Save Derby Velodrome – Reply

Today I got a reply from Ranjit Banwait, Deputy Leader of Derby Council to my previous letter on the subject of Derby Velodrome. I’m sure its only a stock reply but its a start and full of political language, i.e. appearing to agree but not actually promising anything – it depends on what the ‘right answer’ is, but fingers crossed for the decision on 23rd May.

Hi Paul – Thank you for your e-mail. As you may be aware, the current Velodrome project has stalled under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat administration currently in control of Derby City Council. They have also made it clear that they have no intention of finalising the decision until after the Council AGM on 23^rd May. This incompetent handling by the Coalition has put this project in jeopardy when they have had, and still have, a golden opportunity while in power to finalise it if they so desire.

The refusal of the Council leader Philip Hickson, and deputy Hilary Jones, to finalise the project while they are still in control, makes it likely that it will now be left to the next administration when it is formed to sort out the messy situation this important project is being left in.

Of course there is a huge expectation that it will be Labour in charge after May 23^rd, but I must stress that we are not yet in a position to make a legal and constitutional decision until after the administration is formed at the Council AGM. This crucial point has already been made by my fellow councillor Sarah Russell during a recent radio interview.

The Labour Group will be meeting on Monday, as the leader of the Labour Group Paul Bayliss has stated publicly. This will be an early and excellent opportunity to listen to the views of Labour councillors across Derby, especially the newly elected ones, who have been lobbied by anxious residents and interested groups from outside of the city, and want to make representations on their behalf.

I recognise the regeneration, economic and social benefits projects like the Velodrome can have on our city. In fact, under the previous Labour Government, Derby benefitted from over 2 billion pounds worth of construction opening numerous facilities benefitting jobs, wealth, health, education, recreation and the arts for Derby residents, including news schools, a hospital, and Quad just to name but a few.

I am also a keen cyclist as well so have been following the developments of the project with interest, and now with deep anxiety as to how it has been badly mishandled by Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors in power.

Rest assured, given the Labour Group’s strong track record of standing up for Derby on a range of issues in opposition, including most recently successfully saving Children’s Centres and Care Homes, we will do our utmost to make the right decision for Derby when in power during these unprecedented times of cuts imposed by a central government hostile to local government and public services.

Please continue to be patient, hopefully just a little bit longer. Once a Labour administration is formed as is likely on May 23^rd, officers will be able to freely and fully brief the new administration with all the facts and figures, and soon after a full and comprehensive report will be compiled for a cabinet meeting to be held where the decision will made constitutionally and with transparency.

Kind Regards,

Ranjit Banwait   

Councillor, Boulton Ward | Deputy Leader of Derby Labour Group | Office: 01332 255 367 | Mobile: 07900 825 826 | Home: 01332 753 323 | Minicom: 01332 256666 | 31 Avonmouth Drive, Alvaston, Derby DE24 8UL | www.derby.gov.uk

Standing Up for Derby

Lincoln GP Sportive 2012

Today’s the day – I’ve been looking forward to this Sportive since entering a few months ago – something to train for early season. This time last year I’d already ridden 140 miles to Edale and back over two days with Beeston Cycling Club, and 140 miles from Bournemouth to Brighton over two days for Asthma UK, both rides in 20+ degrees, no sight of any rain – unlike this season which has been mixed and random, tending to wet and dreary. However, I’d managed a few good training rides and was confident I could finish the 55 mile short route with enough strength to climb the fabled 1 in 6 cobbles of Michaelgate as the route finishes in the historic heart of Lincoln.

Since moving offices a couple of weeks ago I’ve been struggling with a combination of sinusitis, hay fever and asthma in equal amounts, not knowing which to treat as the priority, and as the ride approached I wasn’t even sure if I would be better off cancelling – especially when we got news that due to a road closure, all the routes would be extended by 8 miles. That at least made the ride 63 miles, so over 100km, a nice challenge in keeping with the Audaxes I’ve been doing lately and thus something I can benchmark the Sportive against.

