Sotonia 1-2 at Sandie Radford

Popular spring classic, the Sandie Radford Memorial Road Race returned this weekend to attract a quality field of 48 riders, including past winner Matt Downie (TAAP Cervelo) and Sotonia rising star, Red Walters.

Sotonia fielded a big team of eight riders keen to make their mark on the 45 mile ‘sporting’ course around Nomansland in the New forest.

The action got off to a quick start with club riders James Peckham and Brook Elgie stringing the bunch out and after half a lap, a dozen riders had a 25 second gap on the bunch in a biting cold tailwind on Roger Penny Way. By the end of lap 1, the race was back together but Red was already on the attack in a two man break with Lee Rutland (Bike Jockey). The two forged on, forcing others to chase as a dozen again rode clear of the bunch in pursuit.

By lap three, the lead group, including Red, James Peckham, Tom Budden, Phil Godfrey and Brook Elgie was back together. The winning move came on the final lap as James got a gap and Red quickly bridged to him. With Half a lap to go they had forced a lead of over a minute from the chasing break - any attempt nullified with strong Sotonia teamwork by Tom, Brook and Phil chasing down any attempts to pursue the leaders.

As the road pitched up for the steep final climb of Pipers Wait, Red pulled clear and he crossed the line alone, James taking a fine second place in only his first race of the year and well ahead of the pursuing break. Tom Temple (Primera Team Jobs) rounding out the podium, after pipping Matt Downie in the final dash for the line.

Red: “Just after the bell, James got a gap, I bridged over, we stuck our heads down and the gap grew. Basically E3 Harelbeke!”

 

So a fantastic and well deserved 1-2 for Sotonia, with Phil, Tom and Brook finishing 11, 12 and 13th after brilliant support work. Our other riders all finished in the pack not far behind - Phil Wilks (23rd), Tim Cooke (25th), and Nick Austin (31st).

Our thanks to Glenn Longland, TLI Cycling league, sponsor Gary Allan, all the marshals, time keepers and helpers for another fine event.

 

 

Result

1. Red Walters - Sotonia
2. James Peckham - Sotonia
3. Tom Temple - Primera-Teamjobs
4. Matthew Downie - Taap Cervelo
5. Ian Taylor - Leicester Forest CC
6. Lee Rutland - Bike Jockey CC
7. Oscar Hutchings - VC Equipe-Flix
8. Matthew Norris - Mud Sweat n Gears CC
9. George Smith - Tri-UK
10. Max Moyles - Primera Teamjobs
11 Phil Godfrey - Sotonia CC
12 Tom Budden - Sotonia CC
13 Brook Elgie - Sotonia CC
14 James Horton - VC St Raphael
15 Rowan Horner - VC St Raphael
16 Zak Snell - UK-Biking/Bournemouth Cycleworks
17 Steve Dring - Team Echelon
18 Roland Tilley - Weber Creative Interiors / Bournemouth Cycleworks
19 Grzegorz Gacek - Nowotarski Klub Kolarski
20 Jason Gault Primera-TeamJobs Race Team

Race photos  courtesy of Jez Hart: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YKxRxl1KupiRrkH93

 


Bourne Valley Reliability Ride: 2018 results

The worst of the Beast from the East, aka the Siberian winter wind, fortunately arrived a day later than expected, and the second reliability trial of the new year went off without a hitch. 20 riders turned up at the start; a few didn't finish, but most did, and they did so with very good times. The results:

GOLD award (16+ mph)
Malcolm Baker (Braishfield)          Tom Budden              Richard Burch
Joffrey Carlier*        Graham Harman          Gordon McKinnon (Braishfield)
Nick Malbon            John Phillips                 (Ben Scott-Munden)
Will Weynberg        Paul Witcombe.             Jonathan Wren

SILVER award (14 to 16 mph)
Mel Cook                 Jorge Manso (as yet unaffiliated)

BRONZE award (12 to 14 mph)
Mick Bradban         Colin Witt

As mentioned on the club's closed Facebook page, the next reliability ride will be held on the last Sunday of April, starting again from Romsey Bus Station and following a new route out to Longleat Safari Park and back via Shaftesbury, Cranborne and Fordingbridge: 100 miles in all. On the last Sunday of this month, 25 March, I shall be doing the route as a social ride with café stops in Warminster and Shaftesbury, and checking my draft route-sheet along the way. Both events will start at the earlier "summer schedule" time of 9 o'clock.


