Ystwyth CC Time Trial – Round 1

The month of April sees many of the one day cycling classics take place, in particular, Paris Roubaix or Hell of the North as it is commonly referred to. April also sees the return of the Ystwyth CC Time Trial series. Although no cobble stones, the pot holed A44 on the Llety Gwyn course did provide riders with some challenging riding conditions, mixed in with a gusty north westerly wind and rain showers.
Referred to as the ‘race of truth’, an individual time trial sees riders race against the clock on a flat or
rolling course. The Ystwyth CC events take place over a distance of 10 miles, 22 miles and a
particularly challenging 14 mile course between the months of April to September.
On the first event of the year it was also good to see local riders from both Caron and West Wales Cycling.  Twenty riders signed on, expertly marshalled by Andy Hunt, time trial co-ordinator, supported by Kim and Derek. With less than ideal conditions, with many riders choosing to go safe with road bikes instead of their regular TT bikes, it would be interesting to see who would take the podium positions in both the female and male category.
In the two up category Leif Skot and granddaughter Layla competed in the this category and showed
the form that saw them compete in 2017.
Glaciologist Katie Miles, a regular on the Sunday 9.30am ride took the win and was fastest female on
the night with a strong ride time of 33.14, closely followed by Lynfa Davies.

In the male category, following on from a strong winter training period incorporating long training
rides and specific speed sessions, Ieuan Andy Davies took the podium win in a time of 24.26. With a strong performance, Gethin Howells took second spot in a time of 24.44. Third place went to Steffan Roberts in a time of 24.50.

Next week, with the promise of more spring weather, the riders take on the challenge of the 10 mile Cwm Rheidol course (tea/coffee/cake available too!). Sign on will be from 5.45pm at Statkraft Visitor Centre / Cafè Car Park. For further details, visit the Ystwyth CC webpage:
https://www.bc-clubs.co.uk/ystwythcc/index.php/time-trials/

Scott Tomsett on the start line
 Llety Gwyn 10 4/4/18
1. Ieuan Andy Davies 24.26

2. Gethin Howells 24.44
3. Stefan Roberts 24.50
4. Henry Moss (R) 25.22
5. Ciaran Rowett 25.28
6. Scott Tomsett 26.37
7. Ian Stevens 26.45
8. Shelley Childs 26.46
9. Adam Hughes (R) 26.50
10.Caron Pugh (R) 27.18
11.Martyn Saycell (R) 29.37
12.Sion Tansley (R) 30.39
13.Trevor Beck (R) 30.50
14.Layla Skot/Leif Skot 2up (R) 31.11
15.Liam Straiton (R) 31.34
16. Mike Fitch (R) 33.12
17. Katie Miles (R) 33.14
18. Lynfa Davies (R) 35.39
19. Paul Jones DNF

Fancy trying out road racing…?

It can seem a bit daunting and difficult to know how to get into road racing and give it a go. There are different types of races, from closed circuit races on purpose-built tarmac tracks, round town criterium races to road races on the open road and time trials.
Giving time trials a go is the easiest option for Ystwyth riders, with events organised weekly by the club from April to August. More news will follow on these and the introductory session planned before the first club time trial starts.
To add in the fun of tactics and the chance to race in a group, circuit races can be a good starting place. The fields are usually smaller, the surface is good and the races are usually around 40 minutes in length. The downside of having more corners can be the constantly changing pace compared to a road race.
Road races can be anything from 30 miles up to 80+ miles on a variety of courses. These are held on open roads with a race convoy of vehicles surrounding the riders to protect them and race marshals on the route to help keep the course safe. The club will be hosting a road race on Sunday, 4th March and this is a great chance to come and support the riders and see what a road race is all about! https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/173305/Tour-of-the-Mining-Valleys
A great early-season series consisting of four races are held every January and February in Stourport; these are friendly and well organised and have a separate race for Category 4 riders (more on the categories later!). There are hundreds of road events organised throughout the year and the British Cycling website has them all listed. You can search by Category 4 races only, women only races or by location, along with the type of event you are looking for: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/home  

