
Southern events included. The
Newbury event, promoted for some
time now by Jeff Garner and his
team, and the new Brian Hawkridge
Memorial are worthy additions.
Hopefully this will grow into the
premier national season-long competition for Veterans.
Whilst on the subject of the
forthcoming season, a message to all
you guys and girls who will be
promoting LVRC events this year. I
will be sending out results packs to
Tom McCall
you, usually in the week before
your promotion, so that your
results can
be sent to Snowdons for inclusion in Cycling Weekly, and also
back to me for inclusion in the
Veteran Leaguer. Most of you do,
but some of you don’t, even
though I send out a stamped
addressed envelope. Please try and
make the effort this year. A published result adds the finishing
touch to your efforts on the day.
I read with interest Trevor
Fenwick’s letter about quantities of
liquid consumed during races. I
have tried most of the modernstyle drinks, and they generally do
not suit me, so I end up going
back to my usual juice with a bit
ofadded glucose, complemented
by the old trusty banana if the race
is longer. I read all the advice
columns on race foods with
interest, but I am amazed by the
bias towards liquid intake these
days, and the sheer number of
bottles I see guys taking on board,
even in short races – have I
missed something somewhere?
Finally, well-done to Mick Ives –
if he can’t get his picture in Cycling
Weekly, he will get them to feature
a picture of his bike instead!
Escape to Andalucía
Casa el Piñon
Spectacular roads. Routes to suit everyone. Warm weather, a warm
welcome, and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Wally and Sue are
cyclists who understand your needs and will make your visit all
you expect.
Only 25 minutes from Malaga airport. Flights have never been so cheap –
and we can collect you and your bike. Travel light – we’ve got all
the track pumps and tools you’ll need, plus secure storage
Accommodation for up to six people.
Bed & breakfast from £10.00 per person per day.
Details: www.cyclesol.com
[email protected]
Tel (mobile, Spain): 0034-660-140-364
Tel (UK, Chris): 0121-308-2298
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Page 5
Regional News
Region 1
Clubruns: first Tuesday in each month at
the Priory Cafe, Scorton. A & B runs 10 –
10.15 a.m.
Monthly meetings: first Thursday in each
month, Priory Cafe, Scorton, 7.30 p.m.
The annual Jazz Night, switched to the
Priory Cafe from the village hall, was again
a great success with a good meal and Harry
Colledge’s six-piece Jazz & Swing outfit.
You’ll see from the Handbook that
there’s a reduction in the number of events
for 2003, but the eight events on our calendar will all require assistance from LVRC
members and friends.
Region 1 AGM will be on Thursday 11th
September, 8 p.m, at the Priory Cafe.
Harry Benson
Caption Competition
Region 5
With another race season fast approaching, I hope all our members have wintered
well despite the lousy weather here in the
East Midlands. Spring is in the air and it’s
time to think about waxing the legs, scuffing the new tyre on the racing bike, injecting some quality into your training and
getting those early season race entries in.
Which reminds me of the serious out break
of ‘Senior Moments’ experienced by our
long-suffering Registrar Jenny Downing.
For example, cheques incorrectly filled out,
self-addressed envelopes with no stamp
and incorrect or missing details on the
membership form. I’m sure you are saying, ’What’s the problem? We all make the
odd mistake.’ True, but with hundreds of
applications to deal with, 20-plus incomplete returns adds up to unnecessary extra
cost and time wasted. While I’m on a roll,
event organisers have asked me to remind
you that they need help with marshals and
other assorted tasks if events are to go
ahead this season. Ken Downing’s race at
Thurcroft has already been cancelled
through lack of marshals. Please do what
you can; no help – no races – end result no LVRC.
Phil Etches
Region 6
The region is scheduled to promote 18
days of racing during the 2003 season, including the National Handicap, the national Criterium championships, and the
International Tour of the Abberleys ThreeDay race. This means that a good deal of
help will be needed, especially in those
events that are ‘Regional events’ rather
than being promoted by one particular
club. Be prepared to be generous with your
time, and if you’re not racing, consider
helping out instead.
Page 6
The caption competition in our Autumn 2002 issue proved so popular
that some people are still sending in suggestions – much too late, of
course, but as John Clark says, ‘What the hell.’ He offers: ‘I thought
perhaps just a little more cleavage?’
Anyway, the good news is that we’ll continue with it as and when
suitable pictures become available – and if you think that sounds like
an invitation to send in any weird photos you have with a cycling theme,
then you’re right.
For starters, have a go at this one – we’ll try to come up with an
appropriate prize for the winner.
Region 7
The King of the Bowl series is promoted
for the fifth year on the totally safe and
closed circuit of the Milton Keynes Bowl.
Events are held on most Tuesdays, starting
at 7 p.m. Races are usually 50 minutes plus
five laps. DE and F categories get a threequarter lap start on the youngsters, but all
results are strictly in age groups. Please
note that all riders must wear hard-shell
helmets, a rule of the Milton Keynes Cycling Association under whose authority
the LVRC have access to the circuit.
First race is on 13th May and most Tuesdays to 26th August, when the last event
is followed by a dinner and prize presentation. There are occasional cancellations
owing to other people (e.g. pop groups)
using the Bowl, so check beforehand with
Ron Day on 01908-501461. Ron Day
Region 9
Please send all news items to me, John
Scott, at 39 Montrouge Crescent, Epsom
Downs, KT17 3PB or Tel: 01737-352025.
We know it’s difficult, but in order to reduce the time spent on packing up Handbooks and Leaguers and taking them to
the post office, the Editor requests all
regional distributors to try to give him
reasonably accurate figures for future issues.
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Whether you approve (or not) of an organisation that, despite representing a minority, has hijacked the title ‘British
Cycling’, the fact remains that it’s there. The Veteran Leaguer offers a page to its President to comment on BC’s role
in contemporary cycling and its relationship to the rest of us.
BC in 2003 AD
I
know that many LVRC members are
also BC members and I am obviously
very happy about that. But there are
many who aren’t and I hope that if I can
dissolve some of the myths and misunderstandings, then perhaps a few more LVRC
members will also want to support BC, and
our two bodies can work more closely together for the good of our sport. And there
is no secret plan for BC to ‘take over’ the
LVRC – we are both independent organisations owned by our members, so it is
quite simply impossible for one body to
take over the other without the agreement
of all concerned.
Our World Class Performance Programme has led to an unprecedented run
of track successes, but I’m disappointed
that many people seem to feel that, BC has
abandoned any hope of international road
racing success. It’s not true.
Of course, we have focused on the more
controllable and predictable environment
of the track, and the results of are clear.
Cycling Weekly’s Xmas edition proclaimed
2002 Britain’s best ever season – their
words, not mine. But readers should remember that the recent international performances of British riders, both men and
women, in road racing have also been considerably better than for many years.
One example: GB jerseys were highly
visible in every event at the World Road
Championships in October. You’ll no doubt
have read that David Millar subsequently
visited BC HQ at the Manchester Velodrome for testing and work on his position.
Peter Keen and David Brailsford will be
working very closely with David and his
team over the next two years in his preparation for the Olympics. I think we all know
what he is capable of.
David Millar is, of course, something
extra-special. But we now regularly field
teams (men and women) in international
road races that perform admirably, with
both stage and overall wins to their credit
– often beating full time professional road
teams. Many of us can remember the days
when GB teams returned from events like
the Peace Race, for instance, lucky to appear on the first page of the result sheet
and with little to show for their efforts except sore legs. They tried hard, and I salute their efforts, but, with certain notable
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
exceptions, we were usually outclassed
and outgunned. Nowadays our road teams
are respected wherever they appear, and
they usually return with heads held high.
It’s no accident that much of this has
been a by-product of the preparation programme for our endurance track teams,
and it will lead to more success on the
road. It’s the model followed by the majority of the currently successful Australian road professionals: O’Grady and
McGee began their careers on their country’s track squad. This is not a new phenomenon. Many LVRC members will recall the fifties – that ‘golden era’ for cycling
when GB also had a world class track team,
many of whom went on to success on the
road, most notably Tom Simpson, a brilliant pursuiter as an amateur.
Evidence that the modern version of this
approach is already beginning to pay off
for Great Britain is there in the form of
Bradley Wiggins and Rob Hayles, for instance, both now members of Division One
pro road teams. Others squad riders have
attracted the attention of professional road
teams, but so far have preferred to remain
full time with the GB cycling team in pursuit of their Olympic dream receiving a
level of support and funding as good as any
national team, anywhere in the world.
The fact is that road racing internationally is no longer driven in any sense by
competition in national teams. It is now
almost exclusively the domain of the trade
teams. So far as I know, there is at present
no trade team run by a national federation
anywhere in the world, certainly not in
Europe. Securing the sponsorship and delivering the successes that the sponsors expect, is a high-risk undertaking, as demonstrated by the many failed teams which
we can all recall. I don’t believe that this is
appropriate, or indeed possible, for a national federation.
If there were a British company that
wanted to invest several million quid in
promoting itself through a road cycling
team, British Cycling would be delighted
to help them and to work with them. At
present, there isn’t. Why? Leaving aside the
issue of doping, which sometimes appears
to be the only thing the Great British Media are interested in, the main reason is that
the profile of the sport isn’t high enough
Brian Cookson
in this country to make it worthwhile. Why
isn’t it high enough? Because the Great
British Public are basically only interested
in established British sports like football
and cricket, or sporting events that take
place in Britain (e.g. Wimbledon), or in
success at the Olympics. In those circumstances wouldn’t it be a good idea to try
and maximise our success at the Olympics?
Which, of course, is where we came in.
Meanwhile, at home, we all know that
things are getting, not actually impossible,
but much more difficult. We live in an ever
more litigious world, traffic increases year
on year, people are more and more intolerant of any delays or disruptions to their
plans, whatever the cause, insurance costs
rocket because of things entirely outside
our control, and the police have to account
for every hour of every officer’s time against
targets and objectives set by people with
no knowledge of our sport.
We have to respond to these things and
to find new ways of meeting the needs of
the people who want to participate in our
sport. Because things are changing there,
too. People coming into the sport now
don’t want the same as they did in the fifties, sixties or seventies. Whether we like
it or not, life has changed.
