A Life Beyond Racing

by | Sep 24, 2015

Tom 'Minty" Murray - Image ©Copyright www.johnsteelphotography.com

Tom ‘Minty” Murray – Image ©Copyright www.johnsteelphotography.com

July 2014, the month the wheels stopped turning on my full time cycling career. A near 10 year trip was complete. 3 National medals, round after round of Tour Series, full winters spent at the Revolution track events, several trips around the Tour of Britain and a whole load of experiences across the world stopped, crossing one last circuit race finish line!

So that was the easy bit, stopping. The hard bit… What to do? Who to become? Remembering what they told me back at Uni. How to start all over after 10 years sat in the saddle each day, not to mention who was going to make up the wet bag and food box each day.

But in truth I’d been looking forward to this day, I was lucky enough through cycling to live outside of the “rider bubble” a little, I came to enjoy working with sponsors, developing products, speaking with the media/press and passing on a “pro” insight to amateur riders through my job as full time rider. Early on I perhaps didn’t realise fully what a full time sponsored rider was responsible for other than turning the pedals, but I had enjoyed growing into that role more and more through the years. The years had also sent me on a journey through team roles, from aspiring youngster, through domestique (team helper), on to team leader and finally on to the “experienced head” of the team. Passing on experience and knowledge to the new aspiring youngsters on the team was perhaps one of the most satisfying seasons out of the lot, so much so that during that final season I came to enjoy this role so much it motivated me to keep pushing myself on and perhaps was responsible for sending me off in this new direction in some ways.

Tom Murray Tour of Britain - Stage 7 - 2010 - © Mike Morley

Tom Murray Tour of Britain – Stage 7 – 2010 – © Mike Morley

All that meant that come July 2014 I was more than ready to embark on a new challenge within the sport and setup Tom Murray Cycling. There have been early challenges, remembering to pack the suit instead of the Lycra, taking up a spot on the spectator side of the railings instead of the start line and remembering that I no longer have to listen to the five same songs on repeat for each hour during the summer circuit race months… FREEDOM! But the competition and the drive to be successful remains the same. The challenge now is to help others achieve their best, be it amateur cyclist, sportive master or elite racer, with the benefit of 10 years of full time cycling and a knowledge of coaching practices gained from working with those within the cycling world together with the latest coaching theories, I’m loving it!

I have discovered this whole world of cycling away from competition. A completely new direction has been a breath of fresh air, the appetite for cycling in this country at the moment is unbelievable, school  kids, HGV drivers, you name it, people want to cycle and develop, through cycling packages, events and professional training days, I have spent the past year helping them do that. Changing perceptions with haulage companies, inspiring kids to take up a bike or just helping people to get going again after many years away is hugely rewarding, this whole community side to cycling alongside its competitive famous brother is developing too.

So 12 months or so on, stepping away from cycling has in fact given me a chance to become even more involved within it. The wheels are turning again, in fact there going more than ever and best of all it’s like being right back at the start all over, ready to go along for the ride again, new experiences, new challenges, new motivation!

Take a moment or two over your next coffee and head over to www.tommurraycycling.co.uk to keep up to date with the Tom Murray Cycling team and follow us @TMCyclePackages on twitter to be part of the journey!

Tom “Minty” Murray

Tom Murray

 

Molly Shaffer Van Houweling takes Womens UCI Hour Record

by | Sep 13, 2015

11953466_10207506190956857_1526875784730827192_oMolly Shaffer Van Houweling broke the UCI Hour Record on September 12, 2015, at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She rode 46.274 kilometres in 60 minutes on the high-altitude track.

She was the second female rider to go after cycling’s iconic record since its rules changed in May 2014, the first being British rider Dame Sarah Storey.

