Spring TT - May

An 18.4km TT segment (https://www.strava.com/segments/34170813 ) set to replicate the opening stage of this years Giro ( before they tweaked the distance to 19.6km), to be under taken from 4th May to 8th May .

Many thanks to all those who took part over the long Bank Holiday weekend - we didn’t really have the weather on Saturday or Monday, but some brave souls still ventured out. The full results are:

1. Paul Astin and Chris Mapp 28:25

2. Chris Pratt 29:57

3. Dave Lee 30:02

4. Bruno Brown 30:24

5. Kris Rogers 30:45

6. Luke Caldwell 31:13

7. Matt Lawless 31:54

8. Oliver Agar 31:58

9. Steve Nelson 32:43

10. Rachel Brown 33:00

11. Eugene Vichare 33:05

12. Sarah Watts 34:18

13. Phil Hood 34:26

So Paul and Chris share the honours on the mens’ side, and Rachel takes the KOM for the women. Thanks again for playing, and we’ll try and replicate again whatever Giro TT they do next year. In the meantime the Giro D’Italia is being shown live everyday on the TV at Gorilla Cafe.

Gorilla’s Grand Day Out 2023 - June

Our route takes us east away from Birmingham, passing the cyclist's monument at Meridian and continuing north of Coventry into the rolling farmland of south Leicestershire. You will pass through Ullesthorpe where you can make a pitstop at the village shop and note the answer for the first information control. On through picturesque and quiet lanes, you will meander your way to Tugby and Café Vonteux, our destination for the day. As a specialist cycling café they will be happy to welcome you for lunch at the halfway point, where you will obtain your 2nd proof of passage... Get a receipt and tuck it in your pocket. After availing yourself of the culinary delights, JB and I can recommend the fish and chips, you will briefly head south before turning east and passing through the bustling market town of Market Harbour.

I believe this is the only opportunity for a Greggs stop on the entire route! Clearly the product of poor planning on my part, but it is what it is. At Bitteswell you will need to once again answer a question for the 3rd control of the day. You may want to stop here for some “light refreshment” or press on, the choice is yours. After crossing the M6 we skirt the southern edge of Coventry, before passing through Warwick University and onto familiar roads back to the café or arrivée as randonneurs would call it, to get your card stamped for the final time.

The route uses mostly quiet roads and avoids cities, towns and A roads as much as possible. As already mentioned you don’t have to stick to the suggested route, (as long as you pass through all the control points) but we believe we have chosen the best options for a pleasant ride, even if it isn’t always quite the shortest option. The condition of the roads are generally good, far better than the roads of Shropshire for example. There is one very small section of gravel, but before all you “summer bike primadonnas” start cursing my name, it really is the width of a wide pavement at the end of a dead end that avoids a detour on a potentially busy A-road.

The entrance fee is £10 (payable on the day, cash only) which covers; free cafeteria coffee in the morning, your brevet card – always a great souvenir of your day out, an embroidered patch for all those that finish in time with a completed card, and a plate of hot food at the end (veggie options available), no doubt needed after a long day turning the peddles. Any profits will go to this years’ chosen club charity.

For those who are really keen to get off early and make full use of the time limit, Bruno and I will be at the cafe from 7 am to give out cards, however, the cafe will not be open until 7:30 am if you want a coffee before you ride out. The cafe will be open until 7:30 pm, the final finishing time, but if you want your finishing food you will really need to be back for no later than 7 pm. The route will be made available approximately one week before the event.

Inter-Club Charity Day - July

A great turn out for the Inter Club Charity Day on Sunday - we had about 80 riders from a variety of clubs from across the region - thanks V Sprint, Brat, UOB, Beacon, and Dynamic (to name a few) choosing 1 of the 12 rides our volunteer ride leaders were offering ( including a gravel ride which a 12 year old went on, and a vintage ride which also had a tandem on it! )

We had prizes from Gorilla Cafe, Shaun the Barbers and Marmaris for the raffle , but Dr Craig won the main prize - the framed print. In fact all but one of the framed prints (kindly designed by Neil Cocklin, with the framing sponsored by Lion Picture Framing Services) were sold. There were also plenty of donations to the cycling bric-a-brac ( anything which we didn’t sell were passed onto Barnardos (clothes) and Oxfam (books) - all which added to the overall total raised on the day £1252.70 which has already been transferred to our charity of the year - The Menopause Charity.

Thankyou to everybody involved.

Gorilla Hill Climb - October

A great turn for the annual Gorilla Hill Climb , with Craig Gale winning the men's category and Rachel Brown winning the women's . Honourable mentions must go to Phil Hood , for riding a child's steel vintage bike up the climb for our chosen charity of the year ( The Menopause Charity) and to Paul Astin for wheelie-ing some of the way up the climb and still getting an amazing time! Also a big thankyou to James Barber for braving the conditions to stand on the slopes of Lea End Lane to take photos of the participants as they passed by.

Full results for the 850m Strava timed segment, with a gradient of 7.4% are below:

1. Craig Gale 2.18

2. Scott Hamblett 2.19

3. Carl Pearson 2.29

4. John Pears 2.34

5. Luke Caldwell 2.37

6. Thomas Elmer 2.39

7. Paul Astin 2.40

8. James Brown 2.50

9. Peter Conlin 2.52

10. Phil Hood 2.53 (wet - first attempt , not on kids bike)

11. Dan Bishop 2.57

12. James Gregory 3.02

13. Michael Schier 3.03

14. Majid Ali 3.06

15. Páraic Scanlon 3.09

16. Huan Dong 3.12

17. Harry G 3.15

18. Chris Jackson 3.15

19. Damien Kimber 3.17

20. Lee Holton 3.19 Wet

21. David Lee 3.20

22. Ed Carver 3.27

23. Jonathan Bertram 3.28

24. Andrew Mitchell 3.28

25. Lee Tandy 3.28

26. James Gillies 3.29

27. Rachel Brown 3.30

28. Bruno 3.35

29. James Connolly 3.43

30. Bruce Chapman 3.43

31. Oliver Agar 3.46

32. Paul Griffiths 3.46

33. Carl Hulston 3.59

34. Craig Munro 4.28 (gravel bike)

35. Dan Gregory 4.23

36. Rob Anderson 4.38