Corley Cycles Blog

Corley Cycles Tri Team On Top Form For 2013

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:41:00 GMT

We're sponsoring a great bunch of guys and a super quick girl this year on the triathlon team. These athletes come in the form of David Glossy, Phil Holland, David Kiernan, Jason Moore, Jordan Mackie, Jim McKellar, Suresh Dulal and Rachel Hallam.

Here they all are, trying to keep warm on the day of the team launch.

Let's have a brief look at each one and give a brief summary of what they've been up to this year:

Dave Glossy:

Team Captain of the Corley Cycles Triathlon Team.
During the week he runs and works in a barbers (Hair Masters in Stony Stratford), don't let this lull you into a false sense of security though as he is a demon on the bike!
So far this year Dave has been getting some great results including 1st at the Buckingham Triathlon where he took overall victory!

Phil Holland:

The World Champion.
Phil's favourite bit about tri/duathlon is the running, though he absolutely loves his new Trek Speed Concept!
This year Phil has already become European Age Group Champion in Duathlon (which Holland won in Holland), he has won the Althorp Duathlon and come 2nd in the Dambuster Duathlon.

David Kieran:

The Time Trailling Triathlete.
David K is more known for his very fast TT ability, he can certainly upset Dave and Phil on the bike and that's saying something!
In 2013 David has come 4th at the Bosworth Duathlon (1st Vet though) and had a handful of 2nd places in TTs all of which were won by Matt Clinton so we're not going to complain about 2nd!

Jason Moore:

The up and coming one.
Jason is relatively new to the triathlon game, but then he is only 24 so we'll let him off.
So far this year Jason has come 2nd in the Bedford Sprint Triathlon, the winner was Phil Holland with Dave Glossy coming 5th.

Jordan Mackie:

The brainy one (allegedly).
Jordan is currently studying at Loughborough University and has made an interesting workshop in his dorm room...
Jordan will be taking part in the Stowe Sprint Triathlon this year and is hoping for a good result.

Jim McKellar:

The old bullet.
Jim got convinced by a friend to take up Triathlon at the age of 74, which considering he couldn't swim at the time could have been disastrous, thankfully it wasn't!
He has entered the British Triathlon Champs which are to be held in Liverpool this year.

Suresh Dulal:

The one who works in the shop.
Suresh is more Ironman than Ironman! He regularly runs home from work which is roughly 18 miles away.
He is set to do Ironman Austria this year!

Rachel Hallam:

The female one.
Rachel is a farmer by trade as well as a qualified Sports Therapist, so when she's not out swimming, running or biking, she's busy lambing and sorting out injured sports folk.
This year Rachel has claimed fastest woman at the Buckingham Triathlon, where she did a 5:03 on the 400m swim leg! She beat Dave Glossy on both the swim and run legs, watch out Dave!

So there's a little bit about our Tri folk. We're expecting great things from them throughout the year and we'll try and keep you all updated with their results. For some very camp looking men check out the Tri team launch pictures on our Facebook page. You'll be able to find out more about the athletes on their profile pages (which are currently being updated).

Toachim House 2 Day Stage Race win for Roy Chamberlain

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:20:00 GMT

The three stage, 2 day, race started at the Cyclopark in Gravesend, Kent at 11am on Saturday. The first stage; a 10 mile time trial around the Cyclopark circuit where TT bikes were allowed which gave way to much debate as to whether it was fair.

Above: Simon Wilson on his way to take the time trial stage win in a time of 17:49.

As the TT was round a circuit with quite a few twists and turns and high winds, the riders with TT bikes might not have had it all their own way. As the early riders got underway on the 5 lap circuit, again something of debate as it seemed not everyone could count to five… or rather that quite a few decided 6 would be a better number! Simon Wilson (Team Corley Cycles) was fourth off and set an early lead of 17:49, a time that would not be beaten on the day.

Elliott Porter (Rapha Condor JLT) was one of the last to head out on the circuit and came the closest to the Corley rider’s time, clocking a 17:57 while Robert Moore (London Phoenix CC) rounded out the top 3 with a time of 17:59.

Stage 2
The next stage, a 90 minute circuit race, started at 2pm so riders were frantically stuffing pasta and Panini’s down in between to ensure their carbohydrate stores were topped up. With eleven different teams and clubs represented in the top twenty riders, all within a minute of the leader, it was always going to be a fast paced circuit. Jake Martin (Kingsnorth International) seemed like he had a point to prove and early on made the attack that would shape the race.

Simon Wilson saw the danger and got up to his wheel along with Jamie Pine (Pedal Heaven RT) and Darren Barclay (Arctic Premier RT). On the next lap, a handful of other riders managed to bridge across to the leading quartet. These riders included George Harper (Felt-Colbornes RT), Chris McNamara (Pedal Heaven RT), Mike Smith (Team Corley Cycles) and Robert Moore.

At around half distance, Jake attacked again gaining a sizeable gap on his own before George Harper made his way across to join him. The pair pulled out over a minute gap by the end on the chasing seven riders. At the finish Jake out kicked George to take the stage win and with it put himself in the leader’s jersey, 45 seconds ahead of Simon Wilson. Jamie Pine came across the line 3rd on the stage.

Jake taking the win on the second stage at the Cyclopark, a circuit he has won on previously.

Stage 3
This was a 75 mile road race, which actually turned out to be an 88 mile road race. As was bound to happen, Jake was marked at every turn of the pedals. With three teams and a couple of individuals all itching to get their hands on the £1,000 overall first prize, it was always going to be a big ask for Jake to hold onto the lead.

The Felt-Colbornes team drove it from the gun setting a high pace making it hard for anyone to attack and this lead to the inevitable casualties out the back of the bunch. Jake tried valiantly to chase down any attack that may have caused him to lose the lead and with little help this was what would eventually be his downfall.

On the second lap of the circuit, a group of four riders were just under a minute clear of the bunch. This group consisted of John Heaton-Armstrong and Alex Higham (Felt-Colbornes), Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley Cycles) and Brennan Townshend (Madison-Genesis). The race kept chopping and changing on each lap, with Alex Higham seeming the most consistent as he was in every break!