Van Houweling is the current holder of the US Hour Record. She is also a five-time UCI Amateur Road World Champion, most recently winning the road race and time trial titles at the 2014 UCI World Cycling Tour Final in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Van Houweling now lives in Berkeley, California, where she is Professor of Law and Associate Dean at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Van Houweling’s UCI Hour Record comes 60 years after the first mark (38.473km) was set by Soviet athlete Tamara Novikova in 1955. The existing record of 46.065km was established in Mexico City in 2003 by the then World Champion and Olympic gold medallist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel, of the Netherlands.

Congratulations Molly, from all the CyclingShorts.cc Team!

Revolution 52 – Round 1 – Saturday & Sunday

by | Aug 17, 2015

SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION:

Great Britain’s Matthew Gibson set the quickest qualifying time in the 4000m Individual Pursuit setting a time of 4.23.212 holding a perfect line around the boards of Derby Arena. His closest competitor Owain Doull will ride in the finals later in the day.

 

Event 1  Individual Pursuit – Qualifying  Men

  1. Matt Gibson 04.23.212
  2. Owain Doull 04.25.420
  3. Germain Burton 04.25.664
  4. Dion Beukeboom 04.26.345
  5. Andrew Tennant 04.28.841
  6. Julien Morice 04.29.653
  7. Aleksandr Lisouski 04.32.144
  8. Jan-Willem Van Schip 04.33.110
  9. Jake Kelly 04.36.610
  10. Steven Burke 04.36.610
  11. Fintan Ryan 04.44.052
  12. Dennis Wauch 04.44.679
  13. Ivan Kovalev 04.45.562
  14. Mark Downey 04.46.751
  15. Roy Pieters 04.51.377

 

Event 2  Sprint Qualification Time Trial  Men

  1. Lewis Oliva 10.067
  2. Callum Skinner 10.088
  3. Quentin Lafague 10.108
  4. Jason Kenny 10.109
  5. Francois Pervis 10.188
  6. Hugo Haak 10.327
  7. Philip Hindes 10.343
  8. Christos Volikakis 10.345
  9. Matthew Crampton 10.419
  10. Eoin Mullen 10.423
  11. Zafeiros Volikakis 10.508
  12. Matt Rotherham 10.530
  13. Jose Moreno Sanchez10.633

 

Event 3  Sprint Qualification Time Trial  Women

  1. Katy Marchant 11.163
  2. Jessica Varnish 11.276
  3. Dannielle Khan 11.286
  4. Victoria Williamson 11.333
  5. Tania Calvo 11.465
  6. Rebecca James 11.617
  7. Yesna Rijkhoff 11.644
  8. Olivia Montauban 11.662
  9. Sandie Clair 11.744
  10. Laurine Van Riessen 11.831
  11. Nicky Degrendele 11.942
  12. Shanaze Reade 12.043

The first Women’s Omnium event a forty lap Scratch Race, saw the first thirty laps run at a steady pace staying all together. With no one willing to commit early on the pace didn’t lift until around ten laps remaining.

As the race intensified, Ciara Horne attacked off the front of the pack with three laps to go, but faded in the final few hundred meters as the battle for the overall title began to take shape.

The crowd, already whipped up into a frenzy by Horne, we delighted to see Laura Trott cross the line first, with Jolien D’Hoore second and Laurie Berthon third in the bunch sprint.

A good start to Laura Trott’s Omnium campaign, but her biggest rivals were still looming within striking distance. The next event in this session will be the 3000m IP.

 

Event 4  The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – 10Km Scratch Race Women

  1. TROTT, Laura GBR
  2. D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
  3. BERTHON, Laurie FRA
  4. JEULAND, Pascale FRA
  5. KAY, Emily GBR
  6. WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
  7. OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
  8. ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
  9. NELSON, Emily GBR
  10. STEEL, Elizabeth NZL
  11. BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
  12. HORNE, Ciara GBR
  13. REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
  14. LLOYD, Manon GBR

 

Event 5  Sprint – First Round  Men

Oliva, Skinner, Lafargue, Kenny, Volikakis (C) & Hindes progress through.

