In this week's issue:
  • Assessment Saturday Preparation
  • Time Trial Practice Report
  • Slipstreamers Selected for Central Road Team
  • An Invitation for Young Riders
  • Who's Who Corner - "Meet" Dave Shelton!
  • Chatter Box Corner: Updates and General Chit Chat
    • Prudential Ride London Report & Pix
    • Pedal Heaven Series Finale Report & Pix
    • O'Brien's Take on Italy
  • A Few Reminders - Please Read!
  • Winners Corner - Race Results

Dear Slipstreamers Riders and Parents,

It's time for your weekly roundup of club news, so pour yourself a cuppa and nibble on a biscuit (or two), while you read about preparation for this weekend's upcoming assessments, last weekend's time trial report, our fabulous members being selected for the Central Road Race Team, and a very special invitation for our younger riders. You get to meet one of your Bronze development coaches, Dave Shelton, in the Who's Who Corner; don't forget to check out the reminders section for a few super important bits and bobs; and we have some wonderful race reports to share in our Chatter Box Corner. Plus, of course, we round up the weekly batch of all important race results in the Winners Corner...!

Parents, please do ensure your children read this too - it is, after all, their newsletter! Better yet, do feel free to email us their email address/es, and we'll send the weekly issue directly to their inbox. We hope you enjoy this week's issue!

 

Assessment Saturday This Weekend!

Yes indeed Members - it is assessment Saturday, and your weeks of practice and diligent learning will be put to the test! All riders will be briefed beforehand, but your coaches will be looking for smooth movements as a group, the correct gear selection, and accelerations from both the front and the rear. Gold assessment rider assessments will also be focussed on "Accelerations - not Sprints", i.e. your ability to accelerate as a group, and individually, both in and out of the saddle.

Top tips from your coaches:
  • READ your passport booklets before the session so that you understand the demands and the key coaching points the assessors will be looking for.
  • Make sure you follow the safety guidelines (click here), particularly the sections on sustenance and rest.
  • Relax and breathe deeply - you will be fine.
  • Have FUN and ENJOY your session!
  • AND DON'T FORGET YOUR PASSPORTS!
For future assessment dates, always refer to the calendar on the Clubhouse noticeboard, or your earlier newsletter here.

 

Time Trial Practice Report & Results

August’s round of club time trial practice took place on Saturday 9th August. This far into the season and with a number of practice sessions under their belts, the riders are nearly all displaying very consistent lap times throughout their 10 lap trials. Highlights as follows:
  • Sam Henning continues to dominate the results, this week recording a 21:34, enough to win by 1:24.3 over his nearest rival Josh Copley (22:59.2). Ieuan Woods managed a respectable 25:28 even though he was on a borrowed bike with none of the usual Time Trial accessories.  
  • Lorna Bowler, whilst a Road Racing specialist that doesn’t appear in previous practice results, still demonstrated her ability to time trial with a very consistent 26:46.
  • Nathan George and George Lewis continue to illustrate a similarity in ability, with just 7 seconds separating  their respective 28:18 and 28:25 times.
  • Just 1 minute 18 seconds separated the times of the three girl riders in the U12 road category: Jemma (28:35), Isabella (29:39) and new girl Jessica (29:54).
All other riders are continuing to reduce their times to target, and have all been briefed with new targets ready for the next practice on September 14th.
 
Well done everyone. Full results and lap times can be found here: http://racesplitter.com/races/4FD82ACA4
 
 

Slipstreamers Selected for Central Road Race Team

It is with great pleasure that we announce the selection of 3 Slipstreamers - Charles Page, Carl Jolly and Harriet Mellor - who have been selected to represent the Central Region on the Central Road Team. As some of you may already know, all 3 were previously selected for the Central Track Team as well, along with Lorna Bowler; making this an immense achievement for each rider as individuals! It is also wonderful that the Club will be represented in both track and road.

Both the Track and Road teams will be competing at the Inter Regional Team Championships in Manchester and Hog Hill, respectively, and you can find the full details of these events by clicking here.

Well done Charles, Carl and Harriet - we know how hard you have worked for this, and we are all VERY proud of you!

