CLUB NEWS
Wrekinsport win Top Club Award again.....



Club Subscriptions
A reminder that club subscriptions became due on 1^st January for all those who have not yet renewed - £8 single, £12 family or £5 junior to Charlie Marrion.

Christmas Day On the Wrekin 2009

Sixteen people braved the cold wind to conquer the christmas day annual walk/ride up the Wrekin. Dave Poulter, Dave Fletcher, Darren Gilbert, Vince Evans and Tony Jowett decided to cycle up.

The Gate Update
Those who go past the pub will have seen evidence of work taking place (mostly inside out of sight) during the winter with the boards recently taken off the windows. Dave Poulter took the opportunity to call in and talk to Yvonne the new landlady recently and was relieved to find that the club will be made most welcome when the pub re-opens at the end of January. Dave was even asked what sort of food the club would like on the menu. The lounge and bar have been knocked into one and a new serving area being built. Obviously the pub will be busier than we’ve generally known it (hopefully!) which may cause parking problems as the field opposite isn’t part of the pub and will not be available for use, but at least it looks as though we will still be able to use our traditional HQ once again this summer.

Majorca 2009
Contact Del Jones at delwyn.jones@trac-group.com  

Wrekinsport Top Club – Again
Wrekinsport members can be proud of taking the SCCA’s Top Club Award for the third year in a row – and by a considerable margin of 1555 points, comfortably more than double that of nearest rivals Paramount CRT. Well done to all who helped retain this award.

                                      SCCA Top Club 2008

The SCCA Presentation on 16^th November at Rodington Village Hall produced a good turnout of riders, with Wrekinsport contributing well over a quarter of the 80-ish riders and guests there to collect the Top Club Award for the third year running and to round off another great year that saw Andy Bason, Dave Gostelow and Allan Jones in particular amongst the serious medal winners. Most stayed for a commemorative photo afterwards. The event was also notable for Dave Goring showing his true colours as he donned a pinny to help the ladies with the washing up post-event, proving that hands that do dishes have something to do with Fairy liquid….

 
 Dave Goring & the Wrekinsport Ladies

Falling Over Award
Two of our members did not escape unblemished from the SCCA Presentation, with slippery cleats coming into play. Daniel Watts was first to hit the deck, landing plum on his coccyx immediately upon entering the hall and ending up with a red face to match his backside after the impact. However it was Biggles who caused the biggest stir after clambering onto a chair to take a photo of the not inconsiderable array of trophies. Concentrating more on his f-stop than strictly judicious for his health his feet went from under him, and in a desperate attempt at saving himself he ended up locked in an embrace with Dave Gostelow, much to the amusement of El Cock, who struggled to breathe for a minute or so, turning a delicate shade of puce as a result. And who said cycling was good for you….  

SCCA Medal Winners 2008

Shropshire Riders Take Gold In Welsh 12 hour

Sunday saw an historic day for Shropshire when three county riders took Gold in the Welsh Cycling Association 12 hour event based at Abergavenny – with Andy Bason taking the Welsh Competition record. Attempting his first ever 12 hour Bason broke the principality’s record previously held by Steve Edwards with a ride of 283.577 miles – beating that 1999 benchmark by 1.457 miles. This target was a steep one, which could not be bettered when the National 12 hour was run on the same course a few years ago.
This is an outstanding achievement for Wrekinsport’s star rider in a glittering year after podium finishes in the National 50 and 100 mile Championships as he belied his novice status to beat runner-up Alun Owen of CC Abergavenny, a former Welsh Commonwealth Games time triallist and top British road man by a margin of 16 miles, elevating him high into the British Best All Rounder standings.
Bason naturally smashed Wrekinsport’s club record to smithereens, adding 35 miles to the distance, but special mention must go to Dave Gostelow who held that record for two minutes until Bason finished after adding just 0.12 miles, finishing with a distance of 248.652 miles for 12^th spot from the 51 finishers.
Bason was not the only Shropshire rider to bring honours back to the county, with two North Shropshire Wheelers gaining Gold medals. Rebecca Leaper also made her first attempt at this distance and won the Ladies Championship with a clear margin of 11 miles over her nearest rival, Ann Wooldridge of Gloucester City CC, covering 224.254 miles to gain 33^rd place overall, whilst in the Jim Gresty took home Veteran’s Gold after riding 254.687 miles for a fantastic 9^th overall. This was the 63-year old’s best ever ‘12’, additionally gaining him the Marcher Trophy – a unique prize awarded to the rider achieving the highest aggregate mileage in The Mersey Roads Club 24 hour and the Welsh CA 12 hour event.

• While the seniors and veterans were battling on the Monmouth roads, 15 year old Chris Wilkinson, another North Shropshire Wheeler was taking part in the final stage of The Arriva Trains Youth Tour at Tredegar. The event consisted of three stages – two circuit races and a time trial. Despite opposition from some quality young hopefuls – including two members of the Welsh National Squad – Chris won the time-trial and gained third place in the final circuit race, giving him a resounding overall win in the series.

