Archive for News

Good Friday Night Ride

April 24, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
night_cycle

On Good Friday at 10pm seven Lincsquad members headed off from Brigg for a night cycle. Instinctively  the group headed off to the Humber Bridge via Elsham and down the A15. The pace soon picked up and we were going through and off at nearly 40mph when I clashed with Dunc coming round the outside to overtake everyone, however somehow we managed to remain upright!!

We stopped on the Humber Bridge to decide on the route for the evening and after a short discussion it was decided to head towards Spurn Point again.

The pace eased as we discovered the wonderful sights and sounds of both Hessle and Hull with everything from cheers, claps and the silky white bottom of a female flasher who some might describe as a 13 pinter!

Once we left the razzle dazzle of Hull the pace soon started to pick up again with each village sign being aggressively fought over. Even the odd long distant solo breaks to ensure victory and the odd distraction techniques that any cold war spy would be proud of!

We stopped for a quick refuel at Easington and nearly called into the local pub, the Marquis Of Granby for a swift half. Nearly! That is if we had been local maybe!!! It was 2am!

So back we headed towards Withernsea with the brisky and risky pace soon returning all the way back to Hull. In the distance near to Hull the bright lights of a BP garage beckoned with the promise of a hot cuppa…. NO!!!! it was shut…
On we rode with yet another garage in sight, this time success and coffees all round. Stenno even treated us all to some cookies, what more do you need.

Then the final stint and off for the Humber Bridge we headed with a “not so shortcut” being taken by me and losing everybody!!! Mr Binch gave me a call on the moby and advised me off my error and said I best get my head down as they were already on the bridge… BUGGER!!

Once off the bridge it was yet another hard session with the group splintering all over the shot and then coming back together again at the turn on the A15 for Wrawby.

Flying down Elsham hill we were greeted with the sight of five cyclists heading up the hill, and the time 3:45am! So we are not the only nutters!!!

“BADGER!” was the scream, WTF!!!! Was it dead, alive??? Was that a speedhump?

Only a mile to go, yes just one mile!!!

CRASH!!! WTF!!!, me and Dunc turned to see Dobber skittling his way down the cyclepath having not seen the kurb sticking out in the middle!!! Ouch Ouch…… then we saw Mr Hinch do a technical dismount that any Olympic Gymnast would be proud of, however he got the last bit wrong and instead of landing on his two feet with his hands outstretched he broke his fall with his head & shoulders (no not the shampoo!).

The shine was taken off the evening a little but both Dobber and Hinchy rode the final mile and hopefully their bruising wont last too long.

So thanks guys, it was Epic

  • Phil Binch
  • Steven Dolby
  • Paul Carvill (me)
  • Dave Hinch
  • Rick Stenton
  • Duncan Wright
  • Rob Wood

Funny, Lincsquad, News, Training , , ,

Oulten Duathlon

April 4, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
Carl Gac

Today saw me traveling over the pennines to Oulten park race track. A little different to other duathlons, and one which i could not stop thinking about having a go at.

The race consisted of a 2 lap run at 8.62K, a 9 lap bike at 38.8K and a 4.31K final run 1 lap, all on the race track. After the poor conditions at Clumber Park I was hoping for the sun to shine, and shine it did after an early shower the race started half hour late in near perfect conditions.
The race started with a mass start, sprint and standard together. As normal I started pretty steady picking it up a little through the race, checking out all the corners for the 9lap bike leg later.
Onto the bike now, this looks fast, Wonder what Jenson Button would think of this course ! I Was overtaking quite a few competitors, going pretty well, After my lesson at Clumber Park hopfully a fading memory now, I held back a little saving myself for later. Timing the first lap I had a near idea I would complete the 9 laps at just over the hour, well that’s my way and it worked.
After a good transition and with my legs feeling heavy I dragged myself round half decently, with about 15 or so athletes overtaking me before the finish, I was well pleased to break 2 hours.