 

Event 6  Sprint – First Round  Women

Marchant, Varnish, Khan, Williamson, Calvo & Rijkhoff progress through.

 

The first Men’s Omnium event a sixty lap Scratch Race couldn’t have been any different to that of the Women’s event. An energetic start with small attacks from the start including Chris Latham whom managed a spell out-front.

It wasn’t long before a six man break got free to take a lap, with Clancy & Cavendish making the move. Seeing the danger, De Ketele and two others joined the front of the race also gaining a lap.

De Ketele and Lisouski manage to gain another lap on the field in the chaos as the race drew to it’s conclusion, with Dibben going for a long solo victory to cross the line first.

Clancy turned up the heat to take the bunch sprint for second placement, but both Brits were down a lap on De Ketele & Lisouski who lead the Men’s Omnium going into round two, the 4000m IP.

 

Event 7  The Sir Brailsford Omnium – Scratch Race  Men

  1. DE KETELE, Kenny BEL
  2. LISOUSKI, Aleksandr BLR
  3. DIBBEN, Jonathan GBR -1
  4. CLANCY , Ed GBR -1
  5. STEWART, Mark GBR -1
  6. ELLORIAGA, Unai ESP -1
  7. THOMAS, Benjamin FRA -1
  8. EEFTING, Roy NED -1
  9. WOOD, Oliver GBR -1
  10. RODRIGUES, Gideoni BRA -1
  11. CAVENDISH, Mark GBR -1
  12. KNEISKY, Morgan FRA -1
  13. DE PAUW, Moreno BEL -1
  14. VELDT, Tim NED -1
  15. KOVALEV, Ivan RUS -1
  16. RYAN, Fintan IRL -2
  17. WAUCH, Tobias AUT -2
  18. DOWNEY, Mark IRL -2
  19. MATZNER, Stefan AUT -2
  20. LATHAM, Christopher GBR -2
  21. MASTALLER, Stefan AUT -2
  22. DOULL, Owain GBR DNF

 

Event 8  The Sir Brailsford Omnium – 3000m Individual Pursuit  Women

  1. Jolien D’Hoore 03.36.130
  2. Laura Trott 03.38.769
  3. Katie Archibald 03.41.177
  4. Pascale Jeuland 03.44.607
  5. Ciara Horne 03.44.628
  6. Emily Kay 03.45.217
  7. Leire Olaberria 03.47.647
  8. Lydia Boyland 03.48.749
  9. Emily Nelson 03.48.935
  10. Manon Lloyd 03.49.707
  11. Laurie Berthon 03.50.325
  12. Malgorzata Wojtyra 03.51.420
  13. Elizabeth Steele 03.57.303
  14. Rebecca Raybould 03.59.550

 

Event 9  Sprint – Quarter Final  Men

Oliva, Skinner, Hindes & Kenny progress through.

 

Event 10   Sprint – Quarter Final Women

Marchant, Varnish, Rijkhoff & Calvo progress through.

 

Event 11  The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – 4000m Individual Pursuit  Men

  1. Chris Latham 04.26.073
  2. Mark Cavendish 04.26.822
  3. Jon Dibben 04.27.335
  4. Ed Clancy 04.29.208
  5. Mark Stewart 04.29.502
  6. Kenny de Ketele 04.30.886
  7. Gideoni Rodrigues 04.32.437
  8. Aleksandr Lisouki 04.34.138
  9. Unai Elloriaga 04.34.258
  10. Oli Wood 04.35.182
  11. Benjamin Thomas 04.35.755
  12. Tim Veldt 04.35.971
  13. Morgan Kniesky 04.36.161
  14. Moreno de Pauw 04.40.976
  15. Roy Eefing 04.41.085
  16. Ivan Kovalev 04.41.916

 

SATURDAY EVENING SESSION:

Doors open at 18:00. Racing from 19:00 to 22:00.

