DavidC

Hi Charlie,
Myself, Paul and Eric would be interested in organising the Don Smith event.

Hi Charlie,
Myself, Paul and Eric would be interested in organising the Don Smith event.

Lovely run to Eglington park with 30 milers. We ended up as a bunch of 7which included 4 ladies. Good club progression

Looking out my window wondering where all the driech rain and fog came from then I remembered it was a DavieB ride today

Will be going.
Still to book everything but plan on taking ferry on the Wednesday night and then cycling down to Gulpen over two days and will meet you Friday.
Davie will still need a lift back...

Ah thats a pity Paul, Roubaix again??  
Thats me paid up! but not sure about the Implications 

It implies nothing of the kind, good Sir...
 
 

Aye that makes sense.. 
  

The Drum Up is not a club event so post whatever run you like 

Elaine got in, so we have just booked on the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry on the Thursday (18th), returning on the Monday (22nd).
Currently have 3 nights booked in Valkenburg, but may spend the Friday night somewhere else on route.
Happy days!
R

I usually wing it a bit, but for clarity.
Bowfield, Lugton, Stewarton, Torranyard, Benslie, Killwinning, Largs, Brisbane, Whin, home - loads of bailouts for anybody time constrained. 
 
 

We got in which is great! you should receive an email giving you instructions of how to register.

If anybody else is interested in this I suggest they organise the trip sooner rather than later as you may literally miss the boat.......accomodation in Valkenberg also seems to be at a premium however I am not too sure whether this is just the booking type web sites trying to manipulate the market.

I said I wasn’t going to do anything next year but......!! Never done a spring classic and keen for this. Paul, can I pm you my email address to sign up with JWCC team?
Ramsay keen to come out as support crew and maybe join us for a few miles over the weekend if the knee holds up over winter. 

Charlie, I want my money back that I paid you to keep quiet!
I think it’s my knees rather than my bike really, so it doesn’t count! :-)
Thanks for the run & company today guys!
Weather turned out a lot better than forecast!
Cheers

Nice ride today with Gerard & Chung. 2 cafe stops no less. Only blot was a whining noise coming from Chung”s bottom bracket. Now if was me would have fully accepted that Total lack of maintenance & my fault but when it’s the guru of bike maintenance the Mary Berry of bike perfection well does that not call for a full stewards enquiry and may I suggest might even qualify for a hammock award

Had a chat with Davie C and Eric and we will be going even if we dont get entry. We will be saling from Newcastle on the Thursday and back on the Monday and will be staying in B&B Aan de Cauberg in Valkenburg. Hopefully we get entry but if not we will have a nice view of the finish from our hotel!! 

Working on the household Cheif Finacial Officer for sign off for a CX bike, tyres shoes, etc.  Thought  it was a blast and could see myself getting into it.

Well done John. You may want to persuade CFO to re-allocate capital funds from  non-essential areas such as family food, heating bills and fixing brakes on the car. 

A great day out in Callendar, counted 6 wheelers and numerous Jets(Jet Jamie took 2nd place??) very techincal course  with lots of mud and off camber. Big Kudos to John for his first cross race on the wrong tyres/shoes and never having watched a cross race... true wheelers preparation  Cedric also made a return to cross and started of really strong in the top 10 in the first lap but as the course degraded his tyres grip let him down and he struggled to stay upright at his pace, a bike change at the last few laps saw him return to form and take back a stack of places, I predict great things from Zed!  Good to see Sam riding the Seniors as well. In the V40 Davie B looked real good and never saw him all race, Dave W passed me a few laps in and never saw him again as I suffered from Berlin Belly(a real disease).... worst result for me since I started cross but had a blast and managed to stay mostly upright. I might have to start riding my bike in between races  Top day with a lot of laughs
 

