Leading Swiss-based sports nutrition brand, Sponser, is proud to be supporting

Biketreks Racing Team, a development squad located in North West England.

The team has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 2011 and

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“We are delighted to partner with Sponser UK,” said Nic Bertrand, founder of

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For more information, please visit: http://www.sponseruk.com

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Mixed fortunes for the team at the West Pennine Road Race. A strong Jonny Cregeen had to retire early with a puncture despite looking strong on the day being the only rider bridging across to early escape and eventual winner Mike Marshall but not quite having the legs to stay with him when he attacked again. Always active and in good position, his puncture happened as Jonny had made the split into a small group of 9-10 riders.

Pictures by Martin Holden Photography

See the full gallery on Posterous

Meanwhile, Sandy Lockett rode a conservative race with the aim  to try something on the last lap and it so nearly paid off. Solid ride who finished 3rd/4th wheel in the bunch sprint by John Dodgin despite suffering from a bad cold. We hope John made the right decision to race and didn't make himself worse! 

Like the Capernwray road race, the West Pennine Road Race is one of the North West's semi-classics on an interesting and selective circuit. Many thanks to West Pennine Road Club, marshalls, commissaires and helpers for a smooth organisation. 

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 It's been a busy week for all the team and that goes the same for me, Sunday was the start of the week riding the Wigan Wheelers 30m TT in what can only be described as "everyday" weather:- torrential rain, howling gales & freezing.

Off No10 it was an early start and even though the wind was bad I still opted for the disc which I think was the right descion as we had a tail wind from Cockerham to Stakepool which had me going in excess of 40mph! and the headwind on the back part of course, which is alot more sheltered. So onto the bike this was only the second outing on the bike and having not altered a thing since the initial build it feels awesome.

Specilaized have got this bang on, with the oversize btm bracket everystroke seems to go straight to the backwheel without a hint of flex, the stem built directly onto the forks and blending seamlessly with the top tube makes for a stunning looking machine with aero properties thrown in.  With the choice of two seatposts fwd and rear facing coupled with the massive selection of spacers for the tri bars the choice of position is endless. The only issue I have is the brake adjusters which jut out from the brake levers spoiling the overall asthetics of such a fantastic looking machine.

so am I pleased? Well as per earlier I was 11th in the 30m hell that was the wigan wheelers event, in a not too bad a time of 1hr 12min 6secs. Following this up with 6th at Salt Ayre on Tuesday and a first place in Barrow Central Wheelers Wednesday evening event the 17m undulating circuit of Coniston,in 40mins 45secs which is a course personnel bestI  last set in 2007 .So Yes very pleased legs seem to be working fine and the Shiv is to die for.

http://www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk/results/2012/results_2012.htm#

Chris

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Big shout to the big man Gary Spencely who did the Biketreks Racing Team and his Team Alice on Tour jersey proud at Salt Ayre on Tuesday after just returning from doing the End to End with Team Alice raising funds for Alice Pyne's charity Alice's Escapes. 

For more information about Team Alice's epic journey see http://www.teamaliceontour.blogspot.co.uk/ and about Alice Pyne's charity Alice's Escapes http://www.alices-escapes.co.uk/

Donations welcome on Team Alice's justgiving site: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/teamaliceontour/

See the full gallery on Posterous

Photo Credit: Caitlin Flynn

RESULT (VeloUK)

1. Jack Sadler Mountivation JA J2
2. James Dunlop Biketreks RT 3
3. Zack Whitehead Dirtwheels Cycles 2
4. Jerrod Hartley Horwich CC 2
5. Sam Dobson Lune RCC 3
6. Chris Anderson Biketreks RT V2
7. Jordan Rigby Teamwallis CHH RT J4
8. Jonathan Creegan Biketreks RT 2
9. Ashley Clitheroe Teamwallis CHH RT J3
10. Gary Spencely Biketreks RT V2
1st female – Eve Dixon Maxgear JW2

47 competitors

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Team Alice on Tour (More Photos on Alice's Escapes Facebook Page)

Lots going on. The team faced a brutal week-end battling against terrible weather conditions at Brenig RR and CDNW Great Budworth. Gary Spencely completed his End to End journey in 10 days with Team Alice. All done safe and sound. We are looking forward to getting Gary back for the crits at Salt Ayre and Preston Arena. Chris Anderson was relatively happy with his 11th place overall at the Wigan Wheeler 30 TT on his excellent Specialized Shiv. (Results)

Chris Anderson - Photo by Martin Holden, Martin Holden Photography

We are also excited to announce the team is also partnering with Swiss company Sponser, newcomer to the UK market and suppliers of a full range high quality sports nutrition products. More info on that front very soon.