 

Event 12  Sprint – 5-8th Finals  Men

Volikakis, Haak, Lafargue & Pervis

 

Event 13  Sprint – 5-8th Finals  Women

Williamson, Khan, Clair & Montauban.

 

Event 14  The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Elimination   Women

  1. TROTT, Laura GBR
  2. D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
  3. ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
  4. JEULAND, Pascale FRA
  5. KAY, Emily GBR
  6. NELSON, Emily GBR
  7. OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
  8. BERTHON, Laurie FRA
  9. WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
  10. STEEL, Elizabeth NZL
  11. BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
  12. REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
  13. LLOYD, Manon GBR
  14. HORNE, Ciara GBR

 

Event 15  Sprint – Semi Final (Match A)  Men

Lewis Oliva beat Jason Kenny in the semis. Callum Skinner beat Philip Hindes in a three round tie breaker to join Oliva.

 

Event 16  Sprint – Semi Final (Match A)  Women

Katy Marchant beat Tania Calvo in the semis. Jessica Varnish beat Yesna Rijkhoff to join Marchant.

 

Event 17  Individual Pursuit – Finals   Men

Matthew Gibson continued his impressive qualifying performance to win the 4000 Individual Pursuit, passing Owain Doull in the closing stages of the race. Germain Burton squeezed a marginal win over Netherland’s Dion Beukeboom for third place.

 

Event 20  The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Elimination   Men

A fast start in the final Omnium Session from the day came to a halt as a collision on the home straight neutralized the race. The race then re-started and it wasn’t long before the pace intensified. Another crash, once again neutralized the race involving the same rider Rodrigues, this time with Jon Dibben.

With Omnium leader De Ketele finding himself out of contention early on, second place man Lisouski went out soon after.

With four Brits left to battle the top slots, Cavendish found himself on the Cote Azure and relegated from the remainder of the race. Ed Clancy went on the win the second round, with Chris Latham second and Benjamin Thomas of France third.

 

Event 23  Madison Time Trial  Men

  • Great Britain’s Steven Burke & Owain Doull set the quickest time 0.55.240 in the Revolution Madison Time Trial, getting to close to the sub 55s Revolution record.
  • 100% ME 0.56.774
  • Austria 0.58.514
  • France 0.59.434
  • Belarus 1.00.316
  • Ireland 1.02.181
  • Belgium 1.21.760

 

Event 29  Revolution Longest Lap  Men

  • Matthew Gibson
  • Morgan Kniesky
  • Thomas Benjamin
  • Alekandr Lisouki
  • Ivan Kovalev
  • Roy Eefing

 

Event 30  Sprint – Final  Men

Lewis Oliva beat Callum Skinner to clinch the Sprint Title. Jason Kenny beat Philip Hindes.

 

Event 31  Sprint – Final  Women

Katy Marchant beat Jessica Varnish to take the Sprint Title. Tania Calvo beat Yesna Rijkhoff over three heats.

 

SUNDAY AFTERNOOON SESSION:

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Time Trial  Women

  1. Trott, Laura
  2. D’Hoore, Jolien
  3. Berthon, Laurie
  4. Boylan, Lydia
  5. Olaberria, Leire
  6. Wojtyra, Malgorzata
  7. Archibald, Katie
  8. Jeuland, Pascale

 

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Time Trial  Men

  1. Clancy, Ed
  2. Latham, Chris
  3. Eefting, Roy
  4. Veldt, Tim
  5. Cavendish, Mark
  6. Dibben, Jon
  7. De Pauw, Moreno
  8. De Ketele, Kenny
  9. Wood, Oliver
  10. Kneisky, Morgan

 

Keirin – First Round   Men

Volikakis, Olivia, Crampton, Kenny, Hindes & Haak go through from round one.

 

Keirin – First Round  Women

Khan, Marchant, Calvo, Clair, Van Riessen & Montauban go through from round one.

