williecosh

Hi Wheelers, Paisley Velo are going on a cycling weekend to Kinlochleven during the weekend 28th,29th and 30th September. The intinerary is the same as the Wheelers' one last year. If any of you would like to go, please get in touch with me as soon as possible through PM. It will be low-cost, hostel accommodation the same as before, but I don't have prices yet. Alternatively, if one of you guys wants to organise a Wheelers' group, we can synchronise watches! Willie.

Dear Members, Thanks for removing the previous offensive contribution to this topic, especially as the initial post was so kind and thoughtful. As always, the true class and pedigree of the Johnstone Wheelers shines through! All the best for next year, from your friends at Paisley Velo. Willie.

And a couple more!

Here are some pictures from the Track Championships.

Hi Frank, I'm definitely interested in the Zipp disc (item 2). Willie

The big man is ready!

If anyone has a small/medium track frame that is surplus, I might be interested in buying it. Please get in touch. W

Hi Alan, You will definitely need a van (Transit type). Please call on 07772226530 and I'll arrange things with you. W

I have six heavy duty, steel shelving units up for grabs. They would be ideal for a garage or hut. Free to good home, you uplift. Contact me on here. First come, first served. Willie.

Ben, Don't feel too bad about it except that Iain MacAuley is raging that YOU are now the front runner for the Hammock! Iain went through a lot of pain for that Hammock, you know! You could also shave the beard off and go incognito for a while (it may also help your TT times). The timekeeping is tricky at the best of times and impossible on your own, when riders are finishing and setting off simultaneously. W

Nice bike Ian. W

I've sent you a PM david. W

Well done to you too Ramsay! Two Johnstone men on the 'podium' - brilliant! Also, congrats to Vicky and the Jets (that sounds like a band!) W

Ian, I've got a couple you can have. See you Sunday! W

Johnny and I will always remember a brilliant day with Jim in Edinburgh, only a year ago. He was in great cycling form and at the pinnacle of his eccentricity! We will really miss you Jim. W

Well done guys - especially Mike! W

Evening all, I agree with what Alan alludes to, that this debate is a positive thing. I wasn’t part of the scenario on Thursday but, in my opinion, this is where the club needs to progress. The debate highlights the biggest frustration for me since I came back to cycling two years ago – how do you progress in fitness and competence, unless you do it on your own? I think there are basically four rider types: 1. High fitness/good technical rider 2. High fitness/poor technical rider 3. Low fitness/good technical rider 4. Low fitness/poor technical rider Problems occur when the types are mixed and each is unsympathetic or unaware or the others' needs and aspirations. I would class myself as ‘type 3’ (although I’ve come off twice in the last 18 months – one definitely my fault and the jury’s still out on the other one) and I like the 30 milers because it’s a comfort zone where I won’t get hammered and I might even get the chance to teach a beginner how to ride his or her bike a bit better, especially on descents, where gravity is my friend and I am pretty good (my assessment). I have tried to join higher fitness groups but the gap was too great for me and I got the impression of being cannon fodder in somebody else’s pretendy bike race! After getting burned off at Crosslee once (on the way out) I have remained with my trusty 30 milers ever since. On a few occasions, fitter riders who had decided to join the 30 milers, for whatever reason, proved to be quite dangerous and disruptive to what is normally a safe and functional group. That shouldn’t be the case. I like Tony’s idea that we should set up sessions on safe, quiet roads. The APR idea was a good one but probably a level above where most people are at (fitness or competence) and possibly explained why the attendance dropped. Guys like Ramsay and Paul, for example, are easily expert enough to coach and develop the club members to a higher level. Do we have club coaches? If so, where are they? If we don’t have any, why don’t we ask Scottish Cycling for assistance? Since I’ve returned to cycling with the wheelers, three young riders with clear potential to be national champions have received little or NO coaching and two have left because of that. That is a sad indictment of a club that does so many other things very well. Whatever happened last week, no bunch should be on the Westferry unless it is safe and cohesive. Willie

