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Christmas 2010: The annual Crestmas Tour between Christmas and New Year. Phil Ashton says: "Just a few pics when we were away at Bourton on the Water. Never let it be said that I can't organise a p***up in a brewery, not true—Hook Norton Brewery, double stouts all round, as much as you like and a good time had by all. Not a lot of riding done but a helluva lot of eating and drinking."

5 December 2010: The Fox at Matching Tye proved an excellent venue for this year's Crestmas Lunch Run. Absolutely superb food, wonderful beer, excellent staff, the right size and lovely atmosphere. Well done the Fox! And well done Derek and Glynis for organising it. Thanks too to John Browning for sorting out the trophies: Crash Trophy to JJ (February), Club 10 trophy to Dave Giles, and Club Championship to Sue ... plus this little extra something, signwritten by club artist Theo Platt who also did this beautiful charcoal sketch of Crest founder member and Stag Hall stalwart Bob Hobbs for us. Captures Bob to a tee.

5 Dec 2010: South East & Essex Region CycloCross Championship (also counter for Eastern Cross League), Redbridge (Hog Hill) circuit. Darren writes: "After a week of snow it was doubtful if the event was going ahead. The organisers (Lea Valley CC) worked hard though and there were no excuses not to turn up. Lots more vets entered than juniors and seniors. The good lady of my house commented that this was further proof that men do not get wiser with age.

There were 93 in our mixed bunch of vets, juniors and women, with the different groups at one minute intervals. Twice up the hill per lap, once on the road circuit and once off road. The road circuit was crossed here and there but it was mainly grass which had turned to complete, utter slime. Lots of people fell on the first couple of laps until it thinned out a bit. I soon realised I wasn't on a good day (too many Christmas do's and birthday dinners) and so settled down just to try and enjoy myself. The descents were a case of letting our bikes take the line they wanted and hoping to still be on them at the bottom. It was fun, honest. I only fell off once.

I plugged away and came in 43rd in my age group, a bit disappointed as people I have beaten were in front of me. None of the events this year have been that muddy yet but this one more than made up for it. How muddy is muddy? Well to illustrate... after the race I left my bike against a railing and walked back to the pits for my spare wheels. On returning I had to wipe some of the mud away to make sure it was my bike underneath. Don't forget I'm looking for three volunteers to take part for the end-of-season team event too.

Was it worth missing the Christmas Club Run Lunch for? I'll have to think about that." Dazza.

28 Nov 2010: Crest Cycling Club AGM. We have decided to become a Go-Ride affiliated club. This brings us as a club several benefits as a British Cycling-affiliated club. We feel it is the right, progressive direction for our club to move into. Thanks to Tony Harvey, our club coach, for investigating and leading this project, and thanks for everyone who is now on board to cover the other voluntary positions required to move it forwards. Watch this space!

21 Nov: Darren's CycloCross Report from Fakenham. A long drive to Norfolk but worth it for a good, challenging course nearly all in the forest with a bit of heathland, plenty of mud, slippery roots, humps like moguls, a set of hurdles and an interesting bomb hole with a sharp lefthander at the bottom followed by a delightful run/carry out. I changed wheels after a warmup lap for slightly wider 35c rubber with 3 bar in for the combo of grip but root protection. On 5th row at start, guy in front makes a mess and can't get his feet in pedals. When we hit the moguls, another guy falls with wheels/pedals wrapped all over the place. Get going again, can't remember next two laps as trying so hard but trying to ride smooth too.

Don't know how smooth I am (ed's note: Darren's very smooth ;-)) but after a while, settled into little group with a Maldon and an Interbike ridder. We swap places on the front but we're all on the limit so can't attack each other. Then Interbike rider loses contract and at bottom of the run, I pull the stick out of the stays which has been driving me nuts and settle down a bit. The Maldon guy resorts to direct acrtion and falls at the moguls, taking us both out. We get going and just before the bomb hole I overtake and run as fast as I can, get the gap and focus on the Ipswich guy in front we'd been slowly bringing back. Slowly catch him but out on the heath the leader Tim Butler laps us. I thought "brilliant, must be near the end", went through the finish and gobsmacked that the lapboard bloke is holding up four fingers. What? FOUR? Are you serious? I'm about to puke! I'm in such a state of shock I make a pig's ear of the hurdles and give my crown jewels a nice glancing blow with the back of the saddle. Try to follow Butler but he soon disappears so I try to settle smoothly and use the riders I'm lapping as carrots. The last laps go okay but I'm really tired and have an unexpected lay down at the hurdles. A few more lead riders lap me but I hang on and get 32nd.

I still can't believe how much happens in 45 minutes, how knackering it is and how much I enjoy it. I must need a check from the neck up. So who fancies the team event in February? I need three volunteers.

14 Nov: Darren's CycloCrossReport from Mistley: What a doughnut! I made a stupid schoolboy mistake on this one. I went for another warmup lap and nearly missed the start so had to start at the very back rather than 5th or 6th row. Mistley is the worst place to do this too. It's a great course but a real lung buster with a lot of single track up and down through the woods, plus three running sections every lap and two sections just-about-rideable in 34x27 provided you get the line right. The descents were lively with deep rutted mud. All in all, a difficult course for getting past people without tangling.

