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Annual Club Dinner: 21st March
 Milford Golf Club has been chosen for its accessibility; it has ample free parking, is within walking distance of many of those living in the Milford/Witley area, a 5 min walk from Milford train station, and within cycling distance for absolutely everyone! The evening will start with a short AGM voting session, which will conclude some online decisions that will be distributed before the end of February. There will also be the usual selection of serious, and not-so-serious annual awards! Full details of the evening will be announced soon, including the price per head (we'll keep it as low as we can). For now, please put the date in your diary. Hope to see all of you there! |
In Memoriam - Rob Marcus
 There are two events planned to celebrate Rob's life. One is being organised by Rob's wife Yvonne and a group of his university friends, and is based in Northampton - details below. The other is a ride to Bosham from Haslemere on 16th March - details in the calendar.
If you are able to make the date, we hope you can join us on 12th March to visit Rob at Olney Green Burial Ground http://www.olneygreenburial.co.uk/ and afterwards to raise a glass, grab a bite to eat, and share memories at the Cowper's Oak, Weston Underwood Cowpers Oak | Pub & great food | Weston Underwood near Olney - it is just a mile from Rob's resting place.
We plan to meet at the natural burial ground around 3pm, and move on to the Cowper's Oak for 4pm. The pub doesn't open until 5.30pm, but will open up early for us, and open the kitchen too. It was somewhere Rob and Yvonne would stop for a refresher during cycle trips. Please let Lara know asap if you can make it, who will pass a message on to Laura who will confirm numbers with the pub. We hope you can join us. If you have any photos of Rob from times gone by, please bring them too, it would be good to see them. Feel free to share this with any other friends of Rob's you know, so that we reach as many people as possible. Thank you. Rob was a member of VCGH for many years (despite living on the outskirts of London) up until 2013 when he moved to Kingston Wheelers and afterwards to his current house in Northampton which he shared with his new wife Yvonne.
Those who knew him will know he was a devoted cycling purist who could easily quote gear inches and the advantages of bespoke steel frame-making. He was known to dabble (quite seriously) in the veteran road racing scene as well as TT, and had an unusual preference for riding his single speed on club rides to Bosham.
His mischievous and irreverent sense of humour, his refreshing honesty, and his zest for cycling in all its forms will be sorely missed.
There will be no funeral but we are organising a Memorial Ride for Rob on 16th March from Wey Hill carpark in Haslemere to Bosham (more details on the calendar) so please sign up if you are intending to come along, so we can reserve enough space in the pub.
Lara |
Race (and normal) Kit Order. Responses Needed ASAP
It's time to place the annual order for VCGH Race Kit. This only happens once a year because there are minimum order quantities applicable which means we can’t just order as and when people decide they want something. I will at the same time be ordering a certain amount of normal kit to boost the stock kit: It helps if you tell me who needs what, so please respond if you think you’re looking to buy new ’normal' kit in the next few months (no obligation). RACE and TT KIT **please only order Race/TT kit if you are sure you want to buy. The club cannot afford to buy a whole lot of surplus stock that people change their minds about though there is a small amount of flexibility. A 50% deposit will be required to order any race kit item this year.** Road race kit is usually either a Bioracer speedsuit and/or Castelli Free Aero Race Jersey (and Bibshorts if you want). TT kit is a Bioracer TT skinsuit. All speedsuits/skinsuits can be made short or longsleeve and can be made with different specification to suit you, but we usually go with the recommended Race Proven suits. All Bioracer and Castelli kit is available in men’s and women’s specific sizing. Bioracer - more info Bioracer’s Belgian sizing is more ’normal’ than Castelli’s very small Italian sizing. If you want to order a Bioracer speedsuit and are unsure about sizing, I can order kit sizing samples to confirm your size. This comes in the form of a normal jersey and bibshorts. Whichever size fits you in the jersey/bibshorts is the size you should order for the speedsuit. Please let me know before Thursday 10th January if you would like to try Bioracer kit samples as I will order these to come in early next week. You will then need to come to my house near Godalming to try on and confirm sizing before Sunday 20th January. I have one large and one medium men’s Bioracer road race speedsuit in stock (£162), and one large men’s Bioracer TT suit (£207). Castelli - more info Castelli do a race jersey which is very thin material and race fit. You would usually need to order at least one size larger than your Team Jersey if you have one. I have a few Free Aero Race Jerseys in stock if you want to try/buy (all men’s sizes except large), or you can go into a shop stocking Castelli (or order online) to check your sizing, but make sure it’s a race fit jersey as they’re very different from ‘normal' fit. Some people also race in the Team Jersey. The Castelli Free Aero Race Bibshorts are a universal Castelli fit, so you can find out your size by trying any Castelli bibshorts or come and try some Volo Bibshorts at my house, if I have your size. Prices* Bioracer road race speedsuit: APPROX £180 (tbc) Bioracer TT skinsuit: APPROX £205 (tbc) Castelli Free Aero Race Jersey (men’s or women’s sizing XS to XXL): £85 Castelli Free Aero Bibshorts: £105 Castelli Team Jersey: £66 * If there is demand for 8 or less of each item from Castelli, I will not be able to place an order. * I can order any quantity from Bioracer, and the order can be made up with a mix of different suits, but there are surcharges below the value of £350 (£90) and £700 (£45) so ideally we would be looking to order at least 4 suits. NORMAL KIT Many people prefer the Free Aero Bibshorts to the normal Volo Bibshorts for everyday riding, but they are not stock kit, so please let me know if you’d like to order any for this year. Please also let me know if you have any desire to order something from the usual club stocksheet (out of stock sizes will be boosted in this order, but not in winter kit items). Sorry for the long and complex message. Here’s a summary of what I need to know: By Thursday 10th January
By Sunday 20th January
All responses and questions to Lara. |
Strava Segment Challenge Results 2018
Hello all, Here are the results for the 2018 segment challenge. I tried something new for 2018 by using https://segmentchallenge.com. It started well with lots of contenders, but that fell off dramatically as the year progressed with only the hardcore continuing for the season. Thank you to those who persevered and sorry that I wasn't able to make it more compelling. I'm afraid I just don't have Mr Parkers PR skills. Anyway the hard earned results. There were GC, KOM and Sprint winners, but two people claimed all the titles: Ali Walters: 102 points Karl Chandler: 130 points Well done both of you !!!! both clear winners in the end. Thank you everyone for taking part. You can see the full results here: In terms of one for this season, I'm happy to set one up again, but we may need a rethink on how we make it more appealing for everyone. |
Race Team Social & Meet the Coach. Thursday 20th Dec.