 

Slipstreamers Invited to Race at The Tour of Britain Final Stage 

Yes, you heard correctly Members!! We have had a personal invite to field a team of riders under the age of 12 at the Go-Race event in London at the final leg of the Tour of Britain on Sunday 14th September. The race will be held on The Embankment, in the heart of the action from approximately 11am on the day; and there will be amazing medals and prizes awarded to the winners.

This is a fantastic opportunity fo our younger and novice riders to experience racing in a prestigious location in front of a large crowd - plus your entry is FREE. So if you have not yet raced, and are interested, we would highly recommend this!  There are, of course, a few things to be aware of:
  • Only riders under the age of 12 may race - this is not for older riders. The smallest riders must be able to fit onto the smallest bike (11" frame, with 24" wheels).
  • You must be a British Cycling member. If you are not yet a BC member, but REALLY want to do this, please email membership@slipstreamers.co.uk and Asti will explain how you can get your first year of BC membership free!
  • You must race in your Slipstreamers club jersey - if you don't have one, email kit@slipstreamers.co.uk and Chris will advise how you go about acquiring one.
  • All races will take place on British Cycling's fleet of Pina mountain bikes (with flat pedals), available in a range of sizes.
If you are interested in taking part please talk to coach Ralph Passey ASAP, as he will be co-ordinating the names and putting the team together. If you aren't sure who Ralph is, ask the sign on team to point him out; or feel free to email signon@slipstreamers.co.uk and we will have Ralph contact you.

 


Who's Who Corner - Meet Your Volunteers & Coaches

Each week we will be introducing you to one of the very many coaches and volunteers who help out at Slipstreamers (check out the archive for previous Who's Who Bio's), without whom the club would not function! You'll get to put a face to a name (if you don't know them already), plus you'll get to find out a little bit more about each one.

This week, we introduce you to someone who is always on the Apron taking you through your Bronze prep, and patiently helping you learn and directing you on your path to achieving your cycling potential! You should all know him, but if you don't, let us introduce you to none other than...
 

Dave Shelton: Level 2 Coach - Apron (Bronze Group)

We asked Dave a few questions we thought you'd be interested to know the answers to:

{How long have you been volunteering at HSS?}
I started in January 2013 – so about 18 months. I was a coach at Kingston Junior Cycle Club before that for about a year.
{What is the best/ worst part of your role at HSS?}
I’m part of the coaching team that works with young riders in Bronze Group on the Apron, so the best part of the job is watching the young riders pass their Bronze and progress to Silver Group and onto the Circuit.The worst part is coaching in the rain!
{What do you do in your spare time, away from HSS?}
Apart from cycling, I’m a bit of a vinyl junkie – I collect LPs (for the young people that’s like lots of MP3s stuck together!)
{What is your “real” job?}
I’m a clinical psychologist – I work in the NHS with young people who have been in trouble with the law and who have serious mental health problems.
{What is your most interesting cycling/ sporting experience?}
Last year me and my family went to Italy to watch the first three stages of the Giro d’Italia – it’s the Italian equivalent of the Tour de France.We got to meet many of the riders from different teams, including Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish.It was FANTASTIC!
{What is your favorite band/ artist/ musician of all time?}
This is SUCH a hard question: back in the day, when I was 13 or 14, I used to be into Glam Rock (David Bowie, T Rex, Slade – ask your parents!) but my favourite favourite album of all time is The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses (Google the name kids, they’re GREAT!). I often listen to this when I’m getting ready for a bike ride – it really gets me in the zone!
{If you could meet any historical figure, past or present, who would it be and why?}
I would love to meet Mr. Cadbury (the man responsible for the manufacture of chocolate) for making my life complete.
{If you could time travel to any era, historical or future, where would you go?}
I’d go back to the time before i-pods, mobile phones, smart phones, laptops etc. Or I’d live in the train carriage that is Noise Free!
{If you could be any fictional character from a book, comic, movie etc., whom would you choose?}
Homer Simpson – I may not look like him (yet), but we have SO much in common: especially the way his family see him as some kind of bumbling buffoon…
{If you could be any animal, bird or insect for a day, what would you choose?}
Easy – I’d be a fly on the wall of the Club House so I could listen to the young riders saying what they really think about us fantastic coaches!
 

