Greater mutual respect between motorists and cyclists will make the road a safer place to ride a bike. That's the clear message from British Cycling, the National Governing Body which oversees all aspects of cycling, in a summary of findings published today based on feedback received from its members on road safety matters.

 

Among the potential solutions highlighted to make mutual respect a reality were to include greater cycle awareness in the driving test and Highway Code, ensure better enforcement of the law on mobile phone use while driving, and improve poorly laid out roads and junctions which pose a danger particularly to inexperienced cyclists.

 

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said: "As more people take to their bikes, we take seriously our responsibility to ensure they are able to do so in a safe environment. The reality is that the number of cycling deaths and injuries on the roads is decreasing and evidence suggests that the more people who cycle, the safer it becomes. However, for us, even one death is one too many and by listening to our members we can better understand what needs to be done to help create the necessary mutual respect required between motorists and cyclists to ensure both can use the roads in a safe manner. 

 

"It's essential that we get away from this sense of 'them and us' between motorists and cyclists. Most people who ride a bike also drive a car which suggests there should already be some mutual understanding. Now more needs to be done to build on this and create culture in which all road users can better respect each other. And it's important to stress that cyclists have as much of a role to play in this as motorists, by ensuring they adhere to the rules of the road with regards to things like stopping at red traffic lights and signalling correctly."

 

Other key findings published by British Cycling include:

 

• In terms of greater cycle awareness in driving tests, the two areas highlighted for particular attention were that drivers should know how to overtake cyclists safely, and how much space to allow cyclists.
• With regards to road layouts, the most common complaint was about cycle lanes that end too abruptly.
• As well as the compulsory introduction of improved mirrors to reduce blind spots on HGVs, it was widely felt that better education for drivers to ensure they look out for cyclists and better education for cyclists about the risks of cycling on the inside of HGV would help reduce the risk of HGV-related accidents.
• The reduction of urban speed limits from 30mph to 20mph would reduce the severity of injuries sustained in any accidents, although it was acknowledged that drivers might become agitated if they had to drive at that speed.

 

Ian Austin MP, British Cycling member and Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, said: "I'm very pleased to see British Cycling, of which I have been a member for many years, making its voice heard in this sphere and I look forward to playing my part in Westminster to get the changes needed."

 

The findings were also welcomed by Rob Gifford, Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, who said: "This is very consistent with what we know about how best to further improve road safety and I think that the overall theme that measures should promote mutual respect and understanding between road users is exactly right."

 

Working closely with its legal partner, Leigh Day, and other key stakeholders, British Cycling will take forward the views of its members to influence politicians and policy makers to make cycling safer. This has already begun with engagement with the Transport Minister and all the London Mayoral candidates on the key issues,.

 

Nicole Cooke, Olympic Road Race Champion, said: "We know that personal safety, and the perceived risks associated with cycling, can be a barrier to getting on a bike, especially amongst women. If we want to continue to see participation grow we need to address this and make tangible changes to ensure the roads are safer for cyclists. Through greater respect we can ensure more people can enjoy riding a bike which has got to be a good thing to strive towards particularly in the year of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games."

 

For more information and to find out about the many benefits of joining British Cycling, including liability insurance and free legal support, visit www. britishcycling.org.uk/membership

 

 

 

Road saftey report can be found here.

The Times are starting a campaign to make cycling safer http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3307439.ece

 

 

 

The Results: A top class international field produced a marathon winning time of 2:08 with 21 runners doing 2:18 or less. Any one of those would have won the Brighton marathon. The top 50 runners were finished by 2:45 and they were virtually all from Ethiopia , Kenya and Morocco. Jim Graham was the 98^th man (the 4^th British male runner) by finishing in 3:11, just a few seconds outside of PB.

 

The half-marathon race started 30 minutes before the marathon and the winning time was a sensational 1:01:59. Helen Graham was the 359^th woman home in 2:17 (including time spent in a mid-race comfort break) which is MSTC best half-marathon time of the year (so far). 

 

The web-sites and results on the internet are mostly in French, so it is a bit tricky to work it all out. Race numbers went to around 7,000 but that seemed to combine half-marathon and marathon. Therefore, the event is tiny compared to London Marathon and about half the size of Brighton Marathon. There appear to have been fewer than 700 marathon finishers with the majority of runners doing the half-marathon.