By the fifth lap, a group had formed which included most of the favourites; Simon Wilson, George Harper and Robert Moore. The person that was visibly absent was Jake Martin, who having spent all his time chasing down the attacks of his rivals had finally cracked.

In between this group and the bunch were a trio of riders including Roy Chamberlain. This group clawed their way up to the leading riders and on the last lap Alex, Roy and Jamie Caldwell (MG-Maxifuel) slipped clear of the other riders and would go on to contest the stage win.

Coming up the finish hill, Roy and Alex managed to drop Jamie, with Roy mainly thinking about the overall GC. Alex came passed Roy in the final 300 metres and took the stage convincingly. Out of all the riders, in the race it was great to see these two “mature” riders duking it out at the finish. Jamie took 3rd over the line, a very well ridden race by the MG-Maxifuel rider.

It was a nervous wait for Roy as he watched the other riders in GC contention come up the hill. After some quick working out using phones and stopwatches, the initial consensus was that Roy had done enough to take the overall win from George Harper and Robert Moore.

Back at the changing rooms this was confirmed with Roy beating George by 14 seconds. His team mate Simon had dropped back to 4th overall, 31 seconds adrift of Roy’s time. Not only did Roy win the overall GC, at 48 years old, he also took the first veteran prize! Showing that you don’t need to show an old dog new tricks (very apt considering the race is sponsored by a veterinary surgery).

Speaking to Roy after the event he had this to say: “This weekend has been great for us. It was a good team effort to get this win. We were a bit lucky that we had a couple of options with Simon being 2nd overall on the second day and with Mike also in contention, and of course myself, thankfully just off the GC radar which enabled me to get clear on the last lap.”

Of the race organisation he said: “It was nice to get the chance to ride such a well organised stage race and of course the prize money was well appreciated. I was impressed with the circuit at Cyclopark and its facilities, the next time I make a visit I’ll bring the kids.”

Ultimately though Roy attributed his and his team’s success to one thing: “If it wasn’t for the bottomless chips I had with my mixed grill the night before, the result would have been very different.”

The team manager at Corley Cycles (it says so on her licence she says), Sarah Hooper, said of his win “I can say that it was an excellent weekend for the four riders. I made an early prediction that Simon would win the TT and know how cunning Roy can be, but for him to clinch the overall was great.”

“Simon looked strong in both the crit and the road stage, so I was expecting him to seal the deal but you can never ever count Roy out! Mike and Jonny both did a lot of work on the road stage as well to nullify the threat of Jake Martin so it was definitely an all round team effort to get this win.”

What a Weekend!

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:27:00 GMT

So the past weekend was good for us all round at Corley Cycles!

I'll start with the Tri Team results news:

Phil Holland became British Duathlon (Age group) Champion! Phil won his age group and came 11th overall, not bad for someone that had been ill all week. Speaking to him later he said “I knew it wasn’t going to be my best overall result in the first 2km of the run, but I’m chuffed I still went on to win the age group”.

The Championships were held at Prestwold Hall near Loughborough on Sunday April 7th. He beat his closest age group rival, Geoffrey Beetham, by over a minute!

Here Phil is on the 20km bike leg on his Kuota Kebel. He used a Mavic CXR80 rear wheel whilst using a Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate front wheel due to the nature of the course leading to high winds.

Whilst Phil was doing this Dave Glossy was getting his swim, bike and run on at the Mark Tanton Memorial triathlon. Dave finished 2^nd overall but 1^st Veteran on the day. His daughter also took part in the youth event before Dave’s super sprint event, watch out for her in the future!

The road team had a “bit” of an easy time this weekend as there were very few events for them to enter. On Saturday Jonny was the only rider for Team Corley Cycles racing at the new Elveden race circuits. He rode very aggressively and got a gap on the bunch in the opening laps. He was shortly joined by Jamie Caldwell, MG-Maxifuel, and Wojciech Szlachta, Twenty3c-Focus. Unfortunately a bit too much work on the front for Jonny meant he didn’t have anything left for the final gallop and placed 9^th in the results.

Simon Wilson took another win for his new team, a time trial win this time. In a race that saw him pin his skinsuit to his jeans and then miss his start time he still managed to best his rivals. Though he soon realised why he hadn’t done a TT in a long time as he later tweeted “reminded myself how horrific TTs feel”!

There was also good news for Club Corley Cycles at the weekend. Our newest Club rider, Marcus Burnett, took three 2^nd places – one at the U16 Elveden races and two in Norwich. Marcus has had his racing career come on leaps and bounds under the guidance of Team MK over the last year and we’re very proud that he has decided to race in the red/black/white colours of Corley Cycles.

The Club Corley Cycles Saturday run was well attended by many of the usual faces and some new faces including 3 female riders. With us being so busy in the shop we hadn’t managed to find a member of staff to be able to lead the ride and with the free reign the Club riders did a longer than usual route. Most of them came back for tea and coffee and it seems everyone had a great time. These rides should hopefully become more populated with the (dare I say it…) warmer weather!

Early (3:30am) Sunday morning my alarm went off to wake me out of my stupor and get ready for a great day out watching Paris-Roubaix. With members of staff, a few customers and even one of our suppliers along for the ride we got “Hooper Tours” underway. The “Hell of the North” is such an iconic race that any die hard cycling fan should try and get out to see it in the flesh, and it wouldn’t be right to come back without at least one lungful of dust from the cobbled sectors!

The first time we saw the race was about 40km in, with a break of 15 or so riders 20 seconds up on the bunch, which was being led by Team NetApp – Endura and Cofidis, both of whom had missed the breakaway. We all searched through the bunch to catch a glimpse of Ian Stannard. He was right at the back, last man, sorting out a bit of food. We all cheered him on at the top of our lungs and got a wry smile from him. And then we were off again, chasing the race through France to the next stop – this time a cobbled section!

We made it up to some great viewing points on a corner (we were literally a foot away from the riders, front row of the crowd) with the cobbles stretched out before us. Again we eagerly awaited the arrival of the race. When they came charging through we cheered and coughed and cheered some more, again looking out specifically for Ian. Unfortunately he’d come down in a crash and so was on the back foot, but he was still hanging in there!

