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Quote of the Week
“I was still a virgin at 21...or was it 20?”
(Martin Horwood; more interested in ants than sex).
What Else Would You Do on a Sunday Morning?
It was an eerie feeling warming up around Eastern Creek Raceway last Sunday in the pre-dawn light; a feeling shared by the 92 riders who made it to the start. But where were A-grade? They could’n’t all have been in Melbourne at the Masters Nationals. Only 8 showed up, not that Sean Vale minded, he was happy with an easy win. “Not much of a challenge”, was his opinion after the race (and before it too). Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale E-grade were having a renaissance, 10 riders started and Gary Balding got home first. Paul Evangelinides had his fifth win (Bushie?) in B-grade beating a respectable field of 23 which included the Tandem Terror. C-grade, the largest bunch of all (32), tried unsuccessfully to hold off Ian Jennings, who recorded his first victory; and in D-grade Gary Hines now fully recuperated made a welcome return to the winning circle, followed closely by most of C-grade!
Check out the full results and although Ernie was down in Melbourne check his photos anyway for past glories.
Racing Sunday 27 March 2005
What do you mean it’s Easter? Can’t be, it’s far too soon! We’re racing anyway next Sunday at the Eastern Creek Dragway which was scheduled to be a handicap race sponsored by Continental and Limar helmets. However with the untimely intervention of Easter the Limar Handicap will now be run on 17 April at the Dragway. So this Sunday will be an unsponsored scratch race. Duty Officer is Roland Lang; Commissaire is Alec Lazich and the duty helpers are Leo Jaegli, Chris Jefferis and Ian Jennings. Start time for all grades will be 0800 hrs. DON’T FORGET THAT DAYLIGHT SAVING ENDS AT 0300 HRS--PUT YOUR CLOCKS BACK AND SPEND AN EXTRA HOUR IN BED.
Check the Infoline 1902 261 007 for any last minute changes and consult the Race Programme for future events.
Trackies
First an apology. Last week I wrongly awarded a bronze medal to Jimmie Gray at the Nationals in the MAS 5 500 TT. Any fool would have known that Jimmie would’n’t settle for any less than Silver.
Our trackies did us proud in Melbourne. Their successes were almost too numerous to mention; here are some of the highlights:
MAS 7 500 TT: Gold Hugh Gray; Silver Graham McClymont
MAS 7 2000 Pursuit: Gold Graham McClymont
MAS 3 3000 Pursuit: Silver Michael Popplewell.
MAS 7 Derby: Gold Graham McClymont
MAS 5 Sprint: Silver Jimmie Gray.
MAS 7 5km Scratch: Silver Dave South; Bronze Hugh Gray
For the full results check out the Cycle Sport Victoria website and for a full photographic coverage see Ernies photos.
Waratah Avanti Plus Masters Classic
The first round of the WAPMC is Sunday 24 April 2005 which is only a blink away. Make sure you enter before the cut-off date of 10 April. See the flyer for details of format and prizes.
Cycleops 12 Hour Cycling Classic
The Waratah Club house in pit lane will have all of the comforts of home (well some of them anyway) including: free tea and coffee; yummie Donna food; heating and seating; TV; massage by nubile young goddesses; etc. In addition Bright Orange Promotions have arranged for music, food and entertainment throughout the day.
If you have’n’t already entered or are thinking of entering but don’t have a team yet don’t enter on-line but please contact your grade rep. or Dr Keith on 9874 1634. We will coordinate the Waratah entry to allow the usual last minute team changes. Entries can be made up to Friday 13 May (good day!) For more information about the Enduro check the website.
Spamail
“Once you purchase generic pills later you receive the like quality and gist as if you get not generic tablets. You simply have different identity and some other damage”.
Now that’s what I call a potent pill!
Training Rides
Dad’s Army: 0800 Tues & Thurs
Mona Vale Rd, St Ives (carpark opposite Stanley Street); 52 clicks through Terrey Hills, Akuna Bay and Duffy’s Forest.
Grandad’s Army: same as above but starts at 0730 hrs.
Parramatta Park: weekdays at 0545 (strewth!); two bunches: one fast and the other speechless.
Homebush: 6.00 am Tues & Thurs; Olympic Park train station; 45 mins of high-speed fun. Three self-selecting bunches to suit all levels. Expect large bunches in Summer.
Homebush: 7.00 pm Tues & Wed;
carpark Olympic Park train station;
7 km circuit; high intensity. This ride only operates in Winter.
Trade Fair
If you’re in the market to buy or sell bikes or gear, there’s a great website run by Alban McGuinness where you can set up your own free ads, upload a picture, link to a website and amend the ads as desired.
Subscription
This newsletter has been mailed to you as a WVCC member or as an interested subscriber. If you don’t want to receive it email drkeith@bigpond.net.au with “unsubscribe” in the title.