 

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Flying Lap  Women

  1. Trott, Laura
  2. D’Hoore, Jolien
  3. Berthon, Laurie
  4. Jeuland, Pascale
  5. Archibald, Katie
  6. Wojtyra, Malgorzata
  7. Boylan, Lydia
  8. Olaberria, Leire
  9. Nelson, Emily
  10. Kay, Emily

 

 

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Flying Lap  Men

  1. Clancy, Ed
  2. Eefting, Roy
  3. Cavendish, Mark
  4. Veldt, Tim
  5. Dibben, Jon
  6. De Pauw,Moreno
  7. Latham, Chris
  8. De Ketele,Kenny
  9. Thomas, Benjamin
  10. Elloriaga, Unai

 

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Points Race     Women

  1. TROTT, Laura GBR
  2. D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
  3. JEULAND, Pascale FRA
  4. ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
  5. BERTHON, Laurie FRA
  6. KAY, Emily GBR
  7. OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
  8. BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
  9. WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
  10. NELSON, Emily GBR
  11. REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
  12. LLOYD, Manon GBR
  13. STEEL Elizabeth NZL

 

The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Points Race  Men

  1. Clancy, Ed
  2. Cavendish, Mark
  3. Latham, Chris
  4. Dibben, Jon
  5. Thomas, Benjamin
  6. De Ketele,Kenny
  7. Stewart, Mark
  8. Elloriaga, Unai
  9. Veldt, Tim
  10. Lisouski, Aleksandr

 

Keirin – Final  Men

  1. Kenny, Jason GBR
  2. Olivia, Lewis GBR
  3. Volikakis, Christos GRE
  4. Crampton, Matt GBR
  5. Haak, Hugo NED
  6. Hindes, Philip GBR

 

Keirin – Final   Women

  1. Marchant, Katy GBR
  2. Clair, Sandie FRA
  3. Khan, Dannielle GBR
  4. Calvo, Tania ESP
  5. Van Riessen, Laurine NED
  6. Montauban, Olivia FRA GBR

 

Madison    Men

  1. Great Britain – Bradley Wiggins / Mark Cavendish
  2. Belgium – Kenny De Ketele / Moreno De Pauw
  3. 100%ME – Chris Latham / Mark Stewart
  4. ODP – Germain Burton / Mathew Gibson
  5. WattBike – Roy Pieters / Stefan Matzner
  6. France – Morgan Kneisky / Benjamin Thomas

 

The next round of Revolution will be Race 53.

Special Thanks to www.facepartnership.com

Official Website www.cyclingrevolution.com

Flickr Photo Gallery Updated Regularly throughout the Winter Season at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23913935@N07/sets/72157623276235092/

 

Revolution 52 – Round 1 – Friday

by | Aug 15, 2015

Round 1: 14/15/16 August – Derby

 

Saturday 14th March 2015, Afternoon Session 13.00 – 16.30, Evening Session 19.00 – 22.30.

Build-up

The Revolution Elite Championship and HOY Future Stars will begin at round 2 in Manchester on 24th October following the Special Opening Event at the Derby Arena on 14-16 August.

The Derby event is a special ‘Olympic Qualification’ event which has been developed in conjunction with Team GB to provide an opportunity to score some crucial UCI qualification points before the 15th September 2015 cut-off date.

The Stars are coming out to play in the three day, four session event. Big guns from the road return to the track in a statement of intent, on the path to Rio 2016. None bigger than former Tour de France Winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

The Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish who recently road the track in Europe returns in the hope of a chance of Olympic glory, riding the Madison with Sir Brad, whilst regular Trackies Ed Clancy, Owain Doull and Mark Christian will want to stamp their authority on the event.

The competition in all disciplines are once more attracting huge European athletes. Tim Veldt, Kenny de Ketele, Aaron Gate, Francois Pervis, Hugo Haak but to name a few, with the Women’s Events attracting Jolien D’Hoore, Pascale Jeuland, Laurie Berthon and Sandie Clair.

