Greetings From Wakefield
- Thread starter RichT
- Start date
RichT
Retro Guru
So Why have I joined this forum?
I think I saw it as a link on the 'MTBE' forums, & it looked interesting.
So, where was I?, ah yes!!
Many years ago when I was young & foolish (now older & still foolish), I think I first joined 'FRC' back in about 1990(?)
Back then I used to ride and race (not very successfully) Mountain Bikes & Cyclo-Cross.
I had a brief flirtation with road-racing, but by my own admission, wasn't overly keen on it.
My MTB racing debut was on the Pace Research RC100 that I owned at the time (yes!, I'm another one of that lucky bunch that seem to be about on here)
Then due to various reasons, I packed in the racing in about 1996.
Still rode a bit for a while, before stopping
Then about 2000/2001, I decided to try & get fit again. Well, it was a friendly wager with someone at work, who was losing weight to run Marathons.
I got one of my bikes out again & started (losing over 3stone, going from 12 to 9!!)
Sadly that all went' by-the-by' again after a couple of years (mainly due to 'small-child' appearing on the scene & work)
However, I got the same feeling again just around Easter 2007 (getting to be a theme to this???)
The bike came out again, & it's stayed out ever since (with 3 new ones bought since!)
Then, come September 2007 (after gaining some initial fitness back & losing enough weight - now at just over 10stone), I bought another mountain bike (Trek 6000Disc) and entered the 'Silcoates Scramble' (my first race for 11 years, remember!?)
It was a hot day & grim.............
Still, I finished it and thus returned to competative cycling
The placings for that inaugural event??
54th/69 (overall)
39th/43 (Vet 40's) :?
Obviously, placings have improved since then
My best placing so far was 23rd/75 (overall) & 19th/47 (vet40) at the Johnathon Noble Memorial Trophy (Temple Newsam, Sunday 12th October 200
Still trying to better that
I've also run a few 'road-races' since restarting racing (only 5-milers, & 10K's. So far....)
'For The Record'
(turn off & go to sleep now...)
I'm approaching 44, work for the NHS (for the 'Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust'), married to Joanne - who is a Nurse (by training) - but now is a 'Principal Consultant in Health Provision Facility Design'.
We have one daughter, Amelia, who is gone 8.
Other interests; (just in case anyone else shares them)
Land Rovers (on my 5th now)
TVR's (almost bought a Cerbera, instead of the 110 I own)
Art-Deco (architecture in particular)
Heavy-Haulage
Industrial Heritage/Architecture
Railways
American 'Muscle Cars'
World Rally Championship
Gretsch guitars (sadly not allowed to have one)
The 'usual ones' too.... music/books (varied tastes, but know what I like)
*No, for those 'in the know'
I'm not the (Bradford Olympic) Richard who was a regular member of the Great Britain Cyclo-Cross squad throughout the 90's & early 00's
Although I do know Richard, his brother (Robert), Phil & Nora (parents) very well
This did used to cause much confusion years ago, especially when I used to race Mountain Bikes, as I also rode a Pace Research at that time (he was sponsored by the Pace factory at Haworth!)
I still see them at most of the Cyclo-Cross races in the West Yorkshire area
Bikes?;
Yes, I have a few :roll:
1. The 'yellow' one (531 equivilant) trainer/commuter/winter-hack (which is now partially displaced by the...)
2. Dyna-Tech 755Ti (bought new from Kendells in 1994, and still in 'vgc', but now downgraded)
3. Trek 6000Disc. Bought July '07. The mountain bike, bought to double as a cross-bike & perhaps ride some 'trails'. Now barely used. It did see 'action' in the 'Cyclists verses Harriers' last November
4. Pinnacle Expede 1.0 (the Cyclo-Cross bike), bought January 2008. SWMBO asked if I still wanted to buy a cross-bike again, so I took her at her word! As you do!
5. Ridley Orion (my shiney new 'toy', bought in November 2008 from Gary Proud at Kendells Cycles.
This has replaced the Dyna-Tech as a 'best bike'. It's not been allowed out through the winter/spring!! - too salty/nasty
Cars?;
I have a Defender 110 'Heritage' Station Wagon (running on a Td5 engine)
Joanne has a Jaguar XKR, which I like to drive too, as you can all quite understand,as it 'goes like smelly stuff off a shovel'!
Plus, we have a Volvo estate as a 'runabout'/bike-carrier/mobile dog-kennel/school-run bus/etc......