Get Into Gear
The new Club windvests are now on sale, great value at $85 as are the new Scody nicks at $80, all available from Eric Ringrose by ‘phone 9481 9331, email or in person.
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Rider of the Week
Martin (“Antidote“) Horwood
The Summer of 1960 was a hot one. No more so than in Waverley where the Horwood family was awaiting the birth of their first child. One Sunday morning in January Horwood senior emerged from under the house after a fruitless morning fighting the depradations of termites. “Mother”, he said “If it’s a boy he’s going to be an entomologist and fight these bloody white ants!” People spoke like that in Waverley in the 60s...And so it was. Martin, after a normal boyhood of water fights and getting suspended for smoking at School completed a University degree and embarked on a life-long career with Forest NSW fighting termites. “They’ve been around for 100 million years so I’ll be in a job for a while”. Ants are his passion and just as owners resemble their dogs so too does Martin exhibit some of the characteristics of the termites he adores. They are pallid, secretive creatures with round pale heads, soft bodies and are blind and sterile. Speaking of which, Martin’s sexual proclivities were a constant source of worry to his parents, not due to over-indulgence but rather the reverse. Even when on the end of year shindig on the Gold Coast with his footy club, St George, for which he played second rower, where was Martin when the boys were doing normal blokey things like raffling prostitutes? Out bushwalking that’s where! It was enough to make any parent despair! Eventually Martin twigged that at least two insects were having fun in the termite nest (the king and queen) and were jointly responsible for all of the sexual energy around the place so he decided to become a que..no, not in Waverley..a king.
Oh, yes, cycling. Martin showed considerable promise as a triathlete out at Nepean but the word had got around about the Vets at Homebush, so curiosity brought him to us in ‘98. Like all termites he was drawn to the social side of the Waratah nest and since then he has been a tireless worker in B-grade, achieving such notable success as winning the Les Solomonson Handicap in 2001.
The Committee has retained Martin’s services as a consultant as there is always a fair bit of white-anting going on in the Club.
Waratahs Invade Newcastle
While some of our talented riders were collecting medals at the National
Champs down in Melbourne, four (fool) hardy Waratahs scoffed at the weather
forecasts and dashed up to Newcastle last Tuesday. Why? Because it’s
there!. Aided by a stiff southerly breeze, sunny interludes and no sign of rain,
Alban (Giant) McGuinness, Rob (Rider of the week) Piper, Max (Tonker) Tonkin and Jonesy made short work of Mount White, Moonee Moonee, the F3 and arrived on the banks of the Hunter River with a 30kph+ average to gloat over. Alban showed more than a glimpse of the form that won many a bike race at Homebush; Rob danced his way up the climbs as usual; Max pushed his Bundy
to new performance heights and Jonesy did what Jonesy does (consume beer and eat fish & chips). The iron horse carried the weary soldiers back to a rain infested Sydney. De-merit points to Jonesy for not wearing Waratah colours
and having a lame excuse--in the wash!!!!!. (Jonesy).
Look-alikes on Bikes
Swiss roll Leo Jaegli
Spring roll Col Perry
Bread roll Paul Doherty
Barrel roll Max Beardwood
On a roll Hugh Gray
Steamroller Joe Gatt
High roller Roland Lang
Holy roller Andrew Phillips
Roller coaster Robert Kapp
Roller skate Greg Fisher
Roll call Penny Rowbotham
Roll up Fred Dyer
Rolex Ernie Smith
Rolling stone John Slater
Rolling pin Jack Yuen
Rolling stock Josh Blake
The Wheels of Chance by H.G. Wells
Chapter 37 and the game is afoot. Hoopdriver and Jessie are being pursued by Dangle and Phipps mounted on a tandem:
“Downhill nothing can beat a highly geared tandem bicycle. Automatically Mr. Hoopdriver put up his feet, and Jessie slackened her pace. In another moment they heard the swish of the fat pneumatics behind them, and the tandem passed Hoopdriver and drew alongside Jessie. Hoopdriver felt a mad impulse to collide with this abominable machine as it passed him”.
What is it about tandems?
A Brief History of the Bicycle
Chapter 6: The Hard Tyred safety
The further improvement of metallurgy sparked the next innovation, or rather return to previous design. With metal that was now strong enough to make a fine chain and sprocket small and light enough for a human being to power, the next design was a return to the original configuration of two same-size wheels, only now, instead of just one wheel circumference for every pedal turn, you could, through the gear ratios, have a speed the same as the huge high-wheel. The bicycles still had the hard rubber tires, and in the absence of the long, shock-absorbing spokes, the ride they provided was much more uncomfortable than any of the high-wheel designs. Many of these bicycles of 100 years ago had front and/or rear suspensions. These designs competed with each other, your choice being the high-wheel's comfort or the safety's safety, but the next innovation tolled the death of the high-wheel design.
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