We all think we know the answers, but
ours is a complicated sport with a vast
number of options and possibilities, and a
vast array of people interested in it. We
have to get out there and talk to those people, to clubs, to race organisers, to other
organisations, to people who take part, to
people who’d like to take part, to find out
what they think, how they see the future,
what they want from our sport. All of which
is what Project China is all about – the widest-ranging review of our competition programme and structures that has ever been
undertaken. I reckon it’s going to lead to
the biggest shake-up we’ve ever seen.
I don’t know what the future holds. But
I do know that we haven’t given up on road
racing and we never will. And I hope that
LVRC members around the country will
help us to keep alight the flame of road
racing, so that the youth of today and future generations can experience the fun,
camaraderie and rewards, that we have all
been lucky enough to enjoy. V
Page 7
The Feeding Station
The big
The Coaching Secretary recently
received the following request:
Please could you help with a few
questions about Vitamin C?
1) What would be a recommended
dose for someone racing 2-3 times a
week.
2) Would the dosage vary according to
age.
3) Has anyone calculated the vitamin C
content of say a medium orange.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is vital to
health. It assists the body in the production of collagen, the basic component of
blood vessel walls, gums, bones, and
connective tissues, and is therefore
important in aiding healing of wounds.
Vitamin C is antioxidant, scavenging
potentially harmful (carcinogenic) free
radicals. It may also help boost immune
function, and protect against cataracts
and age-related deterioration of the
retina. It is claimed to reduce the risk of
strokes and lowers insulin and blood
sugar requirements, and probably helps
to lower blood pressure.
A 1992 study claimed that people with
high blood levels of Vitamin C tended to
live six years longer than those with
lower levels.
The beneficial effects of Vitamin C are
decreased by aspirin, tobacco, barbiturates, mineral oil, oral contraceptives,
sulfa drugs and tetracyclines.
Foods rich in Vitamin C are: broccoli,
strawberries, citrus fruits, green peppers,
brussels sprouts, honeydew and cantaloupe melons.
Question 1
As you may know, Vitamin C is water
C
Vitamin
soluble and the body can’t store it,
eliminating it in about 12 hours. Any
surplus is excreted, mainly in urine. It
therefore has to be replenished daily,
and intake should be distributed
throughout the day. Nutritionists
consider that anyone eating a properly
balanced diet with the recommended
five portions of fresh fruit and veg (see
Veteran Leaguer for Summer 2002) is
already getting more than the recommended daily requirement of around
60mg. You’ll find that a Boots multivitamin contains this amount too, so one of
those per day will provide all the
insurance anyone needs. Taking additional doses of single vitamins is not a
good idea as it can upset the balance.
You can easily consume four times the
RDA by eating: 1 medium orange, 1 cup
chopped, cooked broccoli, and half a
cup of red pepper, total about 265 mg
Vit C. Heat destroys Vitamin C, so raw
fruit/veg gives you more. Taking more
won’t hurt anything but your pocket –
it’s simply a way of creating expensive
urine.
Question 2
I know of no study that suggests you
need more vitamin C as you get older.
But go ahead, take in as much as you
like. As I say, getting it direct from nature
is best, because then you get all the
other nutrients and trace elements. Even
doses as high as 2 grammes (2000 mg)
per day are safe - but unnecessary.
Smokers need more.
Question 3
Yes, the vitamin C content of oranges
has been calculated. It was found that it
varies considerably from individual fruit
to fruit, some containing a lot, others not
so much, and there’s no way of telling
just by looking at the skin. However,
even those with lower values still
contained the RDA. It takes about 40
oranges to produce two grammes (2000
mg) of Vitamin C, but this is 33 times the
RDA, so two should be enough.
Other findings about oranges and
Vitamin C: organically-grown oranges
contain up to 30% more Vitamin C than
do ‘conventional’ oranges, even though
the latter are larger and more orangecoloured, but organic oranges can cost
twice as much as the other kind; frozen
concentrated orange juice generally has
the highest Vitamin C levels – an 8 ounce
serving contained nearly double the
RDA; a survey that looked at 2299
samples of orange and grapefruit products in Florida between 1986 and 1995
found that 96% contained more than
100% of the RDA.
There are several ways of obtaining
information like this. Books are the most
obvious source, and there is no need to
spend a fortune. I would recommend
Anita Bean’s The Complete Guide to
Sports Nutrition, A & C Black 2000, and
Food and Fitness – a dictionary of diet
and exercise by Michael Kent, Oxford
University Press 1997. Alternatively, if
you’re on the Internet, simply type
‘Vitamin C’, plus ‘fruit’, ‘veg’, ‘orange’
etc into a search engine (e.g. Google)
and see what comes up. Typing in
‘oranges, vitamin C’ produced 10, 700
responses. Sorry, but I haven’t looked at
all of them yet. The web is the world’s
biggest encyclopaedia and has volumes
of information of this kind. V
Recipe. Fast pudding: Fruit Kebabs with Marmalade
1 medium pear or 1 medium apple
1 medium banana
25g (1 oz) glacé cherries
1 small lemon
1 small orange
100g (4 oz) tinned apricot slices or
halves
25g (1oz) marmalade
Pinch of nutmeg
Page 8
1. Wash all fruit
2. Cut all fruit into large cubes
3. Arrange fruit on long kebab skewers, alternating colours
4. Heat marmalade in small pan for
1 – 2 minutes, or microwave for 20 –
30 seconds until runny
5. Drizzle marmalade over fruit kebabs
6. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve
immediately
Nutrition: 205 cal; protein 2 g; fat
1g; carbohydrate 51g.
Good source of Vitamin C.
Source: Cook & Train without the
Strain. NSMI, London JEC1M 6BQ
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Outspoken, but not by many people, Pete Ryalls is currently Chairman of the
LVRC. Jim Golden outlines his career in and out of cycling.
No-nonsense Chairman
Jim Golden
I
t was a chance meeting with his old
mentor Dave Orford while out riding
in the Peak District which brought
Peter Ryalls back into racing and put him
on the road to becoming our beloved
leader, the outspoken Chairman Pete.
Ironically, Dave did not recognise the
man he gave the chance to ride as an
independent more than 40 years before.
So when he told Dave who he was, the
great man replied: ’You can’t be him –
he’s a good-looking young fellow.’
Pete had hung up his racing wheels
after the 1965 London – Holyhead, but
just like all those years ago, Dave’s
enthusiasm had him racing the following
weekend and getting the kind of kicking
he was to suffer until he finally regained
his racing legs.
Today Peter, just turned 65, brings the
same no-nonsense approach to the LVRC
that he brought to his racing career. This
saw him turn independent (semi-pro for
the benefit of the younger vets) at the
age of 19, at a time when Dave Orford
virtually resurrected the class.
Over the years he rode for a number of
teams including Falcon and Viking.
Runner-up to Albert Hitchen in the 1961
Holyhead was probably his best ride.
Always an astute character, Peter rode
the Holyhead five times and on four
occasions took the Chirk prime for first
into Wales. ‘It was always a good prize,’
he says, ‘but no one else seemed too
bothered about it, which suited me.’
The highlight of his career was the
1961 Tour de France where he rode in
the British team alongside Tom Simpson
And no, he did not push the great man
for an entire stage before Tom was forced
to retire with an injured knee, something
Chris Sidwells brought up in his book.
‘He approached me for a chat in the
car park at the Cheshire Challenge and
had a chat with me for ten minutes and
that was it. True, I did push Tom, but
only for the final 20 kms of the stage to
Roubaix. I’d crashed on the cinders
between the sections of pave, chased
back to the bunch and then helped Tom.
‘I’d been a reserve for the Tour, I was
in the army then, and was riding in the
Isle of Man week. The BCF found where
I was staying and asked if I could get to
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Rouen in a couple of days for the start of
the Tour.
‘You don’t turn down a chance like
that. I had to go to London where I was
stationed and check with my colonel. I
was given three weeks leave to ride the
Tour. I lasted just four stages. It was a
great learning experience and it showed
me what I’d suspected all along: there
was no way I was going to reach that
level.’ More of that Ryalls honesty.
‘My abiding memory of the Tour was of
the non-stop cacophony from those
Back in England he got a bike, and
then came that fateful meeting with Dave
Orford, and the all-too-familiar tale of
the struggle to get back to being as
competitive as he wanted to be. Eventually it came and continued until he broke
his thigh. In the meantime he took office
in the League, culminating in his chairmanship and his by now well-known
forthright views.
So what would he like to achieve from
his tenure of office. ‘From my point of
view we need to put more emphasis on
Career highlight: winning the sprint for second place behind an unbeatable Ron
Coe in the 1959 National Independent Championship – look at the crowds!
special open-topped cars they used in
those days with the loud airhorns. It just
went on all day.’
Typically, after he stopped racing, Peter
reasoned that if he wasn’t going to make
it in sport, he would concentrate on
being successful in something else and
make some money. He trained as a
quantity surveyor and worked all over
the world for the next 21 years. He went
back to playing soccer, continuing until
he was 38, and squash.
While working in Bahrain in the 1980s,
where there was plenty of sport, he got
into running. It was a short stride to the
biathlon, then on to a triathlon with his
son. He was last out of the water, nearly
caught his son and finished the bike ride
in third, which re-kindled his interest.
ability. At the moment, five or six guys
can win every category and that does not
encourage people of lesser ability. It
seems to be those who can win who
seem to object to change.
‘It has worked in Belgium for years and
they have plenty of people racing, there
is no reason why young veterans who are
not very good ability rise should not be
riding with older ones. There is a window
cleaner in Belgium who rides for the
older vets and that enables him to finish
with the main field.
‘In cycling generally, something will
have to be done and money spent in
getting cyclists off the roads. Whether we
will it or not we are going to have to use
purpose-built circuits. The trouble is that
British Cycling seems prepared to do very
little for grass roots racing.’ V
Page 9
Alison France Advert
Page 10
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
International Racing
ICF World Championships 2003
The 2003 International Cycling Federation’s Road
Championships are to be held on 3rd August on a
10 km circuit at Kemzeke, near St Niklaas, 40 km
north-east of Ghent.
Distances & start times
50+
69 km 10.00 a.m.
