Sunday2nd November & Wednesday Club Christmas Lunch

Meet 8.30 Denholmgate or 9am Keighley, destination to be decided on the day.

Wednesday Club Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 17th of December at the Robin Hood at Cragg Vale.  I'm collecting names and £5 deposits from next week.

If we're looking for a route tomorrow then it could be the day to visit the Falcon Inn at Arncliffe. According to the website they should do pie & peas - Ian

Sounds like a good idea to me,  Pete

Message from Chris

Chris Smith       4.16.1           70th Overall

Many thanks to all who came and watched us suffering up Pea Royd Lane, Stocksbridge Nat Champs Hill Climb. I took 70th position overall with a finishing time of 4.16.1. Brilliant conditions with new surface and a stiff tail wind finish. I was honoured  to have the chance to ride today as the event was fully oversubscribed by excellent riders from all over the UK. Felt I gave a strong solid performance alongside fellow competitors.

 

 THE HILL CLIMB

By Simon Warren

Ten...

That's the moment you know it's real, the time keeper's call of ten seconds to go. This is happening, you are here, a waking moment. You're going to have to attack this hill and force your body into a place it doesn't want to go and one that it will try everything to get out of.

Five...

And five fingers are held in front of you. All the training, the sacrifice, the self discipline, watching the scales, the early nights, this is why, this is it, focus.

Four...

You grip the bars, you look ahead, you empty your mind.

Three...

You fill your lungs to pack the muscles with oxygen, you'll need every last drop.

Two...

Focus, you CAN do this,you're GOING to do this, focus.

One...

Silence

Go...

Spin at first, your speed has to be perfect, overdo it at the start and you'll die a thousand deaths. You know the course, you know what to do, you can't think, it's too late for that, there is only time for action. You have to find the sweet spot, to float, fueled on adrenaline. You must preserve your reserves, but never hold back. Adrenaline doesn't last.

Suddenly you sense the effort, your'e breathing as hard as your heart is beating fast, you are at your limit. 30 seconds in and you've reached maximum, the primeval instincts that have kept man alive since before history are now telling you to stop, to back off, ease up. You can't listen though, you can't give in, you have to push.

Your eyes focused as if staring at a singularity, oblivious to all except the metre  of tarmac in front of you. Don't think, don't rest, push, take the pain. You are now deep into oxygen debt, you simply cannot supply the demand so the body diverts it to where its needed the most. Your eyes blur, you begin to lose sensations in your extremities

 but there can be no rest.

Time is standing still,it's hyper real, you are experiencing life in such rich detail, this is what your body CAN do, this is WHO you are, WHAT you are, PUSH, PUSH.

The crowds shout your name but you hear no noise, you see the finish line but it gets no closer, PUSH. You're barely able to hold yourself up, your legs are consumed by lactic acid and your lungs burn, desperate for air. At last there is the line, the end to eternity,

 one final lunge, one final revolution, done.

You fall into the arms of an official, empty, your chest on fire and your mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.

You've been to the edge, it was two minutes that lasted a lifetime, the Hill-Climb.

    

Sunday 26th October

 Meet 8.30am Sainsbury's roundabout, Brighouse for National Hill Climb Championships at Pea Royd Lane, Stocksbridge (we'll calling in at Langsett cafe on the way there).  Remember to turn clocks back and put lights on your bike.

Thanks once again to Ellen Isherwood for the above photo of Chris competing at the Lancashire RC hill climb at The Rake a few weeks ago. More of Ellen's photos can be viewed on the CTT website.

Thanks to Ellen Isherwood for this photo of Chris in full flight in the Nelson Whs Hill Climb

Chris is finding his best form prior to next Sundays National Hill Climb Championships taking 5th place on Saturday morning in the climb out of Barley on the Newchurch road and another excellent 5th place on the North Lancs Road Clubs Nick o' Pendle climb on Sunday. 

After meeting at King Cross, four of us battled head winds in order to be on the Nick to cheer Chris on. Number 2 on the start sheet he was in fact the first man to start, his minute man being DNS. Chris gave everything on the climb, looking exhausted at the finish but then having to rush off to attend a christening rather than join us for a fry-up at Waddington Cafe.