This week should see most of us racing at Salt Ayre, Preston and the Lune RCC-promoted Capernwray Road Race (Cherry on the cake).

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Wales is a beautiful country. Full of mountains, rivers, lakes and forests. When passing through you can appreciate the millions of years of geological movements and evolution of nature that has transpired to make it the wild, poetic country it is now. Well you can in a car. Not on a bike, in fact not on a bike in gale force winds as the heavens drench you to the bone. I will elaborate.

As you know the weekend we just had has seen record breakingly terrible weather. Torrential rain and flash floods have affected the entire country. But groups of hardy/unhinged cyclists battled out of their homes to race. James and I took part in the Brenig Road Race in North Wales. The course of the race is amazing. Riding out of the town of Denbigh you climb up into the foothills of Snowdonia. Then round the edge of Llyn Brenig before you descend then climb again. There is a final descent to Ruthin before racing back to Denbigh where there are 3 laps of a 9 mile circuit to complete. An amazing course bar one thing, the weather.

When James and I turned up on Sunday morning we knew things were grim. Groups of people were huddled under the shelter of the HQ, a small football club in the town of Denbigh. We braced ourselves, climbed out the car and signed on. From that moment on it went down hill for me. On getting back to the car I realised I had forgotten a fair bit of my kit. No full length leg warmers, no long sleeve baselayer and most importantly no water proof gloves. This meant my fingers were not going to last long.

As we rode up the main climb to Llyn Brenig I felt good. It was hard and quickly riders were being dropped of the back. We turned towards the lake and BAM the wind hit us, pushing us out into the middle of the road. Gaps were widening everywhere and try as I could I wasn’t able to battle into the wind and driving rain to bridge across to the lost wheels. So slowly the leaders of the race pulled away from me. Support cars and med car passed me as I tried to chase on but to no avail. I was then left alone in the Welsh mountains to fight on to Ruthin.

The conditions didn’t ease and before long I was soaked through and couldn’t feel my fingers. That was when I reached the 50kph descent, with no feeling in my fingers braking was a challenge. I later found out this was where James suffered also. He had kept in contention with the lead group but after the long descent he turned into the bend and his legs refused to peddle solely because they were that deadened by the biting wind and rain.

I battled on being buffeted by the wind until I was so cold I couldn’t muster the energy to keep peddling. I ended up riding into a bus shelter, dropping my bike and shaking with the cold. Two other riders joined me. One undoubtedly showing signs of hypothermia. We buddled him into the broom wagon which thankfully had just turned up and waited for a lift to the HQ.

So to sum up the race? Some days are meant for the hard men. I proved I wasn’t in their category but neither were the other 46 of 60 starters. It was a day of Epics all over the country.

Results: British Cycling / VeloUK

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Having only joined Biketreks Racing Team on Monday of last week I was eager to get racing. My first race for the team was at Salt Ayre, where the pace was noticeably higher than the past few weeks, due to other teammates doing lots of work. I finished comfortably within the group but feel that I could have done better if I had got into a good position. My next race came two days later at Preston circuit, with elites, cat 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and 4’s all racing together the pace was high, the turn up was not as high as usual due to the rain. The race kept a constant pace throughout and I felt strong going into the final lap, as the last straight came before the end, riders were trying to get to the front and there was a crash taking around 8 down. Luckily I avoided this and got round them on the grass, to contest the sprint for 4th which I just managed to clinch.

Great Budworth

With this race being only my 3rd road event and having got a puncture in my first I wasn’t really sure what to expect. At the start line it was wet, windy and very cold I wouldn’t exactly say I was looking forward to it.

With a break of seven getting away early on I was left in the main chasing group where riders were dropping off regularly with Nic doing a lot of work up front to try and bring the break back. Four stayed away and our group had decreased to only 8 riders left to battle it out. Unfortunately I didn’t have it in me to sprint for the finish so finished 12th behind Nic. I would definitely rate this as the toughest race I have done due to the terrible weather, with only 18 finishing out of 39 starters and nearly as many people choosing not to even turn up I don’t think I was the only one that found it tough.

What was left of the Bunch! (Picture courtesy of Cyclesport International RT)

Overall I think I have learnt a lot this week especially racing in a team environment, and hope to progress further every race.

Results: British Cycling / VeloUK

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Photo credit: S Singleton (Pendle Forest CC) on Flickr  

Racing didn't quite go according to plan for the Biketreks Racing Team this past week-end despite some good legs and strong motivation in the team. Punctures whilst in an eventual winning break, missed breaks and even mechanicals lead to a blank slate at Sloan Trophy, Bolton By Bowland and Aughton Road Race. Good days / Bad days as says James. 