Leading British Endurance Women include the darling of the track and the biggest crowd pleaser Laura Trott, with Katie Archibald, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Elinor Barker and Grace Garner. Competing for the Sprint glory will be Rebecca James, Jessica Varnish and Danielle Khan, whilst Shanaze Reade returns to put on a show.

FRIDAY EVENING SESSION:

Doors open at 18:00. Racing from 19:00 to 22:30.

Stars were falling in more ways than one in the opening session of Revolution 52 in Derby. World Champion Sprinter Francois Pervis tumbled in a collision with Matt Rotherham late-on into the evening as the Revolution Longest Lap came to its conclusion.

Pervis had also been beating by fellow countryman Quentin Lefargue in the kilometer time trial, but surprise of the evening was Callum Skinner going one place better to top the leader board with a 1:01.135.

Crowd favorite Laura Trott road into third position in the opening race of the evening, the 3000m individual pursuit. Riding against a super strong Ciara Horne who’s shown consistant form over the Summer months on the road, pipped former National Champion Joanna Rowsell Shand in this qualifying session.

The pair locked horns again in the final play-off, but this time, Rowsell-Shand had the upper hand on Horne, producing another 03:37.

Another upset in the Women’s 500m Time Trial for the Sprinters, saw Katy Marchant taking the podium from Jess Varnish by a whisker. Youngster Danielle Khan claimed third with France’s Sandie Clair fourth.

The biggest attraction on the evening was of course, Sir Bradley Wiggin’s return to the Track. Riding in the four-man Team Pursuit, brought the crowd alive as the laps began counting down. Setting a qualifying time in first position, Great Britain was just shy of a sub four minute ride with a 04:00.324 going into the final with Youth Team 100% ME.

Substituting Jon Dibben for Ed Clancy in the podium play-off, saw the only sub four performance of the night with a 03:54.974. The Netherlands went on to beat Austria for the final placings.

 

Event 1  Individual Pursuit – Qualifying  Women

  1. Ciara Horne GB 03.37.278
  2. Joanna Rowsell Shand GB 03.37.438
  3. Laura Trott GB 03.39.586
  4. Emily Kay GB 03.42.202
  5. Leire Olaberria Esp 03.43.916
  6. Emily Nelson GB 03.46.938
  7. Katie Archibald GB 03.48.178
  8. Lydia Gurley Irl 03.48.496

Event 2  Team Pursuit – Qualifying  Men

  1. Great Britain Gbr 04.00.324
  2. 100% ME Gbr 04.04.568
  3. Netherlands Ned 04.06.251
  4. Austria Aut 04.26.297

Event 3  500m  Time Trial Women

  1. Katy Marchant GB 00.34.117
  2. Jessica Varnish GB 00.34.292
  3. Danielle Khan GB 00.34.961
  4. Sandie Clair Fra 00.35.262
  5. Yesna Rijhoff Ned 00.35.757
  6. Laurine Van Riessen Ned 00.36.006
  7. Shanaze Reade GB 00.36.472
  8. Ellie Coster GB 00.36.651

Event 4  Individual Pursuit – Finals  Women

Joanna Rowsell Shand beat Ciara Horne in the final play-off. Laura Trott beat Emily Kay for the third place.

Event 5  1km Time Trial  Men

  1. Callum Skinner GB 01.01.135
  2. Quentin Lafague Fra 01.01.878
  3. Francois Pervis Fra 01.02.336
  4. Lewis Oliva GB 01.02.749
  5. Matthew Rotherham GB 01.02.810
  6. Matthew Crampton GB 01.03.786
  7. Hugo Haak Ned 01.03.794
  8. Jose Moreno Sanchez Esp 01.04.935

Event 6  Young Riders Scratch Race  Mixed

 

The Youth Scratch race ran over two rounds with Brad Dransfield (Kirkless CA)winning both races. Thamana Nel, Tom Humphrey and Ellie Russell finished both races in the same positions. In the first round, many of the field were lapped as they settled into a high pace of the twenty lap race, but managed to stay together for round two.

