British Cycling Go-Ride event at 1 Olympus Square

On Saturday 6th February there will be an indoor youth cycle racing event at 1 Olympus Square, Nightingale Estate London E5. Run in partnership with CCH, British Cycling's Go-Ride programme is providing four Watt Bikes and coaches to deliver a static bike racing programme between 9.30am and 12.30pm. Turbo trainers and the 'spinning' bikes will be in action as well.
More details about this event and how to join in can be found on the poster attached.

Two new club mates - CCH welcomes Femi & Brandon

...pictured with club loan bikes inside CCH's new Interlinkx base at 1 Olympus Square Nightingale Estate...

Local young fellas Femi Valentine and Brandon Johnson (on the right) have recently joined CCH, they are also members of Interlinkx cic's Fawcett Estate Youth Cycle Maintenance Project. Femi has been with the Fawcett branch for quite some time, while he was there he began to think about cycle training to keep fit and racing bikes. His good mate Brandon is a bike fan too and is very happy to see his sporting prospects leap with CCH's programme of coaching and support. Whilst out cycling today, Brandon mentioned; "My main sport is cycling and I want to stay in it for Hackney and my self - it's just what I wanna do - no question!"
Both lads and are keen to test themselves as sporting cyclists and now that they are set-up they will be joining the routine coaching and training sessions. A residential pre-season squad training camp is being planned for February half term - they are up for that and when the spring comes Herne Hill Velodrome beckons. Here more intense sessions are to be be pursued on the track with their fellow riders from the development section. Until then Femi & Brandon will continue to ride in the Team Hackney sponsored Saturday morning sessions, (10am at 1 Olympus Square on Nightingale Estate) the Sunday club runs, group riding with the development squad and going out as training partners whenever possible.

Play stops work - Epping Forest's winter wonder land

Last Wednesday I joined Clem for a training session through Epping Forest's winter landscape of deep snow and frost bitten trees, it was out of the ordinary to be there. This coming Sunday another ride into 'New Norway' is planned. meeting at the Lea Valley Ice rink at 10am or the Wipps Cross round about tea cabin for 10.30am where we are to link up with some of the London Phoenix CC cyclo cross crew.
Thoughts of getting back on the road have been put on ice for now!

Thinking about getting back on the road...

Coach and rider, Gary Lingard and Alex Peters, enjoying the Hogenburg during last Saturdays winter league race series at Hog Hill.

I gather It was a clean race, no foul play and much less dirty than the recent cyclo cross events our lads have been ploughing through, I bet it was a pleasant change to be able to actually see their bikes after the race. No doubt it was also a delight not having to remove spattered clothing and mud from eyes and then stand about shivering while waiting in a queue to unearth their machines with a hose washer before eventually heading home?

Hmm, time to start thinking about the road again...HNY 2010!