Signing on

Saturday – day of the ride. I wake up after a decent night’s sleep, better than most of late, and hay fever under control. Bags packed, bike checked and loaded, I pick up Hervé, my companion for the day. We arrive at race HQ in Lincoln in good time, and in good spirits – the weather is looking promising, a sun promising to warm up the chill morning air, with a breeze that has everyone looking around to see what other people are wearing – half of us are in shorts, the rest in longs – we plump for shorts (for about the 2nd time only this year!) and short sleeve jerseys with arm warmers (and a skull cap for good measure, but not scarf!).

Riding out

Signing on is very efficient and we leave at 9am on the dot with no hassle – a good sign which proves to be representative of the rest of the day’s organisation. We’re even given a printed map, though with the course very well signed, it stays in my pocket for most of the day.

Hervé and I ride out together for a couple of miles before I send him on his way. He’s doing the mid-distance route, now 83 miles, but at his speed we should be back at the same time. Make’s me sound fairly average, but Hervé is one of the fastest riders in our club, and its not fair to hold him back. After another couple of miles a rider named Steve catches me up and we chat for a while, then another named Paul joins us. Steve comes from the Trent Valley and is used to this rolling terrain, whilst Paul is from Spalding. Paul’s daughter is in the U12 race prior to Sunday’s Lincoln GP and I later bump into him at the race – his daughter came 3rd in her race and he was rightly proud.

After 20 miles the routes split. Steve went on for the medium route whilst Paul and I turned left for the short route. The route to this point was mainly down hill (for a change!) and now started climbing up gently to the highest point around the mid-way food stop in Donington on Bain Village Hall. I’m liking this route – a lot flatter than I expected with no short-sharp hills like I’m used to around here, but gentle rolling climbs and mild descents.

Rolling on

After refuelling with a banana and a couple of jaffa cakes, fiddling with the Crud Catchers which were rubbing a bit (I didn’t need them and wished I’d taken them off already) I set off for the 2nd half of the route. A mix of small hills followed, before a fairly long, flat section that drained my energy somewhat. This section reminded me of last year’s Flat Out In The Fens 116 mile pan-flat ride with Russ – long stretches of straight road extending into the distance. At various times I caught up, or was caught by, a couple of other riders, and we rode in a pace line for a few miles averaging 18mph into a head wind – no mean feat for me, especially at the 40-45mile stage, my usual danger point. As the road climbed gently again I somehow managed to drop them, and continue on my own around the edges of a seemingly vast airfield.

This part was tough on my resources – my back started to ache and I started to dream about new saddles but one by one the miles dropped away and I got into the final more hilly section. A couple of long steepish climbs and descents were a welcome relief from the previous flat miles, and before long I was entering suburbia again, with only a few miles left. This section into the city centre was not signed, but directions were provided by handily placed marshals.

The route swooped down, turned sharp left and then straight into the final cobbled section of the historic city centre. Warned by a marshal to get into low gear, I readied myself for the famous cobbles on Michaelgate. These weren’t actually as bad as I had anticipated, sharp edges but not as steep as I’d feared, and certainly not as severe as I’ve ridden before.

Falling off

After the first section, a turn left and I changed into a much lower gear expecting it to get steeper, but this unloaded the front wheel too much and I actually pulled a wheelie, then crashed, to the sound of ‘ooooohhh’ from the spectators, which I wasn’t expecting!. I surveyed the damage – just a few scrapes, and walked a few metres before getting back on for the last section of cobbles and crossed the finish with dignity.

As I rode back to HQ Herve was only a few minutes behind me, which we couldn’t have planned though might have been able to work out. We checked our times and compared notes about how much we’d enjoyed the day. And very good it was too – from the organisation to the ride itself, and the unexpected spectators at the end, a Sportive I would certainly recommend and may well be back for next year.

Times:
Me: 113th on the short route in just under 5 hours total time inc. stops, 4:30 riding timeHervé: 5th on the mid route in just over 5 hours total time inc. stops, 4:52 riding time

Save Derby Velodrome!

