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How easy would it be to do an all-time one as well as a 2015 one?

Fantastic! Thanks very much

Just like last year, although some of our members managed to get places in this year's Ride London event, a lot of us didn't make the cut and are still looking for a place. British Cycling offer some places to clubs to enter four-person teams. Everyone in a team must be a paid-up member both of the club AND of British Cycling*. Also, oddly, the teams must be either all-male, or all-female, or 50/50, but you can't have a team which three men and one woman (or vice-versa).
The event is on Sunday 2nd August. If you get in, you will be starting early that morning from Stratford (maybe very, very early!), heading through central London on completely closed roads, then out into Surrey and doing the climbs of Leith Hill and Box Hill** before returning to The Mall to complete your 100 miles. Here's our report of last season's effort: http://leavalleycc.tumblr.com/post/94547481748/prudential-ride-london-10th-august-2014
Last year Harry co-ordinated our team entries and he is happy to do so again this year, although he isn't planning to ride himself this time round. If you want to try to get a place in a team, put your details into this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pl7YBeo4vY8pVoesNM1qXttbR1N7JsZuGnWLtBsdvLg/edit#gid=1
Harry has to submit the teams by 23rd March, so you ony have a couple of weeks to sign up. Putting your name on the spreadsheet does not guarantee you a place - last year we had enough people to enter three teams, but we were only given places for two teams. We might only be given one team place - we have no way of knowing in advance. The people who were in the the team that missed out last time round have been given priority this time (assuming they still want to do it - we know that a couple of them can't, so their names have already been removed). Once Harry has submitted the details, you are committed to doing it if the team gets a place - you must pay the £58 entry fee and you can't transfer your place to somebody else if you change your mind.

*this is important - the entry is done through British Cycling and they need your membership number

**unless the weather is as ridiculously bad as last year when they had to shorten the route because of safety concerns

Update: I think Adam is with Tim, me with Nicola, and Alex with Derek.

To sum up the situation at the moment: Derek Trangmar is fast and usually rides with Trevor, but Trevor can't ride, so Derek is looking for a fast partner. Derek was provisionally going to ride with Nicola, but he's probably a bit fast for her, so this could change. I was going to ride with Harry, but Harry has broken road bike issues. I might be riding with Alex, but he might be a bit too strong for me at the moment. David V and Pedro have agreed to ride together. Adam B, Tim and Monika are also looking for partners. Let's try and sort it out on here.

The club's first event of the season is the 25-mile time trial based on the E2 course (roughly from Quendon in Essex to Sawston in Cambs and back on the B-road that was once the A11), using the race HQ in Ugley (north of Bishops Stortford). You can enter individually, but this time trial gives you a relatively rare chance to race as a pair (or 'two-up'). Obviously it helps if you and your partner are fairly evenly matched in terms of ability, otherwise one person is frustrated while the other suffers non-stop. Quite a few of us are entering, so we're trying to co-ordinate things online so that people get a suitable partner. I put this on facebook, but I'm putting here as well for the benefit of those who don't use it. Here is the spreadsheet - anyone should be able to edit it:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vme8PqxCgCgJzJ79BMjq_rhyBMnlLFjdcNw1cQKtYSQ/edit#gid=0

Roller races at the pub / winter series at Hog Hill / ridiculously long winter rides: http://leavalleycc.tumblr.com/post/109704965993/january-2015-a-winter-update

And here's the first month of 2015: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wgvGFBNhJmUqOAQdtkKqyN8AV80haYr852OC6dGlxQc/edit?pli=1

There suddenly seems to be a lot more availability (if you're able to come at those times). I've booked myself onto an 'intermediate SQT' session at 6pm Tues 3rd Feb. If anyone else is accredited feel free to join me.

2014 LVCC Strava Championships - The Final Countdown...

Ten of us managed to set at least one time 'below par' in 2014 on the seven designated climbs. Tim Holmes and David Veitch managed four each, Alex Sweeting got five, and me, Harry Sewell, Carsten Meilandt and Barnaby Barford posted times for all seven.