The (running) road-races I mentioned?? (in order of completion)
1. '2007 Darrington 5-Mile', held in support of the 'Feast' on Saturday 21st June
I placed at 36:53, which gave me a placing of 30th/152 finishers.
I was very happy with that for a 'virgin' run
2. '2007 Prince Of Wales Hospice 10K' (Sunday 28th September)
That wasn't as good a placing 'pro-rata', I finished in 45:18, and in 80th/268
3. '2008 Wakefield Hospice 10K' (Sun 5th April, 44:46, & in 255th/1182
4. '2008 Darrington 5-Miler' (Sat 20th June) 36:52, & 31st/152
Now I've been daft enough to enter a half-marathon - am I stupid??, but it's one with a difference!!!!!!!!!
It follows a route I've wanted to walk since I was about 8....
http://www.crossbayrun.org.uk/index.htm
I've also competed in the Bingley Harriers organised 'Cyclists verses Harriers'
This is a grueller!, a mini 'Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross'
As the name implies, it's a race between the cyclists & fell-runners
(I did it in 2007 & 200
The course has sections that favour (& discriminate) against both sets of competitors, so is fairly equal
It starts on the banks of the Leeds/Liverpool Canal, climbs very steeply through farmland, descends to the sides of Shipley Glen, clambering through boulders to reach the Glen.
Baildon Moor is circumnavigated, then the same route is followed back home.
In the 2008 event, I placed appallingly at 134th/166 finishers (& in 54:16), I still bet the 2 Calder Clarion (another local Club) riders who entered though
In 2007, the conditions were so bad that 2 riders apparantly packed in the first 300yard!!!
I think I saw it as a link on the 'MTBE' forums, & it looked interesting.
So, where was I?, ah yes!!
Many years ago when I was young & foolish (now older & still foolish), I think I first joined 'FRC' back in about 1990(?)
Back then I used to ride and race (not very successfully) Mountain Bikes & Cyclo-Cross.
I had a brief flirtation with road-racing, but by my own admission, wasn't overly keen on it.
My MTB racing debut was on the Pace Research RC100 that I owned at the time (yes!, I'm another one of that lucky bunch that seem to be about on here)
Then due to various reasons, I packed in the racing in about 1996.
Still rode a bit for a while, before stopping
Then about 2000/2001, I decided to try & get fit again. Well, it was a friendly wager with someone at work, who was losing weight to run Marathons.
I got one of my bikes out again & started (losing over 3stone, going from 12 to 9!!)
Sadly that all went' by-the-by' again after a couple of years (mainly due to 'small-child' appearing on the scene & work)
However, I got the same feeling again just around Easter 2007 (getting to be a theme to this???)
The bike came out again, & it's stayed out ever since (with 3 new ones bought since!)
Then, come September 2007 (after gaining some initial fitness back & losing enough weight - now at just over 10stone), I bought another mountain bike (Trek 6000Disc) and entered the 'Silcoates Scramble' (my first race for 11 years, remember!?)
It was a hot day & grim.............
Still, I finished it and thus returned to competative cycling
The placings for that inaugural event??
54th/69 (overall)
39th/43 (Vet 40's) :?
Obviously, placings have improved since then
My best placing so far was 23rd/75 (overall) & 19th/47 (vet40) at the Johnathon Noble Memorial Trophy (Temple Newsam, Sunday 12th October 200
Still trying to better that
I've also run a few 'road-races' since restarting racing (only 5-milers, & 10K's. So far....)
'For The Record'
(turn off & go to sleep now...)
I'm approaching 44, work for the NHS (for the 'Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust'), married to Joanne - who is a Nurse (by training) - but now is a 'Principal Consultant in Health Provision Facility Design'.
We have one daughter, Amelia, who is gone 8.
Other interests; (just in case anyone else shares them)
Land Rovers (on my 5th now)
TVR's (almost bought a Cerbera, instead of the 110 I own)
Art-Deco (architecture in particular)
Heavy-Haulage
Industrial Heritage/Architecture
Railways
American 'Muscle Cars'
World Rally Championship
Gretsch guitars (sadly not allowed to have one)
The 'usual ones' too.... music/books (varied tastes, but know what I like)
*No, for those 'in the know'
I'm not the (Bradford Olympic) Richard who was a regular member of the Great Britain Cyclo-Cross squad throughout the 90's & early 00's
Although I do know Richard, his brother (Robert), Phil & Nora (parents) very well
This did used to cause much confusion years ago, especially when I used to race Mountain Bikes, as I also rode a Pace Research at that time (he was sponsored by the Pace factory at Haworth!)