Thankfully by the next time we saw the race he was back in the thick of it, and as those who were watching on telly will know, even made a few decent attacks. By the 50km to go mark we had found a bar where we could have a drink (or two) and enjoy the rest of the race from a nice widescreen TV.

All in all we had a great day out! Hopefully we’ll be going again next year and who knows we may even invite you to tag along on the journey!

The League of Veteran Racing Cyclists (LVRC)

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:47:00 GMT

We're always encouraging youngsters to take part in cycle sport as they are the future after all. But it's not always about them, there is a continually growing group of people over the age of 40 who want to take part in competitive events.

Our Team Corley Cycles super veteran Don Parry is the chairman of the LVRC, the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists. This league was founded in 1986 and provides a full programme of events for men and women to ensure they can always compete.

The objective of the LVRC is the provision of a programme of competitive and social cycling events for male and female members of 40 years of age and over.

The League of Veteran Racing Cyclists came into being over 25 years ago to provide male and female members of 40 and over with competitive and social events, competition being in the form of age-related road races, time trials, cyclo cross and track racing where riders compete against other in their own 5 year age groups.

Competitors in LVRC events must be members and the joining instructions are on the web site www.lvrc.org.uk

Each member is covered for third party insurance while riding in LVRC events and social activities of up to £10,000,000 indemnity.

There is no duplication with other cycling organisations so our members are free to join any other body as they wish. They can also be amateur or professional.

The LVRC is administered by an Executive Committee elected annually at the AGM which takes place in October each year.

The League of Veteran Racing Cyclists: easily the best choice for cyclists who’ve reached 40

* Run by cyclists for cyclists
* Cycle racing for men and women over 40
* 5-year age bands mean enjoyable competition at your own level of fitness.
* Annual subscription only £20
* Standard race entry fee: £10
* Excellent third-party public liability insurance
* UK-wide race programme throughout the season
* Free quarterly magazine: The Veteran Leaguer
* Annual Handbook and Race calendar
* Dynamic website
* Events of all kinds: road, time-trial, track, cross
* National road-race and time-trial championships
* National season-long points road-race competition
* Organised entry to World Championships if required

* Regionally-based democratic organisation – You can have an influence

For more information e-mail Don: donparry_1@hotmail.com or visit the LVRC website: www.lvrc.org.uk

TCC Training Camp 2013 - Portugal

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:43:00 GMT

So we arrived at Faro airport on Monday at 2:15pm, the flight had gone smoothly and the only things we were down were a couple of gas canisters (which you aren’t allowed to take on a plane) and a set of Allen keys (which you are not allowed to put in your hand luggage). We found the person we were hiring the car from and Mike and I spotted a celebrity, none other than Jimmy White, or as Mike knows him; James Brown.

The boys unpacked and set up their bikes, they would be riding to our villa as we didn’t have enough space in the car for 6 people and 4 bikes. The winner of the bike unpacking/rebuilding competition was Mike who hardly had to set anything up as he had literally thrown his bike into a bag and put it on the plane. His prize? Well nothing really apart from riding around in circles in the car park for a bit waiting for the others.

Having never been to Portugal before I didn’t have much of a clue about where I was going, thankfully we were given some very well written directions, that and the fact that pops decided to be the navigator meant we got to our villa with only one slight detour. We were shown around and given the keys, as we stepped outside the villa again the boys rocked up. With it already being around 5pm we went and found the local supermarket and sorted out 100 euros worth of food to keep us going for all of… five minutes, these are 4 very hungry cyclists we’re talking about after all.

Tuesday; Simon, Mike, Liam and Jonny all donned their kit and went out for an almost 4 hour pedal, this included a 45 minute café stop I’m told! I’ve spoken to Jonny after the day and have been told they went on this route: Quarteira – Paragil – Penina – Messines – Silves – Café stop – Algoz – Paderne – Quarteira.

Wednesday; very similar to Tuesday for all intents and purposes, the riders rode, pops and I drove around before coming back to the villa to splash my feet in the pool. I did get to see the Algarvian (that’s a word, right?) Football Stadium so at least we’re doing some sightseeing too. The weather so far? Pretty darn good, it’s sticking around the 14-15 degree mark, which doesn’t sound amazing but hey, it’s February! And back home I’ve seen the forecasts of 2 degrees, I’m glad I’m here!

Thursday; we followed the boys on their ride, well… for the first half at least. I managed to get a few snaps of them out on the ride which will be up on Facebook at some point in the near future if I haven’t put them up already. We went to Algoz, and some other places that I will fill in later. When Mike saw me out of the car about to take a few pictures he decided to go for an imaginary sprint, which he duly won, well if you’re going to make one up in a random place you had better win it, right?

Further on the gradient started to go up, Liam was not happy so he came back to the car for a little tow. We slung him back passed the others and then it was down to Mike to try and get him back. Mike’s legs were too cold and he couldn’t quite close the gap to Liam. Jonny took to the front of their group, he couldn’t quite get Liam back either, so it was down to Simon and he managed it… and then rode straight passed and kept on going. The boys reformed at the top and it was steady going for a little while, until Jonny decided to attack on a downhill section with no one going with him.

Just before the café stop Liam called for a sprint and he and Jonny battled it out until a sign, it’s always a show that someone is trying hard when they have their tongue out as far as it can go, this was the case with Jonny in this sprint. For him the effort paid off, he had beaten Liam to the sign. Get to the café and I noticed I’ve lost my wallet, bad show, this trip was going far too well! We stopped for a prosciutto roll and a drink before leaving the lads to ride back to the villa whilst we went in search of my wallet, a search that would be fruitless. DAMN! Though we did learn a lot about where we had been, making it easier for me to find my way around when I’m alone in the car.

Friday; Rest day. Mike went swimming, Jonny and Simon rode to a bike shop, and Liam washed his bike, I sat around in my pyjamas for a little bit longer than the other days. I had to take pops to the airport as he was flying back that day, someone has to go check on my cats! Jonny and Simon got back from their short ride and Jonny came on the road trip that was the 25km to Faro airport. I’ve come to learn this about my driving and directional capability, when pops is around I don’t need to know where I’m going, he knows. This showed as soon as we dropped him off and Jonny started driving, we didn’t have a clue where we were going… at first. We eventually worked it out and we think it may have even been a quicker route back… maybe.

