Bedfordshire Road Cycling Club

News Letter

Issue: 374-2December 1999/January 2000

President: C. Byers; Chairman: D. Sullivan; Secretary: R. Crane; Treasurer: T. Sykes; Editor: D. Roberts e-mail DRobe10229@AOL.com

Contact Warwick Davies (Press Secretary) e-mail wad@warwickdavies.demon.co.uk

 The Ed’s Bit

Welcome to the new Millennium. I trust you all had a good time letting the New Year in, ate and drank far too much, and felt thoroughly depressed when you trod on the scales. I know I did! In this issue there will be a little competition with a prize of £10 for anyone who can guess what the mystery objects are. (No this is not a wind up, we are feeling generous.)

Have you all had the Millennium Bug? It seems that everyone that I have spoken to has at least had a mild cold, but there are some out there who have been really suffering with days or even weeks in bed, dosing themselves up with hot lemon drinks and paracetamol. And for all those who have caught the ‘flu, I wish you all a speedy recovery.

I was shocked to hear that Chris Byers’ car was broken into outside of the clubhouse recently. The thieves made off with some of money that was taken from a raffle, some club effects and personal items. When you park your car outside the clubhouse, please lock away all valuables, and if you see anything suspicious, then please report it. It is a sad thing, but crime in rural areas is on the increase, and this is not the first time that a car belonging to a club member has been broken into or stolen from outside the clubhouse. It is hoped that, with the co-operation of Beds Borough Council, security measures can be improved.

The BRCC Competition

Look at the photos and using your skill and judgement tell us what they are and whom they belong to. The winner will be the first correct entry drawn out of the hat on 14^th Feb 2000. Good luck!

Please send your answers to me at DRobe10229@AOL.com

PS. Terry Sykes is not allowed to enter!

AND, SOMETHING FOR YOU TO FOCUS THE MIND ON FOR NEXT SEASON.

A Run Programme. 16th June.

The General Post Office. City of London. Start. 12.00 midnight Friday.

The Rose & Crown. Hitchin. Light refreshments. Arrive. 3.15 Depart 3.35

The Wheatsheaf. Alconbury. Halt for drinks. Arrive 6.05 Depart 6.20

The Crown. Stamford. Breakfast. Arrive. 8.15 Depart 9.00

The Red Lion Hotel. Grantham. Halt for drinks. Arrive 10.50 Depart 11.00

The Ram Hotel. Newark. Dinner. Arrive 12.00 mid-day. Depart 1.00

The Granby. Retford. Afternoon Tea. Arrive 2.45 Depart 3.15

The Swan. Askern. High Tea. Arrive 5.20 Depart 6.30

The Adelphi Hotel. York. Arrive 9.00 p.m.

The 5.20 p.m. train from York to London on Sunday 17th will have reserved accommodation for members and their machines.

The Run Programme refers to one made by the North Road Cycling Club from London to York in the year 1894! A distance of over one hundred and ninety miles, taking twenty-one hours! This was at a time when most cyclists rode Ordinary Bicycles (Penny Farthings). Queen Victoria was on the throne, and half the globe was coloured red. Motor cars were non-existent and the police tried every means possible to stop cycle racing on the public highway. Tyres were solid and road surfaces often no more than compacted earth and stones. In the height of summer, dust was a very serious problem for all road users. Tarmacadam was yet to be used extensively. Street lighting hardly existed, riders relying on either oil or carbide lamps to light the way ahead through the darkness. The Great North Road, later on in the 1920’s to become known as the A1, ran through many towns and village centres on the route north. In our locality, this would have included Old Hatfield. Lemsford. Old Welwyn, (with it’s 1 in 4 hill!) Knebworth. Stevenage (Old Town). Baldock. Biggleswade. Girtford, (past Fuller’s). Tempsford. Eaton Socon. (Onward, down Chicken Hill, which lies just after the start of today’s F1-10 course). Buckden. Brampton Hut. Alconbury, (where that other famous road from London to the north, The North Road, joined the Great North Road). Stilton, where no cheese was ever made. Wansford. Then through Stamford and beyond, northwards.

The North Road Cycling Club’s run of 1894 took in part the other preferred route to the north via Lemsford. Old Welwyn. Codicote. Hitchin. Henlow, (over the railway level crossing, now long gone). Langford, and onward through Biggleswade to join the Great North Road.

So, when you next sit astride your all carbon fibre zoom machine complete with non-legal RTTC wheels and Group-Set. Weirdo handlebars. Multi sprocketed gearing and Electronic readout’s, not forgetting the Skinsuit, Nose "thingy" and other sundry aerodynamic gismo’s, remember the ghosts of those past heroes who have gone along the same road before you.

Anon.

