Pages

Friday 23 June 2017

Duo Normand 2017

It's June, and Team Grumpy has entered the 2017 Duo Normand despite an almost total lack of form. This is due (in the case of Grumpy Art) to a prolonged period of illness just as the 2017 season was getting under way and (in the case of Grumpy Bob), a mysterious drop in form. Oh well, Team Grumpy doesn't let minor issues such as lack of fitness get in the way of a fun extended weekend in Normandy!

Travel arrangements are sorted, as are the accommodation requirements.

 After last year's tragedy involving a collision between a veteran team and a supporting car near the finishing line, Team Grumpy had wondered what changes would be implemented in the 2017 event.
To be honest, Team Grumpy has long felt that the following cars were more of a nuisance than a benefit and with one exception has eschewed the use of a following car. It's in the final hairpin section from Marigny and back, that cars are a particular issue.

From the Duo Normand website, it seems as though following cars won't be permitted in the final 12km of the course, and that there will be some neutral vehicle arrangement to aid stranded riders in that section. It also seems there's a clash in the UCI calendar that may reduce entries in the Elite category.

Team Grumpy first participated in the 2003 Duo Normand, and in all subsequent editions bar one. This is Team Grumpy's 14th Duo Normand outing.

Sunday 15 January 2017

First Open event of 2017 entered

The Team has entered its traditional season opener, the Port Talbot Wheelers 2-up '25' in south Wales on 12th March, on the Resolven-based course R25/24. As usual, this will form part of a weekend with the equally traditional preparation which involves conspicuous consumption of curry and Belgian energy drink. On the equipment front, Grumpy Bob's SRAM eTap system on his primary TT bike is once again functional, after a two month wait for a replacement part. So no equipment excuses there. And both Grumpy Bob and Grumpy Art have been engaging in some serious turbo training. So, perhaps unwisely, Grumpy Bob is exhibiting signs of optimism.

Saturday 7 January 2017

The Year Ahead

It's that time of year when Team Grumpy starts shaking off the cobwebs and thinking about the upcoming racing season. Grumpy Bob's already made his first outing, the North Bucks Road Club New Year's Day '10'. Not brilliantly satisfactory, but at least the rain held off until the ride home. The Team is just about now planning its first event of 2017, which should be the now traditional outing at the Port Talbot Wheelers 2-up '25. This year, the event is on 12th March. So that's the first target for Team Grumpy. We have also been thinking about returning to the Duo Normand in 2017. Just to whet the Team's appetite, Grumpy Bob plotted the Team's times since 2003...
The dotted trend line is a little morale-sapping. Indeed, when GrumpyBob emailed the graph to Grumpy Art Vanderlay, he gained the following reply:
Will you stop doing this sort of thing.
Ho hum, business as usual!

Sunday 1 January 2017

Duo Normand 2016

Here is a somewhat belated post, outlining Team Grumpy's excursion to the 2016 edition of the Duo Normand.