Saturday; the day I followed the riders for the first time alone. The lads started out from the villa at around 9:30am and made their way through Quarteira, my first stop to take pictures was at “roundabout run”. Quarteira is like a home away from home in a way, it’s got almost as many roundabouts as Milton Keynes, and that is saying something! We headed out towards Algoz and then Silves to go along Silves Road, a 25km quiet road with a couple of nice climbs thrown in and a couple of hairy descents. After going past the riders on an incline I stopped at what I thought would be the top to take a few pictures, turns out this wasn’t quite the top. Simon and Liam were first passed me, followed by Jonny with Mike shortly after. With the wind being so bad it was hard for me to find places that would actually help Mike get back on, so I went after Jonny. Now, Jonny may not be the best descender in the world and it may be the case that without his new, ever-so-responsive Kuota Kuraro he might not have held some of the lines he took, getting up to 80kph at points. After a quick breather at what was the top of Silves Road, as well as a bar to tide themselves over the lads were back on it and on their way to Monchique.

Café stop at Monchique in the Intermarche. 4 cheese and ham toasties, 4 espressos, 3 coffees, 2 pain au chocolat and 3 cokes totalling about 12 euros and the boys were ready to go again. Time to don the long sleeve jerseys, gilets and gloves for the big descent. I had a passenger by this point as Mike was suffering with a major headache and what would be the start of what we can only guess to be a bug. At least I was going to have someone else to take pictures whilst I drove (not that I’d been doing that whilst driving of course…). The journey back was relatively uneventful, apart from the necessary strip of the extra layers after the descent, the puncture that Simon suffered along a very perfumed (think horse manure) road and the small bit of motor pacing we did for Jonny along the road to Algoz. Mike and I headed off when we knew they couldn’t get in any more trouble and got back to the villa first, though somehow we only made it back around 10 minutes before them. Either way, it was another day done for them, time to get the dinner sorted…

Sunday; laundry day for me… the riders rode 3 and a quarter hours and rode this route: Quarteira – Loule – Funchais – Querenca – Sao Bras de Alportel – Loule – Quarteira. They weren’t feeling great this day, hence the easy day.

Monday; Out to Monchique again. I waited behind at the villa for about an hour and a half before setting off. I went to Monchique the same way we came back last time, as this is the way I now knew. When I got to the Intermarche the riders were outside, they’d had had their coffee and were now getting ready to leave, or at least so they led me to first believe. They had actually only just got there, phew, my time keeping is pretty accurate after all! Another round of cheese and ham toasties, cakes, coffee and coke, and again another ridiculously cheap tab (in England I’d expect to pay around £35 for this). We went back a different way, down a stunning descent! No cars for miles, scenery that could easily be in any holiday brochure, lovely sun and no wind, well at least there wasn’t any in the car! My first target – Mike. Mike was always going to win this game, unless I ploughed right through him of course, not really an option. He soon caught and passed Simon who was happy taking in the scenery of the descent he had not been down before. Liam and Jonny were off in the distance. Bottom of the descent, time to take those gilets off again boys. I spent a little time driving between Mike, who was now ahead of me, and Liam and Jonny who were just behind the car and Simon who was hanging back to take a couple of pictures.

We were soon back on familiar roads back to Silves and on the road that I did the little bit of motor pacing with Jonny before. He soon decided to attack the group (apparently last year this was the road they all attacked each other on). So I decided to try and motor pace him again, with no cars in sight we managed to keep it going a bit longer this time with him finally having enough just before Algoz and touching 70kph. With the others having soon passed me again I decided to head for home and pop the coffee machine on. Mike got back to the villa with 4:59:56 showing on his powertap. Another day done for the lads, time for some sun bathing.

Tuesday; Rest day 2. The day was mostly taken up by more sun bathing, and a spot of poolside cricket with a villa-made cricket bat and using the outdoor shower as the wicket. Liam turned out to be as good at this as he has been at pedalling this week, which happens to have been very good. After this we relaxed inside with a movie for some and a nap for others. Rest days can be so tough…

Wednesday; the plan was to meet the guys again at the Intermarche in Monchique, the regular cheese and ham toastie stop. They went the same way they did on Saturday, outwards to Silves then along Silves road, though they did go a different way up to Monchique. I managed to get to the food stop about 30 minutes before them this time so I did a bit of shopping for dinner. I also managed to make a call back to Corley Cycles as someone had tried to call me whilst driving, it was Ray, and he actually wanted Jonny so I wasn’t much help!

After everyone was fed and watered again it was back to base. They rode up to Alferce again and down the same previous stunning descent (it was still stunning so that’s okay). I was told they were going to stop at the top for a few scenery pictures but Jonny and Simon had already gone passed the designated stopping area. Wanting to get down before them to take a few high speed descending shots I zoomed off in chase of Jonny and Simon. Thankfully we only saw one car, doubly thankfully I didn’t hit it, triply thankfully nor did the riders. I managed to catch up to Simon and just managed to pass Jonny before the bottom but not quickly enough to be able to get some side on pictures of him, all I could manage was this:

I did manage to get a few of Simon, Liam and Mike though:

They soon took off their long sleeve jerseys and gloves again and got back to the task at hand; getting home. I switched between driving behind them and driving off to stop for pictures, and to retrieve a few cans of coke that had been requested. We were soon back on the now very familiar roads I had come to know, and so I set off ahead to make sure there was hot coffee ready for their return.

Thursday; I stayed home, well I stayed home for a bit before heading into Albufeira for a nose around and then back to do some food shopping. On my return with said shopping three of the riders were already back, Mike, Simon and Liam. Jonny had decided to stay out and do a bit more, including having 3 espressos! When he got back he spent what seemed like an age lying on the sofa in his kit, they do say “chamois time is training time”.

We decided to venture out for our last meal of our trip and found a restaurant along beachfront where everyone enjoyed steak (Liam was not happy about the lack of chicken option, something I would have expected from Mike). All in all though it was a very pleasant trip for all involved, though we could have done without Mike throwing up on one of the rides but that’s another story.

