Club 50 mile TT record broken

Congratulations to Richard Helm on breaking the club 50 mile TT record on Sunday 11-Jun-2023.

Riding the VTTA (North Lancs & Lakes) BBAR event, held on the L5012 course (Cockermouth) he finished 5th overall to set a new club 50 record time of 01:47:01, beating the record previously held by Scott Smith by 26 seconds, which was set on the same course in 2018.

Well done Rich!

Full results here.

Photo © Tony Johnston

Fancy Dress

It was a great turnout for the now traditional fun Coast Road Fancy Dress TT (before the serious stuff starts once again next week with the start of the hill climb season).

Some fantastic (and original) costumes on show. Everything from a Whooppee cushion, Batman, Mountaineer, Dracula, Captain America, Horse & Jockey etc etc.

Well done to everyone who took part and helped in any way.

Photo © Tony Johnston

Club 30 mile TT record broken

Congratulations to Richard Helm on breaking the club 30 mile TT record on Sunday 21-Aug-2022.

In the Wigan Wheelers CC (VTTA National 30 Championship) held on the L308 course (Levens) he finished 3rd overall to break the record with his time of 01:04:11.
The record was previously held by Henry Moss with a time of 01:04:34 which he set on the same course last year.

Well done Rich.

Photo © Tony Johnston

Fantastic start to the 2022 SpoCo season

The club made a fantastic start to the new SpoCo season. Five riders made it to the start line and the winter work has obviously paid off.

Dave Huck was first home for the club in 25:15 giving him 5th place overall (2nd in the SpoCo league). Dave was closely followed by Richard Helm just 4 seconds behind in 25:19 (6th/3rd) and Jonny Hill 25:41 (7th/4th). These 3 wrapped up the team prize on the day for the club.

Next home was Richard Morgan 26:41 (11th/6th) and Graham Carrick 28:26 (27th/18th).

Well done to all riders, a great start to the SpoCo series.

Full results here.

Next AGM and Club kit

Please note the next AGM is on 24th Feb at Barow Island Rugby Club. Start time is proposed at 1800 GMT.

The plan is for Ken Jones to be present to allow members to try on the Bioracer range of clothing for fit and style / cut but to also allow you to ask questions directly to Ken.

The webshop is currently open for those wanting to order earlier and hopefully have their kit delivered early season. Alternatively, you may wish to wait a month, try some clothing on, then I’ll open the webshop up again after the AGM.  Info and link to the club shop here.

18:00 - 19:00 kit try on period.
19:00 onwards (or just slightly after) AGM proceedings will look to commence.

This is an open invite to all members or prospective members.
Any members for 2022 that are not able to make representation but would like to add an agenda item for AoB then please let a member of the current committee know and we will present this on your behalf.

Links to 'Sport Furness' write-ups of events so far...

16-Jun-2021 - Stephensons Rocket to Success

26-May-2021 - Huck flies and sinks em!

15-May-2021 - Henry Hoovers up at Haverthwaite

04-May-2021 - Chadwick hits his Hat Trick but Richard Butler is King of Rusland

07-Apr-2021 - Chadwick burns off opposition again

31-Mar-2021 - We need to talk about Kevin

Club 30 mile TT record goes after 25 years - 22-Aug-2021

Henry Moss broke the long standing 30 mile Club record in the Wigan Wheelers CC event on course L308
Averaging 27.878 mph for the 30 miles, Henry's time of 1:04:34 gave him second place overall on the day, and beat the previous record held by Mark Evans, since June 1996, of 1:04:58.
Chapeau Henry!

BCW Coast Road SpoCo event (L212) - 02-May-2021

A slightly shortened course (from 21 to 17.5 miles) for this Open Event, held in shall we say 'changeable' cold conditions.
The riders had everything from wind, rain, hail (and someone did say they saw the sun!).

First home, by over a minute, was Ben Harrison (Crimson Orientation Marketing RT). 2nd placed David Powell (Horwich CC) and Brian Fogarty (Fogarts Insurance Tri Team) couldn't be split on 41:07. 4th Place went to Craig Battersby (Tactic Sport UK Race Team) just 2 seconds back on 41:09.

Erica Booth (Lancashire RC) was first lady home in an impressive 44:20, giving her 13th place overall. Claire Rushton was second lady with 48:23 and our own Tamsin Vicary (BCW) was third with 48:35.

Of the local riders, Kevin Chadwick (Lakes RC) was once again fastest, his 41:32 giving him 5th place overall. Dave Huck was next in 7th with 42:28 and Stuart Garnett 9th in 43:19.

Congratulations to all riders who braved the conditions and made for such a great race.

 A big thankyou to all timekeepers, marshals etc who helped the event go so smoothly and to Andy Stubbs for organising.

For the full results, see here (or if you prefer, here for the CTT website).

There are loads of great pics from some very talented club members on our Facebook page here, and Martyn Uttley Photography have an excellent selection here -

Links to 'Sport Furness' write-ups of events so far...

04-May-2021 - Chadwick hits his Hat Trick but Richard Butler is King of Rusland

07-Apr-2021 - Chadwick burns off opposition again

31-Mar-2021 - We need to talk about Kevin

** Club TT events are back on from 31st March 2021 **

Weekly Club TT's are re-commencing with the first one running on Wednesday 31st March 2021 - a Coast Road 10.

Please see the events page for the full list of events (and start times).
Entry to these events and payment is via the Teamer app. See the clubs Facebook page for info.

As you will expect, there are quite a few changes to the running of the events due to the ongoing restrictions so it is very important that you read the documents mentioned at the head of the events page carefully (links also below). That way, you won't be disappointed on the night.  Dont forget your rear-light - and a pen!

• BCW Procedure list for club Time Trials - 2021 season
• How to enter BCW club Time Trials

We look forward to seeing you all back racing!

NLTTA 2021 SpoCo events

The 2021 NLTTA SpoCo events have now been compiled and are available to view here.

All you need to know about the scoring system etc is available here.

Fantastic 'start' to the 2020 season...

These two riders absolutely smashed it tonight on this the first club TT of the season, on the tough Coast Road 10 mile course.

In certainly less than ideal conditions (where did summer go), Oliver McKenna (BCW) rode a massive PB, finishing with an excellent time of 22:16 to take the win on the night.

Christina Wiejak (Jadan CycleSpace) smashed the previous ladies course record (which she already held) by 40 seconds to set a new mark of 24:10.

Photos © Alan Twinney

NLTTA 2020 SpoCo events

The 2020 NLTTA SpoCo events have now been compiled and are  available to view here.

Entry to all these events is via the CTT website (links to each event is on the NLTTA page).

We did really well last year and managed to win the team prize by the smallet of margins. Lets see if we can make it two in a row!

All you need to know about the scoring system etc is available here.

MYWINDSOCK - All 2020 TT's on a map

This is a great little tool which shows you all the 2020 TT's on a map of the UK, allowing you to home in on those of interest to you (e.g. there is a pre-set filter for SpoCo's).
All the events shown lead you to the corresponding CTT page for entry, and in addition, you can get weather info leading up to the event.

