2008 see's the dawn of a new era for the Ciclos Uno Racing Team.
The Ciclos Uno Racing Team have joined forces with Isaac Bicycles for the 2008 season, with the team to ride Isaac's outstanding and beautiful Impulse bikes. Designed for low weight and high strength, the Isaac Impulse is a pure, potent racing machine and combines criterium stiffness with all day comfort, making it the perfect weapon for the range of races the team will be riding in the 2008 season.
Plowman Craven remain a loyal sponsor to the team, having sponsored Ciclos Uno since it's conception. A strong supporter of cycling, from the the grass roots of the sport to their very own successful Professional Racing Team, Plowman Craven is recognised as one of the world's leading and most innovative geomatics companies.
The team will be fed and hydrated by Squeezy Sports Nutrition and their fantastic range of products. After having already tested their first batch of Squeezy Energy Bars, Gels and Drinks, the team expressed their complete satisfaction with the products and can't wait to use them to fuel their performances across the 2008 season.
The team has grown, and has secured the services of two very talented and promising under 23 riders from Essex, in Ian Franklin and Daniel Kogan. They will join James Jackson and James Whatling to form a team that can compete at any race in the UK, from the Eastern Road Race League to the Premier Calendar.
Ian Franklin has joined the team from the Crest CC after a very promising season in which he won the Essex Roads Road Race and enjoyed numerous placings, including a top ten in the Nocturne D'Antibes in the South of France. A strong, attacking rider with bags of potential in both road and circuit races, Ian will be looking to gain more experience in the higher level races in 2008, whilst he continues getting the results he needs to earn his 1st Category licence.
Daniel Kogan is no stranger to Ciclos Uno, having begun his cycling career with the club as a junior. After a season with the Glendene/Bike Trax CC in which he won the King of the Mountains classification in the Martin Ashfield Classic, took 7th in the Junior Tour of Sussex and 9th in the Tour of the Dengie Marshes, we are pleased to welcome back this hard working rider with a talent for climbing. Dan will be getting his first taste of Premier Calendar action in 2008 and will be sure to shine as soon as the road rears skywards.
James Jackson is the longest serving member of the Ciclos Uno Racing Team, after having changed disciplines from Triathlon to Cycling in 2005. An instant success, James has already secured more wins in a two season racing career than most riders do in a lifetime of competition. Blessed with a fearsome sprint, James has a huge amount of potential in circuit races, and after eight wins in 2008 and a notable 5th place in the 2007 Bob Chicken Grand Prix, James will be aiming to be the best Under 23 in the 2008 National Circuit Series.
James Whatling joined the Ciclos Uno Racing Team midway through the 2007 season after a brief stint with Team Synergy, and secured 5th place in the ECCA Senior Championships in his very first day with the team. A powerful team rider with a liking for breakaways and tough conditions, James will be aiming to ride strongly in races like the Lincoln Grand Prix and the Rutland-Melton Classic.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
One windy weekend in Belgium.
On the first weekend in December, James Jackson and James Whatling spent a couple of days training in Belgium. Nothing too hard they thought, just an easy day or two, steadily getting the miles in and enjoying the countryside. Alas, this was not the weekend for steady miles, no such luck! The wind blew hard, as only it can in Belgium, and an easy couple of days turned out to be a hardcore training weekend!
Saturday was not such a bad day weather wise, and despite setting out from Essex at silly o'clock, the James' were in good spirits for the riding to come. A good hearty breakfast on the ferry to keep them going and they were off on the short drive across Northern France into Belgium. James Jackson was quiet on the way, maybe he was a bit nervous or excited to be riding on the cobbles for the first time.....or maybe he was asleep! Just as well James Whatling knew the way as the map reader only knew the way to the land of nod....although he did manage to wake up about 20 km into Belgium.
