Round 5, Miche Wessex CX League, Southampton
Dry conditions at a bone hard and dusty Southampton Sports Centre, witness to so many total mud baths over the years. Not this time for round 5 hosted by Sotonia, who laid on a ripping fast, flowing course full of banks and off-cambers that was high on adrenaline, low on trips to the pits.
Over 450 happy cross racers and a youth field of almost a 100 entries - possibly the largest in the country and so many glowing comments about the event!
It was great to see the course so full with happy kids in the autumn sunshine with bags of determination - Tilly and Eva ripping it up with a thrilling 1-2 in the U10 girls, Billy 3rd in the boys. Freddie and Luke both on the U8 boys podium. Niclas 7th U14 boys and Iz defending her series lead with a second place in the U14 girls. Emma and Miles our best u16s.
In the adult races, top finishers were Jon Hall 4th in the v50 men, Gemma Wilks 4th senior women. Cross newbie Ian Crocker racked up an impressive 7th in the V40 men, and James Peckham climbed to 8th in the senior men - both having started near the back of the grid.
Once again, big thanks to Jez and Tom for putting the event together, the Sotonia CX riders (all 61 of you), the helpers, marshals and supporters - you're all legends and we couldn't have done it without you.
Round 4, Miche Wessex CX League, Reading
After three dry September rounds of the Miche Wessex Cyclocross league, the Gods of Cross decided enough was enough and the heavens duly opened in early October ahead of round four with hosts, Reading CC, working hard to lay out the course early on race day. Riders faced the classic parkland parcours and twisting single track of Prospect Park. In the sunshine however, it was to be no mud bath as the ground dried in most parts with a high pace to some cracking race action.
Luke Hammond won his first race in the U8s and as his dad Roger used to ride a bit, maybe a taste of what's to come? Tom Wilks was also on the top step in the U12s with Billy, Tilly, Eve and Jaya all top 5 in the U10 races, Sophie second in U12s. In the U14s, Izzy proudly wore her series leader jersey and finished a fine second place,
In the women’s race, Gemma Wilks also got to don the leaders jersey for the first time, finishing 5th senior. Husband and Chairman, Phil also bagged a well deserved 8th in the senior men, having held 6th for most of the race.
Jon Hall said he wasn’t "feeling it" before the v50s race but his legs clearly had different ideas as he stormed to a 3rd place!
Special mention to the noisy bunch of Sotonia kids who cheered team riders racing later in the day as they struggled up "Hilly McHillFace" - it certainly put a smile on our faces!
Photos: @Phitchsidephoto
Results - Club 10 mile time trial P164 - 12 September 2021
The final club time trial of 2021 saw a big field that included an special appearance by ex-pro and celebrity, Jens Voigt who came along and rode "stoker" on a tandem trike with Mary Corbett as part of her Tandem Tart Challenge. Ever the professional, Jens was very happy to chat, mingle, take selfies with members and hand out signed photos.
Jens described their ride: “I haven’t had a better Sunday morning in a long time. We were blessed with the weather, friendly people surrounding us and I was able to put my muscles back in place. We were lucky enough to see all sorts of animals, donkeys ponies and cows.
Mary and me, we put our pride into not getting caught and we succeeded. We crushed one soul by passing him on his bike. I worked hard and did break a sweat. Mary was a fantastic pilot and I have never felt safer in my life.
I highly recommend to anyone reading this to try out the experience of riding a tandem trike.”
Thanks to Stuart Grace who kindly organised Jens to attend, our marshals, time keepers, organisers and friends who kindly came out to support the event.
Another big thank you goes to the magnificent photographer Paul Hammond whose photos can be found here
Results
| Pos | Name | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neil Towns | VC Venta | 22.55 |
| 2 | Liam Kemp | SURC | 22.59 |
| 3 | Graham Harman | Sotonia CC | 23.49 |
| 4 | Malcom Cox | VC St Raphael | 23.57 |
| 5 | Craig Smith | Sotonia CC | 24.07 |
| 6 | Sherif Attia | SURC | 24.12 |
| 7 | Stuart Barrow | Sotonia CC | 24.13 |
| 8 | Alex Asher | Unattached | 24.23 |
| 9 | Ian Sherin | 3C Cycle Club | 24.25 |
| 10 | James Peckham | Sotonia CC | 24.27 |
| 11 | Jeremy Hubbard | Sotonia CC | 24.31 |
| 11 | Rui Simpson | SURC | 24.31 |
| 13 | John Sibley | UTAG | 24.58 |
| 14 | Alex James | Neuw Bos | 25.15 |
| 15 | Mary Corbett/Jens Voigt | Sotonia CC/Guest | 25.37 |
| 16 | Lee Shirley | Sotonia CC | 25.40 |
| 17 | Brendan Gregson | Sotonia CC | 26.18 |
| 18 | Jon Legg | Sotonia CC | 26.49 |
| 19 | Colin Yeates | Crabwood CC | 26.51 |
| 20 | Mike Stevens | Fareham Wheelers | 27.07 |
| 21 | Erica Fogg | UTAG | 27.18 |
| 22 | Richard Burch | Sotonia CC | 27.14 |
| 23 | Nigel Sign | Fareham Wheelers | 27.41 |
| 24 | Brian Coupe | Sotonia CC | 27.57 |
| 25 | Corbin Gregson | Sotonia CC | 28.43 |
| 26 | Phil Hoacham | Unattached | 29.32 |
| 27 | Rob Hutchinson | Sotonia CC | 32.03 |
| 28 | Mark Parkin | Unattached | 36.51 |
12 Hour Time Trial Championship success for Mary and Norman
Congratulations to veterans Mary Corbett and Norman Harvey on the massive achievement of riding 183 miles on their trike in the CTT National 12 Hour Championship in early August.
