P McDonald

Here are the times from our annual hill climb competition in the order the riders set off.
Johnstone Jets
Finlay 1m46s
Rhuari 1m37s
Olivia 1m50s
Lucy 1m15s
Eilish 1m11s
Calum 1m04s
Fyfe 1m 24s
Ben 1m12s
Matthew 1m13s
Noah 1m07s
Colin 0m47s
Evan 0m48s
 
Johnstone Wheelers
Gerard D 2m42s
Diane G 2m44s
Ross T 2m20s
Andy R 3m17s
Jamie T 1m27s
Sammy E 1m42s
Bob M 2m59s
Paul M 2m01s
Jann L 1m57s E
Robbie G 1m34s
Darryl G 2m10s
Ian M 2m11s
Eric L 2m44s
Ian C 2m40s
James R 2m51s
Carol C 2m12s E
Ian A 2m18s
Ritchie P 2m08s
Colin A 2m05s
Evan M 1m58s
Jerry S 2m31s
Graham F 3m04s
Chung W 2m37s
A superb turnout to make for a great club event.  See you all out and about soon.

Great wee APR this morning in fantastic weather with Murray showing the old guys how its done with a fine win, chapeau to him
Lots of great new surfaces round the Admiralty but still a couple of craters ! Ideal for this sort of thing 😁

Just posting a follow up to the Whatsapp message - there is an informal APR planned for the Barmill circuit on Saturday, I will be at clubrooms 9.30am to ride along track to Glengarnock for anyone who wants to join. Everyone is welcome and there will be generous time gaps to encourage an early group to stay away !
Good response so far with about 10 confirmed.
Look forward to seeing more on Saturday morning if you can make it.

 
 

It happened. 😁

Very strong headwind on the way out tonight, combined with my legs legs still tired from a long day out in the mountains resulted in a poor time of 18m 45s.

First of the year for me and a 15.48. Pleased with that and hopefully gives me something to build on. Although saying that i think conditions were pretty favourable tonight (at least compared to the previous weeks) as it was mild and not much wind.
Of course now that i've started it's now off for the next 2 weeks!

Hi folks
As part of our revised JWCC confined events calendar, in consultation with members, we will be holding a few informal APR training sessions through April, May and possibly June. The idea is quite straight forwards in that this is a format for people to have a good ‘work out’ with riders of a similar ability, in a ‘race-like’ format. For those who do not know what APR means, it stands for Australian Pursuit Race, which is a handicapped event with groups going off at timed intervals.
The circuit will be around Barmill. On the dates below we will meet at 9.30, at the club rooms, and ride over to the circuit. We will ride a lap of the circuit together and then we will set the groups off. I’m thinking 2 or 3 laps 
We want these events to be for everyone and the APR format is ideal. I would encourage all members, young and old, to get involved. It should be fun. We hope to see some of you there.
Provisional dates 
April: 9th, 23rd
May: 7th, 21st
June: tbc
Regards
Darryl 

I'd be interested - Although the Venn Diagram of people in the club that like TTing and also like gravel riding and who would like the two to be combined might just be a circle with me in it
 
https://www.strava.com/routes/2926218731512168650
Thats the Corlic hill loop i mentioned last night - it's pretty short but a loop so could do laps to make up a longer distance. Although i wouldnt fancy doing the steep bit too many times! One benefit it it's all off road and closed to cars and wide. IMO about as fast on a mountain bike as it would be on a gravel bike.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2926220499691371722
This is Devol past Port Glasgow Golf Course and up to the substation. It's a loop again, some of it on road (all left turns) and has a gate. Would be slightly faster on a gravel bike but mtb would be faster on the descent part.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2926222368858057332
For a traditional TT distance then here is 10 mile around Loch Thom. Gravel bike would be faster than a mtb due to more road
That's just 3 options that are all fairly local.  There are lots of other local options  (like to the mine at Muirshiel and back down again) but a lot of them would be out and back rather than loops and some (like around the Neilston pad or up to Loch Humphrey) can be busy with walkers and we might be a bit of a nuisance!
Alternatively could go a bit further afield - Whitelee, Dunoon, or Aberfoyle etc and then do something that is longer. Not sure what the appetite would be for that but i'd be up for that too.
 

Emma and I have entered the mighty Ronde van Vlanderen 2022 and really hope we are able to go ! Not booking any travel or accommodation until we see how things pan out, if it is on then we will be there for the full bhoona route.
 
 

Emma and I have entered the mighty Ronde van Vlanderen 2022 and really hope we are able to go ! Not booking any travel or accommodation until we see how things pan out, if it is on then we will be there for the full bhoona route.
 
 

Emma and I have entered the mighty Ronde van Vlanderen 2022 and really hope we are able to go ! Not booking any travel or accommodation until we see how things pan out, if it is on then we will be there for the full bhoona route.
 
