CCH Club run 23.03.08

'I'm just going outside and may be some time.'
Captain Oats - South Pole 1912

Our cycles were about to carry us through the white teeth of icy flurries so this time we all honored our machines by holding them aloft for the traditional photo shoot before heading out. The snatch, clean & jerk lifting process was repeated because of late arrivals but no matter as the effort served as a useful warm up. Refusenik Stuart announced he was not in need of an arctic outing & offered to take the photos before vacillating with a should I stay or should I go look & then finally electing to join us.
Our group of five struggled to hold it together from the start with the recumbent duo of Dave & Stuart going fast to get warm & diamond cyclists John & I in the middle looking back for Patrick who seemed to be skillfully pedaling at that rate just enough to avoid toppling over.
After loosing sight of the leading pair in the north driven sleet & snow, John & I settled on our own company only to be surprised by catching Dave & Stuart at Abridge. With the pace set by Dave we became warm & it was good to be outside on the bikes again. The country side around Stapleford Tawney was as if in January, the trees flanked by snow & there was not much green to be seen, it was like passing through a black & white movie.
There was no need to go the whole hog today, we stayed out for about two & a half hours, coming back via Epping before stopping at the the High Beach cafe for a quick tea & spot of snowman building.
All returned safely with all digits intact & frost-bite free!

KA

New web address!

You can now point your browser to www.cyclingclubhackney.co.uk. Thanks Trevor. Please use this address in any promotional material.

Club Run 16.03.08

A soggy one today along with blustery strong winds coming from the north west...a collective softer option was taken to make the route shorter and take it easier. Dave, Eleanor, Alan, Keir & Oliver made up the reasonably heroic quintet to travel to destination Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch in Essex. http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/
Our trail passed Woodford, Chigwell, Stapleford Abbotts, and Navestock, on the way we covered the course and start line of the TEE/Beacontree Wheelers 10m time trials on Friday evenings starting 4th April - the course looks mostly flat and fast but it does bend & turn with four slow corners to take.
http://www.harragan.freeserve.co.uk/
In between holding onto hats, bars and the wiping of wet hair from eyes it was possible to see the new lime green hawthorn leaf sprouts and little birds flying faster than normal in the brisk winds.
At the nuclear bunker we went below to duck and cover (of course) in the canteen. Inside it was like a warren, with men busy carrying trays of rolls on industrial trolleys and others guarding the honesty money boxes. A ringer set for a 1960's Dr. Who film or what! The tanoy system frequently called upon the services of specialist staff to do their duty in scary times.
After taking hot drinks & our radioactive snacks we saddled up and rolled out before posing for a Dr. Strangelove style photo shoot astride the decommissioned mini missile parked outside – it had to be done hehe.

On the way back Dave & Keir did an additional loop around Toot Hill before rejoining the groupetto in Woodford. Today was a first for a CCH club run in that the same group arrived as the one that departed from the Ice Rink. Nice one!
Distance 40m

K.A.

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***NEWS FLASH*** John Dove is now the official CCH qualified 1st aider...he said that he'd be bringing his de-fib gear for next Sundays ride...thank you John!
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'Round Chelmsford' Ride - 6th April 2008

The Round Chelmsford is our inaugural club ride.

Its a sociable, non-competitive ride that any regular rider should be able to achieve, the distance is around 90 miles; there are some hills!

Click here for a google map of the route. We also have a routesheet here. There is even a thread on the ACF forum.

There is no entry charge, there will be refreshments at various cafes along the route but you are advised to bring some emergency snacks, liquid and rain gear.

Meeting 9am, 6th April at the car park, Lee Valley Ice Centre, Lea Bridge Road E8.

Please download the poster and display it as widely as possible.

Hog Hill Detour

DSC08602
Originally uploaded by bikefix

Our group took a detour to see what was happening at the site of the new racing circuit at Hog Hill. Answer; not much. All we could see were these ugly fences.

Then we battled back home through rain and sunshine.

Club Run Reports...

CR 09.03.08
Welcome to the club Freyer our youngest rider yet.
This week a group of eight set off and stayed together until our cafe stop in Blackmore. On the way we came across the route of the Hainault Hilly TT and watched some of the riders pass. Stuart was inspired and even gave chase... After Blackmore we divided into those heading straight back (John, Oliver, Nikki, Stuart & Freyer) leaving Dave, Boris and I to do a bit more. We travelled through the Easters to High Roding and back round to White Roding and then home via Moreton and Toot Hill.
The day was notable for it's startling cloud formations of many kinds, I'm sure it was a weather persons dream day on all fronts.
The light was vivid, highlighting the hints of spring green in the young sprouting wheat and certain tree leaves and the bright yellow of the daffs, just great to look at.
Boris was fun to ride with but his laughter & jokes dwindled as we rode on...not as used to the distance as Dave & I but next week maybe he'll laugh last or at least loudest and/or for longer!

CR 02.03.08
A six pack set off from the Ice Center with our new rider Nikki all the way from Oz also in the group were Oliver, Paul, John, Dave & I. We made it to Theydon Bois before forming into three pairs to suit. Nikki & Oliver kept it short with a stop at the High Beach cafe, Paul & John bolted over the hill not to be seen again, whilst myself & Dave headed for Maldon in Essex. We found old boats with rigging being repaired and an atmospheric & charming small market town on the Blackwater & Chelmer river estuary famous for it's salt. It was worth the visit and we'll be back.


CR 24.02.08
For Stuart, Matt & I, today was about checking out the 'Round Chelmsford 08' route and ironing out one or two points of navigation still unclear. Dave & John were short on time and could not continue with us all the way around.
We found a fine tea house conveniently placed at the half way point in Danbury just past the courses biggest climb at Little Badow. 'Tea on the Green' did the trick and on we went through the Hanning Fields and on to Stock, Ingatstone, Kelvedon Hatch, Stapleford Abbotts, Chigwell Row & home. Stuart won the sprint for every village sign after Mountnessing where I asked if he was bringing his faster machine next week...something to do with a misunderstanding about insulting his donkey i guess! So now I know how to make Stuart go fast...hehe
The final route for 'Round Chelmsford 08' will be posted ahead of the event in two weeks time.

News up-date 10.03.08

Hi

Here are some points FYI:

• CCH are now affiliated to British Cycling. An £82.50p loan for this to CCH from Hackney-Cyclists was gratefully received.
  
• Trevor Parsons (CCH chair) & I are developing a web-site for CCH to facilitate, amongst other things, on-line club & B.C. membership capability. www.cyclingclubhackney.co.uk
• I have been employed for fifteen hours a week on a rolling contract by The Learning Trust as a cycle sport development worker for Hackney's schools. My first task in this post will be to verify a need for school cycle sport activity and to gauge commitment of potential participants to training and competition.
  
• All being well, a primary target for TLT & the CCH youth team will be the London Youth Games to be held at Crystal Palace on Saturday July 5th '08.
• This week I will be arranging CCH affiliation to the RTTC or Cycling Time Trials (the national governing body for cycling time trials). This is being done ahead of a program of TT events being delivered by Team Economic Energy & Beacontree Wheelers over at Navestock & Stapleford Abbotts. The first event is on Friday evening 4th April...The popular Friday evening 10 mile Time Trial series
  
• Ten Genesis Flyer cycles have already been delivered and paid for courtesy of Hackney Police (Metropolitan Police Authority fund). A great price was found due to the co-operation of Bikefix, Madison suppliers & London Fields Cycles. We thank you!