So that was our Portugal training camp experience. I hope I haven’t bored you too much with my constant jabbering! If you’re going away soon, or planning to next year enjoy your time in the sun, and if you need help planning anything get in contact with myself or my colleague Katy (she put an excellent blog up before we left). Good luck with your 2013 season!

Safety in Cycling

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:56:00 GMT

On Monday morning I was meant to put a blog on our website about the team training camp the riders and I had just got back from. Due to the tragic events that occurred on Sunday 3^rd March at the Severn Bridge Road Race I decided not to publish it at that time.

I'm not going to claim to have known Junior Heffernan any more than having briefly spoken to him at a race or two. I spoke to his parents at quite a few races, chewing the fat whilst waiting in the feed zone, in fact they were the first people I said hello to the morning of that race. My thoughts go out to them.

After a very quiet journey back home I looked through the few pictures I had taken that day to find this:

This is one of the last pictures taken of Junior, I cried when I saw it.

Now I'm not going to point my finger at anyone about the tragic events that happened that day, it wouldn't be my place to, and it wouldn't be right. But this should highlight the dire need for safer roads be it during a road race or not.

As prime example in France if a road race is going on you cannot drive against the flow of the race, the marshals just will not let you. Getting something like this in England however will be next to impossible, as every driver thinks (and I'll even include myself in this at times – though not when it comes to cyclists, horses or any time when I can see that safety is paramount) that having to wait at a junction for over a minute or being made to take a diversion is the end of the world. If only they knew that in this instance it could have prevented this incident from happening.

In Essex and Wales accredited marshals are given the power to stop traffic until the race has passed. In my opinion this should have been rolled out country wide as soon as they realised it works, because apart from the odd bit of blue language this system has been successful. There has been a big petition put into motion to get NEG (National Escort Group) riders these same powers. This e-petition can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/46709 please take a little time out of your day to read and sign this.

It's great that we're raking in the medals at World Championships and the Olympics but if some of the money we pump into getting those results could have gone into grass roots cycling to help provide safer racing scenarios for our domestic riders we would be creating a better future for the sport we love across the board.

I can only hope we as a cycling nation come to some conclusion to prevent something like this happening in the future.

Again all our thoughts; my own, my colleagues at Corley Cycles and those riding for Team Corley Cycles, go out to the family and friends of Junior Heffernan. Rest in peace.

Training camps and why I'm green with envy

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:25:00 GMT

Brrrrr, it's still cold out there! As usual in the UK at this time of year if it isn't raining (which makes for miserable training) it's icy and too cold to stick those much needed winter miles in.

Part of my role here at Corley Cycles is to manage staff and annual leave, at 6pm a few Fridays ago I was greeted with two very sheepish members of staff. Both employees are aiming for great Road seasons.

With a couple of long cold road rides in the bank already, the foreseeable forecast looking extremely cold and their body fat percentage on the floor, there was only one thing for it, A TRAINING CAMP IN THE SUN!

After a little bit of groveling and staff re-jigging, I authorised their trip J.

This got me thinking about Training camps, or for the more recreational rider, enjoyable miles in the sun. Good preparation can make the trip far smoother.

I have been on plenty of training camps in my time and learnt a lot, and would still continue to do so, I have no doubt that even the pro's still learn handy tips on their trips away.

Here are a few pointers on how to prepare for a trip away with your bike…

Things to pack/remember

*   Sun cream – It may be cold here but don't forget to pack sun cream
*   Books/Mags/iPad etc – You won't be training the whole time, a key part of training is resting, feet up and relax.
*   Nutrition on the bike – always good to stick to what you know, you dont want an upset stomach on a valuable week away.
*   Chamois Cream
*   Maps of the local area or a Garmin with set routes on
*   Plan some routes before you go
*   Make sure your mobile will work overseas
*   When you think you've put enough padding around your bike, put some more round it, the more protection the better.
* In my husband's words "Katy they do have shops abroad" don't over pack on normal food etc. you will be able to stock up when you're there, and it's probably cheaper!
*   Even if the predicted forecast is good, pack waterproofs and extra layers in your suit case and always stick an extra layer in your back pocket on the bike too.
*   A small first aid kit with all the usual suspects inside, pack Ibuprofen and some Arnica tablets.
* Pack chargers for all of your electrical equipment.
*   Spare tubes, 1 spare tyre, a multi-tool, chain tool and lube. – Don't pack gas canisters as these will not get through airport security.
*   Attach your helmet to your hand luggage, it'll get damaged in your bike bag.
*   It's always good to keep a training camp diary of routes, mileage, good coffee stops etc, this may come in handy for future trips.

Hopefully that list will help some of you, even if you've been a million times you'll always forget something!

If you've never been on a training camp before have a look into it, they can be a cheap way of using up your holiday time. If you've got a good riding group going with you they'll improve your form vastly, and even if you’re in better form than them the banter will be worth the price tag alone.

For now I'm going to get back to my work at the shop and sit silently thinking about how mean Sarah and the lads are for going away to the sun without me.

Enjoy the sun!

Katy

2012 - My season Part 1

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:35:00 GMT

Okay, so I'm not a cyclist (I was once... but that's another story), but I, like you, have a season that I prepare towards, I have highs and lows, wins and losses. It's nothing glamourous, trust me. I probably go to more races in a year than well... any sane person would. But I do it because I'm "that" sort of person; the sort of person that whilst I will moan about getting up at 5am to drive to a bike race I still do it week in week out, the sort of person that knows that everyone in the car will fall asleep and I wont put the radio on for fear of waking them, the sort of person that prepares boxes of pasta with salad for the trip up to a crit so we don't have to have 2 McDonalds in one day. I'm not going to say I'm the backbone of the team but I'm definitely a couple of the vertebrae.

