Please be aware, we have changed the meeting point for our next ride…

 Our next ride will be on Wednesday, 25^th August.

We will meet at the Robin Hood Pub on Bluebell Hill.

 We will ride away from the car park at 7pm. Please be ready to go before then.

 The Pub’s address is:

The Robin Hood
364 Common Road
Blue Bell Hill, Chatham
Kent
ME5 9RJ

 http://www.therobinhood-pub.co.uk/index.cfm?pageID=1

We usually ride for about two and a half hours.

The pace is steady and we will not leave you behind.

We intend to ride across the motorway bridge and into Cobham woods.

Then back to the pub.

 Please make sure you have a helmet a set of lights and a puncture repair kit.

Some of the ride will be on the road.

We cannot guarantee to be back before it is dark.

During the Tour De France Team Columbia HTC are riding the new scott F01 aero road bike.

Click on the links below to check it out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rideonscott/sets/72157624283867929/show/

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-tech-scott-project-f01-aero-road-bike

Medway Velo Cycling Club

Are organising a trip to an indoor velodrome at Calshot Track near Southampton.

It is going to be on the weekend of 17th and 18th July 2010.

One night accommodation (Bed and Breakfast) will be included.

Saturday on the velodrome from 2pm to 5pm.

Sunday on the velodrome from 2pm to 5pm.

Total cost for the weekend is £50-00

There are limited spaces available, so please let us know asap if you are interested.

To book please call Victory Cycles on 01634 365892

It will be a coached training session. There will be special coaching for first time track riders.

A perfect opportunity to lose your track virginity!

There are Dolan bikes of all sizes available for hire at the track. These will need paying for on the day at the track reception.

There are four Medway Velo Club track bikes for hire. These will be assigned on a ‘first come first serve’ basis to club members at a cost of £5-00 per bike. (This is to pay for the maintenance and upkeep).

If you are taking your own bike, there is a track gear restriction of 81 inches (49 X 16 sprocket).

The track is an excellent way to improve you bike handling skills and offers something to every kind of cyclist, at all abilities.

If you have any questions or want more information you can call us here at the shop.

Bike radar Live Brands Hatch 10th-11th July 2010

we will be working on the scott stand at Bike Radar live

come and have a look at the lastest bikes from Scott and many,many others!

Tickets and information

Victory Cycles June MTB Ride

Our next ride will be on Wednesday, 30th June.

We will meet at the new location FourFourTwo Club in Gillingham.

We will ride away from the car park at 7pm. Please be ready to go before then.

The Club’s address is:

44Two Sports and Social Club

Featherby Road

Gillingham

Kent

ME8 6AN

We usually ride for about two and a half hours.

The pace is steady and we will not leave you behind.

Please make sure you have a helmet and a set of lights.

Some of the ride will be on the road.

We cannot guarantee to be back before it is dark.

At the finish of Paris Roubaix

On the 6th of June 2010 Richard, Steve and members of the Medway Velo Clube rode the 255km route of the ‘Hell of the north’ Paris-Roubaix Here is a review of the Scott CR1 by Rob Kennison.

Monday, 14 June 2010
Scott CR1 v Paris Roubaix

I was lucky enough to have the loan of a Scott CR1 Pro bike for the recent Paris Roubaix Cyclo Sportive. With a frame ‘designed to absorb shock and vibration’, I was interested if it would really help rider comfort over such a demanding course.
My first impressions as I collected the bike were of a well specced machine with eye-catching graphics, closer inspection revealed chunky carbon drop outs, and wide flat seat and chain stays profiled to give considerable vertical flex whilst retaining lateral stiffness, this the graphics informed me is Scott Damping System (SDS).
Collecting the bike a full week before the event enabled me to tweak the position, something which took perseverance, as the CR1 has a considerably longer head tube and shorter top tube than my normal bike, however after a few training spins I got a set up which felt very comfortable. Replacing the stock Mavic Ksyriums with handbuilt thirty six spoked Roubaix ’specials’ from Victory Cycles, 25mm Panaracer Duro Tyres and adding a second layer of bar tape completed the Pro look.
My initial impressions were that the CR1 really did reduce road buzz, eating the irregularities that are a feature of our roads down here in Kent, consequently I was finishing rides with less fatigue than I’d experience on my Addict. But, and it’s a big ‘but’ how would it fare on the pave of the Hell of the North?”

The first 100k of the P-R are on good roads and other than a slight detour our group stuck together well as we took turns to wind down the kilometres until we entered “Hell”. Leaving the first checkpoint at Bohain we felt the tension build as the notorious pave was only 16k away, also and worryingly to me it started to rain, bearing in mind I was riding with metal pins in my elbow following a crash in Ronde Picardie, I was becoming concerned. By the time we reached the first sector at Troisville the roads were awash.

Hitting the cobbles at the front of our group I followed my brother, Richard and keeping to the crown of the road we sped across the broken surface, as the lightening crashed around us. As if by miracle my elbow was fine, in fact everything seemed fine, the tyres gripped and the comfort level was acceptable.

We continued to attack the cobbles and ease off across the tarmac sections, passing dozens of struggling riders on the way, this was a tricky process on the pave, as we had to drop from the raised crown of the road into the flooded gutters, many times I braced myself for the hidden pot hole that would devour my front wheel, fortunately I never found it. We made fantastic progress, Richard generally leading on the rough stuff as we clattered over these historic sectors. In my previous 3 Roubaix’s there came a time when I cried “enough cobbles!” However this time it never happened, even the Tranchee D’Arenburg failed to break me, or my bike.

We were now in the area where the true heroes of Roubaix built their legend, and Richard, was building his, I was hanging on whilst he demonstrated his incredible bike handling skills to conquer the cobbles.

Eventually the miles and the cobbles took their toll, I lost the will to overtake on the pave and as we traversed the last three sectors Richard disappeared into the distance, waiting for me as we hit the tarmac again. I was now in full survival mode and gulping down gels and drink in an effort to stave off the inevitable, fortunately we were close to the velodrome and my weary body managed one last rally as the end was in sight. Coasting round the bankings of the famous track Richard and I shook hands, happy to finish a fantastic event.

Soon we were on the bus home sharing stories with our comrades who had battled across those damned roads and emerged from Hell with a better understanding of just how tough the life of a pro is.

Monday morning dawned and I reflected upon the CR1, had it lived up to expectations? My body said “yes”, previous Roubaix’s had left me with swollen knuckles and aches from wrists to shoulders, this time nothing other than sore legs, only to be expected after 170 miles.

So to sum up the CR1, great bike for less than perfect surfaces, perfect for sportive riders, a bit soft for racing, but that’s why they make the Addict I guess.

For our next evening ride 26/05/2010 we have Scott Technical Manager and multiple national champion Nick Craig joining us. (Don’t worry he will be riding at a nice leisurely pace).