This year’s social is an opportunity for our members, their families and friends to get together for some fun, competitions, a bite to eat and a new awards format.

A Cycling Celebration with special guest speaker, Olympic, World & Commonwealth medallist, Bryan Steel. Meet and hear from a world class cyclist about his career and his work with our Rockets Academy.

Join us at The Wheatsheaf Inn’s skittle alley on Saturday 9th March from 6PM - 203 Leicester Road, Thurcaston LE7 7JN. All tickets subsidised by the club so only £5 each including traditional skittle alley food (see link for more details). Tickets are limited so get in quick here https://leicesterforest.squarespace.com/social

Andreas turned from race organiser to racer recently by taking part in the brutally tough http://3peakscyclocross.org.uk/

Check out his ride on Strava and give him a well deserved kudos. https://www.strava.com/activities/9927057731

Our very own Mike "Shell Sheldrake is currently competing in the https://transpyrenees.cc/tprno3 ultra endurance race. Wish him luck on instragram and follow his live dot at https://www.dotwatcher.cc/race/transpyrenees-2023

Riders return for a third time to make the journey from the cold, sandy beaches of the Atlantic to the warm, craggy cliffs of the Mediterranean and back again. Verdant countryside gives way to steep valleys and seemingly endless mountain passes, as racers journey through and over some of the most famous locations in the region as well as exploring hidden treasures of the ever-changing Pyrenean landscape.

Departing from Saint Jean de Luz, and seeking to escape the blustery winds of the Bay of Biscay, riders will encounter, enjoy, and endure countless summits as the route criss-crosses the central Pyrenees. Passing through France, Spain and the mountain principality of Andorra, before reaching the warm seas of the Catalonian coastline on the Costa Brava.

Having passed the halfway point of the Race, the riders will begin their return journey, but the challenge is far from over. Much of the return route is based on the famous Le Raid Pyrénéen Randonneur, created in 1950 by the Cyclo Club Béarnais, climbing some of the most famous mountains in the Pyrenees including the Cols of Aubisque, Tourmalet and Aspin. Used in the first two editions of TPR, the parcours is synonymous with the mental and physical challenges our riders endure as they head back to the Basque coast to finish where they started.

Riders will be on their own from the moment they cross the line, until their return. Pitting bodies, minds, and ingenuity against the elements and their fellow riders, for most finishing alone is victory enough.

Our next Womans/ladies ride is scheduled for the 14th October. Leaving the Bulls Head pub carpark (Hinkley Road LE9 9JE) Metting at 9;45am to leave at 10am. It will be a social ride, with a no drop policy and a cafe stop.

Check our Spond page or the Club rides page for more details.

LFCC ROAD RACE - RACE REPORT Hi Folks,

Saturday’s road race was run on Sunday 24th September on the super fast 90 miles/ 145km Gilmorton course (iD: EM117), which comprises of fourteen and three-quarter 6.1 miles / 9.8km laps, on fast and wide single lanes roads through rolling Leicestershire countryside, and passes through the hamlets of Ashby Magna, Peatling Parva, and Willoughby Waterleys, with the finish line just before Ashby Magna.

Hopefully much fun was had by all (obviously the riders had both fun and pain), the food was excellent, and the sausage rolls were out of this world.

FULL RACE REPORT TO FOLLOW

Leicester Forest Cycling Club "LFCC" are always delighted to welcome new members. Whether you are an experienced racer or someone new to cycling it makes sense to join a club. Like many sports, cycling is best enjoyed as part of a group. Not only do your club mates provide much needed advice or encouragement when the going gets tough, but race days or group days out can offer an extra dimension that cycling on your own will not provide. If you have any queries concerning membership, please email: membership@leicesterforest.com

Please note that there is an expectation that all senior members will volunteer at at least one LFCC event a year.

All membership applications are reviewed by the committee. If for any reason your application is declined you will be refunded any fees paid.

Membership Fees

Adult - £15.00

Juniors - £6.00

Family - £27.00 (Up to 2 adults and unlimited children under 18 years of age at the same address)

Adult Second Claim - £7.50 (i.e. if you are already a member of another British Cycling affiliated club, please provide details below)

Club membership runs from 1st Dec - 31st November each year. If you join in October or November your membership will run until the end of the following year.

If you are under 18, the membership application must be completed by your parent/guardian.

Club Membership

Direct Debit is our primary method of Membership Fee payment, setting up a Direct Debit mandate only takes a few minutes of your time removes the hassle of remembering to renew your membership in future years. If you do not wish to renew the following year, all you need to do is cancel the direct debit.