60+
60 km 10.01 a.m.
40+
79 km 12.30 p.m.
Under 40s: 119 km, 3.00 p.m.
You can enter direct to the organiser Karel Boudrez,
Marseillestraat 108, 9000 Ghent. However, Peter
Ryalls will send off a block entry for LVRC riders
who submit details and £5 entry fee to him by 1st
July.
Please note: the Over-70s championships will be at
Hamme, 12 miles east of Ghent, on 28th June 2003.
Details from Karel Boudrez, address above.
9th Australian Masters
Games
Canberra 31st Oct. to 9th November 2003
30-40 minute criterium
20km TT
40 — 100km road races
5 year age groups up to 80+
Details from Mick Ives,
02476-304009
St Johann 2003: UCI Masters Road & TT
The championships run
from Wednesday 27th
August (time-trials for all
ages and classes of riders)
to Sunday 31st August.
Full details of ages and
precise dates and times
will appear in our next
issue.
Mobile: 0664-3427670
Please note: to ride these
championships you will
need BCF Silver membership and a full licence, total
cost £62.
St Johann Festival
H a r a l d Road Races
Organiser:
Baumann, A-6020 Innsbruck, Herzog-FriedrichStrasse 9, tel/fax: (0043)
512-582265
Sunday 24th August to Tuesday 26th August
No UCI licence is required
for these events.
WANTED
International Racing Secretary
Mick Ives is still compiling a list
of material about international
veterans’ racing, and still
needs information about racing
in any or all other countries:
contact numbers, locations,
details of events, names of
useful people, etc. Anyone able
to provide or acquire such
information should supply it
direct to Mick at 78 Mill Hill,
Baginton, Coventry CV8 3AG.
Phone/fax: 02476 304009.
e-mail
[email protected]
Percy Stallard Series 2003
Claverdon RR 13 April
The Warwickshire RC promotion saw
the series off to a good start, with a full
field and good racing in all categories.
Race 1
A three-man break developed halfway
through the race when Nick Yarworth
attacked and was joined by Martin Sladdin
and John Hadfield. They never looked in
danger, and at the finish Yarworth, who
had looked the strongest throughout, had
no apparent difficulty in taking it.
Result
1. Nick Yarworth (A), 40miles in 1.37.09;
2.John Hadfield (B); 3. Martyn Sladdin (A)
s.t; 4. M. McGready (B) @ 3.02; 5. M. Bunker (A); 6. J. Hitchcock (A); 7. A. Vallance
(B);8. R. Francis (B); 9. P. Varian (A); 10. P.
Taylor (B); 11.M. Oliver (B);12. M. Amery
(B) all s.t.
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Race 2
Repeated attacks in the race for C and D cats
were all unsuccessful until Alan Belton
drifted off the front towards the end of Lap
2, some way before one of the circuit’s main
climbs. He was joined by six others and the
group rapidly pulled away, consolidating
their gains on the long climb through the finish. By the time the bunch realised that it
was the key move it was too late and a
number of fancied riders were left to fight
out minor placing.
Result
1. Willi Moore (D) 40m in 1.41.06; 2. Don
Parry (C); 3. Chris Bishop (C); 4.L.Gardiner
(D); 5. R. Barnes (D); 6. A. Belton (C); 7. P.
Smithers (D); 8. B. Sunter (D) @1.13; 9. L.
Ravenhill (D); 10. A. Edwards (D); 11. T.
Devine (D) @1.35; 12. S. Lovatt (D) & 12
others all at s.t
Race 3
A disappointingly small field set off
sedately, but before the end of the first lap
a powerful break had formed with Hugh
McGuire, Ray Minovi, Jack Watson,
Bernie Burns and George Bennett. Mick
Ives soloed across in a lung-bursting
effort, and the race was over for everyone
else. A lap later Ives, Minovi and Watson
left the other three and pulled steadily
away until the steep climb to the finish
where Minovi distanced his companions.
Result
1. Ray Minovi (E) 40m in 1.46.04; 2. Jack
Watson (F); 3. Mick Ives (E); 4. Bernie
Burns (E) @ 2.35; 5. George Bennett (E);
6. Hugh McGuire (F) st; 7. K. Haddon @
6.25 min; 8. D. Smith (F); 9. J. Wright (E);
10. B. Bliss (F); 11. T. McCall (E); 12. D.
Elliott (F), all s.t.
Page 11
Results
Enville Road Race, Sunday 6 April
In Race 1 a good break formed early, but after
principal animator Joe McGhee punctured his
companions were pulled back. No-one else was
able to mount a convincing attack and it came
down to a bunch sprint on the very difficult
finish at Camp Hill, Nick Yarworth taking it from
a strung-out group.
1. Nick Yarworth, 52 miles in 2.15.53; 2.
Vinny Smith; 3. John Hitchcock; 4. Mac
McGready; 5. Roy Francis; 6. Ray Latham; 7.
A. Swimby; 8. I. Potts; 9. C. Duffield; 10. H.
Jones.
Categories:
A Yarworth; B MacGready; C V. Smith
Race 2 saw a strong break go on the second
climb of Six Ashes. They worked well together
and continued to pull away, eventually putting
three and a half minutes into the bunch. Colin
Dooley was tailed off on the last lap, and the
finish looked a formality for Pete Matthews.But
the Camp Hill finish is deceptive – it has a long
approach which tempts many riders to go too
early, and the gradient increases towards the
line, and Gordon Walters’ strength enabled him
to pull clear up the last 200 metres.
1. Gordon Walters, 52 miles in 2.20.42; 2.
Pete Matthews; 3. Lew Gardiner; 4. Pete
Halliwell; 5. Tony Taylor, all same time; 6. Colin
Dooley @ 34 sec; 7. K. Haddon @ 3.24; 8. W.
Rains @ 3.30; 9. J. Powell; 10. D. Elliott, same
time.
Categories: D WaltersE Matthews F Elliott
Page 12
January — April 2003
LVRC Track Meeting
Manchester Saturday 15 February 2003
Junior Vets Omnium
20 lap scratch Martyn Bramhall
3 lap sprint Steve Cronshaw
6 lap keirin Steve Cronshaw
32 lap points Martyn Bramhall
Omnium: 1. Martyn Bramhall, 18 pts; 2.
Steve Cronshaw 13 pts; 3. Eq Mike Fairest
& Andrew Donaldson, 10 pts
Junior Vets Omnium
3 lap sprint Steve Davies
20 lap scratch Steve Davies
6 lap keirin Steve Davies
32 lap points Steve Davies
Omnium: 1. Steve Davies 20 pts; 2. Kevin
Riley 9 pts; 3. Ray Pugh 8 pts
Senior Vets Omnium
20 lap scratch Dave Gretton
3 lap sprint Dave Gretton
6 lap keirin Dave Gretton
32 lap points Bob Barber
Omnium: 1. Dave Gretton, 18 pts; 2. Bob
Barber 14 pts; 3. Geoff Brandt 11 pts; 4.
Richard Lacey & Phil Norfolk 7 pts
Senior Vets Omnium
3 lap sprint Roly Crayford
20 lap scratch Dave Gretton
6 lap keirin Dave Gretton
32 lap points Clive Walmsley
Omnium: 1. Dave Gretton 14 pts; 2. Roly
Crayford 12 pts; 3. Richard Lacey
Super Vets Omnium
20 lap scratch Victor Possec
3 lap sprint Victor Possec
6 lap keirin Roger Smith
32 lap points Victor Possec
Omnium: 1. Victor Possec 18 pts; 2. Evelyn
Kenyon 16 pts; 3. Roger Smith 13 pts; 4.
Chris Kaye 9 pts
Super Vets Omnium
3 lap sprint Terry Anderson
20 lap scratch Terry Anderson
6 lap keirin Roger Smith
32 lap points Brian Ellis
Omnium: 1 eq. Terry Anderson & Brian Ellis
16 pts; 3 eq. Evelyn Kenyon & Roger Smith
8pts
More results on pages 11 and 14
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
From top left clockwise: Action from last season:
the bunch, verge to verge in the A/B Champs at
Fareham; Tony Woodcock showboats as he wins
the E Crit champs; Geoff Mosley pushed off in the
TT at the High Wycombe Two-Day; more
showboating as Simon Day wins the Fleche
Waltonne near Leicester(photo Heather Sims).
Facing page: the field in the Angel of the North
(photo Brian Northing).
Picture Page
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Page 13
A giant refreshed
As the season warms up, we offer
some catering suggestions for Headquarters helpers. If you’ve got any
more suggestions, let us have them.
For a one-day road race:
4 dozen rolls
8 large cakes minimum, e.g. 4 fruit, 4
sponge
plus malt loaf, bread pudding, scones.
A cake 7 inches by 7 inches will cut
into 16 slices at 30 – 40p depending
on the cake
If you have volunteers who are prepared to make cakes, offer to pay them
for the raw materials.
1 jar coffee
80 (box) tea bags
4 litres milk (minimum – get long-life,
not fresh)
2 bottles squash
1 kilo bag sugar
For 4-dozen filled rolls:
4 dozen white or wholemeal rolls
1½ 500 gm tubs margarine
2 large tins salmon
large lettuce (e.g. iceberg)
2 lb tomatoes
1½ lbs cheese (grated)
large pack ham
1 cucumber
sandwich bags or cling film to wrap
rolls individually
Equipment
Water heater (s), preferably an urn
Big tea pots
Coffee jugs (thermos)
Big plates
Knives and Scissors
Cake slice
Tea spoons
Tea towels
J-cloths
Kitchen rolls, Toilet rolls
Milk jug
Black bags for rubbish
Foil and cling film
Blu-tac, Pens
Cash box
Float
Washing-up liquid
Paper cups (depends on what HQ provides and number of washers-up)
Prices
Keep it simple – think of your counter
staff. If possible arrange things so that
the customer can pay with a single coin
and no change required.
e.g. drink + cake: 50p
Tea/coffee 20p
Drink, roll, cake: £1
Lots of clubs charge more. You should
obviously aim at least to cover your
costs, but avoid causing riders/spectators to feel that they’re being ripped
off. Put up a price list.
