Hartlepool Cycling Club

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!

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

        

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.

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!

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

        

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.

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.

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

A strong wind had been blowing from the west and the south for a couple of days and the proposed route for today’s ride was south west. Strong winds are good for some things, like flying a kite, errr, and turning windmills and other stuff that I can’t think of now. But strong winds are not good for cycling into, not good at all. So it came as a relief when the winds had died down a bit for this Sundays ride. In fact with lighter winds and the sun shining you could almost imagine it being summer. Although Peter still turned up at the Golden Lion carrying a water proof for the weather forecasts predicted heavy rain showers. No such wimpy water proofs for Steve, Matt and Sean though, oh no, they are made of sterner stuff.

With the weather in mind however a route was decided towards Staindrop with the option of going to Bishop Auckland instead if the wind got up bad again or the rain made an appearance. Sean’s bike had been overhauled with new gears and chain and he was a bit apprehensive on the hill up to Elwick. He was also muttering about having to ride up the hill, I can only think he didn’t want to wear his new gears out.

At the top of the hill the wind was in fact a bit stronger and the higher the road went the stronger the wind got. The route was out through Trimdon to Ferryhill taking in the climb up into the town, then along the exposed road to Kirk Merrington. All the while heading in a general south westerly direction.

At Bishop Auckland it was decided to press on to Staindrop going via West Auckland and the football statue commemorating the village being the home of the first ever world cup winner. Following the A688 into the head wind Sean made an official complaint that the ride was too long. But fortunately this was not far from the descent past Raby Castle and the cafe stop.

The cafe was the country cafe tea room and all seats were reserved. Oh no thought Peter, more complaints. But fortunately there was time for a quick stop before the tables were needed for Sunday lunches. Beans on toast and bacon sandwiches were the order of day and a nice touch was the scissors provided to open the sachets of ketchup. Definitely above and beyond normal service for the hospitality sector.

With the cafe stop done the next question was, would the wind be behind us on the way back? And the answer was a very definite yes.

The cycling got easier and only the climb up to Bolam and Peters unnecessary waterproof falling out of his jacket pocket slowed things down on the return journey. The way was mainly downwards as well so it was practically a case of freewheeling back to town.

Another coffee stop was called for as we passed the Welly and even though the dark clouds were rolling in the rain kept away.
So a ride of two halves but each enjoyable in its own way. 65 miles with over 3000ft of climbing at a steady average pace of around 14 mph.

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was Week 3 of 7 of the HCC T107 – 10 Mile TT League from Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.  On the night rain was predicted and the wind was strong again.  The rain never showed, but this may have deterred some as only 4 riders took part this week with 2 of which from HCC competing.  Phil Wright was first home for the club in 29:21 followed by the consistent Tony Cheshire in 31:34.  Well done to both!  The event was won by Ryan Hall in a great time of 22:12.  Full results can be found below.

After Week 3 of the League, Phil Wright is leading on actual points with 27pts and also leading on Standard points with 29pts.  Although there is still 4 weeks remaining, so a lot still to play for.  There is a weeks break next week whilst the Croft Tens are running, therefore this competition will continue from the 22nd June.

On Saturday evening, Phil Wright had travelled to Levens near Kendal for the Springfield Financial Racing Team 10 Mile TT on the L1015 course with 69 other riders, only for the event to be cancelled once he arrived.  With a 6.13pm start, this was a bit disappointing after preparing all day for the event.  But Phil as keen as ever decided to ride his own simulation of the L1015 course the day after in a great time of 26:39.  Well done Phil and I’m sure you will have another TT lined up soon!

Other great rides to note.  Lee Morley is currently on holiday in France and instead of having a nice relaxing holiday, as soon as Lee arrived, he cycled straight up the famous Alpe d’Huez climb!  Lee has also cycled up many other well known routes during his stay, such as the Criterium du Dauphine stage 7 finish climbing into Vaujany, the Croix De Fer and Col du Glandon to name a few.  Great cycling Lee with some stunning views.  Enjoy your holiday!

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Lee Morley took the top spot with 204.1 miles and an incredible 24,708ft climbing, with some great mileage and climbing in the French Alps and over the Cols.  Stephen G Rhodes was 2nd with 192.5 miles and The Thirlwind was 3rd with 164.5 miles.   Superb guys, a great week of cycling!  A big well done goes to Matthew Johnson for the biggest single ride of the week with 70.0 Miles!   This week 10 riders went over the 100 mile mark for the week – Lee Morley, Stephen G Rhodes, The Thirlwind, Richard Nichol, Max Headwind, Steve Scanlon, Peter Sanderson, Graeme Coates, Trevor Jones and Tim Summerton.  Well done to all.  This week 24 riders put miles on the board, well done to everyone!  This week has shown there are more riders starting to get out on their bikes and more reaching the 100 mile for the week mark!  Keep up the good work all!

