Women's race training sessions at Hillingdon

14 and 28 November. Full email from John below.

Training and coaching sessions at Hillingdon cycle circuit for women riders:

• who compete in triathlons (and want to improve their cycling skills)

• who currently race (all categories of licence)

• who plan to race next year (and so wish to train well this winter)

• who planned to race this summer just gone (but somehow missed out

                                    on making a start)
  

• juniors

and

• youth (U16 and U14)
  
  
  

session 1 - Sunday 14 November 2010

session 2 – Sunday 28 November 2010

Hillingdon is a car-free circuit, so there is no problem with on-coming traffic. It has a smooth tarmac surface and is about 0.9 of a mile round.

The Hillingdon circuit loop includes a straight (often into a headwind), a mild/gentle drag section (that goes on for 250m) and a short fast descent followed by a tight corner (one that you can pedal round and get an advantage over riders who lack the nerve to push forward and who opt to freewheel instead).

This is continuation of the eleven previous sessions run over the past four winters by Power Pack Coaching/Surrey Cycle Racing League.

They all had a common purpose of looking to get you fit and ready for racing with a combination of individual bike handling skills, group riding and a couple of exercises (in effect mock racing) containing elements of “flat out” effort.

Typical example of what a coaching session might contain:

warm-up
laps with sprints (so comparable to a points race)
riding in through-and-off groups… the basics…getting closer to other riders’ wheels
three-lap race

15-20 min break

through-and-off…..this time in ability groups so riding at different speeds
skills…such as weaving through cones and cornering
two short races, each with different format…. one a handicap race

timetable: assemble at 12.15pm onwards
(to register and warm up)

      on the track        1.00pm
      finish          3.15pm – 3.45pm

So hopefully out there, if weather favourable, for a total of 2hr 30min…. or longer if the mid-session break gets extended…. though possibly trimmed back in the case of particularly bad weather.

There is a mid-session break, so please bring a snack/drink.

If you’ve not been to Hillingdon for a while, then the news is that there is now a cycle-specific clubhouse… it was opened to quite a fanfare a month ago.

I’ve seen/used the new facility once (it was last Wednesday evening for a race) but apart from the room we used for the signing-on and the stream of riders heading off for the toilets I’m not sure what else I can point to by way of facilities… anyway perhaps we don’t need anything extra to just that.

The adjoining site has been developed by Goals, the operator who runs five-a-side football sessions on mini-pitches that are all wrapped up within high netting fences.

I do know that the Goals facilities include changing rooms, toilets, showers and drinks…including strong alcohol (should you wish to go on a blinder)…. but the floors are slippery and so you are advised to remove cycling shoes.

Bookings made in advance:
Price: £14 each session (or £22 for both) Places: 30

Bookings on the day:
Price: £22
Please note:
Last year we had sufficient numbers to trigger a call for a second coach….so this time I’m thinking I need to get on and ask Debbie Knott to join us again.
My hope is that interest remains sufficiently high for all the places to be taken in advance, which would result in the sessions becoming full…. so what I want to say is please don’t expect to turn up on the day and still find a place available….much safer to make a call beforehand for a last-minute up-date.

My email has changed:
…but this time only from Googlemail to the shorter form of gmail…. and the previous ones come through automatically anyway.

I’m away on grand-dad duties for three weeks in September (that’s in Australia) but the email link should keep things on the move during that time.

Contact: John Leitch, coach, Power Pack/Starter Pack
johnleitch65@gmail.com
07963 377 249

directions….

for your overall bearings click onto….
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=510500&y=180500&z=3&sv=510500,180500&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=509500&ay=180500

and there in the white space is the cycle circuit.... look on the map again for the big green letters saying A312...and that empty area space is where you want to be... the access to it is down the white-coloured road over to the right-hand side.

it's called Springfield Road and
for a closer look go to:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=511530&y=180485&z=1&sv=511530,180485&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=511530&ay=180485

and our entrance is immediately south of the green plot marked as Sports Ground (it’s a football pitch)

More of these just announced - Sunday 6 November and Sunday 15 January. Going to attempt to make the November one.

am I reading this right?

• who planned to race this summer just gone (but somehow missed out
  on making a start)
  
  

I.e suitable for beginners? I never planned to race but wanted to start some track stuff...stupid/brilliant resurfacing.

Definitely suitable for beginners.

Poop. Both clash with childcare weeks. Sounds fab though.

Definitely suitable for beginners.

Sweet. It's in the diary...am going to try and have a wholesome November so this should a) stop me going out on Friday night b) leave me too knackered to go out sat night. And it's a bike thing I've been wanting to do for ages.

Someone should give ms. chris a nudge I reckon.

Should we email this fella TB?

johnleitch65@gmail.com

That's the dude. I think the info is exactly the same as last year's except his holiday dates have changed but I'll copy and paste just in case.