 

Hello fellow Wheelers,
  How’s youse all doing! It’s been a while since I made a new build, so I thought it’s about time I make another one just before Xmas 🙂   So far in my life, there’s THREE things I thought I would never do but end up doing it anyway 🙂 1st one was smoking, I hater people who smoked when I was young but ended up taking it up for a number of years, but thankfully I gave it up as soon as we were expecting our child ….. that was more than 20 years ago 🙂   The 2nd thing was drinking alcohol, I don’t “hate” a drink, just never really felt it was for me or the need to, but again I took it up later (be it not excessively) in the form of a few whiskey 🙂   Then there’s “gravel riding”, I mean, what’s all that about? A road bike with mountain bike features? Come on, pick a discipline & stick with it for god sake 🙂 Who needs tubeless & disc brakes on a road bike …….   ……. Well, I have just bought myself one & looking forward to trying it out after a bunch of Wheelers have been going out “gravelling” & it looks so much fun with brilliant scenery and all …. even on not so favourable weathers for road cycling 🙂   Also, I have to admit it as one  of the main reason why I want to try it out was because my favourite cycling brand - Campagnolo have brought out a new “gravel” specific groupset call the Ekar ……. 1-by too ….. got to try it 🙂    So, here’s a few snaps of my new frame set with the groupsets sitting on my work bench ready for some wrenching 🙂   The frame set is a Cinelli Zydeco aluminium with Columbus full carbon fork ….. not the lightest but relatively “cheap” compare to the groupset 🙂   Hope youse like it & I’ll get more pictures when it’s finished!   I’m coming soon “The Wheeler gravel boys” 🙂   Cheers   Chung

Last night of track league of 2021 - started with a scratch, felt alright but when the pace picked up with 5 to go i was too far back and on the wrong wheel - moved up a bit but the front of the race was gone. Next was another scratch, similar story - felt alright but the wrong side of a split with about 3 to go.  Then the points, just followed wheels for the first 20 laps then Ian Fraser attacked after that sprint, he got quite a sizeable gap quickly and after a couple of laps i was able to get across without towing anyone else over. Worked well together and Ian asked me to do a double turn so he could recover a bit and in return he let me have the sprint. Continued to work together and looked like we could get  the lap but the bunch would just accelerate a bit everytime it got close! Held on with it pegged about half a lap and i got the last sprint and with it double points and the win. Been trying for weeks to get an attack to stick so really pleased with how it turned out! Last was a tempo - Sam took it up early and won the first sprint, i then went for it but got rolled on the line, then dropped back for a lap and attacked...but got rolled again by someone else. Then i tried to come round the next lap but couldnt but continued hard after the sprint. AND GOT ROLLED AGAIN by someone else 😵. At least after this one we had a gap and started working together - i got one point, then swung off to let him have the next. However a lapped rider then dropped in between the two of us and got in the way. I should really have shouted at him to swing up not to interfere but by this point i was burst and could barely talk. Ended up 4th with 1 point, wouldnt have won but should have been 2nd so a bit disappointed. However overall a good nights racing and a pleasing way to end the first block of racing.
Things start back again on the 5th January.
 

Hi Ramsay
Myself and daughter Emma thinking about it if we can get an entry. Entries not open yet but keeping an eye on it, I guess it could end up full with carry overs ! My plan would likely be to fly to Amsterdam, hire car etc with Emma getting train from London where she lives.
Keeping a watching brief

Good night of racing tonight. First race was a short scratch and i did nothing. 2nd race was a longer scratch and i went with 9 to go which seems to be a recurring theme of foolishness each week   Had a reasonable gap but got caught just before the bell. Next was points race, i got a couple of 4ths which wasn't good enough. I cant seem to sprint anymore. Last was a devil - the first one ive raced since pre-Covid and eliminated about half way. Anyway enjoyable night - unlike me the Jets are all going well at the moment!

Hi Ramsay
Myself and daughter Emma thinking about it if we can get an entry. Entries not open yet but keeping an eye on it, I guess it could end up full with carry overs ! My plan would likely be to fly to Amsterdam, hire car etc with Emma getting train from London where she lives.
Keeping a watching brief

Just a heads up that 8 of us are heading to Torrevieja area from Thus 24th Feb to Wed 2nd March. If anyone else interested please get in touch with me, Darryl or Billy. Transport for up to twelve is sorted by Billy with a mini bus and trailer for bikes. 4 of us still to book accommodation so would be good to know by next weekend and we can book a bigger villa.
 
Cheers

Hi all, just a note to invite any riders (jets over 16) or senior riders to take part in zwift racing league season 2 which commences in January. Riders need to sign up to WTRL (link below) and register with zwift power. Then post me your zwift id which is found in your profile on zwiftpower.
https://zwiftpower.com
https://support.zwift.com/en_us/locating-your-zwift-id-H1WiyxS_I
https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/#about
https://discord.gg/SXPkeMYz
Post your zwift id in the weekly teams channel on discord and I’ll add you to the roster 👍
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just a heads up that 8 of us are heading to Torrevieja area from Thus 24th Feb to Wed 2nd March. If anyone else interested please get in touch with me, Darryl or Billy. Transport for up to twelve is sorted by Billy with a mini bus and trailer for bikes. 4 of us still to book accommodation so would be good to know by next weekend and we can book a bigger villa.
 
