Sport

Mud and blood –a start to the New Year

THENew Year ushers in a resolved determination to be a bit healthier, do more exercise and rebuild fitness for the warmer months ahead. But the weather doesn’t always want to play its part and the start of this year has not been a good one outdoors. It has been a case of either being very cold or very wet, mainly the latter! Whereas professional cyclists can take themselves off to warmer climates during the winter, the rest of us must find windows of opportunity to get the cycling miles in.

Ideally, the best way to keep cycling during these harsher months is to commute to work, even if it’s just a couple of days a week. Then it no longer becomes a choice and whatever the weather you do it because it’s necessary.

There are though cycling events which are suited to the winter weather. Cyclocross racing takes place on outdoor courses of grass, dirt, mud and sometimes snow.

On bikes that don’t look out of place on the road, cyclocross combines the technical off-road skills of mountain bikers and the explosive leg power of track sprinters.

Competitors complete multiple laps of a course resembling a steeplechase that includes sharp turns, steep banks, hurdles, tree roots and other obstacles. Conditions often force riders to dismount and run with their bikes along sections of the course. Most times the course ends up looking like a mud bath.

Riding along the back lanes of Mendip, away from the traffic, has at times resembled something like a cyclocross course with fallen branches, pot-holes, mud slides and icy patches of water to deal with. Even with mudguards the murky spray from the road still ends up all over your bike and clothes.

Then there are the obstacles you can’t always get around whether by foot, bike or car – the flooded lanes and fields. Although disruptive, they force you to discover alternative routes which you would otherwise never find.

On a dry but blustery day I had been out for a ride on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills when I was forced into a detour by a flooded lane. Returning home, later than planned, I passed the village hall and noticed the blood donation van outside and suddenly remembered that I was due to give blood.

After a quick bowl of soup and a sandwich, I returned to the hall to make my donation. Giving blood nowadays is a very organised process, but it was noticeable how many fewer staff there were than previous occasions. It was a visible sign of the strain that the NHS is under.

As my blood donation got underway, I thought about my bike ride earlier and the combination of the two reminded me of the

CYCLING with EDMUND LODITE

biggest cheat in sporting history. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005.

That was an outstanding achievement on its own but the fact that he had been diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and then recovered made his story even more remarkable. He even founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to assist other cancer survivors.

The story however was built on pillars of sand. Allegations about doping (the use of performance-enhancing drugs) started to circulate after his first Tour de France victory.

Blood doping increases red blood cell mass allowing the body to transport more oxygen to muscles, increase endurance capability and improve performance.

As testing for banned drugs improved, blood transfusions were used to engage in blood doping. Blood is initially withdrawn, and refrigerated or frozen, and then later transfused back into the athlete to boost red cells.

Armstrong was eventually found guilty of doping and was stripped of all his titles. It’s true that a number of other cyclists were also found guilty of doping but none were more prominent as Armstrong. He didn’t just dope, he pressured his teammates into doing the same and if they didn’t they would be replaced.

In his aim to win at all costs he behaved like a bully and ruined people’s lives. Had there been no doping in cycling at that time it’s possible he may have won those titles anyway, such was his determination, but we’ll never know.

As I was reflecting on that thought I heard the “beep, beep, beep” from the monitor to sound that my donation had finished.

There are a couple of exceptionally good films/documentaries about the Armstrong story which are well worth watching, but instead I’d recommend giving blood, if you can. There are not enough people that do it – and it saves lives.

FEBRUARYCROSSWORDSOLUTION

ACROSS: 1. National Park 9. Worcester 10. Lapel 11. Dundry 12. Ditcheat 13. Youths 15. Codpiece 17. Rotundas 18. Scrawl 21. Democrat 23. Bottom 26. Extra 27. Leukaemia 28. Athlete’s foot. DOWN: 1. Nowaday 2. Turin 3. On earth 4. Asti 5. Porticos 6. Relic 7. Ephemera 8. Blithe 14. Ultimate 16. Parallel 17. Rodney 19. Chorals 20. Lamyatt 22. Coast 24. Tempo 25. Mutt

Tiddlywinks contest has a new champion by Mark Adler

ANDREW Garrard triumphed over defending champion Tim Hunt at the 2023 Somerset Invitational Tiddlywinks Championships held in Emborough. Two days of intense competition at the Old Down Inn ended in a narrow victory for Andrew. The two are members of Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club, which was founded in 1955 by Andrew celebrates victory after two days of competition undergraduates who wanted to represent the university at a sport but found that the existing options did not appeal to them. The club has been continuously active ever since and is part of the English Tiddlywinks Association.

Harley Jones practices a shot

Last year’s winner Tim Hunt makes a move This year’s contestants; numbers were down slightly due to illness

Nick Inglis in action

Andrew (left) is congratulated by losing finalist Tim Hunt

Rugby is one big family

The minute’s silence ahead of Cary’s home match against Wells II

CASTLE Cary RFC’s first senior competitive fixture of 2023 began on a sombre note with a minute’s silence following the death in a road traffic collision two days earlier of Martine Hearn, whose family has strong ties with the club.

