Liverpool Century Road Club 10 Mile Time Trial Bronze Standard Medal

Last Saturday night was the annual Liverpool Century Road Club dinner.  I’ve only been a member of the Club for a few years, but the event has become a firm fixture in my social calendar.  I recall my pre-Centurion days – riding solo on the lanes around Hale and seeing the kit and always being a little bit jealous.  But back then I was always too intimidated to join a cycling club – I wasn’t good enough, or at least so I thought.

But to my great surprise and delight this year I was awarded a medal!  Towards the end of this season I “accidentally” entered a time trial.  I was out for an evening spin and totally by chance stumbled across the “Club Ten”.  I thought I would hang around and watch.  Before long I was badgered in to “pinning a number on”.  Needless to say I was completely clueless, but somehow got around in a half decent time.  I didn’t know the time was ok – but the encouragement from the volunteer marhalls and timekeepers was sufficient to ensure I would try again in future.  There was only one more Club Ten left after this one – but I made sure I turned-up for it and delivered a time of 24.39.  Unknown to me this qualified me for the Bronze Standard – hence the medal.

I do love this time of year.  The end of the racing season and everything just starting to feel a wee bit Christmassy.  And its a measure of the feeling that the members have for their Club, that year after year the talented and hard-working young lads that are now making their way forging successful careers as bike riders always return to support the occasion.  Chapeaux therefore to Matt Brammeier, Mark McNally, Jonny Mcevoy and Mike Gregg.  Once a Centurion – always a Centurion.  Indeed even Mr Ian Bibby could not avoid the allure of the Century Dinner – such is its infamy.

Whilst eternally grateful for their continued support – this event is never about the pros.  Of course its essential that the younger members who desire a racing career can see a clear pathway to the top and evidence that they can succeed and overcome the biggest of obstacles.  But the annual prize giving is an opportunity to celebrate Club members achievements of all levels, ages and abilities.  And whilst our pros are doing their thing in the Continental Classics and in the UK Premier Calendar series, there is a small army of unpaid volunteers with a passion for their sport which is so strong that its just infectious.  At times on Saturday night I swear you could touch it.

I could not begin to imagine the number of man hours that are given each year to: the organisation of races and Club events; turbo-training sessions at the Club Rooms; leading rides on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; delivering coaching and training camps at home and abroad; – the list goes on.  And not a single penny has ever been paid to anyone for their commitment – they do it all for love, often fitting it in around their own busy jobs.

Its accurate to state the Century has more than its fair share of “Alpha Males” – but it really was the females that stole the show this year.  Our self-styled “Ladies in Lycra” are the highest ranked Club team in the country this year – an exceptional achievement…especially when you realise most have them have only been riding for a year or less, and to borrow a favourite phrase of a certain Manxman, surely “more to come” next year.

So what is it about this fine Club that can at the same time help produce bike riders that race at the highest level of the UCI World Tour, and develop a ladies club team that has become the best in the country in under a year?  A Club that can even encourage a fat bloke like me to achieve something in sport for the first time in my life?  Passion and Commitment.  Perhaps two very over-used words, especially in Sport.  An unpaid army of unsung heros who quietly go about their business.  In an era when the concept of community seems to have been smashed some wise old heads have created an environment where every member can feel not only valued and appreciated but also able to contribute - which so many do freely, without any arm-twisting.

My regret is really that I didn’t discover the Century sooner.  Several years of seeing them on the road and always being a bit too shy to approach them, or intimidated at the speed by which they would fly past me.  Finally I grasped the nettle and approached the then Club Secretary George Darlington.  He could not have been more welcoming and encouraging.  A real gentleman with a heart of gold.  Cancer robbed the Century of this fine servant, and at the same time made me appreciate that it would have been a privilege to have known him longer – and that really was all my own fault for not getting involved sooner.  So don’t hesitate.  Seize the day.  If you think you might like to join a cycling club, then I’m pretty certain you will enjoy it.  And if you chose to do so, you will go a long way to find one with a bigger heart than the Liverpool Century Road Club.  Whatever you want to achieve from just riding your bike to competitive racing, there will be help, support and encouragement for you all the way.  You never know, you might even discover you’re a bit better than you think you are.

This week saw the inaugural IG Markets Cycling Pub Quiz in London and I have to say its the best cycling pub quiz I’ve ever been to.  To be fair, its the only cycling pub quiz I’ve ever been to, but dont let this insignificant fact mislead you – it was an excellent occasion.  TARGETSPORTS joined the HOTCHILLEE team, alongside Jane Blanco, former British road race champion (and close personal friend of Lance Armstrong – not that he’s ever mentioned it) Brian Smith, Laura Fletcher from the Bicycle Film Festival and stepping-up to the plate as a late replacement James Booth – Specialized’s UK PR guru.

