Weekly News 15/08/22 to 21/08/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

After a full downpour on Saturday night, Sunday turned out to be a glorious day for cycling apart from the usual ‘breeze’ and Peter, Matt, Sean and Steve S met up at the Golden Lion at 9am for more cycling adventures, cafe stops and mischief along the way.

Steve S just arrived in time as Sean was about to pull his jersey up from his wrist and check his Rolex analogue watch for precise timing (maybe he was on the olympic committee in a past life) as Steve S rolled into the Golden Lion car park.  Anyway with no complaints the guys set off towards Catcote Road with a plan to reach the illusive Aviator cafe that Matt has dreamed of for such a long time.  The route followed Greatham back lane to Cowpen Bewley and then via Wolviston to Carlton through to Bishopton to Great Stainton and then right towards Morden, Bradbury and upto Ferryhill Station and then right through Bishop Middleham and then finally up the 10% climb to arrive at the Aviator cafe after 30 miles in the saddle!

Whilst Peter, Sean and Matt were deliberating with the staff on whether we were allowed to sit outside to drink coffee and cake, Steve S had made friends with a lady and her dog named Tulip.  Eventually we got a table outside and Steve S friend was happy to take a picture of the group.  The coffee and cake arrived and they put the world to rights as usual before setting off for home via Trimdon and Elwick.

The ride was 40-45 mile at 14-15 mph average.  It was a really nice day on the bike!

 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night it was the 5th Croft Ten event out of 7 held this year.  This event continues to be an excellent traffic free course round the Croft Motor Circuit, attracting cyclists from all round the country.  Two Hartlepool CC riders completed the 5 laps of the circuit (10 Mile) as follows.  Lee Morley finishing in a fantastic time of 23:22 to finish in 4th place overall and achieving a course PB and Steve Rhodes also finished well in 26:47 in 26th place out of 78 riders.  Great ride guys!  The next event is 21st September at 6.30pm.

On Sunday, Phil Wright travelled to Lindale (South Of Kendal) to compete in the Wigan Wheelers VTTA National 30 Mile TT Championship on the L308 course.  The race started in Sedgwick near Levens and turned at Lindale and included some hills.  There were 58 riders scheduled to start, but at the time of writing this, full details were not yet published.  Although Phil finished in a great time of 1:24:15 + 3:50 which was also a medal ride for Phil.  Excellent ride Phil, even though he lost his Power data.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Trevor Jones claimed the top spot in the general classification with an amazing 266.8 miles, The Thirlwind was 2nd with 183.1 miles and Max Headwind was 3rd with 145.4 miles.

Trevor Jones also took this weeks King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey with a fantastic 10,243 ft of climbing and also achieved the biggest single ride of the week with 93.0 miles.  Well done Trevor, brilliant week of cycling!

This week 5 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week –  Trevor Jones, The Thirlwind, Max Headwind, Phil Wright and Lee Morley.  Well done to all 5 of you, great mileage!

This week only 16 riders put miles on the board out of 50 Strava HCC members.   Well done to everyone!  Achievements to note, a massive well done to Trevor Jones for an amazing week of cycling, claiming most miles, most miles in a single ride and highest feet climbed.  Also a massive well done to all other club members who are enjoying getting some miles in this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 08/08/22 to 14/08/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

We’re having a heat wave. In fact, the second official heat of the summer. But would the good weather bring the crowds out for this Sunday’s cafe ride.? Well, No. Perhaps it was because it was a bit misty still at 9:00 with a chilly sea fret clinging to the East Coast. But that wasn’t enough to deter Steve A, Steve S, Peter and Matt. The other usual suspect Sean was away in Hull watching a comedian. I suppose they do need cheering up in Hull. Whereas all we have to cheer us up here is the prospect of riding a bike for 50 miles or so in the blazing sun just to visit a cafe and keep the local hospitality economy booming. Where is the fun in that?

Well perhaps it’s the joy that can be had in cycling through Stockton center on a Sunday morning. A place guaranteed to lift the spirits. But over too soon and the ride was into the leafy lanes heading past Preston Park toward Yarm and on into the Southern greenbelt that provides a barrier between Urban Teesside and Affluent North Yorkshire.

The cafe of choice today was Roots at East Rounton, a Mecca for the recreational cycling fraternity and a place with a unique coffee offering. And big scones. Sat in the sun it could easily have been Spain, but of course you don’t get scones like that in Spain do you.

Unfortunately, the cafe stop had to be cut short as Peter was running the serious risk of being back late. So, it was ‘get it down yer’ ‘we’re off’.

