Its Tuesday and Simons in Charge

I've unfortunately got two weeks of unmissable appointments ( daughters parents evening - very missable and the following week the same daughters birthday and a Chinese take away - not missing) So it was either Tom till Christmas or Simons in charge. So we all went with the latter & so it is thats Si's getting a sleep in and he is running the Velo TNR, so be warned anything can happen but you can bet it will either hurt or be fun,  maybe evenprobably both.

Planning Granted

Velo got some great news yesterday with us being given full permission for our bespoke Alpine cycle shed, and more importantly to continue the combined trading of Velo and CTL at Emerald Way. This follows some difficulties we faced last year due to Velo becomg so successful and the planning permitted on the estate.

Fortunately  Staffordshire County Council and Stafford Borough council have a proactive approach to cycling and sustainable transport. After the business model of CTL and Velo was presented to them by Peter Weatherhead of Weatherhead Planning and the diligent work undertaken by the highly professional John Turner, the planners were able to see just what a valuable asset the two companies are in moving cycling forward, not just in Stoke and Staffordshire but the work we do in Cheshire East and Stockport. Ctl and Velo train over 30,000 people a year on safe cycling and we are part of the reason the areas we work have one of the lowest cycling Ksi rates in the uk despite a dramatic growth in cycling in our areas. And we're not just a posh bike shop. This year Tom 2x Simons and Nick will have ran over 100 Dr bikes offering free bike serving to some of the communities that need it the most. 

So thanks to all wether you've helped with the application, your one of 40+ excellent CTL instructors, one of the top police team that helped so much with the burglary outside and beyond their job, or if your one of our Brilliant Velo customers or club member, thank you and see you soon on the Velo TNR or the Sat club run or just grabbing a coffee in store in our new borrow a book library.

Thanks

Peter & Sarah

A few places left - Ride Leader.

We have one or two places left on our Ride Leader Course next Tuesday 28th October.

This course is for low level rides with two qualified leaders on routes such as converted railway lines, canal towpaths, and other off-road cycle infrastructure. Course covers leadership, navigation, group management strategies, games, fun, etc… Combined training and assessment course. No hidden costs.. From £125 per person.

Call Peter on 01785 818193 to reserve your place.

Mac Forest

Fancy this one for the Tueday ride during November ?

ttp://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/?key=Jhpx5QpNouUaUEAlP9AWgg2

Autumn & First Snow

Before sitting down tonight to watch the News or Strictly What Ever, check out this video  and then make yourself a promise not to miss out on our local and (nearly) equally stunning scenery. See you on Saturdays ride.

http://vimeo.com/59614925

Oh yeah, the first snow fell this week in Highlands, Im looking forward to our first, any bets on when it will be ?

Free Lights for Commuters in Stoke

The nice boys and girls over at Travel Smart have asked us, (the not so nice, but much better bike mechanics) to put on two Pit Stops in Stoke On Trent this week. The first one is running on  Wednesday 22nd of October 5.15 to 6.15 next to the canal near the Britannia Stadium. Just ride over to us, fill in survey about bike travel and get a free set of lights. Follow the same routine on Thursday - except this time we will on the canal near the bridge to Festival Park.

Winter Miles ???

Sunday saw the Velo M club ride head out for a first run of winter and for some steady miles onto the edges of the Peak District. And well it got me thinking what is a winter run and its base miles. We all band it around but what should we be looking to get out of it.



Well for me its two fold, its getting out on the bike despite the weather and just enjoying being out on the bike with friends.
But in terms of training to be fitter and faster what should our miles look like ?, and what the bugger are winter miles anyway?


Well my take on it, is that winter is a time to ease back on intesity and think of it as a base for evertyhing else to come from, a foundation. The better the foundation the higher the peak will be. This is where your endurance comes from, but dont be fooled into thinking that your foundation is flat, you still need hill miles if you want to ride hills in summer, but they should be controlled and done in your levels/zones, none of your foundation should be done at peak levels. In the past it was thought the best way to build a base was, get out on the bike and ride lots of miles. This resulted in a lot of ‘junk miles’. ‘Junk miles’ refers to miles added into your training plan with no purpose other than to increase your mileage count. However Junk miles are some of my favourite miles, but then I suppose Im a bit strange. I like the wind, rain, snow and fog, but thats because I like winter boots, Gore Jackets and Gloves, not to mention lights and winter bikes.

Princy checking his Make up at the back of the group.