Hartlepool Cycling Club

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.