What are the rider categories?
There are five categories: Elite, Category 1, Category 2, Category 3 and Category 4.  Everybody starts as a Category 4 rider. Points are awarded in races and as you gain the required points you move up a category. 
If you are considering racing there is a great overview here of what’s involved:
If you already have a Bronze, Silver or Gold British Cycling Membership you should have a provisional licence as part of your membership. This will allow you to race in most races, but if you win points in your race you won’t be eligible. You will need a full race licence if you want the points to count! https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/licence
If you fancy giving racing a go, have a chat to those in the club that race regulurlary to see which races they recommend and to discuss the possibilities of lift sharing! 

Ystwyth CC members to represent the British Team

Three Ystwyth CC members, Dylan Lewis, Shelley Childs and Andrew Poole, have been training hard and competing with great success, and have all qualified for the European Championships in Ibiza later this year. Dylan will be competing in the European Off Road Duathlon Championships, Shelley in the European Standard Distance Duathlon Championships and Andrew Poole in the European Half Ironman Championships.
They will all be representing the British team for their respective age groups, which is fantastic!
Duathlons usually involve a run, a cycle and then another run, with the transitions being timed and included as part of the race, and triathlons involve a swim, a cycle and finish with a run. Duathlons and triathlons are held all over the UK, they can be on or off road and of varying distances. If you fancy trying an event check out the British Triathlon events page: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/search
The club would like to wish Dylan, Shelley and Andrew good luck with their training leading up to their events. You can follow their progress on Twitter @three_gb and on Instagram (three_gb).

It’s time to join Ystwyth CC for another great year in 2018

Last year was a busy and buzzing year for the club, as we celebrated our 65th anniversary by looking back at the club’s fascinating history but also looked forward by developing our provision and extending our membership. We’re now looking forward to an equally busy 2018, and it’s started well, with Ystwyth CC colours appearing in early season races of all kinds over the past weekends.

Whether you’re looking to re-join the club this year, or become a member for the first time, now’s the time to do so! All the details of how to join, and what our membership includes, are available here: https://www.bc-clubs.co.uk/ystwythcc/index.php/membership/ Paper copies of our membership form are also available from Summit Cycles and from Membership Secretary Andy Davies if you’d prefer not to sign up online.

We look forward to your company on and off the road and the tracks this year again. We had a busy social calendar last year and for our first social event of 2018 we’ll be meeting up for a drink and a curry on Friday evening, 9th Febrary. Full details in the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/258139634722730/ Croeso i bawb!

If you have any queries about joining the club or about our provision, please feel free to message us on ystwythcc@gmail.com or via the website https://www.bc-clubs.co.uk/ystwythcc/index.php/our-club/contact/, or have a word to any of our current members.

We hope you all have a fantastic year of cycling in 2018, and that you enjoy your time in the Ystwyth jersey, wherever it takes you!

YCC 2017 awards announced at 65th anniversary dinner

Ystwyth CC members, including lifetime members Ken Williams, Glyn Evans and Leif Skot, came together on Friday, November 10 for a special 65th anniversary dinner at the Blac in Talybont. We were also joined by Joe Hayward and Shelley Childs, representing the club’s two sponsors, Summit Cycles and Cambrian Tyres/Continental. 
As well as thanking our sponsors and all our lifetime members, and noting the busy programme of events throughout 2017 to celebrate our 65th anniversary, club chairman Tim Johnson announced the following awards and presented the trophies for the 2017 season:
Men’s TT League – Ieuan Andy Davies
Women’s TT League – Lois Brewer
Handicap TT League – Andy Hamilton
Hill Climb – Andrew Poole
Hilly Time Trial – Gruff Lewis
Club Road Race award – Ieuan Andy Davies
One final award was voted for by all those present at the dinner, with the award for Club Person of the Year being presented to Anita Saycell. The club will look forward to presenting their trophies to Andrew Poole and Lois Brewer at a later date, and Tim also expressed the club’s best wishes for a swift recovery to Lois following her recent injury.
The evening also included a grand raffle, and the club would like to thank all those who donated prizes for their generosity. The raffle raised £250 for the club. The wonderful meal at the Blac was finished off with a special 65th anniversary cake.
As a club we hope that everyone enjoyed their evening and we’ll look forward to seeing you at the 2018 club dinner!

