News

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1 Sept: Crest CC has a bronze UCI World Masters Championship medallist: Sue Fenwick took third in the UCI WM Chship women's time trial over 20km in St.Johann in Tyrol, Austria on 24 August. She then finished tenth in the 40km UCI WM Chship women's road race the following day. This was the last year of UCI-sanctioned World Masters time trials and road races so it was a bit special. Big thanks to Sue's hubby Will who supported her.

7/8 August: A very successful working weekend at Stag Hall by Crest Cycling Club members. Window frames and sills were rubbed down and prepared for painting, the kitchen redecorated and a damp problem resolved. The new electric showers in men's and women's areas were thoroughly tested and appreciated by everyone at teatime before a welcome meal out at the Cock at Henham with the night spent at Stag Hall. Sunday morning, a yellow rosebush was planted in the front garden in memory of Tex Murphy (see below). The clubrun left from Stag Hall, visiting a farm shop near Baldock for elevenses before returning to the Dial at Elmdon for lunch.

7 August: Sue Fenwick finishes 3rd in the Rudy Project Wyre Forest time trial, one of the national tt series.

4 August: Crest/Easterley Evening 10 result: Dave Giles (Crest CC) 26.02, James Samuel (Crest CC) 26.11, Julian Thorpe (Crest CC) 26.49, Richard Stevens (Crest CC) 26.49.

17 July: Crest/Easterley Evening 10 result: An stunning 21.39 from Andy Griffiths, not quite as fast as course record 21.26 held by Alex Dowsett from July 2006 when he was in Glendene before he started his international racing career. 1 Andy Griffiths (private entry) 21.39, 2 Andy Ballentine (Easterley RC) 25.24, 3 Dave Giles (Crest CC) 25.36, 4 Ian Samuel (Crest CC) 26.44, 5 James Samuel (Crest CC) 26.52, 6 Kristian Hegerty (private entry) 27.03, 7 Dave Spencer (Easterley RC) 27.05, 8 Les Howell (Ciclos Uno) 27.09, 9 Russell Dore (Crest CC) 27.51.

17 June: Well done Simon Keen for a win at Hog Hill evening series.

15 June: Crest/Easterley Evening 10 result:1. Andy Ballentine 25.15, 2 Clayton Knight 26.17, 3 Chris Burley 26.27, 4 J Rogers 25.13, 5 Ben Lamb 26.13, 6 Ian Samuel 26.18, 7 Dave Giles 26.26, 8 Russell Dore 26.37, 9 Geoff Bridger 27.15, 10 Phil Whitehorn 28.29.

30 May: Tex Murphy died today. She was 93. Tex was a racing cyclist in her younger years, a member of the Rosslyn Ladies during the time when most clubs, including Crest, were men-only, but in her later years was most usually seen knitting or crocheting in the Vauxhall estate while husband Dick time-keepered events. A longer tribute will follow in due course. Tex's funeral was on 10 June in Kent. Our thoughts are with her daughter Penny and family.

18 May: Crest/Easterley Evening 10 time trial result: 1st Jim Lewis (Glendene CC) 23.10, Adam Norris (Orbea) 23.50, Dan Crawley (Crest CC) 25.04, Geoff Bridger (Crest CC) 26.59. Thanks to the Easterley for timekeeping and to Ron Crawley and Phil Ashton for marshalling.

6 May: Well done Robert Samuel who has gained his third cat junior road race licence in 2010 thanks to his following latest results: 5th in the 4th cat Castle Coombe Classic at Bristol and 4th in the Finchley RT 2/3/4-cat event.

5 May: ECCA Festival. Crest CC members took part and helped out in the annual May Day 3-day extravaganza of road and circuit racing, timetrials, map-reading and audax rides: competitors included senior road race Ian Samuel and Ian Franklin, overflow road race Simon Keen, Hog Hill 10 time trial Geoff Bridger, 100km audax Jeremy and Patrick O'Sullivan, 200km audax Phil Whitehorn and Ron Crawley. Helpers included John Browning, Marie-Cawt Browning and Geoff Bridger in the road races and John and Marie-Cawt in the audax. Overall points for Festival not finalised yet, Crest currently in joint 21st spot with Colchester Rovers and San Fairy Ann CC.