• Bason was completely spent after he finished the 12 hour, lying down on a grass verge for over 10 minutes to recover. While there a woman emerged from a farm, thinking he had been knocked off his bike. It was probably the look of "I feel like I've been run over" he had at that point that gave that impression!
  

Wrekinsport Definitive 25 List
Pete Hudson became the latest club rider to finally beat the magic 25mph barrier at his last race of the season at the end of October. Estimates show the total number of riders who have achieved this honour is close to 20 in total. Dave Poulter would like to list all those that have beaten the hour by their fastest PB’s at the distance, so please let him know details of time, date and event to give him something to do over the long winter months!

Testing Times
Disappointed at the demise of Time Trialling in The Comic, multi-BBAR winner Ian Cammish is setting up his own free online fanzine from January to give you race results, reports and interviews, with the top 12 of this year’s BBAR all targeted. As this includes our own Andy Bason, who finished fifth, this should be well worth subscribing to. Register at www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/?p=2964.
The idea is to produce something like the Comic was in its glory days, with contributions welcomed.

Whatever Happened To…
Dan Soltys had problems getting started again after fracturing his leg running during the summer. Not competing in any cycle events since the SCCA 100, he started long distance running again in October, finishing 4^th from 2000 runners in the Congleton Half Marathon. He also finished 11^th from 5000 runners in the Coventry Half Marathon, splitting the first invited 20 Elite Runners and finishing 2^nd in the non-elite classification, which won him a cool £400. By default these and previous performances have qualified him to run in next year’s London Marathon - watch out for number 606.

Ironman Triathlon
Andy Hellowell and Pete Craddock, two of our newest members will be representing
Wrekinsport in France on 28/06/2009.
They are both competing in the Ironman France - Nice Triathlon.

Hortonwood Sessions
Hortonwood training sessions have started up on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. 
For anyone who hasn’t tried them these are great opportunities to ride in a group and easily get more miles in than riding solo at night on a quiet and well-lit two mile circuit. Running between 6pm and 8pm, you can turn up or leave at anytime and join in the group, take a lap out or a short cut through the centre of the estate if the pace goes up a bit too much - numbers vary depending on the weather however. Lights are essential...
also
For anyone that prefers a run there are a few cyclists and wives meeting 
up on Tuesdays at 6pm again at Hortonwood.

SCCA Yearbook
The 2008 SCCA Yearbook is now out. It features a round-up of the action from the 2007 Hawk Plant, Parker International and BAR events, all the County dates for the 2008 Open and Club season and a number of photos of club members. Available at the Reliability rides, you can also get from Dave Poulter or Dave Fletcher if you’ve missed out.

Chairmans Report 2007
Really 2007 has been a continuation of the growth from 2006 and before. Yet again membership has increased as has the numbers riding the evening 10’s. Looking back to find a few club records for the Gate circuit it was rare to see more than 10 on any evening, so to average over 24 only seven years on is quite remarkable, especially when you consider that we don’t have a fast course that riders of other clubs flock to support. Those riding are largely club members. It is also even more remarkable considering the extremely wet weather experienced throughout a large part of the summer months. Radio Shropshire came along and did a recording at one event.
Undoubtedly the extra numbers has helped with the club joining the BTA and the steady influx of triathletes has continued, and several have seen successes in tri and duathlon events, running and rowing as well. These have been well documented in the excellent newsletter edited by Dave Fletcher.
Also well documented are the many club records broken this year, looking on the updated page on the website no fewer than 9 are from 2007, ranging from Andy Bason at 10 miles (and 50 & 100 miles) up to Dave Gostelow at 24 hours on his way to being one of only a very small number of Wrekin riders to finish the ultimate Audax ride, Paris-Brest-Paris.
We also had high place finishes in National Championships for the first time in over a decade with Andy Bason getting inside the top 15 at 25 miles and 5^th in the 50 event, only 1 minute short of bronze medal. In road racing Rachel Osborne won the ladies event at the West Midland champs, in one of her first races and followed that up with a comfortable ‘in the bunch’ finish at a very wet Nationals. Not to be outdone Richard Smith made a comeback after a couple of seasons out and regained his World Transplant Games road race and TT titles.
Back on Shropshire roads and having won the SCCA Top Club Award in 2006 it was important to try and retain it. This was never in too much doubt with the club taking the lead at the first event and steadily increasing throughout the season. This was undoubtedly helped with Andy Bason retaining the Parker Series trophy and gaining the other two top SCCA individual awards, the BAR and the blue riband Hawk Series.
Yes, you could say that Wrekin have had quite a successful season racing.
For 2008 it would be nice to see one or two of the fitter riders having a go at road racing and trying to put the clubs name up there with Paramount and Newport, even if only in the more local events, I’m sure we have got the talent to do so.
Another possible challenge is that we may have find another venue for holding the evening events. Many of you know that John at The Gate is looking to sell the pub and retire and that may mean another venue may have to be sought depending on who takes over and what ideas they have. It will be a shame if we have to move on.
As usual all of it could not be done without many people helping out along the way so a big thanks to anyone who helped the club in any way during the year.