Reliability Ride, 25 February 2018

The second Sotonia reliability ride of the year will be held on Sunday, 25 February, setting off from ROMSEY BUS STATION at 9:30.
The Bourne Valley is a popular route, not too long (circa 54 miles, or 86 km) and not too hilly.* There is some riding on the A30, but the traffic should be relatively light on a Sunday morning. The lanes around Chilbolton and Longparish are attractive, as is the cycle-friendly B-road from through the pretty villages in the Bourne Valley.

A gpx file of the route and the route-sheet, which have been checked against each other. are available on the Sotonia "Forum." In due course, these files will also be available on the Events page of the club website.

Please arrive by 9:15 to sign on. At that hour, there is normally plenty of free parking in front of the bus station (don't park in front of Aldi)

*NOTE: This ride is different from the "Bourne Supremacy", a much hillier extended version, which last ran about two years ago.


Newton Tony Reliability Ride 28 January 2018

The 2018 reliability rides kicked off with a new, 69-kilometre route starting and finishing at Carlo's Ices and Tearooms (West Wellow), reaching its furthest point in Cholderton (and the nearby hamlet of Newton Tony) and making its way back via Porton Down, Winterslow and the Dean Valley. The finishers (FWCC = Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club; all others are members of the Sotonia Cycling Club)

GOLD (16+ mph)
Jerome Bakker
Richard Burch
Dave Dalton (FWCC)
Eileen Duff (FWCC)
Jon Legg
Neil Mackley (FWCC)
Nick Malbon
Kirsty McSeveny (FWCC)
James Peckham
Paul Ranson
Ben Scott-Munden
Nigel Sign (F)
Russell Speight
Rich Stephens
Bruce Tandy (FWCC)
Red Walters
Will Weynberg
Paul Witcombe

SILVER (14-16 mph)
Janet Burnage
Mel Cook
Leon Kuzmicz
Martin Roscoe
George Wadsworth

BRONZE (12-14 mph)
Mick Bradban
Colin Witt


Wessex Cyclocross round 12, Abingdon - Report

Freezing temperatures, snow, rain, wind and some 'proper cross' conditions didn't put our brave cyclo-crossers off at Abingdon on Sunday. The youth races were run in near blizzard conditions but still saw some top results for Sotonia - Isabella Hall 2nd and Skye Martingale 5th in U10 girls. U12s - Loius Kirk 5th. U14s - Max Darnton 9th. U8s - Marit Davidse 5th girl and Tom Wilks 5th boy.

By the time the adult races set off, snow had given way to driving rain with the temperature just above freezing. Many a pre and post race being spent shivering in cars with heaters on full blast. Our v40 men however, coped well with the cold on the flat but challenging and technical Abingdon airfield course. Great starts by Jon Hall, Jez Hart and Ben Darnton led them into top 10 in positions that they would trade until the final lap when the three battled it out, with Jez managing to pass Ben in the last corners to take 4th, Jon 5th and Ben 6th in the category.

There were more top 10 finishes in the v50 men and women's races for Jon Dudley (8th v50) and Gemma Wilks 7th in the senior women race. The senior race also started promisingly for Tom Budden who led for the first lap but succumbed to the arctic conditions and was forced to retire.

That leaves just one final cross race next Sunday at Southampton Sports Centre for round 13 hosted by Crabwood CC, it promises to bookend a very successful season for the club with more testing January weather conditions.

 


Reliability Ride, 28 January 2018

gpx file updated Thursday 25 January at 17:30; please use the new attachment, from "Ride with GPS"

The new year will bring a mixture of new and old Reliability Rides of varying length. Traditionally these take place in the so-called winter months, before the racing season is in full swing; but the longer rides will be held in spring and early summer, when the days are longer and warmer — and the roads, we hope, are drier.

We lead off on Sunday 28 January with a new, shortish (43mi/68km) ride, starting from and finishing at Carlo's Ices in West Wellow and reaching its furthest point at Newton Tony, a small village beyond the Wallops, not far from Cholderton. The return is via Porton Down and West Winterslow.

The rider will start at 9:30. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start, to sign on and receive a copy of the route-sheet. If you are arriving by car: you may be asked to park your car at the far end of Carlo's car park; this is to allow space in front of the cafe for their regular clientele. Allow extra time to park, unload your bike and change shoes.

The postcode for Carlo's Ices is SO51 6BG. A route sheet and a gpx file are provided here:

Newton Tony 2018 routesheet

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26768762


Gold for Fitzjohn in the Southern Cyclocross Championships

It was the Southern Cyclocross Championships last weekend at Popham airfield. A great course with a little bit of MTB tech thrown in! Congratulations to v65-70 men's Southern Cyclocross champion Simon Fitzjohn.

