Dear Slipstreamers Riders and Parents,

Welcome to your weekly club newsletter. In this week's issue be inspired by a few of your amazing Young Volunteers; read all about the fantastic first set of results in from Assen; and get to know your Head Coach, Dave George, a little bit better in the Who's Who Corner. We recap a bit on rider safety, share a Commonwealth Games experience, and remind you of what you need to make a note of in the Reminders section. And of course, as usual we round up the weekly batch of all important race results in the Winners Corner, and hope you find this week's Fun Facts interesting...! Parents, please do forward, print or read the newsletter to your children so each and every Slipstreamer member is aware of their club's news - better yet, feel free to send us your children's email address if they have one, and we'll send the weekly issue directly to them. We hope you enjoy this week's issue!

Our Young Volunteers Shine in Platinum and Gold

As most of you will know, British Cycling provides young people with the opportunity via their Young Volunteer programme to build leadership and communication skills in a practical environment. Much like the Slipstreamers Rider Development programme where you have to work towards certain levels and awards like Bronze, Silver and Gold; the BC Young Volunteers programme has a similar pathway programme for ages 14+ to work towards, but based on the number of volunteer hours put in and other practical criteria.

This week, we celebrate the news that 2 of our members, Hannah Keating and Natasha Hambledon Gray, have attained their Gold Young Volunteer awards. In order to achieve Gold, Natasha and Hannah would have had to clock a grand total of 36 volunteer hours - this is really hard to do amidst school, studying, training, and of course being a teenager! So well done on your Gold award ladies - well deserved, and we are super proud of the work you have put in to make a difference!

We also celebrate our very first ever Slipstreamer member to achieve the Platinum award - Hannah Gunn.

Aside from having achieved Bronze, Silver and Gold, Hannah would have had to have contributed a further 36 hours of volunteering as diverse as possible to receive Platinum. And boy did she... Many of you will have seen Hannah out and about coaching and helping out with club administration, she has attended committee meetings and an AGM, and has even tried her hand at judging for the Nationals this year. And if you think that's it, Hannah worked really hard with British Cycling preparing for presentations she delivered to packed rooms at the British Cycling Go Ride conference at Reading earlier this year; and has also written a series of blogs about her experiences at the Club for the BC Facebook page, GoRide Magazine, and her own blog page on BC. We are all very proud of you Hannah - well done.

Sound Interesting?

If you are interested in becoming a Young Volunteer, there are a range of benefits gained from this programme, and we actively encourage our Slipstreamers members to sign up when they turn 14 - aside from the skills and opportunities gained, you also receive a nice bunch of freebies! If you want to find out more, vist the BC Young Volunteer page for more details, feel free to talk to any of your coaches, or don't hesitate to email us for more information.

Assen Tour 2014 - First Set of Results In

A number of our Slipstreamers are currently on tour in Holland at the week long European Youth Tour Assen 2014 (if you're not sure what this is all about, read more on the tour website here). The 6 day stage race runs from 26th July to 3rd August, with each day having a different type of race, varying in length for the different age groups.

As it happens, so far our members are doing brilliantly - just look at the table of results below from 4 days of racing! Starting on Monday with a prologue, followed by a team ride with parents and children, Slipstreamers achieved some pretty decent standings in their respective age groups (highlighted in the table, in case you were wondering about the colour coding!). On Tuesday, the criterium race was held, where Slipstreamers Jed and Joe took first and second place, respectively, in their age group. Well done boys!

On Wednesday, the classic road race took place through the streets, and Thursday saw a more traditional omloop with cobbles. There is still more to come on Friday with a Criterium race and an individual time trial on Saturday, but do take a peek at the list of fantastic Slipstreamers' results so far:

	Day 1 Prologue	Day 2 Criterium	Day 3 Classic Road Race	Day 4 Omloop Cobbles
Sam Gilbert	7th	10th	9th	9th
Stanley Kent	12th	8th	5th	7th
Bobbie O'Brien	13th	17th	16th	16th
Jed Smithson	4th	1st	1st	1st
Joe O’Brien	8th	2nd	5th	6th
Ben Bisson	28th	18th	15th	15th
Isabella Escalera	22nd	19th	18th	12th
Cameron Still	32nd	14th	21st	23rd
Nathan George	45th	18th	17th	36th

Well done to every single one of you!

If you want to follow Slipstreamers progress please click here. We'll be sure to have a final roundup of results next week for you, and hopefully a few more photos to share!

