Goride Cycle Sessions / Sportsbug Fortnight

As part of the Royal Borough's fortnight of free sports activities, Sportsbug, we are running Goride cycle training sessions at Cox Green Leisure Centre, on Saturday 9th May and Saturday 16th May, 10:00 to 12:00 for 8 to 14 year olds.

We hope to train up to 40 children each day in the 2 sessions.

Full information on the activities including parental permission forms are available from Peter if you haven't received them. They will also be available on our website.

Please would any Club members with children of 8-14 years, together with friends if possible, bring them along to either or both of these enjoyable sessions. All children are welcome at these free sessions.

You need to pre-book with Peter to get a place on the course to make sure we are not oversubscribed.

Antelope 3-up 50km tt

On Saturday 18th April Simon Greenland, Chris Heape and Andrew Payne entered the Antelope 50km 3up TT. The event was supported by 210 riders with teams from universities and professional racing teams. With a £300 1st prize and such a weak field we felt we had a real chance of winning. However, our race plan got shot to pieces when the pink boys from Plowman Craven got wind we were off 3 minutes in front of them.

We completed the 50km in a reasonable time of 1hr 16min 27sec against a winning time of 1hr 3min 33secfor the Shorter Rochford team. Our time placed us 35th out of 63 teams completing the course with all 3 riders.

Pictures can be found at http://www.sarahbrookephotography.co.uk/photo2434780.html

Club night, Friday 24th April, 8pm-10pm

This Friday evening, 8pm-10pm, is Clubnight at our clubroom at St Lukes Curch Hall, Norfolk Rd, Maidenhead. We will be pleased to see old, new and prospective members for a chat and refreshments. You can buy Club jerseys at the now reduced price of £40 each. You can enter our Club '25' being held on the Fifield course this Sunday, 26th April.

The Committee has been pleased to see many more people coming to our new, larger clubroom. We even had a mechanics class last clubnight with Shea's track bike being put together.

MDCC Racing News

MDCC Club '10's'

Next week the Thursday evening 10 [ 23rd April] moves to the Fifield course. Start time 7.15pm. Please email/phone Peter to pre-book a time up to 5 pm on the day.

MDCC Club '25'

The first Club '25' of the season is on the Fifield course on the 26th April. Please note it is a 3pm start so even our riders who have difficulty getting to a morning start should be able to ride . You can email/phone Peter to pre-book a time up to 12 noon on the day.

National '10' mile Championships

The National '10' Champs [ senior men. women, juniors] takes place at Newbury on Sunday May 24th. If you would like to enter a top quality time trial this is one worth considering. You will need to have ridden an open or association event to qualify . Whether your entry is accepted will depend on the qualifying times of other entries, ie they accept the fastest in order until they reach a full field. Closing date for entries is April 28th. Entries £12.00. Contact Peter if you want more information.

The organising club Newbury RC has also asked local clubs to volunteer members to help, mainly marshalling. You would marshal either in the morning, junior/womens events. Or in the afternoon, senior mens event. If you would like to help and watch the nation's fastest riders please let Peter know by 24th April . Andrew Small is helping with the timekeeping.

Fifield 15 Photos Available

You can find photos of today's event here.

MDCC Open 15, Fifield, Saturday 11th April.

The Open 15 this afternoon, although not getting the best weather, ran very smoothly thanks to the quality of all our Club members and their families who helped out. Almost the full field started and the event proved popular with all those who took part as was shown by the number of riders who attended the prize giving at the HQ at the end. Starting in the afternoon seemed to be more popular.

Many thanks to all who helped, marshals, timekeepers, pusher-off, race stewards and Sharon and Anne on the refreshments. And also of course the riders who took part. Main winners were James Stewart, Kinesis RT UK [men's event] and Catherine Essex, Kings Lynn CC [women's event].

Full results on our results page now. Result Sheet [PDF 84K]

Club '10' Thursday 9th April

Another well attended event with 20 MDCC riders taking part as well as riders from other clubs. Chris Taylor showed that his training in the Italian hills a few weeks ago was worth it when he produced a sparkling 23:19 in blustery conditions to win the event. Danuta produced 24:45 to win the womens event and her son Robert, only 13, beat evens for the first time with 29:47.

