January 2004 Newsletter

Renewal Time - It’s hard to believe another new year is upon us.  The start of the year means that club member fees are now due.  As we press forward into 2004 remember that March will be the last newsletter you’ll receive if you haven’t renewed.  “Get it in the mail today.”

Please forward your membership fee to:

David Harrison

c/o Hamilton Cycling Club

5 Chatham Street

Hamilton, ON  L8P 2B3

Please use application form on the last page of this newsletter.

HAMILTON CYCLING CLUB EXECUTIVE:

PRESIDENT                             Don Sloan                           519-759-7540          don.sloan@ca.timberjack.com

VICE-PRESIDENT                   George Garrett                   905-854-9987          garrettsg@sympatico.ca

TREASURER                           Keith Oliver                         905-335-5178          oliver@ocscu.com

SECRETARY                            Chris Kiriakopoulos          905-544-7592          elilisachris@idirect.com

NEWSLETTER EDITOR/

MEMBERSHIP                          David Harrison                   905-529-6420          dchcycling@aol.com

PUBLICITY DIRECTOR /     Martin Reid                  905-577-9922       martinreid@cogeco.ca 

RACING SECRETARY

International Scene

By David Harrison

            The European peloton will have a new look again this year.  Team ONCE will be gone after 15 years, but former boss Manolo Saiz has secured new sponsors (Meta2Mill) and signed on many of his past riders including Joseba Beloki.  Spanish team iBanesto.com will team with new sponsor the Balearic Island government.

            While things seem to be coming together for Spanish cycling, the same can’t be said for some teams such as Bianchi who lost their main attraction Jan Ullrich to the newly formed T-Mobile as the German outfit molds its Tour team to take on Lance Armstrong and Postal.

            The cycling world mourned the sad passing of former Vuelta “King of the Mountains” winner Jose Maria Jimenez.  At the time of his death he was undergoing treatments for depression.  Once believed to be the next Indurain he was actually still on the iBanesto roster in hopes that he could maybe someday return to the pro ranks.

            2004 will most likely be another Tour de France highlight show, at least for North Americans as Lance goes for a record sixth straight.  As great as the Lance story goes, how does he stack up with the starts of yesteryear - Merckx, Hinault, Roche, Coppi and others who would race 100% from April to October including classics and sometimes 3 grand tours?  Money and short career spans play a major role no doubt, but I believe to be remembered as a complete all-around great, Armstrong would have add a few spring classics as well as the Worlds to his list of events.   Or perhaps he and his sponsors don’t really care what we wish for given the massive exposure of the Tour de France in the USA.

            Armstrong was after all voted AP Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row, and his story still remains one of greatest in all of sport.

Club Championship Finals

By David Harrison

            Club trophies were distributed at the annual awards banquet on December 6^th.

            At the Nella 40km TT, Mirek Mazur blazed a 53:45 to take the title with Fred Pepper and Henry Dudko, 2^nd and 3^rd.  The 80km Hogben TT was won this year by Terry Spielvogel in 2:06:27.  Daryl Vansickle led Garth Logan and Randy Brown in the Andy Keyes 88 km road race to win one of the club’s older events.

            In the 15km TT events, Sean Scott posted the year’s fastest time on August 26 when he went 19:52.  There were some great personal performances this year.  When all of the dust settled Rob Cheskey had taken the Seniors series, Zack Morris the cadet winner and Doug and Marva Taylor took the Vet and Women’s titles respectfully.  Doug and Marva were also the 2003 TTC winners, quite a team!

There was no doubt that the club’s most improved rider was Zack Morris who continuously produced better times all year.  It’s refreshing to see this young mans love for the sport and we can only hope that events like World Road Championships will stir more interest in the younger generation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

February

2 – Brian Chewter

2 – Sandy Casar

15 – Dermot Kelly

24 – Tom Pullar

March

3 – Fred Pepper

3 – Roman Vainsteins

23 – Rob Parsons

26 – Lisa Kiriakopoulos

Hamilton Cycling Club Kit

What better way to look sharp in the new year then to be seen in some new HCC colours.  Place an order with Keith Oliver today at 905-335-5178 while supply is still good.

