| Welcome to the VCGH Winter 2008 Newsletter | |||
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The
question I am often asked is ‘why we want to grow the Club
membership?’ In truth we have little choice. Taken together, our
excellent website and word-of-mouth recommendation encourage people to
try a social ride whereupon they generally encounter a friendly,
outgoing and relevant bunch of people with whom to spend some time
‘awheel’. Incrementally, more and more people will join Velo Club
Godalming + Haslemere without our Promotion Secretary doing very much
at all [just editing occasional newsletters – RobM]! After three
years, membership now stands at over 100 and
I forecast that this pattern of growth will continue. Rupert is one of the ‘good guys’ in life and he is already much missed on the board. Originally the Chairman and driving force behind Rother Valley Cycle Club, Rupert was the inspiration behind its amalgamation with the then VC Godalming in order to form the Club we have today. |
The role of Chairman is tricky in a voluntary organisation: Rupert navigated it with dedication despite having some big personalities to coral. I think I speak for everyone in thanking him for his tireless energy, great advice and gentle hand on the tiller.
Meanwhile our online forums, online payment systems, online calendar (and a bunch of other tools in the planning stage) mean that we are able to keep in touch with one another, organise Club events with greater ease and have an active and I hope increasingly relevant menu of events to encourage you out on the trail and the road. The website is fast becoming a social network where you can lurk, learn, share, plan your cycling year, look for resources or find riding buddies that suit the intensity and duration of riding you want to do. |
Inevitably things are rough around the edges from time to time, but at the centre of this fast-growing cycling club we have what many others envy, a very supportive membership with a fantastically inclusive attitude. At the heart of the Club is our commitment to allow anyone prepared to make the effort, a way of getting fit and having fun through cycling. Okay, so with the profoundly unfit we currently struggle to find a clear path for inclusion, but as we grow in all areas of cycling ability the rides, the training programs and the events we plan are better meeting a variety of needs.
Growth is good for us all,
we meet new people, we learn, we ride and train with new faces and
share our enthusiasm for a brilliant and empowering sport. VC
Godalming + Haslemere is at the forefront of a new model of sports
Clubs, built around communications technology and the social
networking model that has become ubiquitous amongst those born into
the digital age. This means we are able to offer a broader range of
activities to a more divers group of members. The traditional glass
ceiling that limited size through poor communication tools is I
believe behind us, it is a brave new world and one we are embracing
with open arms. Marco Burgin, Club Secretary, VCGH. |
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| Contents | |||
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| VCGH Members Survey Results Summary, November 2008 | |||
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Well thanks to the 61 of you who completed
our inaugural club survey, (Full results).
Interestingly, out of 99 members that’s 62% participation, exactly the
same turnout as the U.S election – and if it’s good enough to vote in
the president of the USA its good enough for us! Highlights are: Most members are looking for more fun out of their cycling, and almost 70% of us have aspirations to become ‘athletically fit’ – so bring on 2012 (even if quite a few of us are middle-aged and nearly half of us have been cycling for over 10 years). . The club is predominately male (at the moment) and is pretty much split half & half between Road and MTB. However 70% of us do more than one discipline, so a good mix and over half of us manage to squeeze in some mid-week riding in addition to core weekend pedalling. And it looks like we can expect see more members out on club rides next year based on 49% of your forecasting an increase in your time spent riding – unless you’re going out on your own. This is unlikely though, as the social element is a key reason for joining the club and thankfully nearly everyone agrees it’s meeting expectations for the most part (90% agree/agree strongly that the club has met their expectations. |
One of the main reasons for the survey was to understand where the committees should focus on developing the club offer, and based on responses we’ll now be able to ensure we’re focussing limited resources against what the members see as most relevant/important – so no wild goose chases hopefully! Without going in to detail it looks like there’s strong interest from Roadies for some spring training camps and some formal training programmes, and from MTB’ers strong interest in taking part in timed events & building MTB skills.
So thanks again for taking part and the committees will now start to
look at implications of what we do next – so watch this space. |
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| Mountain Biking Section 2008 Summary | |||
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It's been a fantastic
year of mountain biking despite the lack of any real summer again. It
looks like the best time for fair weather mountain biking is now
spring and autumn. Luckily for us we are on the edge of the various
Surrey Hills commons which are well-draining sand with enough
singletrack interest and climbing for a decent ride. On the better
days we can still easily make it up to the Winterfold and Peaslake
area for some of the very best singletrack riding in the country. And
then to the south our tougher Haslemere rides take in some big climbs,
fun descents and excellent views and breakfast stops!
