Sleaford Wheelers Newsletter September 2025

This month we cover the Ladies 100-miler, Track Day, start of Cyclo-cross, downhill record breakers, road safety, return of spinning and the Highway Code.

This year’s AGM will be held on 17th November at Silk Willoughby Village Hall, commencing at 19:30. Please let me know if you would like to add a topic for discussion.

Club members achievements

• A Downhill classic. 17th August saw the Hill-Climb Time-Trial but it was the Downhill challenge which broke new records; if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. For those unfamiliar with the event, your pedals are ty-wrapped to the frame and you must freewheel as far as possible. You set off from Caythorpe and roll down the hill, the previous record was around the bend at the end of the downhill section and then up the slight rise. This year Darren Jessop went up the rise and disappeared from sight, a clear winner, or so we thought, but John Crust and Thomas Cragg had other ideas. On the diagram below, the start is highlighted by the green circle, the blue segment is the downhill section and the best freewheelers would normally get to the brown section, however the competition set new records and the pink section is where John and Thomas went, purely by moving their handlebars from side-to-side, John managed 3.98 miles, Thomas 4.44 miles, the only thing stopping them was getting to the bottom of Hough-on-The-Hill. An incredible sight to witness.

• Well done to Esme Turner for making the podium in the last race of the Leicester Crit, great going.
  
  
• Well done to Kath and Jed for taking on the London-Edinburgh-London challenge. It was a great shame that Storm Floris ended the event prematurely; however, Kath has decided to cycle the missing section (Richmond-Edinburgh-Richmond) as a mid-week break.

Jet Ride

Don’t forget that SWCC will contribute £5 towards the entry fee for the Jet Ride on 13th September. More information about the Jon Egging Trust can be found here: https://www.joneggingtrust.org.uk/event/jetride/

SWCC have always encouraged riders to support this worthy cause and to take part in this event. This year we are also refunding our members £5 towards the cost of entry. All you need to do is forward your completed entry form to me with relevant bank details so we can transfer you the money.

Start and finish: RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, Distance: 50, 75 or 100 miles. Start times: from 8am.Entry: £35 online, £40 on the day, online entries will close on Thursday 11th September

Introductory rides

A reminder that the third Introductory Ride will take place on Sunday 14th September.

Ladies 100-mile ride

The Ladies 100-mile ride will take place on 20th September. Different abilities will be catered for and

Support Wagons will be with them. All are welcome at the Horseshoes in Silk Willoughby after the

ride to help celebrate their achievement.

SWCC Track Cycling Experience Day.

Have you ever fancied having a go at track cycling in a velodrome? SWCC are organising a day at

Derby’s velodrome for the club on Saturday the 1st of November, between 2- 4 pm, arrive at 13:00

for briefings and set up. The price for the day will be around £20 per rider and will include bike and

shoe hire (spectators free). Phil Harrison has organised a deal for the Club to keep prices low.

This day will be open to all club members 1st and 2nd claim and depending on numbers possibly

friends/family. Ages 9+ (tbc).

The length of the sessions mean you have time to relax between efforts and there are full facilities

including cafe on site. Coaches are on hand to get you going and to give advice.

If you haven’t already informed Rob that you are interested, then please let me know soonest as the

session is filling up fast.

Rider Safety

You may remember that last month we highlighted the fact that Ride Leaders have cameras installed for Club Rides to assist in improving rider safety.

Obviously, this works both ways in that vehicles have dash-cam footage that can be provided to us.

Please remember to cycle in accordance with the Highway Code; for example, always stop at Red Lights and ride two-abreast when safe to do so.

Spinning Classes

Looking ahead to October and Dennis is running the spinning classes at the Better Gym on Eastgate.

These are planned for Thursday evenings, 18:30 – 19:30 and will run through to March.

SWCC on Tour

For those interested in week away with SWCC, Majorca is the chosen destination for 2026. This will be over the week commencing 24th April.

Junior Duathlon

Have any of our Juniors fancied having a go at a Duathlon? Tri3 Sleaford Triathlon Club are running a Duathlon in September. It’s a BTF sanctioned race that will be located at St George’s School in Sleaford (NG34 7PP) on Friday 12 September 2025. The race starts at 1830.

All event details are via the link: Click here to view

This will take you directly to the BTF website where an online entry can be made. The race fee is £10. It’s only for kids! There are no adult entries.

Race distances are 6-8 years: 400 m Run / 1.5 km Bike / 400 m Run and for kids over 8 it is: 1 km Run / 5 km Bike / 1 km Run. It’s all contained within the grounds of the school i.e. the bike leg is on grass.

Did you know?

The downhill battle described above was a great achievement, but did you know that the world’s longest wheelie on a bicycle lasted over 22 miles and was achieved by Manuel Scheidegger in 2014.

Events coming up in September

• Saturday 6th September – Ladies Rides
• Tuesday 9th September – Go-Ride re-commences
• Saturday 13th September – Jet Ride
• Sunday 14th September – Introductory Ride
• Saturday 20th September – Ladies 100-mile ride, followed by drinks and subsidised food at the
• Horseshoes from 16:00. Further details on Facebook.
• Sunday 28th September – Cyclo-cross hosted by SWCC

Events coming up in October

• Saturday 4th October – Ladies Rides
• Sunday 5th October – Cyclo-cross hosted by Lincoln at Doddington Hall
• Sunday 12th October – Introductory Ride
• Sunday 12th October – Cyclo-cross hosted by Witham Wheelers at Stroxton
• Sunday 19th October – Cyclo-cross hosted by Scunthorpe at Normanby Hall
• Sunday 26th October – Cyclo-cross hosted by Spalding at Beckbank

Dates for your diary

• AGM – Monday 17th November, venue Silk Willoughby Village Hall at 19:30
• Awards Presentation Evening – Saturday 29th November, venue Solo Club, Sleaford.

Enjoy your cycling and stay safe.

Nige