There are plans for an indoor velodrome in Derby, a fantastic facility for cyclists in the area and one which has been ongoing for a couple of years now. The latest news was that it was all set to go ahead, but after the recent local elections, the outgoing Conservative administration, who support the velodrome, have refused to sign off on the agreement, preferring to leave that decision to the incoming Labour administration.

The decision is being made on Sunday 13th May, so people are encouraged to write to:  paul.bayliss@derby.gov.uk. ranjit.banwait@derby.gov.uk and martin.repton@derby.gov.uk, the new leader, deputy leader and member for leisure services on the city council.

Encouraged by various posts on Facebook, Twitter and our own club’s website, I have joined (hopefully) hundreds of other keen cyclists and wrote the following email, by simply copying&pasting the bullet points on Derby Cycling Groups’s website. So this is what I wrote, hope it helps:

“Dear Paul, Ranjit, Martin

Please save Derby Velodrome!

• As well as providing a fantastic facility for local racing cyclists, the velodrome will boost Derby’s local economy by bringing thousands of people to the city from all over the UK who wouldn’t otherwise come here.

• They will spend money in our shops, hotels and other businesses keeping people in work as well as paying to use the velodrome.

• It will attract the attention of businesses looking for somewhere to locate factories and offices; it will set Derby apart from the crowd.

• Cycle Derby plan to extend their hugely successful projects which get thousands of local youngsters cycling every year into the velodrome. Literally thousands of Derby children take part in BMX and cyclo-cross racing, keeping them fit and healthy, and giving them experience to also use their bikes for transport, they will be use the velodrome as well as part of their school-based activities.

• Sporting cyclists often support the cycle transport schemes that we propose and this is our opportunity to help support sporting cyclists.

Please act now to secure a landmark facility in Derby.

Kind regards

Paul Newson”

Its only a simple letter, but if everyone does the same it will show the level of support for the new velodrome.

Mixed March Meanderings

March was a bit of a damp squib really – a few unseasonally nice days and evenings, but also lots of gloomy days too. I kept the mileage up with a few turbo sessions, a few shortish local loops when the sun came out (and some not), and a few commutes. I even rode to the QMC for a physio appointment which was great fun along the busy roads, happy to find a cycle rack actually inside reception when I got there!

Velodrome time again

Scary looking banking!

3rd March was time for my second trip to Manchester Velodrome. 16 of us this time, a mixed bunch of experienced riders and track newbies, and the coach tended to keep us apart for most of the 2 hour session – a different coach this time, better actually than the last bloke. I was in the experienced group this time and felt more confident.

Riding a fixed gear bike on an angled track is not as scary as it sounds actually – my worry last time was not being able to slow down quickly enough and clip out without falling over (not that I did!) – so this time I took an alan key and loosened off the pedals to make sure that wasn’t an issue. With that confidence boost I found I was more relaxed on the track and managed to slow down and dismount in half a lap. Rather than pelt it around with the others, I concentrated on maintaining a steady pace.

We had timing chips this time, which revealed some interesting results, and less actual track time than we thought, though this could be because of the way the timing chips record full laps only, so it may not have recorded some of the laps if we didn’t go past the transponders on the track itself.

The new coach had us doing some new routines, the best being ‘bit & bit’. For this the whole group rode around the central line at a recovery pace, approx 20mph, i.e. the pace at which it feels most comfortable to ride on the fixed gear bikes – slower and you feel like your holding the gearing back, faster and you feel like you’re on top of the gearing. On the coache’s whistle the first couple of riders break away for a sprint lap before rejoining the pace line at the back – good fun and good opportunity to learn some track techniques.

Staying on the pace line needs practice, and without breaks there is a different technique for moderating your speed. If you are catching the next rider, you simply move up the track, thus lengthening your lap relative to the next person. Its a strange feeling, you’re still pedalling at the same cadence but you do catch up. If you are falling back, the opposite works, i.e. move down the track, shortening your lap which helps you catch the next rider. The trick is to try not to speed up or down as this has a knock on effect to everyone behind you – an even cadence is what you’re aiming for.

We had a go at individual timed laps, for which I had the confidence to get out of the saddle for most of the lap, and a team pursuit which saw me teamed up with some of the better riders – we won our heat as it happens, but didn’t have time for a final. That would have been fun!