Thank you for taking the time to give us a bit of insight into who you are outside of Slipstreamers, Dave!


 

Chatter Box Corner - Reports, Updates and General Chit Chat

Prudential Ride London Report

Last week we announced that Carl Jolly, Joshua Murphy and Charles Page, along with London Dynamo rider Oliver, formed part of a team of 4 Central Region riders that took part in the Prudential Youth Grand Prix in Central London last weekend on the 9th August.


The team had only a brief opportunity to get together and discuss tactics on the morning of the race, but they did a great job of putting the plan into practice: Carl was very effective in chasing down breaks, Joshua helped keep the pace up, and it was only when it came the the sprint that the plan didn't quite work. Charles was to lead Oliver out, but in the battle for position in the sprint Oliver lost touch with Charles' wheel, so Charles had to go for the sprint himself.


In the end:
  • Charles picked up 6th with a time of 00:35:56
  • Carl 29th with a time of 00:36:01
  • Joshua 37th with a time of 00:36:04
...bringing the overall team position to 5th place! Well done boys - considering this was a first class field, this is an excellent result and we are very very proud of you all!

 

Pedal Heaven Series End Report

The Pedal Heaven Series at Aldershot came to a close Wednesday night, 6th August, with Slipstreamers taking podium places in all categories from  U12 down. On the night, plenty of Slipstreamers were spotted racing, and again dominated. Maddie Emment raced her debut in the U8's alongside Bobbie O'Brien for the girls; with Ben Coppola taking 1st and Pascal Giret also doing fabulously in this category for the boys. Sweeping the board in the U10 boys resulted in confirmed 1st for Alex Uphill and 2nd for Ben Bisson, with both Joe O'Brien and Elliot Moreve doing well. U12's saw Isabella Escallara and Nathan George both come 1st in their respective categories, with Gabe Banner also riding brilliantly. Oh, and Charles Page was spotted racing in the senior races at breathtaking pace!

If you were unable to collect your trophies, please come and collect them from the sign-on desk on Saturday. Well done to all of you for an excellent series of races!
 


The O'Brien's Take on Italy

Hot off the heels of the recent Assen tour, the O'Brien family of Joe, Bobbie and Finn entered the Caletti Trophy race in Oleggio near Milan, in Italy. 

The Italian gear restrictions are very low compared to these in the UK, so they all had to pedal extra fast around the tight circuit achieving the following results in their respective age categories:
  • Joe O'Brien 4th
  • Bobbie 3rd
  • Finn 4th
They each won a trophy, with an extra one awarded for a combined Hillingdon SS team effort! Well done to you all!
 


A Note re Your BC Licence - Multi Clubs

As some of you are aware, you are able to register multiple clubs on your British Cycling Membership profile. However, if you are entering races and riding as a Slipstreamer, unless you have us listed as your main club, the results will not reflect your Slipstreamers membership. While we would love it if Slipstreamers were always your primary club, we do understand that some riders prefer to race for another club - if this is the case, it would be useful if you could add Slipstreamers as a second claim club, and where possible always be clear which club you are racing for so the results are accurately associated. If you need help on how to update your BC membership dashboard with this, feel free to email signon@slipstreamers.co.uk and we will be happy to guide you.

And of course, a reminder: if you are not yet a British Cycling member and wish to join, please email membership@slipstreamers.co.uk and Asti will explain how you can get your first year of BC membership free, which includes a free youth racing license.


 

Do You Have Anything to Share...?

Riders, please keep sending us any race notes of your experiences - even if it's a line or two, updates you want to share, race musings and general comments - this is your newsletter, and this is your section to share your thoughts with your fellow Slipstreamers. Parents, please take photos of your children at the various races they represent Slipstreamers at so we can showcase them in this newsletter. Do email your contributions to us at sigon@slipstreamers.co.uk

 
 

A Few Reminders - Don't Forget...