Always read the details contained within the emails about a ride as they do vary! For 2009 we may introduce a bit more detail regarding technicality and fitness requirements into the emails to help you decide which rides are the most appropriate for you. This may involve a grading system but details are in the planning stages at the moment. Ride numbers have remained strong with plenty of interest in doing more which is great. Over a quarter of the club have booked a place on one of the MTB skills sessions and the feedback and my own personal experience of the sessions is extremely positive. As a result of this and the increased demand for more challenging riding, we are increasing our Saturday offering with a new initiative in 2009 which is detailed in ‘Mountain Bike – Saturday Rides’ below. |
People have volunteered
to lead and race in the recent club survey so I'll be looking into that
with the rest of the MTB committee to see what the next steps are. Chris Hunt deserves a special mention for his outstanding results in the Southern XC Series this year achieving 4th place overall in the Men's Masters which is his best result to date. Lee, Joanne, Grant and Rob are also worthy of special mention for their achievements in MTB racing this year (I know that there are others too that could be mentioned here!). We are hoping to put together a 2009 MTB activity calendar as we did in 2007. When we have completed it we'll send it on and publish a link within the forums. It will help you plan your training and give you an idea of the sorts of things that you can get involved with. For example, we are planning to repeat the Saturday Swinley Sessions, training rides and Wales trip as well as hoping to get more people involved in XC and Enduro races in 2009 (see below). Mark Reynolds, MTB Secretary |
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Sunday rides are Sunday rides, they're the back-bone of the club and
in the year or so that I've been riding with VCGH they've always been
good for a few hours on the bike with some decent(ish) banter over the
various trails, bridle-ways, routes, paths, cafes and tea rooms around
the Surrey Hills and South Downs. Sunday rides will and should always
be like this, because they're good and pressure-free. |
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River crossing on the TransWales 2008 If you can get to the start line then you'll soon get chatting to people who're of the same opinion – i.e. they can't figure out why they're riding/racing in the mud with a few hundred other people on a Sunday morning either! All you have to do after that is settle in for the duration, drink and eat a little and often and enjoy riding somewhere you've never been before. And don't forget about all the chips, cake, pies and pints you could reward yourself with having ridden for that long. I've been doing MTB endurance events for a few years now and although each one is different my mindset remains the same, I can probably do the distance but I'm always wondering if I can do it better than the last time. This is my own little mental competitive problem that somehow gets me out on my bike in some truly grim weather, but it is nice to do the same course even an few minutes better second time around.
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With the above in mind I entered TransScotland in 2007: 7 days of 60-100k each day on the bike with Special Stages for points/places. To say that I was extremely nervous on the start line would understate my anxiety level, but by the end of the first day I realised that most of the people I was riding with had never done events like this either, so I settled down to see about going the distance. Which I did. This year the event was TransWales: the same deal as before with in excess of 550km over 7days. I knew I could ride my bike for 7days because of last year, but could I improve my finishing position? Turned out that the people I met at the start for the second year running were also wondering the same thing.
Unlike the more famous TransRockies/Alps events, the
TransUK
events are run similar to a car rally with linking stages between the
special stages. Linking stages varied from 65k to 100k and time
penalties were only given if riders were outside the generous cut-off
times; so places could be gained/lost on these rides. The TransUK events calendar is normally announced around Christmas, so if you’re looking for a New Year’s Resolution that'll spur you on to get you out in all weathers and focus your riding for five months, this is worth a look. Dates for Merida should be released soon too. This year I also tried my hand at the other end of the endurance racing spectrum, I entered the madness that is Megavalanche a downhill race that starts at the top of Alpe d'Huez on a glacier at 3000m and then goes over stuff that I never thought I'd ever ride. It takes over an hour to complete and is a whole different definition of Endurance MTB. |
The problem is; now that I survived it this year I'm wondering if I could do better next time around. I do mean survived, my time was rubbish and Alpe d'Huez kicked the crap out off me and my bike, but it is still the best race I've ever been in. Until next year obviously!
Finally, as is now becoming traditional, we finished the season off
with the Dusk 'til Dawn overnight 12-hour team endurance race. I think
it's fair to say the VCGH team did better than we were all expecting
especially considering (or maybe helped by) the weather that night.
