Helen & Douglas House 2016 Tour de Charity Shop
Author: admin
July’s Ride Leader of the Month
July’s ride leader of the month – David Whitaker
Our Condor for July is a man who takes n+1 to an extreme – he could probably equip a whole peloton from his garage.
If you’ve been out for a lumpy Sunday social ride in the past few months, stopping for baguettes and beer at a choice Chilterns pub, then chances are David’s been your guide. He’s led a fair few social rides over the season, and even kept a hard core band riding through the dark winter nights too.
Chapeau David!
And an honourable mention has to go to James Spicer…
…who’s hit social riding leading with a definite bang in the last few weeks! Chapeau James!
Origins of the Condors (2011-12)
Origins of the Condors (2011-12)
Five years old, you say?!
Of course it’s a cliché, but in life I do try and take the “If you’re going to do something, you may as well do it properly” approach, and this was certainly the case with the Cowley Road Condors.
The growth and evolution of the Condors, whilst natural, belied a steely determination to make it a success; hard work that was often tricky to balance against our own cycling goals, careers and personal lives. But we never imagined the Condors would grow into the club it’s become today. The Cowley Road Condors is the club it is due to an amazing combination of work ethic, trial and error, learning on the fly, and the passion and dedication displayed by its members. I’ve always said how the club wouldn’t be what it is without the wonderful input of its membership base.
I hope this snapshot of its very early days builds a picture of how Jonny and I started the club and tried to put it on the right path.
Right, back to 2011…..
We have a name!
The origins of the Cowley Road Condors can be traced back to a pretty specific point in time. Not long after acquiring road bikes, four local Cowley residents (Jonny Revis, Ollie Jaques, Nick Hughes and Jock Poole) found themselves in The Library pub on the Cowley Road discussing the possibility of creating a local, friendly cycling club with an ethos of being welcoming and inclusive. Basically, a cycling club we’d actually like to ride in ourselves, and one which would hopefully provide opportunity for meeting likeminded people. I remember we couldn’t believe East Oxford, a catchment area of young professionals, families and a large student body didn’t have a cycling club!
The exact reason we found ourselves in the pub that night at that time was because one of us had just been unceremoniously dumped. It happened a lot back then. As we all know riding a bike is therapeutic; creating and running a club at the time of any emotional trauma is a revelation – it gives you no time to stew! So, as the beer flowed, the ideas came thick and fast. A “this could work you know” mentality took over and before we knew it Jock was scribbling out the design of a bird onto the back of a beer mat. When questioned, Jock emphatically stated it was a Condor. Not being totally clued up on what Condors looked like we agreed, and declared that it, combined with our famous street’s name, had a certain ring to it. And there you have it, the name was born: The Cowley Road Condors.
Getting the show on the road…
Rick’s Café, a favourite of Jonny’s from the moment it opened, became our Saturday morning office and was where the essential, though admittedly boring, initial admin took place. I remember we asked ourselves the question – what would you need to do to run a cycling club effectively? Basically we needed to ensure we could actually start a club and obtain a good grounding of some of the rules.
I remember it being immensely satisfying when we officially registered our club with British Cycling and saw our name appear within the “find your local club” searches. Here we were… Oxford’s newest cycling club… this was real!
The process of getting the news out there then began.
The First Ride
Honestly, Jonny and I had at that time had no real experience of riding bike, let alone running a cycling club, so you can imagine the apprehension when the knocking on the front door of our East Avenue HQ began.
The ride occurred on a balmy Tuesday evening. News of the ride had spread mainly via word of mouth and through some local advertising at Rick’s and at the John Radcliffe hospital. We were about to embark on a ride with new people… how novel!
Many of you have probably seen this snap of our rag-tag brigade shortly before we departed for Brill on 14th June 2011. It was a 35 miler which I remember was tackled enthusiastically – especially by the chap in jeans and a t-shirt (I later found out his bike was nicked; we never saw him again!) – and actually went along very smoothly. It was back to Rick’s for a post-ride natter. Excellent.
Ride, repeat
Tuesday and Thursday, week in week out, became the riding mindset. We wanted to ensure people knew the days and times we rode so Jonny and I were there religiously as the club got off the ground. This included turning out in some pretty hard-core winter weather with freezing temperatures whilst the weekly rides became established. I vividly remember the contents of my water bottle freezing in -7C conditions, a ride in which Jonny also punctured two miles into proceedings!