NLTTA 2019 Hill Climb Championship - Team win!

A great team effort at the NLTTA Hill Climb Championship, held on the famous 'Rake' climb, saw Barrow Central Wheelers take first team.  Team members were Dave Huck, Richard Helm and Richard Morgan.  In addition to the team prize, Dave Huck took 3rd overall and Richard Helm took second in the vets category.  Well done chaps!

SpoCo 2019 results - Team win!

Another good year for the club in the SpoCo series!
After a really close fight wh Pendle Forest CC for the team event, we pipped them by one point at the last event of the series to win by 2030 to 2029 points.

The top 3 counting riders over their best 6 events were as follows...
Kieran Lacey - 701 points (4th overall)
Jonny Hill - 677 points (9th overall)
Richard Morgan - 652 points (12th overall)

Well done chaps, and indeed, well done to any member who rode any of the SpoCo events. Every point counts!

In the Individual categories, club riders finished as follows...

Category MS
1st Richard Morgan - 652 points
7th Henry Moss - 235 points
12th Stuart Garnett - 212 points
19th Ian Barnes - 112 points
20th David Huck - 111 points
22nd James Hodgson - 104 points

Category WS
2nd Amy Whelan - 473 points
4th Victoria McMurtha - 168 points
6th Christina Wiejak - 109 points

Category M40
4th Kieran Lacey - 701 points
7th Jonny Hill - 677 points
23rd Sean Casson - 111 points
24th Michael Connolly - 107 points
28th Kevin Lovidge - 101 points
30th Glenn Rhodes - 99 points
31st Dave Nicholl - 97 points
33rd Rob Gerrard - 93 points
34th Pete Abernethy - 86 points

Category M50
12th Colin McKenna - 323 points
21st John O'Callaghan - 108 points
22nd Roger Lindsay - 105 points
25th Martyn Uttley - 99 points
29th Paul Revell - 88 points
31st Paul Quinn - 87 points

Category W50
4th Amanda McKenna - 167 points

Category M60
6th Andy Stubbs - 286 points
8th Andy Sawyer - 282 points

Category M70+
6th Jim Lawley - 82 points

Congratulations to you all.

Full results are available here...
http://www.lakesandlancsspoco.co.uk/Default.aspx

Upcoming Inter-Club Time Trials 2019

There are 4 events in this year’s series and Beacon Wheelers have joined the series making 1 event in each area.
For entering Open events, please ask if you have any questions.

1) Beacon Wheelers Open event - Saturday 6th April
Needs to be entered well before the day. Entries close Wednesday 28th March.
https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/race-details/18379

2) Kent Valley RC Club Event - Wednesday 1st May - Jungle Café
Club Event, turn up on the night/Pre enter.
Details on Kent Valley Web site.
https://www.kentvalley.co.uk/ ( start approx. LA9 6NZ ).
Map and more details to follow on later.

3) Barrow Central Wheelers Club Event - 29th May - Circuit of Coniston
Club event, turn up on the night.
See Web page for info http://www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk/events/2019/events.htm
More details to follow later.

4) Lancaster CC Open event - 30th June
This is not exactly a hilly but it's lumpy and needs to be entered well before the day.
Entries close 18th June.
https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/race-details/18415

Please support all member clubs and help where you can.
The points will be extracted out of all events for the members of the inter-clubs.
Links below to other TT events you may want to ride throughout the year.
Check nearer the day for updated information.

Barrow Central Wheelers. http://www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk/events/2019/events.htm

Beacon Wheelers http://www.beaconwheelers.co.uk/

Kent Valley https://www.kentvalley.co.uk/

Club Clothing

Just a reminder that the club keeps a small stock of club clothing.

Details of items, sizes and prices are available here.

Contact if you are interested in anything.

SpoCo 2018 results

It was another good year for the club in the SpoCo series.
We had 25 different riders competing in at least one of the SpoCo events this year, but unfortunately only one rider (Kieran Lacey) managed to get in the all important 8 counting rides for the series.

In the Team event we finished 5th, with our top 3 riders being Kieran Lacey, Jonny Hill and Sharon Lovidge.

Top 10 finishers in each category were as follows...
Overall (men) - Kieran Lacey tied for 4th place with 918 points.
Overall (women) - Sharon Lovidge finished 6th with 532 points.
M40 - Jonny Hill finished 8th with 562 points.
M60 - Andy Stubbs finished 10th with 374 points.
W40 - Sharon Lovidge finished 3rd with 532 points.

Well done to all who rode in the series.

Full results are available here.

Note that the organiser of the SpoCo series is looking for someone to take over the administration next year (2019), so if you think you can help please get in touch.

Christina Wiejak - Winner! - North West Regional Road Race Championships

Christina Wiejak won the prestigious North West Regional Road Race Championships held on a tough, lumpy, 70km course at Bolton by Bowland on Saturday 18th August 2018.

It was a wet, windy day and the roads were described as 'muddy' for the 4 lap race.

According to Christina, the first 2 laps were pretty steady so the 3rd lap she worked a little harder on the main climb and strung the lead group out quite a bit.

Feeling good on the climbs, but not wanting to attack too early because of the wind, she made her final big attack on the main climb once again, on the last lap.  She created a gap and just kept working. This proved to be the decisive break and she finished around 1 minute ahead of the chasers.

Chapeau Christina!

Photo's copyright Ellen Isherwood.

See all Ellen Isherwood's photo's of the race here.

Club 50 record finally broken after 22 years!

Exactly 22 years to the day, since Mark Evans set the club 50 record of 1.48.20 on 4th August 1996, Scott Smith tore around the L5012 course in the VC Cumbria event on Saturday 4th August 2018 to set a new club record of 1.47.27 giving him 6th place overall. That's an average speed of 27.92mph!
Kieran Lacey rode an impressive 1.51.44 for 10th, followed by Kevin Chadwick (Lakes RC) in 1.55.54 for 15th. Paul Revell rode fixed for a time of 2.23.57 (which must have been murder both up and down Embleton Bank!)
Congratulations to all 4 riders.

Full results here

So, that's 3 club distance records which have been broken this year...

Dave Huck who broke Paul O'Mahoney's 13 year old 10 record, setting the new mark to 19:32.
Christina Wiejak who broke Anne Plant's 18 year old ladies 10 record, with a new best of 23:06.
Scott Smith who broke Mark Evans 22 year old 50 record, with this new time of 1.47.27.

Well done to all of you.  25/100 records next anyone?

What a weekend! (16/17th June)

It's been a great weekend for the club with 5 events being covered and in 3 different disciplines.