Velodrome Planned for Telford
The Shropshire Star’s front page held a welcome surprise on 4^th March with the announcement of a planned £3 million velodrome to rival Manchester and Newport. The facility is seen as a potential boost for the local economy and follows a suggestion by Nick Jeggo. Nick commented that “The Council are very supportive of the project, even after finding out the initial construction costs, although it is at an early stage and could yet fall through”.

Telford and Wrekin Council have also had positive discussions with British Cycling about the proposed velodrome, with potential locations near the Town Park or at the TCAT Sports Village to be considered. Club Chairman Dave Poulter has written to Telford and Wrekin warmly congratulating them for their forward thinking and offering the club’s willingness to get involved in the planning stages. This is not the first time such a facility has been muted, with John Churm recalling in depth discussions about a closed circuit at Lilleshall, and in 1985 a velodrome at Dawley behind Procter’s Garage.

Road Racing
The club is unquestionably the No.1 time trialling club in the County, but it would be good for us to also make a mark on the road racing scene. 
Darren Shaw is the main rider showing club colour's in the bunch, and there is no doubt that there are others suitable. The costs of British Cycling membership and a racing license can be a barrier, but if spread over a full season’s racing it becomes much more viable. If you have any intentions of road racing in 2008 it is best to sort sooner rather than later as a large portion of the racing season takes place early in the year. Even if the Road Race League is the limit of your ambitions it is best to get BC details sorted quickly. Further information is available from either Darren or Dave Goring.

Free BC Bronze Membership
British Cycling is offering free Bronze membership to new members, and those whose membership has lapsed for more than two years. Aside from a free newsletter you also gain a provisional racing license for off-road events and training guidance, whilst for certain continental events it counts as proof of fitness to race, taking the place of a medical certificate. See membership@britishcycling.org.uk.

Volunteers One Step Forward!
Fancy running an Open next year? Both Wrekinsport and the SCCA are looking to encourage new organisers and are to support the learning process. 
ALSO
The club are in the unfortunate position of having lost many of the regular evening event helpers, therefore we need others to offer to occasionally time keep or push off. Rider numbers mean we almost always need two timekeepers and a pusher off - three in total. Obviously if we have a group available it means the burden isn't always on the same people. Any offers to Dave Poulter

Richard Smith – British Champion
Wrekinsport member Richard Smith is the new double British Transplant Games Champion after winning both the time trial and the road race on Saturday in Sheffield. With both held on a tight, twisting and technically demanding course, Smith endured foul and windy conditions to win the 5km time trial by over half a minute after finishing in 9 mins 30 secs.
Held over 10km on the same circuit, the road race saw many casualties during the 16 laps as riders jostled for position, but liver-transplant patient Smith managed to stay upright for another great win. Already the reigning World Transplant Games Champion, Smith is now hopeful of defending that title in August 2009 at the seventeenth edition of this Championship, being held in the Gold Coast, Australia.

For Sale
Litespeed Vortex Road Bike 59cm
Titanium frame, Reynolds Ouzo Pro carbon fork plus
Cane Creek intergrated headset.
Full geometry on request.
Mavic Carbone deep rim wheelset with Michelin Pro Race tyres
(worth 700 pounds - only done approx 500 miles)
Campag Record 10spd, carbon ergo levers
carbon rear mech, campag ergobrain computer
FSA carbon team pro 39/53 - 172.5 chainset
Race Face titanium bottom bracket
Easton EC carbon bars 44cm, Easton EM90 120 stem 
plus spare brand new Easton EA90 stem (still
boxed). 
USE alien titanium seatpost, Rido saddle.
Superb bike and exceptionally light/fast/smooth ride.
Litespeed titanium frames come with lifetime
warranties), £2,300 ono (original cost £4,530) or
£2000 w/o wheelset) contact Stu Wright.
3T Bio Arms Tribar/Extension. Used once, as new and in perfect condition. Retail £72, sell for £35
Telephone: 07976 459053 or 01785824957

For Sale
Felt B1 bike, Sized Small (48”-50” approx), and originally purchased from Just Bikes. The bike is principally fitted with Shimano Tiagra and has triple rings. It was used to ride a small number of triathlons so has had limited mileage. Would suit young or smaller riders and is maintained immaculately throughout, £400 o.n.o. Contact Dave Stockley at d.stockley@hotmail.com for further details.

For Hire
Kevin Brocklesby has a 3 bedroom French Gite for rental, which is available all year for any duration to club mates. Situated in La Mazerais in the beautiful Normandy Basse countryside it is 8 miles southwest of the medieval town of Domfront. More details at www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p88078.