Team was out in numbers yesterday at Salt Ayre. The team showed good attitude during the whole 1h+5 laps with riders either up the road or chasing attacks. The team is starting to find its feet on how it rides and impacts on races. Not a bad night by any mean with James Dunlop getting 4th and Chris Anderson 6th in the bunch sprint but still short of what the team is capable of. (Link on VeloUK). 

Tuesday also saw the first race for new recruit Jake Cowen, Keen and talented 1st year Junior from Carlisle. We are all looking forward to support and see Jake develop as a rider. He's going to be a strong addition to our junior squad joining Connor Furness and Callum Young. Welcome Jake! 

In the mean time, Gary Spencely is continuing his End to End for the local charity Alice's Escapes. (Link)

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New Biketreks RT Junior Callum Young reports on the steep learning curve he has had to face since joining the team.

So far this year I have entered 5 events since the beginning of March. My first event came at Salt Ayre but despite feeling in form the fierce pace at the beginning meant I was dropped after just two laps. However I was able to jump back into the race when they came back round. I kept in for the rest of the race and ended one lap down on the rest of the field.

A week later I was back for event 2 of the series and with the arrival of my new Specialized SL3 I was feeling more confident than ever. Taking on board what I had learnt from the previous race and the advice my teammates had given me I prepared myself for a fast start in order to not to get dropped. The fast start came as expected however, the fast pace didn’t fade. After 50 minutes my legs were starting to burn and a small sign of injury in knee led me to pull out. Regardless of not finishing the race I felt that my technique in the bunch had improved vastly from the last race and I was finding it easier to move around and stay out the wind.

The next day it was another early start to get to Cockermouth for my first road race of the year. At the start line my nerves took over me as I looked at the biggest field id seen of 80 riders in total. I surprised myself at how much easier I was finding it to stay in the bunch and as with the pervious race how I was comfortable with moving around. There was however still a reluctance to ride in the middle of the bunch. I avoided doing so as much I could and so found myself at either side of the peloton for the majority of the race. Although I realised that to become a good rider I would have to master riding in all areas of the bunch. Being a novice to racing I attempted an attack on the last lap which got away for the whole of 300 meters before, in the words of Jens Voigt, “I exploded so bad.” I finished the race happy with my performance and eager to race again.

Capernwray came and went in a flash as a throat infection and weak legs meant I was off the back after the first competitive attempt up the mile long climb. Only lessons learnt here were not to race when ill and that hills hurt, a lot. A week of recovery later I was back to full health and looking forward to the start of the Salt Ayre League. Before nearly every race I have done my thoughts would always turn to “how do I stay in the bunch?” and at this race “how did I do it last time?” The task still seemed impossible. I remembered what the team had said and knew that today I was expected to ride in the top 20, something I hadn’t done successfully before. But as the race began my thoughts were no longer “how can I stay at the front?” but “how can I help the team?”. This approach led to me staying near the front with relevant ease able to help cover moves as well as follow some. When attacks were unsuccessful I returned to the bunch thinking id get moved to the back. But with the support of team mates telling me what to do I managed to stay in the bunch till the end. I am now even keener than ever to race and improve as much as I can. None of the improvement I have made so far would have been possible without the support of my team mates or our sponsors. 

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James Dunlop reflects on Good and Bad days on the bike & reports on his strong 3rd place at CDNW Old Hutton.

Bicycle racing, like most other things in life, has good days and bad days. It’s all relative, but today was a good day. To completely understand why it was a good day I’ll give a bit of context.

Let’s start with Capernwray road race; the bad day. You should have read the race report by Sandy (if not, why not? It’s on here somewhere), and you will have realised I came 15^th. I was very disappointed with this as I should have had good form but had terrible legs. I didn’t feel right.

The reasons for this I couldn’t pinpoint but decided after a month of racing it would be good to have an easy week, followed by an easy weekend which then turned into another easy week. I managed to get some MTB-ing done on Sunday which made a nice change so allowed a break from racing. A trip to the Docs should mean I can get rid of a cold that’s been bugging me for a while. So both a mental and physical break meant I was ready for the next race, but unsure of the legs having not raced for 2 weeks.

This leads me to the good day. I rode the 3/4 race at Old Hutton CDNW with Nic, Chris and Sandy. We had a good plan in place, covering the early moves hopefully getting away on the back end of the race. The weather and a very strong rider meant are predictions of the race were not quite right. The eventual winner simply toyed with everyone else, riding on the front for fun, to put everyone in the red from the gun, and then a lap later got away by on his own as everyone gave up chasing him down. He then stayed away, on a windy day and got the win. Hats off!! There’s no easy way to win a race, but that is certainly the hard way!! Chapeau.

