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No it's not a Thanet.

It looks like a very standard mass market frame (Hercules, Phillips, Sun?) that had a respray about 50 years ago with transfers applied at random. (It's quite common for restorers to do this: they've got a newly stoved frame and a box of assorted transfers - they think the frame looks a bit bare with nothing on it, so the apply whatever transfer they happen to have.)

Thanets were very elegant frames, always silver soldered with eccentric features e.g. the seat and down tubes met in a point *under *the bottom bracket shell - some cynics referred to them as 'ploughs'. Hilary Stone (mentioned elsewhere in this column) has published an interesting booklet on the marque.

I'd say the best item on this machine is the handlebar stem which looks like a GB '531'. The chainset is a useable Williams C34 (n.b. the cotterpins are badly fitted - the rule is crank forward, nut upwards). The rims look like Weinmann, but I think they're 26 x 1 and 1/4" so you'll be lucky to find any tyres for them.

From the evidence of the pictures this frame could have been made by almost any small frame builder.
The Nervex 'fishtail' lugs were very popular in from the late fifties well into the sixties. I guess the forks are not original and look more modern. I also suspect the frame has had some alterations e.g. the top tube cable guides are probably a later addition, and possibly the chainstay bridge. Is it a 27" wheel frame cut down to take 700's? (hence new forks). It would be interesting to see the rear fork ends - are they the old type with the longer slot?

None of this means the frame won't make an excellent bike. Just get rid of that horrible paint and enjoy it.

1. (in spirit if not in flesh) Cornelius OxfordDonfoot
   
2. damolyen library
   
3. Arducius
   
4. Sainsburys Ed
   
5. Jung + Chum.
   
6. skive
   
7. K-Dog
   
8. St. John's College H
   
9. FridayMarch26th
   
10. dimi3
    
11. ziska
    
12. braker (+Dorset Dash)
    
13. dicki
    
14. pajamas
    
15. Clubman
    

Thanks Clubman, I don't know if you've ridden the SCCU but the traffic lights on the course don't help either!

I have started an event on that course, but never finished one. I wasn't feeling great and getting stopped at the lights was the last straw.

I'm going to enter that, missed it last year and had to grovel around the SCCU instead....

A wise decision. The SCCU winners time would only have got him 11th place in last years Hounslow event, which suggests the course is faster.

HDW 100 top ten in 2009:

             NIK Bowdler             
             Farn' & Camberley CC             
             03:43:23      

             Aran Stanton             
             VC St Raphael 
             03:52:13 

             Paul Holdsworth             
             Hounslow & Dist Whs             
             03:52:56 

             Paul Dring             
             Echelon-Spiuk             
             03:53:34 

             Colin McDermott             
             Festival RC             
             03:59:51 

             Keith Garbutt             
             South Western RC             
             04:00:47 

             David Sheperd             
             LipYiook Cycles RT 
             04:01:43             

             Dave Pickering             
             Bourrunouth Jub Whs             
             04:02:54 

             Simon Donne             
             Epsom CC             
             04:03:44 

             Phil Ember             
             Kingston Whs             
             04:06:00

@Wilo Don't you mean the 13th June? For the first Richmond TT?

I've entered! anyone else on here? Hippy? Clubman? Md_CC tester?

Thanks for asking, but it's not for me. I may have the skinny physique of a *grimpeur *but I no longer have the necessary youthfulness. I need somewhere flattish where I can roll along, so I've got the Finsbury Park 50 pencilled in for the 13th June.

Hope you do a good ride.

There is no fixed wheel interest in the 10 report but I am posting it because it deals with the excellent ride by Mrs S., often mentioned in this thread.

I didn't ride myself since I was saving my strength for the Norlond 50 the following morning - sadly the guardian Spirit of the F1 was in a bad temper and caused a rising SW wind to bring all but the strongest riders (that is Mr. Cammish) almost to a standstill on the last 11 mile leg. I used 90" fixed, which was ok until the last turn. There were two others on fixed and my 2.15.24 was faster than at least one of them. I didn't manage to discover what the third one did.

Hounslow and District Wheelers open 10 Mile Time Trial (15.5.2010)

Wouter Sybrandy (Sigma Sport) stooped to conquer in the Hounslow and District Wheelers 10 last Saturday when he beat a good field of riders including former champion Richard Prebble. His time was 20 minutes 5 seconds. Only runner up Aran Stanton (V.C. St. Raphael) finished within a minute of him.