For a bit of variety, the route back was through Middlesbrough and the scenic delights of the Haverton Hill post-industrial estate. For the two Steves and Matt the Three Horse Shoes at Cowpen Bewley was another welcome break with the prospect of well-earned cold beer to slake their thirst. Peter however had to get home and do a solo effort back along the Greatham track. But according to the occasional passing motorist, Peter is no stranger to doing a solo effort. This is not a complimentary observation. Thankfully however today was insult free which made a nice ride even better.

After a nice beer stop at the Three Horseshoes, Steve A, Steve S and Matt made their way back via Greatham track and onto Dalton for a nice easy return.  As they reached the EnduroTek end of Dalton back lane, they noticed a lady laid on the floor with a badly cut and bloodied knee who had come off her bike as she turned south onto Dalton back lane.  Her chain had also came off, so we all stopped to ask if she was ok, but her husband was on his way to the rescue.  But she still appreciated our concern, so off we went after an attempted damzel in distress rescue, to complete the final few miles home.

In general it was a good ride, mostly cool and only got very hot towards the end.  The ride was around 50 miles at 15 ish average.

 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, two members of Hartlepool CC took part in the Darlington Club Tens (10 Mile TT).  Paul Thirling finishing in 22:59 in 3rd place and Steve Rhodes finishing in 26:45 in 13th place out of 18 riders.  Well done guys!  The event was won by Ryan Hall of Adept in 21:42.

On Saturday, Phil Wright was keeping his racing form going in the Yorkshire Cycling Federation 15 Mile TT event on the V225 course near Boroughbridge.  Only 7 riders took part and Phil finished in 41:25 in 4th place.  Well done Phil!  The event was won by Steve Gibson of Peak Road Club in 35:46

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Frank Elders claimed the top spot in the general classification with an amazing 279.9 miles, Trevor Jones was 2nd with 145.3 miles and Phil Wright was 3rd with 129.6 miles.

Frank Elders also took this weeks King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey with a fantastic 12,395 ft of climbing and also achieved the biggest single ride of the week with 102.2 miles.  Well done Frank, amazing week of cycling!

This week 7 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week –  Frank Elders, Trevor Jones, Phil Wright, Lee Morley, The Thirlwind, Tim Summerton and Richard Nichol.  Well done to all 7 of you, good mileage!

This week 23 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members.   Well done to everyone!  Achievements to note, a massive well done to Frank Elders for an amazing week of cycling, claiming most miles, most miles in a single ride and highest feet climbed, Richard Nichol for a nice 84 miler, Phil Wright for his continued efforts in various CTT TT events every week, flying the HCC flag and Tim Summerton for his 12 rides and hitting 118.2 miles for the week.  Also a massive well done to all other club members who are enjoying getting some miles in this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 01/08/22 to 07/08/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

After last week’s washout everyone was keen to get back out round the lanes this Sunday. Everyone being Steve, Sean, Peter and Matt. Paul S must also get a mention as he had set off from his home somewhere to the far north of Hartlepool only to suffer a tyre mishap which prevented him making it to the Golden Lion for the 9:00 start.

Peter had suggested trying a ride to the Locomotion train museum at Shildon but wasn’t entirely sure if the cafe would be open. Sean wasn’t keen on this for two reasons one being that it involved heading into Durham, the hilliest county in the country. The other being that he didn’t fancy riding 25 miles only to find the cafe shut when he got there. But sometimes you have to take life by the men’s bits and give it a good shake.   So, it was decided to live dangerously and go to Shildon to check out the openness or otherwise of the Locomotion Cafe.

The route out of town was the usual, up the hill towards Trimdon with the chat in the group being mainly of the various ailments being endured by the riders this week. It turns out that both Peter and Matt suffer from snot behind the ear and have now set up a support group for fellow sufferers of this much misunderstood condition.

After Trimdon,  it was through Fishburn and towards Ferryhill. But much to Sean’s relief, although it was Durham, it wasn’t proper Durham and instead of going up the hill the route skirted round to Chiltern and Midridge a nice-looking rural village where apparently someone has plans to set up a landfill site. Well, no! Seems to be the opinion of at least one inhabitant who has erected a large sign to make passing cyclists perfectly aware of his thoughts on the matter. And who can blame him/her.

It is a long tiering drag up through Midridge to the turning, down into Shildon and a niggly headwind made the going even tougher.  So, it came as a relief to get to the Shildon/Locomotion sign and the descent into the town. It came as more of a relief to get there and discover the cafe open!