Summit Cycles’ striking 65th anniversary window display

As Ystwyth CC’s 65th anniversary year draws to a close, a special commemorative window display of past club jerseys and photographs from the club archive can be seen at club sponsor Summit Cycles during the month of November.

According to Joe Hayward, director of Summit Cycles Ltd, “As a lifelong cyclist and advocate of all aspects of cycling, I’m extremely proud that Summit Cycles has been able to showcase some of Ystwyth Cycling Club’s rich 65-year history in this anniversary display. Summit Cycles are proud to support such a successful, diverse and inclusive club and we very much look forward to the next chapter in the club’s history.”
The jersey collection has been collected and carefully kept over the years by Ystwyth CC lifetime member Ken Williams, and was photographed by club member Kristian Bond, whose grandparents, Bill and Audrey Rushton, were among the earliest members of the club back in 1952. For them, cycling was always a huge part of family life, according to Kristian: “Bill had been cycling ever since Mam-gu (Audrey) knew him, so she started too. Not many people had cars back then, so it was another way to get around.
“Growing up, whenever there was professional cycling on the TV, there’d be many talks of ‘the good old days’ to follow. It’s great to have been brought up in a family that has such strong ties with Clwb Beicio Ystwyth since the early days, and who have seen cycling, in every respect, change – hopefully for the better: including lighter frames, better components and the ease of driving to races, instead of having to ride there the night before.”
Ken Williams first wore the Ystwyth jersey as a junior in a race organised by Deeside Olympic CC on a course between Queensferry and Chester in 1963. He went on to become a key member of the club, and remains active with Ystwyth CC and Welsh Cycling to this day, as does Glyn Evans, who joined in 1958 in order to ride the weekly 10-mile TTs. According to Glyn, “I then decided to give road racing a go, and finished 20th in my first race, which was the Deeside road race in 1959.”
Glyn went on to become the first organiser of the Ystwyth cycling weekend, with Ken acting as organiser for a further 25 years. The event consisted of two races: the Aberystwyth Evening Kermesse, which was a closed-road race in the town centre, starting and finishing on the south side of Castle Point, and the 80-mile Tour of Mid Wales, taking in Machynlleth, Carno, Caersws and Llangurig before finishing in the harbour. “The event was so popular that many British internationals would enter,” Ken remembers.
Ystwyth CC goes from strength to strength, supported by its other main sponsor Continental/Cambrian Tyres, and currently has 170 adult members. The popular Junior section, run by Chris Jones, Gareth Lewis and team, was only established around 18 months ago but is already making an impression in several cycling disciplines, including cyclocross and road racing.
Both Glyn and Ken are pleased to see the club thriving. “In the 60s and 70s we never had more than ten members,” says Ken. “We had to hold two jumble sales a year to keep the club afloat, otherwise it would have folded.” And Glyn added, “After all these years, it’s good to be able to still be involved with the club, and with cycling in general.”

Ystwyth CC taster day at the Wales National Velodrome

After a very early start from Aberystwyth, 18 riders made their way by coach to the Wales National Velodrome in Newport. This was the first time for most of us, so we were not sure what to expect.  We arrived in plenty of time to be sized for our track bikes. With no gears and brakes, some of us were feeling a touch nervous!  After making our way to the centre of the track we were met by our coach for the session, Steve Marshall.
Steve was fantastic and gave us a great briefing and introduction to the track and bikes. We spent the three-hour session with Steve gradually and safely increasing our confidence and skills with everyone getting higher each time around the track. The three hours flew by so quickly!
This was a great experience and thoroughly recommended – we all wished we lived closer!