Times

  • Run 8.62k 36.06
  • T1. 0.55
  • Bike 38.8k 1.02.41
  • T2. 0.51
  • Run 4.31k 18.14

Overall 1.58.50

8th age group
Think in top 50 overall

Great race, no potholes, no traffic, just a bit different, there’s another in the Autumn.

Have to wait to see how far off this age group qualifying thingy i am fingers grossed, hoping to have a holiday in Spain if I qualify.

News, Results

My First Multisport Race

March 12, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
dobber

Steve Dolby shares his experience at the recent Clumber Park Duathlon

After the excitement of the local duathlons set by Dan Broughton and Dave Hinch I was really looking forward to my First official multi sport event of my very short sporting career.

The morning of the event started with the alarm rattling away at 4.30 as Mrs Dobber and the Mini Dobber Lincsquad support team wanted to be up and away bright and early. A bowl of over cooked porridge and a couple of nut bars later we was on our way to Clumber Park.

As we arrived third in the cue at the gate (best position I was going to get on the day) reality started to kick in a bit. Yep, the race was here and I was running and representing the club for the first time. We parked up and strolled over to the registration area in our team Lincsquad hoodies (1 degree at this point) to look over our shoulders to see other Lincsquad hoodies trotting over the park. That looked so cool and put my nerves at ease immediately.

With several text messages from other lincsquad members wishing me and the others all the best and also the other Lincsquad competitors doing the same it was nearly time to start the race. Just needed to double check the transition area…..
My bike was set up, this was after some help from a bloke next to me as I didn’t really know what I was doing…..First timer and all that…… Shoes on the floor and helmet sat in the ready position……All my prep work was now complete.
A couple of stretches later and the second wave was about to go off. 321…Bang and we had started the 10k run. Apart from the hilly course which I had not previously done an official 10k on, I had set my heart at getting a PB. Up hill and down dale we went and to my pleasure I was feeling quite good.

The cheers from the Lincsquad supporters certainly helped around the course. I couldn’t keep up with the boys though as they started to disappear in to the distance. In my mind was comments from other club members…’Run your own race’. That is what I did and came over into transition knocking 3 minutes of my previous 10k time. Nice one I thought!! Even though Jo Walker started 8 minutes after me and over took me before the end of the first run…….Wow!!!!!!
I thought transition was a little strange though as previously my bike was one of hundreds on rack 2 but now it appeared to be the only one left!! Blimey the others were already flying around the 40k bike circuit…. Anyway that was not the only thing. A little dazed and disorientated I looked down to get my bike shoes on and I thought they had been moved!!!!!! I was only looking in the wrong area about a metre away from my bike!! Dohhh!!
Off I went running out of transition and on to the bike. All was going well until my chain came off! Again previous advice from the club members and I managed to lean down and without falling off, put my chain on! Phew! That was close….Only for it to happen again about 30 seconds later.
3 miles to go and I started to blow a bit. Anyway, this guy came whizzing past me so I thought, breather time!! Get on his back wheel for a minute to have a rest!! It went OK until the marshal on his motorbike came level with me and shouted ‘192 find your own space’ I thought cheeky bugger!! This other bloke was in my space!! I suppose the rules are there to stop people trying to grab a quick lift………..Never mind!!
The last 5k run was beckoning and after I had got out of transition and the crowds of supporters had been left behind it all started to get a bit lonely! The legs felt like lead and I had to go up that blooming hill again!! Thinking about all the support that had turned up on the day gave me a real boost at this point as some had even ridden over to cheer us along. Awesome guys..top job.
Finish line was now fast approaching and that was it…..My first multi event was all over!!

Thank you to all the Lincsquad supporters and Lincsquad competitors for all your support before, during and after the race. Makes me proud to be part of such a FAB club!!

All the best Steve Dolby :)

Lincsquad, News ,

Sports Club of the Year 2011

March 11, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
North Lincs Leisure & Culture Awards

The North Lincolnshire Leisure and Culture Awards take place every year to recognise and reward the outstanding achievements that volunteers have made.

