Reading Cycling Club

"Beyond Spring" Criterium Series, Race 3

Steve Bale, Wayne Thomas, Rob King, and John Snead represented Reading
CC at the third and final race of the Beyond Spring series at the
Hillingdon circuit. Although it was wet, cold and windy 70 riders signed
on for the 54km 2nd/3rd/4th category race. There was no shortage of
spirit and riders put in hard efforts trying to break away. However
no-one could sustain any advantage and the race stayed together until
just before the halfway point. At that point the consistent pace of the
lead dozen proved too much for the rest and a gap appeared that no one
could bridge. The Reading riders were too far back in the group to turn
the situation around. Bale came to the front and with a Welwyn rider
tried to bridge. "It was always going to be tough," he said. "We tried
for a couple of laps but the break was too organised to be caught". With
Bale now back with the second group, a tired Rob King dug deep to see
whether he would fare any better. He succeeded in causing another split
in the race leaving Bale in the third group. The situation remained the
same for the rest of the distance. The leaders stayed away, Rob's group
of 10 or so 45 seconds behind, and the third group behind them. Bale
concluded, "It was frustrating as there was clearly some inexperience in
the group. Instead of working together to reel in the group ahead,
riders would launch off the front rather than use their energy
constructively. However I did really enjoy myself and got a really good
workout. Thomas finished right alongside me as did Snead but a lap or so
down."

Photo caption: Reading CC's Steve Bale
Photo credit: Dennis Sackett

Time Trials

Steve Fleming took part in the VTTA Ten Mile Time Trial at Great
Missenden. He reports, "Conditions were very good considering the bad
weather of recent weeks. I did a time of 26:41 with a 'plus' of 1 minute
44 seconds on veterans standard. I beat my previous best of 27:49 for
this course. This was very encouraging as it was my first race of the
season."

Reading CC's series of midweek evening time-trials begins on Tuesday 1st
April at 18.30 on the Waltham St Lawrence 10-mile circuit.

Easter Racing

Wayne Thomas reports on his busy weekend of racing. "Good Friday was a
bitter, windy day for the 51Km 3rd cat race at Castle Combe. Also there
were Brian Bingham, Dean Bond, Rob King and John Snead. With a vicious
cross wind, and a head wind in the finishing straight it was a tough
race. Over 120 starters were reduced to just 35 or so at the end. Rob
King and myself remained in the main group and finished well up in the
sprint finish."

Thomas was Reading CC's only representative at Hillingdon on Saturday.
"Another cold, windy day but we avoided the hail and sleet.
Much as the previous week a group of six broke away at half way and just
held off the hard chasing bunch. Unfortunately with 8 laps to go I was
held up by a crash and finished almost a lap down."

On a bitter Easter Monday Thomas was racing at the Ford Test Track at
Dunton near Basildon. "This was a new experience - a 1.6 mile circuit,
with concrete banking, twists and turn in the banking, and a slight
climb on one of the banks. I went in two races. Race 1 was the Master's
race of 45km with a field of 40 E/1/2/3/4 riders. Various breakaway
attempts were nullified in the long return section into the wind. This
set up a hectic bunch sprint in which I was pleased to hold on for 12th
place."
With barely 20mins rest, Thomas was back in action in the 50km race for
3rd and 4th cats, with a field of 60+ riders. "The cold had obviously
chilled my muscles. Someone left a gap on the first climb and I found
myself chasing to get back on all down the head wind straight. I made
it, just. There were a number of highly spirited breaks, however the
last was reeled in with half a lap to go. Snow was falling for the last
three laps so I did not attempt to contest the sprint, instead finishing
with the main bunch."

Second claim member, Jimmy Rutherford, completed the "Tour of the North"
over the Easter weekend. This is a UCI-ranked stage race in Northern
Ireland for professionals and elite amateurs. The five stage race with a
prologue, time trial and three road stages attracted entries from
French, Belgium, Dutch, Scottish, British and Southern Irish teams as
well as local clubs. The extreme Easter weather conditions made it an
even more challenging event. Rutherford was delighted with his result of
3rd Vet overall.

Fund-raising stationary bike ride

Reading CC's Mark Lyford rode on a turbo-trainer for 15 hours from 5pm
Friday night to 9am Saturday morning to raise money for new PE equipment
for Oxford Road Community School where he is a teacher. "My Year 6 class
had a sleepover at the school to help keep me awake." he noted, "During
the night I had an hour break for 'dinner' and needed a half-hour power
nap about 3.30am when the parquet floor in the school hall began to make
me slightly delirious!" Lyford rode the equivalent of 402km.

Clubrun

Social, medium and fast groups depart from Reading Market Place at 9am
every Sunday.

Roderick MacFadyen
Reading Cycling Club