Please Read - Rider Safety

We don't like to nag. But we also like to ensure you are staying safe whilst cycling. Unfortunately, we don't have all the answers and we are not medical professionals, but we are well informed when it comes to cycling safety, a lot of which is based on common sense and experience. If you have not done so already, PLEASE READ OUR SAFETY GUIDE BY CLICKING HERE - there is bound to be something in there you have not considered.

There are a few particularly important points, however, we'd like to reiterate upfront:

Riding With Sustenance:

Energy and hydration are absolutely fundamental before and after any exercise session, be it Saturday practice or a race. Not eating or drinking properly before and after your cycle causes fatigue and dehydration that can be easily avoided! Remember to:

Eat a proper breakfast before you leave home - porridge is always a winner, as is toast with perhaps egg toppers or even some jam;
Pack a few energy snacks for a pre and post-race re-fuel - your usual enegry bar/ gel, a flapjack, a banana or a granola bar work well (crisps and sweets don't count!);
Stay hydrated at all times - always make sure you have plenty of water, especially when it's sunny and warm!

There is a wealth of excellent information and guidance on the Internet, but here are 2 very informative articles worth reading:

All about nutrion on the British Cycling Insight Zone here
A guide on what to eat before and after cycling on the BBC Good Food website here

Riding the Day After Sickness:

If you are ill the day - or indeed a few days - before a Saturday session, you should not be attending the Saturday session unless you are 100% recovered! There have been occasions where a rider has taken the Friday off school, felt slightly better on the Saturday morning, but then worsened during a session. This is very dangerous, especially if a rider takes ill - for example a dizzy spell, a sneeze or coughing fit, or even a temporary loss of balance - whilst on the track! We do our very best to keep all riders safe, but we have no control over this kind of scenario and would be very grateful for parents to please exercise good judgement when bringing your children to a session after a recent illness. It would also help our CWOs and Coaches if we are notified of recent illness - that way, we can assess and manage any potential risk. If in doubt, please do talk to us - we are here to help!

Your Helmet:

This is without a doubt the single most important part of your cycling kit, and can truly be the difference between a very serious head injury and a simple bump on the head! Here is an example of one of our U10 riders, Ollie, whose helmet did it's job during a crash on Monday evening:

Please make sure your helmet fits you correctly, and that it has not degraded - did you know that the polystyrene layer inside each helmet eventually hardens and degrades, slowly reducing the impact shock absorption over time that this layer provides on impact? This is why you should replace your helmet at least every 3 years or so. Here is some useful informaton on the British Cycling website around buying and fitting a helmet, and a video that walks you through how to do a helmet and clothing check. Please do take the time to check your helmet is safe to use and safely fitted!

PLEASE READ OUR SAFETY GUIDE BY CLICKING HERE for more information and other useful tips - we'll upate this from time to time so do bookmark the page...

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 absolutely committed to your success as a rider, so much so that he will go out of his way to help you achieve your maximum potential. If you haven't met him yet, do go and say hello! You will always find him at the early power sessions, he is your Time Trial guru, and has taken the lead with your coaches to promote initiatives such as the Inter Club competition and our very own Race Days. Indeed, meet none other than...

Dave George: Head Coach

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

{How long have you been volunteering at HSS?}

I think it must be getting on for 4 years, but not really sure. Like most volunteers, I started out watching the activities, and was encouraged to take part by Brian Wright who was head coach at the time. At the time, I was doing some Bikeability training with adults, and Brian encouraged me to make the leap from training to coaching. He soon recruited me into Prime Coaching, and then asked me to start coaching at Field End School as well as Slipstreamers. I think that marked the end of any free time I once had. I admired his energy and all that he gave to the development of youth cycle sport, and learned heaps from him. I miss him dearly, as a friend, a mentor and an inspiration.

{What is the best/ worst part of your role at HSS?}

The best part is easy – it’s seeing riders progress. As riders mature in both outlook and ability, it makes the job very rewarding to witness continuous improvement and development. Seeing you all do well, in different areas, not just in performance terms but in other life skills such as self-discipline and social bonding is amazing job satisfaction. The worst part is I only get to attend once a week!

{What do you do in your spare time, away from HSS?}

I love music – but my enthusiasm is far greater than my ability. I learned to read music aged 5, probably before I could read words, and it is something I find more useful as I get older. I played in brass bands when I was younger, playing a mixture of cornet, trumpet and euphonium. (For the older folks this is where I insert the gag about playing on the linoleum as a child!). I later taught myself to play saxophone and clarinet and I dabble with keyboards but have yet to learn a chord. I’m so bad I only play for myself, so please never ask for a recital.