Saturday's ride was planned to be the longer of the two, as the forecast was pretty bad for Sunday, and so the James' made the most of the dry but breezy weather, driving hard up the famed cobbled climbs of the Flemish Ardennes that make up the Tour of Flanders. Four and half hours of strong riding, and more than a few wrong turns later and the James' got back to the car, ready for Belgian recovery food.....Chips and Mayonnaise!
After a quiet night in Ghent recovering and trying a couple of Belgian beers (NB: We did only have a couple, but beware of the 11% beer...it tastes great but it's lethal!) Sunday dawned grey, wet and windy. The wind had increased in strength considerably and it took a lot of strength to keep going, but the James' were the measure of it, pushing hard and even managing to laugh at the severity of the conditions. At one point James Whatling was at the front, riding into a block headwind, pushing 400 Watts and only managing 9 mph.....it was that hard!
2 and half hours of punishment later, the James' decided to call it a day and headed off to the Tour of Flanders museum in Oudenaarde for a look around before heading for home. It might not have been the steady miles they had planned for, but they rose to the challenge, got the miles in and can be safe in the knowledge they won't ride in many more tough, windy conditions than that this coming season!
Saturday was not such a bad day weather wise, and despite setting out from Essex at silly o'clock, the James' were in good spirits for the riding to come. A good hearty breakfast on the ferry to keep them going and they were off on the short drive across Northern France into Belgium. James Jackson was quiet on the way, maybe he was a bit nervous or excited to be riding on the cobbles for the first time.....or maybe he was asleep! Just as well James Whatling knew the way as the map reader only knew the way to the land of nod....although he did manage to wake up about 20 km into Belgium.
Saturday's ride was planned to be the longer of the two, as the forecast was pretty bad for Sunday, and so the James' made the most of the dry but breezy weather, driving hard up the famed cobbled climbs of the Flemish Ardennes that make up the Tour of Flanders. Four and half hours of strong riding, and more than a few wrong turns later and the James' got back to the car, ready for Belgian recovery food.....Chips and Mayonnaise!
After a quiet night in Ghent recovering and trying a couple of Belgian beers (NB: We did only have a couple, but beware of the 11% beer...it tastes great but it's lethal!) Sunday dawned grey, wet and windy. The wind had increased in strength considerably and it took a lot of strength to keep going, but the James' were the measure of it, pushing hard and even managing to laugh at the severity of the conditions. At one point James Whatling was at the front, riding into a block headwind, pushing 400 Watts and only managing 9 mph.....it was that hard!
2 and half hours of punishment later, the James' decided to call it a day and headed off to the Tour of Flanders museum in Oudenaarde for a look around before heading for home. It might not have been the steady miles they had planned for, but they rose to the challenge, got the miles in and can be safe in the knowledge they won't ride in many more tough, windy conditions than that this coming season!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Pain at the Catford and suffering at the Bec.
James Jackson rode two of the toughest and most established hill climbs in the country today, taking on the Catford and the Bec, and rode strongly to finish them 13th and 22nd respectively.
Riding his track bike, James exploded away from the start of Catford CC's hill climb and flew up the first steep section, recording one of the fastest times at the first split. As the gradient levelled out for a brief respite, he kept up the pace and hit the final steep section hard. The only problem was the 20% final section hit back and sapped all James had in his legs, but he managed to grit his teeth and grind it out to the finish.
In true James Jackson style, holding nothing back at all and giving it 100% effort, he finished the climb and had to be lifted off his bike and sat down to stop him collapsing. After a while getting his breath back though, he was soon back on the bike warming down with a smile on his face. No rest for the wicked though, as he was then off to the Bec CC's hill climb where he repeated the all out effort to finish 22nd, and to end the very tough day's work very well, a credit to himself and the team.
It takes two!
Without teamwork, James Whatling would not have gained his 1st Cat licence today at the Finsbury Park RR. Without James Jackson's fantastic efforts, burying himself to close gaps and to lead James out for the final sprint, the race might have got away and the points gone. The Ciclos Uno Race Team raced hard today and showed their true colours, working together to get the result needed.