Mary: "I've always enjoyed the longer running and cycling events, the 12 hour being one of my favourites. So even when the old body let me down almost eight years ago, I never gave up hope of getting on the start line of a 12 hour time trial again.
Lockdown and a recent trip to see an immunologist gave me enormous insight into what my body can cope with, it taught me how to better manage my M.E. and how to keep the body battery topped up. That and the arrival of our beautiful Bonnie Bagheera at the end of March made the decision an easier one. At last, this was to be my chance.
We chose the CTT National Championship 12 hour which incorporated the VTTA National Championship 12 being held on 1 August. We just love the atmosphere of the National events.
In the build up to the race Norman and I were full of mixed emotions. With only a handful of longer rides under our belt, we would have to rely on our wealth of experience gained from riding many 12's together in the past. Not to put any pressure on ourselves, we chose a target of 130 miles, our vets standard being 128.934 miles. Anything over and above that would be a bonus.
All I can say is that come race day, those bonuses kept coming in. Each additional 10 miles lead to a feeling of ecstatic disbelief and once we had reached the finishing circuit with about 165 miles done and an hour and a quarter to go, I'm not ashamed to say I sobbed with happiness. After downing a tin of rice pudding each, along with some chocolate we pedalled an additional 18 miles where our time ran out at timekeeper number one.
Our official distance has been recorded as 183.30 miles. Not too shabby for an 88 year old super stoker and a pilot who has seen better days. We are tired, elated and still somewhat overwhelmed. I don't think it has quite sunk in yet. Of course we couldn't have done it without the support and cheery faces of our helpers, Penny Cossburn, Bob Damper, Christine Walker and Steve Walker. A massive thank you to you all."
Results - P128/10 Club Championships - 10th June 2021
Please find below the results from the 10 mile club championship time trial held on the P128 course on Thursday 10th June 2021. Thanks to Stuart Martingale for organising and to all the marshals and timekeepers who assisted with the event.
Congratulations to Kouros Driscoll and Gemma Wilks for winning their categories.
Results - Men
1 Kouros Driscoll Sotonia CC 21:39
2 Evan Jardine-Skinner Sotonia CC 22:30
3 Tony Machio Sotonia CC 22:35
4 Graham Harman Sotonia CC 23:10
5 Jonathan Hall Sotonia CC 23:12
6 Tim Cooke Sotonia CC 23:20
7 Jeremy Hubbard Sotonia CC 23:47
8 Craig Smith Sotonia CC 23:58
9 Ian Sherrin 3C 24:10
10 Pawel Niewiadomy Sotonia CC 24:12
11 Gawain Young Sotonia CC 24:25
12 Will Goddard Sotonia CC 24:35
13 Jon Dudley Sotonia CC 24:59
14 Ed Cox Sotonia CC 25:17
15 Jon Legg Sotonia CC 25:49
16 Jason Harrison Sotonia CC 25:54
17 John Phillips Sotonia CC 25:59
18 Ben Gregson Sotonia CC 26:21
19 Russ Davies Sotonia CC 26:51
20 Richard Burch Sotonia CC 27:17
21 Brian Coupe Sotonia CC 27:27
22 Mick Anglim New Forest 27:29
23 David England Crabwood 28:13
24 Ian Wall Sotonia CC 28:33
25 Corbin Gregson Sotonia CC 28:41
26 Terry Wheeler Come & Try 29:21
27 Chris Summers Sotonia CC 30:57
Results - Women
1 Gemma Wilks Sotonia CC 25:56
2 Suzanne Willis Sotonia CC 26:31
3 Donna Tew Sotonia CC 27:01
4 Hannah Griffiths Sotonia CC 28:08
5 Jen Marshall Sotonia CC 29:18
6 Suzy Howick Sotonia CC 30:02
7 Charlotte Starkey Sotonia CC 30:23
Results - P101 Road Bike TT - 2nd May 2021
Please find below the results from the 10 mile time trial held on the Fawley course on Sunday 2nd May 2021. Thank you to all the marshals and timekeepers who assisted with the event.