          

Shildon was once a home to train building and the museum contains many examples of trains that have been made at some time in the past.
Of particular note was the Rocket, the first steam powered chariot, built for the Emporer Winston Churchill to help him defeat the Scottish dockers in the late 1600s. You can only imagine the shock on the blue wode smeared faces of the Pict hoards as this steamy beast came lumbering over the hill. Although there is some dispute as to whether this is the original the Rocket as it was painted all gaudy yellow. Whereas some say the original was green. The explanation for this is that the green paint was camouflage and it was painted yellow when pressed into commercial service being the first passenger Locomotion, touting it’s business between Stockton and Darlington up until 1975 when it was forced out of service by the arrival of diesel engines.  There are many more trains from the past at the Locomotion and it is well worth a visit if you are interested in that type of thing. The bacon sarnies are ok as well and the cafe is worth a visit.

Fortunately for the weary cyclist there is a flat way out of Shildon that goes all the way to Newton Aycliffe and this was the route taken on today’s ride home. With the wind from behind and the road mainly downwards and the sun starting to warm things up it was almost pleasant as the miles ticked away along now, well familiar lanes. Through Bishopton and Thorpe Thewels with just the climb at Golden Gates to get over before another stop at the Welly. Usually, it is just a case of getting up this hill but today, Matt had other ideas. He was going to give it his all to try and get onto the Strava hall of fame. Needless to say, he left the rest of the group gasping as he sped off up the hill like a man demented. Apparently, he was 20 seconds off the required pace, but the hill is still there for another go next time.

As the weather was clement a stop for beer at the Welly was called for and all the world’s troubles were soon sorted out. Then with the wind blowing from behind, it was a steady roll back into town with Sean heading straight on while the others headed up to Dalton via the scenic route.

The ride was around 50 miles in total at an average of 14/15 mph. The new start time at the Golden Lion is 9:00 and the rides are open to anyone that enjoys a sociable cycle ride.

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, two Hartlepool CC riders took part in the Darlington Club Tens (10 Mile TT) event.  Paul Thirling finished in 5th place in 22:38 and Steve Rhodes finished in 18th place in 26:17 out of 22 riders.  The event was won by Darlingtons own Marcel Schubert in 20.11 followed by an excellent ride and PB in 2nd place by Ryan Hall of Adept in 21:34.  Well done to all!  This event has proven to be a popular event.  Therefore if you are looking for a midweek TT this could be the one for you!

On Saturday, Phil Wright travelled to Keswick for the Border City Wheelers CC 10 Mile TT on the L1010 course.  Phil finished in 44th place in 27:22 out of 45 riders.  Liam Beaty of Hawick Cycling Club won the event in 19:06.  Well done Phil!

On Sunday Lee Morley competed in the Yorkshire VTTA 10 Mile TT on the V210 course in Dishforth.  Lee finishing in an amazing time of 22:40 achieving another PB over 10 miles.  75 riders were scheduled to start this TT but at the time of publishing this, the riders who started and the winner of the event has not yet been published.  Well done Lee on another great TT!

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Trevor Jones claimed the top spot in the general classification with 209.7 miles, The Thirlwind was 2nd with 202.3 miles and Phil Wright was 3rd with 121.2 miles.

Trevor Jones also took this weeks King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey with a fantastic 9,321 ft of climbing and also achieved the biggest single ride of the week with 87.8 miles.  Well done Trevor, great week!

This week 6 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week – Trevor Jones, The Thirlwind, Phil Wright, Bryan Blackelock, Bob Stonehouse and Frank Elders.  Well done to all 6 of you, good mileage!

This week 21 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members.   Well done to everyone!

Achievements to note, well done to Trevor Jones for a great week of cycling, Bryan Blackelock, Frank Elders and Max Headwind for some big single rides, Lee Morley for a great PB in his 10 mile TT, Phil Wright for his continuous weekly efforts in various TT events around the country, flying the club colours, Also a massive well done to all other club members who are enjoying getting some miles in this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 25/07/22 to 31/07/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

Following a week of intermittent rain, Sunday morning seen the worst of it and therefore this weeks ride was cancelled.  Let’s hope we have a better morning next Sunday!

 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday the final Club Tens event of 2022 took place at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.  5 riders took part including 3 from HCC.  Lee Morley was first home for the club and 3rd on the night in 24:53, Phil Wright was second for the club and 4th on the night in 28:21 and Tony Cheshire was 3rd home for HCC and 5th on the night in 30:46.  Well done to Ryan Hall from Adept for winning on the night.  Full results for Week 7 can be found below.

