News

Indoor training has been booming in these current difficult times, and that’s been reflected in the huge growth of the club’s Zwift racing team, complementing our existing Zwift social rides and other activities on the popular Zwift online training platform.

The club’s race team has been participating in the Zwift Racing League (ZRL), which involves over 1700 teams and some 10,000 racers from all around the world. We had one team competing in ZRL late in 2020, but from January 2021 we now have four teams racing every week, both women and men of all ages, with over 25 club members taking part. We’re probably the biggest Zwift racing team in the area, and certainly the friendliest.

It’s very easy to join in with the racing if you’re already on Zwift, and even if you’re not we can give you advice about how to get started. It’s not only about serious racers (though we do have some of those!), it’s also about getting involved and seeing what happens when you push yourself, and we have teams at various levels. You may well surprise yourself with what you can do.

Zwift says that they enable you to “meet your fitness goals while having tons of fun on the way”, and we wouldn’t argue with that.

If racing really isn’t your cup of tea, then we have plenty of other Zwift activities such as our twice-weekly social rides, and at the time of writing we’re running a club league for the multi-stage Tour de Zwift.

We have more information on our Zwift web page including a Zwift Overview PDF that you can download.

If you’d like to get involved, or are just interested in finding out more, then contact us at [email protected]

On-line registration is open for the rescheduled Club 10 mile championships to be held on the HCC216a course (follow this link for the course map https://www.plotaroute.com/route/198873 ), starting in Hartley Wintney, on 14^th November 2020 at 10.00hrs.

Open to all members with no specialist equipment required other than your bike (including compulsory rear light) and determination to go as fast as you can.

Ladies, mens and veterans trophies are all up for grabs for first claim members.

Registration is simple, just complete this Google Form on-line: https://forms.gle/stZjoBdGqHjd8v7p9

Closing date for entry is 12^th November 2020

FCCC Club TT Rules under Covid-19 Restrictions

1. On-line entry only.
2. Closing date for entry is 2 days prior to the event.
3. Field sizes will be restricted so entry is on a first come, first served basis.
4. A start sheet will be emailed one day prior to the event.
5. You are asked to park and then ride up to the start area.
6. Aim to arrive at the start area 10 minutes before your start time.
7. Arrive “ready to ride” as there will be no facilities for safeguarding jackets, bags etc.
8. Numbers will be available at the start area – PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN SAFETY PINS
9. There will be no “pushing off”, you will have to do a standing start on your own.
10. After finishing please put your number in the plastic bin provided for the purpose at the finish area and then immediately make your way home.
11. Results will not be available at the finish but published on the club’s FaceBook page/group and website.
12. PLEASE ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES AND MAINTAIN A  2M DISTANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES.
13. IF YOU ARE FEELING AT ALL UNWELL DO NOT TAKE PART IN THE EVENT.

Everesting is the practice of completing 8,848m climbs (the height of Mount Everest) in real life or on an indoor trainer.

Club member Daz Roberts tells us who’s doing it, how it’s done and how you (yes, you) can do it.

Click here to access Daz’s inspiring article.

A big congratulations from the club to Adam Dart for his performance in the National Hill Climb Championships 2020, which were held at Streatley, near Reading, on Sunday 25 October.

A large field of competitors from all around the country took part, including some professional riders, and Adam finished in a time of 2:56.18. That put him in 131st place out of 214 senior men finishers on a very tough hill (average gradient 13%, maximum gradient 25.9%).

Afterwards, Adam said:

“I gave it my all and felt really strong. Happy with my own personal performance, setting new a new overall power PB and also a PB for 20 sec power on the climb. I loved the experience and look forward to next year.”

Great stuff Adam, and keep up the good work!

The cyclocross season is in full swing at the moment, and it’s one of the cycle sports with relatively few Covid-related restrictions, due to the spread-out nature of the events. So there has been plenty of proper racing going on, with the club in the thick of the action.

Stuart Jackson achieved a very fine 10th place in the V40 category at Droxford last weekend, with Scott Heyhoe coming in 17th in V50. Well done to both racers.

There’s plenty more CX racing coming up over the next few months, so get in touch at [email protected] if you’d like to get involved.

We have very kindly been sent an original race programme from a 50 mile circuit race at the RMA in Sandhurst in 1961. This event was organised by Camberley Wheelers CC and featured both Camberley Wheelers and Farnborough CC in the competitors.

These two clubs were the two that merged in 1969 to form the present Farnborough & Camberley CC.

Click on the image below for the full multi-page programme PDF:

It’s interesting to see the sort of rules that were used at that time, for example feeding being allowed after 15 laps, and changing to be done in a provided tent and not in the bushes!

The programme has been annotated and it seems that two of the Camberley team finished in first and second places. Some of our members and past members might recognise names here and there, both in the list of competitors and in the list of past winners.

We’ve got more on the club’s history in the History section of the website and also in the club Hall of Fame.

