DYNAMITE! The OFFICIAL London Dynamo Newsletter #42, 18.02.05
MAKING A MEAL OF IT
Like any pedal-power enthusiast, there’s nothing DYNAMITE! loves more than a hearty carbohydrate-packed feast – especially when it’s prepared by someone else. So we were delighted when the ever-loving Mrs Dynamite decided to cook an Ullrich-sized portion of chicken and pasta broth on Monday and serve it up by candlelight as part of the nation’s annual celebration of coupledom. She even buttered up a few chunky slices of home-made malt loaf for afters! The Newsletter is, of course, a thoughtful, generous lover, so in return we gave our favourite podium girl something skimpy and eye-catching to slip into later that night. That’s right, aroused Dynamates – the first lady of our famous subterranean base is now the proud owner of her very own Dynamo bib shorts and jersey. It doesn’t get any more racy than that! And we hope you will share in our affection for each other with the latest edition of your favourite Dyn-amorous celebration of the nation’s sexiest cycling squad as we begin yet another heart-fluttering chapter of the greatest romantic story of all – Dynamo’s passionate adoration of itself. Here comes the first clumsy snog…
ANDREWS’ GUIDE TO RACING: PART 4
Dynamo’s belligerent president GUY ‘MAINWARING’ ANDREWS has become intensely passionate in the final instalment of his handbook to the ins and outs of road racing – and you too can become addicted to the love of hurtling around a crit circuit by coming along to the first Beginners’ Series event at Hillingdon tomorrow. The race begins at 1.30pm and you’re bound to find a few of your favourite Parkride chums congregating by the banana muffin stall in the clubhouse. If that’s not an incentive to come along, we don’t know what is! Naturally, DYNAMITE! will be popping along to report on what many are already calling the biggest early-season Dynamatic event of 2005 – so without further ado, here’s the editor of RoadCyclingUK.com to give newcomers a few more tips on how to get the most out of their big day. Take it away, Guy!
Cheers, pal! Last week’s question was: What do you do if there are two Dynamos in the break?
a) Both of you should sit at the back. The rest will work and you two can figure it out at the end.
b) Hope that your team mate has good legs ‘cos you’re knackered.
c) Attack, because then he’ll let you go, the others will have to chase, thus wearing them out so he can counter. The old 1-2.
d) Wait for your team mate to attack. They’re better than you.
e) Hope that he’ll lead you out in the sprint ‘cos you need the points.
The answer was “c” – although there are elements of all the other suggestions in this situation. You will need to talk to each other to find out how they feel, who needs the points and what the rest of the break is like. The counter attack is the most powerful tactic and will usually work a treat.
This week is all about sprinting – but before I begin, I’d just like to say I hope you all have a great season and a good time at Hillingdon on Saturday. I have ridden many hundreds of races over the past twenty years and loved every minute. I know I don’t always look that jolly but bike racing is everything to me – passion, pain, excitement and joy. The feeling when you get in a break and you’re 40 seconds up with 5 laps to go – that’s heaven to me. So go along and have fun – you’ll be hooked, I’m sure. Remember that you are a Dynamo, so look smart and clean your bike the night before. But above all, play fair and try to win!
Sprinting – “the finale”
Pro riders call the final sprint the finale. It’s slightly theatrical and for good reason, because it’s entertainment for the crowd. And the dash for the line needs careful planning.
State of mind
I always thought I couldn’t sprint and was never too fond of big bunches of riders. So I took to track racing. It was terrifying, but you learn how to hold a wheel and how to sprint. All you need is confidence, and if you have the form and the strength your sprint will be enough to give you this. Show the bunch how strong you are and win!
Size isn’t everything
Smaller riders are lower to the ground and have the ability to “kick” whereas bigger riders suit the long powerful sprints better. Find out what type of rider you are and then you can adapt to these strengths.
Get in gear
There’s no point trying to start a sprint in the 11 sprocket. You need to be able to accelerate, so choose the 16 or 15. The top speed at Hillingdon will be about 32mph and you’ll need to be in a low-ish gear to accelerate out of the last corner. Hit the front early if it’s a headwind and hold onto your speed – that way riders will have to try a little harder to get around you.
Grip the bars
Hold onto the drops. Angle your elbows slightly outwards (they will act as bumpers and force the riders the long way around) and crane your head forward. Keep low on the bike but always look up. If you sprint looking down you will veer into the rest of the bunch and cause a stack. Sprint in a straight line, look for the gaps to open in front of you, and go as if your life depends on it.
Position is all
You need to be in the first 10 riders (with 500-400 metres to go) to be able to have any chance in a sprint. If you want to win, then it’s best to be in the first four. Most amateur sprints are a shambles. Use the fact that there are no lead-outs from organised teams and try to get on a wheel of a stronger rider. Use the slipstream to get up to speed and come around at the last minute. Sounds simple? It isn’t – but you’ll find your feet after a few hundred sprints!
