Yes, it’s been a whole week since the last session. In that time i hope you have been focusing your mind, ready to step your polo game up to another level!
Same time and place as last week (7:30-9:30 at Frome Youth Centre).
Bristol Rich isn’t joining us this week, but not to worry we have everything we need.
This Sunday, from 10 until 3.
The to do list:
Remember food, drink and that it’s ok to just come for a couple of hours if you can’t spare more time.
p.s. With a good turn out we’ll be able to start the new Gravy Train line sooner, so encourage everyone to turn up!
For those who weren’t aware, last night was our second session of polo. Once again there was a strong turn out, Rich and Tabs made their way over from Bristol with our fresh new delivery of mallets (all 23 of them). It had been raining earlier in the day, so i was worried that it would put people off and make the court too slippery to play on. The court was as good grippy as ever and there were a few new faces, so we battled on through blustery conditions.
I had attached a DIY front wheel cover to protect my precious spokes from the dangers of mallets and limbs. However, handling was compromised and several gusts of wind soon saw me heading in the wrong direction.
In one of the early games Rich and Tabs ended up on opposing teams. It was interesting to watch them play against each other, exhibiting skills we can only dream of!
Same again next week (hopefully with less precipitation) – here’s a picture taken by Andrew with his good hand 😉
It’s the best night of the week, POLO NIGHT! We are all set for more thrills (and plenty of spills).
Weather is looking like it will hold out, so come along and sample the delights of Frome’s newest and fastest growing sport.
(This move is known as doing “a Will” 😉 )
Marjory had the fantastic idea of bringing the sport of bike polo to Frome, for BCC members and locals alike. I was very keen and did what I could to organise things. 10 days later and 20+ members accumulated in the Frome Youth Centre car park for the first session, kindly lead by Richard Miller (Bristol Bike Polo superstar). It was obvious everyone was very excited, bustling to get onto the court and get our first taste of this frankenstein sport – Mostly like traditional polo with a blend of hockey (and a dash of bikes for good measure).
Rich runs through the basic rules which are:
1) To score, the ball must be struck with the “business”/narrow end of the mallet, rather than pushing it through the goal with the side.
2) Your feet must stay off the ground at all times- If/when you dab your foot you must “tap out” on either side along the centre line.
3) After a goal is scored the team must retreat behind the halfway point, allowing the other team to bring the ball back to halfway.
4) Any contact must be like for like: e.g. body on body, bike on bike and mallet on mallet.
The ball is placed in the centre of the court, when the referee shouts “POLO!” one person (non-left hander) from each team must charge to the centre to win the ball.
Games were 3-a-side and last for 10 minutes, which came far too fast for my liking, I felt like I could play for hours! It was interesting to watch the progression from the first match to the fourth match, skills had progressed to an almost acceptable level in just a few hours. A few members had previous experience from hockey, however some weren’t so lucky and were complete novices (myself included). I think it’s safe to say Tom picked things up very fast and scored several impressive goals.
However some members felt the need to show off, namely William Hardy who left the bike during a crunching tackle from Demon Defender Denham. But out of nowhere his front wheel departed from his forks and made a run for it (cue great escape theme tune), this has to be the funniest thing I have seen in a long time!
After everyone had a decent amount of court time we retreated to the relative comfort of The Griffin, where we were confronted with the most difficult decision of the day… Which house beer to choose. Crisps and generally chatter ensued, until the thought of a comfy bed and dreaming of next week’s session became too much and we made our way home.
Thanks again to Rich for leading the session, providing equipment and generally be a top chap! We are preparing an all-stars team to take on the Bristol team on their own turf. 😉
See everyone for the same again next week
(If I can get equipment organised in time)
When he says ocean he means shearwater…and when he says jungle he means the allotment…
Bike polo club (NB – you do not have to wear fancy dress or ride in black-and-white).
Marjory and Ryan have instigated a new little weekly activity -Bike Polo! First session takes place next Wednesday evening.
Where: Frome Youth Centre courts, Vallis Road.
When: Wednesday 23rd November
Time: 7:30 – 9:30
What you need to bring: Helmet, Bike, knee pads (?), enthusiasm, Warm Clothes, Food, Beer money.
The mallets and balls are provided, courtesy of Rich Miller and the Bristol Bike Polo lot. Rich will be our instructor for the evening…
“As a side note on equipment, if straight handlebars are being used then bar ends must be capped/plugged for safety, drop handlebar bikes can be used but is highly unadvisable as control is limited. Carbon breaks, wheels can get damaged/taco’ed so don’t bring anything too fancy or weak. A helmet is advisable but that’s up to the individual.”