So I apologise, because this blog will probably be long, but I'm going to try and go through each race I've been to this season and where I can I will note my highlights and lowlights. If you've already decided you can't be bothered reading this I understand but there has been a lot of blood, sweat and gears to get me to this point and I'm going to try and list my journey (keep in mind that unless I state otherwise I drove to these events, it adds up to quite a few miles...). Let us begin:

Saturday 3rd March - Eddie Soens (Aintree)

Start time: Early - 9:30am
Weather: Rain!
High points: My sister's lasagne, and the fact that Mike and Matt had to share a bed...
Low points: 6am wake up on the first race of the year and the fact that Matt was really chirpy!
Results: Matt 28th, Mike 93rd

Sunday 4th March - Severn Bridge RR (Olveston)

Start time: 11am (I was much happier than the previous day)
Weather: Rain again
High points: Nice dinner with Mike, Matt and Milly the night before. Matt coming 2nd. Milly's face when he told me about passing Ash on the climb (if you know the difference in build between those two you'll understand).
Low points: It was raining again! Having to leave a dog to wander around by itself because it didn't have a phone number on it's collar.
Results: Matt 2nd, Mike 17th, Milly 22nd, Ash 35th

Saturday 10th March - Roy Thame Cup (Botolph Claydon)
Start time: 13:30 (A lot better considering I was supposed to be working...)
Weather: Pleasant, though windy
High point: Definitely better having to drive only 30 minutes to a race
Low point: Liam having to abandon after a puncture
Results: Matt 27th, Ash 39th, Rich 52nd, Simon 54th

Sunday 11th March - Jock Wadley Memorial RR (Colchester)

Start time: 10am
Weather: Cold and dry
High point: Rich started the race-long breakaway.
Low points: Long early drive and dad still managed to get there before me even though he stopped for coffee.
Results: Rich 5th, Roy 17th, Ash 20th, Matt and Milly both finished.

Saturday 17th March - Team MK Season Starters (Milton Keynes)

Weather: Can't remember
High point: First win of 2012 for a TCC rider taken by Liam
Low point: Can't remember any
Results: Liam 1st, Chris 3rd, Sean 7th

Sunday 18th March - Omega Thruxton Circuit Race (Thruxton)

Weather: Windy, cold, some rain
High points: Matt took his first win of the season. Taking the "Banter Prince" Chris to the race and seeing him squashed in the back of the team car.
Low point: I was freezing!
Results: Matt 1st, Liam 4th, Mike 9th, Milly 17th, Chris 28th

Saturday 24th March - Team MK Season Starters (Milton Keynes)

Weather: Cold
High point: The ridiculous celebration Chris did when he won his first senior race of his cycling career.
Low point: Having to listen to Chris celebrate for the rest of the weekend...
Results: Chris 1st, Liam 3rd, Sean 10th

Sunday 25th March - Wally Gimber Trophy (Ashford)

Weather: Reasonable, some spots of rain
High point: Matt winning the uphill sprint between himself and Marcel Six to take the win.
Low point: One of Roy's cables coming unattached leaving him with only one gear.
Results: Matt 1st, Ash 9th, Mike 29th, Milly 36th, Simon 63rd

Saturday 31st March - Team Corley Cycles Circuit Race (Milton Keynes)

Weather: Non-memorable
High points: Chris forcing the break early on and staying with the breakaway riders until the end. Youth rider Ben showed strength.
Low point: He didn't win again... Though at least he didn't have to think of how to top his celebration from the week before.
Results: Chris 3rd, Ben 4th

Sunday 1st April - The Maldon Dengie Tour (Essex)

Weather: Windy
High point: Liam did pretty well (!) considering it was his first ever Premier Calendar race.
Low points: It didn't happen on the day but the unfortunate passing of organiser Alan Rosner a couple of months later will be something I always think of when thinking about this race. He did a great job with it.
Results: Matt 33rd, Liam 34th, Ash 38th, Mike 42nd.

I'm going to pause here as the blog is already pretty darn long. I'll write up part 2 (and probably a part 3, and perhaps 4) as soon as I can. So I've listed the first two months of racing I've been to and I'm just at the first Premier Calendar of the year.

Look forward to part 2 of my 2012 season...

Sarah

An Evening with Ian Stannard

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:14:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've put up any sort of blog post here, I know you've missed my blogs... I will rectify this straight away!

Though this one isn't going to be just any blog (and no it's not going to be an M&S one!), this blog is an invitation:

Milton Keynes Cycling Association is pleased to announce:

An Evening with Ian Stannard

Friday 23rd November 2012, 7.30pm for 8pm

The Jurys Inn Midsummer Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes. MK9 2HP
Free Parking available nearby from 6pm, please check notices.
Pay Bar.

Tickets £10 available on a “first come, first served basis” from Phil Corley Cycles, from 11am Friday 9^th November.
4 tickets maximum per order.

Question and Answer Session:
Please submit an appropriate QUESTION FOR IAN on your email. We will try to enable you to put your question in person on the night.

Please email hooper_sarah@hotmail.com to get your name on the list and/or phone Sarah on 07832973497 and she will arrange to take payment.

All profits from the night will be donated to Team Keyne, as requested by Ian, to continue to nurture the cycling talent of Milton Keynes.

So there you go! You're officially invited.

I will be putting up another blog on Monday about the Inter-Area Cyclocross Championships held at the Milton Keynes Bowl on Sunday 11th. We've got some very capable riders involved - Roy in the Vets, Mike, Liam and Nick in the seniors. It should be some really good racing and I'll be hopefully taking a few snappy-snaps too.

I hope you all have good rides this weekend, and stay safe!

Yours in sport,

Sarah

Wiggins and Team Sky rewrite the history books at the 2012 Tour de France

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

It's been a great year for British sport. First Andy Murray becomes the first Brit since 1938 to reach the final of Wimbledon, and then came the Tour de France.

An epic three weeks for British cycling saw the first ever winner of the yellow jersey in Bradley Wiggins, a first ever British one-two in Wiggins and team-mate Chris Froome and a fourth consecutive year that Mark Cavendish is victorious on the Champs-Elysees.

Holding the yellow jersey since Stage 7, Wiggins has proven himself to be one of the greats of British cycling, battling adversity (and a few tacks) to stay on top and become the first Brit in the history of the Tour de France to win the yellow jersey. Wiggins was even victorious in the two time-trials, cementing his lead over the others and winning his first ever stages at the Tour de France.