The above sounds like hard work – which it was – however, it was also immensely enjoyable and fun to see the club to grow in popularity with new faces out riding each week. Original club hard man, Don Ramage, joined at this time – a landmark event in Condors’ history! There from the start were: Hamish Baxter, Jo Kitley, Ben Sanders, Matt Coulter, Lucy Bruzzone, Tom Nee, Ben Jack, Steph Arnold and Andy Ford. Classic Condors including Tom Lamb, Rob Mawdsley, Cathy Naylor, Jamie Kirby and Jack Wilcox joined soon after.
I think we were about a month old when this was taken (2011).
Andy Ford fixing a flat illuminated by our bike lights.
I Heart Vence
A little cycling club based in the hills near Nice is to thank for a big part of the Condors’ success. During our first cycling trip abroad in Apr 2011, we were lucky enough to encounter Vence cycling club. What was most striking, other than the speed they over took us on climbs, was their striking pink and black kit. The colours just seem to work. Pink and black was officially adopted by the Condors and its popularity, even to this day, seemingly holds no bounds. It has become synonymous with the club.
Jonny must however take all credit for the flames. I remember the call of ‘Jaquesy, check this out’ as he proudly presented me with his design. We were so cool back in those days we even had our initial and surname printed on the front.
Rick’s
A move to Rick’s café took place fairly soon after our formation. As nice as it was to have cyclists turn up to East Ave, it soon became necessary to move our meeting point when we started blocking the road and annoying the neighbours.
Rick’s proudly became the club’s first sponsor shortly before the first kit order with supplier, Owayo, was placed. Other than it being totally cool to have a local business logo on our jersey we also secured a 20% discount for members (yes, ensuring membership cards existed even then was a top priority). Rick’s unfortunately never did get around to fulfilling their promise of naming a sandwich after us.
Ben Jack and Jack Wilcox living it up in Rick’s.
Inclusivity and growth
Inclusivity was a byword of the club from the beginning. Anyone was welcome to join, male or female, young or old, fledging rider or seasoned racer; I think this attitude, as well as the welcoming nature of our members, is a huge reason why the club flourished – something which continues to this day.
Growth occurred at a pretty speedy rate and it wasn’t long until the club began running its popular Newbie rides, a chance for those thinking of joining a cycling club to come for a spin. There were new faces each week; something that was always lovely to see was people returning for repeat rides, or bringing along a friend, partner or colleague to try us out.
The Beeline trio of Mark, Matt and Kurt took a shine to the club and must be thanked for pushing those purchasing bikes or looking to join a cycling club our way. Advertising was also stepped up, as was the use of social media. It was always a hope the appeal of our club would shine through on our Facebook pages. I actually believe it would have been hard to grow our club so quickly without social media – with Facebook and our newly created WordPress website we felt like world beaters!
The Condors has always adapted to the wants of its members. When it came to club spins the early days saw only one or two groups heading out each ride night. Tuesday was the night for the social paced club spins whilst Thursday’s soon became the home of the Screamer ride. In its very early iteration the Screamer ride saw a group set off approximately 20 minutes after a steady paced ride group on the same course in a bid to chase them down – I think this may have actually been Cathy and Jamie’s first ride and introduction to the Condors! As the number of members grew we tried to tailor ride groups accordingly and began introducing more people to ride leading.
Our first AGM took place on 26th April 2012 at the Dil Dunia curry house on Cowley Rd. Official roles were established at this stage including Jonny Revis being named our inaugural President. Original aims were to keep increasing our membership count, including the number of women riders; to establish more ride-leaders (a common theme to this day, hey?); raise some money for the MS Trust, our chosen charity at the time, and to explore the possibility of doing some racing.
Some serious decision making at our first AGM (2012)
Hi-Lo can you go
How better to cement recently discovered cycling friendships than regular nights out? The Condors has always been a very sociable club – anyone who has ended up in Hi-Lo during the small hours will tell you that. The Christmas do and post-Silverstone TTT nights out have been solid fixtures in the club calendar from the off (always ensuring the following day is a write-off, I should add). The club’s annual weekend away was founded in 2012; a trip where we visit the one and only Baskerville Hall in Brecon – a tough, yet rewarding area for riding, which really puts to test your fitness gained over the summer. Jonny and I had both had the pleasure of attending separate stag dos at Baskerville Hall prior to the formation of the club; it’s a slightly creepy but absolutely spot on place for a cycling weekend away and situated on the door step of some beautiful climbs.
