Third training session at Brantingham on 17th January: The weather prospects didn’t look promising with rain, sleet and snow forecast for the afternoon.

 

Richard and I didn’t expect many riders to run up. Fortunately we couldn’t have been more wrong; not just about the weather, the rain stopped for the whole of the session, but also the riders – 50 altogether, including another fifteen new faces this year.

 

We started with seven groups, split by half a minute, where 7 started in group one, 5 in group two, 7 in group 3, 9 in group 4, 8 in group 5, 7 in group 6, and 6 in group 7. Funny how 80% of them wanted to start in group two.

 

There was, unfortunately, an incident on lap 3 which caused us a bit of concern. One of the groups took the corner wide at Ellerker cross-roads on to the main road in the path of a police car, causing the police driver to have words with Garry marshalling there.

 

The policeman came to the finish where Richard humbled himself explaining the training session and eventually tranquility resumed – the policeman actually smiled at us on Brantingham corner – thanks Richard.

 

The message is clear. Please, please, please don’t take any risks – it’s only training. The whole year is in front of you, and you are the ones who’ll get hurt. It’s just as much learning to adjust to a marshal’s signal, as it is to come off the right side from an echelon in a side wind.

 

Here are the lap times:

 

[table id=51 /]

 

Whilst talking to the police we missed some times; not a problem but in the meantime some of the groups merged and separated so tracking was impaired.

Group one is the easiest for us to track and you can see that they pushed a bit harder on lap four which saw Mark Walker and another lad lose almost half a minute. They never got back.

 

Good to see Neil Cleminshaw joining the fold and enjoying it again – the first time this year. Damian Evington came to see us also confessing that he’s not as fit as he used to be.

 

I was doubtful about a well wrapped-up rider joining in group one in the first session this year. Of course he turned out to be OK in that group. I felt a bit of a fool on Saturday when I asked him if he was OK up there, I hadn’t picked his name up. He’s Robbie Krygson, a Swift rider who regularly turns out 18 minute 10s. I’m pleased when he told me he’s enjoying the sessions.

 

It was a bit disappointing that we were a bit short of help, but thanks again to Garry Fulstow and Terry Jackson, and also to Pete Kitching – he was once a good roadman in the bad old days of the BLRC.

 

Jim Sampson
Coach

 

Photos from Jim’s Winter Training Session #3

 

Photos courtesy of Jim Sampson. Many thanks to Jim, Richard Guymer and all the helpers for their efforts.