Event 7  Team Pursuit – Finals  Men

Great Britain beat 100% ME in the Men’s Team Pursuit final. The Netherlands beat Austria for third place.

 

Event 8  Revolution Longest Lap – Sprinters  Men

Great Britain’s Lewis Oliva won the Revolution Longest lap sprint to the line, beating fellow countryman Callum Skinner. The Netherlands Hugo Haak came home third with France’s Quentin Lefarague fourth.

 

Event 10  Scratch Race  Women

Katie Archibald (GB)gained a lap halfway through the Women’s Scratch Race to claim the podium finishing safely in the bunch. Although several attacks were made to escape the peleton, it was Laura Trott that took the final bunch sprint.

Celebrations at Herne Hill Velodrome

by | Jun 5, 2015

150603_Press Release Images_South ElevationCelebrations as a new pavilion for the Herne Hill Velodrome is given the green light

Cyclists across London and the South East are celebrating this week following the approval of plans to build a new pavilion at the historic Herne Hill Velodrome.

At Tuesday’s meeting of Southwark Council’s planning committee, councillors voted unanimously to approve the Hopkins Architects design for the new building, which will replace the existing one, which has been out of use for nearly a decade despite the track itself being very popular and in constant use.

Hillary Peachey of the Herne Hill Velodrome Trust said “We’re over the moon.  This has been a long time coming and I want to thank each and every person who has played a role in getting planning permission this week.  For far too long, visitors and riders at Herne Hill have had only basic facilities that do not do justice to the site.  Herne Hill has been vital to the cycling history of Great Britain and now, with this final piece of the jigsaw secured, will play a role in the future”.

The Herne Hill Velodrome Trust, who submitted the plans, was established in 2011 to ensure the regeneration and continued use of the Herne Hill site, which has hosted a velodrome since 1891.  The first ‘win’ of the campaign was to secure a medium term lease on the land, thereby unlocking funding from British Cycling to enable the total refurbishment of the track surface, which had become dangerously unsafe to race on.  The second success came with funding from Southwark Council’s Olympic legacy project, to install trackside flood lighting and create a new, junior track inside the existing one, as well as much needed hard standing for use in coaching, training and events.  This was completed in 2013 and has allowed the Herne Hill Velodrome Trust to increase participation from around 15,000 riders a year to a staggering 34,000 a year from a range of schools, community groups and regional cycling clubs.

The design is by Mike Taylor of Hopkins Architects, who was also the architect of the 2012 Velodrome.  He said “After over 4 years hard work by the local and cycling community, this approval is great news for the long-term future of Herne Hill. To complement the 2012 Velodrome in Stratford, south east London can now have decent facilities to support the already popular outdoor track at Herne Hill. In combination these two venues will really help promote cycling in London. After our experience delivering the Olympic venue we are delighted to be able to help out at Herne Hill too.”

The Herne Hill Velodrome, where Sir Bradley Wiggins first rode a track bike while still at primary school, has hosted some of the world’s greatest track riders, and continues to be a hive of activity from balance bike sessions for toddlers to elite level training and racing. Until the completion of the Stratford velodrome for the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Herne Hill was the only velodrome in the whole of London.

Bob Howden, President of British Cycling, said; “This is fabulous news for cycling in London. The planning consent for the new pavilion will allow the completion of the final phase of the comprehensive improvement programme and ensure that cycling’s rich history continues in the long term. As one of the only surviving venues of the London 1948 Olympic Games the future has never looked brighter for Herne Hill”.

Tessa Jowell, who as local MP was vocal in her support for the campaign since the very start, said; “I’m delighted that Southwark Council has granted planning permission for Herne Hill Velodrome, and I know how much this will mean to the community. The new pavilion will ensure this fantastic asset remains as popular as ever, and as Patron of the Herne Hill Velodrome Trust I look forward to helping plan for a successful future for the track”.