The condors riding in Brecon for the first time (2012).
Tom and Amy Lamb’s wedding cake back in 2012.
Onwards and very much upwards
There is so much more that could be written and, at some stage, should be documented… the formation of the Women’s Committee; the creation of the ORRL; amazing charity work and competitive successes to name but a few topics. It’d be fun to pull everything together in a reflective piece to mark our 10th birthday!
It’s so exciting to see the club continue to grow and develop and is in a brilliant set of hands with Cheryl Reid and the current Condors’ board. Cheryl and her board recognise the history of the club as well as its needs in its current iteration. The Cowley Road Condors continue to move onwards and upwards.
Ollie Jaques – July 2016
Matt Coulter – an absolute whippet on the hills. He sadly left us to start a band and travel the world. I maintain he’ll be back.
Coulter, Revis and Jaques at Hillingdon 17th June 2012. We all got in the points and Jonny brilliantly won!
Jonny ripping it up in some early races (2012).
Cowley Road Condors reaches 200 members!
Today is a very special day for the Cowley Road Condors.
For the first time in the club’s history, we have reached the incredible milestone of 200 current members.
This comes only weeks after celebrating our 5th Anniversary, which really puts a big cherry on the cake.
The membership base is made up of 121 men and 79 (yes 79!) women who all share a passion for riding bicycles. Between us all we love club rides, commuting, sportives, touring, cyclo-cross, MTB, crits, road racing, time trials, track and just pootling around in the great outdoors.
We are eternally grateful to the club’s founding members, who had an amazing idea one day, and just went with it. Jonny Revis and Ollie Jaques in particular have been the driving force behind the club’s spectacular rise. We salute their vision, drive, tenacity and dedication in making this happen.
We are also extremely thankful to everyone who has been involved since then, helping to shape and grow the club into the success you see today. There are far too many names to mention but we all appreciate all your contributions, from ride leading to running training, organising events to managing the club.
Chapeau to the brilliant, inspiring and fun loving Condors!
Cheryl Reid
Club President
June’s Ride Leader of the Month
June’s ride leader of the month – Nick Green
After joining the club last summer, Nick’s really made the pink and black his own. After a hard day licking RAF pilots into shape at Benson, he’s pedaled back to Oxford to lead many a social ride over the last couple of months.
While many regular leaders were diverted by Silverstone training, Nick’s helped keep the social side ticking over, and despite being keen to stretch himself with some faster rides, has been content to keep the pace steady til the ranks were replenished once again.
Having seen a couple of pre-ride briefings, I’m bringing a notebook next time too. Could learn a thing or two from this chap.
Chapeau Nick!
And an honourable mention goes to Ella Kaye…
club and ride leading stalwart who, until she was attacked by a tree while out riding, was challenging Nick for this month’s glory. Chapeau Ella!
Condor women triumph at Silverstone
The annual event is a highlight of the Condor calendar. Our ambition is to make the Condors a 50/50 cycling club, so this year we were particularly excited to be taking two women’s teams alongside our two men’s teams.
After many weeks of training hard, learning how to ride a tight paceline and perfecting our calls, the garage was abuzz with nervous energy on Friday night. There was time for a few practice laps of the course, as we familiarised ourselves with the corners, and learnt how much further we could tip the bikes on the smooth tarmac. Rollers and turbos whirred, riders wrestled with their pink latex Velotoze overshoes, and we nervously watched the clock tick round.
At twenty past seven the four Condors teams lined up in the pit, and team by team we moved up to be held by the start guys, clipped in, and waited for the count down. And then we were off, launching ourselves up the ramp and out onto the course.
Racing at Silverstone is a fantastic experience, and with little wind and good weather it was a great evening. The teams worked well together, held the lines tight and worked hard, dropping riders only in the final few miles. And it was a night of triumph, in various ways.
The women’s B team stuck together until near the last corner, with the leading riders sprinting over the line with a final time of 28:55. The Men’s B showed that the training had paid off, holding a tight line for most of the race and coming in with the fastest Condor B time yet – 25:00 dead. And the Men’s A overcame a disastrous start – when one of the pit-lane holders dropped Rob just before the ‘go’ – to finish 14th with a time of 23:16.
But the champions of the evening were undoubtedly the Women’s A who took a podium place with the third fastest time of 26:58:00. The Condors had some other important business to attend to, and unfortunately we were all on the road back to Oxford before the podium places were announced — so we could hit the Cowley Road and celebrate another great Silverstone and our fifth anniversary as Oxford’s pinkest, friendliest club!
