Dear Slipstreamers Riders and Parents,

Welcome to your weekly club newsletter. In this week's issue read all about the fun and excitement of our second Race Day last weekend, and enjoy the fabulous photos taken and shared. In the Who's Who Corner you'll get to know John Gunn a bit better, and do heed some of the new dates added to the Reminders section. As usual, we include the all important race results and some more bizarre fun facts! 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. We hope you enjoy this week's issue!

 

Club Race Day 2 Feature - As It Happened!

July’s Race Day was somewhat kinder in weather terms than the previous one in May, and whilst numbers appeared slightly down, the racing was extremely exciting. Race Days are intended to allow those that don’t race on a regular basis the opportunity to test their race skills and performance, and to experience how age category races are conducted. Separate circuit and mountain bike races were held, and the morning's run of events went ahead as planned with no hiccups to the itinerary - thank you to all our riders for co-operating with us! We really hope you enjoyed the races as much as we do organising them for you – it’s extremely important for us as coaches to see how you are improving and what areas we may need to work on.
 

Race Day In a Few Snaps...

As ever, we like to ensure special events are recorded for prosperity, and thanks to a few wonderful parents who sent in pictures, we have collated some amazing photos of our Slipstreamers on the circuit and the podium. As we normally do:

• If you'd like to see a fantastic collection of the best photos showcasing riders on the track in action, and winners on the podium, and presented in a storyboard, do CLICK HERE FOR MOUNTAIN BIKE SNAPS, CLICK HERE FOR CIRCUIT SNAPS
• If you'd like to download any photos for your own personal use, feel free to visit the google album by clicking here (please note this link is not for wider distribution and only for viewing by Slipstreamers)

 

Race Day In a Few Words...

Read on for special reports from your respective MTB and Circuit coaches...
 

Mudslingers (aka Mountain Bikers) Races

After a warm-up and some pre-competition drills behind the clubhouse, our very own Mudslingers took to the mountain bike course.  They were joined by a handful of riders fresh from racing the circuit, with especially strong representation in the younger categories.

Conditions in the bowl were a bit overgrown, with recent weather having creating a challenging course and grass taller than some of the riders! The twelve-strong field of U6s and U8s set off first, engaging in a hard-fought, four-lap battle among both experienced and first-time riders. Katie Allsop and Ted Vasey took home the U6 honours, while newcomers Lucy Allsop and Ben Coppola took their respective top places in the U8s after having raced the road circuit earlier. The bravery award went to Scarlett Hirst after a tangling of bikes took her down in the tall grass and she was forced to withdraw (only to be seen re-riding the course after her return from the first aid room!).

A second offroad section was added to the course for the U10, U12, and U14 categories, who charged an uphill start and then dove into the singletrack. With no U10 girls to challenge them, the U10s were an all-male field, Oliver Emment taking top honours after having raced the circuit earlier. After holding a very strong position throughout the race, Alexander Williams experienced an unfortunate mechanical on the last lap and was forced to withdraw. William Jones took home the perserverance and determination award in the hard-fought U10 category.

In the U12s, sole-female rider Hope Wilson showed her usual offroad prowess – of course winning her category, but taking second overall in the overall age group. Ollie Dawson took a break from the roadbike to win the U12 boys category, despite his avowed dislike of trail obstacles.

Finally, the U14s category brought a two-way battle among the boys, with Seth Kanaris prevailing over a very enthusiastic Zack Taylor who grinned ear-to-ear throughout the entire race.

Full race results appear in the Winners Corner.
 

Circuit Races

The U8/U10 started the morning’s racing. The U10 trio of Jed Smithson/Joe O’Brien/Cameron Still made an early break. The boys demonstrated good sporting behaviour, letting Jed get back into the group after returning from a puncture, and a fierce yet controlled sprint for the finish saw Jed win by a very narrow margin. Caitlin Loveless put in a solid performance to claim the first girl spot. The U8’s race saw Millie Coleman wedge herself in between Stanley Kent and Finlay Hawker to claim 2nd overall and 1st girl.