     

The 7 week Club Tens T107 League is now complete and the Cumulative table below shows how many events each club rider has taken part in inc their total points.  Well done to Phil Wright for riding all 7 events, Lee Morley for his excellent TT times and Tony Cheshire for his consistency and all three of the above for achieving course PBs in this years events.

Congratulations to Lee Morley for winning the Club Tens T107 League on Actual Points and to Phil Wright for winning the Club Tens T107 League on Standard.  Well done to all who took part and to everyone involved for making this years T107 league a success.

Also on Wednesday night, Darlington CC held their weekly Club Ten and Paul Thirling took part out of 25 riders.  Paul finishing in 4th place in 22:50.  The event was jointly won by Adam Pinder of PM Racing and Nick bellew of Teesdale CRC in a time of 22:16.  With the T107 League now finished for 2022, this event is a well attended and popular event on a good course if any HCC members are looking to ride a weekly TT event.

With only 2 days rest and after his Club T107 League win on Standard, Phil Wright travelled to Levens just outside Kendal on Saturday for the Pendle CC (fastest 100 riders) 10 Mile TT on the L1015 course.  77 riders took part with 28 DNS and Phil finished in 75th place in a great time of 26:13.  Harris Hall of Velo Culture won the event in 19:15.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Lee Morley claimed the top spot in the general classification with 271.1 miles, Trevor Jones was 2nd with 147.2 miles and The Thirlwind was 3rd with 119.8 miles.

Lee Morley took this weeks King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey with a massive 12,618 ft of climbing and Lee Morley also achieved the biggest single ride of the week with 245.1 miles.  Well done to Lee!

This week only 3 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week – Lee Morley, Trevor Jones and The Thirlwind.  Well done to all three!

This week 20 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members.   Well done to everyone!

Achievements to note, well done to Jason Lewis and Paul Sefton for continuing to increase their weekly mileage and enjoy their cycling, also to Lee Morley and Phil Wright for their Club T107 League wins and to Lee Morley for his epic Seaton to Silloth to Seaton (C2C2C) ride of 245.14 miles, amazing Lee!  Also a massive well done to all other club members who are enjoying getting some miles in this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 18/07/22 to 24/07/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

Following a week of record-breaking hotness, right on cue just as the schools broke up for summer, the weather took a turn for the worse.
The morning started damp and breezy which tends to reduce the appeal of cycling as a social activity. So, it was only Steve S and Peter that turned out at the GL both with a view to just putting a few miles in.

A stop at the Aviator Cafe was on the agenda and despite numerous attempts to get there so far this year, this time they would make it.
The wind was blustery but the skies had dried up as they headed up to Trimdon. As it was still early a bit of a loop was added to the ride through Coxhoe and then up the steady incline past Thrislington Quarry towards Bishop Middleham. Then it was up the hill to Garmondsway airport departure lounge, aka The Aviator Cafe.

Coffee and breakfasts were ordered and very good they were too.  By now the weather was decidedly warming up, which made for a pleasant ride back through the Trimdons. Sometimes riding into the wind, sometimes with the wind from behind. Then back down through Hart into the town.

Just what Sunday mornings are made for. Mileage was around 37 with an average of around 14.5/15 mph.

Club/Racing News

There was no Club Tens this week due to the Croft Tens taking place.  Therefore, the next and final Club Tens event of the season will be Wed 27th July.  We hope to see a good turnout for the last event in the series for 2022.

Talking of the Croft Tens event, on Wednesday night Phil Wright had a great ride and finished in 43rd place out of 98 riders in 27:49.  Well done Phil!  The event was won by 15yr old Harris Hall of Velo Culture in 20:54

Also on Wednesday night was the Darlington CC Club Tens night and Hartlepool CC had 2 members competing out of 16 riders.  With Paul Thirling finishing in 3rd place in 22:23 and Steve Rhodes finishing in 15th in 26:28.  Well done guys, great rides!  The event was won by Marcel Schubert of DCC in 20:50.

Phil Wright was racing again on Saturday in the Sherwood Cycling Club 10 Mile TT on the A10/3 course outside Nottingham.  Phil finished in 79th place out of 90 riders in 26:31.  Great ride Phil after a long drive.  The event was won by Joshua Giddings of Team Inspired in 18:31

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind claimed the top spot for a second week running in the general classification with 153.7 miles, Phil Wright was 2nd  for a second week running with 102.3 miles and Lee Morley was 3rd with 94.9 miles.

Trevor Jones took this weeks King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey with 4,344 ft of climbing and Lee Morley achieved the biggest single ride of the week with 54.5 miles.  Well done to Trevor and Lee!