Now then, anyone who has ever had the privilege to engage with HOTCHILLEE at any level whatsoever will know that to HOTCHILLEE the journey is frequently more significant than the destination.  It’s not where we end up going – its how we get there that matters.  HOTCHILLEE founder Sven Thiele was unable to attend, said to be resting his liver in his native Cape Town, but he was certainly there in spirit as team skipper Blanco kept the drinks flowing throughout.

This season Team Sky Official Partner IG Markets have produced a series of “Top Trump” style cards – detailing the key facts of each of the team’s riders.  There are 30 cards in each pack.  Each team of 5 were assigned one pack of cards each.  On this occasion each card acted as a drinks token – to be exchanged at the bar for a drink.  So 6 each.  Plus the half dozen beers and 2 bottles of wine already on the table…you get the picture – it was always going to get a bit messy.

Mr Smith remains as competitive as ever, and was the inspirational leader on the road, as our team captain switched her focus to keep “dropping back to the car” to keep the team fuelled.  But his enthusiasm was no match for the thoroughness of the Opta-organised quiz questions.  To be blunt – it was solid.  In fact – it was SO difficult – that the combination of free-flowing booze and the top trump cards led to an impromptu sideshow of “Who Am I” with Laura.  Sadly, it quickly became clear that Laura only actually knows the names of 2 Team Sky Riders – and her tactic of opening up with “Am I Ian Stannard*?” ensured that game was short-lived and we were once again forced to face the fact that we actually didn’t really know very much about cycling.

The evening drew to a close, our paper marked by a motley bunch from Fusion Media…who took great delight mocking our feeble attempts.  I THINK we finished the evening 12th out of 20 – no great shame given the esteemed company.  The winners were, I THINK, a bunch of geeks from Cycle Sport, who even had t-shirts made for the occasion. Just sad.  Fortunately HOTCHILLEE’s Layla Smith was also unavailable for selection – lazing at her winter retreat – which surely spared the team an even more embarrassing fate.

So, thanks once again to Olly and Chris from IG for an inspired choice of events to signify the close of the 2011 cycling season.  And thanks to Jane for organising and motivating us on this futile task.  A very enjoyable evening spent with a great bunch.  Team HOTCHILLEE may not have troubled the scorers significantly with regard to the leaderboard – but when it came to the main event – we were there or thereabouts as Last Man Standing…and thats all that ever really matters.

*NOTE: Ian Stannard is 189 cm tall and weighs 80 kg.  He has ridden 2 Grand Tours and has won 1 race. In 2010 he raced 10,024.4 km.

On top of the signings already announced, the signing of Downing brings a wealth of racing experience into the refreshed squad and we go into 2012 with a team that can once again punch above its weight in races all over the world.

Russell Downing:

“I’m really excited about joing Endura Racing for 2012 after a couple of great years with Sky. I’ve been speaking to Brian Smith [Endura Racing's General Manager] for several months now about the team and it’s great to finally put pen to paper.

“Endura Racing have an impressive looking race schedule for 2012 and I’m looking to get back to winning ways, to help build on the what the team achieved in 2011.I’ve enjoyed riding at UCI World Tour level and have gained a lot of experience at some of the biggest races in cycling. I’m looking forward to pass that experience on to the younger riders on the squad.”

Jim McFarlane, Endura Racing owner:

“Russ is an iconic British rider with immense talent and a strong following on the domestic scene; it will be great to see him ride and win again in the UK whilst still representing the team in many of the continental stage races that Endura Racing has on its schedule for 2012.

“His individual talent obviously adds even more strength to the team for next year but we’re also looking forward to having his input in nurturing and developing young talent in the team so they can benefit from his experience.”

Brian Smith, Endura Racing General Manager:

“I would have loved to see Russ stay at World Tour level as he deserves but I think Endura Racing is the perfect team for him.

“Russ is a winner and i am hoping he can lead the team by example by winning in Europe. We want to keep building on our performance levels and to have someone with the experience and respect of Russ I’m more than confident 2012 with be a hugely successful year for Endura Racing. The path from a Scottish club team to a UCI Professional Continental team is looking more likely now.”