My race consisted of following him, trying not to do too much, but making use of the such a hard start and on the third lap managed to sneak away on the headwind section, followed by Andy Horrowbin (who I went MTB-ing with!) and we caught two other riders (one of which a fellow Lune rider, John Agnew) making a chasing group of four. From here, it was basically us going through and off, keeping it steady and holding a gap of at least a minute on the peloton. The headwind section was very difficult and the main climb, a tailwind, very easy. On the penultimate lap we were joined by James Knox of the Mountivation Academy who managed to bridge across on his own. Not only that, but he was the strongest in our group. At the finish he attacked out of the bottom bend and gained a gap I couldn’t bring back. I tried to follow once the climb kicked in proper but couldn’t bring him back, but rode away from the rest of the break into 3^rd.

While not the win I wanted, I rode it tactically how I wanted to but was beaten by two very strong riders. We’re into the true season now with evening crits and timetrials so hopefully I can build on this result.

 In a bizzle,

James

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Over the Easter weekend, instead of sitting in front of the TV watching Paris-Roubaix and getting full of Easter Eggs, I decided it would be a good idea to enter my first ever Premier Calendar race, the Tour DoonHame, in Scotland.  It also happened to be the first time a rider from Biketreks had entered a Premier Calendar event so I was hoping to put in a decent showing.  This year, due to the loss of a couple of sponsors, the race had been shortened to a 2 day 3 stage event, with the first day comprising of an 80 mile road stage from Castle Douglas to Girvan and then a 16 mile Crit in Girvan later in the afternoon.  The final stage of the race was 107 miles long and ran from Moffat to Annan. 

On arriving at the start for stage 1, there were a few signs that this wasn’t your standard Sunday race.  First of all, there were a few young fans going around the team minibuses asking for autographs and pictures and a lot of media interest.  After a few pre-race nerves when the stage eventually got going, it settled down quite quickly as a large break including at least one rider from all the major teams got away.  About halfway through the stage, the weather turned for the worse, especially over the tops of the hills. That was the last time we would race on dry roads for the rest of the weekend.  The defining point in the first stage was a Cat 2 climb, only 25 miles from the finish and as expected this was where the race split.  Due to a mixture of bad positioning on the run up to the climb and generally not having the legs, I got caught in what turned out to be the second half of the peleton/ gruppetto (second peleton sounds better).  As there was some prize money on offer for best 2^nd Cat rider, I clipped off the second peleton with a few other riders with about ten miles to go.  Initially, we got a good a good gap but as the finish neared, the bigger group closed and we were eventually caught in the last mile. 

After stage 1

About 30 minutes before the start of the afternoon Crit, the heavens again opened, making the road more viable to the use of Pedalo’s than bikes.  The pace was frantic from the start and not being the biggest fan of Crit’s in the dry let alone the wet I was quickly digging deep in order to hang on to the wheel in front.  Eventually the elastic snapped and I found myself in a little group that gradually increased in size as we picked up other riders who had also been dropped.

The big question at the start of the final stage was how many layers to keep on as again it was cold and wet.  Unlike stage 1, the main climbs were located within the first 40 mile and this led to a very fast start as groups tried to get away but were ultimately unsuccessful.  Within the first few miles, I could tell that I wasn’t on a good day, which could have possibly been due to the weather combined with not used to racing the kind of distance covered the day before and at such high speed.  On getting dropped, I again managed to find a small group who I continued with until the feed zone where they all pulled out which I then did about 5 mile later.  Of the 136 starters, only 83 finished the race, with 40 riders not finishing the final stage.

Overall the race was won by Jonny McEvoy of Endura Racing.  In fact, Endura won all 3 stages, took 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd on GC and also won the Mountains Competition and the Hot Spots Sprits Competition.  I enjoyed my first experience of a Premier Calendar race (apart from the weather) and look forward to hopefully riding many more. 

Big thanks to Biketreks, Specialized and the other sponsors for their continued support.

Jonathan Cregeen

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Sandy Lockett reports from Sunday's CDNW Capernwray road races

Sunday saw most of the Biketreks team racing the 4th event by CDNW, Capernwray. There is no pleasant way to describe this course, it isn’t rolling, it isn’t flat. It is 8 miles of climbing hell to be repeated 5 or 7 times according to each race. The colossus of Capernwray is Sunnybank, the mile climb up to the finish line. Winding up the hillside like a serpent it cuts a steep path through the surrounding woodland and can break a rider the first time up it let alone after 4 laps. I raced the Cat 3/4 regional race with James, Nic and Callum. Whilst the two Johnnys battled it out with the Elites,1st and 2nds.

