Ramsay

It appears I found the KapelMuur tough in 2011. 🤣

Alan,
I seem to remember this is how it finished at the top!! 
 

I'm Busted!

Thanks Ramsay. Definitely looking forward to it!

I’m right there on Ramsey’s wheel. You put your nose into the wind too early, Alan.

Hi Ramsay, remember you need 10secs clear at the top of the Bosberg to stay away to the finish. I think I got three secs on you in 2011

Is that three wheelers then? Lc, George and Tommy? Plus the happy campers Ramsay and Elaine.
We currently have a confirmed 13 Jets and parents with three more who I hope will confirm just shortly. We have an eye on the same accomodation as last year, about 10km out of oudenaarde. Wheelers welcome to join us. It's for rental as a single unit, and with about 20 people it is a good deal. Multiple en suite rooms, self catering. Last year we sent a shopping party out on the Friday afternoon for the essentials: beer, pasta, bread, part fermented milk (thanks Alex  )
Planning to travel out thursday evening ferry, short ride friday, sportif saturday, watch race sunday, ferry back monday evening. You would need to take Thurs/Fri/Mon as leave.
For transport our plan is to share vehicles - four bodies per car works well (cabins on ferry are either 2 or 4 berth) - so once we have final numbers confirmed we can work out the logistics of the weekend.
More than happy to blether about this for ages at the agm and presentation night if you are coming along to one of those.
cheers
m

Martin, we will probably stay the Sunday night as well....so we can have a beer or two!  🍻

Hi Guys,
Having spent the last few years working abroad, I've now retired and returned home. Not wanting to turn into a full-blown couch potato, I'd like to re-join the mighty Wheelers. Assuming you may actually let me back in, can someone advise on how best to go about this please?
Cheers,
Frank

It's a brilliant place to cycle Ramsay, but as Paul says, the nice roads are either up or down.. I stayed up near Los Gigantes too, its better than down near the bigger resorts where the roads out of town are very busy.. Depending on what you're after when youre not on the bike you might want to consider staying up in one of the villages in the hills.. Give me a shout if you want a chat about it 

Just noticed this Ramsay. I've been to Los Gigantes 3 or 4 times over the years. Once you get off the main drag there is some pretty amazing cycling, however it is very hilly up at Los Gigantes. As in you only need 2 gears, a 34-28 and a 52-12 !
Not really any flat run options except the coast road which is busy. All depends what you are looking for.
cheers

sadly not next year Martin, i fly back from holiday same day. Ramsey i have done both routes and the middle route 174kms is my preference. 04:00 start long route versus 08:00 start for the middle route makes a big difference. Sure you and Elaine will have a ball,. One of my favourites days on a bike and the beer at the end also plays a big part
 
whats getting added to the collection this year Mull, full beer pump?😀

We're doing the 174km version. Hoping to stay in same digs as last year, 1km off the haaghoek. 

I was busy doing things, so have been entered for the full distance by Mrs M....although may see if I can amend, as I'm not sure that I can do that much without my knees falling off!  Hopefully have a campervan by then, so will be staying in that....somewhere!
Where are you guys staying and what distance are you doing?

Enjoy ! Plan to return some year but not 2020

Just the usual suspects 
Assembling a squad of Jets and parents under a group entry. How far are you going? Where are you planning on staying?
PS 5 months today 🙂
 

Elaine & I have entered the Flanders sportive on 4th April 2020.
Any other Wheelers going?

Didn’t get to ride today, so thought I’ll do some maintenance on my bike!
But it seems I’ve ran out of bikes to clean so thought I’d have a go at my new coffee machine instead 🙂
All machine deserves some TLC in my opinion 🙂
I know coffee & road cycling have a real & historic connections, but upon opening up the “grinding mechanism” for some deep cleaning, I was met with what look not unlike a rear wheel free-hub ratchet ........ the similarity is beyond doubt 🙂 
Well, the fact that I had to use my Park-Tool 10mm socket to get the nut off & my Pedro long nose pliers felt as if I was working on one of my bikes 🙂
.......... sorry, I think I’ve got too much time on my hand 😕
Cheers
 
 

Hi All,
Some of you might know that I’m a bit “keen” when it comes to working on my bike(s), some might even say it’s an illness :-) Acquiring bike specific tools is also a sick obsession of mine.
Recently my Campag Neutron wheels needed a bit of TLC as it was feeling rough when spinning, the hub bearings definitely need servicing, so I thought why not do it myself & in the process got a bit “carried away” in buying some fancy tools to do jobs properly - punch, bearing extractor, hub bearing press tools etc.