Members of Martine’s family joined players from Cary and visiting opponents Wells II on the pitch to pay tribute to the 24-year-old mother of a young son who lived in Bruton.

Martine’s father, Phil, is a club committee member; her two brothers are former players and two of her three sisters are club members.

On the pitch, Cary won 29-0 in a match which was badly affected by driving rain and strong winds.

Taking shelter under the new club umbrellas

Martine Hearn

A rainbow greeted players and spectators at the end of the game Wells prop Thomas Palacio tries to find a way through Cary’s defence

Entries open for Chew Valley 10k

THIS year’s Chew Valley 10k will take place on Sunday, June 11th at 9.30am, with new main sponsors Winford Ford and Truespeed. The popular event is open to anyone aged 15 and older.

It is a chip-timed, UK Athletics licenced event with a range of race categories. All runners will get a free professional photo to download and the race offers facilities such as free kit storage and free parking.

Entry costs just £24 (adults aged 19+) and includes a Chew Valley 10k 2023 technical T shirt and a medal. For 15-18-yearolds, the cost is £15. Affiliated club runners save £2 on both entry prices. For those who don’t wish to get the T shirt, the adult entry price is £21. The event is set up to fundraise for various charities and this year will be supporting Blood Bikes NICU Support, Bishop Sutton Primary School Society, Chew Valley School Society and Chew Valley Plants Trees.

The race is on a beautiful, rural route with undulating lanes and has closed roads at the start and finish and minimal traffic. Support from the locals is always a highlight, as are the teas and cakes at the finish provided by Bishop Sutton Pre-School and Forest Club.

Denise Mellersh, race director, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Winford Ford and Truespeed on board as joint sponsors – two great local businesses. Their support will enable the Chew Valley 10k to continue raising much-needed funds for the local community and our charities.”

Details: www.chewvalley10k.co.uk email@chewvalley10k.co.uk

Concert of French music

BRUTONChoral Society are in good voice again after a very successful Christmas concert and celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.

It promises to get off to a great start in March with a concert of French music, of which the highlight will be the much-loved Fauré Requiem. Their guest conductor will be Arturo Serna and the programme will also include the Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine, Panis Angelicus by Franck and the Debussy Danses for Harp and Strings.

They will be joined by Mair Mills (soprano), Geoff Allan (baritone) and Cecilia de Maria (harp soloist); Cecilia was a former pupil of Bruton School for Girls before studying at the Purcell School and the Royal College of Music.

The performance takes place on Sunday, March 5th, at 7pm in St Mary’s Church, Bruton. Tickets are £10 in advance, £12 on the door (children free) and will be available from Bruton Convenience Store, by phoning 01749 813161 or online at www.brutonchoralsociety.org.uk

Bristol Brass Consort in Yatton

YATTON Music Society’s spring season is now well underway and they welcome the Bristol Brass Consort on February 25th at St Mary’s Church, Yatton.

The consort is a quintet from Bristol’s finest brass players. Their concert is called “Circum Mundi” and they invite the audience to “sit back and let the consort be your tour guide on a worldwide musical journey”.

The concert features music by the likes of Debussy, Shostakovich, Gershwin and Vaughn Williams amongst others. The concert starts at 7.30pm, ticket prices are £10.

Drama club is busy

WRINGTONDrama Club has bounced back following the pandemic. It put on an outdoor production in September Murder in Little Grimley! and plans more outdoor shows at Stock Farm in the future.

Currently members are rehearsing for the Wizard of Oz, which they will perform from Wednesday February 1st-4th.

The club says: “Do you have an idea, script, or a play in mind that you’d like the Wrington Drama Club to perform? We’re keen to hear from anyone who would like to propose a performance, so feel free to contact us.

“Also, if you’d like to try out directing or producing then we have plenty of experience to help.”

In May they will be performing The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson, directed by Mark Bullen and produced by John Rubidge.

Details: https://buytickets.at/wringtondramaclub

Building inspires play

THE life and times of a once much-loved and perhaps longforgotten Frome building will be celebrated at the town’s Rook Lane Chapel from Tuesday, January 31st to Thursday, February 2nd.

The play, The Last Matron, has been written by Dramakarma, in conjunction with Keyford History Group and features Frome characters both real and imagined.

In Victorian times, Keyford Asylum on Culverhill was a training centre for young girls hoping to enter domestic service and a home for elderly men. During WWI, the building became an auxiliary hospital. Two soldiers meet there, form a bond and unveil a plan to escape to the Beehive pub. In WWII, siege guns were mounted on the roof of the building.

The drama introduces an array of characters watched over by the protective figure of the matron. Each scene features a short story providing a window to times past, through 150 years until the last day when the building awaits demolition.