Lincsquad was awarded “Sports club of the year” after coming runners up in 2010. This is a real credit to all the people involved in making Lincsquad what it is today. I originally started the club in 2007, however it would not be where it is today without the committment from numerous individuals.

This year the club has seen another growth spurt and again its great to see people who want to be involved and make things happen. So a big congratulations to all.

Alan Rayment was also awarded “Disabled sports achiever of the year” so big hats of to Alan who continues to drive the sport forward and in particular triathlon.

The awards are grouped into categories that you, the people of North Lincolnshire, can nominate for. You can nominate the person or group you think deserves recognition for their contribution or achievements in leisure, arts, heritage or community settings in North Lincolnshire.

This year Lincsquad received a record amount of nominations and nearly crashed the system.

Feature, Lincsquad, News

Kirmington Muddy Duathlon

February 6, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
kirmington_york

16 hardy competitors and plenty of supporters turned out on a dry Sunday morning for the Kirmington MUDDY Duathlon.

Although the weather was fine on the day, some heavy rain over the last few days had made the tracks and fields very muddy and slippery.

A short race briefing to confirm route and directions and they were off.

Phil Binch took advantage of the road section and stretched out the field, followed closely by Mark York & Rob Wood, through the woods and the stream, there was nothing in it coming into T1.

Phil was first out of T1 on the mountain bike, but Mark York, Dan Broughton & Rob Wood soon caught him a mile or so later in the first field and pulled away.

Rob Wood recorded the fastest mountain bike section in a time of 41:11, with Lincsquad newcomer Chris Ware recording the second fastest bike section, only 8 seconds behind.

Rob was first into T2, with Mark York & Dan Broughton close behind.

Then disaster, Rob turned left out of transition instead of right, he didnt hear the shouts from his fellow competitors and continued on, repeating the 2 mile run route from earlier, instead of the 1 mile run route around Kirmington.

Mark & Dan ran around the 1 mile route together, wondering who would make the first move, with 300 metres to go, they both went for it and Mark sprinted up the last incline to take the win by just 4 seconds.

About a minute behind was Andrew Lawson on his first Lincsquad off road Duathlon finishing in 3rd place after recording the 5th fastest mountain bike section (only 69 seconds slower than the fastest bike split) and 2nd fastest final run.

Events, Lincsquad, News, Results, Training

This bike helmet saved my life

January 29, 2011 Paul Carvill No comments
Steve Clark with the remains of his broken cycle helmet, which helped save his life

Steve Clark with the remains of his broken cycle helmet, which helped save his life!

Steve Clarks recent accident involving a bus has re-opened an age old debate on whether cycle helmets should be made compulsary.

British quadrathlon champion Steve Clark, from Bottesford, was involved in a collision with a bus when on a 30-mile training ride.

He escaped with minor injuries, but said it would have been much worse without the helmet.

You can read more of the story in the Scunthorpe Telegraph

At Lincsquad we strongly recommend the use of helmets, however they are not compulsary when training. In most of our organised events and races they are compulsary both in view of safety and also to satisfy rules laid out by the specific governing body related to an event. This is also becoming a stipulation laid out by many of the event insurance providers.

I personally prefer to wear a helmet and also hope that this sets an example to my children, and although I agree that it’s an individuals choice and should remain that way I am an advocate of”wearing a helmet”

News ,

Snow hits Humberside

December 1, 2010 Paul Carvill No comments
snow003

Humberside Police are experiencing significant calls for service due to the weather as are our partner agencies. We are asking the public to consider whether calls are essential before ringing and also to expect an increased response time.

As the bad weather continued across the region Humberside Police are still advising motorists to take extra care and drive according to the weather conditions.

The weather has left a number of roads across our region difficult to drive on and in some places poor visibility.

Rural roads have been particularly affected especially in the North Lincolnshire area. People are urged to travel only if it is essential.

The message being sent out today is that if you dont have to travel then don’t and please take care even if you are walking to your destination.