Road Bike - Men
1 Harry Giles (Sotonia CC) 23:52
2 James Peckham (Sotonia CC) 25:25
3 Jeremy Hubbard (Sotonia CC) 25:26
4 James Cooper (Sotonia CC) 26:23
5 Ed Cox (Sotonia CC) 26:29
6 Oliver Starkey (Sotonia CC) 27:15
7 Martin Cole (Sotonia CC) 28:18
8 Tomasz Maliszewski (Sotonia CC) 28:49
9 Andrew Mayfield (Bournemouth Arrow CC) 28:52
10 Richard Burch (Sotonia CC) 29:08
11 Patrick Atkinson (Poole Wheelers) 30:00
12 Craig Smith (Sotonia CC) 30:06
Road Bike - Women
1 Gemma Wilks (Sotonia CC) 29:16
2 Charlotte Starkey (Sotonia CC) 32:19
3 Suzy Howick (Sotonia CC) 32:43
TT Bike - Men
1 Richard Bradley (3C) 24:54
2 Daniel Gregory (Sotonia CC) 27:52
3 Dave England (Crabwwood CC) 29:34
Pics courtesy of Nigel Aiken
Results – P182 road bike Interclub TT – 15 April 2021
Please find below the results from the Interclub Timetrial held on Thursday 15th April with New Forest CC on the P182 course at Nomansland. Well done everyone - it was certainly a chilly evening! Thanks to all the organisers, marshals and timekeepers.
Men
1 Ant Gritton (Sotonia CC) 23.56
2 Kouros Driscoll (Sotonia CC) 24.49
3 Phil Brown (New Forest CC) 25.12
4 Charlie Hill (New Forest CC) 25.20
5 Phil Wilks (Sotonia CC) 26.01
6 Jon Hall (Sotonia CC, Veteran 50+) 26.03
7 Bobby Buenfield (New Forest CC, Youth) 26.15
8 Andrew Gardiner (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 26.32
9 Jeremy Hubbard (Sotonia CC) 26.52
10= Stuart Barrow (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 28.15
10= James Peckham (Sotonia CC) 28.15
12 Gavin Roberson (New Forest CC) 28.18
13= Ray Claridge (New Forest CC) 28.31
13= Craig Smith (Sotonia CC) 28.31
15= Mike Anderson (New Forest CC 2nd Claim, Veteran 60+) 28.54
15= Jon Dudley (Sotonia CC, Veteran 60+) 28.54
17 Jason Harrison (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 29.04
18 Jonathan Chadwick (New Forest CC, Veteran 50+) 29.21
19 Daniel Gregory (Sotonia CC, Youth) 29.30
20= Arthur Law (Sotonia CC) 29.35
20= Phillip Connell (Sotonia CC, Veteran 50+) 29.35
22 Gawain Young (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 29.39
23 Phil Harris (New Forest CC, Veteran 50+) 29.57
24 John Phillips (Sotonia CC, Veteran 60+) 30.41
25 Hayden Kirk (Sotonia CC, Veteran 50+) 30.43
26 Richard Parker (New Forest CC, Veteran 40+) 30.45
27 Louis Kirk (Sotonia CC, Youth) 30.58
28 Nik Williams (New Forest CC) 31.03
29 Alex Vaughan (Lymington Tri Club, Veteran 50+) 31.16
30 Niclas Olley (Sotonia CC, Youth) 31.37
31 Mick Anglim (New Forest CC, Veteran 60+) 32.37
32 Justin Olley (Sotonia CC, Veteran 50+) 33.04
33 Peter Weaver (New Forest CC, Veteran 60+) 34.47
34 Miles Horner (Sotonia CC, Youth) DNF
Women
1 Gemma Wilks (Sotonia CC) 30.10
2 Suzanne Willis (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 30.46
3 Hannah Griffiths (Sotonia CC) 31.43
4 Sonia Laurie (New Forest CC, Veteran 40+) 31.50
5 Suzy Howick (Sotonia CC, Veteran 50+) 33.18
6 Danielle Thomas (Sotonia CC, Women) 34.15
7 Verity Horner (Sotonia CC, Veteran 40+) 37.28
8 Catherine Pascoe (New Forest CC, Veteran 50+) 37.54
Pics courtesy of Nigel Aiken
The return of group rides (March 2021)
We are all looking forward to being able to ride in groups again on 29th March when the lockdown regulations are due to be eased, allowing 6 people to exercise together again. The guidance below is intended to help our members organise rides and meet up in a way that facilitates social distancing. We’ve also included a list of café stops known to be open, closed or reopening on 12 April.