Unsurprisingly, the 2014 Strava KOM for LVCC on the Mott Street segment was Carsten, with his phenomenal ride in the club hill climb in November, with the silver medal going to David V on the same day (reverse order to the official prizes as Strava knows nothing about missed start times).

Harry takes the year's KOM for Lippitts Hill by just one second from me and Carsten. I've got the KOM for Daws Hill with David V being the only other rider to get under two minutes. Wellington Hill was very close-fought: joint holders of the 2014 KOM are Carsten and Alex, but Harry and me are in joint 3rd place just one second behind.

I took the real-life Strava KOM on Claypit Hill (only to have the famed 100-climbs bloke nick it from me by one second) and obviously set the fastest LVCC time in the process. Pedro Lopes was second fastest and would have done much better in this competition if he used strava more often. Meanwhile David Veitch was miles clear of everyone on Banks Lane, beating Carsten by a staggering 23 seconds. And finally Carsten took his third KOM with Avey Lane, with me and Harry not far behind in second and third.

So the final rankings: in 5th place is Mr Consistency, Barnaby Barford. In 4th place is David Veitch, who would surely have come much higher if he'd set times on all seven of the climbs. In 3rd place is Harry Sewell, cut down in his prime by fatherhood. And Carsten takes 2nd place just 7 seconds behind me. There is no official club silverware for my monumental achievement and this announcement has come too late for me to appear in the New Year's Honours List, but I expect to be immortalised with a statue in Lloyd Park in the near future.

Full details on the spreadsheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wgvGFBNhJmUqOAQdtkKqyN8AV80haYr852OC6dGlxQc/edit#gid=0

Here's to 2015 - let's make sure your all of bag all seven this time

Today's circuit race: http://leavalleycc.tumblr.com/post/105088761743/club-winter-circuit-race-at-the-velopark-sat-13th

A belated report on the hill climb: http://leavalleycc.tumblr.com/post/104320981383/2014-hill-climb-sunday-2nd-november

ALL CHANGE!
Don has confirmed that we have now booked the velopark circuit for the following week, that is 9.00-10.00am on Saturday 13th December.

I've been neglecting this a bit since the circuit race in September as I haven't witnessed any of the action first hand, but we've had some terrific results over the last couple of months by Pedro and Carsten so I've put an update here: http://leavalleycc.tumblr.com/post/102705559743/late-season-road-race-success-story

By the way, as far as I know the circuit race on Sat 6th December is NOT happening. The last I heard is that whole velopark (not just the velodrome) was being block-booked while the track world cup events were taking place there. There was talk of possibly relocating to Hog Hill (but we think it's booked too) or rescheduling to another weekend, but I don't think this has happened. So next circuit race will be next year.

I've updated this - there have been some good times by Carsten and Harry recently and today David Veitch smashed it up Banks Lane with a brilliant time. It's getting much closer at the top.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wgvGFBNhJmUqOAQdtkKqyN8AV80haYr852OC6dGlxQc/edit#gid=0

There doesn't really seem to be any availability for anything. I've got accreditation now, but can't actually do anything - the track league was massively oversubscribed and the structured training sessions for accredited riders are all completely booked up.

Everyone should have got an e-mail by now with a booking form for the annual prize lunch

Full results attached. Lea Valley riders: David Veitch 1:05:33 (in his first event), Jamie Fake 1:07:14, Nestor Salzar 1:08:31, Tim Holmes 1:09:04, Mark Freeman 1:12:30, Chris West 1:13:09, and Martin Godfrey who punctured on the start line!

