Daily photo - 1: Sunflowers for Charlotte Easton

Remembering Charlie Easton - She liked sunflowers

For the month of September I will be posting a daily photo, as I have done in previous years.

I took a photo of these sunflowers today that are on my allotment. It's three years to the day that we lost the lovely Charlotte Easton to cancer.

I still remember the shock of discovering she had this disease. I was in Milan at the time, and suddenly read the news in a Facebook post she wrote.

Both her parents had been battling cancer, and she had decided to run the London Marathon to raise money for the Macmillan Cancer Support. We had gotten used to seeing posts in which she documented her progress with her running training.

Charlie was known as cycle racer, and a pretty good one too. Having been an elite rower she crossed over into cycling and raced well enough to get an elite racing licence in that sport. So we were interested in seeing how she would get on as a runner. But then in 2012 she suddenly announced that she had breast cancer and would not be able to run the London Marathon. Her sister would run it instead.

We all believed that Charlie, being the determined lady she was would beat it. She did everything she could to stay healthy and try all remedies as well as accepting the harrowing treatment and surgery as someone who had the BRCA gene.

At the same time Charlie continued to do sport when she was well enough, doing a few Park runs, a triathlon, and even a couple of cycle races. So I certainly stayed positive, thinking that she would overcome the cancer. After all, her parents had done so.

But things went downhill rapidly for Charlie in 2016, and over the August Bank Holiday she made the terrible announcement that "the bitch" as she called it, was in her brain, and referred to going on "the next great adventure".....she died six days later aged 36.

I like to think she is up there winning lots of cycle races in between doing Latin and Ancient Greek - her other passion. And maybe she has even able to do a marathon. Race in Peace, Charlie. x

Charlie (2nd left), w a time trial in Regents Park in 2011. Helen McKay (left)
was 2nd, and Jo McCrae, Lydia Boylan and Astrid Wingler came 3rd equal

Related posts
Ciao Charlotte Easton

Sheer grit!

One day one photo - Sunflowers for Charlotte Easton

Fast and Scary at Dunton

South East Women's Road Race Championships

The South East Road Race Championships is a key road race in the season for those of us who race in London and the South East. I remember the day when the standard in this race was such that a person of my modest calibre could show up and still be in with a chance of a top 5 place. In fact a few years ago I did it and finished 3rd. And no, I haven't slowed down since then !

The standard of racing witnessed in this race has increased significantly over the years, to the point that the main contenders are good national level riders, rather than Jill Soaps that are just out for a good old pootle with their local buddies.

So around 20 of us made the start line at Ellens Green in Surrey last Saturday afternoon. With the London Dynamo ladies out in force it looked like they could well be having things their way, and it was practically a foregone conclusion that recent Women's Team Series winner Charlotte Blackman would claim the top spot. The only other team that could have challenged the Londoners was the up-and-coming Agiskoviner set. For my part I was just going to hang on for as long as possible - hopefully to the end.....

Things were hot from the gun, thanks to the Dynamo trio of Charlie, Susannah Osborne and Rebecca Curley, plus Jo from VC Meudon who were motoring things along. There was attacking at every corner, every incline, and every descent. Hell, there was just attacking the whole time in those opening miles ! With the bunch having already shaken off half the field, including some of the said Agiskoviner girls it was apparent that the Dynamettes were out to kill !

I hung on quite firmly at first, but as the attacks came thicker and faster my grip began to steadily slip, as the cord was becoming more and more frayed. I clung onto the last few threads with my fingernails, really concentrating on not getting dropped. But was that really going to be enough to see me to the end? We were only on lap 3 of 7 ! Then half way through that lap, I lost my focus and the cord snapped. I was shot backwards as my Dulwich Paragon team-mate, Eryn surged forward to fill the gap I'd left. I waved goodbye to the depleted bunch and didn't see them until when we were back at the HQ for the prize-giving.

There then followed the difficult question of what to do once you are dropped on a road circuit that is 6 miles long - wait for the groups behind, or just time trial it on your own to the end. As the course was fairly flat I chose the latter. Wrong choice.

