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DYNAMITE! The OFFICIAL London Dynamo Newsletter #115, 01.09.06
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+++ Having a blast every Friday +++ Dyna-mail race reports, news, views, and gossip to dynamite@londondynamo.co.uk +++ Have a peek at our pics – http://tinyurl.com/ppkxg +++ Check out DYNAMITE! on the web – go to http://www.londondynamo.co.uk and click the “newsletter” link +++ WEEKEND WEATHER: Sat, light rain, 22C max, wind SW 13mph; Sun, heavy rain, 19C max, wind SW 10mph +++
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GINGER WINNER
+++ Stage win and top 5 place in the GC for 3-Day hero Mason +++
After spending years overshadowed by their blonde and brunette counterparts, the ginger cycling community was recently dealt another blow when its leading light ran into a spot of bother with a drugs test following his Tour de France victory – but amazingly, a new copper-topped hero has emerged to inspire as much awe as gnomic Mennonite Floyd Landis or that Scouser out of Girls Aloud. Step forward RICHARD ‘PLACING’ MASON, who won the 2nd stage of the Cycles Dauphin 3-Day race in Surrey and grabbed the No.2 spot on the final stage, which was enough to propel him into the top 5 on the final general classification. And the only substances he took were Powerbars! Venturing out to Box Hill on Friday evening, the terracotta titan began his journey to greatness on the annual 1.5-mile time trial, finishing 20secs down on the fastest time posted by Andrew Bye of Kingston Wheelers. The ginger spiced up the next day’s 70-mile road stage on the gently rolling Dunsfold course when he bridged across to a two-man breakaway, prompting ROB ‘THE SAINT’ JEFFROY to join him along with five others including a team-mate of yellow jersey Bye who was on a sit-in brief. Rich reveals: “It was like the Parkride – through and off, but for seven laps at a fantastic speed!” Despite the Kingston fellas chasing hard, the octet managed to hold off the pack to the line with a gap of 25secs. Rich says the slight ascent to the off-course finish was “perfect” for him, and he managed to get around everyone to win his first race as a 2nd cat. Nice one! Sunday’s time trial in Ewhurst showed a slight dip in performance, with the knackered New Zealander shifting from 3rd to 10th on the GC after losing 1:22 to winner Ian O’Hara of Citihub, who began the final stage as leader by posting a time of 25:26 on the 11.5-mile course. But the fast-recovering redhead was back with a vengeance for the last stage later that afternoon, dragging three riders as he bridged across to RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT and another competitor before the six-man group expanded to seven by catching solo breakaway boy Shannon Durrant of Pearson Cycles. On the tense last lap, the crafty Kiwi tucked himself behind selfless Rusty who hauled him through a headwind past the race HQ before dropping back as the 2km ascent to the finish on Leith Hill began. What a killer! Rich was now riding on his own, aware that every second was vital. He reveals: “In a world of pain, I passed the 1km to go sign with nobody in sight. Then car two passed me – not a good sign. Somebody wasn’t far off. With 500m to go I could see Andrew Bye gaining on me quickly. I lifted the pace as much as I was able, knowing that if I got to the line with him I could win the sprint – but I ran out of steam up the final ramp and let him go. He did the same to me under more or less identical circumstances in the 5-Day!” Even so, Rich’s second podium place of the weekend was enough to give him 5th overall on the final GC… http://tinyurl.com/pefot …but with no fewer than 11 other Dynamates in the race, there was even more Dynamatic action going on than usual – so come with us as we whiz through what Rich’s chums got up to in the prestigious 2/3 Surrey League event. Here comes a whole lot ‘Mo…
FAST AND FURIOUS
+++ Hats off to ‘Mos who finished super-fast stage race +++
This year’s 3-day competitors completed the 143-mile event almost 9mins quicker than last year, so the DYNAMITE! editorial team would like to give a hearty “chapeau!” to PAUL ‘MONTY’ DELAHUNTY, DAVID ‘PINKY’ GARDNER, JOE ‘THE OTHER’ HEMMANT, SAM ‘SLAM DUNK’ HUMPHESON, ROB ‘THE SAINT’ JEFFROY, GORDON ‘KEN-A-LIKE’ KENNEWAY, RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT, JOE ‘CHEEKY BEGGAR’ STEGERS, DAVID ‘DORIAN’ STREULE, ANDY ‘COALFACE’ STRONGE, MARTIN ‘PIN-UP’ WILLIAMSON, and, of course, RICHARD ‘PLACING’ MASON for being among the 55 finishers. Well done, fellas! Sam was the second-highest ‘Mo on the GC, finishing 9th thanks to a great time trial on Sunday and a strong ride throughout, while Rob reaped the benefits of being Rich’s fellow breakaway partner by taking 6th on stage 2. Mr Stegers took 10th on the Box Hill time trial and also managed to post a respectable time on the second TT, despite going off-course – which is more than can be said of Oxford University’s Paul Tucker, who dropped from 1st to 50th after getting lost. But the award for the most determined ride of the weekend must go to David G, who carried on after smashing his helmet, buckling his wheel and incurring a spot of road rash as the result of a crash in the bunch on stage 2. We won’t even mention his Oliver Reid-sized hangover!