There have been no reports of any major incidents this morning, however the roads in the area that are causing some issues are:

The Humber Bridge was closed earlier but has now reopened with a 30mph speed limit.

The River Ancholme has all but disappeared!, Brigg has never seen such weather!!

And there is more to come……

Funny, News, Training , ,

Humber Sprint Tri 2010

October 4, 2010 Paul Carvill No comments
hatfield_tri

Lincsquad take team prize and title. Sunday 3rd of October saw another great turnout for Lincsquad in the Humber Sprint triathlon.
Lincsquad actually won this event earlier in the year but couldn’t bask in their glory as it was incorrectly awarded to Barracudas.
No such problems this time although Lincsquad had to draft in the on form Steve Clark to make certain as only the top 3 from each team counted towards the prize.
 
The 9 strong contingent didn’t have it easy when met with atrocious weather conditions and a revamped extension to the bike course to 14.5 mile long. In fact, the course had a few changes in that the swim transition was further than last time but thankfully the run was slightly shorter. Maybe the organizers took pity on us having already extended the bike course?
 
Somebody who didn’t seem to mind the rain was motorbike racer Dave Hinch who capitalized on the over-cautious riders down the hills to finish just 3 places behind his season long nemesis and good mate Rob Wood. Long may that rivalry continue. Paul Ralph narrowly missed out on a top 50 position after a creditable performance. Paul, pop over and have a chat next time mate as some of us are still looking to put a face to the name.
 
Amanda Clements certainly knows how to pick her first triathlon, talk about a baptism of fire in those conditions. Still, not to be deterred Amanda put in a great performance before shooting off and missing the team photo, next time Amanda.
Getting the taste from last week’s Brigg Sprint, Becky Bowen and Kate Lancaster couldn’t let this end of season opportunity escape without having one last blast. Whether they secretly rued this decision when looking out of the window at 05:30 that morning who knows? Their high spirits at the end of the race would indicate they made the right decision. Both girls put in some good times and even Kate’s puncture couldn’t dampen her enthusiasm or was that because she won a ‘spot prize that was better than Clarky’s?
 
Phil Gibbs, following his top ten placing at last weeks Brigg Sprint was a valuable assett towards the Team prize. Phil’s ever impressive running saw him take eleventh spot, rubber stamping the top 3 highest positions.
 
Lincsquad’s superhero Steve Clark didn’t quite get it his own way this week but not through want of trying. Losing his timing chip in the pool only encouraged the British National Quadrathlon Champion to battle even harder. Despite being almost half a length behind me in the pool he’d eaten into that lead down the 300m run into transition and was out of T1 and onto the bike before me!!!
After yet another strong bike leg from Steve he knew he couldn’t let up on the run with his rivals breathing down his neck. A superb run saw Steve take the second place prize overall and more chocolate muffins to go with the plaudits.
 
For me, the swim went well but I must remember the run to transition is still part of the race! My bike leg was poor and it didn’t help watching Clarky ride off into the distance when my chain fell off. The run (for me) wasn’t too bad but still nowhere near good enough to challenge the top boys. Must try harder throughout the winter! Second in my age group was nice though. I don’t think my chain falling off would have had any bearing on that result anyway. My 7th along with Phil’s 11th and Steve’s 2nd was enough to hold off competition from Barracudas and the well supported Racing TNT team.
 