Routine
Get water heating straight away – fill
and switch on urn if there is one. Otherwise fill and boil all kettles.
Keep kettles and urn topped up and
hot
Rolls: these can be made at the HQ
while the race is on. (Bring all ingredients ready-sliced etc in plastic boxes).
Put cups ready on counter. Milk can
be put in before the rush.
Pots of coffee (thermos jugs) made as
race finishes also help to speed things
up.
Make small pot of tea before race.
Tea as required for spectators during
event.
After race: make big pot of tea and
have another one ready to be filled,
then keep chain of fresh pots of tea
going.
Don’t forget marshals and other helpers. Put aside rolls/cake for them (no
charge) and provide drinks on demand.
Some clubs buy in cans, crisps, chocolate bars. This means laying out more
money and the profit-margin is small,
but it’s up to you. V
More results
Solihull RR, 12th April
A/B/C Race - 40 miles
1. Nigel White, 1 hour 43 minutes; 2. Mick
McManus @ 23 sec; 3. Rob O’Connor MI Racing @ 1.33; 4. Marcus Walker; 5. Chris Singleton; 6. Allan Ramsay; 7. Nigel Jones; 8.
Chris Duffield; 9. Gordon Smith; 10. Dave
Perks all s.t.
Categories
A 1. N.White 2.N.Jones 3.D. Perks
B 1. R. O’Connor 2. M. Walker 3. C. Duffield
C 1. M. McManus 2. C. Singleton 3. G. Smith
D/E/F Race - 40 miles
1. Jack Watson, 1 hour 50 minutes; 2. Hugh
McGuire @ 57 seconds; 3. Roger Smith @
3.40; 4. Dave Elliott @ 3.44; 5. Dave
Ruthereford @ 3.56; 6. John Powell @ 3.58;
7. John Downing @ 6.55; 8. Ray Minovi; 9.
Simon Phillips;10. Jeff Garner all s.t.
Categories
D 1. D. Rutherford 2. J. Powell 3. S. Phillips
Page 14
E 1. J. Downing 2. R. Minovi 3. J. Garner
F 1. J. Watson 2. H. McGuire 3. Roger Smith
First Lady: Clare Greenwood
Race 1 saw a great ride by Nigel ‘Animal’ White
to win on his own from Mick McManus after
the two riders had spent most of this tough
race away together.
In Race 2 F Champion Jack Watson showed
his strength, though he’d probably have liked
it better if he’d had some real opposition, after
he and his companions were gifted a sixminute start over the D and E Cats. Dave Rutherford and John Powell gained two minutes
on Watson, followed at 3.40 by the entire
bunch.
Barton Wh Australian Pursuit 5th April
1. Bernie Burns, 28m in 1.17.40; 2. George
Bennett; 3. Pete Ryalls; 4. Bryan Bliss; 5. Len
Jones; 6. Frank Satterthwaite; 7. S. Wakefield;
8. G. Smith; 9. G. Hill; 10. P. Etches, all s.t.
Sid Lovatt heads the break in last July’s
Twickenham Vetarace. (Heather Sims)
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
All things to all men (and women)
Cyclosportives
Part 2
Dave Watson
In the last edition, I introduced the
subject and described a number of
French events. I also described how to
access the calendar of French
cyclosportives. In this article I look at
events elsewhere in Europe.
What are they?
As I described last time, cyclosportives
have different names in different countries, but they are all essentially the same
beast. Events in German speaking regions
are generally called “radmarathons”. For
Italy they are usually “gran fondos”.
They all have the same basic characteristics - one day massed start cycling events
which are timed. They invariably have
plenty of feeding stations and
waterpoints and provide a certificate
showing your time, position and average
speed. Most can be entered on the day,
although pre-entry is usually cheaper. All
are age related and most have prizes.
Where are they?
You can find these events virtually
everywhere in Europe. After France, the
greatest number can probably be found
in Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland,
Spain and Belgium. However, if you
want, you could also find some in
Luxembourg, Norway, Holland, Sweden,
Finland and even South Africa.
Below I describe a few that I have
ridden and enjoyed around Europe and
at the end give some advice on how to
find out where and when they are. As I
particularly enjoy mountain events, these
are the ones I describe. However there
are plenty of events held on flatter
courses and over a great range of
distances and so there should always be
events suitable for you. Also, because
many events have a choice of distances,
these are particularly suitable for friends
travelling together who may have
different levels of fitness (or masochism).
1. Marathon des Dolomites (Italy)
(www.maratonadolomites.com)
(www.maratona.it)
This has got to be my all-time favourite.
Although in Italy, it is based in Corvara
which is in Alto Adige (or South Tyrol),
the German speaking part of Northern
Italy. It has been held every year since
1978 and in that time the fields have
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
The Maratona des Dolomites. The best scenery in the Alps? Participants
climb the spectacular Val Gardena, one of six ‘classic cols’.
increased from 166 to the current
maximum of 7000.
The full course is a figure of eight
covering 147 kilometres and climbing
4750 metres. There are six classic cols
(Campolongo (twice), Pordoi, Sella,
Gardena, Giau and Falzarego). All but
one are over 2000 metres. The scenery is
stunning. In my opinion, the Dolomites,
with their fantastic rocky peaks, have the
best scenery anywhere in the Alps. I defy
anyone to climb the Sella Pass beneath
its sheer cliffs without feeling overwhelmed and just a tad insignificant.
A real bonus of this event is the choice
of routes. There are shorter 57 and 110
kilometre courses which use some but
not all of the above cols. The beauty is
that you can decide your course as you
go along, depending on how you feel or
what the weather is like. Electronic
tagging ensures that all riders are properly allocated to their chosen course in
the results which appear within minutes
of finishing.
The icing on the cake is the organisation, which is very professional. All roads
are closed by the army. Think about that
– six of the most famous passes in the
Dolomites are completely closed for a
cycle race in July right in the middle of
the tourist high season! And at the finish
every rider is offered a three-course sitdown meal with a choice of menu. It is
Page 15
difficult to praise this event too highly.
Pros: Ability to enter on the internet
with a credit card; superb organisation;
totally closed roads; the best scenery in
Europe; a racing jersey included in the
modest entry fee; choice of distances;
electronic timing.
Cons: No entry on the line: enter
early as the maximum field is always
achieved.
2. Grossglockner Radmarathon
(Austria) (www.radmarathon.com)
Definitely the event for those who
remember Bill Bradley’s stunning win in
the Tour of Austria back in the fifties. He
sealed his victory by dropping everyone,
including the local hero Durlacher, on
the Grossglockner, the highest road in
Austria. What better tribute to Bill than
to ride this event which takes in three
cols, with the Grossglockner coming last.
It is an extraordinarily long and hard
climb (12% for mile after mile) and
reaches nearly 2600 metres. The
payback is a close-up view of the
beautiful and permanently snow-covered
Grossglockner mountain and an exhilarating closed road descent to the finish.
The event covers 177 kilometres and
climbs a total of 3100 metres.
Pros: Internet entry possible (but
payment has to be sent separately); entry
on the previous day possible (at a
premium); superb scenery; the Bill
Bradley connection.
Cons: One big circuit with no escape
routes.
As the name suggests, this event is based
in Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of
Switzerland, but its three huge cols (St.
Gotthard, Oberalp and Luckmanier) take
it into the German-speaking part and
back. It covers 160 kilometres and
climbs a total of 3200 metres. Like
many of the Swiss events, and probably
because of police restrictions, riders do
not all depart in one large group but
several smaller ones.
One unique feature is the optional
timed climb of the St. Gotthard with
superb age-related prizes – each age
group winner gets 300 Swiss francs,
about £135. The hill climb is run on the
St. Gotthard old road, largely pavé, 14
kilometres long and climbing 934
metres (over 3000 feet) at an average
gradient of 7%. It’s got to be one of the
hardest climbs I’ve ever ridden but it’s
definitely the most I’ve ever earned in an
hour! As in Paris-Roubaix, winners get a
mounted cobble stone.
Pros: Superb scenery; excellent
organisation; integral optional timed hill
climb; entry possible on the day before.
Cons: no internet entries; no shorter
options; one big loop with no escape
routes.
Where can I find out more?
3. Trittico Alpino Ticinese (Switzerland) (www.tcs-ticino.ch)
Many of the events in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy are listed on
www.radmarathon.com which has a very
good search facility (by country, region,
type of event and month). It also has
excellent links to the websites of
individual events.
For printed listings of the main events
in these countries I would recommend a
Kings of the Mountains: Matt Rendell.
Aurum Press 2002. 245 pp hardback,
£16.99. ISBN 1-85410-837-9
Near the bottom of my holiday list is
the disastrous nation of Colombia, kept
permanently poor and ruined by outside
exploitation, and internal violence, crime,
corruption and religion. Matt Rendell has
attempted to show how the rise and fall of
cycling in Colombia has interacted with the
life of the nation over the last 50 years,
contributing enormously to national selfesteem, but exploited by politicians and
criminals alike for their own ends.
His main thread is the inauguration and
development of the Vuelta, founded in
1951 despite mud roads with which the
e q u i p m e n t c o u l d n’ t c o m p e t e , n o - g o
zones, and grinding poverty. Seven of the
country’s 32 departments provided a field
of 35 starters. In 1952 no fewer than 28 of
the 50 starters had abandoned by Stage 4.
But it got started and it went on. The
geography and the climate ruled every-
thing: the cols reached nearly 4000 metres and you had to be born at altitude to
compete. The gap between the stars and
the also-rans was vast, yet compared with
the Europeans they were no better than
average, and when they went over they
were defeated by the long flat stages where
power, not lightness, was king.
Crime and violence were always there,
and when Escobar and the other drug barons moved in cycling became a different
sport. Bolted-together aluminium frames
make ideal containers for smuggling cocaine, and fit athletes make good mules.
Murder was the barons’ insurance, and a
number of big-name riders ended up dead.
But they succeeded, coming to Europe
and learning the ropes: Herrera, Parra,
Peña, Buenahora, Chepe Gonzalez, Mejia,
Rincon, all of whom did well, but underachieved and retired still young.