Wouter, who recently became a full time professional for Sigma Sport, can rightly be described as an international roadman and his ‘preparation’ for Saturday’s event included a recent continental trip on which he rode the single day classics Paris - Troyes (106 miles) and the Tour du Finisterre (125 miles), the latter having most of the top French pro teams competing - Francaise des Jeux, AG2R, Cofidis etc. Although this year has not yet brought any big successes in road racing his time trial results have shown great promise: he has already won a round of the prestigious Rudy Project series.

These results support the maxim that if you want to do well in time trials, you should ride road races!

Best placed of the Hounslow riders was Nic Stagg with a fast 21.24 for ninth place. He was followed by Rob Gilmour with 22.24 (16th) and Paul Innes 23.11 (24th). These times would often have been good enough to collect the team prize, but the home club’s riders were overwhelmed by outstanding performances from two ladies in the London Dynamo - Rebecca Slack 22.24 and Ruth Turner 22.42, which with the support of their male team leader James Stratton who recorded 21.09 for third place gave them an aggregate time of 1.06.15 against the Hounslow’s 1.06.59.

Another Hounslow ride worthy of mention come from Loz Wintergold, who in spite of the stress of being the organiser of the event managed to record the respectable time of 23.42.

However it was altogether a good day for the ladies as Julia Shaw (Utag Yamaha) recorded an excellent 21.19 which gave her seventh place out of total of sixty nine mostly male finishers. Julia is the reigning women’s 10 champion.

The promoting club does have one consolation from the day: Wouter Sybrandy started his racing career in England with the Hounslow and still retains second claim membership.

Result:

m
Pos. Rider Club Time Vet + or -

1. W. Sybrandy Sigma Sport 20:05
   
2. A. Stanton VC St Raphael 20:25 +05:17
   
3. J. Stratton London Dynamo 21:09
   
4. T. Pettinger Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team 21:10
   
5. G. Martinez VC Meuden 21:14
   
6. R. Prebble Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta RT 21:18 +04:36
   
7. J. Shaw (W) Utag Yamaha.com 21:19 +06:40
   
8. P. Burton Velocity Bikes CC 21:23 +04:19
   
9. N. Stagg Hounslow & District Wheelers 21:24
   
10. J. Storms Kingston Wheelers 21:41 +04:13
    
11. J. Glaysher A3CRG 21:43
    
12. P. Ember Kingston Wheelers 21:49
    
13. I. Burgess In Gear Quickvit Trainsharp 21:50 +05:17
    
14. G. Nienaber Farnham RC 22:05 +05:54
    
15. A. MacInnes RAF CA 22:11 +04:19
    16= R. Gilmour Hounslow & District Wheelers 22:24 +06:56
    16= R. Slack (W) London Dynamo 22:24 +05:22
    
16. A. Smith Farnham RC 22:32 +02:58
    
17. L. Walkling (W) PB Science 22:40 +05:19
    
18. R. Turner (W) London Dynamo 22:42
    

For the second year there will be a £25 prize for the fastest ride on fixed in this event.

Last year it was won by Andrew Phipps (Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA) with the fast time of 4.18.51.

Don't let this put you off - I doubt that anything as fast as this will be done for some time. A better mark to think about would be my own effort in 2006 when I did 4.41.09 - some of you must be capable of beating that. To ensure there is at least one rider on fixed I hope to ride myself, but being four years older will not be an advantage at my great age.

The course is on the A31 between Farnham and Alton (H 100/8). It is reasonably suitable for single gear with no fast descents or impossible climbs ( the course no longer goes over the Four Marks hill). I used a 90" gear (51 x15) last time and it worked for me.

The event is on Sunday 4th July, and the closing date for entries is 21st June.

Just a little note about the return.

The outward route suggested above is fine - I know the roads fairly well and you are right to say it's not flat. For this reason I intend to go back by the easy route: Headington, cycle path beside the A40 to Wheatley, then the A40 from there eastwards has very light traffic as far as High Wycombe (because it's right next to the M40). Even after H.W. it's not too bad up to Denham, and after that you're almost back into the suburbs and it's just a question of gritting the teeth. It's also possible to turn right at Stokenchurch (the top of the big hill) and go back to Marlow via Lane End. There are various easy routes back from there to Staines where again you're pretty well into London. I could do either route, but my first preference would be H.W. and Uxbridge since I'm going back to Willesden. All this assumes we don't have a strong east wind, in which case I'm staying overnight in Oxford.

Hope to join you for this one.

I'd like to think I'm capable of riding back the same day - which might be useful miles for me since I'm intending to ride the Hounslow 100 two weeks later. Anyone else up for this?

(I mean riding back, not the 100)

My report is below. If there were any forum members among the ptt's, I apologise for not being aware of you.