Direct debit payments are safe - you will be notified by email before each payment is taken, and the direct debit guarantee ensures that if a payment is taken incorrectly you can claim a refund. See the Direct Debit Guarantee for more details.

You may want to add help@gocardless.com as a whitelisted sender in your email account - some people have reported that messages can otherwise go into spam/junk mail.

PLEASE CLICK ON JOIN US AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN TO SET UP A DIRECT DEBIT.

Autumn & Winter kit is on the way. Please check out our kit web site or contact myself for more details.

Drop Dave T an email: kit@leicesterforest.com for more details

Or visit our pop up online Kit store for up to date prices and stock levels at https://leicesterforestcc.sumupstore.com/

Our very own LFCC Rocket Rupert Brooke will be riding London to Paris to raise money for Children's Bereavement Centre in Newark on 6th July (after school). The following comes from his mum Jess:

At 7 years old we believe that he will unofficially be the youngest person to ride London to Paris. He will complete the 200 mile route in just over 4 days.

The Children's Bereavement Centre in Newark is a charity that is very close Rupert's heart as three years ago he lost his Dad, Tom, in an accident at work. Rupert was 4 at the time and Tom, was his favourite person in the world. Losing a parent changed Rupert's life forever.

Rupert has benefited directly from the work of the Bereavement Centre who provide Rupert and other bereaved children and their families with much needed therapy and support in the aftermouth of losing a loved one.

You can find or more information and photos at Rupert's just giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rupert-brooke

Please do consider making a donation for such a worth cause and a fabulous effort by Rupert.

Also take a look at GCN's Dan & Mannon Lloyd’s youtube video (skip to 15:15) below:

LFCC Bursary - Closes 1st May 2022

The application window for the LFCC bursary is now open until the 1st May 2022!

Some of the key aims of Leicester Forest Cycling Club are to nurture ability, encourage talent, foster a sense of adventure and to promote both competition and sportsmanship. To that end, LFCC is pleased to announce the 2022 Bursary and invite its members to get their thinking caps on and apply. The bursary may be awarded to a member (of 2 years) in pursuit of a cycling-related goal.

We have agreed upon a pot of £500, and invite members to apply for bursary awards from that pot.

For full details of how to apply and what sort of things we’re looking for, please see: https://www.leicesterforest.com/members-bursary

Just a quick update to let members know that the LFCC century challenge will be moving to cc.leicesterforest.com as of 1st Jan 2022.

Congratulations to Phil Marshall who has won the 2021 century challenge with a total of 900 points (disclaimer: at the time of writing there are 6 hours left of 2021 so hopefully we've not jumped the gun!)

If you're interested in finding our more about the LFCC century challenge, please take a look at:

• https://www.leicesterforest.com/century-challenge - for an overview of the century challenge;
• https://www.leicesterforest.com/julian-howes-century-challenge -for Julian Howe's 2020 write up and a sheep video;
• http://cc.leicesterforest.com - to sign up for 2022.

With the dust settling on another sucessfull CX race at Beaumont Park (thanks to Andreas and your army of volunteers), that brings our albeit limited 2021 events to a close. Looking forward, we have a calendar full of events for 2022.

Membership Renewal

Membership Renewal - The club year runs from the first of December, so it's renewal time again. Hopefully you've already seen the email reminders, but if you've not got around to it yet, please do so now. We will operate with a grace period for existing members, but we don't want to put you out in the cold just because you've forgotten! We're working on a direct debit solution for next year which will hopefully make renewals much simpler. For anyone that pays via bank transfer or standing order, we still need you to indicate your volunteering preferences for 2022.

Annual Dinner

The LFCC Annual Dinner - These award evenings are the highlight of the club’s social calendar, where members old and new can meet and chat as well as finding out who will be presented with the many trophies the club has amassed over the years. Go on, use all those tokens you don't know what to do with as they can be used up to the full value of a ticket. A ticket includes a fee drink (Framework beer or soft drink) and food. We are mindful of the current covid situation and will defer this event if necessary or provide refunds in the worst case.

Audax

We have three audax(es) planned for 2022 all stating local to Leicester:

1. Rutland and Beyond, 100 km - 20/02/2022 - See Audax UK for further details. Why not book now for a post-Christmas focus?

2. Another Slice of Rutland, 200 km - 02/04/2022 - See Audax UK for further details. A beaut of a 200 km, just as the decent weather returns.