Albert Penrose

By David Harrison

            On December 30^th, I had the pleasure of visiting Albert Penrose and his wife, Isabelle at St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas with Martin Reid.

            We chatted about some old club stories.  Albert and Martin talked of some past club members and events of which were before my time.  Both fellows are of Scottish descent and they spoke of cycling routes in Scotland and the days of old fixed gear bikes.

            Albert was a past President of our club and although he hasn’t ridden the bike for some time now, you could see how the years of riding have kept him fit and sharp.

            I brought along some of this years’ newsletters as he had missed a few.  I can only hope he enjoys them as much as I did his renditions of Robbie Burns’ readings.

ARTICLES WELCOME…

The Hamilton Cycling Club Newsletter is published at the beginning of January, March, May, July, September and November.  The deadline for each issue is the 20^th of the month prior to publication.  Please note that submissions are welcome anytime.

Dave Harrison, the editor of the newsletter can be reached by phone at 905-529-6420 or via e-mail at dchcycling@aol.com or snail mail at the following address:

5 Chatham Street

Hamilton, ON  L8P 2B3

For us riders who can’t afford the time or luxury of travelling to the warmer climates to train, winter time can be a real challenge.  Unless you cross train with the old standbys of running, Nordic skiing or snowshoeing, you really have no option but to hit the turbo or rollers for hours of enjoyment during the sub zero days we’ve all come to love as Canadians. 

Our own January bio man Rob Cheskey takes to the trails to ski, and judging by his summer fitness this is a great alternative for the winter.  Sue Palmer-Komar came from a Nordic skiing background and still skis to maintain a high level of fitness.  Without a great amount of snow in our area, I tend to running in the cold months when it’s too cold to cycle.  Hockey has always been a mainstay with me and there are many other great sports out there.  So remember to mix it up and have some fun with the variety.

EVENTS CALENDAR

The cyclocross season finished up in Canada as well as Europe with the World Championships at the end of January in France.

By then the six day events will be in full swing overseas and our pros will be heading to warmer climates of the southern USA for training camps.  Here is a short list of events, including some Nordic ski races in our area and abroad.

FEBRUARY & MARCH

New Year’s Greetings from HCC

            On December 13^th, the Hamilton Cycling Club elected its new executive.   Don, George, Keith, Chris, Martin and Dave all wish the membership a happy new year and may all your plans be prosperous in 2004. 

            The past year was an exciting one for Hamilton area cyclists.  We had the World and National Championships here and enjoyed all the fabulous festivities that go with them.

            Our Good Friday road race is just around the corner and plans are already underway as Spring will soon be here.  In Europe, many pro teams are merging and riders are changing teams and it should be an exciting year.  Our own World Road Championship standout, Sue Palmer-Komar is excited about this Olympic year.  Good luck Sue and to everyone else on what I’m sure will be a great season of riding!! J

Club Bio – Rob Cheskey

aka “The Bubber”

What’s the last meal you cooked?  My specialty is cabbage rolls but I haven’t made them in quite awhile.  I helped make French toast at the Christmas brunch though!

What’s your favourite drink?  Coffee

What was the last book you read?  I’m presently reading “Downsize This” by Michael Moore.

What’s the last CD you bought?  I bought some CD’s at Christmas which included a BTO Greatest Hits for myself.

What was the last movie you saw?  Chicago, I like musicals and this one was good.

What’s your favourite website?  Mmm, well Martin does a great one for the HCC, but maybe the one I hit the most would be Canadiancyclist.com.

What non-cycling magazines do you read?  I’m not a big magazine person, so I guess the Canadian Master Cross Country Ski Newsletter would be close enough.

Where do you live?  Milton, ON - We have great access to all kinds of rural roads, but the community is getting bigger every year making roads a bit less rural.

Other than cycling, what other sports do you do?  All sports are fun, mainly I XC ski, but if I had more time I’d like to play more ice hockey.  (Editor’s Note:  Rob is also an accomplished percussionist and is always on the lookout for fellow musicians to jam with.)