From a large bunch
Look to use the speed of the bunch of riders to launch your effort. Sprinting will only last 250-300 metres at top speed and you’ll need to accelerate all the way to the line. This takes practice, so sprint in training for signposts and hilltops. Work out how far you can go and where you are strongest. You need to pay attention and look at the wheels in front. Don’t get pushed to the back and try to avoid being pushed to the sides of the bunch. The best place to launch from is dead centre and with 250m to go.
From a small group
This is easier to get wrong but it will depend on how your legs are and who is in the group with you. Look for the relaxed riders and their body language. Riders who think they can win will start to pull less and hang about at the back. Keep working but watch them – a late attack or a final surge will need to be marked.
Can’t sprint?
Well, a last minute escape will work if no-one is expecting you. Wait for three-quarters of a lap to go and nail it. It sometimes works a treat!
GOOD LUCK! And now it’s back to the DYNAMITE! team.
NO ARM DONE
Thanks, buddy! Amid all the excitement of the Beginners’ Series getting underway, it’s worth sparing a thought for one Dynamate who probably won’t be riding to Hillingdon tomorrow to watch the newbies. King of the spinners CHRIS ‘CHADDERS’ CHAPMAN came off and injured his left arm after an incident with a pedestrian on his way to work. But even though the bespectacled boy wonder has had to call a temporary halt to his build-up to the prestigious L’Etape De La Defonce two-day stage race, he still managed to get out to Richmond Park recently and steer himself ’round using only his right hand. That’s Dyna-motivation for you! Twin-piston powerhouse GUY ‘THE ENGINE’ POWDRILL faired better when a car pulled out and knocked him down on his commute home this week – he only sustained a nasty blow to the wallet when he took his damaged single-speed to a certain Grays Inn Road retailer for relatively minor repairs. Ouch! Meanwhile, top tumbler DAVID ‘SMILER’ NORRIS proved he is putting his recuperation period to good use by spreading the Dynamo name in a popular magazine. The Teddington titan, who fractured his pelvis in a crash two months ago, wrote to Cycle Sport about his fall on Ranmore and bagged a swanky Polar heart rate monitor for penning February’s letter of the month. Well done, sir! But although the Croydon-based hacks printed the correct name of the club at the foot of David’s correspondence, they still managed to spell his surname with an “m”. The curse of TOM ‘HEMANT, HEMNAUN, REMNANT’ HEMMANT strikes again!
‘MO OR NO?
Hopefully there will be no such confusion over the identity of the latest sartorial rebel who features in our ongoing bid to chide every Parkrider into wearing the dashing outfit of the capital’s most stylish cycle squad. That distinctive yet subtle “A” on the shoulder – which e-mail readers can see by going to the Dynamo website and clicking the Newsletter link – indicates that this week’s subject is a man who knows the value of a superior quality garment. So why in the name of Assos is he not wearing the finest kit ever to pass over Kingston Bridge? Anyone who knows the name of this chap can send us a Dyna-mail with “‘Mo or No?” in the subject heading. And remember: if he’s a Dynamo, then frankly there is no excuse to get kitted up at Cyclefit’s Covent Garden HQ. But if he’s not a Dynamate and he turns up for another Parkride, then he’s going to have to join Dynamo at some point – because race secretary PAUL ‘CANNONBALL’ CALLINAN is threatening to come down hard on non-members who join the celebrated Saturday morning spins. The crackdown is all part of the club’s accident insurance – so you have been warned!
END OF THE AFFAIR
Our passion is spent and we must live with the fact that it will be another seven days of eager anticipation before we meet again for another torrid session in the Dynamo bunker. Always remember that we are your Friday morning fumble, and we would be nothing without you, our steamy encounter. So please keep Dyna-mailing your news, gossip, and further sightings of the elusive KEN ‘BIG LOVE’ BUIST to news@londondynamo.co.uk – but PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS ADDRESS if you are reading this on email. The deadline, as ever, is Wednesday afternoon for Friday’s edition. And now, as we put our trousers back on, it only remains for us to remind you about…
THIS WEEK’S RIDES
SATURDAY
The Parkride. Richmond Park, roundabout by Sheen Gate, 9am. Four laps split into fast, intermediate and steady groups.
SUNDAY
Hampton Court bridge, 9am for Surrey Hills ride. Fifty miles or so at a steady pace. Bring a pump, inner tubes, drink, and a big red cardboard heart.
WEDNESDAY
Richmond Gate, Richmond Park, 7:30pm. Canter to Surrey and back.
So until next week, Dynamates, goodbye and happy riding.
The DYNAMITE! team.
THE LAST WORD
“She is a figure to admire – classical in her beauty and a symbol, throughout history, of sensuality, maternal virtue, and plenty. Mounted on a bicycle, she is a laughing stock.”
The DYNAMITE! Files 
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