Hertz Van Rental

I got chased around Westhorn by a stolen Austin Maestro one night!!!! I emailed Chris Hoy MBE with the track pics last night. Chris replied and said that he agreed it was a joke. He also said that he'd back any campaign to have it altered to form a "real" track. Mark Young quotes the track as having 7degree banking. this equates to 49cm of a rise over the 7m width! It's nothing more than an expensive joke.

Alan McLean (Is he now Ivy or Nightingale CC?) should know very well what constitutes a safe track - he's been racing for the 25 years that I've known him. This IS NOT SAFE FOR RACING. BANKING - Try drawing this out in a supermarket car park and see how fast you can go round a bend? FENCE - Parks are used by dog walkers. Imagine the carnage when a yappy wee mutt hears the noise and sees the colours and movement and wants to become involved? KERB - This is insane? How are you supposed to stop? At meadowbank, slow down, ride over the wooden drains onto the grass and stop safely. At Glasgow, do you go off of the outside of the track????????? I'm going to forward the links to Jim Daly's photos to Chris Hoy and see if his comments would add any weight to the argument?

Does anybody know the best thing for getting postyelling-at-Kat slabber marks off of a telly screen? (Last required when Transvision Vamp were on Top Of The Pops c.1989!) (And before that, most episodes of Tiswas) (And anything to do with Felicity Kendall) (And Olive from "On the Buses") (And.....................no, that one would be really embarassing!) (And.....................that one to!) (And.....................all of those!)

Go for it Katrina! GG

Evans Cycles flagship store is just two minutes walk from my office here in London. They've got a road and an mtb shop round the corner from each other. There are also three other Evans shops within a mile of here. They are very much "off the shelf / out the catalogue", carry a big range, but have sky high prices, no discounts and zero personal service whatsoever. If you can put up with a pizza faced spotty Burger King reject teenage mutant from the planet Zorg grunting at you and shrugging his shoulders as he tries to flog you something that's highly overpriced that he doesn't have a scooby-doo about, then head over to Evans new shop at Braehead!

Nothing's changed in nearly 25 years! Impsport, Gibbsport, Tal, Descente etc etc. I've never, ever known a club order to arrive on time from any manufacturer in that time. Jesus H! It's nearly 25 years since Grambo and I joined JWCC!!!

Well done Katrina. I'm sure you'll do us all proud. Gordon & Lynne

All delivered to Renfrew Fire Station yesterday. GG

Titles are; Bicycle Road racing - Eddy Boysewicz My road to victory - Stephen Roche Bicycle Mechanics - Steve Snowling Wide eyed and legless (ANC team in 1987 Tour de France) - Jeff Connor Training to win - Les Woodland Racing to win - Les Woodland Cycling for Womwn - Bicycling Magazine (USA) BCF Training Manual Turbo for Time Trials - Pete Read All for donation. I'll drop them in at the Fire Station Sean. How about a book review section on the forum then???????????? I own the Freddy Maertens book, but lent out long ago to ???????????? Same with the Belgian soigneur's one about drug taking. Mrs Van Rental has decided that she wants to hang onto her signed copy of Beryl Burton's autobiography GG

I've got about half a dozen books I could donate. Can somebody uplift them from Renfrew?

I've looked out a set of photos that I took years ago. Who can collect them from Renfrew? GG 07919 206818

Congratulations Kelly. Andrew Goldie was six weeks early, 4lbs 6 ounces, emergency section, special care baby unit for five weeks, breathing problems, fluid in windpipe, etc etc. When he came home he fitted into the back pocket of my JWCC/Dooleys track top (why do parents always take photos like that?). He's now 15, five feet nine, has grown over 5 inches this year, and Docs are predicting he may top out about 6feet3. He eats like a horse and still has a 26inch waist!! Early babies are cool! Congratulations. GG

Aye you could Smiddy, especially when it was your round !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Evidence - Backchat Disco, up a close, Forbes Place, Paisley c.1983/4, cider and blackcurrant, chaka khan, chaka khan - oh those were the days! I looked sooooooooooooooo good in burgundy!!!! Witness for the prosecution, Drew Wilson esq.)