3. Kings and Queens of Mercia, 200 km - 28/05/2022, A brand new event, run by no other than our LFCC president. See Audax UK for further details.

Open Time Trials

Provisonal dates as follows:

1. Open 25 TT - 21/05/2022
2. Open 50 TT - 10/07/2022
3. Open 10 TT - 21/08/2022

We are also planning to run our club evening-ten series, 2/6/22 to 7/7/22.

Looking even further ahead we have provisional dates for the road race (17th or 24th September) and the CX race (20th November).

As you can see, we will need a lot of volunteers to run these events, so if you've not specified which event you will help at in 2020, please do so now here.

This coming Sunday (17/10/21) is the annual Polly Botts hill climb. The event is run by Team Bottrill with all proceeds going to the Air Ambulance.

Entry is £5, sign on from 9AM, first rider off 10 AM. Max. 60 riders.

LFCC's three hill climb trophies (Men / Women / Vets) are awarded based on this event. If you're up for winning a trophy or the pure entertainment of the facial expressions, see you there!

On the 21st November LFCC will once again host the LCXL (Leicestershire Cyclocross League) race at Beaumont Leys.

Andreas (our race organiser) is still looking for about 20 volunteers. We are requesting club members to help out on the day, in a variety of roles, to make it happen.

With the 20/21 events haitus, there has been little to no obligation to volunteer your time for the club. You will no doubt remember, within the membership rules for the club is an 'expectation that you will volunteer at at least one event per year'.

The club only works by each of us giving time to it, so please do offer your help unless you really can't.

To offer your help, or to find out more information, please drop Andreas a line at racing@leicesterforest.com

Kostas Somarakis - First ascent of Everest!

Early in 2021 in a careless moment LFCC club member Kostas allowed a thought to enter his mind.

Could he in a single day ride the equivalent height of Everest, 8900 metres? Friends were consulted, vague promises of assistance and advice on a suitable hill were offered in a series of flippant responses that failed to gently enquire about his sanity.

The chosen day arrived – 26th June, closest to the summer solstice (max daylight), Kostas put the bike in the boot and drove out to Terrace Hill near Belvoir Castle, base camp was established and shortly before 6-00 am the assault on Everest began. 115 laps of 0.46 km with an average gradient of 10% lay ahead. Putting it simply this was going to be a brutal slog without respite particularly as ‘Terrace Hill’ has a variable gradient on which it was difficult to find a rhythm.

Never the less a rhythm was established with each lap taking around 6 minutes. Easy!! 6 minutes x 115 laps = 12 hoursincluding a bit of rest; – should be home by 8-00pm latest!!!!

Shortly before 9-00 am I arrived, the first of the promised support team, armed with coffee, water, flapjack, bike and lots of ‘bonhomie’ to supplement the base camp rations of water and energy gels. Coffee and flapjack were consumed with eagerness and sets of 10 laps were encouraged to provide intermediate targets.

But by lap 45 things were beginning to look very challenging. The enormity of the task was slowly sinking in and Kostas was barely beyond the foothills, the ‘South West Face’ of a further 70 laps lay menacingly ahead. It was clear that this was no longer a physical challenge, it was going to take Kostas into some deep holes where courage, and mental strength were going to be tested to breaking point.

By mid-afternoon extra support had arrived, Steve, Ed, Jamie, Henry, Allen and Kostas’ girlfriend Winnie. But the lap times had slowed, and the rest times increased. Winnie had clearly been told that Kostas was expecting an early evening finish and it was left to me to break the tragic news that a finish before 2-00 am would be a good result. This was going to test a relationship.

The laps continued to be ticked off, but an abandonment seemed increasingly likely. Thin encouragement was offered by reeling off the names of inspirational Greek heroes - Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Plato, Hercules, SpiridonLouis, and Kostas Somarakis. But our hero was struggling to smile. Different supporters would saddle up to accompany each lap, Jamie did 28!! I managed 18.

As night fell there were 25 more laps to go. Hot pasta arrived courtesy of Karen, I saddled up to offer some moral supportand for the first time in my cycling career was able to keep pace up a hill with Kostas but he was 7,000 metres ahead of me. As Midnight approached Andreos arrived with fresh legs, the equivalent of a Sherpa carrying extra bottles of oxygen for the final summit push. 10 more laps and it would be done. But, as with all such endurance challenges, the final push is the most difficult, the final 10% is as hard as the first 40%, each turn of the pedals on the steepest section was a mini achievement. As midnight passed and the clock ticked on towards 1-00 pm Kostas was on auto pilot, laps went by in a dreary haze until almost by surprise the summit was there. A final few turns of the pedals and it was finished. No more descending, no more ascending - IT WAS FINISHED!