I still see them at most of the Cyclo-Cross races in the West Yorkshire area
Bikes?;
Yes, I have a few :roll:
1. The 'yellow' one (531 equivilant) trainer/commuter/winter-hack (which is now partially displaced by the...)
2. Dyna-Tech 755Ti (bought new from Kendells in 1994, and still in 'vgc', but now downgraded)
3. Trek 6000Disc. Bought July '07. The mountain bike, bought to double as a cross-bike & perhaps ride some 'trails'. Now barely used. It did see 'action' in the 'Cyclists verses Harriers' last November
4. Pinnacle Expede 1.0 (the Cyclo-Cross bike), bought January 2008. SWMBO asked if I still wanted to buy a cross-bike again, so I took her at her word! As you do!
5. Ridley Orion (my shiney new 'toy', bought in November 2008 from Gary Proud at Kendells Cycles.
This has replaced the Dyna-Tech as a 'best bike'. It's not been allowed out through the winter/spring!! - too salty/nasty
Cars?;
I have a Defender 110 'Heritage' Station Wagon (running on a Td5 engine)
Joanne has a Jaguar XKR, which I like to drive too, as you can all quite understand,as it 'goes like smelly stuff off a shovel'!
Plus, we have a Volvo estate as a 'runabout'/bike-carrier/mobile dog-kennel/school-run bus/etc......
The (running) road-races I mentioned?? (in order of completion)
1. '2007 Darrington 5-Mile', held in support of the 'Feast' on Saturday 21st June
I placed at 36:53, which gave me a placing of 30th/152 finishers.
I was very happy with that for a 'virgin' run
2. '2007 Prince Of Wales Hospice 10K' (Sunday 28th September)
That wasn't as good a placing 'pro-rata', I finished in 45:18, and in 80th/268
3. '2008 Wakefield Hospice 10K' (Sun 5th April, 44:46, & in 255th/1182
4. '2008 Darrington 5-Miler' (Sat 20th June) 36:52, & 31st/152
Now I've been daft enough to enter a half-marathon - am I stupid??, but it's one with a difference!!!!!!!!!
It follows a route I've wanted to walk since I was about 8....
http://www.crossbayrun.org.uk/index.htm
I've also competed in the Bingley Harriers organised 'Cyclists verses Harriers'
This is a grueller!, a mini 'Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross'
As the name implies, it's a race between the cyclists & fell-runners
(I did it in 2007 & 200
The course has sections that favour (& discriminate) against both sets of competitors, so is fairly equal
It starts on the banks of the Leeds/Liverpool Canal, climbs very steeply through farmland, descends to the sides of Shipley Glen, clambering through boulders to reach the Glen.
Baildon Moor is circumnavigated, then the same route is followed back home.
In the 2008 event, I placed appallingly at 134th/166 finishers (& in 54:16), I still bet the 2 Calder Clarion (another local Club) riders who entered though
In 2007, the conditions were so bad that 2 riders apparantly packed in the first 300yard!!!
RichT
Retro Guru
lewis1641":3kpwgwrk said:
Here's a few.
Click on pics to open/enlarge (these images are scanned from prints, please excuse quality)
First ever race
Typical Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross weather!
After the 93(?)/94(?) renovation
A digital shot, unlike the others on this page
The only downsides I had were;
1. My name.............. too many people thought I was the other Richard Thackeray (the Pace factory rider)
Although it once worked to my advantage, as it got me an introduction to Adrian Carter & Duncan McDonald)
2. The Bullseye cranks were forever working loose, the splines weren't worn, the allen-bolt tightened up, even Loc-Tite didn't work :twisted:
RichT
Retro Guru
lewis1641":3vc6zy6x said:great pics
do you still have this get up...
No, but as the text states, it was due to rush-hour commuting along the southbound A-road out of Leeds. This meant crossing (riding along) a 3-lane feeder to the southbound M1 for a few hundred yards
If the motorists/bus-drivers/truck-drivers couldn't believe their eyes I wasn't bothered - just so long as they saw me!
The tights were actually 'Troll' rock-climbing leggings, a sport where you also want to be seen, if you fall off
The bike was an Orbit America, bought from 'Two Wheels Good' on Call Lane in Leeds (in the days before Brant Richards & John Stevenson worked there)
