Festive Fun

 Last night was the end of season race night, for all ages and abilities...Pies and Pursuits...the Pies being mince pie prizes!

The pursuits were 8 lap (2 km) long in teams of three or four ( time taken on the third over the line) and there were also team sprints...start with three and the lead rider peels off after a lap, same again then one to finish.

And the commissaires had fun as well.....

I had to get a shot of her hat...

And the riders did too...

You can guess who won the pursuit (after several rounds)...

My club womens team

Our Transplant Star

And home late... getting back as the Weather kicked in!!

Weekend busy

 Not officialling, not racing, just being with friends. 

Being able to give a little advice or a hand to hold a bike when someone is working on the other end..being useful.  Our club kit is the black red and white.

Being appreciated more than I'd ever expect...

Most knew Pirate...and are sad that he isn't here to enjoy the weekend...but are glad to see me. That's nice!

Velodroming

 Much catching up over the past two days..and another to come..I hope to miss out on Sunday!

Helping my clubmate race as well...one bronze and one silver so far.

Pirate's elder daughter came over from Bristol..I had photos and papers and clothes for the three of them..we had a good couple of hours chatting.

Repeated again with a friend who used to be joint secretary of the allotment society in Cwmcarn, with me.

Then up to see son #3...and got fed supper and invited to stay overnight. Their son was staying over at his girlfriend's home, so there was a bed spare!

Son #1 came over this afternoon to the Velodrome and saw a lot of his contemporaries racing....he needs to do a lot more riding to get that fit!!

He fitted a new rear wiper on my car , then we went for a walk before I faced the traffic back to Somerset. That took an hour more than usual with traffic backed up over ten miles going down from Bristol, as a campervan had broken down in the middle lane of the motorway .

Rest and repeat tomorrow..and I am going to check the map for less congested roads....the main culprit is the roadworks on the new Severn bridge....

Weekend

 Once a month on a Saturday, the youth cycling club in Johnstone...the Johnstone Jets..organise a day long competition at Glasgow Velodrome.

Monsters of Track...in other words the youngsters! The future of track cycling...three under sixteen groups in two year age bands, with so many in one that there are separate boys and girls' races. They are running with full fields of 24, which is the track limit for a 250m track like this..it varies according mainly to length but also width, both of which are fairly standard for indoor velodromes. Add to that , Women's events and open events...anyone over 16.  Each in turn, every time I the same order so that you know which group is going on..and five events each group.

We managed to arrive just after midday, a little before the lunch break. ( The commissaires...judges...need a half time break!)

It was great to see riders from our club...three women..racing. 

Then to add to that our Fife friend turned up unannounced...making a good day great.  Pirate had the best of times watching the racing and talking to friends (and so did I)

Today we had a slow start, but as the clouds lifted we had a walk along the Big Hedge to check on the birds and down to a pond to see if the frogspawn was there..a bit early for that!

We heard chaffinches, saw great tits and blue tits, sparrows and dunnocks, rooks and gulls...by the river we saw dippers and mallard ducks, but not the kingfisher. 

And now waiting in the masking pan are the markings of blood...or blush as some now call them (!) Orange marmalade.