High turnout and original jersey at club’s 65th anniversary ride

Ystwyth CC’s 65th anniversary ride on Sunday, 8th October saw over 50 club members, friends and members of neighbouring Clwb Caron come together for a 65-mile ride to Lampeter and back. The ride was the latest in a series of events held during 2017 to commemorate the club’s 65th anniversary, which will culminate in November with a month-long window display of the club jerseys over the years at Summit Cycles, the club sponsor, and then an anniversary club dinner.
Present at the start of the ride was one of the club’s life members, Ken Williams, who joined the club in 1963 and who remains an active member of Ystwyth CC and of the wider Welsh cycling community. Ken brought along his first club jersey, which is part of a collection kept by him over the years and photographed as part of the club’s 65th anniversary celebrations by Kristian Bond, club member and grandson of Bill and Audrey Rushton, who were among Ystwyth CC’s founder members in 1952.
All riders enjoyed a halfway break at Lampeter Rugby Club, and the club would like to thank them for their welcome. On returning to Aberystwyth, hearing of Griff Lewis of Ystwyth Juniors’ notable success in the first round of the National Trophy CX Series in Derby,  meant that this was a memorable day for the club in its anniversary year.
Many thanks to Dan Field for the photos.

65th anniversary ride, Sunday 8th October

As part of the club’s 65th anniversary celebrations, all our usual Sunday rides will come together on Sunday, 8th October for a 65-mile ride to Lampeter and back. The ride will leave Plascrug Leisure Centre promptly at 9.30am but all riders are requested to arrive in good time so that a club photograph can be taken to note the occasion.
The cafe stop in Lampeter will be at the rugby club from 11am onwards, and the club would like to thank them in advance for their willingness to welcome us on our anniversary ride.
All riders are welcome to join us for this special ride. There will be several different paced groups out on the road on the morning, reflecting our usual three rides, and regrouping within those specific groups. We would also encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with the route beforehand – it is available to see here https://www.strava.com/routes/9943088 and can be downloaded to bike computers if required. Event details on FB to be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1919100005021738/ 
Here is a brief route synopsis: Plascrug LC > Southgate > Rhydyfelin > Llanfarian > Abermad > back road to Lledrod > back road to Tyncelyn > Llangeitho > Talsarn > Creuddyn Bridge > Lampeter RFC > turn left before Co-op > Llanfair Clydogau > Llanddewi Brefi > Tregaron > Ponrhydfendigaid > Trawscoed > Llanilar > Llanfarian > straight across crossroads and down to cycle path in Rhydyfelin > Trefechan > Plascrug LC. 
This ride is part of a year-long series of events to note our 65th anniversary, culminating in the club anniversary dinner to be held in November. 

Please note that there will be no club rides the following Sunday, 15th October, as many club riders will be attending the club’s Track Taster Day at Newport Velodrome and also in support of the fact that Ystwyth Juniors are hosting a round of the cyclocross series at Penglais Farm. If you are free to marshall that day, for whatever length of time, please contact Nia Peris or alternatively Chris (Tomos) Jones of Ystwyth Juniors – we would greatly appreciate all support for our Juniors section which has made such progress this year. They are, after all, our future club riders and it’s an opportunity to volunteer on behalf of the club and get your ride in the previous day!
The attached photo shows the club’s first jersey, dating from 1952, from Ken Williams’s collection and with thanks to Kristian Bond for the photo.

Ystwyth CC pilot video conference link from Aberystwyth to Welsh Cycling AGM

With the prospect of a five-hour round trip to the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff for the annual AGM, Ystwyth CC were grateful to Welsh Cycling for allowing us for the first time ever to be in attendance via a video conference from Aberystwyth.
The AGM took place on the 19th September and the link from Aberystwyth proved successful with Aled Jones (Cycling Development Officer – West Region) joining us in Aberystwyth, and Malcolm Dines representing Troelli Llwybr Llwynog club.
It was a really interesting AGM and a great chance to hear an overview of the year from Welsh Cycling, future plans and listen to discussions regarding knowledge sharing for volunteers in the sport.