It wasn't all about Wiggins though. Team Sky played a team game, helping those when they needed it, as Wiggins and co. upheld the cherished traditions of cycling when he waited for Cadel Evans after the 2011 champion had a puncture, as well as helping out team-mate Mark Cavendish in Paris to win for a historic fourth consecutive year on the Champs-Elysees.

Major credit has to go to Team Sky for a great team showing this year. Chris Froome has displayed the potential to win a future Tour and showed great teamwork for helping Wiggins when he was struggling in the Pyrenees. Cavendish, to his credit, sacrificed personal gain for team victory, and Wiggins repaid the favour in the latter stages of the Tour.

Now attention turns to the Olympics, as three-time gold medal winner Wiggins will aim to take his extraordinary victory in France and capitalise in London in the individual time-trial, with Cavendish also aiming for Olympic glory in the road race, which would really cap off a monumental year for British cycling.

To celebrate this year's Tour de France, Corley Cycles have been giving away a prize a day for the Tour de France, for the people that correctly guessed the winners of each individual stage.

Winners:

Stage: Winner: Cyclist:

Prologue Jason Keenor Fabian Cancellara

1 Barry Gregory Peter Sagan

2 Ian Colville Mark Cavendish

3 Duncan Rimmer Peter Sagan

4 Chris Gunter Andre Greipel

5 Michelle Baulch Andre Greipel

6 No winner* Peter Sagan

7 Kezie Chris Froome

8 No winner* Thibaut Pinot

9 Alan Ward Bradley Wiggins

10 No winner* Thomas Voeckler

11 Ian Colville Pierre Rolland

12 No winner* David Millar

13 Shaquille Shah Andre Greipel

14 Viv Barnett Luis Leon Sanchez

15 No winner* Pierrick Fedrigo

16 Steve Slack Thomas Voeckler

17 No winner* Alejandro Valverde

18 David Farren Mark Cavendish

19 Steven Parish Bradley Wiggins

20 Andrew Nicholson Mark Cavendish

*No winner was chosen that day because no-one guessed the right winner of the stage.

Why 2012 is the year of Wiggins

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

15 stages down, 5 to go. As we approach the final stages of this year's Tour de France with a gruelling stage in the Pyrenees and another mountain stage on Thursday, Bradley Wiggins has a firm hold over the yellow jersey.

Currently 2 minutes and 5 seconds ahead of team-mate and fellow Brit Chris Froome, with Vincenzo Nibali in third place, Wiggins has held the yellow jersey since the seventh stage (eclipsing Chris Boardman's record) and a great collaborative effort from Team Sky has seen “Le Gentleman”, as he been nicknamed by the French press, sit comfortably on top for most of this competition.

With a Brit one-two in the standings for the first time ever in the Tour de France, we only have 5 stages left to see if Wiggins can create history for British cycling at this year's Tour de France.

Corley Cycles are giving away a prize a day in our Tour de France. You can win Rotor Chain Catchers, Park Track Pumps and a host of cycling goodies in our competition.

Find out all you need to know at http://www.corleycycles.com/tour-de-france-2012 and keep up to date with what's happening on the Corley Cycles Facebook and Twitter pages.

Nine stages in, can Wiggins continue his dominance of the Tour de France?

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Before the beginning of the 99th Tour de France, many bookmakers predicted that Bradley Wiggins was the number one choice to wrestle the yellow jersey away from defending champion Cadel Evans.

The 32 year old Wiggins was the clear favourite to become the first Brit in the 109-year history of the Tour de France to win the competition, and nine stages in, he hasn't disappointed.

In Stage 9 on Monday, Wiggins opened up a commanding lead over nearest challenger Evans, creating a gap of one minute and 43 seconds to take his first ever stage win and beat time-trial specialists Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin.

With Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish each winning a stage this year, this is the most successful start for British cycling ever at the Tour de France. We've seen the first ever British one-two in a stage, as well as the first ever time that three British cyclists (Wiggins, Froome and Cavendish) have won a stage in a single tour.

As Wiggins and Team Sky head into the mountains to tackle the Alps and the Pyrenees, the pressure is on Wiggins to see if he can hold on to the yellow jersey and become the first ever Brit since the Tour began to win it all.

At Corley Cycles we are celebrating the Tour de France by giving away a prize a day. We've got rotor chain catchers, park track pumps, Specialized starter kits and CatEye micro wireless computers to win, and all you have to do is tell us who you think will win each stage of the Tour.

Visit the Tour de France page on our website and make sure you Like Corley Cycles on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to find out what's going on and if you are the lucky winner of the prizes.

Celebrate the 2012 Tour de France with Corley Cycles

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

In celebration of the 2012 Tour de France, Corley Cycles have launched a mammoth competition.

We are offering you the chance to win 22 prizes during this year's Tour de France – one for every single race of the 21 stages and one for predicting the overall winner of the yellow jersey.

On the Corley Cycles Facebook page, we are giving you the opportunity to win a pair of Mavic Aksium WTS wheels or Mavic Crossride Disc Wheels, as well as a Corley bibshort and jersey worth £300. The runner-up wins a Corley Cycles bibshort and jersey.

To be in with a chance to win all you have to do is go to www.facebook.com/corleycycles and enter our competition. Tell us who you think is going to win the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Who will follow in the wheel tracks of Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, Miguel Indurain, Greg Lemond, Stephen Roche all previous winners of the TDF. Could it be our very own Bradley Wiggins, or will last years winner Cadel Evans triumph? You have to enter by the end of the first week of the Tour (6 July) to be eligible to win.

Predict the correct winner of each stage

It doesn't stop there. In addition to telling us who you think will win the Tour de France on Facebook, you can win prizes everyday on the Corley Cycles Twitter page. We've got Rotor Chain catchers, SIS Tour Packs, Fenwick Stealth Cleaning kits and Specialized Mini Carbon Pumps, as well as a host of other goodies on offer, and you can be in with a chance to win them.

What you need to do:

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/corleycycles to find out what's going on. Then tell us each day who you think will win the following stage of the Tour de France.

Every day we will be giving away cycling goodies and if you pick the right rider you will be entered into a prize draw every day to win the prizes.

Interested in being a part of our Tour de France extravaganza? Then you need to Like Corley Cycles on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay involved and win yourself some great prizes!