Saturday 16th June 2018

First up was Paul Revell on Saturday 16th, taking on the Manchester & District TTA 50 down at Middlewich in Cheshire on the J4/9 course.
In wet conditions, Paul managed a creditable 2:23:11. Is he building up to another crack at the 24hr this year we wonder?
Full results here

Later that evening, 7 club and local riders rode the Kent Valley RC Charity 10 on Levens (L1015). Henry Moss was first club rider home in a quick 20:58 giving him 16th on the night.  Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) was next in 22:01, followed closely by Jonny Hill 22:04 and Adam Baxter 22:24.  Andy Stubbs 23:37, Richard Dixon (Lakes RC) 23:42 and Tony Johnston 25:42 completed the results.
Full results here

Sunday 17th June 2018

Mixing it up in the Leisure Lakes Bikes / Team Chronomaster Road Race were Dave Huck and Kieran Lacey. The race was held on the Bolton by Bowland course, familiar to those who've ridden the Rossendale RC early season SPoCo event.
Dave says he surfed the wheels for the frst lap or so and a split was forced with about 3 laps to go.  The break worked well together and by the end had pulled out around 3 minutes.  On the final climb to the line, Matthew Dudman of Paceline Cycles took the win with Dave in a tremendous 2nd place.  Also in the break were Tom Martin (Wheelbase) and local rider Richard Butler of Kendal CC who finished 6th and 7th respectively. Chapeau Dave.

An early start for the 9 local riders who took part in the Kent Valley Charity 25 on the Levens L2524 course.  There were some fast times, with 4 of those 9 recording sub hour times.
Jonny Hill was first home for the club in a fast 56:55 for 13th place on the day, closely followed by Kevin Chadwick (Lakes RC) in 57:15.  Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) 57:59 and Colin McKenna 59:56 completed the sub hour riders.
Martyn Uttley did a very creditable 1:00:21 considering the issues he's had this year with injuries, and he was closely followed by Stuart Garnett 1:00:23  who has been doing some very impressive rides this year, consistently beating his PB's in club events.  Andy Stubbs 1:02:03, Jon Brown (Lakes RC) 1:02:32 and Richard Dixon (Lakes RC) 1:2:57 completed the results.
Barrow Central Wheelers won the mens Team prize on the day with the rides of Jonny Hill, Colin McKenna and Martyn Uttley counting. Well done chaps. A great effort.
Full results here

Finally, onto the trails where our very own Scott Fisher took the win in the Under 14's Crank It MTB race in Grizedale.  Well done Scott! A brilliant effort.

Circuit of Rusland Trophy (25-Apr-2018) - records tumble

Course and club records tumbled on a sunny but cold night at the picturesque Circuit of Rusland TT, and the first trophy of the year was decided.

With a stiff breeze that saw a tailwind out to the turn at Force Forge, a headwind back to Greenodd and a cross/tailwind to finish, Dave Huck rattled round in a new club and course record time of 32:50, with Andy Whiteside (Bella in Sella) in 2nd place with 34:07 and Tom Martin (Wheelbase) very close behind with 34:09 for 3rd.

Christina Wiejak had a superb ride, smashing her previous club and course records by over 2 minutes with a time of 37:33 which also gave her 8th fastest time on the night - and all on a road bike too!

Congratulations to all riders and special kudos to the following who recorded course PB's...
Dave Huck, Paul Mashiter, Scott Smith, Christina Wiejak, Sam Carr & Derek Schofield.

Full results here

A busy weekends racing ...

It was a busy weekends racing, with the club covering three events.

For those who like it flat, it was time to head on down to Winmarleigh Village Hall for the NLTTA Combined Clubs 10.  Unfortunately, the course had to be shortened to 7.5 miles due to roadworks.
On a less than ideal day, 90 riders took to the start and there was some close racing, with David Allonby of Springfield Financial RT coming home first in 15:24.
First club rider home was Scott Smith with an impressive 16:17, giving him 7th on the day followed as close as you can get by Dave Huck in 16:18 for 8th.  Pete Metcalfe was next back with 18:49 for 40th place and special mention to the next two; Richard Morgan rode his first TT to finish in 18:59 for 46th place, and Tony Johnston recorded 20:14, giving him 3rd V60 on the day.  Congratulations all.

For those who prefer it a tad more 'undulating', it was the 27 mile Circuit of Ingleborough on course L271. Again, in poor conditions, which kept a lot away, 67 hardy souls took to the start line. The winner on the day was Richard Bideau of promoting club Pendle Forest CC in a time of 1:03:13.
Jonny Hill continued his good form, coming home in an excellent 11th place in a time of 1:11:50.  Second claim member Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) finished 27th with 1:14:44, and finally, but by no means least (and not last!) was our talisman, Sharon Lovidge who clocked 1:35:08 for 64th place.
Congratulations to all who rode on what is a very tough circuit.

Early days certainly, but the club is currently sitting in 8th place in the SpoCo League with Jonny Hill an impressive 4th in the Individual table.

Finally, Graham Carrick was in road race mode at the Lancaster Uni organised Cat 3/4 criterium, finishing 6th to get his first points on the board, in what Graham describes as 'grim conditions'.
 

And we're off! ...

Four club riders got the Lakes & Lancs SpoCo season off to a great start, riding the first event, the Rossendale RC Hilly 11mile TT on Saturday 24th February in cold but sunny conditions on the Bolton by Bowland (L112) course.

Jonny Hill (pictured) put in an excellent performance finishing in 25:43 giving him 4th place in the SpoCo league (10th overall) on the day.
Peter Metcalfe was next home with 32:43, closely followed by Alex Fairer (33:22) and Sharon Lovidge (34:53).

Photo courtesy of Ellen Isherwood.

GIANT Kendal - Castle Sportive - Sunday 3rd June 2018

GIANT Kendal are running a sportive in June which starts and finishes at Lowther Castle (Penrith). Two routes are available of 50km and 100km.
A few club members are interested in riding this, and we can get a club discount for a team of 5 or more, so, if you're interested, let Pete McClure know and he will collate entries. Be nice to get a good turnout for it, and it is a lovely part of the county.

More details here

Cyclocross success!

A fantastic days racing at the 7th round of the North West Cyclocross league in Ulverston saw over 370 riders starting the various events held throughout the day, with 100 of those being under 12 years old, which bodes well for the future. 

There was plenty of positive feedback for the course, organisation and the views over the bay. A BIG thankyou must go to Graham Carrick as main organiser and his band of helpers, who worked their socks off setting up the course in atrocious conditions the day before, manned the car park and sign-on and of course marshalled the event.

Thanks also to Ride Bikes, Velo Ulverston and Topmark for sponsoring the event, providing trade stands and maintenance support.  Finally, a big thank you to Glaxo for allowing use of their facilities down at South Ulverston. It really does make a great cyclocross course.

For results and a few pics, see...
http://nwcca.org.uk/2017/11/ulverston-cross-glaxo-soorts-round-7/

...and there's a short video of the Senior/Junior/U23 race here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQIodSnMu0w&feature=share

3 Peaks Cyclocross and NLTTA Championship Rake Hill Climb success!

Another superb season of time trialling was undertaken by riders of all abilities and ages ranging from juniors in their early 10's through to seniors in their early 80's.