I’m not sure what the focus of this piece is or who it is aimed at.  Maybe it’s to inspire other women to take on similar challenges.  Maybe it’s just me saying ‘hello’ again and to let you know that I’m looking forward to getting back out with the bunch.  Whatever the reason is, someone suggested that writing a race report would be a good idea.  The only problem is, nothing I did this year was a ‘race’.  I’m not getting bogged down in stats and intricate details.  I am a girl who likes a challenge and I set myself a couple of challenges this summer.  They went something like this.
 August 2018 - Marmotte Pyrenees
160km, 5600 metres ascent
Ramsay and I had already decided to spend this summer in the Pyrenees.  We completed the Marmotte sportive in the Alps last year and loved it.  I knew that they did a similar event out of Argeles Gazost and by chance, it fell within the weeks that we were planning to be there.  The decision was made and we were signed up.  Unfortunately for Ramsay, his knee went again in June and he knew that he would not be ready to ride again for months.
We knew that a bunch of Wheelers were out riding too and Ramsay really enjoyed supporting everyone on the day (tonnes more photos of the boys on the Tourmalet than me, which is not a bad thing)!  It may sound selfish, but I knew that in order to make it to the finish at the top of Luz Ardiden, I just had to do my own thing and plod away at my own pace.  I love alpine climbs.  I love the challenge and the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top of those infamous Cols.  The scenery is spectacular and the baguettes with camembert at the pit stops are perfect!  I don’t know whether being a women helps.  I had so many shouts of “allez allez femme” which was brilliant.  Having spoken to some of the boys at the BBQ and confessed our body weights, being a women of a smaller stature, certainly helps when you are climbing an average gradient of 10% for several hours!  Yes, it was tough.  Yes, there were times when I asked myself why I was doing this.  It certainly felt harder than the Alps last year, but finishing was never in doubt.  After a hot shower and a good night’s sleep, the legs had recovered and I enjoyed ticking off so many more of those famous climbs during our time in the Pyrenees.
I can honestly say that one of the highlights was meeting up with the guys the following night for a BBQ.  Great food, lots of wine, even more beer and brilliant banter.  It reminded both Ramsay and I why we joined the club in the first place.  Thank you!
 
September 2018 – Around the World in a Day
245 miles from Machrihanish to Aberdeen, ~ 3500 metres ascent
 Then came the second challenge of the summer.  In 2017, Mark Beaumont set off to cycle around the world in 80 days.  He achieved this by riding an average of 240 miles per day.  The concept for this challenge was to have one rider to represent each day (80 riders in total) and us all to cycle 240 miles.  Hence, ‘Around the World in a Day’!  The day was planned exactly as Mark had ridden around the world.  Four times four hour sections of riding (approx. 60 miles per section) with a 30 minute stop in between (Furnace, Lochearnhead and Forfar).  The route started in Machrihanish and headed north through Ardishaig, before heading north east to Inverary and Dalmally.  We then turned east across the country to Forfar with the final stretch up the north east coast through Stonehaven to Aberdeen.
was one of ten female riders to start and one of eight to finish.  I had ridden 184 miles as a reccie earlier in the summer and only hoped that my weeks in the Pyrenees helped with final preparations and the final miles.  It was a typical Scottish day.....started cold, dark, wet and windy.  The sun came out briefly in the afternoon before it got cold, dark, wet and windy again.  My strategy was to keep a high cadence during the day and shelter within the bunch as much as possible.  I managed a few turns at the front and myself and a couple of the girls led the group for a few minutes when the boys stopped for a pee. Oh how we laughed!!  For the majority however, the boys looked out for us and made sure we were safely tucked in as much as possible.
The last 30 miles were probably the hardest miles I have ever ridden.  It was a rollercoaster of highs and lows and all I wanted was to be warm and horizontal!  I stepped off the bike in Aberdeen and was shaking with cold and exhaustion.  I thought I was either going to be sick or faint or both.  I admit, I cried when Ramsay came to give me a cuddle and it took me some time to reach the “that was an amazing experience” feeling.    But again, after two hot showers and a good night’s sleep, I woke up feeling ok and began to appreciate what had happened the day before. 
I guess that’s how I get through any of these challenges.  I know that even when it feels brutal and you hurt all over, it doesn’t last.  You will recover and you will get back on the bike again......quickly.  I don’t consider myself a powerful rider or a fast rider.  I don’t glide up the ascents.   I bob about in the saddle and do everything you shouldn’t!  I am a steady rider who is happy to tap away at the miles at my own pace.  In saying that, I didn’t just walk in to these events having done nothing.  I put the effort, the hours and the miles in this year.  If I’m honest, I did very little other than cycle and work for most of the summer!
It’s been a while, but I will be back out with the bunch again soon, enjoying the Sunday runs around Renfrewshire and beyond.  I’m looking forward to not just the training (must work on that power output over the winter), but for the banter and the camaraderie.  Hope to see you all soon.   
 

Are you any good with lawnmowers or putting up shelves?

Don't encourage him, Jann. You're facilitating his addiction. 

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

Best get the excuses in early.................

Round 2 of the Scottish Cyclocross Series whos going?
After 4 days in Berlin this is going to hurt