Group size
In line with the easing of lockdown measures, we ask that members to stick to a maximum of 6 people per group for the time being.
Organising rides
Having considered the options, we are asking members once again to organise rides in advance rather than turn up at North Baddesley hoping to join a group.
Some members will be riding with friends or arranging rides via email, but all members are welcome to join our Slack workspace, which we were using to organise group rides with a range of different average speeds and distances before the “Stay at home” lockdown. When you join you won’t see all the available channels and will need to use the Channel browser to find and join channels as follows:
Desktop
Hold the mouse over Channels on the left sidebar; a plus sign should appear to the right. Click that and choose Browse channels. In the Channel browser, hover over a channel to get a Join button which you can click to join the channel.
If you want to organise rides not already caterered for by the existing channels, or create a channel for discussion/chat etc., you can use the Create a channel option to create a new channel.
Mobile*
On the Slack home screen, look for a Channels heading with some channels listed below. Tap on Add a Channel (below the list) to open the Channel browser. Click on a channel to view it, then use the Join Channel button to join.
If you want to organise rides not already caterered for by the existing channels, or create a channel for discussion/chat etc., you can add a channel using the plus sign in a circle at the bottom right of the Channel browser.
*Based on Android but hopefully iOS is similar.
Meeting up
Each group can meet up when and where they want, but if you use our traditional meetup point off Fleming Avenue in North Baddesley, please see the map below. We’ve defined 9 zones to ensure groups stay far enough apart to ensure social distancing and to avoid obstructing members of the public using the shops, car park and recycling facilities.
The plan is for groups to agree on a time and zone to meet up at, and if another group is already using that zone when you arrive, simply use another one. Zones 2 & 3 should be avoided if the car park is busy.
Café StopsThe café stops listed below are currently open for takeaways, followed by a list of ones that are closed. Opening arrangements may be subject to change and we recommend checking in advance if you’re planning to stop somewhere.
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Worthy nomination for Gemma's volunteer work
Congratulations to our very own Gemma Wilks for this month's nomination from the British Cycling South region, as they shine a light on the hugely positive impact of volunteers.
Gemma, a long standing club and committee member has been encouraging women to get involved in racing through Zwift as part of the BC South Region Zwift Community across all categories during the lockdown period, and now has 40 women racing across three teams which race on a Tuesday and a Thursday, as well as the Sunday Sotonia Virtual Club Ride.
Gemma has be championing opportunities to get involved, and also retained a focus on the social side - even in virtual times - with pre-race chats and also meet-ups so faces can be put to names/avatars! As as result, a number of riders are now talking about coming to real world time trials, meeting for real world social riding and trips, and racing cyclocross and track together.
The women also marked International Women's Day on 8th March with the theme “choose to challenge” - very relevant to this group of fabulous women who have really stepped up over the winter to challenge not only themselves but others.
While not championing Zwift-ing, Gemma has also launched her own Wheel Women podcast, interviewing amazing women from the local and national cycling scene.
Well done Gemma!
Link to main article on BC website
Round 3, Parentini Wessex CX League, Abingdon
Just before Christmas, nearly 40 of our cyclocross racers headed up the A34 as Take 3 Tri successfully managed to host round 3 of the Wessex Cyclocross league at Abingdon airfield. We were welcomed with no wind and clear skies making it unusually warm for Dalton and treated to a new course at an old favourite venue, full of tricky off-cambers.
Top club finishers in the adult races were Ben Darnton 10th (v40 men), Jon Hall 3rd (v50 men) who led the race until a spill on the penultimate lap dropped him a couple of spots on the podium, Gemma Wilks 5th (senior women) and chairman, Phil Wilks 10th (senior men).
In the youth races, there were podiums for Billy 2nd U8 boy, Eve and Tilly 2nd and 3rd U10 girls. In the U12 race, an excellent performance by Sophie with a 2nd place and the boys battled with Stanley 2nd and the two Toms battling it out for 3rd and 4th spot with Tom Wilks winning this time.
In the U14s, a good performance by Izzy and Emma with 2nd and 4th respectively. The boys saw Miles coming out on top in 6th. An excellent ride by Lucy to finish 2nd U16 girl, with Max finishing 3rd U16 boy.
Chapeau to the organisers who must have spent hours sorting the course and making extra safety precautions but the efforts were hugely appreciated.
Well done to all our riders, let's hope for some more racing in 2021.
Thanks to Paul Paxford @pitchsidephoto for the photos. More here.