Needless to say, it made the job(s) of servicing/replacing my Campag cup/cone bearings hubs a lot, lot easier, it would also work well on seal bearings hub too, it’s almost a pleasure to do it now rather than being a PITA job.
Now I have these tools which will hopefully last me a life time & it would be a shame not to get it use more often :-)
Therefore, if any club members of the Joanins have wheels that needs work on the hub bearing, then give me a buzz & we can see what I can do.
Obviously this is just my desperate attempt to get the chance to mess about with my new tools, NO charges involve, you just pay for any parts needed & we can do the job together if you fancy giving it a go. I’m telling you, taking a hammer to your lovely carbon wheels hub certainly does raise your heart rate to a new level :-) I think it’s an experience every cyclist should have!
Also, some of the tools I have are Campagnolo wheels specific with the cup/cone, ball bearing types, so for those of youse with higher end Campag wheels i.e Zonda, Eurus, Shamal, Bora etc & Fulcrum equivalent. Then I have these tools especially if you want to extract any damage cups that need replacing that are pressed solidly into the hubs.



The need to ride our winter bike is upon us & it would make sense/good practice to examining your summer wheels to see if it needs some TLC before storage or winter ones so to face the harsh road conditions of winter.
Cheers
Chung

In our goal to qualify for Paris Brest Paris Myself, Davie B and David C headed down to Galashiels for the 400(420)km out and back to Barnards Castle. We stuck together until the Barnard Castle the half way mark and then Davie B continued at a faster pace with a couple of guys we had met and  David C and I started the dusk Wet Climb over some Moss hill.
Through the damp night we rode but! it was a balmy 12 degrees so it was not too bad. We did encounter few kms of road with 100s of frogs on it which passed the time trying not to squash any, which we managed! Until I heard David shout! -1 frog bless his soul, a few minutes later a Huge Rat ran into David's wheel but he managed to stay upright, I used to have a Rat her name was "Otago" David loves my patter. It was about then 3am? that Davids Knee started to hurt and our energy levels were very low, luckly we passed through lockerbie and had only 20km to a 24 hour with a service stop, I'm not a big fan of McDonalds but I was tonight. After about 5mins cycling David convinced me that the service station was here?? "Look" he said and pointed towards a BP sign behind some trees, But we stil had had 20km to go? I wasnt going to argue with him or his shiney new Wahoo gps, a few minutes later we got to a Service stop only to find it was the wrong one and nothing was open(Hammock Award Contender), a few swears were jokingly exchange and we rode on to McDonalds. Once we got there David went for a Sleep and I changed out of my wet clothes. I tried to sleep but people were intent on talking to me even though my eyes were closed, but best McDonalds I ever had, I even ate David's leftovers once he fell asleep. 
Back on the bike and back into the rain, With Davids Knee and my development of what I can only describe as "the worse butt pain in the world ever®" we took a nice steady pace back the last 100km.. the sun came out near the end and we were greeted by fried egg and bacon sandwiches by the organisers. A quick shower and off back up the road, I told David I would stay awake on the journey home as he was driving, I think I lasted abut 5mins.
Started at 9:00am finished next day at 10:17am 
Distance : 419.91km    Time pedaling 18:48:33     Elevation 3,922m
Avg Speed    22.3km/h    Elapsed Time    25:17:05
Anyhow only a 600km to do to qualify, To be honest i thought these would be easier than they are... yes they are physically draining but it really is all in the mind. Thanks for the company Lads