CDNW Capernwray photos on Flickr copyright of Christine Holmes

*Note to reader: this is where I struggle. I never seem to be able to remember a race clearly. So the following may only be loosely based on the truth.*

Our race set off without much of a do. We were ‘neutralised’ up Sunnybank until we reached the finish line where the lead car pulled off and we could race in earnest. The descent off Sunnybank is short and we quickly reached the main road where we sped down towards Arkholme. With a slight tailwind and open roads we were clocking speeds of up to 40mph and the group started to thin out. James and I were towards the front of the race, keeping an eye out for any breaks trying to be launched and also keeping out of the chaos behind. The race then anchored a left, a little dig out of Arkholme to the back of the circuit. We were now on narrow country lanes but the race continued to be strung out as riders kept trying to break free. Then another climb past Docker Park Farm (the less said about that place the better) before another fast descent and undulating slog to bring us to the junction that would lead us up to Sunnybank.

*Now this is when things really get hazy, there were some breaks that had a dig then were reeled in, including one of my own. But the action restarted on the last lap so for arguments sake repeat the above 3 more times.*

The last lap saw the group split over the top of Sunnybank. James just managed to get into the tail end of it by “giving it death” and was hopeful that it would keep away but behind him some rapid through and off saw this group caught. The raced continued at a high pace but some riders broke away. This is where James and my plan of action kicked in. Previous to the start we had discussed tactics. He was feeling stronger than me, due to a small incident I had had the day before with some tarmac, cross winds and my peddle wanting to make friends with the back of my knee, so we would ride for him. The consensus was if there was a group away I would hunt them down dragging everyone behind me to give James a better chance in a bunch kick on the climb. So we came round the last junction and I “gave it death” to catch the riders ahead and surprisingly it started to work. When I was metres off their back wheel other riders including James surged passed up the climb. That then left me to slowly grind up the climb and claim my 21st position. Unfortunately for James he had poor legs and spent too much energy during the race and sprinted (crawled) into 15th place. It is fair to say that Nic had an off day and came in the group behind at 34th place. Callum meanwhile had kept up with the race until a combination of Sunnybank, chasing down the descents on junior gears and a cold finished him off.

So we didn’t get the results we hoped for on this local course but we displayed team and well we all know that there is another race around Capernwray in May…

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After having taken delivery of the most stunning looking tt bike I have ever seen courtesy of Specialized UK & Biketreks, it was time to put it to the test and what better way to do so than my first tt of the year the classic Circuit of the Dales. OK, I admit it's not the best decision I have ever made riding a 50miler two days after actually riding the bike for the first time, but you have to start somewhere, right?

A gorgeous sunny but cold day greeted the 124 riders, keen to tackle this gruelling 50 mile TT around some of the most scenic country side Yorkshire has to offer. Being a hilly course I decided against a disc on the rear and picked a pr of deep section front and rear, light enough to get me up the hills but still with an aero advantage.The race went very well for the first 38 miles the bike felt awesome the position was spot on and the power transfer from the pedals seemed to go directly into the back wheel propelling me onwards. i passed quite a few riders before eventually being caught about 2 miles from Hawes by two riders one being course record holder Mark Holton. It was not long after this that everything started to go horribly wrong climbing out of Hawes on the B6255 ingleton rd that I began to feel the effects of my efforts (that and the fact I didn't have a bottle DOH! ) as the rd climbed steadily upwards I began to steadily go backwards, all energy now completely spent ( the bonk) I was zig zagging as all the riders I had passed began to catch and leave me to grovel back to the finish. Passing Ribblehead viaduct I had lost that much time It only seemed right to put another few minutes on my time by stopping for a pee, I had totally lost the will to live and just wanted it to end I crossed the line in 2hr 25mins 40 secs which amazingly gave me 48th place overall,I can only assume others suffered the same fate

So to sum up

• the bike was great ( thanks Biketreks & Specialized UK)
• the course was hard (but I would do it again)
• the weather was great (would hate to do it in bad weather)
• and next time I would take a bottle

Thanks to Steve Wilkinson and all marshalls / helpers of Nelson Wheelers for putting on a superb event

Overall winner was Rapha's Richard Handley in 1hr 55m 38s, Not a course record as road works cut the distance by 2miles.

RESULTS

REPORT on VELOUK

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            This racing season I am lucky enough to be riding and racing on the excellent Specialized Tarmac SL4 Pro complete with the new cutting edge Shimano Ultegra Ui2 electronic groupset. After riding and racing the bike over the past month in various disciplines including 6hr training rides, 1hr Crits, hilly road races of 70+ miles and a recent hillclimb (where I got my 1^st win of the season on this machine) I thought it would be a good time to share my experiences of riding the SL4.