Calshot Velodrome Dates - Book Your Place

If you have not yet ridden track at the Calshot Velodrome in Southampton, it is a fantastic Slipstreamers day out and highly recommended for those who would like to try out track riding. The session normally starts at 1pm and ends at 5pm, and will cost you £5. If you have your own track bike, you may use this; or alternatively, bikes are available for hire from Calshot on the day. One thing to note is that if you are considering riding in the track event for the upcoming track Club Championships later in the year (the full Club Champs list of dates will be provided next week), you will have to have ridden Calshot before and be judged competent to ride in the Club Champs by the coaches.

If you have any questions, or want to book your place (you may not just show up on the day!), please do email Steve May <stevemay@dircon.co.uk> directly.
 


If You'd Like To Buy Club Kit

Please email kit@slipstreamers.co.uk directly.  Chris will be able to advise you via email what is available for purchase.
 
 

Diary Dates - Upcoming

  • 16th August :
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late! Note it is Assessment Saturday!
  • 23rd August :
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
  • 30th August :
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
  • 6th September:
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
  • 7th September:
    • Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk
  • 13th September:
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
    • Mountain Biking Off-Site Session - Dews Farm: sign on from 9.30am for 10am start.
  • 20th September:
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
    • Safety Saturday - details to follow soon...
  • 27th September:
    • Early practice session, sign on at 8.15am, ready to go for 8:30 sharp!
    • Normal circuit session, sign on between 9am and 9:30am - don't be late!
    • Family Fun Day!! Details to follow soon...
Normal sessions run every Saturday as normal throughout October, November and December, but please note the following Calshot dates for reference:
  • 26th October:
  • 22nd November:
    • Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk
  • 15th February 2015:
    • Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk
  • 22nd March 2015:
    • Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk

 

Winners Corner!

 

Saturday Club Session Races - 9th August...

And the weekly session winners recorded in our Winner's Corner are:
 

Mudslingers:

1st place for the boys is Zack Taylor, and Kim Bowler for the girls.
 

Circuit Racers:

U8  : Ben Coppola for the boys, no girls this week
U10: Tom Stringer for the boys, and Emily Taylor for the girls
U12: Nathan George/ George Lewis for the boys, and Jessica Henning for the girls
U14: Jack Gleeson for the boys, and Zoe Brooks for the girls
U16: Will Scott for the boys, no girls this week.

Fantastic results all of you!!

 

From Further Afield, Wearing the Slipstreamers Colours...


TMK Youth Racing inc. Central Region Youth,  9th Aug
U12 Girls:   3rd  Abigail Old
U10 Boys:   3rd  Alex Uphill

Castle Combe Series 14,  7th Aug
U12 Girls:  1st  Isabella Escalera
 
Pedal Heaven Eelmore Cicuit series Finale, 6th Aug
U12 Boys:  1st  Nathan George
U12 Girls:  1st Isabella Escalera
U10 Boys:  1st  Alex Uphill  2nd  Benjamin Bisson
U8 Boys :   1st  Ben Coppola

BC West Thames 17, 5th Aug
U16 Boys:  1st Ben Moriarty  2nd  Sam Henning
U14 Boys:  1st  Tom Portsmouth
U14 Girls:  1st  Kate Shelton  2nd Isabella Escalera

Crystal Palace Crits 14, 5th Aug
U10 Boys:  2nd  Cameron Still

Castle Combe Series 13,  31st July
U14 Girls:  1st  Lorna Bowler
U12 Girls:  1st  Jemma Bowler
U8 Girls:    3rd  Kim Bowler

BC West Thames 16,  29th July
U12 Boys:  1st  Gabriel Banner

Well done to every single one of you, and if you didn't win or don't see your name above, don't worry - there are plenty more opportunities to race at each Saturday session and at all the various races out there, so keep at at, and please don't give up!!

 
 

And finally, do remember the following important things:

1. Keep safe - read our safety tips [click this link], on how to dress, prepare for a session, sustenance, and much more!
2. Parents: park safely when you arrive please, i.e. stay off the grass verge at the gates, and park in the spaces provided!
3. Arrive on time for sign on - we start at 9am, we close at 9.30am!
4. Let us know ASAP if your phone numbers, address or emails change!


Stay safe and we'll see you on Saturday!

The Slipstreamers Team
 

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