 

 

The experience: The easyjet flights and transfers from Gatwick to the superb hotel "les Jardins de la Koutoubia" were a doddle (www.lesjardinsdelakoutoubia.com).

 

We chose to organise the trip and race entry ourselves rather than use one of the marathon tour companies. As a result we paid the same in total but got a much better hotel that was just half a mile walking distance from the race start/finish. Collecting race numbers the day before from the expo was easy and great fun as it coincided with a kids race that day.

 

Marrakech is a culture shock (in a good way) for a couple from Hassocks. A cross between "Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Arc" and "Carry on Follow that Camel". Shouldn't have been such a culture shock because Carry-on-Follow-that-Camel was filmed on Littlehampton beach. Like Littlehampton, Marrakech feels like it hasn't changed much for centuries (except the horse-drawn carts in Marrakech have rubber tyres now). There was plenty of exhaust fumes from 2-stroke mopeds to remind one this is the 21^st century.

 

Following the race we had a swim in the hotel pool then a nice wander in the Marrakech Souk (markets a few hundred yards from the hotel). Within minutes we had got live snakes wrapped around our necks and were being demanded to pay money for the privilege. Mayhem. It was frantic and amazing doing a little shopping for souvenirs.

 

The race was different with no energy drinks but just bottled water at irregular intervals (carry your own bottle I suggest). No energy gels but oranges, dates, figs and raisins on offer. The middle of the marathon had a 5-mile section with no feed stations and running through busy city roads competing with traffic and pedestrians. It is actually possible to get lost even though the runner in front is just a few metres away. The road closures get a bit less well enforced once the elite runners have gone through (I'd have had those Ethiopian Olympic Team runners otherwise..honest). However, the course is flat and has no annoying hairpins or switch backs so definite PB potential. The temperature was a pleasant 13-15 degrees during the race plus there was some shade from palm-trees and the ancient city walls.

 

Hi all we are starting to get the club rides together and will be looking for volenteers to lead the rides and pick the route so this week Sunday 5th Feb I will take it and it will leave from the Dolphin Pub carpark at 08:30.

The route: Balcome, Handcross, Lower Beeding, Warninglid, Henfield, Fulking, Hurstpierpoint and back to HH. (38 miles)

Coffee stop: Hurstpierpoint or Haywards Heath
Speed avg: this is a no drop ride so all abilities will be catered for.

All are welcome members and non but can you post here if you are comming so that way we have an idea of numbers.

http://www.midsussextric...oup-ride-etiquette.aspx

A great night was had by all with an excellent band (made up of club members) finishing of with a great rendition of sweet Caroline with everyone joining in have a look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T5tmmmiS-c

 

 

The Awards

 

Sprint

1st Rachel Baker            Dave Jones

2nd Sam Anderson         James Dear

3rd Margaret Hollamby    Phil Couch

 

Olympic

1st Hazel Tuppen            James Dear

2nd Fiona Bussell           Phil Couch

3rd Lucy Williams           Rob Hoodless

 

Middle

1st  Rachel Baker          James Dear

2nd Hazel Tuppen          Steve Alden

3rd  Nikki Dow               Vaughan Portelli

 

SHORT BAR

Rachel Baker                James Dear

 

LONG BAR

Julienne Stuart-Colwill    Steve Alden

 

Best Athlete

Rachel Baker                James Dear

 

Most improved Athletes

Julie Williams               Rob Hoodless

 

Performance of the Year - Margaret Hollamby (silver medal European sprint triathlon)

 

Achievement of the Year - Claire Cresswell (Completing Ironman)

 

Club Member of the year - Mark Jordan

 

 

 

And once again the had the excellent wit of Loz with the alternative awards I was going to just give an overview but thought it was so good his script should be put up for all to see.

 

 

Ladies, gentlemen, friends, visitors, new members, long dangly members and fellow triathletes it is once again my pleasure to regale you with tales of misdemeanour and misadventure from that bunch of part time athletes and full time social misfits otherwise known as the mid-sussex triathlon club.

 

Those of you with a good memory (and that rules out 50% of you) and who were not too drunk (and that rules out the other 50%) will recall that last year was the year of the TIT - Triathlete in Trouble.