27/4: Crest/Easterley Evening 10 time trial result: 1st Andrew Griffiths 22.36. Cresties: Adam Norris 24.28, Geoff Bridger 27.01, Phil Whitehorn 28.56. If you are riding next one on 11/5, turn up early or phone/email Alan Norris or the organiser to book a place as this event was oversubscribed so some people didn't get a ride.

25 April: Crest CC promotion: 32nd Association 30 on E1 (Newport) course. Organiser Alan Norris says: "I hope you all had a good event and I would like to thank all the helpers for their time." Results (in order of start):

David Stockwell, Shaftesbury CC DNF; Helen Lansdown, Eagle RC 1.36.58; David Nolan, Shaftesbury CC 1.33.41; Phillip Whitehorn, Crest CC, 1.24.57; Ralph Mullan, Shaftesbury CC, 1.11.55; Brian Hussey, Lea Valley CC, 1.26.27; Ian Davis, Shaftesbury CC, 1.29.36; Derek Smith, Crest CC, DNS; Andy Squire, Shaftesbury CC, 1.25.12; Andy Ballentyne, Easterley RC, 1.19.28; Richard Johnson, Shaftesbury CC, 1.38.32 (13.30 late start); Alan Leighton (private time trial entry), East London Tri Club, 1.15.27; Paul Haxell, Shaftesbury CC, 1.19.03; Michael Keen, Lea Valley CC, 1.36.31; Ian O'Neill, Shaftesbury CC, DNS; David Clark, Eagle RC, 1.21.39; Alan Clements, Shaftesbury CC, 1.21.29; Trevor Whittock, Lea Valley CC, DNF; Laurance Bellamy, Shaftesbury CC, 1.17.59; Ian Heather, Shaftesbury CC, 1.12.47; Sean Kerrigan, Lea Valley CC, DNS; Dominic Berner, Shaftesbury CC, DNS; David Youell, Eagle RC, 1.17.13; John Taylor, Shaftesbury CC, DNS; Geoff Bridger, Crest CC, 1.18.33; Nick McAuliffe, Shaftesbury CC, DNS; John Beaufoy, Eagle RC, 1.17.21; Wayne Greve, Shaftesbury CC, 1.21.32; Noah Knox, Victoria CC, 1.14.52; Bruce Robinson, Shaftesbury CC, 1.12.56; James Cook, Shaftesbury CC, 1.15.37; David Mills, private time trial, 1.28.25; Robert Simpson, Lea Valley CC, DNF; Mr Bolero, private time trial, 1.36.59.

11 April: Well done Daniel! 5th place in the Hainault RC Road Race, run over the same tough hilly Littlebury circuit as the Crest Spring road race. Daniel finished alone and just 13 seconds adrift of the leading two, the bunch 3.5 minutes behind the leading five. James Samuel finished lanterne-rouge in 28th place. Ron Crawley and Robert Samuel started but along with many others were both DNF. Crest CC are now lying fifth in the 2010 ERRL Club standings.

7 March: Crest Spring Road Race. A bitterly cold day saw just 37 finishers but a successful event with a tie for first-place between Graham Galvin (East London Velo) and Paul Fielding (St Ives) in 2.57.40 with the bunch led by Trevor Burke (Finchley RT) at 20 seconds.

27 February: Bob Hobbs Memorial presentation. Bob's memory was honoured with a beautiful charcoal/pastel drawing of him done by club artist Theo Platt: http://www.theoplatt.com/ which was unveiled at a buffet lunch attended by Bob's sons Steve and Christopher.

Dec: Cresties made the most of the snow with a run down the River Lea towpaths. We also had a clubrun in early Decembe before the snow around the canal and river towpath systems of North and East London, our route taking us along the Greenway towards Beckton, then into Canary Wharf, and back out via London Fields - all without touching a single road.

23 Dec: Darren grew a huge moustache (yes it's real, unlike the hair...) for sponsorship for Movember for raising funds for prostrate cancer research. £1,444 raised so far.

14 Dec: 25 Cresties took part in the Lea Valley towpath clubrun on 12 Dec. Here they are enjoying a tasty cuppa in the cafe.