Just a reminder that there is a Race Team Social on Thursday 20/12. This is an informal drink at the Inn On The Lake in Godalming and anyone from the club is more than welcome, whether you are going to race or not. We will have Michael Guildford joining us from Rideabout Performance Cycle Coaching. Michael will be organising several training sessions in early 2019 for the race team, covering training and racing. Thursday is a great chance to meet him and also ask about coaching in general as he also provides 1-2-1 plans and advice. So come and join us for a pre xmas beer and chat. everyone welcome. |
VCGH track session at Lee Valley, 30 March 2019
 Ever fancied riding the boards of the 2012 Olympic games? The Club has secured a session at the Velodrome in the Olympic Park in London, on Saturday 30th March 2019, 8am – 10am. The session will be run with two coaches and two groups to maximise track time – one team being coached whist the other is out on track. Group sizes are likely to be 10-16. No previous experience of track riding or riding fixed gear is necessary – come and have a go! The cost is expected to be in the region of £25 per person for the track and coaches. Bike hire will be extra, to be paid for individually on the day. If you would like to attend then please let us know by filling in this form. If we end up with more than the maximum number of 32 then we will select attendees at random and let you know. Places will need to be secured by payment in advance. Thanks to Adrian Waddy for sorting out this fab opportunity. Happy cycling! Regards, VCGH Any questions to captain@vcgh.co.uk |
Busy Weekend for Team VCGH
Great to see so many VCGH time trialists at the Farnborough and Camberley Festive 10 on Saturday at Bentley. We had 7 riders, which made us the most well-attended team there.
Weather was dry and mild (10 degrees), but notable for a raging south-westerly headwind which made for very hard work on the outbound leg. Despite the welcome reprieve on the return leg, these conditions generally make for slower times overall.
The 59-strong field was won by Ken Buckley from Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT in an astonishing 19:36.
Our results were:
Well done guys!
At the same time, Laura Senior and Dani Forshaw from our ladies' race team were fighting their corner in the Hillingdon winter series. They had a tough field but held the breakaway at bay. All great experience. Oh and definitely the most auspicious event of the entire weekend - Elliot got married! So congratulations to him and lovely Michelle.
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VCGH Trip to Chicago (theatre show not distant city!)
VCGH Christmas social - Thurs 13th Dec. Club member, ladies race team captain and all-round babe Laura Senior, currently starring* in Chicago The Musical in the West End, is able to get us £150 tickets for just £30. Plan is to meet for mulled wine & nibbles at the Christmas market on the Southbank before strolling up to the Phoenix Theatre. Please let us know if you would like to come by Sunday 2nd by emailing Will Ranoe. (*violinist in the on-stage band!) |
Winter Spin Sessions @ Godalming Leisure Centre
Anybody interested in joining a weekly VCGH club spin session over the winter?
Please would you let me know ASAP if this is of interest by emailing captain@vcgh.co.uk. Feedback about the trial session run last night was really good ... |
Staple Lane TT Season Finale
Thanks to so many VCGHers for making it out to our time trial season finale at the VCGH hillclimb on Staple Lane this morning. Great to see so much commitment into that pretty strong headwind too. Jon Hughes smashed the difficult conditions with an awesome 4:59, proving his status as our hillclimbing expert. Chris Carroll and Charlotteville's Jon Saunders were joint second with an excellent 5:13, with Mark Pritchard setting a new pb hot on their heels in 5:21 (must be the saddle!) Well done to Ali Walters for knocking nearly a minute off her previous time and first lady back in 7:18, and to Callum Hall's very respectable 6:20 in his first season as an espoir (age 18-21). Thanks to the team who helped out this morning, and made it possible for you all to experience such agony. This month, my excellent volunteers were: Push-offer: Matt Hurst Start timekeeping: Frank Edge Finish timing & results: Marco Burgin Thanks also to the guys at Allez Mobile Catering's 'The Pitch' who set up early especially for us and catered very nicely with hot drinks and snacks. Full results are here. See you next year! |
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