As always, there was a great Condor support crew joining us in the garage and cheering on the home straight. When you’re head down, gripping the drops, staring at the tarmac and willing your legs to go faster, the sound of ‘go Condors!’ really gives you a lift. So chapeau to all of our racers and all of our supporters!
And a huge thanks to the team at BMCC who put on a great event every year!
Condors qualify for the Worlds
The Tour of Cambridgeshire is a combined time trial, closed-road race and sportive taking place over two days with several thousand riders entering.
Saturday saw Aimee, Kristen, Tyra and Kat launch themselves down the ramp to complete the 16.9 mile Chrono time trial.
A surprisingly hilly course for the fens plus headwinds made for a tough ride, but the women really showed what Condors women can do, racing home with great times. Aimee showed her training’s paid off by coming 6th in her age category and qualifying for the Gran Fondo World Championship which takes place in Perth this September.
The Chrono hadn’t completely sapped Aimee’s or Kristen’s legs though, and on Sunday they joined Dave, Chris, and me (Jon) in the Gran Fondo road race. If Chris was going to join Aimee in Australia as more than just soigneur, he knew he had a tough day ahead.
It was 84 miles of fast and punishing racing, with little to protect us from the winds scouring Cambridgeshire’s flatlands. The great thing about the ToC is the combination of different events, so while the six of us were battling to stay in the bunch, taking turns to tow a paceline, or fighting to get back on the back of a group, Cheryl, Natasha, Ian and Kirsty were close behind in the sportive. It was a great event – cheered on by locals as we battled round, and with Kat and Tyra waiting at 20 miles to give us a boost.
Battered, sun burnt and weary Condors collapsed on the grass, nursing sore legs and rehydrating with much needed pints.
But there were more medals to come – in fact all of the racing Condors qualified! Both Dave and Aimee made it a double, Dave qualifying for a second year in a row (he represented team GB in Denmark last year) and Aimee qualifying in the Fondo adding to her Chrono medal the day before.
Not bad for a weekend’s riding.
Results
Chrono
Aimee Fenwick – 0:44:06
Tyra Rivkin – 0:50:11
Kristen Lovelock – 0:51:03
Kat Young – 0:53:55
Gran Fondo
Chris Jones – 3:23:53
Aimee Fenwick – 3:50:27
Dave Dyer – 3:51:29
Jon Harle – 3:54:05
Ian Lockwood – 4:07:44
Kristen Lovelock – 4:18:03
After a feed station stop or two…
Cheryl Reid – 5:20:36
Kirsty Tizzard – 5:28:07
Silverstone 2016 update – Condors enter second women’s team!
Cowley Road Condors are extremely pleased to confirm we’ve been allowed to enter a fourth team for Silverstone, and as originally planned this will be a second women’s team. This means we will have two men’s and two women’s teams representing the club at this fantastic time trial event organised by Bicester Millenium CC. This is a really important milestone for the club as we move closer towards 50:50 male/female membership within the club and help change people’s perceptions of what cycling clubs are like.
Friday 10th June, start times are:
19:19 Women’s A
19:20 Women’s B
19:21 Men’s A
19:22 Men’s B
The full line up is currently as follows, though there may be last minute changes if people become injured etc.
Men’s A
Andy Wilde, Arran Curran, Jamie Kirby, Jonny Revis, Mike Devaney (C), Nick Sanderson, Rob Freshwater, Tim Jones, plus one other – still be be finalised
Mike Devaney didn’t get his quote to us on time, so we had to imagine what he would have said.
Our main goal is to bring some serious watts and deliver a solid, smooth smashfest. Last year the Men’s A team got round in 24:01. Let’s see if we can beat that.
On the day I’m most looking forward to ripping everyone’s legs off while calling them fatties – I might even video this. Don’t cry.
I love riding with the club because everyone was fully supportive when I went vegan for a while.
Men’s B
Ben Jack, Berwyn Jones (C), Chris Jones (2iC), David Holland, Jamie Clarke, Jon Harle, Mark Glendinning, Ollie Jaques, Stephen Johnson
Berwyn Jones had these words of Welsh wisdom to share:
Our main goal is to beat the Men’s A team at the ‘boat race’ later in the evening. Our secondary goal is to put in a competitive time on the track and hopefully beat a few of the other B teams.
On the day I’m most looking forward to seeing everyone giving it all for the team – pushing themselves further than they ever thought they could go.