 

So what kind of year was 2011 - I can reveal to you that it is the year of the Twisted Warped Absent Minded Triathlete. For those who are poor at mnemonics that is T.W.A.T - TWAT.

 

By our very nature others consider us somewhat twisted and warped - what other part of society wakes itself up before sunrise to smear itself in cold grease, dress in rubber, share a communal (and often less than perfectly formed number ) in a pungently perfumed plastic prison with no loo roll and then throws themselves into a guano infested swamp?

 

What marks out this year is the additional and exceptional degree of absent mindedness displayed by some of our seemingly sharp sportsmen and women.

 

Speaking of TWATs I must at this stage thank the secret club awards committee for their tireless and dedicated work in bringing you the most up to date and no expense spared prizes this evening - thank you Steve and Pippa.

Our first and most sought after award,The Golden Buttocks prize is given for success in the realm of romance and since the retirement of Andy "snakehips" Heath there has been little action in the Mid Sussex bedroom department.

 

However for one amazing and astonishing moment I thought we had the most unlikely of twisted and warped winners.

 

Already a married man and holding a high station in our esteemed organisation I was rather worried about Steve Mac when I heard he was getting together with an old flame - perhaps he hd forgotten he had a wife?.

Poor Mrs Mac, how must she feel - probably quite relieved given his high levels of testosterone.  Happily it turns out it was my hearing again and in fact he is going to get together with the Olympic Flame.  So no golden buttocks this year .but then a glimmer of hope from another unexpected source...

 

My anonymous source, Rob Hoodless, indiscreetly told me that he had seen one other of our married elders, Steve Alden, getting hot and steamy with a bit of beaver action. More amazingly he told me he had gotten great pleasure from watching!

Whilst I was obviously repulsed by this thought I had to ask for more details (in the interest of this prize category of course) and maybe some photographic evidence (to add to my extensive personal collection).

 

Rob looked a bit perplexed as he explained to me that I had gotten the wrong bushy creature beginning with b and it was a bit of badger action.

It seems that this keen duo were practicing their time trial skills with Rob given the job of catching Steve over 25 miles who had been given a head start..

Steve "trains like a snail races like a hare" Alden was just about to get overtaken by Rob when an unfortunate bit of two tone roadkill found its way in his path

 

Always one to take the shortest route Steve had no hesitation in slicing the poor creature in 2 and leave Rob with an entrail facepack. Whilst this was a rather warped incident it was not the kind to win the prestigious Golden Buttocks so I am afraid dear friends we must keep this award locked up in the vaults of Jordan Mansions.

 

However we do have some specialist equipment for Rob to use the next time he decides to train with the Aldenator....  .

   

 

A recently neglected prize category is the Fashion Award for Interesting Renditions in Yarn (F.A.I.R.Y.). Since the decline of the wool industry the committee has also agreed to allow the use of synthetic materials

 

Many cannot forget the previous recipient of this award, Mr Ricketts and his Sweaty Purple Paisley Pants. Indeed many are still receiving counselling for post traumatic shock

 

It was in fact Mr Ricketts who nominated tonight's first contender for her choice of the Ann Summers "Barely there" range of underclothing for the passionate triathlete. He spent much of the East Grinstead triathlon trying to keep up with her to admire it more closely. His high levels of breathlessness at the end were attributed more to Rachel's ravishing rear than any actual effort he had put in.

 

Jules' husband Darren warrants an honourable mention for his Smurf outfit he wore to support everyone who did the Portsmouth Marathon - turns out it was the icy climate that caused his blue hue not a deep admiration for brightly coloured gnomes

 

Following his success in showing his golden glowing glutes our gusset loving triathlete known as Trevor in tights again rummaged through another ladies drawers (thanks to Jean) to produce a glamorous glittery appearance at the Santa run. Unfortunately this does not clinch him the top spot.

 

Unbelievable as it may seem Trevor was quite literally outshone by a radiance so bright that had many passers by believe that Gabriel had come to deliver a Christmastide message.

 

In fact it was our absent minded twisted old timer whose wardrobe is more suited to a teenage ladyboy than an octogenarian athlete. Forgetting entirely that he is a bloke (and one who is old enough to know better) he had the audacity to outdo twinkly Trev in a fetching illuminated angel outfit. So please step forward Tinkerbell Del to accept this magnificently crafted award. Whilst you applaud or heckle please take a moment to admire his finely honed physique in this limited edition press portrait...