I ended up knackering myself out, and by the time Melissa from Agiskoviner caught me I was beginning to feel the effects of my earlier efforts. Although the work was evenly divided between us I was still flagging. We were then caught on the last lap by a gruppetto and we worked as a group of five. By this time I'd lost interest. I'd wanted to stay in the front group and I wasn't feeling too impressed that I hadn't stayed in very long.

I just sat in with this group and let their speed take me home. The sprint for the line and the points that were up for grabs didn't interest me either. So I rolled over the line in 13th spot - to match the race number I'd been allocated, and my fortune for the race !

Meanwhile, the front group had pressed on and continued to shed riders until they were down to just 7. Surprisingly, the victory was not taken by the in-form Charlie Blackman, but by the youngster and promising trackster (or even track star !) Emma Patterson (Agiskoviner). Charlie managed third, behind her London Dynamo team-mate Susannah Osborne. And as if to add more disappointment, she was brought down at the finish line by another rider. (And that was a bit controversial too !) Still, I think she got a very good result, especially given her dogged approach to digging and attacking.

Credit also goes to Michelle from Addiscombe CC (my second claim club) who managed to stay with the bunch and get 4th place in the event. She's a relative newbie to road racing and showed real strength at the event.

So the South East Champs have come a long way since those days when it was held just as an adjunct to the men's race on a grim Sunday morning in Goodwood. I may not ever come third in the South East Championships again, but I am happy in the knowledge that I will be a stronger rider after today's show.



Photos courtesy of Keith Lea and Surrey League

Fast and Scary at Dunton

Having missed out on racing recently due to cancellations caused by bad weather, I was keen to get in a bit of the fast and scary stuff over the weekend. With the Surrey League women's race at MOD Chertsey on Saturday being limited to 3rd and 4th category women, this meant that the other category women (Elites, 1st and 2nd) would have to get their racing at the Ford Vehicle Testing Centre at Dunton, Essex. Having such a field would make the racing fast. Also, given the steep bankings on the course and the wet conditions, the circuit would probably be scary.

With the closure of the Eastway Cycle Circuit (East London) in order to make way for the 2012 Olympic stadium a new circuit was needed for cycle racing. So the good people at Ford offered the facility at their Technical Centre in Dunton, as an alternative. The circuit is dog bone shaped and 1.5miles round. However, with steep cambered bankings (like in a velodrome) on the curves at each end of the circuit this makes for quite a challenging ride - both in terms of its energy sapping nature, and its trickiness in the wet.

So it was with a certain apprehension that I showed up at Dunton yesterday, ready to race in the Team Economic Energy Spring Rumble. The clash of women's races in the London area on Saturday meant that we had a small field - just 11 women signed up for the event. However, what we lacked in quantity of riders we compensated for in the quality of the racing.

The first couple of laps were taken cautiously, as none of us were familiar with the course. Then after 3 laps Charlotte Blackman (London Dynamo) made one of her trademark digs. Initially no one went with her, hoping that she would tire herself out on this lone breakaway into the wind. Of course, this is Charlie we're talking about and she doesn't tire that easily. We arranged ourselves to bring her back. We all worked well together, especially along the windy sections, though a few managed to get dropped from the group.

Further digs were made by Anna Grundy (Team Economic Energy) and Susan Wood (Maldon and District CC), plus Charlie again but our reduced group of 7 managed to stay together. I was just glad to be in for the ride. Having missed a few weeks of racing and still trying to find my form there was no way I'd be making any digs. I was just aiming to stay with the group and do my bit during the through-and-off along the straight windy sections. I had to really bury myself - nose practically on the stem just to keep the pace up. Deep down I was just keeping my fingers crossed that the pace would ease a little.

The numerous ascents up the banking took their toll on me during the hour-long race, and at moments I thought I was going to be dropped off the back with the other 4 casualties. I felt sick. I was breathing through my ears, as not enough air came through my nose and mouth. My panting was so loud I thought I should apologise for being too noisy ! Somehow, my determination kept me going, despite the heavy shower that fell on us half way through the race.

As the rain came down we needed to take care. The concurrent 3rd and 4th cats men's race had around 40 riders. They passed us a couple of times during the race - both times on the banking. It was a case of stay low, and pray that no one slips and brings us down. Risky stuff.