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

With 5 more weeks of competition remaining, the current standings can be found above.  As you can see Steve Scanlon is currently leading on Actual points with 19pts and Phil Wright is currently leading on Standard with 19pts.  Remember though, only your best 5 out of 7 events qualify.  Therefore, there is still a lot to play for and week 3 is the final chance for any first time riders to join in and steal the remaining points over the final 5 events.

On Friday, with no time to waste and 4 events to complete within an 8 day period, Phil Wright, straight off a 10 Mile PB competed in the Cambridge CC (Viking 50 Mile TT) on the F2/50 in Cambourne, just outside Cambridge.  109 riders entered and only 87 competed on the day.  But this didn’t stop Phil who had a brilliant ride, especially after a long journey and finished 81st in 2:17:13 with an avg speed of 21.86mph.  Phil also picked up a medal for his efforts.  Well done Phil!  The event was won by Matthew Smith of DRAG2ZERO in 1:39:09 with a 30.26mph avg.

On Sunday, Phil was racing again in his 3rd race in 5 days in the Cleveland Couriers 10 Mile TT on the T102 course near Crathorne.  Familiar with the course and stated as one of the fastest 10 Mile TT courses available, HCC had 3 riders down for the event.  Steve Scanlon couldn’t make it due to mechanical issues, therefore that left Paul Thirling and Phil Wright to fight it out for the 2 Club Championship awards – the J.W Cameron Cup and the Handicap Cup.  33 riders entered the event and Paul Thirling finished in an amazing 4th position overall in 22:24 to win the J.W Cameron Cup for 2022.  Phil also had another great ride and finished in 28:18 and wins the 10 Mile TT Handicap Cup for 2022.  Both riders won the same cups last year, so a big well done to both!  The event was won by Marcel Schubert of Darlington CC in 20:08.

Queens Platinum Jubilee Ride  –  HCC set a challenge this week to ride 70Km or 70 Mile in conjunction with the Queens Platinum Jubilee (70yrs).  The idea was to ride the distance and post the ride on your Strava page wearing red, blue or white or a combination over the 2nd to 5th June.  HCC members who qualified with rides over 43.5 mile (70Km) and posted their picture were Gareth Parker, Steve Scanlon and Trevor Jones.  But a winner was selected and Steve Scanlon won the challenge with a 70Km ride wearing an old British Cycling jersey.  Thanks to all that took part.

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week Trevor Jones took the top spot with 285.6 miles and a massive 12,847ft climbing, The Thirlwind was 2nd with 250.5 miles and Vince Duffy was 3rd with 237.1 miles.  All three going well over the 200 mile mark for the week.  Superb guys, a great week of cycling in showery conditions.  A big well done goes to Richard Nichol for riding the most miles in a single ride with 89.0 miles!  For the 2nd week running 7 riders went over the 100 mile mark for the week – Trevor Jones, The Thirlwind, Vince Duffy, Max Headwind, Phil Wright, Richard Nichol and Bob Stonehouse.  Well done to all.  Again 22 riders put miles on the board this week, well done to everyone!  Lets hope the weather improves and we have a big week next week!

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

The theme of this Sundays ride was ’50/34′, ‘pension age’ and ‘early cafe stops’ as only 2 hardy soles made it out to ride against the wind and intermittent sunshine & showers.

Sean and Steve agreed to meet at the Tall Ships at 9am for this week only, as the plan was to ride an easy short one since the weather forecast looked a bit bleak.  From the moment they set off, the sunshine was out, but there was a cold chill in the air as they cycled up towards Trimdon with no definate cafe stop location decided as it was more of a, how far can we go before it rains.  As they approached the left turn up towards Trimdon from Hart, the showers started, but soon stopped and there where periods where the sunshine managed to shine through the black clouds and dried the path and made it an enjoyable ride.

Anyway, the cafe of choice was decided, No.4 in Sedgefield.  The memories of last years gorgeous Strawberry Tarts couldn’t be forgotten and as Sean and Steve looked through the glass cabinet, as if they were almost forbidden delicacies, the tarts again looked perfect.  But, barely 12 miles into the ride and reaching the cafe just after 10am, Sean and Steve decided to go big time and have a coffee, a Bacon sarnie AND a slice of Orange cake (the waitress did say “you need all the energy you can get when cycling”), so they believed her and tucked into the grub on the table outside, just as it started to chuck it down.

Once inside the cafe they had a chat with 2 fellow cyclists, one from Billingham and another from Long Newton who impressed Sean with their knowledge on the Garmin Varia rear light tech and after a good feed, they where soon back out on the road and headed towards Bishopton.  Sean still fresh with cycling tech on the brain, was finding his PlanetX bike gears a lot easier than his Giant and found out he was using a 50/34 and that’s why he was finding the gears easier than maybe his 53/39 on his Giant?  Steve also learn’t that you don’t pay National Insurance in your wages once you reach pension age.  So they both learn’t something today at least!

With the conversation flowing well, fuelled by plenty of calories, they were soon headed back through Wynyard with a slight detour round Billingham to the Greatham Track and then back home via Seaton.  The rain was coming down a bit more now and they were facing a headwind, so they took it nice and easy and cycled up the promenade to home.  In general, a nice easy enjoyable ride, just over 14mph avg and 35-40 miles covered.