4 Dec: our new clubroom venue, at Wanstead Rugby Club proved a hit last night for our monthly clubroom meet. Ample parking, comfortable spacious lounge with room for indoor activities, newly refurbished toilets and a refreshments bar too. Next clubnight is Thursday 7 January from 8pm.

4 Dec: Time Trialling Charity Calendar, a cool fiver, featuring men and women in cheeky WI-style poses including someone in the Crest! Each calendar sold sees a fiver split between Macmillan Cancer, British Heart Foundation, Help for Heroes and the Association of Air Ambulances. To order one, go to: TT Calendar

24 November: we're on You-Tube! Four Cresties travelled to Belgium to take part in the annual Retro Rondee, where everyone has to ride old-style retro bikes. Spot a few woollen jerseys and spare tyres around shoulders too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PuI5Ma9mzY

14/15 November: Graham "Spyder"/GV Adams' Annual Tandem Weekend proved another hit success. More than 90 people signed up for it, mainly tandems and a handful of hardy solos. Friday night saw everyone meet at the Rose and Crown pub, Bentfield End, then onto the Crest, Easterley, Lea Valley/Comrades and Shaftesbury cycle club bungalows for the night.

Pic: leaving Stag Hall Saturday morning

After a hearty cooked breakfast (thanks Louise, Caroline, Ken and June), with trepidation about the black sky, rainfall and with storm-force winds forecast, we set off bound for the Hardwicke Arm Hotel at Arrington, back-up van crew provided by Bill Swann and Bernie Davis.

With a few punctures, everyone arrived safely despite the wind and after lunch, a good singsong with John "Twig" Browning on the guitar, Paul O'Kelly on the bawdy folk songs (Hey Nonny Nonny, Chastity Belt, Lobster Song, Whisky in the Jar, etc) and John's daughter Marie Cait (a Cantate Youth Choir member no less!) bringing some class (and tune) with her father's rewrites of well-known popsongs (so "Jolene, please don't take my man" became "GV, don't put me in the van").

Pic: fuelled by lunch at Hardwicke Arms, Arrington, ready to face a stormy weather ride to Huntingdon

After a brief sortee through pretty Wimpole Park with its slippery cattle grids (not for cycle tyres or shoe cleats), the afternoon ride to Huntingdon became long, wet, dark and VERY windy.

Pic: pretty route through Wimpole Park, watch the cattle grids!

It was made extra interesting by Paul O'Kelly's route accidentally sending everyone down the dead-end road to Childerley Hall. 3 tandems blown off the road and one blown over but just bruises in the horrendous wind. Sue's local knowledge got most people sensibly u-turned back to the old A428 and along through Knapwell instead but a few hardy souls ploughed on through the muddy bridleway route that links Childerley to Knapwell and six others, for unknown reasons, ended up in the White Horse at Oakington. Quite how they ended up so far off course, esp with maps and routesheets, esp when one was the organiser GV, defies belief...perhaps it was the lure of the Green King ales sold there?

The hotel was top notch and very welcoming. Staff made the mistake of agreeing an eat-all-u-want buffet arrangement, a sure way to lose profit with locusts, sorry cyclists, as people powered their way through every starter, main and dessert on offer. "One more wafer, Mr Creosote".

The evening split into two crowds, the staid genteel folk who stayed in the hotel bar, and the beer-drinkers who took a taxi into town to sample the delights (?) of Huntingdon pubs... rumours of a naked cyclist at midnight were unproven.

Sunday was a clear blue sky and calmer wind.

Pic: Sag-wagon driver Bill Swann (left) and some tandem weekenders at Marriott Hotel, Huntingdon

Pic: The Southampton University six donned their best tweed 1930s cycling outfits and moustaches, wonderful!

We had a lovely journey south to Royston, overtaken by the Team Sanjan crew out on a run, then meeting a thousand runners coming the other way, doing the Waresley Half-Marathon.

A final lunch at the Bull at Royston and another fantastic singsong before we split for home.

Pic: Paul O'Kelly singing and John Browning guitaring another well-received bawdy folk song

Thanks everyone and see you all at next year's Tandem Weekend!

30 September: Congratulations to Sue Fenwick, 7th in the women's national 100 miles championship and 14th in the women's national Best All Rounder time trial league.