Other stuff...

Social event
Laura Williams is organising a club bash at the Lord Nelson on 18th May...

If you want to one of those select 16, then e-mail Laura at laura.williams@st-marys.nhs.uk or ring her on 07771 705998 so she can reserve you a place.

When you do, you must also give Laura your menu selection. Menus can be found on the pub's website www.ipswichlordnelson.com - anything can be chosen from their menus.

Laura needs to have all this information by Friday 11th May.

Simon Palmer

Simon "where have I seen those legs before" Palmer in action at the Diss Duathlon...

On the roads near you in the summer months a bunch of cyclists will gather. They will set off at one minute intervals and race over country roads a distance of ten miles against the clock. Some say it is the purest form of cycle racing. No luck, no help from a peleton, just a race of truth.  How lucky we are as triathletes that these time trials form the perfect form of training for us. It is very kind of the cycling community to provide us with fantastic midweek speed work. If you haven’t tried a time trial then get yourself along. They are usually relaxed, friendly affairs.

Facts

• You can do a time trial on the roads of Suffolk or Essex on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night
   
• You can not enter in advance. You just turn up 30 minutes or earlier before the start, pay your entry fee (usually £2.00) and you will be asked to sign on, given a start time and a number to pin to your back.
   
• You will not be embarrassed by being too slow. It is not a massed start so the last person over the line is not the slowest. Times will vary from 23 minutes to nearly 40 minutes.
   
• The courses are usually on small, quiet country roads and lanes. (not the A14 or A12). There are signs and a marshal or two on the major turns.
   
• The fields are small  - a maximum of 30 riders usually (The Ipswich ones)
   
• Each Cycling club organises time trials on different days of the week
  • Tuesday - Diss or Bungay area
  • Wednesday - Ipswich or Haverhill or Newmarket area
  • Thursday - Lavenham or Tunstall (bi weekly) area
     
• There are usually club members at the Ipswich, Lavenham and Tunstall time trials.

I realise that it can be a bit daunting doing your first time trial. What do you do at the start and at the end? Is there an etiquette what rules do I need to obey? However if you give me a ring 01449 711906, I can find some one to meet you and talk you through the protocols (not that there are that many.)

Regulars at time trials include Lee Bark, Dave Copland, Simon Palmer, Graham White, Will Newland, Helen Farrow, Anne and Grayhame Fish, Maria Reynolds, Susannah Rosenburg, Steve de Boltz,  Matt Donaldson,  Richard Woodward,  Simon Lockwood, Mark Ramsay, Anthony Birt, Dave Husband, Tonya Irving, Emily Fisher etc.

It is one of the best training sessions you can do forget the ultra distance events. Get faster on your bike

Interested in time-trials?

Nik Bestow has compiled these two lists - members are eligible for to compete in both.
Entry is at the race HQ on the day (say 30 mins before the start) where you pay your £2 and get your number.

Stowmarket
START just south of Gardeners Arms PH (race HQ). Proceed towards Stowmarket. Turn left at 'T' junction (with care). Proceed towards Battisford. Take first left after turn to Ringshall, signed Moats Tye/Combs. Pass the Start and retrace course to finish 1/4 mile short of START.

Crowfield
START at southernmost white post at entrance to water tower at Crowfield going towards Hemingstone. Take second left (1.8 miles), WITH CARE onto Gosbeck road and continue north through Gosbeck to junction with B1077, where bear left past Framsden Windmill to junction with A1120. Turn left and continue to Pettaugh, where turn left onto Crowfield road continue to FINISH approx. 100 yds past Rose PH, in line with yellow hydrant on opposite side of road at entrance to New Hall. (Signing-on & parking at The Crowfield Rose PH, close to start)

Henley
Revised measured 10 mile course now starts at end of Clay Lane approx 1mile north of Henley Cross Keys, at the junction of Ashbocking Rd.Proceed to junction with B1078. Turn Sharp left towards Hemmingstone. At Hemingstone, turn left onto un-numbered road signed 'Henley 2' Proceed south through to Henley .Turn left at Five-ways cross-roads. Proceed past Henley School. End of lap one at the top of the hill (Henley Square). Complete another circuit as above and finish at top of the hill adjacent to farm gateway on L/H side of the road. (Signing-on and parking in Henley Community Centre car-park for the ICA evening events).

Tunstall
START on B1078 approx. 0.25 miles from junction with B1084 near Sudbourne (At Forestry Commission Track '30'). Proceed on B1078 northwards through Tunstall village (care on left hand bend in centre of village). Follow B1069 to roundabout at entrance to former Bentwaters Airbase (4.5miles), where retrace route along B1069 & B1078 past start. Turn left onto B1084 to FINISH by large fence post in boundary fence on left, approximately 200yds from 'Five Crossways' south of Sudbourne village.
Race HQ and signing on at the start point.