Highlights most recently for the club are from Christina Wiejak, who has had an extremely strong season on the bike for Barrow Central Wheelers claiming numerous club & course records along the way in the shape of time trials and hill climbs, as well as a fast 6 hours 46 minutes Fred Whitton Challenge which is over 100 miles around the gruelling Lake District passes!
Undoubtedly though Christina’s best achievement of 2017 was to win the arduous 3 Peaks cyclocross event in a time of 4 hours 5 minutes which built on last year's accolade of ‘highest placed first time rider’.  (Photo of Christina approaching Ingleborough summit © Steve Irwin)

Read all about Christina's 3 Peaks adventure, in her own words, here.
Full results here

Barrow Central Wheelers rider David Huck has embarked upon a successful season of hill climbing after posting numerous club and course records on the time trials. The British Cycling second cat. rider is a hill climb specialist and kicked off the hill climb season by dominating local events before heading off to defend his North Lancs. Time Trial Association (NLTTA) hill climb title.
The championship race took place on the iconic Rake Hill Climb in Ramsbottom, with David finishing an impressive 4th overall, and an agonising 2 seconds off the podium. This was enough to successfully defend his title and notably, he was the best placed unsponsored rider on the day.
(Photo courtesy of Ellen Isherwood ©)
Full results here

This is the third consecutive year David has won the title and he is now focused on the National hill climb Championships which take place in Northumberland at the end of the month.

Well done Christina and Dave.

Knottallow Hill Climb - Records tumble!

The fourth and final hill climb of the series up Knottallow (and the final club event TT of the season) saw the riders facing extremely blustery conditions, with a block headwind towards the top of the 1.2 mile climb.
There was also the added complication of rain showers on and off throughout the event, making the climb more challenging than it already is with difficulty finding traction in places, certainly not the type of conditions you'd expect for club / course records to fall.

Christina Wiejak had to be coerced into signing on, but went on to be the 1st of 3 ladies home, breaking the ladies course record by 1:12 and the ladies club record by 1:29 with a time of 7-34!
Incredible, well done Christina - 3 Peaks cyclocross is looming - good luck!

Dave Huck added to his haul of records this season, breaking the male club record in emphatic style by 43 seconds with a time of 6-08!
It really was a superb ride in those conditions by both riders!

Henry Moss was 2nd overall with a time of 7-07 and Mike Gregory hot on his heels in 3rd with a time of 7-09, Rich Helm was 4th with a 7-10! Splitting hairs there chaps! Well done!

Scott Fisher (Juvenile) had an excellent ride clocking 9-15 after a weekend of racing!

Chapeau to all who rode the event and kudos to Rich Helm with a course PB by 8 seconds!

Finally, a big thank you to all timekeepers, marshals, riders, photographers, and anyone who helped with any of the events this year in any way.
It's been a record breaking season!

Full results here

Gamswell Hill Climb (Inter-Club) - Course record for Dave Huck (04:55)

In atrocious conditions once again, Dave Huck took 3 seconds off his previous course record, setting a new best of 4:55 for the 1 mile climb.
It really was a foul evening, but it was good to see 17 riders braving the conditions.
Dave can be seen here receiving his prize of ... a bag of Skittles.

Well done once again Dave.

Full results here

National 10 mile TT Championships - 3rd September 2017

Congratulations to Sharon Lovidge, flying the flag for the club at the National 10 mile TT Championships on the L1021 course at Keswick.
In tough conditions, Sharon rode a very creditable 27:48.

Well done Shaz!

Photo courtesy of Larry Hickmott.

Woodland Hill Climb - Course record for Dave Huck (04:29)

In damp and dismal conditions that were obviously ideal for hill climbing!, Dave Huck took 2 seconds off his previous course record, setting a new mark of 4:29 for the 1 mile climb.
Bodes well for the rest of the hill climbing season to come.
Well done Dave.

Full results here
Hill Climb pics here

Good showing at Salt Ayre Crit - 25th July

Great showing from BCW at the Crit tonight down at Salt Ayre.
It was a big field of 43 with Graham Carrick, Robert Armstrong, Jack Talbot, Michael Wilson and Andy Stubbs representing the club, plus Keith Law from Lakes RC and Ulverston's ex Commonwealth cyclist Gary Sadler!

Gary Sadler took second with Robert Armstrong third. Well done gents!

Mersey Roads 24hr TT - Great ride by Paul Revell - 401.64 miles!

Paul Revell once again showed us all how long distance cycling is done.
Riding the legendary Mersey Roads 24hr, only his second 24hr TT, he achieved his goal of a 400 mile ride.

This is a 24 mile improvement on last years effort, and he's creeping ever closer to the club record of 425.57 held by H.H.Dodd,  set in 1959.

Paul rode the event on 82" fixed and once again was totally self-supported. 
Chapeau Paul!

Final standings in the Lakes & Lancs 2017 SpoCo Series

It's been a fantastic competition this year, both for the individual and team honours.
In the end, we were pipped in the team standings by Beacon Wheelers by a mere 18 points, so congratulations to them.  Our final tally of 2,699 points gave us second place overall, with counting riders being Dave Huck, Kieran Lacey and Martyn Uttley.

We had a total of 20 riders who rode at least one of these events, which is great, and top 10 finishers in the individual categories were...

Clubs: Barrow Central Wheelers (2nd)
Overall Individual: Dave Huck (4th), Kieran Lacey (9th)
Women Individual: Alex Fairer (6th), Sharon Lovidge (10th)
M40: Jonny Hill (9th)
M50: Martyn Uttley (3rd), Eamonn Quinn - Lakes RC (10th)
M60: Derek Schofield - Rossendale RC (3rd)
M70: Jim Lawley (4th)
W40: Sharon Lovidge (4th)

Congratulations everyone who rode and supported the events, a lot of them for the first time.  There were some great performances on what are tough courses, and it bodes well for next years series.

Full results are available here.