In the final Eastern Road Race League of the season at Steeple, Essex, James Jackson and James Whatling had one aim, to get James Whatling the points he needed for his 1st Cat licence. A good strong field started the race and, with the ERRL riders championship wide open, the race was always going to be fast and full of attacks. The Heron Cyclesport team were riding hard to get the win for their rider Andy Lyons, whilst API-Metrow were defending the lead of Kevin Chambers and the race would often yo-yo as first one team would attack and then the other would counter.
At about half distance, a group of 16 got away on the fast section of the course and both of the James' missed the move. There was no way they were going to let this race slip away from them and, although the breakaway gained 30 seconds, the Ciclos Uno Race Team hit the front of the bunch in the headwind section of the race, put their heads down and pulled the group back. With the race back together, the attacks began again and as the main teams sent rider after rider up the road, only to be pulled back again, Phil Hetzel (Ipswich BC) slipped away and was never seen again by the bunch. On the penultimate lap Andy Lyons was very unlucky to puncture and, with Kevin Chambers safely in the race and the winner of the ERRL, the race slowed, with almost everyone happy to wait until the finale to make their moves.
Martin Smith (AW Cycles) and Alastair Kay (York Cycleworks) escaped on the final lap to take second and third place respectively while behind them, the bunch were readying themselves for the sprint up the finishing climb. As they rounded the final corner, James Jackson hit the front, with James Whatling glued to his wheel and, pulling at over 35mph, he lined out the whole field to deliver his team mate to the bottom of the climb in the lead. James Whatling took over and, despite suffering from cramp in both legs, managed to hold on to finish 15th, enough to gain his 1st Cat licence for 2008.
Results:
1.) Philip Hetzel: Ipswich BC
2.) Martin Smith: AW cycles
3.) Alastair Kay: York Cycleworks
4.) Chris Moores: Norwood Paragon
5.) Raphael Deinhart: Loughborough Students CC
In the final Eastern Road Race League of the season at Steeple, Essex, James Jackson and James Whatling had one aim, to get James Whatling the points he needed for his 1st Cat licence. A good strong field started the race and, with the ERRL riders championship wide open, the race was always going to be fast and full of attacks. The Heron Cyclesport team were riding hard to get the win for their rider Andy Lyons, whilst API-Metrow were defending the lead of Kevin Chambers and the race would often yo-yo as first one team would attack and then the other would counter.
At about half distance, a group of 16 got away on the fast section of the course and both of the James' missed the move. There was no way they were going to let this race slip away from them and, although the breakaway gained 30 seconds, the Ciclos Uno Race Team hit the front of the bunch in the headwind section of the race, put their heads down and pulled the group back. With the race back together, the attacks began again and as the main teams sent rider after rider up the road, only to be pulled back again, Phil Hetzel (Ipswich BC) slipped away and was never seen again by the bunch. On the penultimate lap Andy Lyons was very unlucky to puncture and, with Kevin Chambers safely in the race and the winner of the ERRL, the race slowed, with almost everyone happy to wait until the finale to make their moves.
Martin Smith (AW Cycles) and Alastair Kay (York Cycleworks) escaped on the final lap to take second and third place respectively while behind them, the bunch were readying themselves for the sprint up the finishing climb. As they rounded the final corner, James Jackson hit the front, with James Whatling glued to his wheel and, pulling at over 35mph, he lined out the whole field to deliver his team mate to the bottom of the climb in the lead. James Whatling took over and, despite suffering from cramp in both legs, managed to hold on to finish 15th, enough to gain his 1st Cat licence for 2008.
Results:
1.) Philip Hetzel: Ipswich BC
2.) Martin Smith: AW cycles
3.) Alastair Kay: York Cycleworks
4.) Chris Moores: Norwood Paragon
5.) Raphael Deinhart: Loughborough Students CC
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Success in the Duo Normand!!