There was a definite moisture based theme to this years "summer". Lee Irvine, MTB Captain |
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The
racing the scene has been great this year with two fantastic local
series and a few one -off races to enjoy. |
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As Lee has written
above, we encourage you to join us for racing in 2009 and to
help your body and mind we’ll both be leading Saturday training rides
in 2009. Hopefully we will be able to build a team which should be
fun; you don't have to be dead serious about racing to take part. The
courses are an experience to be enjoyed even if you're not driven (or
physiologically blessed) to be the best. Ride dates for 2009 will be posted on the website about a week in advance. All race dates will be posted on the website early in 2009 but they are subject to change so check the websites of the organisers themselves. Each race with full details will be posted the week of the race. Chris Hunt, MTB Race Captain |
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Touring - taking on the Giant
The Bedoin route takes the southern slope up the Ventoux and though the distance and average gradient of 7.5% are the same as that of the North Slope, the climb is more arid and deceptively easy as it meanders over gentle slopes for 6 km with vines and cherry orchards either side of the road. |
The first hamlet passed is ‘Les Baux’ and then the bends tighten somewhat before the next village of ‘St Esteve’ - formerly the start of a Formula One hill climb where a famous banked bend once existed (see picture of a Ferrari taking the bend rather faster than us), it has since been removed during road improvements. This is where the climb ‘really begins’ and from here on in you congratulate your selection of a carbon bike with a triple chainset. [Not that in 2000 Armstong and Pantani were in need of such low gears on the 87th edition of Le Tour as it covered this same road – ed]. Also at this point, the forest encloses the road giving shade and protection from the morning sunshine which in turn evaporates the water from last night’s heavy thunderstorm in small clouds of steam that rises from the tarmac.
Peter Phipps, our volunteer chauffeur for the day, was
driving back and forth checking on liquids and extra warm clothing
that may be required (none needed at this point), although smiles and
encouragement were also offered and gratefully received! Pete is a dab
hand with the camera so even the grimaces were apparent as the long
steep straights turned into hairpins. After this section of the
forest, the gradient increases to as much as 12%. |
Rounding the next bend, the cloud base had descended
and I began considering my lack of front or rear lights; although the
passing traffic was infrequent it could be hazardous with vehicles not
seeing you in good time. After another kilometre the strong mistral
wind hit me head-on at what felt like 120 kph and nearly blowing me
clean off the bike, so I stopped and put my feet down on the
message-strewn tarmac to keep my balance until the gusts subsided.
Next up was the commemorative pillar to Tom Simpson, who died right
here, only 1km from the summit during the Tour de France 1967.
Hundreds of bidons add colour to a desolate spot that is nevertheless
a moving tribute to one of Britain’s greatest cyclists.
By now I had done 20km and although the ambient temperature had
dropped to 7c I hadn’t noticed as I was feeling extremely hot from
putting all my energy into the climb. Pete stopped the car and
insisted that I put on my Pac-lite jacket to keep warm as hypothermia
can kick in without you knowing it and I wanted to reach the ‘Col de
Tempetes’ next, so named for being swept by all winds which blow here,
reaching up to 250 kph. |
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| Road Event Calendar | |||
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Being able to plan ahead is one of things that helps people get more
out of their cycling, so we are proposing to publish an event calendar
that allows members to look at the year ahead. Some of you do your own
research into events, but to make it easier for everyone to be
motivated throughout the winter in order to be ready for 2009 we’ll be
signposting suitable events for you on the calendar, which is likely
to be composed of the
opposite. I have
been looking at last year’s VCGH website calendar for ideas of events
and have been asking active club members for their recommendations;
the calendar is almost complete but it’s not too late to flag up to me
an event that impressed you this year -
davenyss@googlemail.com . Dave Nyss, Road Captain |
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| Studio Cycling at Charterhouse Sports Club | |||
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Since the beginning of September the club has been organising Studio Cycling (or spinning as most people know it) on a Wednesday and Thursday evening, giving members the opportunity and incentive to do some mid-week training despite the dark, wet and cold weather that discourages many riders from going out on the road. So far it has proved very popular, with nearly 40 people signing up including some ‘knobbly-tyre’ types. Even founder-member/lifetime member Glenn Duffy has made an appearance.