Border City Greystoke SpoCo (8th July) The final Lakes & Lancs SpoCo event of the year was the Border City 22mile Greystoke event on course L222. Jonny Hill was the first club rider home with his excellent 56:10 giving him 10th place overall.   Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Jonny Hill 00:56:10 7 (10) John O'Callaghan 00:57:59 13 (16) Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 01:01:29 26 (29) Martyn Uttley 01:01:47 27 (30) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 01:03:52 29 (34) Weekly race roundup (24th May) On Wednesday 24th May there were 7 members took on the Kent Valley RC SpoCo.  Unfortunately due to roadworks, this was held on a shortened course of 10 miles. Tom Rigby (Springfield Financial RT) was once again fastest of the 46 riders who took part on the evening with a time of 20:46 Dave Huck continued racking up the SpoCo points with another great ride for 3rd place overall, followed by Kieran Lacey in 10th and Martyn Uttley and Henry Moss tying for 14th place. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 21:54 3 (3) Kieran Lacey 22:59 9 (10) Martyn Uttley 23:46 12 (14) Henry Moss 23:46 12 (14) Jonny Hill 24:04 17 (19) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 25:09 27 (29) Jim Lawley 33:37 41 (45) We're still top of the L&L SpoCo club table, but it's extremely close with just 41 points seperating us and Beacon Wheelers, and 5 events remaining. Weekly race roundup (14th May) Just one event to report this week, but a brilliant effort by those taking part. It was the Border City Wheelers 29 mile SpoCo at Dalston on the L291 course. Tom Rigby (Springfield Financial RT) was fastest on the day by some margin, clocking 1:08:11, almost 2 minutes ahead of the second placed rider. Dave Huck did a great ride for 3rd place overall, followed by Jonny Hill and Kieran Lacey in 10th and 11th respectively. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 01:11:33 3 (3) Jonny Hill 01:17:07 9 (10) Kieran Lacey 01:17:32 10 (11) Martyn Uttley 01:23:37 18 (21) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 01:24:02 22 (25) Still top of the club table in the Lakes & Lancs SpoCo League after 15 of the scheduled 22 events, but it's really close! Weekly race roundup (6/7th May) Another busy week for some! The Fred Whitton Challenge To say the weather was perfect for this years Fred Whitton Challenge would be an understatement (as those who've ridden it in less appealing conditions will testify). But, that takes nothing away from the guts and determination needed to get around the course, so hats off to everyone who completed it. Thanks also to everyone who helped by marshaling or simply riding out to give encouragement.  Pat Hercberg reckons it was harder manning the feedstop at Calder Bridge than riding it! We had a good turnout for the club this year, so well done to the following (and apologies if I've missed anyone)... Duncan Scott, Diane Stretch, Kevin Lovidge, Paul Willetts, Mark Carroll, Ken Lamb, Richard Harvey, Gareth Kerr and Christina Wiejak. Special mention to those last two.  Gareth Kerr did a tremendous ride, finishing with a time of 6hrs 28mins, and new club member Christina Wiejak (riding for Velo Ulverston) was class personified, coming home in a mind boggling 6hr 46mins to finish just outside the top 100 riders (out of around 2,500), to give her second lady on the day. Cleveleys CC Levens 10 On the Saturday evening it was the Cleveleys CC 10 on Levens (L1015). James Gullen (JLT Condor) was the overall winner in a rapid time of 18:32, exactly a minute faster than the second placed rider. Martyn Uttley took a break from the hilly SpoCo's and was first club rider home, just missing his course PB. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time Position Martyn Uttley 00:21:52 35 Sean Casson 00:22:04 43 Henry Moss 00:22:23 52 Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 00:22:49 61 A few pictures here. Derwentside SpoCo Two riders took part in the tough 40 mile Derwentside CC SpoCo which uses the M40 course at Allendale in the North Pennines on the Sunday. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Kieran Lacey 01:54:07 4 (11) Alex Fairer (L) 2:21:29 17 (70) Both riders did us proud and we're still top of the club table in the Lakes & Lancs SpoCo League after 14 of the scheduled 22 events. As riders begin to get their 8 best counting rides in, it's getting tight at the top. Kieran is currently 3rd in the Overall, with Alex 3rd in the Ladies Overall category. Martyn Uttley is lying an excellent 2nd in the M50 category, Jim Lawley is 4th in the M70 and Sharon Lovidge 4th in the W40. Criterium Racing - UCLAN Sports Arena John Stephenson was 4th and Graham Carrick 9th in the UCLAN Sports Arena 3/4 Crit on Thursday night (11th May), with Michael Wilson not far behind in the bunch.  John got away in a group of 4 about 30 minutes in.  Only the week before, John had finished 4th in the 4th cat race, earning him his 3rd cat status. Congratulations John and well done guys. Bank Holiday roundup Lots happening this Bank Holiday, and some great performances. The Tour of Ayrshire Diane Stretch rode the Tour of Ayrshire (part of the UCI Grand Fondo World Series), and only went and qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in her age group in Albi, France. What a brilliant achievement. Well done Di! The Majorca 312 A little further from home, Colin Garnett, Jonny Hill and Mike Hingley rode the Majorca 312 Gran Fondo  (that's 194 miles in real money). It must have been off-putting to land in Majorca in the rain, but thankfully, they stayed dry (apart from sweat). Colin Garnett suffered badly with cramp but managed the 225km course, while Jonny and Mike smashed the full 312, a fantastic achievement by all 3. They'll be looking forward to some flat 10's now ;-)  Well done fellas. By the way, if anyone fancies doing some LONG rides, then Paul Revell is the man to talk to. He's always looking for someone to join him on his recce rides of the Audax events he organises. While those three were living it up in Majorca, Paul was sitting on a bag of coal, eating crisps at Gretna Green services readying himself for the push for home via Kirkstone Pass (in the dark).  Not selling it am I! World Masters Games Even further afield, Andy Stubbs represented club and country in the World master Games held in Auckland New Zealand. OK, the week before the Bank Holiday but it fits in nicely here. Andy rode in three events... The Criterium -  around Auckland Harbour in which he finished an excellent 16th. The Road Race -  in which he was teamed up with the legend of long distance time-trialling Glenn Longland (the first man to break the 300 mile barrier in a 12hr TT).  Andy finished 25th out of a field of 94 in that. The Time Trial -  A 20km TT on a closed dual carriageway in which he finished a very respectable 20th. Andy is also hoping to qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Albi, France, and on this form you wouldn't bet against him. Massive respect Andy. Shap Hill Climb SpoCo Very much closer to home, four club members (Dave Huck, Martyn Uttley, Alex Fairer and Sharon Lovidge) rode the Kent Valley Shap Hill Climb in shall we say windy conditions. Dave Huck rode magnificently, to finish 2nd behind winner Tom Rigby (Springfield Financial RT). Congratulations to everyone. Your efforts keep us at the top of the Lakes & Lancs SpoCo league table. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 00:30:06 2 (2) Martyn Uttley 00:37:28 18 (27) Alex Fairer (L) 00:41:47 27 (38) Sharon Lovidge (L) 00:50:28 33 (45) Lancaster CC Levens 10 For those who like things a little flatter, there was the Bank Holiday 10 on Levens, organised by Lancaster CC. 7 members rode the event which again was made more difficult with the headwind back from the turn. The winner was David Allonby (Springfield Financial RT) in a fast 19:33. First club rider home was Kieran Lacey in an excellent 21:41 giving him 6th place overall.  Kudos to all who made the effort on the day. Positions/times as follows... Rider Time Position Kieran Lacey 00:21:41 6 Graham Carrick 00:22:49 9 James Hodgson 00:23:16 14 Simon Thompson 00:24:48 25 Peter Abernethy 00:25:48 30 Tony Johnston 00:25:56 32 John Calvert 00:27:38 38 Finally! Jim Lawley rode 2 events (well he would wouldn't he ;-), the VTTA National Championship on the V728 (15 mile) course where he recorded a time of 51:03 (17.63mph avg) and along with Graham Carrick he rode the Nelson Wheelers 10 on the L1010 course.  Graham recorded a 23:42 and Jim did 34:36 - not bad for a 74 year old! Chapeau Jim. Weekly race roundup (22nd/23rd April 2017) The Dirty Reiver (123 miles) Pat and Neil Hercberg took part in the 'Dirty Reiver' event at the weekend. This is an off-road 200km ride on forest tracks covering the border region of England and Scotland. In Pat's words... Dirty Reiver done. 123 miles on a mountain bike. Pretty tough ride involving hills, fords (Neil fell in) and throwing up. A sorry 13 hours 20 for me and a splendid 11 hours 37 for Neil, but then he didn't keep being sick. Very well organised event if anyone is interested in the future. Best on a cyclo cross bike. About an hours worth of stops for both of us. I think you'll agree 123 miles on a mountain bike is no mean feat, infact it's pretty bonkers really. What Pat didn't mention is that her time of 13hrs 20 mins gained her 1st Female V60, so not so sorry at all really. Huge respect to both! The Two Clubs Two Day Road Race (3rd/4th cat) In glorious weather, the jointly promoted Kent Valley RC and Lune RCC  'Two Clubs Two Day' Road Race was run over the weekend. Two riders were representing the club (Dave Huck & Kieran Lacey) with Darren Brackwell riding for Lakes RC, and they all put up excellent performances. Day 1 (Saturday) was  6 laps of the tough Old Hutton Circuit (50 miles).  Dave Huck finished 4th, closely followed by Kieran Lacey in 7th and Darren Brackwell in 33rd.  Day 2 (Sunday) was 8 laps of the Aughton Circuit (55 miles).  Kieran Lacey took the honours this time with 6th place, followed by Dave Huck in 7th. Overall positions were Dave Huck (6th) and Kieran Lacey (8th). Well done to all. BCW Open SpoCo - Coast Road 21 - 15th Apr 2017 A fantastic turnout for the club saw 15 members taking to the start line for this the second running of the Coast Road 21 Open SpoCo event.  Out of a field of 50 starters, that's some percentage!  It was encouraging to see that this was a first Open event for a number of members. It was a blustery day, making the leg from Rampside to Roose particularly hard, but all thoughts of slower times went out of the window when Tom Rigby (Springfield Financial RT) came home in a course record time of 45:53.  Fastest club rider was Dave Huck with a club course record of 47:57 gaining him 4th place overall.  No less than 7 riders recorded sub 50 minute rides.  Fastest lady on the day was Claire Swoboda (Chorlton Velo) in a time of 57:57. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 00:47:57 4 (4) Kieran Lacey 00:50:10 6 (8) Darren Brackwell 00:51:56 15 (17) Richard Helm 00:52:34 17 (19) Sean Casson 00:53:19 20 (22) John O'Callaghan 00:53:26 21 (23) Martyn Uttley 00:54:06 22 (24) Henry Moss 00:54:53 27 (30) Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 00:55:04 28 (31) James Hodgson 00:56:05 31 (34) (Lakes RC) 00:56:07 32 (35) Glenn Rhodes 00:56:52 33 (36) Stuart Garnett 00:58:20 36 (40) Graham Carrick 00:59:15 39 (43) Jack Billingham 01:00:06 40 (44) Alex Fairer (L) 01:00:47 41 (45) Duncan Scott 01:12:53 45 (50) A huge thank you to all timekeepers, marshals, tea and cake makers, and anyone who helped in any way.  The event went off very smoothly and seemed well received, all thanks to you. Congratulations to all riders. After 10 events, we are now back at the top of the table in the L&L SpoCo club standings. Full results available here Weekly race roundup (8th/9th April 2017) Jim Lawley rode the VTTA National Championship 10 on the J2/1 course down at Monks Heath on the Saturday (8th), finishing in a time of 31:59. Well done Jim. Flying the flag! Further north, 6 club riders took on the Kent Valley promoted Circuit of Wild Boar Fell SpoCo in good conditions. In a strong field of 74 riders, first home was Simon Wilson (Brother NRG Pro Cycling) in a course record time of 1:07:07.  First club rider was Dave Huck who finished in an excellent 3rd place with a time of 1:09:08. Jonny Hill continued his good form with a strong ride for 20th place, in 1:14:05. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 01:09:08 2 (3) Kieran Lacey 01:12:29 8 (13) Jonny Hill 01:14:05 15 (20) Darren Brackwell 01:15:01 20 (25) Martyn Uttley 01:19:25 32 (37) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 01:21:21 40 (46) Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 01:23:04 44 (51) Jack Billingham 01:28:32 53 (61) Congratulations to all riders. After 9 events, we are now second in the L&L SpoCo club standings. Full results available here Finally, not a race (I mean no one rides them for a time do they!), 5 club members rode the 100 mile Forest of Bowland Sportive. Paul Willets, Kevin Lovidge, Colin Garnett, Gareth Kerr and Diane Stretch made the most of the good weather to get the best out of the views (and the 8,000+ ft of climbing) and by the looks of things they all had a great time.  Well done all. Circuit of the Dales SpoCo (2-Apr-2017) 96 riders took to the start of the renowned Nelson Wheelers promoted Circuit of the Dales. The event was won by Philip Graves (NOPINZ) in a time of 2:03:45, with that well known Olympic Gold medal winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee third in 2:04:33. Kieran Lacey was first club rider home with an excellent 2:14:25, and it was a fantastic ride by Alex Fairer, riding her road bike in her first ever SpoCo event and finishing 3rd lady overall (2nd in the SpoCo only table).  Well done Alex! Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Kieran Lacey 02:14:25 7 (13) Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) 02:26:14 23(40) Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 02:33:02 32 (55) Glenn Rhodes 02:39:36 42 (69) Alex Fairer (L) 02:45:01 44 (76) Jack Billingham 02:56:14 47 (81) Sharon Lovidge (L) 02:56:34 48 (82) Congratulations once again to all riders. After 8 events, we are currently third in the L&L SpoCo club standings. Full results available here Weekend race roundup (25th/26th March 2017) What a difference a week makes. Spring has finally sprung and it was sunny conditions for this weekends racing. Dave Huck and Martyn Uttley represented the club in Sunday's Border City Wheelers hilly 20 miles SpoCo event on course L202.  Richard Bickley of the promoting club broke the course record, finishing in 47:41, with Dave finishing 4th overall with an excellent 49:10. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 00:49:10 3 (4) Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) 00:54:05 16 (20) Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 00:55:08 24 (28) Martyn Uttley 00:55:16 25 (29) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 00:58:25 31 (37) Congratulations once again to all riders. After 7 events, we are currently third in the L&L SpoCo club standings. Full results available here Road Racing (courtesy of Graham Carrick) Good crew down at Salt Ayre today. David Huck, Kieran Lacey, Michael Wilson, John Stephenson, Peter Metcalfe and myself. Plus honorary Cumbrian Oliver Ingham, Tom Martin and Brian Pearson (LRC) Pete and John rode in cat 4 with Pete getting caught behind a crash (I think) and John finished in the pack. Everyone else raced in 3/4 apart from Tom who competed well in a strong E123 race, not sure if he got any points. Kieran managed a super 3rd place in a tough race. Tough due to there being 60 riders in it making it very difficult to move around the peloton and get in a good position. The rest of us all finished in the pack. It's been a great series hosted by Lancaster Uni and sets us up well for the rest of the season. Lovely to be racing in sunshine today! A wet and windy weekend of racing (18th/19th March 2017) It was bad weather all round for those racing this weekend. Must be due some decent weather for these SpoCo's soon! On Saturday 18th, Jim Lawley was the lone rider flying the flag for the club at the West Pennine RC Hilly 14 mile SpoCo (L142).  The event was won by James Gullen (JLT Condor), who is on blistering form at the moment, completing the course in 32:40, over 2 minutes up on the second placed rider.  In nasty conditions, Jim did a very courageous 1:07:28.  Not only that but he was out again the next day marshalling on the Lancaster CC Hilly 21 mile SpoCo in atrocious conditions - hardcore. Darren Brackwell described the weather as 'brutal' for the Lancaster CC Hilly 21 mile SpoCo (L211), with lashing rain and strong winds.  Not wanting to repeat myself, but James Gullen (JLT Condor) took the honours with a ride of 48:11, this time 3 minutes up on the second placed rider. Four local riders took to the start, with Dave Huck coming out on top for the club in a time of 54:38. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Dave Huck 00:54:38 3 (7) Kieran Lacey 00:55:27 6 (11) Darren Brackwell 00:57:25 14 (20) Chris Anderson (Lakes RC) 00:59:07 19 (27) Congratulations again to all riders. After 6 events, we are currently second in the L&L SpoCo club standings. Full results available here A few pics here  - Photos © Ellen Isherwood. Road Racing (courtesy of Graham Carrick) Another good afternoon down at Salt Ayre, despite the weather! John Stephenson, Michael Wilson and I were representing the club albeit sporting Better Cycling kit (away colours ;-) John had a mechanical in the Cat 4 race meaning he was unable to finish higher than in the bunch. We all raced in the Cat 3/4 race and in another large field of 40 ish riders there was some competitive racing. John and I stuck to Jack Barton's wheel towards the end of the race and I managed to get in the points finishing 10th, whilst Jack won it for the second week running. John and Mike finished just outside of the points alongside Tyla Loftus. Hopefully the sun will shine for the last week of the series! Great weekend of racing (11th/12th March 2017) A great weekend of racing this week. A fantastic 9 club riders took part in the tough Circuit of Ingleborough TT on Sunday 12th March, and it was great having 2 ladies representing the club too (though I'm not sure I'd choose this TT as my first ever Di!). There were some excellent times (and we'll brush over the astonishing 59:21 set by James Gullen Of JLT Condor, to obliterate the course record and finish over 31/2 minutes ahead of the second placed rider). Special mention to Kieran Lacey, Darren Brackwell and Richard Helm who secured the team prize on the day. Brilliant! Congratulations to all riders who took part on what is a tough course.  Your efforts have placed us top of the Lakes & Lancs SpoCo leaderboard once again after 4 events.  Keep it up! Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L SpoCo Position (Overall) Kieran Lacey 01:07:42 4 (10) Darren Brackwell 01:09:44 10 (17) Richard Helm 01:09:57 11 (18) Jonny Hill 01:12:01 19 (28) Martyn Uttley 01:14:33 30 (45) John Brannon 01:15:32 36 (52) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 01:17:29 45 (64) Glenn Rhodes 01:18:10 48 (67) Diane Stretch (L) 01:29:27 68 (95) Sharon Lovidge (L) 01:33:00 69 (96) Full results available here NLTTA Point Series After 2 events, we are also leading the NLTTA points series. See here. Road Racing (courtesy of Graham Carrick) Great afternoon down at Salt Ayre today (Saturday 11th March). There were some big fields for each race with the 3/4 race full at 50 riders. John Stephenson rode fantastically to claim his first cat points finishing 7th in the 4ths only race. Proud moment John, well done! Me and Robert Armstrong raced well in the 3/4 race alongside local lads Tom Martin and Jack Barton. It was a fast pace at 26.7 mph for the 45 minutes and Jack won it with an excellent sprint. Rob, Tom and myself were just out of the points between 11th and 20th. It was a quick change of numbers and then onto the E123 race. With a number of elite riders in this as it was a national B race, the pace was slightly higher with a number of attacks. I lasted 40 mins with Tom, Rob and Jack completing the race. Jack may have snuck in for some points. Well done to all the other riders, there was a number of clubs represented from the North West. (Photo courtesy of Alex Reed - Lancs Racing Scene) Fantastic start to the SpoCo season continues! Kieran Lacey and Martyn Uttley kept up the SpoCo momentum with two great rides in the Border City Wheelers Hilly 25 on Saturday 4th March.  Kieran went under the hour for the hilly 25 course and Martyn's hard winter training to focus on the SpoCo series is obviously paying dividends. Only 2 club riders this week, but their efforts have increased our lead on the club table after just 2 events, with Kieran currently lying 2nd and Martyn 5th in the individual tables. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L Spoco Position (Overall) Kieran Lacey 00:59:23 5 (7) Martyn Uttley 01:02:43 11 (15) Eamonn Quinn (Lakes RC) 01:07:00 18 (23) Full results available here Two club members rode the North Lancs RC SpoCo on Sunday 5th March. Jack Billingham recorded 1:29:08 to finish in 40th overall.  Unfortunately it wasn't such a good day for Darren Brackwell, who DNF'd with a puncture. Commiserations Darren. NLTTA Combined Clubs 10 mile TT After an early scare with temporary traffic lights, 114 riders took to the start of the NLTTA Combined Clubs 10 mile TT on Saturday 4th March. The first 'flat' 10 for most, it was a good test of form.  Six club riders lined up, with Dave Huck taking the honours for the club in a time of 23:15. As can be seen from the clubs results below, it was a close run affair with the next 3 seperated by only 11 seconds.  Sharon Lovidge narrowly missed out on another £5 this week, coming a very creditable 5th in the ladies category. Overall winner was junior Jake Wright (Zappi RT) in a very quick 20:51. Rider Time Position Dave Huck 23:15 15 John Brannon 24:25 32 Sean Casson 24:30 34 James Hodgson 24:36 35 Derek Schofield (Rossendale RC) 24:46 38 Sharon Lovidge (L) 28:24 86 Jim Lawley 38:41 114 Full results available here A few pics available here, courtesy once more of Ellen Isherwood Fantastic start to the SpoCo season A great effort by the 6 club riders who took part in the opening Bolton by Bowland opening SpoCo TT on Saturday 25th February 2017. Dave Huck, Kieran Lacey, Darren Brackwell, Martyn Uttley, Sharon Lovidge and Jim Lawley took to the start line in let's say what were pretty disgusting conditions, and did the club proud, leaving us top of the club leaderboard. Early days I know, but it bodes well for the coming season. Positions were as follows... Rider Time L&L Spoco Position (Overall) Dave Huck 26:46 3 (8) Kieran Lacey 27:06 6 (11) Darren Brackwell 27:39 8 (14) Martyn Uttley 29:39 18 (34) Sharon Lovidge (L) 36:36 45 (75) Jim Lawley 48:03 52 (84) Full results available here A few pics here courtesy of Ellen Isherwood 2017 Lakes & Lancs SpoCo Event list The full list of Lakes & Lancs SpoCo (Sporting Courses) events for 2017 is now up on their website here. Entries are open for our own Open event which counts in this series. The course is our Coast Road 21 course (L212). Entry is via the CTT website here Be good to see a few targetting this series of events. 