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On most other tracks there is a much more formal card / ticket system between novice and expert levels. The card thing is new and should be enforced. Saturday is likely to have been an anomaly.

It's good to hear new-comers to the track understanding the need for some time between starting and riding with the inters. My advice to people wanting to fast-track onto the track is to come to the track a lot and do a lot of sessions ... a few Saturdays, then get the nod to come to Monday sessions. Twice a week for a few weeks and you should pick up the skills.

If the coaches are busy then you can talk to more experienced riders. Most don't bite. Some belong to clubs and are really keen to help out club mates! (Another good reason to join a club.)

Am resisting the temptation to highlight the sometimes absurd amount of photography and filming going on at the track nowadays.

Bear in mind that most Herne Hill sessions are for group riding rather than individual timing.

The website is frequently updated so there's no reason to doubt it.

I live just round the corner from Charles Darwin school, where the ride starts, so I know the route up to there pretty well. It's at the top of a hill so there's no way to avoid the ups ...

The easiest way is probably from Bromley South, along the A21, turn right on the A233, then up and over the hill and turn left to Downe and continue all the way along Luxted and Single Street. From Orpington it's quite straightforward as well, going along Shire Lane and then up to Downe via High Elms.

From Knockholt there's an awesome route you can take by the lanes, by going up Rushmore Hill and then turning right up Norsted Lane.

hey clive. received and understood.

container spaces -

andyp's right. this week we're working out how much space we've got and then will allocate to spaces to people on the waiting list. contact me to be put on the list.

tom

Ta for the responses. I like the ability to take cranks off and don't want yet more proprietary tools to do so. So I've bought a (allegedly new) campag centaur square taper crankset from ebay.

That's for my commute bike. I'm starting to put together a posh road bike and someone at my club might have some ultra torque cranks going spare ... tempting.

So ... with an extra six months of insight, do we still think power torque is rubbish?

I have to replace my campag crankset - square taper - and wonder what to do. Maybe I should just fit a cheap square taper Shimano on it for now as it's just for my road / commute bike.

That'll be hipsters for you.

Catford doesn't do hipsters. These were the local kids.

a lot of the tough kids around Catford now scoot around on roller skates

I'm partly responsible for it and at the moment we have a waiting list which we'll link up with available spaces ahead of the track reopening.

PM me with your details and I'll add you to the list.

Belonging to a club isn't a prerequisite but is always a good thing to do.

HHV Info lives up to its name.

the biggest effect of them is to extend the position forward, as well as to create the new hand position. also you can't really hold the tops cos of the aero shape. Think they are also a bit flexy in the drops. overall, not particularly awesome for a novice, and really quite a weird thing that Felt decided to put a 230 quid bar on the TK2 as standard.

Australian pursuit is where Hippy chases RPM round a track arguing about who'll beat who at various international track events, upside-down.

just as a comparison this is Manchester's induction "colourway"

http://pcms.s3.amazonaws.com/ncc/file/1271/accreditation-diagram.pdf

I'd be interested to know which exercises Northern Graeme thought worst for kicking back, so that people might be more aware of the risks.

"A lot of the excercises seemed to encourage kicking-back"

yes, I find the concertina-ing and subsequent sudden accelerations and decelerations really worrying when among riders who are often barely out of novice level. I end up keeping a few metres in front of me to smooth the pace which kinda defeats the object of some of the group riding.

Really need to underline the need for smooth pacing or for more experienced riders right the way through the pack to take responsibility and start talking a lot more about good practice / calling out bad habits. There were one or two people there on Saturday who were well out of their depth.

RPM will know better than me but there could be some pursuiting in the Sunday training sessions at HH in the future / next year.

you may well be 6pt. but surely the turbo is not more favouriter than your tri bars?!

"and we all saw you sheepishly slinking away, hoping nobody noticed. "

Haha. Nope nuffink to do with me, though I was a yay far away from being brought down with the melee.

Will you be there this Saturday 6pt?

"but you will be very unpopular if your attention wanders, you clip a wheel and go down taking four others with you."

this actually happened a month ago ...

I usually get worried about two types of riders - either the tyros who think that they know it all after 0.1 second and then charge around until at some point they learn, maybe after taking out people around them *, or the second very nervous, unsure or unfit riders who don't know how to work with the experience and fitness they have.

HH works along the lines of people taking a lot of responsibility for assessing their own fitness and experience. Other tracks use more formal systems of 'tickets' and the like though this puts a pressure on coaches who at HH are already overworked and underpaid. Keeping the informal vibe at the track probably also means keeping the sense of riders taking responsibility for themselves, maybe more so than other similar sports venues.

• I was in this category, but a few years back now
  

No worries JC and was awesome that De Laune (hugely) helped the resurfacing costs. Just was funny to hear about the reopening from a Chris Boardman tweet!

Great day on Sunday. The Dulwich regulars were watching (nursing respective collarbone breaks / drinking pints).

Cool. Will be down on Saturday.

Really looking forward to Catford CC and De Laune organising some events at the track after they were invited to the launch event ...! /notbitterreally

After reading this thread I feel pretty lucky

I had a bad crash at HH five and a half weeks ago. broke my collarbone but it didn't actually break all the way through. Doctor pretty much dismissed me at the fracture clinic 2 weeks after. It'll heal itself I was told.

I had limited movement after 1.5-2 weeks and full movement returned after 4. This week I've got some strength back and yesterday on a bike. Result.

as someone with a bust left collarbone I watched Brad with a lot of sympathy. you cant touch a bike when it's badly gone