Then on the bell lap, some would say the predictable happened. The pace cranked up again, and was sustained all the way up the climb on the bankings. Unfortunately I was too tired and didn't read things properly. Aside from that, my fuel tank was on empty ! I lost contact with the group on that final climb, which after about 15 ascents just felt like a tall order - literally. Talk about falling at the last hurdle. I ended up rolling in over the finish line on my own. There's no guarantee I would have finished any better than 7th had I stayed with the group and contested the sprint, but I would have still liked to have tried. I must try even harder next time.

So 7th it was. Still, I'm pleased that I managed to stick with this quality field at all - two first cats in the shape of Nikki Wheeler (I-Team) and Charlie Blackman (London Dynamo) plus rising star Michelle Buck (Fat Birds CC), and the solid rouleurs, Anna Grundy and Susan Wood.

Hopefully I'll be stronger the next time I meet these riders. I've got a series of races with a load of Italians next week. I'm sure they'll sort me out and put me right by the time I'm racing in London again !

Hillingdon - a real soggy affair !

Everyone has at least one during the season - it's all part and parcel of the joys of competitive cycling. Given the "summer" that we've had so far many people will have had a few of them. So it was only fair that I get to experience one too - what am I talking about ? A really sopping wet road race.

The type where you've got driving rain whacking you hard in the face as you struggle through a head wind. You try and shelter behind the rider in front of you but you've got the taste of the muck from their rear wheel as you battle to hang in there. So it was my turn today - at the Hillingdon women's road race. Not the best way to end Team Quest race series, but probably a memorable one.

In the old days when this series began, rainy days like this would have scared the riders away. And with the resulting low turn-out it would have been a case of "how many points will I get ?" rather than "let's try and finish in the points". But today, we had the same 20-odd girls turn up to race as usual. Women racing cyclists are definitely getting hardier.

The ride up from my office in Hampton Court, to the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit just west of Southall had been a pretty damp journey. So I wasn't too bothered by the wet.

Of course once the race began, things were a little different. The close proximity of other wheels meant the inevitable faceful of kak. (In fact I could still feel the grit in my teeth an hour after finishing the race.) We were moving that bit faster than when commuting, so it was a slightly riskier situation where cornering and braking were concerned. In fact I found it pretty scary. I really wasn't in a mood to crash !

I suppose on days like these it's quite good for those riders who are seasoned from the rain swept plains of Belgium to come into their own. They can attack hard, much to the chagrin of those, like me, who are more used to riding nearer to the Mediterranean. So the attacks kept coming and coming thanks to the likes of Jayne Kilmartin (Rapha Condor) and Charlotte Blackman (London Dynamo).

I was able to reply for most of the race, but I couldn't handle them attacking on the home strait. The accrued speed I'd picked up going into the sweeping right hand bend that followed made it a lottery as to whether I could stay upright. The fact that the road descended as well made life worse. How do you brake safely in the wet when doing nearly 30mph ?? I've never been that comfortable with that section in the dry. Today I was very nervous.

The race continued on through the evening gloom - only a handful of spectators, prudently bunched under large umbrellas, to shout words of encouragement. There was no talk of any sort between the riders as we cycled across mini streams and splashed through deep puddles. Even though we were riding along as a group, we lived our own personal purgatories to survive the hour long duel. This was a battle against the elements rather than against each other.

Surprisingly, no one crashed. There were some near misses though - in particular during that famous right hand bend a Dulwich Paragon rider swerved and gave everyone the jitters.
I don't know who won - maybe Charlotte from London Dynamo, maybe Jeanette from Team Luciano - it was too dark for me to see much more than 3 meters ahead.

Only at the end of the race did people seem to come alive and talk about the experience. "What a nightmare race", "I've never seen anything like it," "I won't be doing that again in a hurry."
To the menfolk it must have made very interesting viewing seeing all these girls with hair and kit pasted to their skin. A wet T-shirt competition would have been a great way to round off the evening !
Instead, we all just dashed into the shower rooms.

I didn't win the race. I don't even know if I scored any points. But I'd won the battle of the elements. I started the race and I finished it. I wasn't put off by the rain - not the easiest thing to do when it's all too tempting to pack up and go home. Now I know that I will be able to cope with another soggy one in the future. Bring it on - just not for a wee while yet though !

(photos by John Mullineaux)