After breakfast we enjoyed tail winds along the Ribble Valley to Bolton by Bowland and up the long drag to Halton West. All were showing good form even challenging Paul's dominance at strategic points as we looped around Hellifield and Airton before stopping off at Broughton Hall to watch the cyclo-cross. There were 160 starters in the senior race but no evidence of Robin Holt, who's name I had spotted on the start sheet (sorry if I missed you). The racing was well supported but the main race of the day, the Rapha Supercross, wasn't due to start until 3pm so we joined forces with Mick Collins and Dom Turner plus other 3RT's for a pacey ride home.
Steve and I together with Mick, Matt & Daz split off from the others at Ingrow, sprinting up the cobbles of Hainsworth Lane and over to the Old Spot Brewery Tap at Cullingworth where we enjoyed a couple of pints of the breweries fine ales before pottering home along The Great Northern Trail. A great start to the social season.

Sunday 20th October

I 'm meeting Paul at King Cross at 8am Sunday to have a ride out to Nick o' Pendle to give Chris a shout in the hill climb, he's no.2 on the start sheet, off at 10.02, hence the early start. This is Chris' final preparation event before next Sunday's National Champs at Stocksbridge's Pea Royd Lane. He's been busy riding all the classic local climbs, The Rake, Jackson Bridge, Holme Moss, Blackstone Edge etc and consistently achieving top ten finishes.
After the climb we'll be riding down to Waddington cafe for lunch - why not join us.

Cafe Cruising Sunday Club Run

Here is an alternative offer for Sunday - 9am Keighley for Burnsall, and back. Hopefully we can still get away with best bikes, looking at the weather forecast.

RIDE REPORT: Leaving home the sun was thinking about poking through so I hoped we'd be on for a good day. The windmills at Top Withins were floating on fog, the blades catching the morning light while the bases were covered in mist. Over Fly Flats the views down the Worth valley had islands of sunshine over a white cloud sea - I'm sorry there was no time for pictures.

Meeting up with the Hartleys and the Barker in Keighley we took the scenic route over Cringles still shrouded in air damp enough to give us wet roads. That's no way to treat a new bike but it seemed to cope. Did you know that the latest Di2 uses the battery to power a motor in the rear hub - it works a treat!

Breakfast was taken in Burnsall, because that's what it said on the blog, and back via Thorpe to Gargrave leaving Melv at Airton - because he'd done enough in the Hills & Mills yesterday. We then took the road home over Cowling and Slippery Ford, because it's quiet and the sun had started to break through.

NEXT SUNDAY: I'm up for a regular Sunday run in no specific direction - could somebody kindly come up with a cafe (just the one) and a sensible route.

And finally ... Mr Lord has his own blog report of the 3 peaks that you might like to read: http://adrianlordcycling.blogspot.co.uk/

Mills & Hills Sportive

I understand that entries for the Mills & Hills tomorrow will be accepted on the day (at event HQ, Mytholmroyd Community Centre).  I recall that last year you could ride over the starting matt at the time of your choice between 8 and 9.30am.
Most Condors chose to start at about 9'o clock last year, which worked well so I'll be aiming to do the same again.

If you feel you would rather watch others expending their energies you could have a ride over to Huddersfield and watch our hill climbing expert, Padiham Chris, in action twice. In the morning it's the Star Wheelers climb up the Jackson Bridge climb and in the afternoon Holme Valley Wheelers promote their climb up Holme Moss.  See the CTT website for further details and startsheets.

Chris' Mists report

The Season Of Mists And Mellow Fruitfulness 

A great thank you again for Chris Crossland and his team for organizing such a rich and varied route.

A good number of riders this morning, including many Condors and friends, set of from a very cold Autumnal Hebden Bridge.

Looking round at the start I spotted to name a few

• Mel
• Steve Barker
• Robin Holt 
• Pete Horne 
• Adrian Lord
• Oakworth Steve
• Richard
• Nigel (en-route)
• Myself Chris Smith

With favorable weather on our sides the miles and the climbing seemed to spur us on and up.

A blow by blow account isnt needed but a crash did occur i believe, on the descent into Slaidburn. Who I don't know as it happened behind us in the lead bunch.

It was good to catch up, discuss how the summer season has fared us in racing etc and what is planned for the forthcoming. With the approach of the off season we should think of some different routes to keep it fresh.

I hope everyone got round ok today. Im unsure of the finishing time but finished momentarily behind Mel, Mark Sadler  and a very strong guy who Ive ridden with before but whos name escapes me appols.

Returning to a beautiful spread of food laid on by the ctc ladies we chatted about the route whilst more successful riders came in one by one.

Well Done everyone and Thanks again! Great riding!