Session over, a burger on the way home was called for as we discussed our experience. Maybe we’ll try for more than 1 or 2 sessions in the future.

Moira Furnace

Legs out despite the fog

24th March – Saturday morning and my usual golden opportunity to get out for a decent ride whilst the rest of the family are at aikido. I went on a ‘Steadies’ ride with Russ to Moira Furnace this week, some 63 miles with a good mix of terrain. Despite the heavy fog I was on good form today, and we rode the route in just over 4 hours, plus a half hour stop at the café at Moira Furnace. The fog lifted on the way back but it stayed cool for most of the way round. Good practice for next week’s Audax, and I even got my fuelling on the bike sorted, a subject to which I will return in a later post.

Russ had a lot to talk about that day as he’d just been given £3k compensation after his mountain bike had been stolen. We popped into Leisure Lakes bike shop on the way back for a look at what he could get, but to be honest, the staff were rubbish that day and weren’t really interested. Glad I don’t have to take my Van Nick back there ever again to be honest.

Family Fun

A great turnout!

25th March – Sunday – a nice recovery ride with the BCC family massive – 22 including a dog! With an age range from 5 to 60(+?) we naturally took it very steady today to Holme Pierrepont. The weather was ok, sunny but chilly in the wind, and I regretted not bringing a warmer jersey but didn’t let on! Luckily Pamela managed to borrow some kid’s jumper, and a round of hot chocolates at the canoe shop warmed us up, but it really was a lot colder than we had expected. Not cold enough to dampen our spirits too much though, and we finished the ride with a pie & pint at the Crown in Beeston before disbanding for our usual Sunday routines.

These BCC family rides are working well, getting lots of families out and encouraging some new riders to join the club. 20 or so miles is nothing really, but can sound a lot if you haven’t ridden that far – my advice is come along and try it, you won’t get dropped!

Coritanian Leg Breaker

After last week’s Rutland and Beyond I was certainly questioning my sanity for entering this ride, the Coritanian Crippler. The name itself should be warning enough, but call me keen or reckless, I entered with Russ for the princely sum of £4. Technically a ‘Reliability Ride’, though much the same as an Audax, just not under Audax rules. In other words, Audax type directions and no signage en-route, but with a handy GPX file to follow instead.

There were several routes on offer from 36 miles to 80 miles, of varying hilliness. Russ agreed to ‘downsize’ to the 65 mile ‘Leg Breaker’ if I did it with him, which I grudgingly agreed to. There was always the bailout option if I wasn’t up to the full distance, which I kept in the back of my mind until later in the day.

Arrival

This week it was my time to drive, so I made sure we got to the event HQ at the Outdoor Pursuit Centre, Leicester in good time to sign on and have a coffee out of the flask – needed this morning as it was freezing. There’s a time limit to this ride, so after signing on we didn’t hang about and got straight into the route – Russ with his route guide, me with my Garmin.

Departure

The first 15 miles or so seem mainly up hill (again!), once off the Leicester ring road it was straight into country lanes and villages such as Langham and Cottismore, shortly after which was the first cafe stop (no checkpoints) at Greetham Garden Centre. I was feeling quite strong, keeping up with Russ and doing a reasonable speed. Shortly after the first stop I had to decide whether to continue on with Russ and the ‘Leg Breaker’ route, or cut 15 miles out and head straight to the cafe at Wymondham, changing my route to the lesser ‘Sore Legs’.

Crossroads

The relief of Wymondham Windmill

Still feeling good at that point I scoffed a bar and a gel and went on with Russ, and immediately hit ‘the wall’, slowing down to around 12mph or so on this unnecessarily hilly extra loop I had just committed to! By the time the windmill at Wymondham appeared I was suffering badly, struggling to climb the last couple of miles up to the site. Lunch consisted of coffee cake followed by beans on toast and 2 cups of coffee, but by then I was in energy debt and feeling sick. I delayed setting off as long as I could, but Russ was raring to go and we did have a time limit to meet, so I figured I’d be okay after half an hour or so once the food kicked in.