The approved plans, which have been developed and (subject to completion of funding agreements) will be delivered thanks to Sport England, the London Marathon Charitable Trust and Southwark Council, will allow for a multi-sports room, training and office space as well as reconfigured bike storage. It is proposed to begin work and have the new building ready to celebrate the track’s 125th birthday in 2016.

Secret Training Range Review

by | Apr 16, 2015

The secret training products are relatively new to the scene; the main man behind these intriguing new products is Tim Lawson. Tim also being the founder of the well-known nutritional products SIS (Science in Sport) has vast experience with developing the best nutrition products for over 20 years. Tim also being a fantastic athlete himself is working with athletes from all levels from beginners right through to elite athletes.

secret training The brand Secret Training have started out with The Strip System which includes:

Pins in a Tin
Sun Screen
Micro-Fibre Body Cloths
Post Race Wash
Anti-Chafing Cream
Start Oil
Lip Balm
Hygiene Wipes
Hand Sanitiser

All these products can be bought separately or as a Race Day Personal Care Kit (£49.99); this means all the products come in a tidy bag to keep them all together. Having used these products since they were first launched they have accompanied me to all my races. I definitely believe they are a worthwhile investment towards your racing and personal care, helping you to keep clean and comfortable while riding your bike. There is nothing better than products that make your cycling more enjoyable. Having one bag of essentials when you’re racing and travelling filled with all the essential bits and bobs you need (and often forget) is brilliant.

stealth_gel_selectionstealth_hydration_drink_mix_selectionMore recently the team at Secret Training have been developing nutritional products which were properly introduced on the 7th January 2015 at their open event. This presentation consisted of the riders and media getting their first taste of the Stealth Gels and Stealth Super Hydration Drinks with the Strip products also being featured. While trying the assortment of gels (Banana, Lemon & Lime, Citrus, Tropical, Berry), my personal favourite was obvious – the Banana Gel, which seemed to be a popular first choice with a lot of the cyclists present. Tim was there to talk through the science behind the Gels and how they work, unlike some other brands gels the Banana gels actually have real banana in them! The gels can be bought individually for £1.25, £17.50 for a pack of 14. The Berry Energy Gel with Caffeine & Betaine and Banana Gel cost a little more at £24.50 for 14 or £1.75 for single shots, I’m not sure why this is but I’m guessing it’s to do with the cost of the fruit and caffeine ingredients being more expensive or the process involved in integrating them into the gel. As well as trying the Gels the Super Hydration Drinks were a big hit with me coming in a wide range of flavours; Lemon & Lime, Blackcurrant & Elderflower, Mango & Passionfruit and also Lemon Tea. They retail from £15.99 for a selection pack of 20x 14g sachets; each sachet mixes with 500ml of water – to £24.99 for a 600g tub of a single flavour, so they are competitively priced. Each of the flavours are well balanced and relatively neutral, with no overpowering flavours or after taste. The gels and hydration drinks are easy to consume and enjoyable, unlike some other nutritional products I have previously used which have been hard to stomach in the quantities you need to aid your performance.

From speaking to Tim I have found out they are currently working on developing recovery drinks, so there is a lot more to come from this new brand and I can’t wait to see the results. Furthermore Tincoff-Saxo riders are being supported by all products produced by Secret Training, they will be providing valuable feedback for the brand to enable the CyclingShortsSecretTrainingProductsReviewRatingdevelopment of flavours and product ranges, the aim is to provide exactly what riders need and want.

CyclingShorts.cc give Secret Training products a Star Buy rating of 97%:

Personal Care Kit – 98/100
The Personal care kit is unique as I don’t know anything like it.
Nutrition Products – 96/100
In my opinion the nutrition products are the best, better than SIS, Tim said it was very difficult to make ones better but he thinks they have – I have to agree!

I really like the products, try them for yourself, the secret is out!

You can check out the range at: www.secret-training.cc

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