Endura Racing 2012 rider line-up:

Alexander Wetterhall (Sweden)
Alexandre Blain (France)
Dean Windsor (Australia)
Erick Rowsell (UK)
Ian Bibby (UK)
Ian Wikinson (UK)
Iker Camano (Spain)
Jack Anderson (Australia)
Jonny McEvoy (UK)
Jon Tiernan-Locke (UK)
Paul Voss (Germany)
Rene Mandri (Estonia)
Rob Partridge (UK)
Russell Downing (UK)
Scott Thwaites (UK)
Zak Dempster (Australia)

Team Associate:
Oli Beckingsale (UK) – MTB

We will once again be supported by a network of top class equipment sponsors and partnerships, look out for further information shortly.

The 2012 team launch will take place at The London Bike Show at ExCeL (12 – 15 January 2012). Details will be announced soon.

Event Programme

A busy weekend again for TARGETSPORTS, not only sponsoring the Geoff Bewley Memorial Cyclo-Cross at Otterspool Park, Liverpool – but also racing in it, AND presenting the new Errea Technical Underwear and Custom Branded Teamwear.  I never had the privilege of meeting Geoff, but if this event was devised as a tribute then he must have been some man.  This year the race also became the centrepiece of the inaugural Liverpool Cycling Festival.

Mike Fuggacia and Rob Pugh are rapidly growing their reputation as two of the best race organisers in the North West, if not the UK.  Indeed, they harbour ambitions of one day bringing the UK National Cyclo-cross Championships to Otterspool.  But as volunteers, both with busy day jobs, organising a race of such quality is time consuming enough.  This year they surpassed their own high standards by bringing a new dimension to the day.  By engaging the local cycling community and the various bodies set-up to promote cycling across Merseyside the event has grown in stature – and the spectators turned out in force to enjoy the festival and watch the racing.  On the day the festival was attended by: Cycling Projects, Cycle Speke, Cycle Aigburth, Travelwise Merseyside, Merseyside Cycling Campaign, Breeze and 2020 Decade of Health & Wellbeing.

The boys were also able to secure valuable sponsorship and support from commercial partners including: GIANT Liverpool, Bioracer, Muc-off, Errea, High On Bikes, Kouta, CNP, Standout Driveways, Standout Glass, David Lloyd Speke, Active Adventures, Otters Cafe, The James Monro Restaurant, APL Parking and Skypark Liverpool.

A record field of 129 riders took to the course for the main race on Saturday, and I wonder how many of them fully appreciated that Rob and Mike – along with an army of Liverpool Century volunteers, had been there since 05:30 – marking the course, erecting the tents, putting out the sponsor’s banners, and generally trying to ensure the event passed-off as smoothly as possible.  A great PA set-up was skilfully manned by Tim Dalton and Geraint Parry who delivered expert commentary throughout the event.  The volunteers remained long after the race participants and spectators had headed home.  The Otter’s Cafe seemed to be doing brisk business throughout the day too.

So, a huge thank you to all those involved in organising the day and making it one of the best events in the UK race calendar.  The course was very technical, – featuring the challenging ascents of “The Ottersberg” and “The Muro di Otterspool” and the torrential downpour the night before made the conditions at the same time both sticky and slippery.  Although I spent most of the race trying not to fall in the mud it was highly enjoyable and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.  Geoff would have been very proud.

A few images from the day can be found here on the TARGETSPORTS Flickr site.

For those interested in the race results - click here.

Once again this Saturday 5th November, TARGETSPORTS will attend the highlight of the Cycling Social season – the Braveheart Cycling Fund annual ride and dinner.  For a couple of days each year, Elite cyclists from all over the world descend upon the unlikely venue of Kilmarnock, just outside Glasgow, Scotland – alongside hundreds of Club riders for an end of season party.  We will be joined on the 44 mile ride through Ayrshire with our good friends from Errea Sport, our resident Sports Massage Expert and numerous Club-mates from the Liverpool Century Road Club – not to mention a couple of interlopers from G.C. Metro.

A chance to join 500 others riding alongside a handful of current and former professional riders, including Alex Dowsett, Russell Downing and the legendary ever present Sean Kelly does help to take you mind off the “Scottish miles”.  A 44 mile route should not, in theory, be too daunting for most Club riders.  A couple of hours, give or take, should see them home and dry – but not this route: Braveheart Route Map.  The surface could generously be described as “grippy” – energy-sapping is more accurate.  Traditionally, the weather is at best “dreachy”.  It WILL be cold.  There WILL be a headwind ALL the way around the loop.  And it WILL rain.  And that’s before we consider the rather lumpy profile: Braveheart Ride 44 mile Route Profile.  Its no wonder they breed them tough up North.