There is only limited single gear interest here, but it's worth mentioning that among the personal worsts referred to, one was from a former star time triallist who had opted to ride 91" fixed - an unwise decision.
On a brighter note, the winner, the second and the fourth placed riders all started their careers with the Clarence Wheelers, under orders from Chairman Alf to ride small fixed gears. If Alf Whiteway can look down from above he must be gratified to see the results of his strategy, which is still bearing fruit after so many years.

Hounslow & District Wheelers - Good Friday 25 – 2nd April 2010

This event produced one outstanding performance – Nic Stagg, who was the clear winner with a time of 59 minutes 27 seconds.

A cold and windy morning, typical Good Friday weather, challenged the entrants in the first Hounslow and District Wheelers club 25 of the season last week (2nd April).

Even so thirty three enthusiasts faced the timekeeper – sixteen Hounslow members and seventeen non members doing private time trials. Apart from the obvious difficulty of the conditions, the riders discovered within a quarter mile of the start that the always tough ascent of Hawthorn Hill was made more difficult than usual by the headwind, posing a particular problem for anyone who needed to get out of the saddle to climb.

The results showed a number of lifetime worsts which are best left unreported, and therefore times outside 1 hour 12 minutes are not included here (nor are any of the private time trials). Anyone recording around the 1 hour 6 minute mark would clearly have beaten the 25 mph/ 1 hour benchmark given a reasonable day and course; this makes Nic Stagg’s ride remarkable since it suggests he might have been within sight of the course record (54.42) on a good day.

Result:

1. Nic Stagg 59.27
   
2. Rob Gilmour 1. 03.36
   
3. Brent Skinner 1. 05.16
   
4. Paul Innes 1. 06.16
   
5. Mark Silver 1. 06.44
   
6. Damian Poulter 1. 07.31
   
7. Gavin Kitchen 1. 09.50
   
8. Simon Wroxley 1. 10.19
   
9. Seb Greenwood 1. 11.50.
   

Forum members are invited to enter this event (as private time trials)

Course - West of Windsor HCC001

HQ - Birds Hill Golf Club - sign on in car park

First man off 10 am. You really need to arrive by 9.30 to sign on.

I believe the course records are: outright, Wouter Sybrandy 54.42, and fixed Paul Holdsworth 1.0.48. I believe the fixed record may be the more attainable, but don't be disappointed if you're nowhere near these times, especially this early in the year.

Any queries, or if you want to book a place (probably not necessary, but we did once run out of numbers) p.m. me by tomorrow evening.

Sorry to be a bit late with this - I've been busy with the Road Race recently.

Hounslow & District Wheelers
Peter Young Memorial Road** Race 28th March 2010 – Report.**

Alex Higham (Wyndymilla-Maxifuel) crossed the finish line alone to win the 85 mile Peter Young Memorial Road Race. His time was a rapid 3hours 19 minutes 40 seconds.

He had chosen the right break to go with, and then the right moment to leave it and go on his own. The break, originally containing twelve riders left the main field with only about twenty miles covered, and although there had been earlier attempts, this was the one that worked. The courage of these riders must be admired since they had to hold off a big bunch for over sixty miles.

On the finishing circuit with two laps to go Ben Luckwell (Wilier/Bigmaggys) attacked but failed to get completely clear, and in a classic but well judged move Higham counterattacked just as Luckwell was recaught. Luckwell, not surprisingly, was unable to respond and the rest of the group dithered for a moment allowing a gap to open. The Wyndymilla man was off, apparently managing the last seven miles on his own without difficulty.

Alex commented afterwards that he was a bit concerned by having no team mates with him, unlike most of the others, but that he had felt strong all day. And from the roadside ‘strong’ was just how he looked. Ben Luckwell was a little disappointed with his second place, believing he would probably have won the sprint if the break had stayed together. However, he couldn’t really complain about his weekend – he had won a criterium on the Saturday!

Last year’s winner, Gary Dodd (Sigma Sport) said he had tried to organise a chase but he found it difficult to get the bunch to work together, although eventually they managed to start reducing their deficit and at one point on the sixth lap the gap was down to a bare minute. This was the closest they ever got to the flying breakaway.

This race has never had a team prize, but if there had been one, Team Zappi’s would have deserved to win it. Although strictly speaking the Wilier/Bigmaggys team achieved slightly higher placings, what impresses about the Zappi team is that they are young second and third cats. taking on established elite riders. There must be some wisdom in Italian cycling practice.