Other highlights were 6th place for Tom Budden in the Seniors, 9th for Jon Hall in the v40 men. Jon Dudley 6th v55 men. John Phillips 4th v60 men. Gemma Wilks 11th Senior women. Izzy Hall 2nd place U10 girl, Tom Wilks 4th U8 boy, Marit Davidse 2nd U8 girl, Tilly Wilks 3rd U8 girl. George Connell 9th place U12 boy. Well done everyone!

 


Wessex Cyclocross round 9, Fareham - Report

There were 14 youth and 12 adult Sotonia racers this Sunday for round 9 of Wessex Cyclocross league at the Droxford Motor Cross track for the second time this season. Our hosts, Fareham Wheelers, laid on a tough course that once again featured the big hill and nasty descent for the youth and adult races that caught many out to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd! After last weeks heavy mud at Southampton we were surprisingly back to fast and dry conditions. The course had drained from the overnight rain and when racing got underway the sun was out making for a beautiful day’s racing.

Top results for Sotonia were Izzy Hall: 3rd place in the U10 girls, Loius Kirk 14th in the U12s. Phil Connell 11th in the v40s, Jon Dudley 12th v50 and Gemma Wilks 9th senior woman. In the senior men race, Tom Budden eventually finished in 9th place after spending much of the race in a group of three with local riders, Alex Forrester (Zepnat.com) and junior, Barney Clacy (Hargroves Ridley Montezuma) in the chase for 4th. Well done everyone!

Full results

 

 


Wessex Cyclocross round 8, Sotonia – Report

 

With the mud now dried on another epic club cyclocross event, there is further proof that cyclocross is the fastest growing discipline in cycling with another record turnout including 27 club riders among the 376 competitors who didn’t let a little mud stop them on Sunday.

Our course designers cooked up a course that was "proper cross” - challenging and technical with sticky mud after overnight rain definitely playing it's part, shin-deep in a couple of places!

In the youth races, Sotonia fielded 11 riders with a tight battle between U12s George Connell and Louis Kirk for 10th and 11th. Marit Davidse (5th U8 girl), Tom Wilks (7th U8 boy), Ella Ridgement (5th U10 girl).

There was a superb 9th, 10th and 13th in the v40s for Jonathan Hall, Ben Darnton and Phil Connell. Followed by 12th in the Women’s senior race for Gemma Wilks. Simon Fitzjohn (36th v50 men).

The final senior race was going to be decided by a very busy pit crew jet washing bikes sometimes twice in a lap as riders tried to keep the mud at bay and saw current league leader Tom Budden take 6th place after being locked in battle with Joe Hickerton for much of the race. Chris Linney (23rd), Craig Hay (27th), Phil Wilks (28th), Phil Godfrey (31st) and Darren Sell (54th).

Big thanks to Jez Hart and Tom Budden for organising, to our riders, supporters, cake makers and most of all marshals and helpers, many of whom stayed long after sunset to take the course down and pack up after a very long day!

Wessex League report and full results here


Club Run to Hill Climb and Dandy's Ford

The club run will start as normal at 9:00 on Sunday 22nd October from Fleming Avenue, North Baddesley. For the day, we have devised three routes for the different groups to all converge on Dean Hill for the hill climb at 10:30, followed by a cafe stop at Dandy’s Ford. Those wishing to take part in the Hill Climb competition should make sure that they arrive at the HQ at the foot of the hill by 10am to sign on and collect race numbers - a direct route is included below for which there will be no nominated leader.  There is no guarantee that Groups A to C will arrive in time for riders to take part in the Hill Climb competition.

Riding with Us:  All riders are required to read “Riding with Us” and those attending their first clubrun should complete the Sotonia CC New Rider Introduction Form which includes a Parental Consent Form for riders under the age of 18.

Route 1 - A Group (lots of hills!) 88km / 54 Miles to Dandy's Ford
Download Route GPX

 

 

 

 

Route 2 - B Group 65km / 40 Miles to Dandy’s Ford
Download Route GPX

 

 

 

 

Route 3 - C Group (more direct) 52km / 33 miles to Dandy’s Ford
Download Route GPX

 

 

 

 

Route 4 - Direct route to the Hill Climb and Dandy's Ford
Download Route GPX

This route is self-led with no designated leader.