The race was a blur. I spent the entire time trying to move up or catch up. Very tired riders, lots of mistakes. I nearly crashed several times. 66 finishers and I crawled up to 39th. Could have been better but hey, that's sport.

Sat/Sun 14/15 Nov: Tandem Weekend: Graham Adams organises the annual tandem weekend (not a Crest CC event) each year. This year, the post-event writeup gives a younger person's perspective. (see Adam's blog). (Note from Willy: despite what Adam's blog says, the showers at Stag Hall DO work well but inebriation and twiddling showerknobs probably doesn't mix).

6 Nov: Eastern Cyclo-Cross League, Round 7, Vets, Redgrave, Diss. Dazza reports: "It's my seventh race of the season and I'm on fifth row of the starting grid. The guys I've been tussling with over the last few weeks are in similar positions. Redgrave is a flat and quite contrived course but I reckon one of the hardest. There is never a chance to freewheel and the only time you're not pedalling is when you are running or indeed walking if it's really getting all too much. There is a big mound of claggy earth in the back corner of the circuit which has to be run up and down twice per lap. It really doesn't look much but after a few laps it feels like Scafell Pike.

"On the whistle I'm away really hard and I get a good position but it's too hard and I can't hold onto the group. I drift back and find myself grinding away in no-man's land between two groups. The Lea Valley and Ipswich riders I'd beaten at Davy Down a couple of weeks before aren't daft and work together and get onto me.

"We bang away at each other for the next couple of laps and the Ipswich guy gets dropped. I'm in real trouble and breathing so hard I sound like Ivor the Engine with a chesty cough. Amazingly the Lea Valley guy doesn't go at me and with two laps to go I get a better remount over the hurdles and attack him.

"I don't get much of a gap but it's enough. We had slowly been bringing Chris Ridley (Maldon) back. Chris has beaten me in every race he's ridden this season, so he's the perfect carrot for me to chase. Chris makes it easy for me though. He gets through a tricky bumpy section then drops it on the easy corner out. I wiggle round him and grind on. Just once more up and down Scafell Pike and then push, push on the slidy grass to the finish.

"Finished 28th and the chocolate cake tastes better than ever. Shake hands with the Lea Valley guy though I know he's thinking about next time. 19th overall in the vets league now and looking forward to next week at Mistley which is a completely different sort of course with a technical downhill and a long climb back up. Should be fun!"

24 Oct: Darren Myers is enjoying a return to racing with one of the toughest disciplines going—cyclocross. Here's his report from the Lakeside event of the Eastern Cyclo-Cross League series. "Great fun, Davy Down is a little oasis of green next to Lakeside shopping centre. I was on fifth row at start, held my position okay in the stampede at the beginning. Ran up the steps, jumped back on, back wheel wouldn't go round. **!*!* Put it right, jump back on, wait for gap in stream of riders, dive into gap in stream of riders, rest of that lap a blur.

"Latch onto a group of 5 riders, settle down a bit and pulse drops back to three figures. A Maldon woman in front of me is yo-yo-ing a bit off the group and I get past her. The Colchester and Suffolk duo put pressure on as we go through the finish straight and they get a gap. I sprint hard, get past Ipswich and Lea Valley riders and onto the duo's wheel. That hurts.

"The Lea Valley rider claws back on too and somewhere on the lap he overtakes me. The Ipswich guy has disappeared and now we are four but the Maldon woman is cool and pacing herself well, not far behind.

"Penultimate lap and at top of second set of steps the Lea Valley rider cocks up his remount which delays us but then drags us back to the Colchester/Suffolk pair. As we climb through the trees the Suffolk rider lets a gap open so I squeeeeeeze past him and latch onto the front two. On the first steps I get back on the bike quicker than the rest and past the Lea Valley rider but he gets back onto me.

"Last lap and at top of first steps I get a good remount whereas the Lea Valley rider fluffs his. I hear swearing behind me but the Colchester chap and me are away. I'm over him like a rash and on a flat but twisty, slippery grass section I go for it, sliding wide on a greasy corner, tickling the plastic marker but I keep the gap. I tell myself not to panic, just half a lap to go. I keep the gap and finish 37th and grinning like an idiot. The rest of our tussling little group come in 15 seconds later led by the Maldon woman who knew how to pace herself well.
"Great fun and I finally felt like I'd been racing in this, my third comeback event. It's only when I get back in the car that I notice the cut on my lip but have absolutely no idea where or when that happened."

3 Oct: Crest CC's inaugural off-road 50km sportive was successful if wet and muddy. Organiser Mike Savage kept entries to club and invitation–only as this was a trial event to see what's involved with a view to running an open sportive over the same or similar course next year. A resounding YES to that one from everyone who rode on Sunday despite the massive flooding of Furneaux Pelham ford from heavy rains the day before. 4x4s were stuck in it and pulling each other out, the adjacent horse ride was cancelled due to flooded parking, but the it takes more than a metre of water (Mike Norris below) to dissuade Cresties, tough bunch that we are!

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.