DYNAMITE! The OFFICIAL London Dynamo Newsletter #80, 11.11.05
CLASS ACT
If cycling is a bleak, unremitting workhouse, then not too long ago London Dynamo was the most insignificant of urchins, toiling away in Richmond Park week in, week out, while dreaming of becoming a hoity-toity gentleman. At the end of 2004, the barmy blue, black and orange-clad army of labourers took a significant step up the ladder of social Dyna-mobility when they walked away with the club of the year trophy at the Surrey League AGM – but nothing could have prepared the humble three-man contingent at this year’s meeting for the club’s welcome into the upper-crust of the south-east cycling world. That’s right, status-conscious reader – thanks to a dominating presence on results sheets throughout the year, London Dynamo has become the outright winner of the Surrey Road Race League 2005. Every one of you is lord of the manor, Dynamates! We’ll be visiting the highest point of Surrey society – the Hand In Hand pub near the summit of Box Hill – to reveal how the other half lived it up at the awards-giving party of the season. But before we do, DYNAMITE! is encouraging all ‘Mos to help ensure London Dynamo stays at the top of the tree in 2006. So without further ado, here’s social events co-secretary NICK ‘BOMBSHELL’ PEACOCK to explain how YOU can get more involved in Britain’s best club by coming along to the London Dynamo AGM next Saturday at 9am in the café by Roehampton Gate. The floor is all yours, buddy!
SETTING THE AGENDA
“Thanks, pal. Because we’re not an old-fashioned, committee-meeting, smoke-filled-rooms type of cycling club, the AGM is your one chance of the year to raise whatever you’d like about London Dynamo and its organisation. Just let us know the ideas you’d like to contribute – preferably in advance to Nick Peacock at npeacock@maitlandchambers.com. Although we won’t really have a formal agenda, there are some points we think should be discussed. So if you’re coming along, and we hope you are, these are the topics you can expect to crop up:
“ORGANISATION. At present, we’re a bit of an oligarchical dictatorship. We have a relatively small Politburo that seeks to run the wide variety of club activities by dictat – we haven’t yet got a five-year plan, but it’s always possible. It’s about time we became more of an anarcho-syndicalist commune, where everyone – or, at least, far more people – have more of a role. Last week we described how we want to reshape the organisation of the club. For it to flourish, we need members to make an effort. So don’t be shy – put yourself forward for one of the posts listed in last week’s edition. Once again, volunteers to Nick at the above e-mail address. All positions need to be filled and this will be pretty much the most important part of the AGM.
“NEWSLETTER. We want to develop DYNAMITE! so it has much more forward-looking information about events, races, meetings, trips and so on that are in the offing. It is also possible we might have a regular slot from Cyclefit that they can fill with their latest news and, hopefully, generous offers to club members. Any ideas about this gratefully received.
“CLUB WEBSITE. We’d like as many members as possible to know each other, which is quite hard when there are more than 200 of you. The website provides the solution. Please sign up to the site and complete your profile in as much detail as possible, including (if you can bear it) a photo of yourself. That way you can avoid turning up at a race or the Etape and, on seeing someone in Dynamo kit, doing the ‘Hi, I’m Nick and I’m in your club’ thing.
“RACES IN 2006. We’ve committed to running the Beginners’ Series again in February – three races, probably all at MoD Chertsey and probably all followed by handicap races for experienced riders. The circuit is dead easy to marshal, so no excuses for not planning now to start your season next year at those races. You can marshal or help out and then do the handicap race. We have also committed to running one of the Gizmondo/Sigma Sport road races next year. This will be our first proper open road race and will take some organising, including finding a sponsor or sponsors to stump up some prize money. Any ideas welcome. Obviously we will also need an extremely cool lead car, so anyone who has an Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche – there must be someone in this club of overachieving professionals – should make themselves known at the AGM. And now back to DYNAMITE!”