This week only 2 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week – The Thirlwind and Phil Wright.  Well done to both!

This week 24 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members.  This is the highest number of members that have been out enjoying their cycling over the week.  Well done to everyone!

Achievements to note, well done to Jason Lewis for getting back out on the bike, also to Phil Wright for having another good training week including racing in two TTs and everyone else who is out enjoying their cycling this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 11/07/22 to 17/07/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

With another good week of warm weather, Hartlepool cyclists were out in force.  But by Sunday, only two made it to the Golden Lion for the earlier start time of 7.45am to get most of the ride done before the hot sun appeared.  The plan was to have an easy but hilly ride to Seaham harbour where the best bacon butties in the land can be found.  The route was straight up the coast road via Easington Colliery and a few stops were required to put rain coats on and off due to the unexpected showers.  When Steve and Sean reached the highly rated ‘Dulan Cafe’ it was only 9am but they still managed to consume a coffee and tea and two bacon butties followed by another two coffees and two delicious brownies with cream and toffee sauce.  With items on the menu such as Dirty Fries and Chicken Humpit burgers, this was definately a cafe to explore again another time.

                                                                                                

As they began their journey back past the statue of Tommy, they noticed that it was Seaham Carnival day, therefore Sean paused his Garmin for a brief moment to pose for his Mr Seaham picture with the main stage showcased in the background.  The route back was via South Hetton and Haswell, then Wingate to Hart.  By this time the weather was getting warmer as the pace increased and the pair soon found themselves back in town.  In general this was a great ride of approx 40 to 45 miles at 14mph avg with 2300ft climbing.

 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was the continuation of the Club Tens (Week 6 of 7) from Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.  The weather forecast was good and even though the event was advertised at short notice we still managed to get 5 riders take part inc 2 from HCC.  Lee Morley was 1st home for the club in 23:53 with another excellent course PB by 2 seconds and Phil Wright was 2nd home for the club in 27:57 also with a new course PB by 3 seconds.  Excellent rides guys!  The event was won by Ryan Hall of Adept in 22:20 which was exactly the same time Ryan finished in Week 5.

After 6 weeks of racing, the league standings can be found below alongside this weeks results.  There is only 1 week remaining in the club tens league for 2022.  The next event will be July 27th as the next Croft Ten event takes place on July 20th.  So please come along on Wednesday night 27th July for the final week of the season.

               

 

Lee Morley continued his great form in the Stockton Wheelers 25 mile TT on Sunday on the 252/3 course from Crathorne to Knayton and back.  Lee finished in 57:10 with yet another excellent PB.  Lee really is having an incredible season.  Well done!  The event was won by Adam Duggleby of (Chapeau! Vive Le Velo) in 49:03.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind reclaimed the the top spot in the general classification with 169.6 miles, Phil Wright was 2nd with 130.0 miles and Matthew Johnson was 3rd with 128.8 miles.

Matthew Johnson also took the King Of The Mountains polka dot jersey this week with 8,150 ft of climbing including a massive 128 miler to Alston in the heat, in which he claimed the highest single ride of the week.  Superb cycling Matt!

This week 6 riders joined the 100 mile club for the week – The Thirlwind, Phil Wright, Matthew Johnson, Lee Morley, Trevor Jones and Bryan Blackelock.  Well done to you all.

22 riders put miles on the board this week out of 52 Strava HCC members, well done to everyone and lets see more members out on their bikes!  Well done to you all.

Achievements to note, a massive well done to Matthew Johnson for his epic 128 mile ride, Lee Morley for his string of PBs in time trial events and everyone else who is out enjoying their cycling this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it and let the Tour De France continue to inspire you all to get out on your bikes!

Weekly News 04/07/22 to 10/07/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

This Sunday the weather was perfect and Steve A, Matt, Steve S, Peter and Sean turned out to enjoy it and doing a little bit of cycling as well.
The route was out through Wolviston and along the lanes to Yarm then up over the railway and through Aislaby, once just a farm with pigs snuggling their dirty noses in the mud and probably a milk maid, but now it’s all self-build houses and Range Rovers. Looking out over the fields, Peter thought, “I can remember this when it was all fields”. The road twists and turns towards Middleton one row and it was on one of these turns that Sean drifted a bit to the right only to encounter another cyclist coming quickly round the corner. How they didn’t both end up in the ditch like a comical homage to the cycling calamities of ‘last of the summer wine’ is a mystery, but we had a laugh about it.
Fortunately, the cafe stop was reached without further incident and coffee and scones (it’s all they had) were ordered at the Devonport. A glorious setting overlooking the river Tees, or it would if there weren’t all those trees obstructing the view.
After the cafe stop the pub stop had to be decided and the Welly at Wolviston was the choice. So it was back through Sadberge and Great Stainton. This however is where it all went wrong. Matt and Steve A had heard the Welly but not the intended route via Sedgefield.  So, while Peter, Steve S and Sean headed straight on, Matt and Steve A turned right at the top of the ride at Great Stainton, causing much concern for the others. But they still stuck to their intended route only to arrive at the Welly to find Steve A and Matt on their third or fourth drink.   Before we got to comfortable at the Welly, we soon headed back into town via the Dalton back road.
The ride was around 60 miles at around 15.5 mph average but really none of that matters on such a fine summers day.

