Tony

Sent you a PM about the tyres...

Baby Neil arrived this morning - 9lb 7oz. Mother and baby both seem to be well, and Ailsa is thrilled to be a big sister. See you all out on the road at some point soon...

I'll be there

I'll be there

It's been postponed: http://www.braveheartfund.com/Community ... IC_ID=4199

I went up to the course early yesterday morning with a brush and swept the gravel off the bends at Gleniffer Rd / Sergeantlaw Rd and also Fereneze Rd at the bottom of the fast descent (Richard nearly had a wee spill there on Wednesday). Unfortunately I won't make it along next week, I had forgotten that I am in London for a training course Wed-Fri (18th-20th June).

Numbers affected by "fixture congestion" again this week - only 7 riders but we sorted ourselves into 2 groups as follows: Group 1 John Johnstone Graham (?) on the blue Giant Ian the van-man (Ian Loughran maybe?) me Group 2 Richard ColinH Mike Group 1 started off well, riding smoothly through-and-off and sticking together like snotters in a blanket. At the end of lap 1 we got caught by the chasing group. On the 3rd lap Colin seemed to be the strongest rider, opening up a gap on one or two occasions (neither Richard nor I were biting). On the final straight Richard seemed to be flagging but this turned out to be a cunning stratagem, as he floated past Colin and myself in the last 100 metres with the effortless grace of a charging rhino....Mike and Ian followed soon after, then Graham. Hope everyone enjoyed themselves. See you next Thursday, hopefully numbers will be much improved as the 25s will be over & done with.

I will be there

I'll be there

Should we have a timekeeper for this event? I think it might be an important incentive particularly for the group-1 riders. If you eventually get dropped and end up riding on your own it's easy to feel that you're no longer part of a race and that you might as well give up and go home - whereas if you know that you will get your name recorded with a time against it then at least there's some recognition that you took part and a reason for you to come back again - to get a better time/placing. I think this is why sportives are becoming such a big thing these days. If people think it's worthwhile then I'll do it tomorrow night. (Timekeeper would also be starter, obviously.)

Greg yes it's just round that corner where the Balgray Bond sigh is. Here's the course: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-ki ... 8530432371 Probably the best way to cycle there from Johnstone is to head out Beith Rd and go up the Bowfield climb, passing the reservoir on your left, then take the next turning on the right (just at that very sharp left-hand bend where Mike was marshalling last Saturday). Then turn right when you reach the Lugton-Beith Rd, and you will see the whisky-bond sign after a mile or so. Hope to see you there Tony

Paul I've got the missing yellow sign (thought it had been abandoned). Also got a couple of race-marshal jerkins - mine and Frank's. I can drop them off at your house tomorrow as I will be passing through Lochwinnoch around lunchtime, does that suit? Tony

Me too

I'll be at Greenacres for 0950 then Paul

I am available - will come along to Greenacres Curling rink at 10am?

I'll be there, lurking somewhere in the intermediate group again.. btw shouldn't we get this added retrospectively to the Confined Events list...just so that everyone knows about it...e.g. I noticed a big red box that gives the dates of the next 4 time trials but no mention of the APR....

Could use the Gleniffer APR course for a hilly TT series instead? 7 miles. I think it would be a great course

Frank if cycling there from Miller St it will probably take you 25-30mins, as I reckon it took me about 30mins from Kilbarchan last week - a similar distance. You go along the Beith Road as if heading out towards Howwood then just after you go through the Milliken Park roundabout you take the next road on the left and follow it uphill (Auchengreoch Road). You will come to a T junction where you turn right (road on left is closed at present anyway) and continue uphill. At the next T junction turn left and follow the road for a short distance till you come to another T junction with the B775 (Gleniffer Rd). At this point you will see the Peesweep scout/guide camp (aka Lapwing lodge) on your right. Turn right and you will hopefully see a group of numpties in cycling gear gathered in the layby/parking space at the entrance to Lapwing Lodge. If you look at the following MapMyRide route and work your way back from it to Johnstone (somewhere to the North) all will become clear: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-ki ... 4810620313 Thanks Tony

Who's coming along this week? 7pm at Peesweep? More fine weather forecast for tomorrow. I'll be there anyway.

I will come along. I will start in group 2 if you don't mind me missing the odd turn at the front and probably dying somewhere between lap 1 and lap 2. Have plotted what I think is the route here: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-ki ... 4810620313 ...it certainly comes to 7.03 miles which sounds right. Anyone planning to ride to the start from Johnstone? See you at Milliken Park Roundabout at 6:30?

Vicky you are right it was an excellent TT course, much more interesting than battering up and down a dual carriageway. I really enjoyed the cycling leg, mainly I think because my legs were absolutely lowping after the run and it was such a relief to use different muscles!! Anyway I will probably see u and Alan on Sunday at the Bishopbriggs triathlon. I am in the numpty (Novice) event.

Greg modern road frames are generally designed with minimal clearance between wheels and frame which means you can't fit full-length mudguards (or any tyres bigger than 25mm, generally). Also they do not have mudguard or rack eyelets for obvious reasons. Any frame advertised as an "audax/winter" frame is likely to have bigger clearances along with the requisite mudguard eyelets and usually also rack eyelets, so that you can easily fit proper full-length mudguards and put a rack on for carrying panniers, should you wish to use it for touring or more likely for commuting which is what a lot of people do. You need to be aware also that there are two distinct variations within this theme: 1. Some "audax/winter" frames are designed for short-reach brake calipers (39-49mm reach from brake pivot bolt to centre of brake pad). These will generally only accomodate a 23mm/25mm tyre with a mudguard. E.g. the Ribble winter frames which are very popular. 2. Some are designed for long-reach calipers (47-57mm). These will normally accomodate a 28mm tyre with a mudguard, sometimes even a 32mm tyre. E.g. the Kinesis Racelight T frames. If you're looking at buying an audax/winter frame and it doesn't mention anything about whether the brake calipers are short-reach or long-reach then it's safe to assume they will be short-reach. I believe it used to be compulsory to have mudguards in audax events (still is for some?) hence the reason why these frames are sometimes called "audax frames". Hope this helps Tony

19:40 for me & Richard Binnie. (It has to be said I spent most of the time hanging off Richard's back wheel like a wet dishrag hanging off a clothes line)

I see the GRC website is down, does anyone know the schedule for their confined events for the rest of the year? (All the JWCC ones are on a Tuesday which doesn't work for me.)

Selling my scruffy hack on eBay in case anyone's interested: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=005