Ciclos Uno time trial specialist, ace mechanic and general all round trouper, Ewan Hendon and his tandem partner, Corinna Francis rode to a fantastic third place in the Duo Normand in France on Sunday 23rd September.
Solar powered Ewan was suitably charged up by the beautiful sunny weather in Marigny and he and Corinna powered around the 54km rolling course in 1:23:12 to earn their podium place. The top step of the podium went to another Ciclos Uno rider, Dean Lubin, and his tandem partner Andy Page.
Results.
1.) Dean Lubin - Andy Page: 01:17:13
2.) Andrew Butcher - June Edwards: 01:21:10
3.) Ewan Hendon - Corinna Francis: 01:23:12
A rough ride in the Dengie Marshes.
Sometimes you've got it, sometimes you haven't. In what was, without doubt, the hardest race in the Eastern Region this season, luck deserted James Jackson, and James Whatling just didn't have the legs on a disappointing day in the flatlands of Essex on Sunday 23rd September.
The rough and unmade roads of the Dengie Marshes were always going to produce some exciting racing, akin to that in Belgium or Holland, and the wind that steadily increased through the morning made the going even tougher. The pace was high from the start, with riders pushing hard to get to the front for the first time into the single track roads. Unfortunately, James Jackson never got to complete a lap as a puncture, and a 5 minute wait for service, ended his race in disappointment. James was the sixth rider to have punctured within half a lap but, despite this setback, he has had a fine season and can look back with pride at all he has acheived.
As the race progressed, the wind whistling across the marshes was blowing riders to the four winds. James Whatling found himself working hard to stay in contact with the front group and despite a big turn on the front of a group desperate to regain contact, he never quite managed to make the junction and settled in a group of seven other riders. With the narrow roads only allowing room for 4 to echelon, there was nowhere to hide and, with 3 laps to go, he lost the wheel in front and never got back on. In a race that should have suited his abilities, he just didn't have the legs but there is always next year.
A group of three riders pulled away from the bunch in the final stages to contest the win, with the experienced Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley Cycles) outsprinting Richard Sykes-Popham (Glendene/Biketrax) for the win, with David McClean (Heron Cyclesport) taking third place.
Results:
1.) Roy Chamberlain: Team Corley Cycles
2.) Richard Sykes-Popham: Glendene/Biketrax
3.) Dave McLean: Heron Cyclesport
4.) Andy Lyons: Heron Cyclesport
5.) Douglas Bradshaw: Cambridge CC
The Eastern Region Track Championships.
The Eastern Region Track Championships were held at Welwyn on Saturday 15th September and Ciclos Uno were represented with a mixture of youth and experience in David Baker, James Jackson, Ian Bell, James Whatling and John Saysell.
The record entry of 87 riders were blessed with a warm sunny day to enjoy an excellent and competitive afternoon's racing in the various categories from Senior down to Under 8’s.
The programme opened with the Senior Pursuit, with James Whatling and James Jackson competing for Ciclos Uno. James Whatling was making his competive debut on the track, after one previous outing at Manchester Velodrome, and it showed somewhat, missing the start whistle and having a bit of a wobble to begin with. He got into the rhythm of things soon enough and pushed hard towards the end of the race to finish in 15th place. James Jackson used his sprint to power off the start line like a train and held it well to finish 9th, a fantastic result for both of them considering neither had the advantage of tri bars or disc wheels. Doug Bradshaw (Cambridge CC) powered home to take the win from John McClelland (Agiskoviner) with Simon Bateson (Team Economic Energy) third.
After a round of heats and repechages in the Senior Sprint, the four Semi-final winners going into the final were Andy Ballentyne (Easterley RC), Robert Cox (Cambridge CC), James Jackson and John McClelland, who had narrowly defeated David Baker in the first semi-final. After a cagey start, with all four riders slowing to a near standstill on the first bend, Cox attacked with 300m to go, but McClelland's power closed the gap and held off the challenge of James Jackson as they came into the home straight, to win by a length.