First of all, Thank you Darryl for suggesting/organising this Sportive & all the Wheelers & friends for another very memorable day indeed on the bike!
I wouldn't have thought about doing this if it wasn't for Darryl's idea, since all I do these days are flat & cobblily :-) ............. but I'm glad I did this even though as everyone have said - it's brutal  !
It's been a long time since I've done a "local sportive", probably have to go back to 2012 now, so it was a great reminder that there are still some brilliant events to be ridden without crossing the Channel.
It might not have the glitz & glamour of bigger, more internationally recognised foreign events, but what it lacks is made up for by the warm reception (everyone I met, locals/marshalls helpers etc all had a smile on their faces) friendly atmosphere ........ & less riders to elbow out the way at feed stations 
In my opinion, this was an extremely well organised event with some lovely scenery & some of the hardest climbs I've ever done 
I've lost count of the times 20/21% gradient reading shown on my Garmin & these were always at the end of some long constant 10,12, 14, 16% slopes. Every time I ask Darryl, how many more climbs, he just said "........... only 1 more"  ........ I know full well that it was not true ........ but somehow want it to be so!
What also pleasantly surprised me was the conditions of the roads we drove & rode on, it was actually quite good without too much pot holes or broken surfaces, that was very welcome indeed, especially the brilliant & long but fairly technical descents. Which was great because after everyone climbs, the long down hills would munch away the km's, bringing us closer back to the finish!
It goes without saying that I had a great time - thanks also to Gerard for pick-up & drop off & to my travel companions .............
P.S We were lucky with the weather, because I dare to think what it would be like if it was windy & wet 
Cheers

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Received this email from Mark Beaumont during the week.  I am not planning on doing it this year, but if anyone is keen, let me know and I can send you the link to register.  Not sure when they will be releasing the registration link but expect it will be in the coming days/weeks.
 
You are receiving this because either you took part in the inaugural ATW1D in 2018 or you expressed interest and were on the long waiting list.  You are now in the leading group for places in the 2019 event, and places are strictly on a first come, first served basis.  So, feel free to sign up and share with friends who you believe have 240 miles in their legs and the ability to raise £1000 for the STV Children’s Appeal!  Last year we raised over £90,000 and this year we are aiming to smash £100,000.
 
Together, we will ride 18,000 miles in a day - the equivalent of circumnavigating the world!  We’ll follow the stunning coast-to-coast route across Scotland, from an airbase near Campbelltown, through the Loch Lomond National Park to Duthie Park in Aberdeen. 
 
This is not a race – it’s an epic feat of endurance.  Starting around 4am on the West Coast, we will complete 4 x 4 hour cycles with half hour breaks in between.  Along the way you are likely to work your way through 8000kcal and downing around 8 litres of fluid.… in the manner of the Around the World in 80 Days.  The ride will be fully supported.
 
This glorious ride is in aid of the STV Charity Appeal and we are asking cyclists to fundraise £1000 each.  Places are limited to 80 so if the fundraising tally is as daunting as the mileage, please think twice and leave the space for those who are confident on smashing it!
 
With the STV cameras rolling, you will not only have the pressure of undertaking Scotland’s toughest endurance cycle but also have your chance for a little bit of fame along the way.
 
If you are interested, we will be sending out a link to register shortly so keep an eye out for this email coming through.  The registration fee will be £75.
 
I hope you will consider joining me again, or for the first time, on this great coast-to-coast ride and making a big difference to children across Scotland.
All the best
Mark Beaumont

Glorious night for the Frank Lauder, 9 riders and check out the brilliant times all round...  all very tight except for the 5 times in a row Champ
1st.  and JWCC 10 Mile TT Champion : Richard Montague - 20.50 (pd)
2nd. Stuart Tennant - 23.05
3rd. Colin McPhee - 23.09 (PB) (pd+1)
4th. Gerrard Deeley - 23.16 (PB)(pd)
5th Scott McIntosh - 23.18 (PB)
6th James Snodgrass - 23.28(pd)
7th Colin Sales - 23.34 (PB)
8th Alan Thomson - 23.37 (PB)(pd)
9th Joseph McIntosh - 26.35 (Jet)
Well done all the riders... a lot of very good testers this year ..
Alan T collected a few quid for the coffers, but I don't know how much..
Cheers
McGinty