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Each person in the class can choose their own goals for the session. Some members choose to maintain a moderate, aerobic intensity level, while others drive their heart rates higher in intervals of anaerobic activity. Rides simulate variations in terrain by altering resistance and cadence. Instructors will guide classes by mentioning what level of exertion (based on heart rate or ‘rate of perceived exertion’) you should be at, depending on whether the group is ‘hill-climbing’ or sprinting for example. The instructor uses music and enthusiastic coaching to motivate you, and besides being a great calorie-burner (400-600 calories in 40 minutes), spinning is also beneficial in strengthening the muscles of the lower body; let me know if you’d like to try spicing up your training (or even just beginning it) with a session at Charterhouse. Dave Nyss, Road Captain |
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| Some More Thoughts On Training | |||
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Binge-training is much like binge-drinking; neither gives you body time to adapt and both may end up doing you harm. Far better to be consistent in your training as fitness is something that develops s-l-o-w-l-y. And pat yourself of the back for doing even 80% of your intended training plan every week (you do have a plan, don’t you?) as none of us are professional cyclists and we usually have ‘stuff’ to deal with that squeezes our cycling time. Focus on enjoying the ride; if you’re new to cycling you‘ll probably get fitter on just one mid-week session and one weekend session every week. Once the early gains are made though, you have to decide just how much fitter you’d like to be. What is your aim? Is it realistic? Then write it down and make it your target outcome for the next few months. You’ll need a lower level of fitness to join me on an 80km casual ride than you will for a two-hour road race or a 200km sportive. Writing down achievable outcomes gives you a forward-thinking frame of mind; it gives you a definite goal to achieve. |
Having written goals helps avoids the situation where you
drift along comparing yourself negatively to others who are ‘fitter’,
or adopting other people’s goals, both of which in my experience are
recipes for being unhappy. If you find the right objective you’ll be
happy to find the physical time and mental attitude to achieve it. Now there’s not much writing about mental attitudes compared to the physical training of the body. The mind is often the forgotten part of training for "amateurs" although in professional sport it’s recognised that the difference between winning and coming second is often in the head. Indeed, why else did British Cycling recently describe their appointment of a psychiatrist (not a psychologist, they discarded three of those) as crucial to success in Beijing? Cycling superstar Chris Hoy says he trains as hard as he does (so hard that he has to be helped off his bike after each repetition) as “this type of training gives me the confidence to perform”. So how do you think about your training? |
Does
it make you confident? And what about during a ride…what do you tell
yourself when you are out cycling…positive things like ‘only five
miles to go so give it everything’ or negative thoughts like ‘well
what do you expect, you haven’t trained properly’? While out riding
I’d advise you to get used to listening to what your mind is ‘saying’
to you and question it. Is it helpful? What is causing me to think
this way? Try to recall the occasions when you’re full of positives or
just in the zone, that’s the experience you need to be able to repeat
when the going gets tough and that’s the mental attitude that will
make the most of the physical fitness you have. Practice adjusting you
mental approach during weekend rides and it will develop into a habit
that you can access when you need to; you may be surprised at what it
does to your performance. So next time you are struggling consider a
change of mental attitude (to “I can do this”) rather than a change of
gear. Dave Nyss, Road Captain |
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| Club Kit | |||
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As per the
recent email, we finally have a new club kit supplier (UK
Manaufacturer Imp Sport) and they are ready to take your order now! |
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| Social | |||
 The Red Lion, Godalming |
During the coming dark winter months don't forget that at least once a month you can come and find fellow riders in the Red Lion pub at the train station end of Godalming High Street. We tend to chat about all manner of things, it's not just nerdy bike talk! During 2008 we have met on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, but for 2009 this will become the 1st Tuesday of each month. The recent club survey did not reveal much interest in additional social events so don't expect too much for 2009 but read below for details of the 2008 Xmas party. An email has already been sent to you and if you want to attend you need to get tickets in advance and you need to do so quickly! Looking forward to seeing you awheel or apint. Mark Reynolds, MTB Secretary |
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| Christmas Party | Care for Health | ||
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The VCGH Christmas Ride and Party is being held at Hambledon Village
Hall on Saturday 13th December.
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Care for Health, VCGH’s founding and official sponsor and sports injuries specialist, have expanded their services. As most of you already know, they have a great reputation for fixing Cyclist’s and Runner’s biomechanics and chronic injuries and work with professional and recreational athletes alike. They have now added a Sports Physiotherapist, Acupuncturist, Nutritionist (worthwhile contacting if you’re serious about training this year), and Podiatrist to their team. In addition to their base by Godalming station, they have opened a satellite clinic in Guildford, so it is even easier to get in to see them. They offer a 10% discount for all club members, and even a Free 15-minute assessment if you’re unsure what, if any, treatment you need for any injuries… |
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The VCGH Newsletter is produced by the VCGH Promotional Committee (Rob Marcus & Mark Reynolds) with contributions as indicated. |
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