See the full gallery on Posterous

            So let’s start with the Carbon frame, as you may know this year’s SL4 range replaces the SL3 frame from last year, I raced the whole of last season on the SL3 and was very sad to see it go at the end of the season, I actually found it hard to believe that this new frame could be improved on and was interested to read the list of new features that Specialized had brought to the new generation Tarmac. Apparently the new Carbon SL4 frame has a 19% increase in stiffness-to-weight ratio over last year’s SL3 in fact the new Pro model that I’m racing on has a higher stiffness-to-weight than last year’s S-Works!

 Have I noticed the 19% increase in stiffness-to-weight ratio out on the road? Well, I have noticed that it is particularly responsive on the sort of short sharp climbs you get throughout British road races, each time you hit one it’s just a case of stand up and stomp, all the force and energy you put into each pedal stroke transfers directly through the unique frame/chainset combo through the wheels and onto the road, nothing is lost along the way. Specialized approach the bike build as a complete ‘module’ with a lot of their own components including the amazinginly stiff chainset and this approach along with the SL4 frame is what gives the feel of a solid, stiff but extraordinarily light race bike.

One particular feature of the frame that I appreciate over last year’s SL3 is the shorter headtube which allows me to use a more aggressive position, with a smaller 1-3/8” lower bearing than last year’s 1.5” combined with a totally re-designed straight rake fork I have also noticed that the SL4 tracks even better than the SL3, I have never descended and taken corners with such confidence, I’ve noticed that in races I’m braking later and taking a tighter line into corners which allows me to pick off slower riders and force my way back up to the front of the bunch.  

            Onto the Shimano Ultegra Ui2 electronic groupset, there’s a lot of information, reviews and opinions out there already but here’s my own experience of this new technology. From my very first ride on this bike I was completely convinced by the concept of an electronic groupset, to me it is as significant as the change from downtube levers to STI levers in the early 1990’s it has really enhanced my pedalling efficiency in all situations as you find yourself changing gear much more often than a  cable actuated groupset. Each shift is so precise and predictable that you find you never hold back in your gear changes in any situation, you don’t need to momentarily soft pedal or anticipate your gear change in anyway, let me give you a couple of examples. During races I’m probably changing gear twice as much as my competitors and this helps save my legs and keep me fresh until the climax of the race, I also noticed the difference during the recent hillclimb competition – shifting gear much more than normal to ensure maximum power was being achieved as the gradient varied whilst at the same time giving it everything through the pedals – no momentarily easing off of pressure even when shifting the front mech, in fact that’s probably the most surprising difference between this and a conventional system – changing from chainring to chainring at the push of a button, no significant finger force required and every time a positive and predictable shift.

                The Specialized ‘Roval Fusee SL’ clincher wheelset that comes with the Tarmac SL4 Pro are great wheels – light, fast and stiff they feel equally as responsive on the climbs and the flat and although they are Specialized’s own brand of wheels, many of the component parts are actually from DT Swiss. These wheels combined with the Specialized Turbo Pro clincher tyres provide grippy, predictable handling regardless of the roads being dry or wet. Other notable components are the excellent Specialized Romin saddle with hollow ti rails combined with a Specialized FACT carbon seatpost – after 6 hrs in the saddle I was still very comfortable, handlebars and stem are light and stiff and contribute to the responsive handling of the SL4.

            So to wrap up, the Specialized Tarmac SL4 Pro with Ui2 is a whole lot of bike! It’s as if my SL3 went off to Hollywood over the winter and had a nip and a tuck here and there, the addition of the Ultegra Ui2 really adds to the ‘new bike experience’ though – it changes the way you ride and/or race in a small but, as it turns out, a very significant way. As one rather successful Professional Cycling squad once famously quoted ‘it’s all about the marginal gains’, I couldn’t agree more, but it’s not all about racing either, this bike has already proved itself to me on long training days in the saddle and the technology just enhances that kind of experience.

- Johnny Dodgin

For more information on the SL4 Pro model and all of the other excellent Specialized Tarmac models on offer this year, which come in at various price points, get in touch with the team at Biketreks, they’ll be able to expertly fit you to your choice of bike.

Email: info@bike-treks.co.uk

Phone: 015394 31245

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Week-ends are good for good lie-ins? Not quite for the Biketreks Racing Team. Two pre-6am starts in a row at the week-end led them to a team photoshoot (Thanks SportSunday!), Hill climb, Criterium, Win, Points, Riders in Breakaways, Crash and Hundreds of miles on the road. 