Now things have changed: Botero, arguably their most successful Tour rider, has
become Europeanised. Despite hosting the
Page 16
subscription to Cyclo Passion (in French)
which details hundreds of French events
and also lots of events elsewhere in
Europe. Unfortunately I haven’t found
anyone who sells it in the UK and have
taken out an annual subscription, a very
reasonable 27 Euros (exactly the same as
the French pay).
Their address is:
Cyclo Passion
Service Abonnement
60 rue Grenata
75002 Paris.
Tel. (00 33) 1 44 76 98 30
If you prefer an organised trip, both
Sporting Tours (ww.sportingtours.co.uk)
and Leisure Pursuits
(www.leisurepusuits.com) go to some of
the more popular events. If you want
more information about a specific event,
I’d recommend the Internet. Even if you
haven’t your own machine, most local
authority libraries provide free access.
Local search engines are more likely to
produce results. Try Yahoo.fr (France),
Yahoo.de (Germany/Austria/Switzerland),
Yahoo.it (Italy) or Yahoo.es (Spain).
I’m now off to plan this year’s rides France? Italy? Austria? Who knows – the
planning is half the fun.
In the meantime, if I can supply any
more information or advice, please feel
free to contact me.
Happy riding
Dave Watson
([email protected])
World Championships,
the glory days for Colombia are gone, along with
the coffee boom and the
promise of economic
prosperity.
Generally this is a wellwritten book, with a few
caveats: the line between
well-written and overwritten can be a fine one and Rendell
sometimes oversteps it. I can’t honestly see
that ‘the autochthonous opposition’ is any
better than ‘the home riders’. The history
is sound, but the writing is often too dense:
too many facts packed into too few words
make it hard to assimilate. A little more
looseness – chattiness, if you like – would
make it more readable. And I’d have liked
an index.
But this is a valuable and interesting
record, worth having, of an important episode, not only in the sport of cycling, but
in the history of a nation. Ramin Minovi
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
A mystery solved
What d’you do about …?
Trev Fenwick
L
ong distance cycle racing is a
puzzle to the general public, no
one more so than the road racer. It
is the same as the question about polar
explorers. Eventually embarrassment is
overcome and the worry comes out.
‘When you’re on a long ride, what do
you do about a —— y’know?’
The explanation is simple, causing
awkward hilarity. The answer may help
next time you are confronted. It might
help when you need a y’know yourself.
Most racers have butterflies in their
stomachs before the start, and if they
haven’t, then there’s not much point in
competing. You won’t give of your best if
you’re not nervous. Nerves ensure good
bowel evacuation immediately before the
competition – not without difficulties.
The average event headquarters is a
small village hall with only one gent’s,
and one ladies’ toilet. Add 40 to 60
healthy athletes and you have a congestion problem that needs a Ken Livingstone to solve.There’s a queue, a cry of
‘Hurry up,’ the hall is on edge of the
village, the water supply weak, the
ancient cistern unable to cope. The
result is a blockage. Braver souls move
over to the ladies. By then both toilets
have run out of paper. I would point out
that professionals always carry a spare
roll of toilet paper in their kit bag.
Having cleared this hurdle, most riders
are well equipped to complete the
course trouble-free and raring to go.
There are still those who have problems,
or were not able to complete pre-race
preparation in time.
There is not much sympathy for late
arrivals but for athletes with bowel
problems it may be necessary to measure
the amount of pre-race liquid. Experimentation is required: I have a friend
who found that restricting himself to one
cup of tea for breakfast gave him the
control he needed. He went on to finish
the 14-day Warsaw Berlin Prague race,
so it must have been successful.
If after all preparations it is still
necessary to spend a penny during the
event there are a few options. Unless you
have strong team support, standing
behind a tree is not one of them. Use a
stopwatch next time, and allow for
getting off and on the bike. With a fastmoving bunch forty-five seconds is just
too much to make up on your own.
Train hard, fight easy
I
t’s the same wherever you live.
You’re out getting the miles in with
the lads and every week it’s the same
ones skiving on the back, you on the
front most of the day battling away into
the headwind, coming home stuffed. You
start a lash-up for the town sign three
miles out. Four of you are working flat
out, but two are sat on. You hope the
sheer speed might just burn them off, but
they come off your wheel 200m before
the sign. And then they boast about how
nicely one of them managed to pip you
for the prime.
Not to waste a long hard climb you
attack right from the bottom and open a
gap. You vainly try to hold off their late
bid and eventually find yourself trying to
limit your losses over the top. Then they
mock you.
I recall riding on the front with a fairly
good rider and I decided to half-wheel
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
him. As the pace got I kept deadpan, my
legs screaming, but trying to show no
signs of effort. Eventually he says: ‘Is that
the, er, long wheelbase Hercules ?’ I did
crack – as I expected to. He was amazed
that I’d had the temerity to try it on.
You have to have a healthy mindset. In
each case I was actually using them to
get myself fit. In a proper race you too
would not have been so naïve – particularly with the sprint. I would have got rid
of them before the sprint or at worst
made sure they had no sprint left in their
legs. In training you actually need to pit
yourself against some strong riders to: no
good testing yourself against dead men.
Remember: in racing you do only as
much as is necessary but in training you
do as much as you can. If someone
leaves a gap in the line, jump into it. It’s
an inexpensive way to find out what pain
really is and learn how much of it you
The more experienced can manage on
the bike by adjusting their shorts during a
quiet period. The problem does not
come up so much when the pressure is
on; the body adjusts itself to the situation. It helps to get a team-mate to push
you, and in the middle of the bunch it is
possible to be hidden from spectators.
The Italians as you would expect are
masters of all cycling techniques, and I
have seen them carrying out the business
going down hill happily spraying the
crowd. It’s more difficult to pick out
details at 30 mph.
There is also the more revolting
method of just doing a puddle in your
racing shorts, and hoping things will dry
out before the finish, not very nice or
professional.
The final question is ‘what about
number twos?’ Well, if you have
troubles there you are really out of the
running, to coin a phrase. I have heard
anecdotes for which I cannot vouch (the
rest I have observed), of riders utilising
their racing caps. I don’t believe this for a
minute, but just to be on the safe side,
never ever pick up a racing cap thrown
out of the bunch. V
John Bettinson
can take. If you only ever experience it in
races you’re most likely to be apprehensive and back off. It doesn’t matter in
training if you eventually get dropped so
long as you genuinely, really, could not
do any more. Training should be harder
than the races, so that you have something in hand to apply tactics.
A few years ago a prominent local rider
asked me why was it they weren’t
winning any races. I said, ‘You don’t train
hard enough’. He was most indignant.
‘I see eight of you going out,’ I said,
‘and eight of you coming back – together. You don’t train hard enough.’ Not
long after that some of them started
accumulating some good results.
I haven’t said anything new, nor any
thing you didn’t already know, but I do
think at times we all need reminding.
The manuals say it’s about 25% psychology – I’d put it a lot higher than that. V
Page 17
The views and opinions expressed
in letters to the Editor are those of
the correspondents, and not those
of the Editor, this journal, or the
League of Veteran Racing Cyclists.
From Martin Williams
A word from the back
I’m an inexperienced member who
completed his first ever season of racing
last year. Like many cyclists I was a
runner in a previous life. Knee problems
which didn’t seem to get better turned
me to my bike more than 10 years ago.
Being competitive by nature, I set many
local world records against the clock on
routes varying from 10 to 20 miles in
length, and all in the Oswestry area. The
records are not internationally recognised since I am probably the only
person to have cycled them.
18 months ago I bought a ‘proper’
bike, joined the local club and started
time-trialling on their 10-mile course.
This was my first introduction to serious
cyclists and I realised that some of my
world records could be beaten if only the
other club members knew what the
courses were.
My thirst for competition was not
quenched by the Oswestry Paragons TTs.
Although good training, I found time
trialling (dare I say?) a little boring. At the
end of the season, I discovered the LVRC.
Feeling confident and fit, I entered my
first race in autumn 2001. On the way to
the race I planned my tactics. Looking
back they seem slightly naïve. I was going
to get the feel of cycling with lots of
other cyclists close to me, and make my
break with about 5 miles to go. At 51 I
was at the lower end of my age group,
hence faster – I thought. It was very
simple.
I started well and was doing OK for the
first 5 miles or so. I think I even led for a
little way. I hadn’t hit anyone and noone had run into me. We also hadn’t
come to any significant hills. Then it
happened. Going up a not-very-steep
incline, everyone passed me. I reached
the top panting and looking at the pack
disappearing round a bend. Try as I
might, every time I saw them they were
farther away from me. I kept doggedly
on, thinking that every time I rounded a
corner I would see them again. I felt I
was trying so hard that I must be gaining
on them.
Then, shame of shame, a rider from
the age group behind me hove into sight.
How could this be? A chap who looked
much older than me and had started 5
minutes or so behind me was overtaking
me. I tried to stay with him but couldn’t.
I found out later his name was something
Ives and he had raced a few times
before.
Page 18
Before long a group of more of these
old chaps caught up with me. This time I
stayed with them for about 10 miles
before they too disappeared up a hill.
I teamed up with one of the older
group who was probably having a very
bad off day and we helped each other to
the end of the race.
I was a changed person. My respect for
the LVRC cyclists was without bounds.
Humility doesn’t come into it. I asked
myself ‘Who are these people?’ It was
some time later that I was able to answer
my question and I didn’t feel quite so
bad when I realised that at the start of
my first race I had been arrogant enough
to imagine I might beat ex-champions of
Milk Races, Olympics, and other Worldclass competitions.
As I said at the start, I have now
completed my first season. The expectations for my first race of 2002 were much
lower than they had been for my
previous race and they were fully
realised. I set myself a target of finishing
in the bunch in my age group for one
race and this I achieved at the race at
Congleton which was supposed to be
very hilly but turned out flat since the
hilly route was not available.
As an absolute beginner, I learned an
awful lot last year. My most enjoyable
race was obviously the race in which I
finished in the pack and achieved a
target I had set myself. My other enjoyable races were those where, even
though I had been dropped, I was able to
get into a chasing group, take turns at the
front and actually have a real tactical
race with a group of four or five others
and try and sprint for the line at the end.