Familiar ground

Another kind of relief!

The next ten miles were an enormous effort as I felt faint, could hardly read my Garmin, and had no power in my legs. Russ, on the other hand, was bouncing along in a good mood, sharing his gels generally being quite supportive – as usual (thanks Russ!). Some of the roads and villages seemed familiar; I think it was some of the same territory as last year’s Colours of Autumn Audax – Saxby, Barsby and South Coxton sticking out amongst others.

Gelly beans

As the terrain started to ease gently down for the last 10 miles or so and we rejoined the Leicester ring road, I knew the end was coming soon (of the route that is, not me, though I was questioning my ability as a cyclist at this point!). I let Russ power off as I tagged along with a lone rider who had shared his gelly beans with me up Burrough Hill, an eventually the HQ was in sight.

Overall, the route wasn’t as hilly as last week’s audax, coming in at 999m of climbing for 66 miles, and we managed a decent time of 4hr 40mins, within the 5hr 30mins time limit including stops, but I know I can do better with more practice and better fuelling beforehand and on the bike, which is something I need to concentrate on for future events.

DailyMile stats:

02/19/12

Cycling

Coritanian Leg Breaker

66

04:40:00

14.1mph

3181

To Rutland and beyond…

In January I came up with a  plan to ride at least 1 x 100km Audax per month, with a few local Sportives thrown in for good measure, such as the Great Notts Bike Ride and our club’s very own Sportive Challenge around the Peak District.

Preparation

The Rutland and Beyond was the first on the list, but as the weeks went by since signing up, and the cold, wintry days went by, I was wondering whether I had the legs to do it. I hadn’t been out much except for a few short runs, so several turbo sessions were called for. I knew the course would be fairly hilly too, so I planned a ride with Audax mate Russ the day before, a 38 mile hilly loop to Donington Park.

The Donington loop went well, the cafe is great there and we talked about our plans for tomorrow’s 67 miles. An early start, get round in 4 hours, back to the pub for lunch. Well, that was the plan anyway!

Transportation

After starting out later than planned, getting slightly lost en-route (due to a Garmin battery failure), we arrived at the event HQ in a quiet street in Leicester just as everyone was rolling out – so much for my quick sit down with a cuppa to relax then. It was cold too, very cold, with a good potential for rain, and I was already on my back foot. Not a good start then.

The route climbed steadily for the first 10 miles or so, out of suburbia and through some lovely countryside, before rolling up and down through Scraptoft and Oakham to the first checkpoint at Rutland Water, just 22 miles in. By then Russ had gone ahead to get the coffees and was ready to leave when I arrived. Something told me I was going to struggle today, and as I left the roads got wetter, with evidence of recent snow making some of the back lanes quite treacherous.

Elevation

For the next dozen or so miles I tagged along with an old guy from nearby Derby, and a middle-aged couple who knew the roads very well – nice company, even if they did stop to let every car pass on the narrow lanes. Leaving them behind I pushed on to the 2nd cafe stop at East Carlton, by which time it had got decidedly colder with plenty of slush slow about. Many people choose to do this ride on mountain bikes, and I can see why now. One of them is another colleague of mine from Beeston, who I met at the cafe – Russ had just left again so I took my time, had a couple of pieces of cake and studied the route change due to icy roads.

Desperation

From here on in I was getting very low, and a little fed up. Everyone seemed to be overtaking me, including the steady bunch I’d tagged along with earlier. We stuck together for a few miles through more strangely named villages; Glooston, Noseley… and just as it started to rain I got a puncture, just 3 miles from the finish. Arghhh! I stared at the deflated tyre for a few minutes as the rain came down, then decided it wasn’t going to fix itself, so off came the wheel – its always the back wheel isn’t it? – and set to work with numb hands.