TOP OF THE BOX
Cheers, Nick! As legions of diet-conscious Dynamates ease themselves into the off-season, they are no doubt looking forward to making up for the Dyna-mountains of grub denied to them during the past 10 months – so you can imagine how famished MARTIN ‘COMEBACK’ GARRATT, RICHARD ‘PLACING’ MASON and RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT were drooling with delight as they spied the impressive buffet at the Surrey League’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night. “Lavish” just isn’t the word! League bigwig Keith ‘I’ll Get You’ Butler proved his clout by getting Sean Yates, the legendary assistant directeur sportif of Discovery Channel, and former British Cycling performance director Peter Keen to present the awards at the Hand In Hand, Box Hill’s finest watering hole. Being in the presence of two big-hitters was bound to produce a few nerves – and Martin reveals: “There was plenty of tension as we waited to hear the result of our year’s effort in the league. Meudon, last year’s winners, provided the surprise of the night by coming a mere 4th. We hung on as it was announced that Liphook had taken the No.3 spot. Agisko, the team I thought would win it, came 2nd, leaving the only possible outcome – London Dynamo had won the league.” Fantastic stuff! Sadly, there was no trophy as the cup Dynamo received last year was given to Fit-For, which won the award for most improved club. But it was smiles all round as Martin stepped forward to accept a brown envelope containing more than £1,200 in race winnings. Let’s hope sharp-dressed Chairman ‘Mo GUY ‘MAINWARING’ ANDREWS doesn’t blow it all on a couple of Rapha knee warmers!
PROLETERI-AXED
We’ve broken down all class barriers, which means there’s just enough time to thank everyone for their contributions before we go. Please remember that we are a festering underclass and we would be nothing without you, our ABC1s, so please keep Dyna-mailing your news, gossip, and further sightings of the elusive KEN ‘BOURGEOIS’ BUIST to news@londondynamo.co.uk – or simply hit your reply button if you are reading this on e-mail. The deadline, as ever, is Wednesday afternoon for Friday’s edition. And now, as we hand over every potato on our farm to the state, 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 a Stakhanovite fervour.
WEDNESDAY
7.30pm: Richmond Gate, Richmond Park. Steady ride into Surrey, 28 miles.
So until next week, Dynamates, goodbye and happy riding.
The DYNAMITE! team.
THE SMALL PRINT
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 – SURREY LEAGUE, OTTERSHAW, E/1/2/3, 101KM: 1 Tony Gibb (PCA/Rudy Project); 2.19.10; 2 Bryan Taylor (VC Londres); 3 Lewis Atkins (Glendene/Biketrax); 4 Chas Hollosi (Gemini); 5 John Veness (Evans); 6 Paul Holdsworth (Hounslow and Dist Wheelers); 7 Rob Fallon (Fit-For.com) +30 secs; 8 Dave Larcombe (VC Meudon); 9 Phil Holloway (Southend Wheelers); 10 Bill Butterworth (Twickenham); 11 Craig Peters (VC Londres) +1.45; 12 John Wager (i-team.co.uk); 13 Neil Lindford-Relph (VC Meudon); 14 Andy Davies (Fit-For.com); 15 Stewart Jardine (21st Century Airports); 16 Andy Bett (Twickenham); 17 Peter Wager (SBR); 18 Nat Spurling (Finsbury Park); 19 Steve Dring (Stilton); 20 Dave Griffiths (Twickenham); 21 Keith Jarrett (i-team.co.uk); 22 ROB JEFFROY (LONDON DYNAMO); 23 Scott Merrilees (Twickenham); 24 Jason Edwards (Ewhurst Control); 25 James Holland-Leader (AgiskoViner.com); 26 Simon Bild (Team Sport and Publicity); 27 Martin Hulbert (VC Meudon); 28 DAVID STREULE (LONDON DYNAMO); 29 Mick McManus (Twickenham); 30 Neil Edward (unatt).
THE LAST WORD
“By nature, Belgians are hard-working people… it is this background that gives them a love and respect for such a hard sport as this.”
The DYNAMITE! Files 
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