We are very grateful to Jeff Gregory from Dorset for spotting this great piece of our club’s history in amongst some railway magazines that were donated to the Swanage Railway, and for sending it on to us.

On-line registration is open for the Club 25 mile championships to be held on the H25/88 course (follow this link for the course map https://www.plotaroute.com/route/275405 ), starting in River Lane, just West of the A31 Coxbridge Roundabout, Farnham, on 10^th October 2020 at 10.00hrs.

Open to all members with no specialist equipment required other than your bike (including compulsory rear light) and determination to go as fast as you can.

Ladies, mens and veterans trophies are up for grabs for first claim members.

Registration is simple, just complete this Google Form on-line: https://forms.gle/buwo8DoQHtTUbf386

Closing date for entry is midnight on Thursday 8^th October 2020

FCCC Club TT Rules under Covid-19 Restrictions

1. On-line entry only.
2. Closing date for entry is 2 days prior to the event.
3. Field sizes will be restricted so entry is on a first come, first served basis.
4. A start sheet will be emailed one day prior to the event.
5. You are asked to park and then ride up to the start area – THERE IS NO PARKING AVAILABLE AT THE START (most people park in the layby by the now closed Bull public house).
6. Aim to arrive at the start area no later than 5 minutes before the first start time.
7. Arrive “ready to ride” as there will be no facilities for safeguarding jackets, bags etc.
8. Numbers will be available at the start area – PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN SAFETY PINS
9. There will be no “pushing off”, you will have to do a standing start on your own.
10. After finishing please put your number in the plastic bin provided for the purpose at the finish area and then immediately make your way home.
11. Results will not be available at the finish but published on the club’s FaceBook page/group and website.
12. PLEASE ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES AND MAINTAIN A  2M DISTANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES.
13. IF YOU ARE FEELING AT ALL UNWELL DO NOT TAKE PART IN THE EVENT.

Rushmoor Borough Council are working with British Cycling on plans for an exciting new outdoor cycling facility in Aldershot, including a closed road circuit, a BMX pump track and a mountain bike skills area.

The council have already sent a survey out to local clubs, and the committee are engaged with this on behalf of FCCC. Now they are surveying local residents for their views.

The survey is quite short, so we’d be grateful if you could please take a few minutes to respond to it and help support the council in moving this very exciting project forward. The deadline for comments is 18 October.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RBC20CYCLE

On-line registration is open for the Club Hill Climb championships to be held on the HHC018 course (follow this link for the course map https://www.plotaroute.com/route/198880), starting at the junction of Chruch Lane, Howards Lane and Brockham Hill Lane in Hollybourne on 26^th September 2020 at 10.00hrs.

Open to all members with no specialist equipment required other than your bike (including compulsory rear light) and determination to go as fast as you can for one mile uphill.

Ladies, mens and veterans trophies are up for grabs for first claim members.

Registration is simple, just complete this Google Form on-line: https://forms.gle/f4SnjerE3Nwtohbi8

Closing date for entry is midnight on Thursday 24^th September 2020

FCCC Club TT Rules under Covid-19 Restrictions

1. On-line entry only.
2. Closing date for entry is 2 days prior to the event.
3. Field sizes will be restricted so entry is on a first come, first served basis.
4. A start sheet will be emailed one day prior to the event.
5. You are asked to park and then ride up to the start area – THERE IS NO PARKING AVAILABLE AT THE START.
6. Aim to arrive at the start area no later than 5 minutes before the first start time.
7. Arrive “ready to ride” as there will be no facilities for safeguarding jackets, bags etc.
8. Numbers will be available at the start area – PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN SAFETY PINS
9. There will be no “pushing off”, you will have to do a standing start on your own.
10. After finishing please put your number in the plastic bin provided for the purpose back at the start area and then immediately make your way home.
11. Results will not be available at the finish but published on the club’s FaceBook page/group and website.
12. PLEASE ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES AND MAINTAIN A  2M DISTANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES.
13. IF YOU ARE FEELING AT ALL UNWELL DO NOT TAKE PART IN THE EVENT.

The National 10 mile Time Trial Championships were recently held on the A4 in Berkshire, on Sunday 30 August 2020, on the H10/3R course. A rider of course needs to have put in some very fast TT times to be invited to compete in the National Championships, so the club would like to give big congratulations to club member Alex Ballinger for earning a place.

Alex has been working very hard on his TT training this year, and with the Covid situation meaning a complete lack of races until very recently, it’s not been easy for any time triallists to keep up their motivation.

The championship course was a tricky one, with crosswinds throughout making things even harder than usual. So for Alex to finish in a time of 20:34 was an excellent result, and gave him an overall 72nd place out of 148 finishers. That put him in the top half of the very best time triallists in the whole country.

Very well done indeed to Alex, and we wish him even greater success in the future as he continues to build on his success.

Photo credits: Newbury Velo/ Mark Chance, Glenn & Collette Haworth and Chris Culley