{What is your “real” job?}

I have a chequered past – I have been a grave-digger, an anti-tank gunner, an assault course instructor, a freelance magazine writer and a management accountant. I gave all that up when IT was in its infancy and for over twenty years I was a computer programmer. These days, I have been “promoted” away from where I can do any real damage to anything electrical except the kettle. My title is “Lead Integration Specialist”, which means I attend meetings, draw pictures on whiteboards, drink tea, delete emails and keep Asti and Emma fed with newsletter content. My mum says “he’s something in computers” – both my boss and I agree that I am something – we just don’t know what.

{What is your most interesting cycling/ sporting experience?}

If anyone has sat me down and got me talking, then they have probably heard me bang on about the “Semaine Federale” in France, which is the ultimate gathering of cyclists for a week long set of rides through different parts of France. Those weeks exposed some of the best areas of France to cycle in and have been great adventures for my mates and I. I also gained entry into the “59:59 Club”, by covering 25 miles in 1 second under the hour in a Time Trial. I have been faster, but 59:59 is the most I’m proud of.

{What is your favorite band/ artist/ musician of all time?}

I grew up in Manchester in the 80’s and early 90’s when everyone had a band. One minute you’d be going to school with someone, the next you’d be seeing them on live stage or on TV. I grew up on a staple of Northern Soul (in the clubs) and post-punk-electro-pop (in the live music venues). I’m stuck with the memories and back catalogue of the now defunct New Order. I don’t really get any music that was produced after 1993.

{If you could meet any historical figure, past or present, who would it be and why?}

I’m lucky enough to have met one of my heroes. I’ve always admired explorers. Some years ago I attended a lecture by Robert Swan OBE, who was the first man to walk to both the North and South Pole. In 1986, he and two others walked 900 miles over 70 days unaided to the South Pole. When he made the trek to the North Pole sometime after, the lack of protection from the sun due to the hole in the ozone layer bleached his brown eyes to pale blue. To hear his stories first hand, rather than from a book, is a remarkable experience. He’s another inspiration. When I’m struggling with something I consider to be tough, I ask myself “What would Robert Swan do?”.

{If you could time travel to any era, historical or future, where would you go?}
Roman Britain, to experience how an invading force established such a stronghold in both infrastructure and culture in such a short period of time.
{If you could be any fictional character from a book, comic, movie etc., whom would you choose?}
Batman – just awesome!
{If you could be any animal, bird or insect for a day, what would you choose?}
There are three animals that stand out to me:

1. The Tortoise. One of the oldest species of animals that shows no signs of evolving – and what a design! A hard dome with a lizard inside – genius!
2. The Penguin. The emperor penguin shows no sign of making any process improvements to his life and stands all winter in the coldest place on Earth with an egg between his legs. Lazy, just lazy. If I was a penguin I’d be thinking of using my swimming technique to do the same thing with the egg on a warm beach somewhere.
3. My absolute favourite is the Shetland Pony. This animal is not required to work like a mule or a donkey, is not farmed for food or raced, and his only purpose in life is to keep the grass short and be patted on the head. That’s something I could live with…..

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

Wherever you go, if you have an exciting cycling related story or experience, tell us about it and we will show it off!

Reporting from the Commonwealth Games...

Ciarán Reed, an U14's member, sent in this awesome photo from the games up in Glasgow:

Ciarán's Experience with his Family...

"We were lucky enough to have tickets to watch the final session of the track cycling at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Our seats were almost exactly in line with the finishing line - and we managed to call all bar one of the photo finishes correctly. Top quality racing, the highlight being Laura Trott winning the ladies' Points race on the final sprint."

How exciting! If anyone else has stories to share from the games, do send these in to us! Which leads us nicely onto a request to please...

Send us your Snippets of Chatter...

As you can tell from our Winner's Corner feature, Slipstreamers are out and about racing all the time! Riders, please send 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...

Dews Farm Off-Site Mountain Bike Session - Saturday 9th August

NOTE: We will send location details and a reminder in next week's issue, but for now we need to know who will be attending Dews Farm on the 9th. Even if you are a regular at Dews Farm, if you will be attending, please kindly confirm by emailing sigon@slipstreamers.co.uk ASAP.

ALL Slipstreamers (parents may ride too) are welcome to attend, BUT you need to be aware the quarry is fairly technical terrain, and you must have a suitable level of mountain biking ability to attend. You will also need to ensure you have an appropriate off road mountain bike with gears. If you are in doubt, please contact us by reply for further details, or talk to the Mountain Bike coaches. And if you are unsure about attending, and need some convincing about how much fun you'll have, check out the photos from our previous session by clicking here, or do email us with any questions.