The U12’s category saw the largest number of riders of the day. The race was quickly dominated by a group of 5 made up of Gabe/George/Oisin/Jemma/Nathan – the group demonstrating their ability to try and outpace each other in a near sprint on every lap. The group of 5 became a 4 with a few laps to go as Nathan dropped off of the group to join up with Josh. Meanwhile, another group was forming consisting of Kye/Ross/Abby/Charles/Max, all working together trying to close the gap between Nathan and Josh. The first three boys Gabe, George and Oisin made up the winning boys, and Jemma, Abby and Jessica in that order for the winning girls.

The final race was the mixed U14/U16 race. At the race briefing, as normal, we advised that should you find yourself dropped from a group you should look for someone to ride with and share the work. Peter Hewson was seen to be shaking his head, and the reason was soon to become clear. From the off, Peter made a lone break to win outright in the U14 boys, with the group of Morgan, Nicholas and Thomas some distance back. Lorna and Kate demonstrated the great strength we have in the U14 girls by managing to stay up with the U16’s for most of the race and coming-in 1st and second overall in this age group.

The U16’s looked on paper to be a real power house of a race, with the strong riders of Josh Murphy and Sam Henning, combined with the energy of an on-form Josh Copley along with James Norwood and the ever present Harriet Mellor, plus the embedded U14’s. As it turned out, the racing was pedestrian in parts, meaning it was going to come down to a sprint finish. James Norwood tried to put in some gallant attacks, but was quickly closed down, and in the end forcing the spent James to abandon. The final 200m saw the sprint launched – and looking at the activity it was near impossible to see who was leading. The final 25 meters saw the real burst of power with Josh Copley coming from an almost non-existent lead to take the spot by a wheel. Harriet Mellor rolled over the line seconds later to take 1st girl.

Full race results appear in the Winners Corner.
 

A Word of Thanks...

Again, we all enjoyed organising this race day, and hope you all enjoyed your second race day. A huge big thanks to FIAT Auto (UK) who provided the fantastic extra special prizes for our 1st place champions, and of course to Nick O'Brien from Jaguar, who donated the water bottles for all our podium winners! These events can only go ahead with the commitment and dedication of those who make it happen, and so a MASSIVE thank you go to everyone who helped out, especially your coaches and volunteers who worked tirelessly to plan, set up courses, and ensure you all had a fantastic experience.

The next time you will get the chance to race like this as a club will be at the Club Championships later in the year - keep reading the newletter each week for updates on when these will be. We hope you appreciate the demands on racers of such an event, and have been able to reflect on your racing and look for areas where you think you could improve.

Well done to everyone who took raced - even if you didn't clinch a podium spot, you are ALL SUPERSTARS!

 
 

BC Summer Holiday Programme

If you are stuck with ideas on what to do during the Summer holiday, take a look at the following for some ideas to keep you on your bikes!

BC Central Region provisional holiday programme - click here for full details:

• Women & Girls Rider development session
• Fiesta 3 Day Holiday Programme - Hillingdon/Swinley Forest Holiday Coaching Programmes
  • Day 1 - Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. Circuit Racing Skills.
  • Day 2 - Canal ride to Hayes BMX Track with Hayes Hawks.   
  • Day 3 - Mountain Biking at the Lookout Swinley Forest.
• Claires Court 2-day Go-Ride Holiday Programme:
  • Day 1 - Grass Track Skills and Competition.
  • Day 2 Cyclo-Cross Skills and Competition. Mountain Bike skills
• Central Region Summer MTB Coaching - Milton Keynes
• Ian Stannards Skills & Racking Kids Camp - Milton Keynes

Calshot Velodrome - Upcoming Dates

The following dates have been booked for Calshot track sessions. Please make a note of these dates for now, and keep an eye on the newsletter for updates on what the booking process for Calshot will be - we will clarify this in next week's issue.

• Sunday 7 Sept 2014
• Sunday 26 Oct 2014
• Saturday 22 Nov 2014
• Sunday 15 Feb 2015
• Sunday 22 Mar 2015

 

Farewell & Good Luck...

