Tuesday 19 May 2015

Killynure - league#4 (19th May 2015)

At 18:45 on 19th May 2015, 10 hardy riders started out on the Killynure Road and one rider started at Temple. Indeed, "eejit of the week" goes to Neville O'Neill for turning up at Temple. Let's hope he turns up at the right Church for his upcoming wedding.

Some very fast times heading in the Saintfield direction (if you believe the bragging some people were doing close to 50mph) although the headwind and horribilis rain shower lowered the Garmin average speeds on the return.

Carl King had the luckiest escape of the night when his parked bike was nearly crushed by a Big Tractor, hi!



Results

Mad Women

Emma Kerr        25:20
Ali McConnell    26:29

Mad Men
 
Vaughan Purnell  20:13
Kevin Eagan      21:02
Mark Hanna       21:15
Enda Marron      22:08
Dave Lonnen      23:44
Andrew McCormick 23:56
Peter McGuicken  26:30
Carl King        26:40

Thanks to time keepers Julie (who is more nervous time keeping than doing the TT) and Desi.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Carryduff 2UP (12th May 2015)

This was the first 2UP for quite a time. In fact, we don't mention "the 2UP incident" of a few years ago. For those curious you need to buy Ms McConnell a glass of wine sometime and she will regale  the full story.

The point of the 2UPs is to have a bit of fun and partake in a bit of drafting. Slower riders get the opportunity to partner with a faster rider and gauge strengths/weaknesses and gear choices which is a good learning experience.

Before the start tonight there was a minute silence for Gerry O'Neill who sadly passed away last week. Gerry was a talented road runner and keen cyclist. He took part in the first and second years of these TTs before cycling with Phoenix. A regular at the PEC spin classes, the first bike on the right has always been known simply as "Gerry's bike with the easy resistance". Always very encouraging of others and an avid fan of the Bob Harris radio show he will be missed.

Top mixed team tonight was Kerr and McGuicken. McGuicken had a bit of scare half way round the course when he thought he had gone deaf. However it turned out that Miss Kerr had simply fallen off the back.

Andrew McCormac got to experience the team work ethic of Cafe Velo tonight when Mark Hanna continually dropped him. The stony silence at the end spoke volumes between the pair.

However, Steve Begley played it note perfect and took himself and Paul Hetherington around in season best times, taking off over a minute from a few weeks ago.

Top of the 2 uppers was Enda and Vaughan who stayed together most of the time!

Results for tonight's lovely couples

Enda and Vaughan      28:37

Mark H and Andrew     30:27

Steve and Paul        31:48

Emma and Peter        33:55

Thanks to the 2.5 Lonnens for time keeping.

Tuesday 5 May 2015

Temple - League#3 (5th May 2015)

A Perfect Day
"The boss said 'great job, go ahead and leave work early'. Heading home the traffic was unusually light and the drivers used their indicators and refrained from lane hopping. Plenty of time then to get a bite of food, made easy because the kitchen was spotless and there was plenty of healthy food in the cupboards. The cycling gear was easy to find, being all freshly washed and folded. In the garage the bike was sitting gleaming with the brakes and gears tuned to perfection. At 6pm, after a cold day, the Sun came out and the temperature rose to a pleasant 19 degrees.
At the TT everyone turned up on time and it started at 6:45pm. Traffic was practically non-existent and any cars that passed gave a friendly toot and left at least 3 metres of clearance. The warm tarmacadam gave extra grip on the corners. At Saintfield a group of passer-bys stopped to cheer; the ringing cowbells being a lovely touch. Along the route the smell of BBQ and children laughing in back gardens made the effort easy or maybe it was the tailwind the whole way. We all got PBs anyway!
Afterwards we all congratulated each other and the sense of companionship and comradery made one wish to be nowhere else. The pizza van arrived and gave out free pizza. Just what we needed after a hard effort and we ate and laughed until our bellies ached. Such a perfect day!" 

Admittedly that might not be quite how the TT went but it was close!

Back to reality and Ed Smith turned up to present two Lunchtime Legend awards which are normally given out at the Christmas party.

The Donnellys Cup (for international achievement) went to Desi McHenry. This was the third time that Desi has won the prestigious award. Not one to rest, Desi departs soon for Mallorca 70.3 Ironman and we wish him good luck. Like a fine wine McHenry gets more acidic (or should that be fine) with age and anyone who has not got themselves down for time keeping better do it soon!

The Geoff Lennon Trophy went to Peter Morrison for achievement and improvements in cycling. Morrison excels in TTs, sportives, cyclo-cross; you name it!



Results

Aero-mint
Joanne Bingham       34:16

The aero-smiths
Mark Kane            24:20
Peter Morrison       25:17
Vaughan Purnell      25:57
Enda Marron          26:45
Kevin Eagan          26:52
Gavin Browne         27:31
Bill Rafferty        28:44
Paul Hetherington    31:56
Peter McGuicken      32:38
Carl King            33:14 

Thanks to time keepers Desi and David Morrissey.

TT Training 2019

2019 Rules

You must have a TI licence (a training licence is sufficient), be a member of a triathlon club and have working front AND rear lights on your bike. Cycling helmets are also mandatory. For events marked (ATH) - this means it is an athletes TT, meaning that no TT equipment should be used, such as TT bikes, TT bars, aero helmets etc. You can of course turn up with TT equipment, however, you should be prepared for general teasing and mickey taking as the penalty for doing so!

As we are riding on public roads, the rules of the roads apply. The committee have notified the PSNI of our plans for the season; being seen and riding safely are of paramount importance - these events are very enjoyable and will improve your time trialling, but we should all stay safe when participating in them and we all have a responsibility to ensure that this happens.

Calendar

August

27 - Titanic (Head to head final)

September
3 - Drumbo Hill Climb