Result:

1. Alex Higham (Windymilla Maxifuel) in 3.19.40.
   
2. Ben Luckwell (Wilier/Bigmaggys) at 25 secs.
   
3. Sam Parker (Team Zappi’s)
   
4. Jon Pain (Wilier/Bigmaggys)
   
5. Paul Landors (Python )
   
6. Dexter Gardias (Team Zappi’s)
   
7. Tom Hemmant (London Dynamo)
   
8. Tim Elverson (Team Felt-Colbournes)
   
9. Mike Wragg (Team MK) all same time.
   
10. Pete Wager (Team Felt- Colbournes)
    
11. John Wager (Team Felt-Colbournes) at 43 seconds
    
    

Then the bunch at 2 minutes 6 seconds, led by 12.Josh Gosslin (Guernsey CC), 13. Duncan Putnam(Team Nemesis), 14. Ian Rees (Wilier), 15. Jack Kirk, (Zappi’s) 16. Gary Dodd (Sigma Sport) and the rest all same time

Here is the picture which shows we didn't make up the whole story, and that there were riders crossing the line after illy. I will add my race report below.

I couldn't feature illy in the general report, but I can say here that he did exactly what he set out to do - finish in the bunch (or f.m.b. as so many diaries record).
From what I saw he maintained his position in the bunch efficiently (and this is not quite so easy as it may look), never seeming to be in danger of being dropped, but economising on effort. He could not have known how much margin he had between finishing and blowing up, so this was a wise course of action.
In the future things may be different - will CS Grupetto provide domestiques for their current star rider?

As for the big ring question, I can confirm from my own limited experience that the only time the small chainring is used in these events is when riding back to the HQ.

Hounslow RR

I. Alex Higham (Wyndymilla)

1. Ben Luckwell (Wilier/Bigmaggys)
   
2. Sam Barker (Team Zappi's)
   
   

Illy (CS Grupetto) finished main bunch.

So, a good result for our man.
Full report will follow shortly.

Go Matt!

Best of luck, Hounslow is 15 minutes from me so I may come wave you along.

Don't forget to check where the race is. It would take longer than 15 minutes to get from Hounslow to the course if you were driving a Porsche.

Illy rides the 85 mile Hounslow Road Race on 28th March – I’m sure he would appreciate support from spectators. This race is a step up to a higher level of competition for Illy as previously he has only ridden against second and third cat. riders over shorter distances.

I predict that some of the younger users of this forum will, in time, reach the highest levels of competition on both road and track. For the moment I think Illy’s entry in the Hounslow race is the most ambitious attempt at road racing by a forum member on the way up, and the first appearance of CS Grupetto colours against Premier Calendar level riders (see my pre race review below: I’ll just add that Mr. Gibb doesn’t ride a lot of 25’s, but when he does, if he’s slower than a 49 his supporters will be asking what went wrong!).

Illy himself is a strong and talented rider (as I know to my cost), but this race is quite a step up from 50 mile Surrey League events against non elite riders, so finishing in the bunch will be a good result for him this time.

The course (see programme on the Hounslow web site) is easily accessible from central London – if you don’t feel like riding out, take the train to Weybridge.

Remember this Sunday is the first day of British Summer Time, so we lose an hour.

**Hounslow & District Wheelers Road Race.**

Probably Surrey’s biggest and best ‘free to view’ sporting event takes place next Sunday (March 28th).

The 85 mile Peter Young Memorial Road Race takes off from its HQ, Valley End School (GU24 8TB), at 10.30 am.

The race has a full field of eighty riders including two former winners: wily and hyper experienced Gary Dodd (Sigma Sport) and the powerful Tony Gibb (Cycle Premier-Metaltek CRT).

Gary will be looking for a third victory after winning last year and in 2005, aside from a large number of high placings in other years. Tony, winner in 2006, is always hungry to add to his long list of successes. However these two will certainly not have it all their own way, since there are 14 elite and 18 first category riders on the start sheet.
  Perhaps the most interesting entry comes from Team Zappi’s. This is a new organisation led by Flavio Zappi, a 48 year old former Italian  pro with  impressive palmarès from his career in the eighties, which included wearing the King of the Mountains jersey in the Giro d’Italia. 
Now based in Oxford he has come back to cycling after a 20 year break with a mission to improve the structure of road race coaching in his adopted country so as to achieve the same level of success that British riders have had on the track in recent years.  He has entered a team of young riders in the Hounslow race, but Signor Zappi is not the sort of *directeur sportif *who issues his orders from the comfort of the team car. He will actually be with his riders in the bunch, and by all accounts may himself still be a contender for high honours.

Sadly this year’s race may prove to be the last Hounslow Road Race. The organiser, Jeff Marshall, feels it is time for to retire, and since he has been responsible for twenty three of these events out of a total of forty which have been promoted since 1971, it’s clear that Jeff has done far more than his fair share of the work,

   It is to be hoped that another organiser will come forward, but if no one does this early season classic will be lost.

