Battle for Hastings :: 21st August 2016

Bike ride from Ashford to Hastings (and back) 

This is an opportunity to have a ‘fairly’ long ride with your club mates then enjoy and ice-cream before returning home feeling tired but GREAT about your achievement.

However, should you want to speed your way from the Julie Rose Stadium to Hastings Pier (like an arrow from the bow of an ancient king) then the time to beat, the ATC club record, set by Alex Milne in 2015 is: 1hr:21mins:54seconds

Battle for Hastings

Time: 8:00 am from JRS car park

Date: Sunday 21 August 2016

Distance: over 30 miles each way, depending upon your chosen route.

Paul Barron will be leading a group, suitable for all members, taking a route via Appledore and Winchelsea seafront. We shall stay together as a group and return as a group – unless you decide to catch a train or get someone to take you home from Hastings.

If you intend to make your own way then you choose your own route.

This ride is appropriate for any cycling mates you wish to bring along – it will be a happy group!

Post Race Report :: Julie Abbott :: Trophies Glitter on a Cloudy Day for Ashford Tri Club Members at Duathlon

IMG_4927The Sprint Duathlon, the first Championship Race of the year, took place on Sunday 20th March 2016 at the Gravesend cyclopark.  The weather was not very cheerful but the bright blue of team colour brightened the skies as 19 members of ATC tacked the 5km run, 20km cycle and then another 5km run. For 6 members this was their first Duathlon or Multi-Sport event.

ATC members Alex Milne won the event overall with Jon Pearce bagging 3rd place.  Sally Aspital also took 3rd place ladies. There was also an ‘over 40’s’ winners awards, of which ATC members took many including all 3 Women’s placings with Karen Allnutt, Dee Hogwood and Mandy Cooper taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd – all of whom were first timers!

So the Club Champions this weekend were Alex Milne and Sally Aspital.

Alongside the Sprint Race, a Standard Distance race was held consisting of 10km run, 40km cycle and 5km run with 2 ATC members taking part. Mark Fairbrother and Andrew Brackley won 2nd and 3rd in the ‘over 40’ category.

Results can be found here.

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Adrian Heathfield to compete in the York Para-cycling series TT

img_1977This Saturday (5th March 2016) Adrian is competing in the York Para-cycling series TT. Adrian taking part has been funded by the ATC captains fund.

In the morning they assess for what category Adrian will compete in (which will be C4) and then a 10TT late afternoon. It’s Adrian’s first para-cycle race and will be a good test leading up to more testing with GB Para-cycling and the British TT and road championships in April.

C4 is the second least impaired category and you are assessed on functionality not just on a fixed disability. For more information on the categories click here.

We wish Adrian the best of luck in his events.

 

Triathlete Makes it 5 Marathons in 5 Days

Ashford Tri Club member Steve Williams took on the challenge of 5 marathons in 5 days and smashed it in style. Running along the coastlines of Kent at Herne Bay, Birchington, Margate, Folkestone and Dymchurch, the weather throw as many challenges as it could but Steve managed each marathon in under 4hours! Fellow club members joined him with Karen Allnutt completing the Folkestone and Dymchurch races back to back, while Jon Cearns, Julie Abbott and Amanda Nicholson completed 1 each at Birchington and Folkestone.

On the Sunday, other club members took part in the Brett Half Marathon and 10k race from the Julie Rose Stadium, Ashford. Ross Sadd ran the half marathon in 1hr31m, taking 7th overall and 1st for ATC members.

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I must seem a bit of an old crock…

Hi Ashford Tri Club/ 666 run organisers,

I must seem a bit of an old crock and have been running cross country for over 60 years (not that I feel the least but old).

I just wanted to write to say that I thought the race yesterday through Challock forest was superb, one of the best anywhere. The organisation, as last year, simply perfect. Not patronising, yet comforting enough for the bevy of younger women who took part (someone should have recorded (sound and video) the first 100 meters!).

The course seemed easier this year, especially on the way out (reconditioned forestry tracks).

Though on the return 1/2, what a brilliant platform for proper Brit-suitable cleated shoes – I, with many others found my shoes woefully un-grippy).

Being on the six foot side (somehow taller when running) your head traps caught be out a few times (branches thicker than expected hitting head). But all’s fair in love and mud pies.

Up Megaphone Climb near the camera obscura, at the top, someone’s loose and gorgeous greyhound managed to fell me, and a stony impact on knee didn’t help my fall. But that was nothing to what I did all by myself on spraining my ankle badly, less than a mile from the finish. So peeving.

Today my foot is elevated, iced, compressed and blue. And I’m still purring with contentment at the friendly atmosphere and superb circuit, marshalling, etc of the race.

You asked for feedback. Well a big thumbs up from here.
Suggestions to improve it …

What could be done about parking … don’t know. But fly-parking just about worked out OK for us.

The early race queue (for the first 1/2 mile). It would be nice if the gentler ladies and gents who struggle in mud could be persuaded not to jump ahead of the queue and cause backlogs. But maybe that’s all part of the challenge.

I didn’t try to leave my tracksuit in your tent (though assume I could have), but should have as hopping chilled down the road to the car after the race wasn’t such fun. Regrettably I missed the camaraderie and fun of the after race milling.

I really can’t think of how you could better the race. Perhaps a detour into truck mire around mile 2, just to spice up the out-leg. But then that long gentle descent is all part of lulling folks before the Flint Ramp wake-up.

Oh, maybe put a Google Earth track on the circuit on your web site (not that vertical dimensions on GE are accurate).

All in, great stuff. Many congrats. And thanks a lot.

Hal