With just a few miles to go I was definitely struggling now, and took a couple of wrong turns in the city streets, with the light getting worse and the rain on the Garmin obscuring the route. Eventually I recognised where we’d parked the car this morning and traced my way back to the HQ. At first I though everyone had cleared up and left, until I found them upstairs, with a huge buffet of hot food, and Russ, who had been back so long he had eaten, showered, got changed and moved the car! I stuffed a couple of buns down and traipsed back to the car. Not one of my best Audax experiences, and one I definitely need to learn from.

DailyMile Stats

02/12/12

Cycling

Rutland & Beyond Audax

66.49

05:20:00

12.5mph

3635

alright

Education

So what went wrong today then?

1. Training: Yes, its only 100+ km, but coming early Feb after a cold winter, I hadn’t put enough miles in to be ready, especially given the adverse conditions.
2. Tapering: Or lack of it. The Donington loop on the day before definitely did not help my legs. It may have helped my confidence, but put me into the red before I’d even started.
3. Fuelling: I took 2 x 750ml water bottles but only drank 1; I took a couple of bars and gels and only ate one of each. And missing the cup of tea and toast at the beginning wasn’t a good start either.

Food for thought!

Toys for the boys

Happy New Year – Its 2012 and what did Santa bring me for Christmas? Well, after months of um-ing and ah-ing accompanied by strategic hinting, Santa (by way of the family) did indeed bring me a Garmin Edge 800. Dismissed by some as a mere toy, after using it for a while I can confirm that it is in fact the world’s best navigational training aid that an aspiring fit cyclist could ever wish for, apart from the full carbon bike with Di2 shifters and a fully motorised support crew, of course!

I have the basic (there is no basic really) version without maps or cadence sensors etc, but that’s easily sorted. I have a cadence meter on my old bike computer (a Sigma) and did use it for a while – the idea is to work to a certain cadence, changing gears to keep within the target, thus becoming more efficient in your pedalling. It does in fact work, and I noticed I was travelling faster without realising it, but all in all I found it too much hassle. So I’m not bothered about the absence of that particular gadget. Nor the heart rate monitor – again, I have a cheap Polar HRM which consists of a watch type receiver and a strap to wear around the chest. Setting this up is way too much faff for a mere social cyclist so I stopped using that after a heart-busting hill climbs where I wished I didn’t know my heart was about to explode!

The maps are another thing though, and after some advice from other members of Beeston Cycling Club I found a link to free open-source maps – totally legit – and easily downloaded these to an SD card. They make a helluva difference, and are well worth adding – they bring the Garmin alive. Now I can create routes in advance, load them onto the Garmin to follow, and download the stats when I get back. Stats include everything you could ever need to know, not just the route, distance, time, speed, etc, but also ascent/descent, temperature, calories burnt and more – for every second of the ride. If you’re not familiar with Garmin and its website, here’s an example of one I made earlier: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/175478902

But the Garmin wasn’t the only new toy I bagged over Christmas, though this one was a little indulgence of my own. Needing some cleaning fluid for the chain on my Van Nick, I popped into my local bike shop, got chatting, and on the way out he asked me if I knew anyone who was looking for a fixed gear bike. Well, I thought, I do actually – I had been thinking of getting one for a while. Kevin, the owner, got it off the display and I knew it was mine instantly. A gloss black Giant single/fixed speed – nothing particularly fancy, but in excellent nick, complete with mudguards. Kevin made just 1 adjustment to the seat post, I sat on it and it was mine. £250 all in, including a service. How could I say no?

I picked it up a few days later and rode off – a new experience for me, except for riding in the Velodrome, and I do quite like the stripped down nature of a fixed, with no gears to worry about. I tried it out on several short school runs and a couple of flat Elvaston rides. Its a little harsh compared to the Ti of my Van Nick, but a great winter bike, and not bad on the canal towpaths with the family either.

Talking of rides, I didn’t get much done during January due to the weather, so the Turbo Trainer was a near permanent addition to the kitchen, fitted with my old Giant Defy which Harley now uses. I managed to get on a couple of times a week just to keep the legs moving, and I find it does help, boring as it is.

We did manage one or two longer rides though when the weather allowed, including a trip on my own to Ferrers Centre and one with BCC to Loughborough, but it was hard work getting into the swing of things, especially with the winter belly to contend with!