To see the start sheet, which gives full details of the riders and the course, go to the HDW website and click on ‘Open Events’ in the contents list. The web address is: http//www.hounslowanddistrictwheelers.co.uk

Sorry to leave out such an obvious thing. SUNDAY 14th March.

You'll be very welcome. Geared bike probably a wise move but as I said above, a single gear wouldn't be impossible.

How the fuck do people race over 12 and 24 hours, defies belief, i found doing a 50 hard, mentally not just physically

I have ridden one 12. That was in 1987 and I don't think I've fully recovered yet.

I've also daydreamed about riding 24's, but after helping clubmates who were competing I completely gave up the idea. It wasn't just that my rider was suffering, it was the sight of the real hard men (including the eventual winner) who were on their knees. Around 6 am seemed to be the low point for most.

A 12 is a different proposition though, and its quite common to see the stronger riders fighting it out aggressively on the finishing circuit. It's often said that time trialling is boring for spectators - I'd say this is not true at the finish of a half day race.

I'm committed to the Hounslow training ride. Approx. 75 miles round trip from Staines Bridge (Sainsbury's side, on the corner of 'The Hythe') leaving 9.15. Probably the last of these for this year.

The weather forecast is for North West wind, so we should start in that direction (so that we get blown home when shattered).

I can't guarantee any other fixed wheel riders, but I can promise we will show respect to any brave single gear enthusiasts and, assuming I'm leading, which is likely, I shall avoid steep gradients.

@ clubman - dover or lemon?

Your guess is as good as mine. Most of the list doesn't make much sense to me, but there are some things that do still seem right. Fatty food is discouraged and carbohydrates listed under the 'very good' section.

Self massage (nothing to do with sex) after training is, I'm sure, highly beneficial, especially if you intend to ride the next day. The object here is to help to remove the lactic acid from the muscles and it is quite possible to massage one's own legs - if you've still got enough energy, that is.

There is a wikipedia article on Andre Boucher which adds some detail.

'Sporting Cyclist'
Originally called 'Coureur' this was published from the mid '50's until 1968 and was editied by Jock Wadley. All riders of my age group (ancient) will know about this magazine which I think was the best cycling periodical ever published in English. For me, the genius of Coureur was that it put continental professional racing and the English club scene next to each other, as if one might lead to the other. And in a few cases it did.
Because of the quality of Coureur, both in content and production, many copies still exist - if you get a chance to look at one, do so!

Finally, I'm surprised no one complained about the ban on caviare - I'm going to cut it out completely and substitute pigeon. With this dietary tweak and my new woolly undervest I'm certain to be a sensation in the 2010 season.

I have an old box marked 'french headsets' I'm not sure what's in it, but there might be something there for you. Send me a p.m.

Unless there was a surprising amount of cannibalism in old fashioned cycling clubs then I can't see why women might be considered forbidden food.

Yes, this is one of the oddities here. I don't really know the answer, but I can make a guess.

The best explanation I can offer is that there is a connection in the French mind between sensual pleasure and food. The English, traditionally, famously lack this. Although there a many literary examples of this idea, I'll offer just one: from the aphorisms of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) 'A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman who lacks a eye.'

The cutting above is taken from ‘Sporting Cyclist’ for November 1961. These orders come from the then honorary *directeur sportif *of the Auto-Cycle Sottevillais (Sotteville is a suburb of Rouen) Andre Boucher.

Why should we pay any attention to his views? Well it was Boucher who, in 1953, first introduced a young *normand *to the larger cycling world – Jacques Anquetil. In 1961 he had just produced another successful young rider: Jean Jourden, who had won the world amateur road championship that year.

It’s hard to know how much of Anquetil’s success was due to Boucher’s advice since he had the reputation of a man who had no time at all for rules, especially those relating to sex, drugs and alcohol. Perhaps he was more pliable as a teenager, but it’s clear that he still respected Boucher at this time, and had come back to Rouen for a training session with his old task master pacing him on a Derny three days before his record breaking win in the Grand Prix des Nations that year.

Apparently Jourden was more inclined to obedience.

Forum readers will note the advice on gearing. I must admit I am surprised to see fixed wheel training bikes being recommended in France as late as 1961.

If you were confused by conflicting advice on food further up this column, you’re probably in a complete tizz by now. What is to be learnt here is that opinions tend to change with time, and so all ‘experts’ should only be listened to with a degree of scepticism.

But remember, don’t waste any alcohol by rubbing it on your legs.