Rightly or wrongly I completed each
race that I entered, often at the back of
the field. There are three or four reasons
for my determination to finish. Firstly I
am an eternal optimist and always think
that the group that has dropped me is
just around the next corner. Secondly, it
is good training for the next race. Thirdly
I have paid so I’ll get my money’s worth.
And finally, I may not have won the race
but I have beaten every single other
person who gave up halfway round the
course when the group dropped them.
I hope that this article is an encouragement to other beginners who have had
similar experiences to me. For next
season, if you have been dropped, don’t
pack in. If enough of us think the same
way we’ll all join up and have some good
racing.
I have just sent off my membership
renewal. This season my sights are set a
little higher and perhaps I’ll finish in the
bunch more often than not. That’s my
goal but I’d still like to win a race, after
all, that’s what it’s all about. Maybe if I’m
lucky and choose a race when everyone
else has an off day, and the course suits
me, and some of the regular winners
have breakdowns, and, and, just
maybe…….
From Dave Fergusson
The short accounts by Hemingway were
fascinating and raised some interesting
thoughts. I remember my Dad telling me
about what he called the ‘Death Trap’
pre-war cycle tracks but I didn’t realise
that they actually surfaced some of those
old banked tracks in cement (concrete).
Like me he was a clubman-time triallist
and racer around before and after the
war and he said that those old skull caps
were next to useless but had to be worn
to meet the regs for track racing. You
really wonder at guys like Linart and
Ganay (who it seems sadly died in that
terrible accident) who would race in
such dangerous places – have we lost
something these days or are we just a lot
wiser? If you have any more info on
these guys and the Parc des Princes track
– presumably long closed – it would be
appreciated but I realise that you are
very busy. I looked up Bottechia and he
seem to have raced in the 1920s so
presumably Hemingway is writing of his
experiences during this period.
Ottavio Bottechia, the first Italian
winner of the Tour de France (1924 and
1925) was found dead in June 1927 in
a vineyard near the road, apparently
beaten to death. In 1948 an Italian
peasant, enraged because the cyclist
had ‘damaged his vines’, confessed on
his deathbed to having killed the
sleeping Bottechia with a rock. The
account of the Basque tour seems to be
based on a real incident: Hemingway
was certainly in northern Spain in July
and/or August from 1923 to 1928.
From Tony Hewson
I very much enjoyed reading the last
issue of the mag. ‘Grassed up’ was a
terrific piece: the chap in ‘a Harris tweed
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
jacket, khaki shorts and white plimsolls’
said so much about the period. Your
article on coffee reminded me of
continental riders who would start races
with two full bottles, double strength, a
hip flask of sherry and all the ‘uppers’
that went along with it. Is it any wonder
most of them are long dead? And you
will recall that poor blighter, not so many
years ago, who was disqualified in the
National 24 Hours Championship for
‘drinking too much tea’ —— I suppose,
in his state of dehydration, the caffeine
content of his kidneys would have been
super-concentrated!
Anyway, your coaching page, ‘Keeping
in Line’, put me in mind of the 1956
WBP and the first occasion on which I
raced abroad. What a baptism that was!
Tony’s account of his experience in the
Peace Race will be printed in our next
issue. Editor
From Dave Orford
Reference the publicised piece on St
Johann. The events not under UCI rules
are classified as the non-UCI Veteran
World Road Championships, although
since 1967 both the UCI version and
non-UCI have been called ‘Rad Welt
Cup’. this was to pacify the UCI. The fact
that the UCI recognised the veteran
category officially in 1994 does not alter
the status of the non-UCI events. We
must not fall into the UCI trap and back
up their hijack of St Johann by making
the Masters titles in Austria superior to
the non-UCI titles.
Incidentally, you may have noticed that
British Cycling will not issue day licenced
for the event under their jurisdiction on
the Isle of Man – the Masters European
Road Championships.
From John Clark, Polhill Racing Club
With our Syd Wightman Memorial RR
imminent I thought that a comment on
last year’s race from a non-member of
your organisation might be in order. The
views expressed in this letter are mine
and do not necessarily represent those of
any other member of the Polhill RC.
In 2002 I was marshalling on this race
at a T-junction. The break appeared, two
riders, followed eventually by the bunch,
and I turned them left. After a while a car
appeared, stopped, and the woman
driver came towards me, but smiling. She
said that she understood what was going,
being a cyclist herself, and knew that
there was nothing I could do at this stage
but felt that she should say something.
Apparently she was driving towards my
marshalling point when the two riders in
the break came round a blind bend on
the wrong side of the road, heading
straight for her. She felt obliged to pull
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
over on to the grass verge, braking
sharply, while being subjected to an
amount of bad language from the pair.
I apologised for them and said that the
best I could do was to inform the
organiser as soon as possible. After the
event I was telling one of your ‘ageing
aces’, an old acquaintance, about the
incident. I was informed in a most
condescending manner that I didn’t
understand: these were skilled riders,
implying that there was some sort of
special dispensation for them to ride the
roads exactly as they wished.
As an ex-road-race of no discernible
talent, and an ex-organiser of many road
races, I think that it’s about time that
idiots of this sort were curbed by being
disqualified whenever possible, possibly
permanently if they persist, because if
anything is going to hasten the disappearance of en ligne racing from the
roads of this country their sort of
behaviour will.
We’ve been here before. We published
similar letters in Autumn 2000 and
Autumn 2002. The truth is that we
have to accept that we share the roads
with other users, all of whom have as
much right as we do to be there, and
we must behave accordingly. If we
don’t then we might lose the right
which we enjoy at present of being able
to race on the public highway. Ed.
From Dave Orford
Pete Baldwin’s article on unregistered
track meetings rang a bell with me. As
Independents, and therefore classed as
professionals, we felt we had a right to
contest grass track meetings under the
rules of the Scottish Games Association
(SGA), formed to cater for professional
athletes, and we were accepted as
members. The Lake District meetings
were SGA.
But Alex Hendry and other Scottish
pros didn’t want us taking their money,
so we were reported to the newlyformed BCF, and suspended during the
winter months until March 1 st 1960. This
didn’t affect our racing, but there was a
principle at stake. I wrote to Len Unwin
at BCF HQ, asking: ‘If a club promoted
track racing for its own members, did it
have to be under BCF rules?’ Len
confirmed that the BCF would not be
involved. I then wrote again to the SGA,
and as Secretary of the British Professional and Independents’ Association I
offered to make all their cyclists honorary
members of the BPICA, so that the
cycling events at all future meetings
would be classed as club events. This
was agreed, but in late summer I again
received a registered letter from the BCF
for riding unregistered events. I sent a
copy of Len Unwin’s letter, plus an
explanation of how we had arranged our
‘club’ meetings, and I heard no more
from the Federation.
Incidentally, the only event I ever won
against those experts was the 1-mile at
Knighton, £20, good money in those
days, plus expenses. Is it still the last
Friday in August?
Letter from Dave Orford to Freedom
Today, October 1989
Sadly I have watched sports participants
being frozen out of competition with
South Africa, and the South Africans
themselves unable to participate internationally. However, a situation that
developed in Belgium some twenty years
ago has a marked bearing on the present
situation. Not only has it given the South
Africans an outlet to international
competition, it may well give a lead to
strong-minded people in sport generally,
who may feel that the way to go is to
form alternative controlling bodies for
the various sporting organisations in the
affected countries.
In 1969 the controlling body for
Belgian cycle sport (LVB) decided that
riders of 35 and over would no longer be
issued with a racing licence. The outcome was that the affected racing cyclists
got together and formed their own
organisation (WAOD), which to begin
with catered only for the 35 and over
veteran category. However, as many
young riders were also not happy with
the LVB, the WAOD soon catered for all
senior categories (19+). As this new
organisation gained in strength it came
into contact with other cycle sport
organisations, also working outside of
their countries’ controlling bodies. It was
a natural process for all of these bodies
then to come together to form what is
now the Free Federation.
The Free Federation promote their own
versions of European and World Championships, and I am pleased to say that the
South Africans are not only made very
welcome indeed to all the events, but
last year one of the South African team
members won the Free Federation’s
World Road Race Championship. I am
sure that this world title is the first
amateur championship won by a South
African since they were shut out of
international competition.
It’s worth noting, even after 20 years,
that the WAOD still refer to their riders
as vrije liefhebbers, or free amateurs. In
England, too, a great many riders, mainly
veterans, were not happy with the British
controlling body, and since 1984 a free
federation system has grown up into a
very strong movement.
Page 19
Peace on the Road
I
n 1991 Allan Ramsay suffered a
horrific freak accident: standing
in a lay-by, he was struck on the
head by a metal bar sticking out
four feet from the side of a farm
lorry travelling at 35 mph. Even the
hard-shell helmet he was wearing
couldn’t prevent a fractured skull
and neck injuries.
Allan considers himself lucky to
have made a complete recovery.
He became a member of
Roadpeace, the National Charity
for Road Traffic Victims, and
spends hours writing to local and
national newspapers, drawing
attention to the dangers – largely
unrecognised by most people – of
our car-dependent culture.
Below we publish some of Allan’s
comments, and extracts from his
letters published in a range of
newspapers.
Over the last hundred years, and
especially in the last fifty, in embracing
car dependency we have effectively
created and accepted both a weapon
of mass destruction and biological
warfare through harmful emissions, in
the form of noxious gases and microscopic carcinogenic particulates. These
attack our respiratory systems, and
official figures show that as many as
20,000 people in Britain alone, die
each year from illnesses caused by
inhaling these emissions. The National
Society for Clean Air offers more
startling evidence, suggesting the figure
could be as high as 48,000.
The insanity is that the civilised
world continues to promote and use
the motor car to excess, and shows
little willingness to take steps that
could reduce its destructive effect. In
the last hundred years the motor car
has killed 25 million people worldwide. In this country alone there have
been 500,000 deaths and close to 20
million injured, and even today there
are well over 300,000 casualties a year,
3,500 of them fatal. Of these over 200
are children.
These figures indicate that the
dangers of car dependency are equal
to, or even greater than any threat
from terrorists. Perhaps one of the
reasons why we are now faced with
such a threat is because we have
shown such little concern for the death
Page 20
and destruction we have caused with
our insatiable appetite for cars and oil.