2000 Race Dates and Venues

Date Start Time Course Distance Max. No. Of riders

27 Feb 9.00am 1Z/12 12 24

5 March 9.00am 1Z/10 10 30

12 March 9.00am 1y/12.5 12.5 30

26 March 9.00am 1Z/16 16 30

24 April 9.00am 1Z/22.6 22.6 30

1 May 8.0am 1X/25 25 30

4 June 8.00am 1Z/18.5 18.5 30

25 June 8.30am 1V/10 10 30

16 July 7.30am 1y/30 30 60

13 August 8.00am 1Z/20.5 20.5 30

9 September 2.00pm 1y/15 15 60

15 October 10.00am 1Z/18.5 18.5 30

Details of the Interclub Hillclimb will be published when they are finalised

Races marked in Italics are Interclub events between Hitchin Nomads Icknield RC and ourselves.

Entries for all of these events should be sent to:- Ron Bousted - via the box in the Clubroom

Arriving no later than 14 days before the event.

Evening League

Date Course Distance Max No. of Riders

4 May 1Z/10 10 40

11 May 1Z/12 12 40

18 May 1Z/10 10 40

25 May 1Z/12 12 40

1 June 1Z/10 10 40

8 June 1Z/12 12 40

15 June 1Z/10 10 40

22 June 1Z/12 12 40

29 June 1Z/10 10 40

6 July 1Z/12 12 40

13 July 1Z/10 10 40

20 July 1Z/12 12 40

27 July 1Z/10 10 40

3 August 1Z/12 12 40

Please ensure that you are signed on to ride well before the 1st rider is off at 7 p.m. - signing on commences at 6-30 p.m.

Reliability rides

This event will take place on Feb 20^th with 50Km, 100 Km and off road events. Please contact Ray Crane on dc@dcrane.freeserve.co.uk for further details.

Mole Heard That

The urn in the clubhouse has a big chrome plated lid on it. Pity that one of the trusted people who do the tea bar on Friday nights didn’t. As the tap was switched on water gushed everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There should have been a Scalextric night, instead we had scuba diving lessons, such was the degree of the flood. Even this old guy called Noah popped up and gave us advice on boat building. Now all we have to do is find homes for all the animals that were left behind.

Letters To The Ed

Howdy,

OK, so I know this is a little overdue, but I thought it was about time that I took the time to write to y'all and give you an update. I'm sure news has filtered through from various people about what I've been up to.

Life took a big change in June of '97 when I met my now wife, Betsy, when I travelled with some friends to a race in Fayetteville Arkansas, since then we've been inseparable. We were married on 18th December '98 at the Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. No, Elvis was not there, but we had a blast, certainly a day I won't forget in a hurry!

In the summer of '98 we bought a house in Rowlett, a small town on the outskirts of Dallas, then came the dog and now as many of you have probably heard I'm to be a father....of twins. The due date is sometime in early April, but this could be somewhat variable as twins tend to be early.

The biking has somewhat taken a backseat of late, home ownership limits your free time I've discovered. We've had miserably hot summers in both 1998 and 1999, with months of 100+F days, which gives you no incentive to get out and ride. Although I was out last weekend at a local ranch, and is nice to be able to ride in shorts in January. Although this week it has cooled off with freezes expected overnight, we were breaking records just two weeks ago when we broke 82F one afternoon, just shows how quickly it changes around here.

Actually just looked at the radar summary online and it looks like we may have some snow headed our way tonight!

I'm still heavily involved with the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association, managing the web site at www.dorba.org and acting as head course marshal at our Fall race series, where we had over 300 racers at each of the three races.

We are currently planning for our Spring race on 6th February which is part of the Texas State series. Last year we attracted over 800 racers to the Bar-H Ranch, which was about 100 miles North of Dallas on the Texas/Oklahoma border, we are expecting similar numbers again this year.

I'll be updating our website with photos from time to time so hopefully someone can print them off to show those that don't have web access.

It was interesting reading Colin's letter in the November newsletter. For many of us in the Dallas area the web has become an excellent tool. Our web site is accessed about 100000 times a month, and has brought us numerous new members. This year I was able to recruit all of our race marshals by asking for volunteers on the web page. DORBA was one of the first Texas clubs to really use the web and it has more than paid back the $250 a year it costs us to host the site.

It's hard to believe that I'll have been gone five years this summer, so I'm sure there's a number of new folks that have no idea who I am!

Please feel free to contact me at any of the above, email is great and easiest for me to reply to.

Richard + Betsy White

Dear Ed,

I would like to thank Everyone who has rung, called or sent cards, and to the Club for the beautiful flowers following my accident. The bruises are gradually fading, but I still find breathing a little difficult. And for the very first time I missed the New Years Day event.

Yours sincerely

Jill Pepper

Thanks

During a recent holiday, Myrtle Street was taken ill. Myrtle would like to thank everybody in the club who sent flowers and cards, wishing her well. Myrtle has still not fully recovered from her illness, and expresses gratitude to all those in the Club who have helped her out in any way.

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See you out and about some time

Des Roberts

Last Updated - March 20, 2000