1  Rich Hunt  01:01:59 Senior 1 Male TRI KUDU 00:06:25 11 4 00:01:05 00:38:02 36.8 km/h 1 1 00:00:33 00:15:53
2nd  Steve Clark        01:03:32  Sen (2nd)    6:05            1:06        39 ish                      16:21(3)
7th  Steve Grocock    01:07:39  Vet (2nd)     5:55 (5)      1:05    00:41:05  (5)    0.43     18:50(36)
11th  Phil Gibbs          01:10:40  Vet (4th)     6:52 (18)    1:32    00:43:44 (13)   0.51     17:40(15)
40th  Rob Wood         01:17:29  Sen (23rd)  11:11 (119)  1:15   00:44:56  (19)  0.40    19:26 (49)
44th  David Hinch       01:19:09  Vet (14th)  09:15 (88)   1:31   00:45:59  (26)   1:04    21:19 (73)
53th  Paul Ralph         01:21:26  Vet (20th)  08:47 (76)   1:48   00:49:10  (46)   0:48    20:52 (68)
114th  Becky Bowen   01:42:56 Sen (19th)  11:08 (118)  3:07   00:58:54  (99)   1:52    27:54 (123)
120th  A Clements     01:46:52  Sen (23rd)  10:52 (114)  4:04   01:03:49  (113)  1:56   26:10 (113)
127th  K Lancaster     01:55:29  Sen (26th)  10:34 (109)  3:22   01:15:36  (126)  1:40    24:16 (106)

Events, Lincsquad, News, Results ,

Derby 2 Pembroke Charity Ride

September 11, 2010 Paul Carvill No comments
derby2pembroke_100910_303

The 7th & 8th September saw the charity ride organised by Paul Carvill in aid of “Pembrokeshire Cancer Support” raise a grand total of £6000. The ride was generously supported by the company he works for Shaw Group UK Ltd.

Also joining Paul was fellow Lincsquadders Andy Veitch and Steve Clark. The journey was from Derby to Pembroke over 2 days which coverered 240 miles of minor and major roads. They also covered by chance one of the major stage routes for this years Tour of Britain.

Full story below….

On the 8th September a group of cyclists set of from Derby with the intention of cycling to Pembroke in just two days. The route consisted of nearly 240 miles of mainly A & B roads winding down from the East Midlands to South Wales. So what inspired this journey, and why Pembrokeshire Cancer Support? Shaw Group UK Ltd are currently constructing five HRSG boilers for Alstom Power at the new 2000MW RWE Power Station at Pembroke. On numerous occasions I have had the pleasure of having to drive from Derby to Pembroke and vice versa which even in a car is a tortuous journey, which many of my colleagues will confirm.

While speaking on the telephone to a colleague who was making their way to Pembroke from Derby in typical monsoon summer weather, I had the sadistic thought of actually cycling there. The thought would not leave me and started to grow so much that I actually found myself starting to plan the route!! I then ran the idea past a couple of Directors who thought it would be a good challenge and potentially generate a bit of money for a local charity. The idea was now reality and set the date of the 8th & 9th September to do it.

Initially the plan was to do the ride solo, however a number of people thankfully asked if they could join me and the team was set. Paul Carvill (myself), Andy Veitch, Steve Clark, Rob Holland and Jamie Barlow

It was then I decided to look for a local charity to Pembroke and spent a little time googling various charities until I came across Pembrokeshire Cancer Support. I telephoned them and was put through to a Lyn Neville who very enthusiastic about the challenge and also explained what the charity was about. We also discussed getting the charity registered with the website JustGiving.com as from previous experience really helps to reach out further. So now the charity was set and it was just a case of putting it all together. As there were now five of us I decided to look at the option of a support vehicle to carry our gear and food etc. We also needed a driver and John Richardson from our IT department volunteered for this arduous task and turned out to be a real superstar. We also worked a way for everyone to be able to track our progress live which proved popular.

Day1: Derby to Llandrindod Wells (140mls)

So all it meant now was to “do it” and on the morning of the 8th Sept I, Andy, Steve and Jamie met for breakfast just after 6am. We were all very quiet and realising the task ahead was here, the first day seeing us pedal nearly 140 miles! We met Rob at Shaw Group UK HQ at 7:30am with a number of people making the effort to come and wave the crazy fools off!! The weather cold but clear off we set, first destination Newport the other side of Stafford. We used a GPS for navigation that took a little while to get used to and saw us take a number of wrong turns early on, also losing the support van in the process.