It appears that the ‘civilised’ world
has been thoroughly indoctrinated
with a belief in that driving motor cars
to excess and at excessive speeds is
perfectly acceptable. This surely
suggests that there are significant
numbers in our civilised world - family,
friends, neighbours and work colleagues - who are unconcerned about
the death of innocent people. This
would help to explain why there is so
much resistance to reducing car
dependency, speed reduction and
traffic calming. The evidence of this is
all too clear when we hear the condemnation by motorists and motoring
groups of speed cameras, which were
primarily designed to reduce the death
toll on our roads. When motorists
where asked: ‘Would you give up your
car for the health of the Nation?’, 72%
said no.
Moreover, because there are over 30
million drivers, (in Britain alone)
government is fearful of taking the
necessary steps that would reduce the
shameful number of road traffic
casualties and the death toll resulting
from harmful emissions.
If civilised people cannot be convinced that driving motor cars with
little or no regard for the law, the
health and the safety of their fellow
human beings (including their own
families, friends, neighbours, colleagues) is wrong, then what chance
can there be of peace in the world if
we cannot respect and safeguard the
lives of the people closest to us?
Manchester Evening News 19 December 2002
A reader says narrowing roads from
two lanes to one might look pretty on
the drawing board, but in reality it
doesn’t work. I’ve got news for him:
neither does creating more traffic
lanes. The M60 can no longer cope
with the the volume of traffic, with
average speeds as low as 10 mph. The
motoring lobby have done a fantastic
job of making us car dependent, but
that doesn’t mean we should rip up
the countryside and demolish homes
to accommodate this obsession – not
when 20 percent of children suffer
from asthma and obesity, and the
incidence of heart disease is at such a
disturbing level. Official figures suggest
that 20,000 die each year from the
effects of vehicle emissions.
So what’s the solution? On a small
island with 30 million impatient
drivers, and with the threat of a 20
percent increase within the next ten
years, there isn’t one. The sad reality is
that there is no satisfying the appetite
for speed of our selfish car dependency.
But there is one measure that hasn’t
been tried – accept that car dependency is not sustainable, that everything
has a limit, and that improving the
standard of driving – patience, courtesy, respect – will in the long term do
a lot more good than building more
roads.
Radcliffe Times, 26 December 2002
As a car owner I can understand those
who think parking charges are ‘extortionate, callous and immoral’ (Tim
Boaden, 12 Dec). But as a responsible
54-year-old who has enjoyed all
aspects of cycling since childhood I
have little sympathy. Because I am a
cyclist I’ve spend more than my fair
share of time in Casualty. After one
serious accident I spent days on life
support, and was incapacitated and
housebound for months, totally
dependent on family and friends.
I don’t want special privileges or a
medal, for there are people who have
overcome much worse. But what good
are medals without my health? All my
medals do is remind me that I was
once fit enough and good enough to
beat the best; and now, owing to
someone who caused me serious
injury, I will suffer for the rest of my
life.
Nor am I suggesting that everyone
should ride a bicycle, any more than
that everyone should enjoy opera. But
what I am suggesting is that drivers
should be more compassionate and
understanding. If they cannot display
these qualities, then they should not
be driving a lethal machine.
Mr Boaden is opposed to paying for
the privilege of parking his car, and
thinks that ‘charging for such a basic
human need is not on’. I would say to
him that it is also ‘not one’ to endanger the life of someone who travels,
either by choice or necessity, on a
bicycle – or, indeed, on a horse or
invalid scooter. V
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Cycling in
Provence
(South of France)
Cortijo las Monjas
Cycling in the Sun
On traffic-free roads suitable for all
levels of fitness
Two-bedroom apartment near the village of Villanueva de
Tapia, Spain*; Swimming pool, bar & restaurant
We are an English couple living in a large, Provençal style
country house with walled garden and large swimming pool.
The house has been renovated to include 4 large, selfcatering apartments in the village of ORGON, set in the
Durance valley 25 km south of Avignon.
We can offer superb cycling routes both for training touring
and VTT, covering the Luberon National Park and The
Alpilles. Secure parking and cycle storage is available.
Individuals and groups are welcome. Open during October,
and March to third week in May. Price: £85 per person per
week.
For further information and brochure contact:
Mike Grayson, Mas de Bazarde,
6 Route de Bazardes, 13660 Orgon, France.
Prices from £98 per person per week
Based on four people sharing a 2-bedroom apartment. B & B and evening meal included (Flights
and insurance not included)
Also available: private cabins (sleep two people)
More information: 07890072066 (mobile)
email: [email protected]
*The village of is in the area of Antequera/Archidona/Loja/Ruta. Follow
the motorway out of Malaga towards Granada.
Sports Massage can:
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Relax and stretch muscles
Improve range of motion
Restore suppleness and elasticity
Relieve pain and stress
Soften scar tissue
Improve circulation
Speed recovery and healing from exertion
All this and more! to make an appointment call
Bryan Ward (LSSM Dip.) on 0208-361-4543
e-mail: [email protected]
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
NT
MO
Sports Massage
PI
Be smart – make sports massage an
integral part of your training this
summer
PEL
E
Tel: 00.33.4.90.73.09.73 Fax: 00.33.4.90.73.08.95
Website: www.masdebazarde.com
e-mail: [email protected]
v
v
v
v
Monte Pelpi — Ciclo Italia
Self-guided rides (routes provided)
Hills to die for (MTB/Road)
Self-catering accommodation in country or
seaside
v Northern Italy’s best-kept secret
A warm welcome awaits you in
Bedonia (Pr Parma)
Phone Sandra for a brochure on
00390-5258-24354
Page 21
LVRC Shop
LVRC Jerseys, short-sleeve £35.00
LVRC Jerseys, long-sleeve
£37.50
Cloth badges
£2.00
Metal badges
£3.00
Post & packing for jerseys
£1.50
No more freebies, no more old-style jerseys
From:
Chris Singleton, 23 Barnwood Road, Quinton,
Birmingham B32 2LY
Telephone: 0121-427-1912
Please make cheques payable to LVRC
Please ring beforehand to check availability
Present Stock Controller wishes to retire.
Volunteer(s) required to replace him. Ring
0121-427-1912 or any Committee member
ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CYCLING COACHES
Want to be a
Cycling Coach?
The ABCC has for over 30 years provided coach education for all
disciplines, and now offers you the opportunity to become a qualified coach.
You can qualify in as little as 10 weeks, either by distance learning
or through a fast-track course, followed by a period of practical
experience supported by a senior coach – the ABCC has over 450
registered coaches.
For its qualified coaches the ABCC provides full insurance cover,
regular issues of Cycle Coaching News, and its annual coaches’
conference.
For details of ABCC Courses contact:
Jim Sampson, 19 Forbes Avenue, Beverley High Road, Hull HU6 7AJ
Telephone: 01482-857774 E-mail: [email protected]
Phil’s
Cycling
Hols
Tel: 00115 933 3920
(UK)
Fax: 00 33 457 481124
(France)
[email protected]
Look at our Website:
www.vercors-net.com/cycling
for details of travel by A45 from
Grenoble or Lyon A49.
Motorways – from Valence A42 from Sisteron or Chambery
Train -TGV from Paris –
Grenoble & links SNCF shuttle from
Grenoble to Valence
Travel by Plane
– to Lyon
– to Grenoble
V Accommodation and
booking form – Road
Cyclists & Mountain Bikes
V The Vercors area How your week could go
Annual
Page 22
events & contacts
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Regional Officials
REGION 1. N.W. ENGLAND
CHAIRMAN
Dennis Agnew 44 Commonside, Ansdell Lytham Lancs FY8 4EX
REGISTRAR
Ray Groves 2 Locks View, Ince Wigan
Lancs WN1 3HL
SEC, CONTACT & TREASURER Wally Hodge 43 Wyre Avenue, Kirkham Preston Lancs PR4 2YE
EVENT CO-ORDINATOR
Jack Stokes 2 Orchard Close, Tag Lane Preston Lancs PR2 3TG.
N/LETTER CORRESP
Harry Benson ‘Fylde Cottage’,1 Havenlyn Park Cabus, Preston PR3 1AB
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR
Dave Edge, 123 Carrhead Lane, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancs FY6 8EG
QUARTERMASTER
Keith Wright 29 Church Street, Kirkham,
Preston PR4 2SE
SCOTLAND
Ken MacDonald 16 Charnwood Avenue, Willow Bank, Johnstone PA5 0AF
01253-739428
01942-495214
01772-682531
01772-768234
01524-791604
01253-890852
01772-499213
01505-337131
REGION 2. N.E.ENGLAND and
C/MAN & EVENTS CO-ORD
SEC, & QM
REGISTRAR
TREASURER
N/L CORRESP
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR
0113-275-9733
0113-258-7194
0113-295-6916
01943-878600
0113-278-2093
01535-654070
YORKSHIRE
Derek Smith 15 Moor Grange View, West Park, Leeds LS16 5BN
Alan Edmondson ’Seven Oaks’, Newlay Wood Ave, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4LN
John Lawton 21 Nursery Lane, Leeds LS17 7ED
Tim Teale, 1 The Birches, Guiseley, Leeds LS20 9EH
David Hamilton, 332 Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds LS16 5BA
Ian Moore 24 Rombalds Crescent, SILSDEN, BD20 0LE
REGION 3 NORTH WALES and MERSEYSIDE
LIVERPOOL ORGANISER
Paul Paterson, 50 Ennismore Road, Liverpool L13 2AT
WIRRAL ORGANISER
Brian Ellis, 1 Priory Road, West Kirkby, Wirral CH48 7ET
WALES ORGANISER
Richard Lang,The Lodge,Cerrigilwydion Hall, Llandyrnog, Nr Denbigh, LL16 4LE
ADMINISTRATOR
Geoff Brandt 29 Templemore Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Mersey-side, CH43 2HB
EVENT CO-ORDINATOR
Keith Boardman 19 Clydesdale Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH7 3RP.