Calshot Velodrome Bookings

If you would like to attend a session at any of the Calshot session dates listed below, please note that you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk . Please note that you may not just simply turn up at Calshot - this is a bookings only activity. If you have any general questions about Calshot, please email Steve, or feel free to email sigon@slipstreamers.co.uk and we'll do our best to help.

If You'd Like To Buy Club Kit

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

BC Summer Holiday Programme

If you are stuck with ideas on what to do during the Summer holiday, there are some fantastic activities going on - do check out the BC Central Region provisional holiday programme for full details!

Diary Dates - Upcoming

2nd 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!
9th 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!
- Dews Farm Quarry - Mountain biking off site. Sign on from 9.30am - 10am. YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER!
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!
7th September:
- Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk
20th September:
- Safety Saturday - details to follow soon...
27th September:
- Family Fun Day!! Details to follow soon...
26th October:
- Calshot track - you MUST book your place in advance by emailing Steve May direcly on stevemay@dircon.co.uk
22nd November:
- 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!
- 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 - 26th July...

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

Mudslingers:

Mountain bikers did not race this week, so no race results to report!

Circuit Racers:

U8 : Lucy for the girls, and Aubrey Henderson-Kirk for the boys
U10: Ollie Emment for the boys, and Amelie Taylor for the girls
U12: Josh Goraya for the boys, and Jessica Henning for the girls
U14: Morgan Evans for the boys, and Orla Devlin for the girls
U16: Connor Woodford for the boys, no girls racing.

Fantastic results all of you!!

From Further Afield, Wearing the Slipstreamers Colours...

Crystal Palace Crits 13, 29th July

U14 Girls: 1st Kate Shelton

Odd Down Summer Series 8, 29th July

U16 Boys: 2nd Louis Rose-Davies

Velo Club Venta Summer Crit 1, 29th July

U8 Boys: 2nd Pascal Giret
U8 Girls: 1st Bobbie O'Brien
U10 Boys: 1st Alex Uphill

Maindy Flyers 1-Day Youth Stage Race National, 27th July

U14 Girls: 3rd Lorna Bowler

Castle Combe Series 12, 24th July

U14 Girls: 2nd Lorna Bowler
U12 Girls: 1st Jemma Bowler
U10 Boys: 1st Jed Smithson
U8 Girls: 2nd Kim Bowler

Pedal Heaven Eelmore Series 7, 23rd July

U12 Boys:   1st Nathan George
U10 Boys:   1st Joe O'Brien, 2nd Ben Bisson
U8   Boys:   1st Ben Coppola

Crystal Palace 12, 22nd July

U10 Boys: 2nd Cameron Still

Sontonia Criterium, 20th July

U10 Boys: 1st Oliver Emment
U8 Boys: 1st Pascal Giret

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!!

CYCLING FUN FACT (S) OF THE WEEK

Did You Know...?

Before 1840 bicycles did not have cranks until a Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan made the first modern bicycle, which also featured iron rims. The bike was not a success. Before that, you had to kick yourself forward.
The longest “tandem” bike was over 20 meters long and it seated 35 people. It was recorded in the history of dumb ideas as a prime example.
There are about 1 billion bicycles in the world, more than double the amount of cars.
You can park about 15 bicycles in the same space that one car takes.

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

IF YOU'VE MISSED A FEW OF OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS, HERE ARE THE LINKS TO OUR ARCHIVE:

24th July: Race Day Special, Calshot, BC Summer Activities, Meet John, and MUCH more...
17th July: Club Race Day 2, TT Race Reports, Who's Who - Alison, and MUCH more...
10th July: Alison Receives Award, Tour Experiences, Dews Farm, and MUCH more...
3rd July: Le Tour, Assessment Results, Timetable, Race Reports, and MUCH more...
26th June: Special Issue - Nationals Feature!
19th June: National Series Prep, GHS Results, Awards, Ride Chilterns, and More...
12th June: Race Day Special, Velodrome, GHS Startsheet, and MUCH More...
5th June : Race Reports, Club Race Day, Kit Update and More...
29th May: Nationals Update, Olympic Velodrome, and More...
22nd May: Inter Club TT Report, Assen Update, MTB Dews Farm, and More...
15th May: Rider Safety, Time Trials Galore, National School Games, and More...
8th May 2014: Kit Sale, Time Trials, Results, and More...
1st May 2014: Promoting Cycling Event, Condor London, and More...
24th April 2014: Dews Farm MTB Session, Westerley TT Results and More.