The Ciclos Uno team pursuit team of David Baker, James Whatling, John Saysell and James Jackson were up next. Led by the experienced Baker, the team rode without any tri accessories and instead relied on power, aggression and team work. All four rode out of their skins for 6 laps and finished third, a fantastic result which we hope to better next year with some practice! Cambridge CC ran out the winners from the eight team pursuit squads competing, with Team Welwyn in second place.
The final event of the meeting the was the Senior 10 mile scratch. With a field of some 45 riders, the race was building to a close finish with all the main riders in contention positioning themselves for the win when, with two laps remaining, a crash occurred as the riders entered the home straight. The race was stopped as Ian Clarke and Mario Morias were transported to hospital and the restart saw John McClelland take the a narrow victory from David Baker, with Trevor Burke (North Road Club) in third and James Jackson in fourth.
Results.
Team Pursuit.
1.) Cambridge CC
2.) Team Welwyn
3.) PCA/Ciclos Uno
Sprint.
1.) John McClelland: Agiskoviner
2.) James Jackson: PCA/CiclosUno
3.) Robert Cox: Cambridge CC
10 Mile Scratch
1.) John McClelland: Agiskoviner
2.) David Baker: PCA/CiclosUno
3.) Trevor Burke: North Road Club
4.) James Jackson: PCA/CiclosUno
The record entry of 87 riders were blessed with a warm sunny day to enjoy an excellent and competitive afternoon's racing in the various categories from Senior down to Under 8’s.
The programme opened with the Senior Pursuit, with James Whatling and James Jackson competing for Ciclos Uno. James Whatling was making his competive debut on the track, after one previous outing at Manchester Velodrome, and it showed somewhat, missing the start whistle and having a bit of a wobble to begin with. He got into the rhythm of things soon enough and pushed hard towards the end of the race to finish in 15th place. James Jackson used his sprint to power off the start line like a train and held it well to finish 9th, a fantastic result for both of them considering neither had the advantage of tri bars or disc wheels. Doug Bradshaw (Cambridge CC) powered home to take the win from John McClelland (Agiskoviner) with Simon Bateson (Team Economic Energy) third.
After a round of heats and repechages in the Senior Sprint, the four Semi-final winners going into the final were Andy Ballentyne (Easterley RC), Robert Cox (Cambridge CC), James Jackson and John McClelland, who had narrowly defeated David Baker in the first semi-final. After a cagey start, with all four riders slowing to a near standstill on the first bend, Cox attacked with 300m to go, but McClelland's power closed the gap and held off the challenge of James Jackson as they came into the home straight, to win by a length.
The Ciclos Uno team pursuit team of David Baker, James Whatling, John Saysell and James Jackson were up next. Led by the experienced Baker, the team rode without any tri accessories and instead relied on power, aggression and team work. All four rode out of their skins for 6 laps and finished third, a fantastic result which we hope to better next year with some practice! Cambridge CC ran out the winners from the eight team pursuit squads competing, with Team Welwyn in second place.
The final event of the meeting the was the Senior 10 mile scratch. With a field of some 45 riders, the race was building to a close finish with all the main riders in contention positioning themselves for the win when, with two laps remaining, a crash occurred as the riders entered the home straight. The race was stopped as Ian Clarke and Mario Morias were transported to hospital and the restart saw John McClelland take the a narrow victory from David Baker, with Trevor Burke (North Road Club) in third and James Jackson in fourth.
Results.
Team Pursuit.
1.) Cambridge CC
2.) Team Welwyn
3.) PCA/Ciclos Uno
Sprint.
1.) John McClelland: Agiskoviner
2.) James Jackson: PCA/CiclosUno
3.) Robert Cox: Cambridge CC
10 Mile Scratch
1.) John McClelland: Agiskoviner
2.) David Baker: PCA/CiclosUno
3.) Trevor Burke: North Road Club
4.) James Jackson: PCA/CiclosUno
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