Club/Racing News

This weeks Club Tens TT League was cancelled and no other members raced this week in other events.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind took the top spot in the general classification with 200.6 miles, Peter Sanderson was 2nd with 146.3 miles and Frank Elders was 3rd with 146.1 miles.

The Thirlwind was also the King Of The Mountains this week with 7,172 ft of climbing.  A big well done goes to Bryan Blackelock for his single ride of the week with a massive 77.5 miles!

This week 6 riders reached the ‘100 club’ – The Thirlwind, Peter Sanderson, Franky Elders, Lee Morley, Phil Wright and Tim Summerton.  Well done to you all.

This week 22 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members, well done to everyone and for the rest of you, now is the perfect weather to get out on the bike and push some pedals round.

Weekly News 27/06/22 to 03/07/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

Phil and Sean met up for this Sundays ride, whilst Peter was away on family duties, Steve was injured and Matt was on a quest to fulfill an epic gravel ride.

The route took them up through Easington Colliery, towards Hawthorn, then upto South Hetton before coming back towards Haswell, then onto Salters Lane via Wingate and Station Town and then into Hartlepool via Hart.  Although not that scenic its still a good training route and fairly hilly, but Sean and Phil seemed to be more pre-occupied with putting the world to wrights as the conversation flowed nicely.

It was a fairly easy and short ride this week after some good lengthy rides over the past few weeks.  Also, Sean had already done a long ride alongside the Stockton Sportive yesterday with some good climbs and Phil had skipped a TT and completed some hard training during the week.  No cafe stop this week either, so well done guys for getting the miles in.  The ride was approx 30 mile at 13-14mph.

Matt on the other hand completed an epic 110 mile gravel ride, up towards Sunderland and then way out west past Consett towards Ramshaw and then back via Waskerley, Lanchester, Sacriston and Hetton Le Hole with some 5,620ft of climbing on his newly serviced Surly Pack Rat or HMS Comfort Balls as it’s known.  Well done Matt, great alternative ride!

 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was the continuation of the Club Tens (Week 5 of 7) from Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.  The weather forecast was rain, but it actually turned out to be a nice night, although there was still a headwind after the turn.  7 riders took part with 4 members from HCC qualifying for this years league points.  Lee Morley was 1st home for the club in 23:55 with an excellent course PB.  Steve Scanlon was 2nd home in 28:47, Phil Wright was 3rd in 29:02 and Tony Cheshire 4th in 30:17.  Excellent rides guys!  The event was won by Ryan Hall of Adept in 22:20.

After 5 weeks of racing, the league standings can be found below alongside this weeks results.  There are still 2 weeks remaining in the club tens league for 2022.  So please come along on Wednesday night 6th July for week 6 of this great series of time trials on a local course.

        

On Saturday, Gareth Parker completed the Stockton Sportive 38 mile distance.  This is a great Sportive that goes towards Great Ayton and up Captain Cooks via Easby with a Feed Station stop at Kildale and then continues towards Battersby, Ingleby Greenhow, Kirkby, Stokesley and Seamer taking in some testing climbs.  Well done Gareth!

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Lee Morley took the top spot in the general classification with 176.0 miles, The Thirwind was 2nd with 163.8 miles and Phil Wright was 3rd with 114.9 miles.

Lee Morley was also the King Of The Mountains this week with 9,757 ft of climbing including a great ride over Rosedale Chimney and Blakey Bank!  A big well done goes to Matt Johnson for his single ride of the week with a massive 110.8 miles!

For a second week only 5 riders went over the 100 mile mark for the week – Lee Morley, The Thirlwind, Phil Wright, Tim Summerton and Matt Johnson.  Well done to you all.

Also for a second week running only 18 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members, well done to everyone and for the rest of you, now is the time to get out on the bike in the lovely weather!  Well done to everyone.

