Trailbuilding Session Tueaday 1st September 2009

This coming Tuesday, the 1st September is our club trail building night. Our plans this week are to deberm the race route that Rik has designed for the SXC race that is coming to Drumlanrig on the 20th September. The session starts at 18:30 and runs into 20:00. Please bring along a spade and / or a rake. It is best to come dressed in long trousers, because we are likely to be working in the vicinity of brambles and it would be wise to bring along some gardening gloves together with something to drink.

Meet just outside the Stableyard at 6:30pm.

Scottish Cycling Drumlanrig RSR 19th September

Saturday 19th September – MTB RSR at Drumlanrig Castle. This is a must if you are racing the SXC on the 20th. We will ride the course and teach you where to get ahead of the competition. Contact Richard Lord for more details.

Drumlanrig Root Rats Coaching Thursday 27th August

Coaching is on as usual with the Sprogs session (U12 group) running from 17:15 to 18:30 and the Yoofs (U16 group) will from 19:00 to 20:30. Graeme Scott will be out with the Yoofs this week and we'll be going out for a ride in the woods.

This coming Tuesday is the first Tuesday of the month and that means that it is a trail building night. The trail building session will start at 18:30 and end at 20:00 and we will be working on the race course that Rik has designed for the SXC race, which takes place on the 20th September. So why not come along - this will probably be the last trail building Tuesday of the year.

Details of the following events have been posted on the Root Rats blog (www.rootrats.blogspot.com ) :

(1) Scottish Cycling Regional School of racing event at Drumlanrig - 19th September
(2) Forestry Commission All Abilities Day at Ae Forest - 12th September
(3) Scottish Cycling Regional School of racing event at Glenmore Lodge - 29th August
(4) Extreme Valley Riders Mini DH Event at Newmilns - 5th September
(5) Scottish BMX Championships at Clydebank - 5th September

Finally, don't forget that it is getting close to the time of the Dalbeattie Hard Rock Challenge and Junior Hard Rock Challenge. See www.dalbeattiehardrockchallenge.org/ for more information. This is a run / bike duathlon which may be raced in pairs.

Andrew

Ae All Abilities Day 10th September

Scottish Cycling Coaching Events

Here are details of three upcoming events organised by Scottish Cycling. These are Mini DH event at EVR in Newmilns on the 5th September; a cross country RSR at Glenmore Lodge on the 29th August; and the Scottish BMX Championships on the 5th September. For more details, click on the image, or contact Richard Lord of Scottish Cycling.

Drumlanrig Root Rats Coaching Thursday 20th August

Now that the schools are back, please don't forget about this weeks coaching sessions at Drumlanrig. Coaching is on as usual with the Sprogs session (U12 group) running from 17:15 to 18:30 and the Yoofs (U16 group) will from 19:00 to 20:30.

I am looking for an adult helper to assist me with the Yoofs session this week. Ideally you would bring along your bike and take part in the session, but helping out on foot is possible as we we stay within a few minutes walk of the Castle or the coaching sessions. If anyone would like to volunteer, please get in touch by reply to this note.

I have posted details of the Bute Cycling Festival on the club blog (http://www.rootrats.blogspot.com/). This runs on the 19th and 20th September and includes a junior cyclo cross race with U10/U12/U14 and U16 categories. On the subject of racing, well done to Jack and Jamie for their excellent performances in the Hawick Criterium race last Sunday.

Isle of Bute Cycling Festival 19th and 20th September

Drumlanrig Root Rats Coaching Thursday 13th August

This weeks Sprogs coaching session (U12 group) will run from 17:15 to 18:30 and the Yoofs (U16 group) will run from 19:00 to 20:30. We are planning to for the Yoofs group to take a ride this week, so please bring along something to drink.

Once again, we would like to encourage female riders to get together for an informal ride on Thursdays whilst Rik's Sprogs session is on. This will be between 17:30 and 18:30. There was some positive interest in this last week and if you would like to find out more, why not give Rik and Ginny a call / e-mail on 01848 330 080 / mtbrik@aol.com.

Well done to Ariana, Jamie, Cameron, Ally, Jack, Ewan and Richard C. for their excellent results at last Sunday's SXC Cathkin Braes MTB race. More details of the racing can be found on the club blog at http://www.rootrats.blogspot.com/. The Drumlanrig SXC round is on the 20th September and we are hoping that club members will take part in the racing, which has separate races from the P1-3 up to the Elite / Expert Category. The trail building work that we have been doing since the start of July has provided a new section of single track for this race. We are also looking for volunteers to help with Marshalling on the day of the race and if you can help out in this way, please get in touch with Rik as above.

SXC Cathkin Braes - 9th August

This Sunday saw the completion of the fifth stage of the Scottish Cross Country race series at Cathkin Braes on the outskirts of Glasgow. This was riders first chance to race on a course that has been prepared for the 2014 Commonwealth Games when they come to Glasgow. The course turned out to be extremely tough with a series of almost never ending climbs followed by steep technical descents. The steepest descent was just on the edge of the "race village" with a large crowd watching every riders move. The picture to the left shows the view of the finish line and beyond being occupied by some of the local Police force.

Congratulations are due to the four Root Drumlanrig Root Rats in the Primary Schools Racing. Ariana Willoughby came second in her P1-3 race whilst brother Jamie came home third in the ever more competitive P4-5 race after recovering from a start line crash. Cameron Scott shrugged off most of the competition to record an excellent second place in the P6-7 race. Well done everyone.

Ewan Clark (below) continued his run of good form to take a convincing victory in the Junior race. This keeps Ewan in the series lead. Meanwhile, Jack Taylor had his best result of the series to date coming in fifth in the Youth race, with brother Ally putting in a solid performance to come in eleventh. Finally, the Drumlanrig Rik's Bike Shed team were represented by Richard Cantillon in the Veterans category. Unfortunately, Richard was forced to retire from the race after experiencing his second puncture.

Drumlanrig Root Rats Coaching Thursday 6th August

This weeks Sprogs coaching session (U12 group) will run from 17:15 to 18:30 and the Yoofs (U16 group) will run from 19:00 to 20:30. This weeks session for the Yoofs will be a coaching session based on the new singletrack that we completed in this evenings trail building session.

The Scottish Cycling summer series of Regional Schools of Racing continues with road focussed events in Aviemore and Kelso. More details of these coaching events can be found on the club blog (http://www.rootrats.blogspot.com/); note that road bikes are not required for younger riders. Further to these two events, there is a town centre criterium race in Hawick on the 16th August and this is open to Youth A,B, C and D categories. Entry details are given on the British Cycling web-site.

We have noticed that not many females have taken an interest in the club activities and we would like to encourage mums, daughters and big sisters to get together for an informal ride on Thursdays whilst Rik's Sprogs session is on. So why not give it a go this week and bring your wheels along this Thursday for a short ride between 17:30 and 18:30.

Finally, thanks to everyone who turned up to tonights trail building session. The next session will be held on Tueaday the 1st September - the first Tuesday of the month!

Scottish Cycling RSR at Kelso - 11th August

Trail building session tomorrow night - 4th August

Tomorrow is the second Tueaday of the month, which means that it is our club trail building night. Our plans are to complete the new section of single track that has been developed in the last two trail building sessions. The trail building session starts at 18:30 and runs into 20:00. Please bring along a spade and / or a rake. It is best to come dressed in long trousers, because we are likely to be working in the vicinity of brambles and it would be wise to bring along some gardening gloves together with something to drink.

See you there,

Andrew