Unluckiest rider was first time rider Neil Campbell who punctured riding out to the event, arrived with only minutes to spare as last man off, then punctured again in the race still to finish but find the timekeeper had gone.

Club 10, Thursday 9th April, 6.30pm Start Time

This Thursdays '10' will start immediately the 5 mile event riders have started, possibly as early as 6.31pm, not at 6.45pm as listed on our website .

Will Clubmembers who wish to ride pre book a start time if possible as pressure of numbers may mean them not getting a ride if they arrive late. Peter's contact details, phone or email, are on the website.

It is recommended that all competitors carry a rear red light in these evening events as light quality especially for late starters can be poor.

Fifield 15 - Startsheet

The startsheet can be downloaded [PDF 97K] from the club's website. Many thanks for all the entries (over 50), we've had to arrange some extra parking as the HQ in Fifield maxes out at about 20 cars.

If you are not familiar with the course, then (weather permitting) I plan on cruising round it on Friday afternoon to check there are no roadworks, etc. Meet at the Golf Centre at 3.30pm (there's a Hounslow 25 on the course that morning).

Main points to watch are the climb from Holyport to Hawthorn Hill (it has a false flat for quarter mile after the junction with the A3035), and the turn back onto Drift Road after leaving Cranbourne (it is easy to miss & quite tight). Also, where the map shows the transition from the A330 to the B3022 to Cranbourne, the road continues straight on (so the A330 is a right turn).

A quick tour yesterday found some small, but sharp edged, potholes had opened up on Drift Road about a mile from the finish, and the A330 section from Holyport to the roundabout with Drift Road remains in poor condition.

Thursday 2nd April. First Evening Ten, Shurlock Row

Thanks to all Club members who helped in the organisation of the first ten of the year. Thanks also to all our Club riders who took part and all the members of other clubs who rode. The weather was perfect and everyone from the slowest to the fastest seemed to enjoy the evening.
It was particularly good to have Alex King [Twickenham CC] riding, fresh from his win in the National Junior Road Race Series at Abergavenny.

Fifield 15 entry list

Entries received to date:
Danielle Archer (W), a3crg
Catherine Essex (W), Kings Lynn CC
Jan Farmer (W), Serpentine RC
Heather Kingston (W), Serpentine RC
Sally St Leger (W), a3crg
Linda Stocks (W), a3crg
Sebastian Ader, a3crg
Eddie Adkins, Bournemouth Arrow
Stephen Bale, Reading CC
Patrick Brennan, a3crg
Peter Cockbain, South Bucks RC
Dave Devine, Bath RC
Mark Dewey, Maidenhead DCC
Steve Fleming, Redmon CC
David French, Weybridge Whs
Robert French, Weybridge Whs
William Girvan, North Hampshire RC
Simon Greenland, Maidenhead DCC
Christopher Grieg, High Wycombe CC
Gary Gunner, a3crg
Chris Heape, Maidenhead DCC
Jonathan Hepper, a3crg
Doug Hitchcock, North Hampshire RC
Antony Houben, Bath RC
Ray Hughes, Clarence Wheelers
Paul Innes, Hounslow Dist Whs
Brian James, Briton Mitre CC
Jorj James, Briton Mitre CC
Ed James, Maidenhead DCC
David Johnson, High Wycombe CC
Mark King, North Hampshire RC
Rod MacFadyen, Reading CC
Simon Markham, Reading CC
Les Morris, VTTA (L&HC)
Gurpal Panesar, Maidenhead DCC
Andrew Payne, Maidenhead DCC
Andy Peden, Didcot Phoenix CC
Chris Scaife, Teesdale CRC
Nigel Shurben, Maidenhead DCC
Martin Smith, awcycles.co.uk
Mick St Leger, VC St Raphael
James Stewart, Kinesis KUK
Chris Stocks, a3crg
Andrew Sturt, Thames Velo Sportif
John Wager, Felt Racing
Mike Wakely, Redmon CC
Robert Watson, North Hampshire RC
Ian White, Farnham RC
Jill Bartlett/Mark Silver (Tandem), Hounslow Dist Whs

* Please note this is in alphabetical order, not starting order.