I'll be there at 9.30. W

Evening all, Ben Peacock won this open TT tonight in a time of 21.40! All the more remarkable since he stopped 300m short of the finish by mistake and had to re-engage. We reckon it cost him 20 seconds! The club were proudly represented by a strong team that also included Mike Ferguson, Greg Balden and Kenny Christie. Well done guys! It was brilliant watching you all tonight. W

Hi again, I thought I would add a postscript to back-up Paul's points about coaching and advice. Stevie Blom talked me through the course on Saturday and EVERY bit where he said time would be gained or lost was absolutely bang-on. The top guys are at the top because they've done it, analysed success and failure and acted on what they've learned. Your advice was incredibly accurate Stevie! It was a pity that I couldn't communicate it as accurately to Ben! W

Well done, Kenny! W

Hi team, The big guy did really well. Predictably, he was very nervous and that accounted for for some time lost - he looked a bit laboured in the first three miles. We all felt the turn was quite technical and although Ben was only 2 seconds down on Ian Grant before the turn, it was about 12 seconds soon after. Kenny and I think his bike position needs tweaked too, so, all in all Ben can easily find another minute. Remember this was only his 4th '10' and only his second time on the TT bike. He is the real deal though. Well done! W

Ok troops, Tonight's times are as follows: Mike Ferguson 24:45 Phil Malcolm 23:46 Iain Cowden 24:42 (equals PB) Kenny Christie 23:09 (PB) Ben Peacock 20:25 (PB) Greg Balden 24:06 Ian McGinty 25:45 Al Yuill 26:27 Conditions were damp with a slight headwind on the way out. Well done the three guys who got PBs and especially well done Ben! Cheers to David Thomson and Kenny Steele for helping record the times. W

Well done David! W

Friday. The eager band of JWCC riders confronted the daunting, dark mountain facing them. Before the first sharp hairpin bend, the echelon formation was broken and it was each rider for himself against the gathering wind and the formidable technical climb. Yep, the footpath from The Tailrace Inn to the West Highland Hostel is a belter! For most us, this was the only physical challenge on Friday night, but Paul and Brian had arrived a bit earlier than the rest and scouted the north side of Loch Leven, putting in about 20 miles before dinner. It is worth noting the creative intellectual juices that flow within the Johnstone Wheelers, at approximately the same flow rate as Guinness! Kenny sorted out cultural integration like a UN peacekeeper and Stevie was doing very well defining the perfect life until his blueprint involved moving Arran to the Caribbean Sea! The problem of finding a big enough Sthil saw to separate Arran from the European continental shelf was bad enough, but since it also involved Carly (the very pretty barmaid from The Tailrace Inn) to go with him, the plan started to unravel. There would be more chance of Donald Findlay buying an Irish Wolfhound pup and calling it Lenny, than Carly going to Arran with Stevie. Saturday. The weather forecast was of the 'four seasons in one day' ilk, but the mood was very positive. Iain MacAuley prepared for his attempt at the 'Hammock Award' by downing 3 litres of protein drink to hopefully neutralise the 30 litres of Guinnes the night before! Can you guess what happens next? The run along the north side of the loch was quite fast and trouble free apart from Iain's liver struggling to be a fusion reactor. The main group stopped at North Ballachulish to let the bunch reform before the dodgy run along the A82 to Corran. At this point, Iain, despite his stomach sounding like a Sopwith Camel coming into land, probably took the Hammock Award for all time. In fact, never has the Hammock Award been more appropriate! Paul has the photographic evidence and it should be on the site soon, if the News of the World don't want it. The run from Corran was brilliant until my freehub broke on the climb. It would drive but not freewheel, so I had to cycle back to Kinlochleven without freewheeling - serves me right for laughing at MacAuley, I suppose! The verdict was that it was really good route. Thanks to John Montgomery for advising that we should go round the loop clockwise - he was definitely correct. We all watched the Giro on Saturday night and that just completed the cycling experience. Sunday. Paul, Mark and Lazarus MacAuley did a 20 miler round the loch in a monsoon while the rest of us had a cholesterol frenzy in the Tailrace, before heading home. The excellent weekend, great bike run and great company compensated for losing my claim to the Hammock and a £45 bill for a new freehub! One final point, the wee hostel was basic, but pretty good value. The owner, Calum, is 'brand new' and someone who is good to do business with. W