Cheers

No racing tonight - track damage discovered in the pre warm up inspection.

So, that's the end of an attritional season 1 for the C group. We started with a pool of 9 riders, (Ali Crichton, Ryan Finn, Colin Downie, Dan Skierka, Vali Stefan, George Donnelly, Dave Cathcart, Eric Lymburn and me), and finished on the last night with 4 riders. During the season, George got promoted to the B group - well done George.
Injuries, technical issues and work commitments affected numbers elsewhere. On only two occasion did we manage to actually field 6 riders. Our best result was 11th in race 2, and arguably our worst was a DQ on week 7, the team trial, even though we finished halfway up the field, but with only three riders.
The racing was hard, I guess its supposed to be, but fun in an intense sort of way, especially if you manage to get into a good bunch to get dragged round the various courses. If there are other people out there who want to race, but aren't sure about what's involved, then they are more than welcome to log in and take part.
Looking forward to Season 2

Although the play offs have still to decide on promotion / relegation from EMEA Africa Division B3 in the two races on 23rd November and 4th December, I can happily report that JWCC B secured 9th spot in the league out of the 14 teams. It all started on the 27th of September with the opening team time trial and the ruling of allowing other teams to pass when caught was hotly debated over discord. It ended with the bike swapping fun of the temple climb on the Makuri Island course. Although 13 riders were registered to race in the season, only 7 actually took part but the B's had a good core of 3 riders who raced every raced valiantly on every stage, so special mention to Darryl and Ali for keeping me company on discord for every race and making sure we fulfilled the league obligations and Mark who only missed the last race.  On reflection 5 things were key to improving performance in season 2. 1 Careful preparation to minimize technical problems (experienced by most riders at some point during the season). 2 Dealing with issues affecting the race category threshold so as to avoid having points nullified, e.g. riders who are borderline Cat A can ride within the category limit for the first three races so as not to be bumped up a category and subsequently race within the limits while utilizing their superior power where it matters. i.e. sprints and climbs. 3 Early notification if riders are not available so replacements can be sought and the full compliment of 6 riders are available for all the races as this is what yields the largest points tally. 4 Recruitment of a sprinter someone who has the capability to take points on the fts and fal sections. 5 Making sure all riders have a stopwatch for the start delay in the ttt's !! All and all it was a great season and hoping to continue with the same core of 4 riders for season 2 as there is a learning curve involved in the basics of event racing on zwift. Well done to all who took part and see you in January 

Back to track league after being ill for a couple of weeks. Feel like ive lost some fitness plus probably still some lingering effects of a virus so found it pretty hard. First couple of scratch races i  would get dropped, then back on, then dropped, then back on again. Unable to go with any accelerations so just rode steady in the race but not really a part of it. Points was a bit easier however i did nothing.  Last was a tempo -i didnt contest the early sprints then tried to get one about midway, failed, went back in the wheel and sat in for another lap then went again but much earlier. Got about a half a lap up on the chasers and managed to maintain that to the finish scoring a few times and getting the win. Tough night for me but at least ended on a positive note!

Relatively small group in the B's which was welcome for the first night back. Started off with a scratch and was in a break of 2 with about 6 to go but got caught on the bell. Second scratch race in a break again from about 9 to go and caught with 1.5 to go. Third was the points, hanging a bit here - got a point but never really competitive. Last race was the tempo - race went hard from the gun and then went even harder after the first points lap when Sammy attacked and got pretty big gap. Was a struggle catching but i knew there was noone on my wheel at that point so could commit to the chase. Eventually caught and rolled him on the 3rd sprint and tried to maintain as long as i could which was 4 laps then i think it was James that caught me but i was seeing stars by that point. I think 4 was enough for the win. Good showing from all the Jets tonight. 👍
Now i cant sleep and have a major case of track cough. Good to be back

Thought it worth mentioning another astoundingly brilliant day on Arran where 5 of the 7 riders were JWCC members (although one missed the memo to wear the jersey😀)
3 new inductees to the Hall of Fame were Sean Delaney, John McGivern and Mark Cushley who are all regular Saturday bunchers, repeaters in the Hall of Fame were David Archibald, Richie Provan, Garry Dunn and myself so chapeau to all,
5 of our number finished a bit ahead and took the Island Loop KOM by a chunky margin on a near perfect day with virtually no wind. The weather was so brilliant it was a shame all we could really view was a 700x25 GP5000 and a rear hub !!
The legend grows and I see another double taking shape in my crystal ball. Get training hard because you know you want to,
Forza Arran Forever !