I love riding with the club because… it’s such a weird and wonderful group of people – definitely the friendliest bunch of folk I’ve come across 🙂
Women’s A-mazing
Aimee Fenwick, Caz Kinash, Cathy Naylor, Heather Lang, Helena Coker (C), Josie Eade, Kristen Lovelock, Tyra Rivkin, Vivien Hanson (2iC)
Teenage lookalike Helena Coker had this to say:
I’m so honoured to captain a team of such strong and experienced riders, especially when I’m a newbie to racing.
Our aim is to smash it…but we can only do this by respecting each other’s’ abilities and listening carefully. I’d like us to stick together as a nine for as long as possible and use calm and clear communication to keep the pace steady. After Silverstone, I really hope that the team will race together at other events.
On the day I am most looking forward to to pulling on a Condors’ jersey for the first time! This club has been brilliant for me and my development as a cyclist. I particularly appreciate the support for the women from the men, both on and off the road. I have never felt discouraged from joining a ride and that can be the make or break for a newbie.
Women’s B-rilliant
Al Bell, Becci Curtis, Cheryl Reid (C), Fi Walton, Fuz Dudhwala, Jacqueline Robbins, Kat Young (2iC), Kirsty Tizzard, Sarah Clarke
El Presidente Cheryl Reid had this to say:
Our main goal is to showcase what the Condors do best – being friendly and inclusive. This means our aim is to get all 9 riders over the line together. To achieve this we will need to push ourselves and work hard as a team but I’m confident we can do it. KT9U! #teamfriendly
I’m most looking forward to the giant pissup afterwards
I love riding with the club because I’ve found a safe outlet for my colour co-ordination OCD
Cowley Road Condors and the Broken Spoke Bike Co-op launch new partnership!
Cowley Road Condors are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Broken Spoke Bike Co-op. This brings together Oxford’s friendliest cycling club with it’s only do-it-yourself (DIY) bicycle workshop and cycle training organisation. We are both passionate about riding bikes, developing skills and being inclusive, particularly for women. With our aim to reach 50:50 membership and the Broken Spoke reaching out to women and trans folk via Team Beryl it makes complete sense to work more closely together and drive real changes in the local community.
Why are the Broken Spoke so fantastic?
Broken Spoke are based in the city centre and teach people of all ages and backgrounds how to ride and repair bicycles. From drop-in DIY workshops, to mechanics courses, to Beryl’s night for women and trans people, to cycle training, they support the whole spectrum from learning to ride to building a wheel. You might have used their services already, or heard about them supporting the Condor Spring/Summer sessions for ladies. In fact several of our members volunteer their free time there!
What does this mean for me?
We are extremely pleased to announce that Condor members will benefit from a 15% discount on all mechanics courses, and enjoy the concessionary rate for the drop-in DIY workshops. Broken Spoke will continue to offer their brilliant bike check and roadside repair training as part of the Spring and Summer Sessions for ladies. We will be keeping you up to date with all the latest Broken Spoke news and adventures, and invite them along to events to help explain more about the amazing work they do.
We’re also keen to hear if members have ideas for other training sessions they would like to see, please get in touch!
How can I help?
If you are interested in supporting the Broken Spoke you can volunteer, become an annual supporter like the Condors or donate any spare cash you have. Check out all the options here!
We’re really excited to support and work closely with this extraordinary social movement.
In the words of both groups: Keep the Friendly Up, and Ride On! 🙂
May’s Ride Leader of the Month
We have our ride leaders to thank for introducing new members to the club and enabling them to get a feel for group riding.
When the sun’s shining (or not) on a summer evening, it’s our ride leaders who make sure we can offer a range of rides to suit different appetites and paces.
And at the weekends, it’s ride leaders who take the time to plot a route, load up a Garmin, and take fellow Condors spinning into the Cotswolds or the Chilterns.
So to recognise this vital role that some very special Condors play, every month we’ll be bringing you the Condor Ride Leader of the Month!
May’s ride leader of the month – James Neuhaus
Taking the accolade first is James Neuhaus. If you’ve been riding recently, there’s a good chance you’ve been on one of his rides. He’s led plenty of weekday socials, and when we had a flood of social riders the other week James helped to organise more leaders to take additional groups. After a hilly social to Burford on a roasting Sunday, the following weekend he took a bunch of eager climbers deep into the Cotswolds by train to take on some of the regions fiercest hills. Chapeau James!