The line was crossed with a whoop and a cheer – he was emotionally, physically and mentally drained. Kostas had no more to give.

What a guy! Our hero had cycled 257 Km, a fantastic achievement in its own right, but in the process he had ascended 9,130m, or for those who prefer 29,954 feet.

I have total respect for Kostas, the biggest achievement was keeping going, it was far more brutal than he ever imagined, he had to dig deep and continue turning the pedals when every part of his being wanted to stop.

Well done my friend you did it.

Thank you for allowing us all to be part of it.

CHAPEAU KOSTAS – KING OF EVEREST!

Thanks and credit to Graham Dunn for the write up.

Kostas at Lap 20!

It is with great sadness to announce the deaths of Dennis and Pauline Mawby. Dennis died on the morning of August 18th 2021 with Pauline joining him only 4 days later.

Both Dennis and Pauline were involved with Leicester forest Cycling Club from the late 1940s as juniors onwards, Dennis eventually becoming club president. Both were extremely proud Life Members of Leicester Forest Cycling Club and remained fully involved with the club before moving away to Somerset a decade ago. Even at the age of nearly 89 Dennis was still regularly riding his bike around the Somerset levels.

“I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days” seems an appropriate epitath.

Funeral details for those that may wish to attend:

• Mendip Crematorium. Old Wells Road, Croscombe, Wells. BA5 3RR.
• Friday 17th September at 3.30 p.m.
• No Flowers.
• Donations to St. Margaret's Hospice Care. Somerset.

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The sessions are aimed at adult riders considered as Novice or returning to cycling, working in a safe and confined environment concentrating on basic balance, pedal position, cornering, body position, gear selection and all other basic slow speed skills needed to gain confidence to ride comfortably.

If this is you then why not send an email to Rich Bell on captain@leicesterforest.com

LFCC Bursary

The application window for the LFCC bursary is now open until the end of April.

Some of the key aims of Leicester Forest Cycling Club are to nurture ability, encourage talent, foster a sense of adventure and to promote both competition and sportsmanship. To that end, LFCC is pleased to announce a new Annual Bursary and invite its members to get their thinking caps on and apply. The bursary may be awarded to a member (of 2 years) in pursuit of a cycling-related goal.

We have agreed upon a pot of £500, and invite members to apply for bursary awards from that pot.

For full details please see: https://www.leicesterforest.com/members-bursary

Club Kit

The club kit portal is now open until the 28th of April for ordering new club kit. All members should have recieved details of the log-in and the password - if you haven't, please email membership@leicesterforest.com to get the details.

It is with great sadness that the club announces the passing of long time LFCC life member Dot Wood who has died at the age of 93.

Both Dot and her husband Jack Woodford were active in the early politics in cycle racing in the late 1950s. Dot gave evidence at the trial between the National Cycling Union (NCU) and the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC) regarding the advent of cycle racing on the open roads and so can be regarded as instrumental in permission being given for this type of Cycle Racing to take place and as a result of this, the formation in 1959 of the British Cycling Federation, now known as British Cycling.

Both Dot and Jack were life members of Leicester Forest Cycling Club and both were heavily involved in racing. Dot raced a number of Time trials during the 1960s and held a number of club records for some years. She remains the club record holder for the ladies 12 hour time trial. An honour held for nearly 54 years.

Dot variously lived at Syston Leicestershire, Badby near Daventry, Northamptonshire, Chesterfield and in later life near Preston, Lancashire but she always held LFCC and cycle racing close to her heart.

Dot was outspoken, strong willed and independent, but she has always been a wonderful inspiration to others and she will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

The club would like to extend its sympathy to her family, especially her children Jenny and Lionel.

More news - Juvenile 10 TT Record Broken

We are also pleased to annouce that Juri Reidenbach broke the club's juvenile 10 TT record back in October. The previous record was 24:27 set by M Reynolds back in 1986 - Juri broke this with at 24:24 on the T10C course.

Congratulations to Juri and apologies from our awards secretary for taking so long to ratify this!

NB: For reference, if you think you may have broken a club record, have a trophy to return, or have won a trophy, please get in touch with Andy at awards@leicesterforest.com.