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR
Eddie Hayes 45 Leominster Road, Wallasey, Merseyside CH44 5UT
0151-259-6083
0151-625-8896
01824-790398
0151-652-0217
0151-632-3185
0151-691-1458
REGION 4 MANCHESTER and
CHAIRMAN/REGISTRAR
CONTACT/EVENTS/N-L CORR
TREASURER
QUARTERMASTER
N/LETTER DISTRIBUTOR
01457-837113
01614-857969
01204-886635
0161-688-6152
01606-781760
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
Dave Watson 207 Manchester Road, Greenfield, Oldham OL3 7HX
Nev Ashman 77 Hulme Hall Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 6JZ.
John Carter 41 Holthouse Road, Tottington, Bury BL8 3JP
Bob Murray 7 Hoylake Close, New Moston, Manchester M40 3WU
Les Bailey
51 Romans Rd, Northwich, Cheshire,CW8 1DE.
REGION 5. EAST and NORTH MIDLANDS
CHAIRMAN & N/L DISTRIBUTOR & QM John Downing
REGISTRAR
Jenny Downing 33 Doncaster Road, Costhorpe, Worksop, Notts, S81 9QY.
01909-732764
SECRETARY
Colin Abdy 10 Foredale, Barton on Humber, South Humberside, DN18 5NE
01652-633656
TREASURER
John Flear
14a Water Lane, North Hykesham, Lincoln LN6 9QST
01522-687738
QUARTERMASTER
Roger Hearsum Manor Farm, 6 Front Lane, Treeton, Rotherham Yorks S60 5QP
01742-694868
NEWSLETTER CORRESP
Phil Etches, 12 Hereford Way, Grantham, Lincs NG31 8AX
01476-577262
EVENT CO-ORD
Dave Gretton, 7 Lorimer Avenue, Gedling, Notts NG4 4BS 0115-987-8700 e-mail [email protected]
REGION 6. MID WALES and WEST MIDLANDS
CONTACT, EVENTS & QM
Les Archer 14 Broadfield Close, Kingswinford, W Mids DY6 9PY
REGISTRAR/TREASURER
Colin Willetts 201 Mildenhall Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, B42 2PE
N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB
Colin Dooley 62 Gillhurst Road, Harbourne, Birmingham, B17 8PB3
01384-273109
0121-358-6768
0121-427-2149
REGION 7. S.E.MIDLANDS and
CONTACT
REGISTRAR
TREASURER/EVENT CO-ORD
N/L CORRESP & DISTRIB
01908-501461
01235-210178
01788-567637
01933-271234
EAST ANGLIA
Ron Day 11 Kingsbridge, Furzton, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK4 1EH.
Richard Abbott 124 Oxford Crescent, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7AX
Mike Burns 14 Briars Close, Long Lawford, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9DW
George Bridge 30 Wilby Park, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2UL.
REGION 8: S.WALES and WESTERN ENGLAND
CONTACT
Chas Bland Poplars, Hillside, Long Ashton, Bristol, Avon, BS18 9LG.
SECRETARY
Austin Heath Melrose, 12 Heol Morlais, Llannon, Dyfed SA14 6BD
TREASURER
Kevin Green 107 Cherington, Yate, South Glos BS37 8UT
REG, N/L CORR & DISTRIB
Ralph Wilson 42 Bradstone Road, Winterbourne, South Glos
EVENT CO-ORD & QM
Martin Bush Mobility House, Aberaman Park Ind Est, Aberdare, Mid-Glam CF44 6DA
01275-393696
01269-832975
01454-881486
01454-776062
01685-884226
REGION 9: LONDON and S. EAST ENGLAND
CHAIRMAN
Ian Tollady 9 Rosecroft Avenue, Hampstead, London, NW3 7QA.
SEC, EVENT CO-ORD,QM
Fred Little 45 Hillhouse Close, Billericay, Essex, CM12 0BB.
REGISTRAR
Bill Ollis 157 Cedar Road, Strood, Kent, ME2 2JR.
TREASURER
Peter Wilson 52 Knoll Drive, Southgate, London, N14 5NE.
N/L DISTRIBUTOR
Arnold Russell, 94 Thetford Close, London N13 6AU
0207-794-3410
01277-658807
01634-721502
0208-368-0698
0208-352-8780
REGION 10: SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
REGISTRAR
Peter Rigby, 18 Dryden Close, Fareham, Hants PO16 7NJ
EVENT CO-ORD/N/L DISTRIB
Paul Ruta, 5 Avington Close, Bishopstoke, Eastleigh SO5 6NW
TREASURER
Paul Woodburn 10 Willowdale Close, Stroud, Petersfield, Hants GU32 3PS
01329-822046
02380-615405
01730-265061
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003
Page 23
The Coaching Page
You crazy thing
T
here are reasons why people do
crazy things in Mallorca that they
wouldn’t think of doing back home.
Warmth, sun and a big group, and you’ve
only got a week or a fortnight, so cram in
all you can. You’ve prepared for this
specially, and you want to show everyone how good you are. There are climbs
like you never see in Britain – Puig Major,
Soller (both sides with 27 hairpins), Lluc,
Sa Calobra, all the monasteries – let’s do
them all, preferably in one day. Patterns
of training and racing are changing:
people are racing less, finding their
pleasures elsewhere, peaking for March
to be at their best in Mallorca.
The upshot is that a rider who’s been
averaging 150 mpw sets out to do 1000
miles in two weeks, and a 60+ veteran
gets in 1950 miles in 4 weeks, ‘achieving’
650+ miles in the fourth week.
At the risk of repeating myself: It can’t
be emphasised enough that it’s during
the rest period that the body recovers
from the efforts of training and rebuilds
the depleted systems. During intensive
training the body is stressed and to some
extent damaged. The heart pumps at a
rate beyond what it has been used to,
demands for a greater and faster supply
of oxygen are made on the lungs, the
fibres of the muscles suffer microdamage – that’s what causes the soreness
the day after. During recovery the body
over-compensates for what you’ve done
to it, so that next time it will be ready for
the severe demands you make. When
you increase the demands, it again uses
the recovery period to over-compensate,
and so on. This is what progressive
training is. But if you don’t build in those
recovery periods you’ll become chronically fatigued and go backwards.
Advice: don’t do a long hard ride the
day before you travel, or the day after
you arrive. The main reason for this is
that strenuous exercise such as is
involved in climbing 9-mile cols as hard
as you can, wears down the body and
mind and depresses the immune system,
and you want your immune system to be
at full whack if you’re going to spend a
couple of hours in the tube full of 250
people in a moist, warm, virus-friendly
atmosphere that is your average airliner.
It’s psychologically very demanding to
Page 24
keep getting yourself up mentally every
morning to do another 90 – 100-mile
ride with a couple of big climbs ridden at
Level 3, and a 10-mile finishing wind-up
at Level 4. Intersperse your long rides
and big climbs with days when you ride
20 miles at a really easy pace, sit in the
square for an hour in the sun over your
café con leche and bocadillo de jamon,
and then gently ride 20 miles home. And
each week take one day off the bike
completely: walk a couple of miles
instead, promote blood-flow in the
muscles without a training load, get to
see the town, learn where the best cake
shops are.
Climbs. You’re never going to suffer
from altitude problems in Mallorca. The
highest col, Puig Major, is only 1036
metres (3367 feet) above sea level.
Nevertheless, it starts at sea level, so in
terms of height climbed it’s almost
exactly the same as l’Alpe d’Huez which
starts at around 800 metres above sealevel, and so demands a certain level of
respect.
And the machinery! No longer the
winter hacks: large numbers turn up with
their best racing bikes, £3000+ worth,
and wheels. Incidentally, it’s worth
bearing in mind that there may well be a
motor-cycle/bike shop at the next small
town which will sell you a spoke, but if
you break a spoke in your Ksyrium out in
the middle of the Mallorcan hills the
chances are you won’t be able to get it
fixed nearly as easily.
Nutrition: high CHO, low fat, drink as
much fluid as you can take. Avoid
alcohol. This is supposed to be a training
camp. Isn’t it? Oh, all right, then.
The BCF’s little booklet (eight pages of
A5) outlining Four Levels of Training
Intensity, based on Peter Keen’s research,
is still a useful training guide. The levels
are based on the use of a heart-rate
monitor, but for those of us who just
can’t be bothered with modern technology there are descriptions of how each
level should feel. OK, I know they’ve
gone to six levels now, and even the
original four levels added in another at
Low Level 2.
Coaches have often pointed out that
Level 1 is something-and-nothing – too
slow and undemanding to produce much
in the way of a training response, too
hard for a true recovery ride. The aim is
to ride enough to stimulate active
recovery but not enough to introduce a
training load. The Six-zone system
recognises this: its Level 1 is below that
of the old Four-level guidelines. Chris
Carmichael’s Lance Armstrong Performance Program contains a useful guide to
recovery riding.
Consider the recovery rides Lance did after
winning the 1996 Flêche-Wallonne classic
on 18th April, where he spent an astonishing two hours at or past his lactate
threshold during the race. The next day, a
Thursday, he rode for 75 minutes. He
pedalled a cadence of 75 to 80 rpm and
maintained an average heart rate of an easy
112 beats per minute. On Friday he rode
for 60 minutes at the same cadence, with
an average heart rate of 115 bpm. On
Saturday he eased back into some
exertion, with a 2-hour ride that included
two brisk efforts of 5 minutes each, 2
minutes apart, with his heart rate at 178183 bpm. The rest of the ride was at a
moderate rate, with an average heart rate of
118 bpm. Those three days of riding
helped to speed recovery from his effort of
nearly 5 hours at Flêche-Wallonne. He was
able to go into Liège-Bastogne-Liège on
21 April, rested and ready to race again.
He finished second.
And no two people require exactly the
same training schedule. One rider told
me: ‘I used to go out training with the
best rider in my club, but I found that I
didn’t have his constitution, and the
punishing schedule that brought him to
peak form simply killed me. I was doing
all my best rides in training, merely to
stay with him, and had nothing left for
racing.’ Don’t be afraid of doing less (or
even more) than your companions. You
don’t have to complete the 100-mile
circuit if you find 60 miles suits you
better.
When you get home it’s likely to be
colder (this year was an exception), and
less training-friendly. Have a couple of
days off (after all, you’ve done 400+
miles in the previous week, haven’t
you?), eat well, wrap up well, and start
off with a couple of easy rides. V
Veteran Leaguer: Spring 2003