PARTIAL FOR MARSHALS
+++ Garratt’s keen on getting helpers for SERRL race ++++
With less than a month to go before the final SERRL event of the season, this publication is taking the opportunity to remind everyone that MARTIN ‘COMEBACK’ GARRATT is looking for a few kind Dyna-members to lend a hand for the race on the Frant circuit in Kent… http://tinyurl.com/h5lcc. The lanky support co-ordinator is after four drivers, 11 marshals, motorbike marshals and people to provide refreshments – so send a Dyna-mail to **************@londondynamo.co.uk if you can help on Sunday 24th September. Martin says: “The more the merrier – and we’ll be doing lunch at the pub after the race.” That can’t be bad!
‘ROTTA ROUT
+++ Double Dynamo victory at Palace on Cyclefit steeds
The final Crystal Palace fixture of the season ended in fine style with TOM ‘HUMBLE’ HEMMANT winning the E/1/2 race and DAVID ‘PINKY’ GARDNER taking 1st place in the 3/4 event, which also saw ANDREW ‘COALFACE’ STRONGE bagging 7th in the mass sprint… http://tinyurl.com/e5jw5. Great stuff, fellas! Dynamo’s sponsors will be pleased to note that both victories were achieved on Serottas, with Tom repeatedly attacking on his Concours to soften up Rapha’s Brett Perez for the sprint after the fastman and IAN ‘KING OF’ PAINE were caught by the bunch. The ever-determined Ian and SAM ‘SLAM DUNK’ HUMPHESON also ganged up on the black-clad ball of muscle before he was pipped into 2nd place by Tom. Sam finished 4th, Ian came 6th, and JOE ‘CHEEKY BEGGAR’ STEGERS bagged 10th in his first E/1/2 Palace race this year – but sadly GUY ‘THE ENGINE’ POWDRILL made an exit by going cross country on the damp bottom corner, admitting later: “I was a victim of my own incompetence.” Happens to the best of us, pal! Having pocketed the night’s biggest prizes, the club showed it is better to give than receive by handing out 10 bottles of plonk to the tireless race organisers as a gesture of thanks for putting on some great racing throughout the season. Teary-eyed Tom asks: “How many days until the first race next year?”
QUIET SUNDAY
+++ Forum shutting down to make way for new version ++++
Finally, chief technician RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT has popped a note under the door of our famous soundproof bunker warning that the Dynamo forum will be switched off on Sunday. But fear not – a new, slicker version will be up and running on Monday. Registered members should still be able to use their existing logins. What a relief!
RED EVERY WORD
We hope this fun-packed edition has gingered up your Friday – but please remember that we are an irritating Chris Evans and we would be nothing without you, our soulful Mick Hucknall. So please keep Dyna-mailing your race reports, news, gossip, and further sightings of the elusive KEN ‘RED ADAIR’ BUIST to the address in the “from” field of this message – or simply hit your reply button. The deadline, as ever, is Wednesday afternoon for Friday’s edition. And now, as we reach for the titian hair dye, it only remains for us to remind you about…
THIS WEEK’S RIDES
SATURDAY
9am: The Parkride. Richmond Park, roundabout by Sheen Gate. Four laps split into fast, intermediate and steady groups.
SUNDAY
8am: Kingston Gate, Richmond Park. Non-stop ride through Surrey Hills.
9am: Hampton Court bridge, Surrey Hills ride. Fifty-ish miles at a steady pace. Stop at Box Hill for tea and cake. Bring a pump, inner tubes, drink, and an Elizabeth I wig.
WEDNESDAY
7.30pm: Richmond Gate, Richmond Park. Steady ride to Chertsey, back via Weybridge, 28 miles.
So until next week, Dynamates, goodbye and happy riding.
The DYNAMITE! team.
The DYNAMITE! Files 
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