 

 

 

The golden spanner is awarded to those who mechanical ineptitude surpasses their athletic ability. There have been multiple bids for glory from our twisted and absent minded triathletes. 

 

The Wobbler - a man of little physical talent and boundless forgetfulness managed to snap his chain half way up Leith Hill and being rather absent minded had forgotten his chainlink tool. Sadly Kev, Ian Anderson and I were equally absent minded and we we spent the rest of the day pushing this ungainly lump around the South and North Downs in search of a bike shop. Not quite enough to earn a golden spanner though.

 

Steve Mac a man of impeccable appearance (apart from tonight obviously) is rather particular about colour coordination and had invested in some some nice orange bar tape to match his David Dickinson permatan.

Someone who reveals their flesh as much as he does needs to ensure they have an even all over tan and Steve has been known to resort to the bottle during the colder months - not the alcoholic kind of bottle as he is almost totally abstinent (apart from tonight again it would seem) but the self tanning kind of bottle.

 

As he left the Dolphin on the handlebar tapes first outing he realised with horror that there was a terrible clash in the tango tone of his tape and his tan. Sensing immediate ridicule he decided to kick his chain off through vigorous abuse of his gear levers and took the opportunity to coat his hands and tape in a mucky but matching shade of chainoil black

 

However these 2 puny attempts were severely outclassed by this evenings winner. A man who makes a habit of forgetting to check his bike over and even when he does forgets what he should be looking for, he excelled himself at the club half ironman.

 

Maybe he was under the impression that the half referred to the amount of bike that should arrive back at T2. And how he managed such a feat we will never really know but Ant Grey managed to get his bike under the BTA weight limit between T1 and T2 arriving with half the usual number of pedals and 100% less than the usual number of saddles. For this outstanding feat of mechanical ineptitude he clearly deserves the golden spanner.

 

 

Our penultimate award is often the most hotly contested - the ARSE award for Accidents Rated on Severity and Entertainment.

 

An accident waiting to happen is probably the kindest thing you can say about the Wobbler - a man who posseses his own gravitational field. However this will be marked as the year he stayed upright and his crown will go to another.

 

Realising there was no opposition from the Wobbler several made a valiant late attempt to clinch the ARSE.

 

Jules spent several fruitless hours cruising the Haywards Heath one way system in search of an accident but this calculated strategy only resulted in a ripped jacket and some missing elbow skin!

 

Jim Graham made a better stab at things a couple of weeks ago and thought the best preparation for the Marrakech marathon would be to use the side of a car as a bicycle brake. It worked ,but at the expense of his helmet, shoulder and face. Not a bad try, but could do better.

 

For those who are squeamish please turn away, for those who are not please give a big ""whoo as he steps forward to reclaim his helmet from this particualar accident

 

Mark Jordan is another who decided to use a vehicle as a bicycle brake. However this time the van came off worse and so he will not be proud owner of an ARSE award this year.

 

Peter Harris added a 4^th discipline to the triathlon - gymnastics. The double back somersault with half twist as he took his bike off his car roof rack at the Cambridge duathlon earned him some admiring looks but not from the unfortunate girl he landed on. In spite of the cracked ribs that resulted he still he qualified for GB age group (unlike the flattened female) so I guess he hadn't quite given his all to the proper challenge of the ARSE

 

Steve Alden is a man who is all for sex equality - he wants to get as much as Emma gets. However, his principles are easily overcome and this was evident at the last Crawley Wheelers 25 where he was starting just ahead of Rachel. Concerned that this might be the day he got chicked he reached the first roundabout and hurled himself off the bike causing great bruising to himself and a few holes to his skin suit but miraculously (or not) no damage to his rather expensive and cosseted bike. Watch out though Steve she promises to get you this year.

 

Whilst the men were pussy footing about it was one of our magnificent ladies who showed them how it should be done.