Achievements to note, a big well done to Matthew Johnson for his epic 110 mile gravel ride, Lee Morley for a great 50 mile ride over Rosedale Chimney and Blakey Bank, Paul Sefton for hitting a much improved 61 mile for the week, Gareth Parker for a good ride in the Stockton Sportive and everyone else who is out enjoying their cycling this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it and let the Tour De France inspire you all to get out on your bikes!

Weekly News 20/06/22 to 26/06/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

This Sunday Peter and Sean were joined by Matt and Uncle Paul who was up from Watford for a blustery ride to Roots Cafe. Matt and Uncle Paul had done a long ride on Saturday with a long stretch into the strong headwind so showed great resilience in turning up for more of the same on Sunday. Leaving the Golden Lion at 8:30 and into the wind along Catcote Road the group soon settled into a steady pace also known as a bit of a grind as the wind continued all the way to the descent into Neasham.
The route from there was a sharp left up the bank towards Dinsdale, then after crossing the Tees on the Suspension bridge the route went along the French style road with White Poplars either side bent double in the wind and towards Hornby.  It was around here however that Sean’s breakfast started to run out and realising there was no Girsby Cafe his complaints started, ‘are we there yet’ and ‘where’s the cafe’ being two that can be printed. So now instead of plodding on to the cycling Mecca that is Roots Cafe it was time to head for a closer coffee stop and the Kirlevington prison cafe was the closest.  Although the prison cafe was closed so it was coffee and sausage rolls at the Yarm driving range cafe next door.

 
 

From the cafe stop it was back through Yarm and Stockton with a following wind then through Billingham towards Cowpen Bewley where a beer stop was required to top up the energy reserves and ensure everyone could make it back to town.  At Greatham Uncle Paul and Matt headed straight through the town towards The Pot House while Peter and Sean took the scenic route along Dalton Back Lane.
The ride was around 55 miles in total and mainly flat. Average about 15mph but a high scorer on the enjoyment scale.

 
 

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was the continuation of the Club Tens (Week 4 of 7) from Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, after last weeks break to make way for the Croft Tens event.  It was a nice sunny evening and although there was still a bit of wind, in general it was a good evening for a time trial.  5 riders took part with 3 members from HCC qualifying for this years league points.  Lee Morley was 1st home for the club in 24:15, Phil Wright 2nd in 28:00 and Tony Cheshire 3rd in 29:59.  All three HCC riders smashing their course records and also beating their standard times.  Excellent riding guys!  The event was won by Ray Hall of Adept in 22:35.

After 4 weeks of racing, the league standings can be found below alongside this weeks results.  There are still 3 weeks remaining in the club tens league for 2022.  So please come along on Wednesday night 29th June for week 5 of this great series of time trials on a local course.

        

 

On Saturday Phil Wright competed in the Kent Valley RC 10 Mile Time Trial on the L1015 course at Levens just outside Kendal.  80 riders competed and Phil finished in a great time of 25:46 with an average speed of 23.29 mph in 72nd place.  Well done Phil!  The event was won by Grant Bigham of Wattshop in 18:56 with an average speed of 31.69 mph.

On Sunday was the big event of the season that the club was preparing for as hosts, the RTTC National 50 Mile Time Trial Championships for both the Mens and Womens races on the T502/1 course.  The club had no riders competing today, but had a strong field of marshalls to help make the event a success.  With the fastest riders in the country, some travelling quite far to compete for the National title.  It was a nice warm day, but a strong wind developed from 7am which meant the riders had to manage their pace right on the outlap before flying back after the turn with a nice tailwind in the highest gear they could find.

In the Womens race, 22 riders started and Kate Allan of Team Bottrill finished in 1st place in a time of 1:44:55 and became the National 50 Mile TT Champion for 2022.  2nd was Joanna Patterson of Wahoo Endurance Zone p/b Le Col in 1:45:34 and 3rd place was Jennifer George of The Independant Pedaler – Nopinz in 1:50:13.

In the Mens race, 49 riders started and Christopher Fennell of The Independant Pedaler – Nopinz finished in 1st place in a time of 1:37:38 and became the National 50 Mile TT Champion for 2022.  Christopher is also the 25 Mile TT National Champion for 2022!  2nd was Marcel Schubert of Darlington Cycling Club in 1:38:58 and 3rd place was Jack Levick of Rose Race Team in 1:39:39.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind took the top spot in the general classification with 162.3 miles, Matthew Johnson was 2nd with 140.8 miles and Stewart Summerside was 3rd with 127.7 miles.