Following a few hours in the saddle, comes the centrepiece of the proceedings – the Dinner & Auction, where those too scared to ride will join us – including representatives of the Bicycle Film Festival and Red Bull.  The cycle-chic glamour for the occasion is supplied by Filles a Velo founder Leigh Marshall and the self-styled Queen of Cycle Sportive writing Holly Blades from Cyclosport.org.  Skilfully hosted by Eurosport Cycling’s very own “anchor” David Harmon, the evening is always enjoyable.  Interviews with the Star Guests, a fantastic meal – perhaps a wee dram or two.  There is even some X-Factor reject and a magic bloke called Dynamo providing entertainment.  It’s not really why I go back every year – but there’s something for everyone at the Braveheart.  So finally, to the reason why we are all there – the charity auction.   Last year’s event raised over £20,000 to help young Scottish riders make their way in a sport that remains especially difficult to break in to if you are from the UK and find yourself outside of the British Cycling Academy programme.   With the sale of each unique item of cycling memorabilia – generously donated from the world of professional cycling – grow the hopes of another aspiring young athlete, who have dreams of one day emulating the fund’s patrons Sir Chris Hoy and David Millar – by carving out a career on the track or the road.

So, if you are not fortunate enough to make it along to this year’s sell-out events – then make sure you sign-up early next year.  In the meantime you can still contribute via the “Make a Donation” section on the website.

Leaders in Events 2011

TARGETSPORTS will be in attendance throughout the two-day Leaders programme on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th October at Chelsea FC.  This exceptional business networking opportunity for the sports industry was founded by fellow classmate and MBA Football Industries Graduate James Worrall, and has in a very short period of time grown in to the must-attend event in the international sports business calendar.  With a first-class list of speakers and delegates in attendance the event promises to deliver a huge amount of knowledge, value and new business opportunities.

International Long-term Savings, Protection and Investment Company the Old Mutual Group has selected TARGETSPORTS to help them deliver an international employee football tournament.  Formed in South Africa in the 1840′s Old Mutual are now head-quartered in the City of London and have 57,000 employees and offices in more than 25 countries around the world.  Brands within the Old Mutual Group include Old Mutual, Nedbank, Mutual & Federal and Skandia.

The project, which was launched to employees last month, sees every business unit within the group selecting a team to represent them in a company five-a-side tournament at Mutualpark, the Old Mutual campus in Cape Town.  A series of regional qualifying tournaments will take place to select the representative teams.  In May the teams will come together to play a one day finals tournament.  Teams will comprise employees from countries all over the world including: Austria, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Through an innovative partnership with the Durban-based charity Umthombo Street Children, a new initiative “Old Mutual Kick-Start” will commence at the start of May.  Employees will be given the opportunity to contribute towards the salaries of specialist social workers who will use highly-specialized football coaching to give disadvantaged young people a focus away from street life, with the ultimate goal of reintegrating them back in to their communities or even providing a career path in to football as a player or coach.

More details on the Old Mutual Group Football Tournament can be found on the tournament website: http://football.oldmutual.com.

“the impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup ™ in the year the event takes place …is negative, suggesting that economic growth declines rather than increases.”

This staggering fact lead to a research project to review what was happening in a host nation, not only during the competition, but before and after the FIFA World Cup ™ came to town.

By reviewing what had happened with recent host nations and also analysing the hosts of more economically successful sports mega-events, TARGETSPORTS discovered that two common themes emerged to optimise economic impact, PLANNING and INTEGRATION. Specifically:

Planning that not only focuses on delivering a world-class sports event but assesses what happens on the build up and post hosting of the event.

Integration that does not just focus on those items required to deliver the sporting event but considers other aspects of the local community and the economy.

Significantly, the research highlighted that the nations/cities that established a long-term perspective, were those that stood to gain most economically from hosting a sports mega-event.

Whether you are a bidding nation or city, to learn how to unlock the value of the FIFA World Cup ™ contact TARGETSPORTS on +44 56 00 85 57 42 or talk2us@targetsports.net

TARGETSPORTS are delighted to confirm for the fourth consecutive year we will be attending the Braveheart Cycling Fund Annual Ride and Dinner on Saturday 31st October.

The Braveheart events are a highlight of the UK Cycling calendar and are always well attended by Club and Leisure riders as well as a host of Cycling Celebrities. This years star attraction is GB Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins, fresh from his 4th place finish in the Tour de France.  He will be joining regular attendees and former Tour de France Green Jersey Winner Sean Kelly, Eurosport Commentator David Harmon and Team Sky Manager Scott Sunderland.

The evening fund-raising dinner has sold out, but there is still time to register for the 20 or 44 mile rides:

http://www.braveheartfund.com/EventDetail.asp

Event details can be found at: http://www.provelosupportuk.co.uk/thunder_run_24.html

If your company wants to enter a mixed team of 5 or 8 people then please email: talk2us@targetsports.net.  Places allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.