Our Top 5 picks for the Tour de France

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

It's the most anticipated event in the cycling calendar. The 99th Tour de France kicks off in just over a week as 180 riders compete for the ultimate prize in cycling: the yellow jersey.

This year's Tour de France will feature only three summit finishes in 21 stages, as the cyclists battle it out to see who can win the most prestigious of the three Grand Tours.

With the Hors Catégorie Col du Grand Colombier included for the first time ever in the Tour de France, the route has changed from previous years. Three individual time trial stages including a whopping 52km relatively flat penultimate stage will mean the winner will need to be strong in the aero bars, not just a mountain goat.

With the 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck being forced to withdraw through his injury sustained in the Criterium du Dauphine and the absence of Alberto Contador through suspension, this year's competition is more open than it has been in years.

We've picked our top 5 riders to triumph at the Tour de France. Do you agree? Let us know on the Corley Cycles Facebook and Twitter pages. (Note - Final teams for the TDF will not be known nearer to the start of the TDF on the 30th June, so there is no guarantee of all mentioned riders starting).

Bradley Wiggins

Many people's favourite for the Tour de France, Wiggins has had a great season this year, winning at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and most recently, the Criterium du Dauphine.

Bradley is considered to be one of the better time-trialists out there and the large amount of time trial kilometres in the Tour de France is expected to count in the Brit's favour.

Cadel Evans

The winner of last year's Tour de France, the Aussie cyclist, 35, will be hoping he can relive the glories of 2011 and retain his title. Evans will be hoping he can become the first person since Lance Armstrong to successfully defend his title and win the Tour de France twice in a row.

Vincenzo Nibali

After a strong start to the season, Nibali has struggled for consistency and has failed to maintain his early season form. After a disappointing Tour of California and Criterium du Dauphine, the Italian will be hoping to bounce back.

Denis Menchov

He's one of the most decorated riders out there, with three Grand Tour wins, and the 34 year old Russian is hoping he can finally win at this year's Tour de France. Menchov finished 3rd in 2010 (later moved up to 2nd following Contador's suspension), losing out to Andy Schleck. With the Spaniard banned from this year's Tour and the younger Schleck missing through injury, Menchov will be hoping he can prevail.

Robert Gesink

He didn't have the best start to the season, but after finding form at the Tour of California, his confidence will have picked up. An outside shot, but can he surprise and win his first major tour?

Who is your choice to win the 2012 Tour de France? We are running a competition during this year's Tour, when you can win 21 prizes in the 21 days of the Tour. Head on over to the Corley Cycles Facebook and Twitter pages so you don't miss out!

Team Corley excel at the Tour Series in Peterborough

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Team Corley Cycles-Blue exceeded their expectations in Tuesday evening’s Peterborough round of the Tour Series with Matt Jones taking third place in the opening sprint of the night before going on the lead team-mate Liam Stones to finish just outside the top twenty at the end of the race. But they fought off many of the Series regulars whilst doing so.

This was Team Corley’s final scheduled Guest outing in this year’s Halfords sponsored team based competition but their efforts at Peterborough and last week at Oxford have easily merited their inclusion in the country’s premier, televised race programme.

The four-man Corley line-up knew after Jones superb finish at the difficult Oxford circuit that the less demanding open corners around the 1.1km Peterborough course would give them a superb opportunity to shine at this race.

As Guest riders, the Corley quartet lined up at the back of the field at the start and so Jones and Mike Smith had to force their way to the front in the open, frantic laps but as the race pace started to settle down Jones had found himself in a comfortable position as the opening sprint lap loomed.

Using all his skills as the U23 National Crit champion, Jones knew where he had to position himself as the leading riders chased to the line in that sprint. “I found it quite easy to move up on the back straight” he later explained “and I’d previously tried to get a break going but as we turned onto the finishing straight it was just a case of keeping my speed going”.

Third place in that sprint was the best result so far this year for a Guest rider but Jones didn’t stop there. Keeping his head down he then tried to force another break but the more experienced Tour Series riders weren’t going to let him get away.

Pretty much holding his own as the laps counted down, with just two laps to the finish the Corley youngster tried once again to make a break from the fast moving peloton but again his attack was covered.

“I thought I’d give it a go. Perhaps in hindsight I should have left things until the final lap and as a Guest rider I hoped I’d be allowed to get away but as the others around me were fighting for Team points and overall we were going for 7th place I guess I wasn’t surprised when they pulled me back pretty quickly”.

Even then Jones wasn’t given an inch in the sprint to the finishing line. “Let’s just say I got caught up with a much more experienced rider as we headed for the final corner. I was hoping for a tenth place finish but we swapped head butts and elbows so that held me back. I guess overall I’m a little disappointed but that’s racing”.

Those distractions aside Jones still finished in 21st place, a superb ride and a finishing position that bettered his Oxford placing that itself was, until then, the best finish so far this year by a Guest rider.

But Team Corley’s joy was added to by the 22nd place finish by Liam Stones. In only his second full year of racing, Stones has already moved up to be a 1st Cat. rider, securing enough points to move up to that category courtesy of his 4th place finish at the recent Central Divs. and was more than enjoying his exposure to such a high level of racing as the Tour Series.

After the race he said “For sure this is really competing with the big guys and racing with the big names. I feel in these last two races I’ve been up there and holding my own. It’s a question of experience and knowing whose wheel to hold on to and which riders to watch. Much of it is getting my head round things and getting used to the pace of things. They’re so fast!”

But with their Tour Series over for 2012 Team Corley Cycles-Blue are now looking towards British Cycling’s Elite Circuit series and both Jones and Stones are hoping to continue their form in those races. “Racing in the Tour Series has been great” was Stones comment. “It was great racing in front of such big crowds. It’d be great to get another taste of that in the Elite series”.

Jones is looking to even bigger things. “We’ll do all the Elite crits building towards the Nationals. This is something we can really go for. I really think we could get a podium finish at one of those races and I don’t think that a top ten finish at the National Crit champs is out of the question either”.

To see Team Corley's latest races and to keep up to date with all the latest news, Like Corley Cycles on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.