Training and coaching sessions at Hillingdon cycle circuit for women riders:

• who compete in triathlons (and want to improve their cycling skills)

• who currently race

• who plan to race next year (and so wish to train well this winter)

• who planned to race this summer just gone (but somehow missed out
  on making a start)

(all categories of licence)

• juniors
  
  

and

• youth (U16 and U14)
  
  

session 1 - Sunday 6 November 2011

session 2 – Sunday 15 January 2012

Hillingdon is a car-free circuit, so there is no problem with on-coming traffic. It has a
smooth tarmac surface and is about 0.9 of a mile round.

The Hillingdon circuit loop includes a straight (often into a headwind), a mild/gentle drag
section (that goes on for 250m) and a short fast descent followed by a tight corner (one
that you can pedal round and get an advantage over riders who lack the nerve to push
forward and who opt to freewheel instead).

This is continuation of the thirteen previous sessions run over the past five winters by
Power Pack Coaching/Surrey Cycle Racing League.

They all had a common purpose of looking to get you fit and ready for racing with a
combination of individual bike handling skills, group riding and a couple of exercises (in
effect mock racing) containing elements of “flat out” effort.

Typical example of what a coaching session might contain:

warm-up
laps with sprints (so comparable to a points race)
riding in through-and-off groups… the basics…getting closer to other riders’ wheels
three-lap race

15-20 min break

through-and-off…..this time in ability groups so riding at different speeds
skills…such as weaving through cones and cornering
two short races, each with different format…. one a handicap race

timetable:

assemble at

on the track
finish

12.15pm onwards
(to register and warm up)
1.00pm
3.15pm – 3.45pm

So hopefully out there, if weather favourable, for a total of 2hr 30min…. or longer if
the mid-session break gets extended…. though possibly trimmed back in the case of
particularly bad weather.

There is a mid-session break, so please bring a snack/drink.

Hillingdon now boasts a cycle-specific clubhouse… it was opened to quite a fanfare a
little over a year ago and it’s mega-posh.

Apart from the large room facing out onto the track that we use for the signing-on, there’s
a corridor leading to all sorts of places, most importantly the toilets. Also a cafeteria-type
kitchen with the option of boiling water for tea or coffee.

Bookings made in advance:
Price: £14 each session (or £22 for both)

Bookings on the day:
Price: £22 each session

Please note:
Last year we had sufficient numbers to trigger a call for a second coach, so this time I’ve
dived in and asked Bee Gregory to join us again… and she has agreed.
My hope is that interest remains sufficiently high for all the places to be taken in
advance, which would result in the sessions becoming full…. so what I want to say is
please don’t expect to turn up on the day and still find a place available….much safer to
make a call beforehand for a last-minute up-date.

Places: 30

Contact: John Leitch, coach, Power Pack/Starter Pack
johnleitch65@gmail.com
07963 377 249
or at home on 01737 84 36 01

directions….

for your overall bearings click onto….
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?
x=510500&y=180500&z=3&sv=510500,180500&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&sear
chp=newsearch.srf&ax=509500&ay=180500

and there in the white space is the cycle circuit.... look on the map again for the big green
letters saying A312...and that empty area space is where you want to be... the access to it
is down the white-coloured road over to the right-hand side.

it's called Springfield Road and
for a closer look go to:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?
x=511530&y=180485&z=1&sv=511530,180485&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&sear
chp=newsearch.srf&ax=511530&ay=180485

and our entrance is immediately south of the green plot marked as Sports Ground (it’s a
football pitch)

more directions on the website of the circuit itself:

http://www.hillingdoncyclecircuit.org.uk/Location.htm

and…….. for sat navigators the post code is:

UB4 0LP

More of these just announced - Sunday 6 November and Sunday 15 January. Going to attempt to make the November one.

how do those two dates work? Or are they just one offs? I thought from the first dates that it was a first session and then a second building on the first. Or are they all single sessions, therefore you could just go to any one (or more) of them?

Definitely sounds good, I have no desire to race but could definitely use it for fitness and skills (I suck at cornering and could improve at riding close to people)

I am assuming this is road racing, not track right?

Poots - let me know what the man says....

I think (and I didn't actually make it last year so may not be correct) the sessions are fairly similar so you can go to either, rather than a level 1 - level 2 type affair. But yep definitely road racing.

Just signed up for January session - looks great, thanks for posting @TB.

Signed up for 6th November. anyone else going that day?

I always post about these and fail to go. Oh well. This isn't women only, but they'll do a women only group if enough sign up: http://www.riderhq.com/events/67420/racing-skills-session-at-hilingdon

I always post about these and fail to go.
Understandable, there aren't any floods on the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit and it's not a major A-road, either. What's to like? :)