London Dynamo Newsletter #23, 03.09.04
STREETS AHEAD
The blue, orange and black livery of the capital’s most stylish cycling squadron has become a much-admired feature at races all over the south east – but until this week, ordinary Londoners have been deprived of watching a finely-tuned group of Dynamo riders rocketing through their neighbourhood. So it’s hats off to kit-wearing PAUL ‘CANNONBALL’ CALLINAN, CHRIS ‘CALAMITY’ CAMPBELL, ‘MEDICAL’ MIKE DEBNEY, LUCY ‘DEMURE’ DOVE, TOM ‘HUMBLE’ HEMMANT, ROB ‘THE SAINT’ JEFFROY and RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT, who blazed a trail down the Mall on their way home after Cyclefit’s “meet the sponsor” evening on Wednesday. Their journey was a teaser for another historic Dynamo trip into the centre of town which you can read about in This Week’s Rides. But unfortunately the wheels came off the Dynamo train as the unlucky octet, who were map-less and hapless, split to pieces shortly before reaching the King’s Road. What a bunch of Charlies! The Newsletter hopes to avoid their example by steering a steady course to the end of this incident-packed edition of your favourite Dynamoid update – and we are sure to reach our destination with a little help from you, our trusty navigator. Now where did we put that A-Z…
FULL FOURS
We shouldn’t really complain about the intrepid eight’s rag-tag expedition as it was a pleasure just to see certain members of this select group outside the cosseted confines of Dynamo Towers. Weighed down by their own success, their jerseys stuffed with bundles of points amassed during the past six months, Dynamo’s high-achieving heavy-hitters have recently found it difficult to shift from the luxurious leather sofas in the exclusive bar at the top floor of the club’s impressive HQ. Thank goodness, then, for the plucky band of Dyna-minnows who refuse to believe the season is already over – and their determination paid off in spades this week when they dominated the 4s race at Hillingdon on Saturday. It was like the beginners’ series all over again! Breakaway specialist TOM ‘TUFTY’ DAVIES led out NICK ‘BOMBSHELL’ PEACOCK and CHRIS ‘CALAMITY’ CAMPBELL, allowing them to bag 3rd and 6th place respectively. And cheeky 3rd cat CHRIS ‘HOSPITAL’ WARD, who used his veteran’s privilege pass to secure a spot in the race, showed the young guns how it’s done by shooting past Campbell to grab 4th as his wife and kids cheered him on. Dad’s the way to do it, mate!
WATER DISAPPOINTMENT
But while there were cheers at Hillingdon, there were tears in Weybridge as weepy tri master MARTIN ‘PIN-UP’ WILLIAMSON learned that twin-piston powerhouse GUY ‘THE ENGINE’ POWDRILL may be hanging up his skinsuit for good. Swim-crazy Guy, who often boasts that nobody can beat him in the water, opened his heart to the Newsletter as he revealed: “I’ll be in Seaford on Saturday doing my last triathlon of the year – and possibly forever.” Say it isn’t so, pal! At least he is set to go out on a high, as the results from the 4th Thames Turbo race seem to indicate. Guy took the No.4 spot overall, coming 3rd in the swim and 2nd on the bike. Wet a way to go! And true to form, Dynamette LUCY ‘DEMURE’ DOVE kept quiet about being the 2nd woman in her age group to cross the line in the same race. You can’t keep anything from us, love!
EURO STAR
Finally, apologies to PHIL ‘HOOP SHOOTER’ SHEEHAN for not mentioning his 300-odd mile charity ride to Paris in last week’s edition. Dynamo’s new boy, who is raising money for the Royal British Legion, set off for the French capital on Thursday – and you can donate by logging onto http://www.bmycharity.com/v2/philsheehan. Go on – you know it makes sense!
OVER AND LOUT
We’ve jumped our last red light, taken our final wrong turn and made more than our fair share of rude hand gestures at Her Majesty’s police officers. If anything, we hope our journey down more than one blind alley has proved to be a worthwhile diversion. Thanks for all your contributions – and please remember that while we are an intriguing side-street, we would be nothing without you, our sprawling super-highway. So please keep sending us your news, gossip, and further sightings of the elusive KEN BUIST to news@londondynamo.co.uk – but please DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. The deadline, as ever, is Wednesday afternoon for Friday’s edition. And now, as we wipe the streets’ grime from our sturdy mudguards, it only remains for us to remind you about…
THIS WEEK’S RIDES
SATURDAY
The Parkride. Richmond Park, roundabout at Sheen Gate, 9am. Four laps split into fast, intermediate and steady groups. Please note that the ride may be cancelled if the Park remains shut following Thursday’s tragic incident. Check the forum for updates.
SUNDAY
Hampton Court bridge, 8.30am for Surrey Hills ride. 50ish miles at a steady pace. Bring a pump, inner tubes, drink, and a Union Jack. That’s right, patriotic Dynamates – the Tour of Britain is coming to London and the king of the capital’s cycling clubs will be riding from the depths of Surrey to the centre of town to catch the action. This week’s ride is shorter and starts half an hour earlier, giving the group enough time to reach Westminster at noon for the start of the E/1/2 crit – which will feature none other than TOM ‘HUMBLE’ HEMMANT, RUSSELL ‘RUSTY’ SHORT and WARRICK ‘SPEEDY’ SPENCE. Come on, you Dynamos! You can find out more details on the forum and chief surgeon ‘MEDICAL’ MIKE DEBNEY will be overseeing the operation. Let’s hope he can keep a civil tongue in his head this time!
WEDNESDAY
Richmond Gate, Richmond Park, 7:30pm. Three fast laps. Again, check the forum as the ride may be cancelled.
So until next week, Dynamates, goodbye and happy riding.
London Dynamo Newsletter.
THE SMALL PRINT
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, BC WEST THAMES CIRCUIT RACE, HILLINGDON, 4/W/J, 40KM: 1 Scott Wilson (Luciano Cycles) 01.01.12; 2 J. Howes (Hillingdon Slipstreamers); 3 NICK PEACOCK (LONDON DYNAMO); 4 CHRIS WARD (LONDON DYNAMO); S. Mlambo (Economic Energy); 6 CHRIS CAMPBELL (LONDON DYNAMO).
MONDAY, AUGUST 30, THAMES TURBO TRIATHLON, RACE 4, PROVISIONAL RESULTS: 1 Stephen Bayliss (Addiscombe Cycling Club) 00:54:59; 2 Gavin Smith (Optima) 00:56:28; 3 Tom Langley (Thames Turbo Triathlon) 00:58:46; 4 GUY POWDRILL (LONDON DYNAMO) 00:58:59; 5 Euan Lees (Thames Turbo) 00:59:34; 6 Roger Barr (Swim For Tri) 01:00:21; 7 Gary Dykes (SBR Racing) 01:00:51; 8 Kevin Dean (Tri-Force) 01:02:11; 9 James Beckinsale (Optima) 01:02:40; 10 Oliver Roberts (01:02:48); 36 LUCY DOVE (LONDON DYNAMO) (01:08:31).
The DYNAMITE! Files 
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