 

The hilly 100 mile cyclosportive was probably too much for most of the men here and the terrain too challenging and technical but that didn't stop our heroine from taking the Meatloaf "Bat out of Hell" approach to descending. Yes the downhill was steep, yes it was covered in horse poo and gravel, yes it was twisty and littered with feeble men who were shattered from the previous 85 arduous miles but it really does not explain why Jean Fish absent mindedly forgot to use her brakes rather than her body to slow her descent. Gallantly, my informant, Sharon the compassionate, listened to the crash occuring nearby and pedalled on oblivious to her comrades demise.

 

To add insult to injury our fated female was carted off to the Royal Sussex (where no doubt Mr Ricketts was pocketing fortunes on call) and received the NHSs finest treatment. Discharged and given the all clear following an Xray of her leg, Jean was perplexed at the amount of shoulder discomfort she was experiencing several days later.

 

I am not sure if it was her absent mindedness at forgetting to mention the graunching of freshly parted bones at a and e or her high pain threshold that were to blame but it turns out her broken collarbone gives her the position of top ARSE of 2011.

   

Prolonged Egotistical Noting of Induced Surgery

 

As a man who defies description and prescription, we have had to create a one off award for this unique individual. I expect most of you will know him because he is not shy of blowing his own horn and showing off his latest self induced excuse for not competing. I believe he has forgotten that he is a triathlete and sees himself as a semi permanent resident of the NHS.

 

If there were an Olympic endurance event for Munchausen's then the gold medal would be in the bag.

 

I will illustrate this with a couple of quotes:

 

From the World Health Organisation publication on the International Classification of Diseases:

Münchausen syndrome is a psychiatric factitious disorder wherein those affected
feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention or sympathy to themselves, it is also known as hospital addiction syndrome

 

My second quote should be familiar to all, as it is one of many of you will have received from the globally distributed e-mails of our hospital addict:

 

I just thought I would let u know that rather unfortunately the muscle and tendons on the right hand side of my leg which was operated on have got tangled up with the metal work that's been put into my leg !! As a result I am not able to straighten it and the pain is more severe than before the op. I now have to have an emergency operation on january 17th to have all the pieces taken out and the multitude of screw holes filled with bone filler to prevent the bone breaking.

I'm told I will be off for 2 weeks after the op so if anyone wants to pop over for coffee that would be lovely !!!
If anyone is passing the treatment centre on tuesday week please drop me off a magazine ??

 

Bloody cheek - the only thing he is getting is this cheap (but lovingly crafted) award.

 

 

I believe Mr Ricketts is the man who has seen him most (hovering around the entrance to the Nuffield Hospital) so I would ask him to step forward and receive on his behalf (because he really is in hospital) the inaugural award for

Prolonged Egotistical Noting of Induced Surgery (and once again I will have to painfully point out the mnemonics of this - P.E.N.I.S.) which goes to Ian Ogbourne

Our final award goes to our PRIZE TWAT - the triathlete who has proved himself or herself the most twisted, warped and absentminded.

 

One of our 2 valiant runners up is our own lady of the lake. Perhaps the Southwater slurry has gummed up her brain and she is not quite as sharp as she used to be. After her successful 2^nd place in the national age group championships in the "F " age group she joined the GBR team for a spot of international competition out at Pontevedra. Our absent minded age grouper was feeling very pleased with herself as the race progressed. Not only was she cruising past the other "f" age groupers she had the distinct impression she had aged much better than most! Anyway it wasn't till well after the event had finished that she realised that the 'F' mark on the ladies legs meant Female as opposed to being our age group letter. Yes quite silly and absent minded but quite as forgetful as our next runner up.

 

A man whose fast and placid exterior hides a chaotic and absent minded interior, our other runner up was also involved in international competition at Gijon.

 

Fastiduously he ensured that all his race nutrition, gels, potions, personal grooming products and a surprisingly large quantity of lubricants were packed. He also ensured that all his spanners and allen keys were readily to hand so that he could reassemble his bike at the other end of the flight.

 

Less fastidiously he had absent mindedly forgotten that these things were not allowed in his rather fetching man bag he was using as hand luggage.

 

I am not sure who was the most amazed or amused - the security guard or Rob, Steve Alden and Pete Harris or the queue that was building up behind them as all these items were produced and subsequently confiscated.

In spite of this James Dear remained quite upbeat on realising that they had overlooked a couple of gels!

 

 

However the PRIZE TWAT goes to a man whose athletic ambitions are truly stupendous.