In a nutshell: 

• 1st Win of 2012 for John Dodgin at Grizebeck and a solid bunch finish the next day at CDNW Cockermouth in the E123 Race.
• Solid performance by James Dunlop at Salt Ayre's Round 2 of the Elite Spring crits with 8th place
• Valiant effort by Sandy Lockett being away in breakaway for most of the CDNW Cockemouth 3/4 race
• Gaz Spencely managed the impossible by DNFing a Hill climb breaking a pedal. We are not sure how the hill climb did fit within Gary's training plan for Alice's on Tour LeJOG!

Results:

• CDNW Cockermouth
• Salt Ayre Spring Series Rnd 2
• Grizebeck Hill Climb

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John Dodgin registers his first victory of 2012 on familar territort on Grizebeck Hill.

Full Report by race series organiser Howard Lindow: http://groupspaces.com/HospiceHillclimbs/item/274308

"

GRIZEBECK GLORY FOR DODGIN, PICKTHALL & HAMEL.

The first road hillclimb of the season was blessed with good weather on Saturday morning as 19 riders battled it out in the Biketreks sponsored Grizebeck hillclimb. There was no magical tailwind like last year but the rain held off and the sun was shining on a fresh 10oclock start. 
Quality shone through as Biketreks John Dodgin again stamped his authority all over the race with the only sub 8 minute ride of the day. Next in was LRC rising star Adam Pickthall, putting in a great time and showing that all the training is paying off. The first Lady was a strong display from returning national champion Lynn Hamel in the new Herbalife kit. 
I was second LRC, closely followed by the days first veteran Graham Huddlestonwhich wasnt bad considering he wasnt even going to race. Next in and seperated by only 10 seconds (& 34 years) was a family effort by Patrick & Edward Elliott of Penny Bridge. Glenn Rhodes was coming back from illness & was first BCW, followed closely by LRCs Sam Greenall. 
First junior was LRCs Jamie Bryson going well on his new wheels and gaining another prize voucher towards his bike fund . LRCs Tom Holland was next in and first in his own catagory of 'mudguards  fitted class'. Ian Smith-Ward rode in at 9.33 with BCWsRoger Lindsay and LRCs Stu Walker close behind. Wheelbase class act Anne Plantwas next in followed by LRCs 'Statler and Waldorf' Carl Ballantyne and Rob Spencer. Keir McKenna put in a good effort to be last rider to cross the line. 
Biketreks 'Mr smash it' Gaz Spencley managed the impossible, with a DNF in a hillclimb after destroying a pedal- its a bloody good job he's sponsored! 
Sign on and time keeping duties were sorted out by Brenda & George Jackson, with marshalling assistance from Andy Woods, Wils 'watch that picnic table' Jenkinson, Graham & Mary Lindow. 
The race was kindly sponsored by Biketreks and team rider Connor Furness was on hand to dole out the five £10 vouchers.  John Dodgin was a true Gent and allowed his to be handed on, so a spot prize for being the oldest bugger there went to Rob 'suffering like a dog' Spencer. 
The interclub got off to a one sided start with BCWs giving the LRC a head start after last years performance. LRC top two managed 17-25 with BCWs at 18-58. 
I managed to win back my hillclimb cough, then everyone blasted it home to catch Milan-San Remo. 
NEXT RACE- Gill cycles sponsored, Bigland Hall, Monday 16th April, 1800hrs sign on.

Thanks to everyone who participated in some way and good luck to all the riders in their other races.

On a serious note local stalwart Mike Speight was not able to attend due to a recently discovered heart problem. Hes due to go under the knife soon to have have a new turbocharger  fitted, so everyone connected to the hillclimbs & local clubs wants to pass on their good wishes and hope to see him back out soon.

Grizebeck Hillclimb results  17/3/12 Sponsored by Biketreks

1-  John Dodgin                Biketreks                  M      7.57   *1st m 
2- Adam Pickthall            LRC                           M       8.40  
3- Lynn Hamel                 Herbalife                  L        8.43  *1st L 
4- Howard Lindow          LRC                           M      8.45 
5- Graham Huddleston   -                               V       8.52 * 1st V 
6- Edward Elliott             Newcastle Uni       M      9.09 
7- Patrick Elliott               -                               V       9.19 
8- Glenn Rhodes            BCW                         M      9.22 
9- Sam Greenall            LRC                            M     9.29 
10- Jamie Bryson         LRC                             J       9.30  *1st J 
11- Tom Holland         LRC                             M     9.32 
12- Iain Smith-Ward   -                                  M     9.33 
13- Roger Lindsey      BCW                           M      9.36 
14- Stuart Walker      LRC                             M     9.44 
15- Anne Plant           Wheelbase                L      10.29 
16- Carl Ballantyne    LRC                            V      11.30 
17- Rob Spencer       LRC                             V      11.35 
18- Keir McKenna    LRC                             M     12.21

DNF- Gary Spencley  Biketreks                  V       - 

"

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From race bag preparation, team bike’s pre-race cleaning and fettling routine, pre-race day nutrition, the anticipation, to setting the alarm clock at stupid o’clock, It’s all a bit rusty but all very familiar.