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was Week 1 of 7 of the HCC T107 – 10 Mile TT League from Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park.  This event is open to anyone, but club members are awarded points for Fastest and also VTTA Standard to win this years awards.  An awkward headwind/sidewind covered the main course and only the start to the first roundabout allowed some good speed.  8 riders took part, with 4 of the riders from HCC.  Lee Morley was first home for the club in 24:40, 2nd was Steve Scanlon in 28:11, 3rd was Phil Wright in 29:11 and 4th Tony Cheshire in 32:48.  Full results can be seen below:-

On Sunday, two Hartlepool CC riders took part in the East Bradford CC 15 Mile Spoco TT on the V221.  38 riders started and Paul Thirling had a great ride for 9th place in 35:25 and Phil Wright 33rd in 44:03.  Great ride from both on another testing SPOCO course.  For those that don’t know, there is a series of SPOCO races and each rider is awarded points.  So good luck to Paul and Phil in the overall competition.  This event was won by Joe Wilson in 31:26 with a 28.632 mph avg!

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind took the top spot for the 2nd week in a row with 201.0 miles, Stephen G Rhodes was 2nd with 186.3 miles and also the most elevation with 9,366 ft of climbing and Lee Morley in 3rd with 132.0 miles.    Superb guys, a great week of cycling in a tough wind!  We would also like to say a big well done to Paul Sefton for a noticeable increase in weekly mileage, keep up the good work and also to say a big well done to 7 riders this week all going over the 100 mile mark for the week – The Thirlwind, Stephen G Rhodes, Lee Morley, Vince Duffy, Tim Summerton, Phil Wright and Steve Scanlon.  22 riders put miles on the board this week, well done to everyone!

HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride

It was all Deja Vu this week with another early start and another ride that ended up in Stokesley. The early start was needed to be able to get to Crathorne for the start of  the club’s 10 mile time trial, the little trip to Stokesley just sort of happened as a coffee stop was called for.

Peter, Steve and Sean got to the Golden Lion although Sean only just made it by walking up Hart lane having dropped his chain but that was soon fixed and although a bit of a niggle with his bike he decided to set off and ‘see how it goes’. And mostly it went ok but I think it’s fair to say that it’s in need of attention.

The route there was just straight through Stockton to Yarm and arriving at Crathorne just in time for the off. Steve did some Marshalling by checking lights and pushing off the TTers. Peter and Sean’s services were not required though so they had a nice sit down and a cup of coffee in the old Crathorne reading room. A building that also once served as a library. You had to pay a monthly subscription of 1 old penny to be use the building as a reading room. But it cost 2 old pennys to join the library. Guess you had to bring your own reading material if you weren’t a library member. There are no books now however so having had some refreshments the only thing to do to pass the time was to go and watch the action at the start of the TT. Steve did a very good job it has to be said.

With the last of the riders off along the A19 the Sunday ride could resume and it was decided to head towards Great Ayton via Hutton Rudby and back along the chicken run following  the same route as last week’s ride and revisiting the Costa cafe again. More Deja Vu.

Then it was back through the Boro and along the Tees road with wind assistance all the way back to town.

In total it was about 55 miles with no hills to talk about and an average speed of around 14/15 ish.

Club/Racing News

On Wednesday night, it was the 2nd Croft 10 Mile TT in the series, which seen riders set off in 30sec intervals round 5 laps of the Croft Motor Circuit.  There was a slight breeze but overall the conditions were good.  Although only 114 riders took part as the weather was forecast rain which never showed.  But this didn’t put off two Hartlepool CC riders, with great rides from Lee Morley in 9th place in 23:45 and Steve Scanlon in 35th place in 26:05.  Well done to both for flying the HCC colours on such a great event round a traffic free course.  The event was won by Matthew Brennan of Team Bottrill, aged 16 in 20:14.  The next event is 15th June.

On Sunday, Hartlepool CC Hosted the 10 Mile Open TT event from Crathorne on the A19 to the Tontine and back.  This is known to be a very fast course, but with a strong headwind going out, the riders had to push hard with the wind behind them on the return to put a good time on the board.  Two Hartlepool CC riders took part, out of a field of 42 starters.  Paul Thirling came in 5th in 22:08 and Richie Grant in 31st in 25:37.  Great rides guys and thanks for supporting the clubs 10 mile event!  The event was won by Marcel Schubert in 19:41.  The next HCC hosted event is the Mens and Womens National Championship 50 Mile Open TT on the 26th June.

Strava Club Leaderboard

This week The Thirlwind took the top spot in the leaderboard with 203.4 miles, Lee Morley was 2nd with 123.9 miles and Max.Headwind in 3rd with 113.3 miles and also the highest elevation gain with 6,089 ft of climbing.  Superb guys, well done!  We would also like to say a big well done to Peter Sanderson for just missing out on the top 3 in 4th spot with 109.9 miles.  23 riders put miles on the board this week, well done to everyone!