With such high ambitions come the possibility of a lofty descent. And is not without some merriment that I note that TWAT also stands for Three Water Attempts Terminated.

 

You may now have gathered that the recipient of our final award is our open water sewage swallowing superhero, Jamie Goodhead..

 

Before I outline his noble non completion of his cut price attempts at a foreign holiday I must congratulate his wife on setting a target and completing it with a magnificent marathon time and no misfortune.

 

But it must be admitted that swimming the channel is rather a complex and extreme matter and his first failed attempt really was quite unfortunate as one of the team manning the accompanying support boat had a cardiovascular accident half way across and the swim was terminated for a first time . Happily he survived as did Jamies ambitions.

 

 

Now what happened on the second attempt is more of a mystery. It would seem the adverse wind conditions that thwarted our gluttonous glory seeker were more of the meteorological kind than the carboloading induced sort.

 

Surely it would be a case of 3^rd time lucky. It certainly seemed that way as he entered Calais harbour after 19 (yes 19) hours of swimming. However the cold and extreme toil on his magnificent physique but pitiful brain were all too much and lead him to become rather confused and absent minded.

 

In spite of his crews determination to get him to believe he only had 100 metres to go and that he was just about to complete his ultimate challenge, he entirely forgot himself and terminated his own attempt by stepping onto the boat.

 

So tonights PRIZE TWAT wins his award more because of his Three Water Attempts Terminated than his final act of absent mindedness.

 

He also wins my undying admiration and I hope that I stand here next year to tell you of his successful crossing and to award him the Channel Urges Now Terminated award (and I wont tell you what that spells).

 

Please step forward Jamie .......

 

   

That brings us to the end of my summary of the year of the RAT so it just remains for me to thank you for attention and thank those that have ably assisted me tonight

 

and now to hand you over to our in house band - the TWATPack

 

A great turn out at turbo training last night (Wed 12^th Jan) with 21 bodies there with space for a lot more.
A great session lead by Dougie so please come along and get the training in and book that PB/Goal for next year! Bring a friend as non MSTC members are encouraged to take part but will be charged £2.

 Don't forget to bring with you water/energy drink, towel, Heart Rate monitor (optional), bike and turbo. If you need to loan any of these please let me know.

More details here

 

Start now Start today.

I am pleased to say the pool refurbishment is on schedule and is due to re-open this weekend (14th Jan), just ahead of schedule. So sessions re-commencing on Tuesday next week (17th Jan).

The final race of the season brought out 8 hardy athletes for a bitterly cold race on the coast. Good preparation does not prevent all problems however and Rob was fighting off a sore throat, whilst Steve was recovering from a gastric flu bug which hit just 8 days before the race, leaving him unable to eat for 4 days. Medical advice suggests it is not good to race in those circumstances. What do those doctors know anyway?

Most race organisers understand the 'smell of fear' concept. For those who don't I would not suggest going near any nearby toilets just before a race. This race was the exception, there were virtually no toilets. In fact it turned out there were more massage ladies available after the race than toilets beforehand. That didn't stop Kev, who was into the ladies like a shot when the opportunity arose, barging desperate women out of the way to shed a few pounds before the start. The rest of us looked elsewhere and found a toilet block, but the cold water feed had frozen so there was no flush! Did we give up and look elsewhere - NO - stack it high, flush later! I can only imagine how bad it got.

The race got underway at 9.30, with the air temperature still below zero. The course is about as pancake flat as it is possible to be, but for all that this was a tough race. One third of the course was pavement or tarmac, one third was gravel tracks which were not too bad apart from the puddles, and the other third was downright cross country. It was those sections which made it hard. There was mud, narrow slippery wet paths, rock strewn paths, shingle beach sections, and grass and large puddles. You could get back up to speed on the good bits only to have another strength sapping section to knock you right back. In addition there were no marshals except at the (very good) feed stations. When you are tired it is too easy just to follow the person in front, and whilst it was generally easy to follow the course there were odd sections where it was easy to go wrong. I don't think any of us got round without errors. Jim certainly went wrong about 4 miles from the finish, and there was one section where the entire field went wrong. A steep path on this section finished at a river edge with a 4 metre drop into the water. I wasn't expecting it and had to pull up sharply to avoid going over the edge. The race times illustrated how challenging it actually was. Only 8 people finished under 3 hours.