It all came back together when we reached Uttoxeter and the weather was looking good with a slight tail wind. Reaching Newport we stopped for a coffee and was soon on our way again with the next stop been Newtown. The pace was relentless with some big turns on the front seeing paces of 25mph plus and fracturing the group a little on some of the climbs. The team was showing some signs of fatigue on the run into Newtown and conversation was of the minimum, however it soon returned after tucking into some mega calorie food at the Little Chef.

The next leg saw us take the main A483 to Llandindod Wells which would see us complete the first day, coincidentally this was also the route for the Tour of Britain stage on the following Monday (13th Sept). The pace started to pick up as people could see the end of the first day, however the team all arrived safely at Holly Farm in LLandrindod Wells. Peggy Hatton had found us a quiet B&B where we could also store our bikes; however the Landlady was shocked when we asked for breakfast at 7am. You had to be there!

Day 2: Llandrindod Wells to Pembroke (100mls)

After a relatively tame breakfast we left the farm and headed out on to what I can only describe as a lumpy road. We were either climbing or descending and it made for a long morning while also trying to find a comfortable way to sit on the saddle. Miraculously the sun was shining on us after all the rain had dropped during the night. Our first destination was Carmarthen which we were all pleased to see and after struggling to find a café we decided to hit McDonalds! John took a picture of us scoffing and little did we know at the time how far and wide this picture would go!

The next destination was Tenby and after an agonising climb up the main A477 which saw a bit of a traffic jam form behind us, we all tucked into fresh coffee at Dennis Café. The final leg was here Tenby to Pembroke and although tired we all started to feel the sense of achievement. We all cycled into Pembroke and knew we had done it, with a few of us doing a little extra to ensure that we clocked over 100 miles for the day. …and not one puncture between all five of us for the whole of the 240 miles, unbelievable!!

We had a welcome drink and buffet at the Harlequin Rugby Club and we sat down to discuss how much we had finally raised. Our initial target was £2000 and it soon became clear we had smashed this, the generous donations by all we had now reached a staggering figure of £6000.

The next day we presented the cheque for £6000 to the trustees of Pembrokeshire Cancer Support and they congratulated us all on our successful ride and fundraising.

Charity, News

Hatfield Tri 2010

July 25, 2010 Paul Carvill No comments
hatfield_tri_2010

25th July brought the 12th running of the Hatfield Triathlon with Lincsquad well represented with Lewis, Chris, Matt and Lauren doing their first open water Triathlon.

Overall winner was Tim Ashelford from Leeds Bradford Tri in a time of 01:04:45.

Lincsquad performed well to take 2nd (1st open senior), 7th with Steve Grocock, 9th Pete Connolly, 16th Lewis Purcell (1st Novice) , 30th Chriss Gibb (1st Novice over 50), 45th Lauren York (2nd Female Junior),84th Matt Porter and 90th Paul Ralph.

Lauren York had the fastest swim out of the Squadders with a time of 10:22 which included T1 and it was the 2nd fastest time of the day. Steve Grocock set the pace on the bike with a split of 37:21 the 3rd fastest split of the day. Steve Clark put in the fastest run from the club 17:26 3rd fastest of the day.

Full results

Pos  Name         Swim Pos      Bike  Pos     Run  Pos     Time     Age Group

2nd Steve Clark 11:05 8th      37:30 5th   17:26 3rd   01:06:01 1st

7th Steve Grocock 11:30 9th   37:21 3rd   20:15 30th 01:09:06 4th

9th Peter Connolly 13:52 35th  39:11 10th 17:56 8th 01:10:59 5th

16th Lewis Purcell 16:43 78th   39:23 11th 17:30 5th 01:13:36 5th

30th Chris Gibb 16:16 74th       42:14 27th 19:29 23rd 01:17:59 4th

45th Lauren York 10:22 2nd      48:10 79th 21:44 52nd 01:20:16 2nd

84th Matt Porter 14:47 54th     49:58 88th 24:54 80th 01:29:39 32nd

90th Paul Ralph 19:56 101st      48:07 77th 24:34 78th 01:32:37 23rd

Good Racing everyone!!!

Lincsquad, News, Results
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