2017 Salt Ayre Time Trial Events A full list of the Thursday night Salt Ayre Time Trial events is available here. 2017 Salt Ayre Criterium Series A full list of the Tuesday night Salt Ayre Criterium Series is available here. Club Dinner & Prize Winners 2016 To round off a fantastic season, we finished off in style with a belter of a club dinner at Chequers in Dalton, organised by the irrepressible Sharon Lovidge who definitely earned her 'Services to the Club' award. Around 80 attended which is the most we've had for many years, and was great to see, with lots of old and new faces. A list of all the trophy winners is available here, but special mention has to be made of Craig Steele (Lakes RC) who dominated the trophy list, and Dave Huck (Lakes RC) who dominated whenever the road went skyward! Congratulations to all who took part in any of the races this season and to all marshalls, timekeepers and race organisers without whom none of this would happen. This season will be hard to top but we can give it a good go. Hope everyone has a successful winter's training, and I'm sure Sharon is already planning next years dinner ;-) British Cycling 'new member' offer and insurance British Cycling have an offer on at the moment for new members at a reduced rate (see here for full details). For new club members, and as a reminder to others, in order to race you need insurance. This is usually done either via British Cycling or Cycling UK (was CTC). Our club is affiliated to both organisations. Even if you don't race, e.g. commuting, training, the odd sportive, or just enjoy a weekend ride, you really should have a minimum of 3rd party liability insurance. British Cycling offer Gold, Silver and Bronze membership. To race, you need a minimum of Silver membership (see here for full info on BC liability insurance cover). In addition to the necessary insurance, you also get 10% discount at Chain Reaction Cycles and Halfords (conditions apply) plus other perks. With renewal of club membership around the corner now's the time to get your insurance sorted out. Mike Edwards has put a lot of work into moving the club bank account and is setting up the means for electronic payments and importantly, electronic reminders re membership via the British Cycling website, so the more people we get using Britiish Cycling, the easier it is for administration. Any questions, just ask. Paul Revell survives the Mersey Roads 24hr TT Paul Revell chose the legendary Mersey Roads 24hr TT event over the weekend of 23rd/24th July for his first crack at a 24 hour TT, not knowing that our club has a long history with this event and awards the Whinnerah Memorial Trophy for the fastest vet on standard. Paul rode 77" fixed on the day, totally self supported, and finished an excellent 36th out of 83 starters with a total mileage of 376.131 Chapeau Paul! Paul has kindly done a great write-up of his 24hr ride and the preparations for it. Essentially, everything you need to know about riding a 24. (Personally I think he glossed over the 'suffering' bit) Read all about Paul's preparation and riding of the Mersey Roads 24hr TT here. Full results available here Col McKenna takes on the Tommy Godwin Challenge (205 miles) On Sunday 23rd March, Col McKenna took on the Raleigh 'Tommy Godwin Challenge', the aim of which is to ride an 'average' Tommy Godwin day of 205 miles. Col's kindly written up all the gory details of his epic day. Read all about it here. Fred Whitton Challenge on fixed? - Bonkers As some of you will know, Howard Lindow of the Lakes Road Club recently rode the 4 Seasons Fred Whitton Challenge route on fixed. Anyone who's ever ridden the Fred will understand just how tough that probably is (as we're not daft enough to ever want to attempt it). So, in Howard's own words... Read all about it here Results Finder I've created a page which allows you to search/filter/sort club results. Currently I've got all results from 2005 onwards in the system and will add as many of the others as I can as time permits. I'd be grateful for any feedback on how you find it, any changes you might like to suggest etc etc (just so I feel like I've not been flogging a dead horse ;-) At the very least it'll be useful for collating who's won what at the end of the season. You can access it from the Events/Results menu above - just click on Results Finder. Trophy Information We've just started trying to pull all the trophy information together. I've put up a trophies page which you can get to here or via the Events/Results option on the menu bar above. Bear with us as it's a pretty time consuming task! Over the years trophies have been 're-allocated' as courses changed or were scrapped altogether (Barrow-Newby Bridge-Barrow anyone?). We'll try and reflect this in the lists where possible if we can find date/course information. If you spot any errors or can fill in any gaps then don't hesitate to let me know. So how much faster are we going now? Looking at an old diary from 1991, I thought it'd be interesting to see how times 21 years ago compared to those of today. I must admit I got a bit of a surprise. The link below shows a couple of events (Circuit of Coniston and Haverthwaite) to compare. Comparison events 1991 / 2012 Something to read while the rain lashes the windows... Rules is rules... A bit of light relief after all those heroics. The UCI might have their rules, but really these are the ones that matter.  I particularly like Rule 5 and its accompanying video. The Rules Getting the miles in... A few people have heard of Tommy Godwin the track cyclist, and very good he was too. Unfortunately, not many seem to have heard of another Tommy Godwin. If you think you're going to get some serious miles in over the winter, then read this and weep.  As if breaking the year record with a phenomenal 75,065 miles wasn't enough, he carried on to break the  100,000 mile record in exactly 500 days - at least it makes it easy to work out! I can't help feeling you'd have to be a bit bonkers to do this.  The 1939 Stats link is interesting - you can compare your days mileage with what Tommy did on that day ;-) Dave Barter who's "Writing the Book" (see above) is also writing a book on Tommy 'Mile-Eater' Godwin and the distance record in general, using Tommy's original diaries etc to chart the mileage. Tommy 'mile-eater' Godwin About the Club The Barrow Central Wheelers was formed in 1933 when two of the clubs of that era combined. The club gets its name from the Barrow Central railway station where the first club runs started from. Over the years, the club has taken part in all forms of cycling and cycle racing with some of it's members representing Great Britain at the highest level. The club is predominantly a time trialling club promoting at least 1 open event and 20+ club events each year. The club also enjoys a challenging hill climb season, is active in the road racing scene, puts on events at SACA, enjoys club mountain biking rides & has an avid cyclocross fraternity, with a club event being held annually as part of the wider North West Cyclo-Cross Association series. An annual prize giving dinner is held at the end of the season and you’re all very welcome to attend. Please send any ideas / news / feedback to the