... to fellow long time Slipstreamer, Sam Gilbert, who will be moving with his family to the Middle East. Good luck Sam - we hope you manage to find a cycling club to keep your cycling skills in check! If you are ever back in the UK for a visit, do come and say hello to us one Saturday morning!


Bon voyage Sam & family!
 

John Gunn: Your Vice-Chairman, L2 & L2 MTB Coach! We asked John a few questions we thought you'd be interested to know the asnwers to: {How long have you been volunteering at HSS?} My daughter Hannah was just 4 when we first came along, and she’s 17 now so it must be 13 years! {What is the best/ worst part of your role at HSS?} Best part is every Saturday morning, getting there and knowing that all the hours during the week are worth the effort when 100 or more kids turn up to ride their bikes. Worst part is hearing that anyone, rider, parent, helper, coach, has a problem but has not come to us to tell us and see what we can do about it. We are just looking after the club for the members for the time being: it’s not our club, it belongs to everyone reading this! {What do you do in your spare time, away from HSS?} Mountain biking and swimming. Time with the family before the kids move on is precious. {What is your “real” job?} I am a Director of a freight forwarding company. I arrange transport of goods, and their passage through customs, by air, ocean and road across the world, both import and export. {What is your most interesting cycling/ sporting experience?} When I was in my last year of school (16), some adult visitors from America challenged our basketball team to a match and said they’d never been beaten during their tour. On the day it was pouring with rain so the whole school crammed into the gym to cheer us on. I was captain and we thrashed them! In the same year I travelled to New York with the British Airways basketball team and played Pan Am’s team. I managed to score a basket against a team of giants!

{What is your favorite band/ artist/ musician of all time?}
I’ve always enjoyed a wide range of music. In the past year or so I’ve been to see Green Day, Coldplay, Muse, Manic Street Preachers, The Stranglers. I’ve booked up to see Kasabian in December, that should be a good one.
{If you could meet any historical figure, past or present, who would it be and why?}
Ayrton Senna, an enigma and my motor racing hero. I saw him go from 5^th to 1^st place, in one lap, in the pouring rain, at the European Grand Prix at Donnington Park in 1993. A lap that Murray Walkers calls the greatest he’s ever seen. Senna went on to win the race. I also saw him win in Monaco the same year.
{If you could time travel to any era, historical or future, where would you go?}
You can’t go forward, you might not like what you find! I often go to Mercedes Benz World and the Brooklands museum. I look out at the remnants of the track there and wonder what it might have been like in 1907 when it opened, crowded with 1000’s of people just 6 years after the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. That’s where I’d like to go.
{If you could be any fictional character from a book, comic, movie etc., whom would you choose?}
That would have to be the coolest dude ever….wait for it….Baloo the bear from the Jungle Book! He seemed to be having a good time, all the time.
{If you could be any animal, bird or insect for a day, what would you choose?}
I could spend all day looking at Google Earth so it would have to be a bird. Those Red Kites must get a good view of the Chilterns, that would be good for a day. Probably have to go on a diet for the day though, don’t fancy carrion for dinner!

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


 

Race Chatter - Reports, Updates and General Chit Chat

Watch this space - more to follow...

 

A Few Reminders - Don't Forget...

 

If You'd Like To Buy Club Kit

 

Diary Dates - Upcoming

• 26th July :
  • 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!
• 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
• 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!
• 17th August:
  • Lookout Mountain Bike Session. Family/ friends ride in Swinley Forest, Bracknell. Arrive 9am for a 9.30am start.
• 7th September:
  • Calshot track - details to follow soon...
• 20th September:
  • Safety Saturday - details to follow soon...
• 27th September:
  • Family Fun Day!! Details to follow soon...
• 26th October:
  • Calshot track - details to follow soon...
• 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 - details to follow soon...
• 15th February 2015:
  • Calshot track - details to follow soon...
• 22nd March 2015:
  • Calshot track - details to follow soon...

 

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

• 17th July 2014: 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.