Flashguns are for dobbers! Real men prefer long exposures! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all your computer needs, spares & repairs - PC Express, Love Street, Paisley 0141-561-0323 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have photos of all JWCC club trophies (scaled to a cm ruler) taken at club dance c.1990 if anyone wants them? GG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all your computer needs, spares & repairs - PC Express, Love Street, Paisley 0141-561-0323 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sean, I moved clubs a couple of times when I was younger. In both cases I was invited to join a "Testers" racing team. It had nothing to do with money as the most I ever got was free race clothing. It did however enable me to compete down south, enter British championships, and enable some Scots to post top 5 team performances in RTTC champs. People come and people go - thats club life! Best of luck for 2005 mate. GG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all your computer needs, spares & repairs - PC Express, Love Street, Paisley 0141-561-0323 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Rocks and Captain Goldie have just returned from visiting Big H. Thankfully, the second operation that Sean spoke of wasn't needed. H delights in fully describing every tube that has entered him so far, so visits are not for the squeamish! He's got a lot of colour aboput him and is quite chirpy. If visiting, don't take any food - he can't eat it, but he has a passion for single fruit flavour ice lollies if you come across any? He hasn't really got the concentration level just now for reading anything, but pictures are ok. Cheers GG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all your computer needs, spares & repairs - PC Express, Love Street, Paisley 0141-561-0323 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Braveheart Cycling Fund rider of the year 2004................................. Katrina Hair Congratulations Kat, well deserved. GG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all your computing needs, new machines, spares & repairs - the Yellow Computer Shop, Love Street, Paisley 0141-561-0323 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenny, Call Stewart Robertson. He's got one, but guards missing, as is one of my knuckles as a result!

I was fishing at McInroy's point on Sunday and counted around 30 of Glasgow CTC catching the 9 and 9.30 ferries, many of them on tandems. Might be an idea to try and lasso this lot in for next year? Also a good way of forging links etc? GG

Iain, did you get an email address for Graeme? I've got a great picture somewhere of him having a keech in the hedge at Inchinan Bridge. I could also tell the story about the nuns complaining about him peeing at the bus shelter at the top of the Hattan Brae - but I won't!

http://icrenfrewshire.icnetwork.co.uk/sport/localsport/pdesport/pdesport/content_objectid=14032587_method=full_siteid=63858_headline=-PEDAL%2DPOWER%2DPUTS%2DNEW%2DPAIR%2DIN%2DFRONT-name_page.html This is the link to the article in question. Not sure if it will work? GG

Kenny, Should be able to help with both of these items from stock! Should even have a toolbox somewhere. Gimme a call over the weekend as a wee reminder. GG

El Shaz, Let me know if I can assist with anything? I've been to a lot of big BC and NI events over the last few years. Have to be a Fri, sat or Sun though! GG

Some might not not agree with this - but here goes. I do not mourn Pantani. The cause of his death is yet to be established, but Police say that no foul play is suspected. That really leaves a natural death, or he took his own life. My sympathies do overwhelmingly lie with the family and friends that he has left behind. Pantani was a disgrace. He had numerous publicised drug convictions. Yes he won the Tour and the Giro double in 1998, but I doubt very much if he did it in a clean way as he spent most of the following four years serving bans, appearing in court, trying to overturn convictionsand getting caught again and again. Once again, another rider who had fantastic talent was not content with developing that talent in a natural way. A reply may be that he was just one of many doing the same thing - so why were they not all banned for lengthy periods? The only people who seemed to take the blatant drug taking seriously were the Italian Police. The UCI faced the embarassment of another body trying to clean up their shameful sport. I do not mourn Marco Pantani in the same way that I cannot understand the level of support for the memory of Tom Simpson. What difference between them and an emaciated street corner scheme junkie? What difference between them and someone who rides a race hanging on a car to win the sprint, or who takes a shortcut and rejoins the bunch? It's cheating whatever way one looks at it ! Before his death, the cycling world failed to take Pantani seriously any more because of his serial drug taking. I suspect that now he has died, he will be the best thing since sliced bread. If any more of our heroes are proven to be in a similar position, I'll feel just the same way about them. Let's take off the blinkers and see the truth. ".................There's many a guid man inside the cemetary who was never a guid man outside the gates.................! Gordon Goldie[/i]