John Gabriel

...wants to replace  his Adidas top with a smart little grey number

Volunteer incentive scheme (VIS) is introduced by John Gabriel, who becomes VIS Co-ordinator for 2007.

To address that “old chestnut” of Volunteers, the Club is introducing a Volunteer Incentive Scheme (VIS) to reward members who contribute to the running of the Club.

The scheme will work as follows.

Volunteers to be given points for Club duties in accordance with the following table:

Points to be recorded (by V.I.S. Co-ordinator) and when a person has five points they will be awarded a smart lightweight charcoal grey fleece embroidered (left breast) with the words “I help make it happen, Volunteer, Ipswich Triathlon Club”.

Points can continue to be amassed and further incentives introduced, say rain top or a Polo shirt with same embroidery.  Basically it’s a loyalty scheme with the rewards going to the people who do the work.

The fleece, and other items, will be non-event specific and of good quality to encourage people to obtain them even if it’s just to wear after training or posing down the pub.

Look out them being modelled by a few committee members who have already amassed enough points to qualify.

I’ll be including VIS Co-ordinator duties in my existing Committee post for this season and will, with assistance from the Committee & Captains be holding the ‘master’ points list which I’ll publish from time to time.

So if you wish to get hold of one of these smart fleeces get volunteering ASAP and if you think you’ve already earned some points let me know.

These details are also on the website at www.ipswich-tri.org/JOIN/2007-itc-volunteers-scheme.htm

One of our younger members - Phoebe Collinson -  models the red & black...

Please remember that club kit is ordered through Heather Collinson by e-mailing kit@ipswich-tri.org or by ringing 01473-620651 - not by e-mailing ITCH. Heather's address is 14 Spindler Close, Kesgrave, Ipswich, IP5 2DA.

Heather is having some trouble putting together a sufficiently large spring order to meet the minimum order requirements we have with our supplier. So, if you are still only thinking about ordering kit - maybe you've spotted that your winter jacket has worn a bit thin in places and might need replacing before the autumn, or maybe you realise that you would have done more winter mileage if only you'd got around to ordering those fantastic club thermal bib tights - please give Heather a call sooner rather than later.

Click here to download the current price list - including availability as at December 2006 - as a PDF file.

Ady Green

Ady Green with jelly babies at IMUK05.

Junior "Introduction to Triathlon" Day 15th April 2007

The first junior based training event of 2007 was very successful. In the end we had 51 children at the event. Most of the participants were new to the sport. All the children and coaches had an excellent day.

The day took place at Framlingham College and we had extremely warm weather. The event information (compiled in Jan/Feb) had stated watch the weather forecast and bring your rain coat and indoor trainers--- just in case ! It should have said or factor 40 sunblock !!! Hopefully we will have similar weather for the Ipswich Junior Tri on the 26th of August.

The day was run in three age related groups moving between four coaching stations. At the end of the day after short break we ran a mini-event (Duathlon) to give the children a brief feel of racing and use some of their new skills.

This went extremely well and there were good performance by all. Everyone was awarded with a certificate at the end of the day to mark their introduction to the sport.

I would like to thank all the children for their willingness to learn and their exceptional behaviour. I would also like to thank the parents for their support.

My thanks to all the coaches who gave their time to encourage the children to take part in Triathlon without them this would not have been possible. Special thanks must go to John Gabriel (lead coach on the day) for all the support, advice and help in the build up to the event and for being the front man at the event. Also to Matt Claydon and Framligham College who hired us the excellent facilities.

The next training session for juniors will be on 19th of May at Stradbroke Business and Enterprise College SBEC) This will be a run/bike training session. For further information contact myself on 01379 388855 or via juniors@ipswich-tri.org.
(Also see www.ipswich-tri.org/titch for info.)

A further event is also being planned for 23rd of June details TBC.

Adrian

Anyone interested in helping at juniors events please contact Ady by e-mailing juniors@ipswich-tri.org or ringing 01379-388855.

Swimathon by A.Green.

My wife Julia completed the Swimathon (5000m) at Stradbroke Pool in a new PB of 1:21:02 knocking of 2:38 from her previous best (March 2004). This time placed Julia 13th out of 283 in her age group for the whole country.

This is her best time since 2004 mainly because she slipped two discs in her lower back in June 2004 whilst performing a tumble turn. Julia has been training extremely hard since October to achieve this result with a combination of swimming, pilates and the odd weights session.

Adrian