Jim, Steve and Kev stayed together for about 4 miles but then Jim pushed up the pace and dropped the others. By the half way mark he had a good minute advantage over Steve, who was as far ahead of Kev. Rob decided to pace Rachel round because of his bug and Emma was taking the race at a sensible pace whilst Kay and Julienne were going along steadily.

The views and terrain of this race were quite amazing and I can quite understand why it was voted in the Top 10 of 'must do' marathons in the UK. There were marinas and harbours, marshlands and parklands, rivers and estuaries as well as the seafront views. However when it comes to the second half it becomes apparent that most of the view is a patch of ground just a few feet ahead of you as the fatigue starts to set in, pain starts to intrude and the real challenge of marathon running hits home.

Jim was probably the only one who wasn't feeling it too badly. He always looked strong and powered through to finish 29^th just under 3h15m. Steve did get Jim back in his sights at about 22 miles, but then an old problem with his right knee suddenly triggered. It was like turning a switch from running strongly to being in severe pain and virtually being unable to put the right foot to the floor. This led to a comical running action of lightly stepping on the right foot and doing an exaggerated left stride to try to keep the pace up. It worked after a fashion but cost him 30 seconds a mile. Frustratingly it cost him a few places, including the second lady who was being dragged round by what appeared to be a husky! He was still delighted with 38^th place and a 3h17m finish, and can only imagine what he could have done without the bug during the previous week.

It turned out Kev had dropped back for a reason. He has done 3 marathons this year and was very well prepared and fit. Sometimes however you just know it is not going to be your day, and this was such an occasion. He realised he was struggling and sensibly backed off in the second half to finish in just under 3h34m, still a very respectable time.

Rob and Rachel continued running together for most of the way, although Rob did find the cold weather and constant reminders of water a bit too much for his bladder, resulting in him stopping three times! Rachel however was running superbly and was on target to be way under her PB. Similar to me though, she suddenly hit problems at about 22 miles and from then on was really struggling. Nevertheless she remained a full 5 minutes inside her PB at the finish for an excellent time just under 3h46m. Rob, gentleman that he is(!) did manage to get a time 3 seconds faster, although clearly he didn't really get out of the comfort zone all the way round, and he even included his comfort breaks. They even managed to befriend an odd bloke called Dave!

Emma was running a steady pace and thought she might be able to break 4hrs. Her PB is 3h51m but it was 10 years ago so sub 4 would have been quite a feat. Like Rachel and Steve she also ran into problems late on and really suffered. She even went through a phase of wondering if she would finish at all but soldiered on for a 4h11m finish. As a training race for her true goal of the Brighton Marathon in April though, this was an excellent performance.

Kay got into trouble with a stitch relatively early. Clearly that makes proper running almost impossible so she had to resort to power walking and jogging. Husband Steve was trying to support her by riding round the route on his mountain bike, but wandered off somewhere towards Chichester and had to return to base to wait for her there. She finished, still smiling and cheerful, in 5h25m, probably looking in better shape than the rest of us.

Julienne had her usual steady pace. I did feel quite sorry for Darren at the finish, waiting in the freezing cold. On a positive note he always knew how she was doing because of the stream of text updates. She finished in 5h48m which I have huge respect for because it is an awful long time to be out there working hard.

Once we had finished most of us had a massage from the 'Pompey Pummellers' - I have to say it was the most painful post-race massage I have ever had, and easily the most effective one. She found every knot - although it felt like it was all knot with a bit of leg underneath. The difference it makes is staggering. The next day you can walk virtually normally - incredible!

Special praise must go to Tim and Claire who came to support, and stood out in the cold along with Darren and Steve Mac. However painful it is doing this sort of race I always prefer to be taking part rather than watching, if only for that sense of relief and achievement at the finish.

Men WINNER 2h51m29s

Jim Graham 3.14.48 13.39% 10points

Steve Alden 3.17.07 14.94 9

Kevin James 3.33.59 24.78 8

Rob Hoodless 3.45.50 31.69 7

 

Women WINNER 3h00m54s

Rachel Baker 3.45.53 24.87 10points

Emma Goodhead 4.11.03 38.78 9

Kay McMenamin 5.25.15 79.79 8

Julienne Stuart-Colwill 5.48.12 92.48 7

 

Author: Steve Alden

There will be no turbo sessions on 28th December as the school is shut

The Dolphin pool shuts at 22.00 on Thursday 29th so no we will have to go to a diffrent location for a drink after (the Dolphin Pub).