Richard Nichol was the King Of The Mountains this week with 6,276 ft of climbing!  A big well done also goes to Richard Nichol for his single ride of the week with a massive 92.8 miles!

This week only 5 riders went over the 100 mile mark for the week – The Thirlwind, Matthew Johnson, Stuart Summerside, Phil Wright and Tim Summerton.  Well done to you all.

This week only 18 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members, well done to everyone and for the rest of you, now is the time to get out on the bike in the lovely weather!  Well done to everyone.

Other achievements to note, a big well done to Matthew Johnson for getting in some great mileage including an 82 miler, Paul Sefton for continuing to get in those bigger rides and everyone else who is enjoying their cycling this season!  Be safe and most of all enjoy it.

Weekly News 13/06/22 to 19/06/22

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

With blue sky’s and light winds you could almost believe it was summer. And indeed, it was. So, a perfect day to explore a new cafe stop and make the most of the exemplary cycling conditions. Sean and Matt were at the Golden Lion ready for the 8:30 start when Peter arrived quickly followed by Steve A. The big question though was will Steve S make it? He had been complaining about having buckled wheels all week and wasn’t sure if could risk making them worse on today’s ride. But he turned up with his fingers crossed to transform the small group into a proper gaggle. It has to be said that Steve A was also a bit risky having not been on the bike for weeks due to work commitments and bad knees.  So, well done to the two Steves for getting out.

The route was out over Quarrington hill then down into Durham before climbing out the other side. Through Meadowfield and along to Brancepeth. The cafe stop was at Brancepeth castle, but the sign at the entrance gate only mentioned church services. ‘Oh no’ thought Peter ‘wheres the cafe?’ ‘Sean will go off on one if we don’t find the cafe soon’.  So undeterred by the prospect of ending up in church the only option was to keep going. Fortunately, this was the right decision as Brancepeth castle was just a bit further along the road.

The castle dates back to the 12th century and was built by the Bulmer family from using the money from their cider business. It later refurbished by the Neville’s who also had a cross named after them in Durham city. The current building however was built as a family home in the 19th century and was in fact one of the first projects to appear on Grand Designs. It was later a hospital during the ww1 and a barracks for the Durham Light infantry.  Now however, it is home to the Grund Schneider German cafe which serves German coffee, German cake and German leek and potato soup. There are seats outside and in, and if you need your trousers adjusting,  they can do this as well.

        

After the very pleasant cafe stop and refuelled with coffee and schtick it was time to get back on the bikes and head off towards Page bank. There was a good stretch of downhill toward the Wear River and past Shafto’s cottage before the start of the long haul up out of Weardale. All the way through Spennymoor to Kirk Merrington from where it was a good swoop down into the Tees valley and mainly downwards all the way home.

        

So, a good ride by everybody and both the Steve’s made it round without any mishaps. The ride was around 50 miles with around 2900 ft of hills and as always, a steady sociable pace.

    

    

 

Club/Racing News

On Sunday, Lee Morley took part in the Sowerby Sunday Club 10 Mile Time Trial, starting and finishing in Dishforth on the V210 course.  63 riders took part and Lee finished in 29th place with an excellent time of 23:17 and an average of 25.77 mph.  Well done Lee, another great ride!  The race was won by Bevan Jones of 53eleven in 20:25 and an average of 29.39 mph.

The club is currently preparing for the National 50 Mile Time Trial Championships next Sunday which the club is hosting.  Therefore, any support or help would be appreciated.

 

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Stephen G Rhodes took the top spot in the general classification with 212.0 miles, The Thirlwind was 2nd with 201.3 miles and Richard Nichol was 3rd with 154.1 miles.   Tony Slimmings was the King Of The Mountains this week with 12,812 ft of climbing!  A big well done also goes to Richard Nichol for his single ride of the week with a massive 154.1 miles!   This week 7 riders went over the 100 mile mark for the week – Stephen G Rhodes, The Thirlwind, Richard Nichol, Phil Wright, Steve Scanlon, Bob Stonehouse and Frank Elders.  Well done to you all.  This week 22 riders put miles on the board out of 52 Strava HCC members, well done to everyone and for the rest of you, now is the time to get out on the bike in the lovely weather!  Well done to everyone.  Other achievements to note, Paul Sefton for starting to get in some bigger rides and completed a 20 miler on Sunday, Richard Nichol for his massive single ride of 154 miles, Lee Morley for his excellent TT season so far producing some great times, Bob Stonehouse and Gareth Parker for completing a couple of excellent 18+ avg speed rides and everyone else who is enjoying their cycling this season!  Be safe and enjoy it.

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