See attached document from Mike Keen

At the end of last year I went through a load of our local climbs and saw which of us had got the best times up them (see here and here ). I suggested we had a competition this year. I was hoping to find a way of getting a scoring system and tables that automatically update, but that proved impossible.
So what I've done (albeit nine months into the season!) is narrow the climbs down to a cluster of the more difficult ones that are nearly all in Epping Forest (apart from Banks Lane, but we ride that regularly) and then set a 'standard' time for the climb. The idea is that this is a reasonably fast, but not crazily fast, time to do the climb in. Anyone who beats it gets points (or seconds) for the amount of time they go 'under par'. If you haven't climbed it at all, or if you've climbed it too slowly, you get no points.
The winner will be the person who has got the most points (or seconds) when you add it up across the seven climbs.
At the moment that's me, but that's partly because some 'rivals' haven't scored points on all of the climbs yet. We've still got the best part of three months for people to set some times and change the scoreboard.
Here are the details:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wgvGFBNhJmUqOAQdtkKqyN8AV80haYr852OC6dGlxQc/edit#gid=0
Let me know if you think you should be on it and your name's not there.

This is the weekend after the club hill climb championship. A load of us have entered the longer distance ride - 72 miles, starting and finishing at Redbridge Cycling Centre (aka Hog Hill), taking in some familiar Essex villages (Doddinghurst, Good Easter, The Rodings, Hatfield Heath, Matching Green etc.). Entry and all details are online here:
http://www.sportiveuk.co.uk/

(I think) you go back up the lane to the pub on the corner of the main road and turn right. Go north towards Quendon, past a left turn for Rickling Green, and it's up that way. Probably about 5 minutes' ride from the HQ, 10 at most.

duplicate post

Sunday 5th October - Comet 25-mile TT
This our final time trial of the season. The name 'Comet' comes from Comet CC who merged with Crescent CC in the late 1960s to form Lea Valley. This is on the E1/25b course, starting and finishing just south of Quendon (in Essex, a few miles north of Bishop's Stortford) with the race HQ being our nearby 'hut' in Ugley (as featured recently in Cycling Weekly!).
Entries have closed and the field of nearly 60 riders includes Lea Valley riders Tim Holmes, David Veitch, Chris West, Martin Godfrey, Nestor Salazar, Mark Freeman and me. It's possible that organiser Dave McCarthy is still looking for one or two marshals, so let him know if you can help out.

Sunday 19th October - Gordon Attwell tourist trial
This is a fun event, not a race, so you don't need to be super-fit. Approximately 25 miles on country lanes and it involves map reading and observational skills. Starting at 10am from the club hut at Burton End (see here for location: http://leavalleycc.microcosm.app/comments/11853495/ ), you should aim to get back to The Ash by about 1pm, for lunch at around 2pm. Please contact Don or Mike Keen if you will be going as they need to know the numbers for lunch. Maps provided. You can ride on your own, in pairs or family groups.

Sunday 2nd November - the Hill Climb
Just 0.6 miles, but arguably the hardest race of the year. As always, this will be up the climb of Mott Street, near High Beach in Epping Forest. First rider off at 10am - get there half an hour before that to pay, sign on and get your number (signing on takes place at the top of the hill). There should be a club run taking people from the town hall to the hill climb - check on Facebook in the week before the event.

Saturday 6th December - club circuit race at the Olympic Velopark, Stratford
We had a bumper field for the annual 'Len Cooper' circuit race the other week, which for the first time was held on the new road circuit by next to the Olympic velodrome. Many members who took part (and several who had to miss out last time) said they would like these races to take part more regularly so we are looking into holding them four (or more) times per year. We need about 25 riders each time to break even, so please show your support. There is a wide range of abilities in the race and the bunch usually breaks up into several groups within a few laps, so don't worry that you'll get left behind. Entry is cheap (just a fiver last time), but we do need to start at 9am promptly and be off the circuit by 10am, so make sure you get there by 8.30 to sign on etc.

Sunday 7th December - club annual dinner and prize presentation
Details to follow, but this year we will be at Wanstead Cricket Club.