Ardingly school pool will be closed from 10th December until approximately 15th January.

The re-open date in January could change as it is closing for a refurb which could, but hopefully won't, overrun.

While Barns Green is well known for its wind and rain, it seems that the Brighton 10k is usually bright and sunny. This year was no exception making superb racing conditions.

Of course this wasn't enough for some, with Rob, Rachel and Claire electing to cycle down for the race. Altogether 15 MSTC athletes were running although there may be others who did not enter as MSTC. For the first time more women than men from the club were racing (8 v 7).

 

Those who have raced here before know that it is quite a boring course but it is pretty flat and therefore quite fast. However now that there are 2700 runners it is getting a bit crowded!

 

We actually had 2 MSTC athletes right at the front of the field, with both Mark Jordan and Callum Murray riding mountain bikes to keep the road clear for the leading runners, although Mark was having some trouble blowing his whistle and shouting at the same time.

 

Steve Crocker showed the pace that has been evident on Thursday evenings to be first home in 38.39. He still felt he went off too fast and that he could go faster if he paced himself better. Not a bad effort for his first club race though. Steve Alden was not far behind with his quickest 10k for 6 years in 39.16. Rob Hoodless faded a bit at the end but just crept in under the 40 minutes in 39.58.

 

Rachel was first lady home from the club with a comfortable PB in 43.48. Second was Tamsin in 47.18 although she felt she could have run faster. She has been training well so I am sure her times will come down.  

 

I didn't see Dave Leadbitter but he ran well to finish in 45.03, comfortably ahead of Colin (46.17) and Steve Mac in 46.38. Peter Clarke completed the men in 49.13.

 

Julie Williams continued her good form with a PB in 56.08 to finish 3^rd lady with Kay Mac in 57.24. A very hot and thirsty Claire finished in 64.23. There are no drinks stations around the course and on a warm day she really suffered. Jules got round in 65.27 nearly a minute behind Emma (64.36) who lost a BAR point by starting too far back. Rose Ryan had a gentle run round in 75.49 encouraging another runner.

 

Rob and Rachel then cycled home with Callum and Mark but not before stopping in Ditchling for tea and cakes - the best conclusion to a social ride!

 

 

MEN WINNER:   29m52s

 

Steve Crocker	38.39	29.44%	10 points
Steve Alden	39.16	31.48	9
Rob Hoodless	39.58	33.82	8
Dave Leadbitter	45.03	50.87	7
Colin Chambers	46.17	54.99	6
Steve McMenamin	46.38	56.16	5
Peter Clarke	49.13	64.80	4

 

 

 

WOMEN WINNER:  33m30s

 

Rachel Baker	43.48	30.75%	10 points
Tamsin Clake	47.18	41.19	9
Julie Williams	56.08	67.55	8
Kay McMenamin	57.24	71.34	7
Claire Cresswell	64.23	92.18	6
Julienne Stuart-Colwill	65.27	95.37	5
Emma Alden	64.36	92.84	4
Rose Ryan	75.49	126.30	3

 

 

 *Note: Ant Bliss always writes a good blog on the races he covers view the brooks one here.

 

 

Author: Steve Alden

 

 

The ride organised by Haywards Heath councillor Richard Bates is an opportunity to explore a circular on road route around the town's boundary - known as its Bounds.

The ride will start at 10am from Haywards Heath Town Hall on Saturday, November 26, followed by a coffee break and a discussion from 11am.

The discussion can be anything you wish to raise about cycling locally and it is intended to respond to the Neighbourhood Plan Consultation by creating a cycle network which could be implemented using Neighbourhood Planning gain funds.

There will be a mapping exercise to identify key routes and major crossing points and where cycle parking is needed. This is part of the Mid Sussex Cycling Campaign promoting cycling in Mid Sussex - formally under the umbrella SPOKES.

For further information contact Haywards Heath Town Councillor Richard Bates r.bates111@btinternet.com