The familiarity continued on race day. familiar sounds & smells (embrocation), familiar motorway journeys, familiar faces, pre-race banter, pinning the numbers, commissaire briefings and letting race cars squeeze through a keen but nervous bunch of riders assembled in front of the race HQ.

Race was familiar too. Saighton, quaint little village near Chester. Flat course with narrow lanes, fairly significant amount of motorised traffic, one sharp left bend and a finish line on modest rise, keen but inexperienced riders in  the cat 3/4 race who have yet to learn how to behave in a tight bunch.

The Biketreks Racing Team was represented in both the Elite/1/2/3 and in the Cat ¾ races. All got around safely in the bunch without much heroics nor a result to show but that’s OK. It’s a long season and it’ll take a few races before the team starts racing well together.

I’d like this opportunity to thank Biketreks, Specialized, Craft and all our sponsors for supporting us for this coming season. I can safely say we have the best equipment and support a racing team can dream of.

What a great feeling to be racing again. A familar sense of "belonging". 

My thanks are extended to CDNW, , Chester Road Club, commissaires, marshalls and helpers for making this race a success.

One great week-end of racing to look forward to next week with Hospice Hill climb on Grizebeck sponsored by Biketreks Ambleside, Salt Ayre crits on Satuday and the classic Daffodils Road Race around Cockermouth on Sunday! 

Nic

Results: http://www.cdnw.org/r_r_league_results_etc.html

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Team Alice around the Landgales, Feb 2012

As Chris Anderson already asked on a previous blog, Am I Ready for another year? The short answer is NO. As usual a winter of eating and no exercise have left me overweight (by cycling standards) and unfit. As my team mates too have been and returned from Sunny training camps in Spain, I have not.

However, while talking to a couple of non-competitive cyclists  I discovered they were training up to attempt LeJOG in late April. 1000 miles, 10 days, perfect kickstart to fitness. This would not just be a jolly as the team of 7, now 8 with me, was to raise money for a local girl, Alice Pyne. 

Alice is a local teenager who for the past few years has been fighting cancer. Alice is not your typical teenager. Through her own exploits, she has become a bit of a local and national celeb. To learn more about Alice, visit Alice's Blog http://alicepyne.blogspot.com/ .

The money raised from this trip will be used to form a charitable Trust known as Alice's Escapes.

For more information about the LeJog Attempt, please visit Team Alice on Tour. There you will find the route and dates of the trip. If we pass nearby, please get on your bike and come and join us.

You'll also find the relevant links to make a donation. Please give genrously. I know we cyclists have money, I see it at every races, it's just the £s have been dressed as Carbon fibre. 

The site also lists the various corporate sponsors that have helped. 

As usual you'll notice Biketreks Ambleside where Andy Stephenson has kindly supplied us with nutrional products from Clif Bar and Science in Sport.

Many thanks for your support and hopefully see you on the road!

Gaz

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Jonny Cregeen and James Dunlop get their season under way. Picture by Martin Holden (energyphotopics). More from Martin HERE

The season is under way!! For me, 18 loooong months and I’m racing. Jonny and I opened the season down at the beautiful race at Pimbo in the E/1/2/3 CDNW. It was a beautiful day, highs of 6 degrees, rain for the first half of the race.

This meant for most of the race I couldn’t feel my hands. My list of excuses for this race is quite long: ill, cold, borrowed bike and probably a few more if you give me a bit longer, so I was happy to just start and see how I found it.

got in about one move, without touching the wind, then consequently threw up a little bit so decided it probably wasn’t a good idea so went and just sat in content with just getting some speed in the legs after a couple of weeks off proper training.

So I rolled in just behind the bunch avoiding any possible dangers with the sprint. I was so cold that if handlebars touched I’d be on the ground faster than a fresher can down a pint.  Jonny had a little go in the sprint as a bit of practice but was swamped.

All in all, a horrible cold race, around an industrial estate, but good training ready for next week at Saighton which is actually a nice circuit and one I really enjoy!!

Until then, stay upright.

James

PS: More pictures from CDNW Pimbo by Ian McVety (Citrus Images) are available HERE

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