Be there!
Ryan and Marjory.
November XC Ride Away
November 13th? More like September 74th by my reckoning. What was going on? Warm sunshine? Short-sleeves and shorts?? It was certainly an awful lot warmer and dryer than that June Ride-Away to Wooton-under-Edge (for which I am still receiving therapy, incidentally). We were in for an unseasonably beautiful autumn day in spectacular surroundings, and were about to enjoy miles and miles of wooded singletrack in great company.
I’ve been treated to the extensive and intricate network of natural, ‘hidden’ singletrack in the Forest of Dean on half-a-dozen previous visits (over 8 or 9 years ago now) and remember it as being superb. Ideally, however, you need someone with local knowledge to show you round its 40-square-miles, otherwise you may as well stick to the way-marked man-made trails.
13 Black Canons (Me, Mark A, Juliet, Marjory, Kevin, Simon A, Andrew, Mark P, Richard, Puffy, Ryan, Will and Simon T plus a couple of other joiner-inners) made the relatively short trip to the FoD, and met up with Jason and other members of the Bigfoot MBC at the Pedalabikeaway centre. Back in August they’d kindly shown us round their local haunt of Cranham Woods – a stunning and memorable day’s riding. The FoD is another local venue of theirs, and Jason – again our guide for the day – has considerable intimate knowledge of it’s trails.
Both clubs congregated around the café while late-comers faffed, and both clubs joined in on ridiculing my choice of bike for the day. The Black Canons were (again) alarmed at the amount of body-armour sported by a large percentage of the Bigfeet… What did they know that we didn’t? What had Jason in mind?? Why had I brought a rigid, singlespeed 29er with funky, windswept-and-interesting handlebars?? Why was everyone else on a six-inch-travel full-susser??
Soon the 30-strong group was heading out of the carpark and into the forest. At the start we briefly picked up on the old FoDCA1 route, one of only two man-made sections of trail we were to ride all day. The trails were muddy – deep in some sections, bone-dry in others – but perfectly rideable. And rooty. Very, very rooty. Most of the trails were well-used and the exposed, polished, wet roots demanded the rider’s utmost attention at all times.
A pattern seem to develop whereby height was gained on fireroads or broad tracks, before darting off left or right down technical, flowing paths to another fireroad. A short, flowing, bermy section of the new Verders Trail was enjoyed briefly, its hard-packed stony surface making a welcome change from the muddy roots we were just getting used to.
As well as all the flowing, rooty singletrack, there were many interesting and tricky features to negotiate, and we were occasionally advised to drop our saddles. An awkward, longish, DH run, rutted and loose with 3 or 4 steep sections, caught several of us out and dumped a few riders on their backsides. All eyes on The Boy Chas aboard his clown-bike whose saddle couldn’t be lowered…
Nailed it. With not so much as a dab. *punches air*
It’s fair to say that most riders had at least one ‘off’ during the course of the day (except Ryan, annoyingly) but nothing too serious. I had a minor spill where a newly installed cleat refused to disengage as my bike glanced sideways off a root. The worst of the day was that of Old Man Daykin who inadvertently caught a tree with his handlebar at some speed and was sent sprawling. Luckily, this time he suffered nothing more than a banged knee and a bruised ego so there was no need for his usual trip to the geriatric ward of A&E. Twisted bars were soon rectified, but a mildly buckled front wheel will remind him to pay more attention while riding on a straight path in future.
At roughly the half-way-point we were given the option for some of us to return to base. We were now heading away from the Pedalabikeaway centre and from here on, anyone who wanted to bale-out would have a long ride home. Our large group of about 30 was then roughly divided in two and both halves went their separate ways. Those continuing the ride were heading off for Dowies 1 and 2 – superb trails I’d ridden years before but had completely forgotten. More technical, flowing, rooty, muddy singletrack. Great stuff and hugely enjoyable.
To complete the 4hr ride we took a flat cyclepath all the way back to Pedalabikeaway – perfect for spinning the legs out after what had been quite a workout. Simon T and his joiner-inner (Adam?) headed off on their own to do a complete loop of the Verders Trail. The bulk of us, however, arrived back at the centre, washed the bikes, then headed for the café for tea, coffee, cake and a watch of the Earthed 3 DVD. Will “Outside The Box’ Hardy staggered us all with a revolutionary new form of sandwich: the bacon and chip butty.
By the time we left the café it had pretty-much been unanimously agreed that it had been a great day out. One of the best Ride Aways for a very long time. Thanks to all BCC members who came along, and another HUGE thank you to Jason and the Bigfoot MBC for again sharing their expert trail knowledge.
Chas.
The Second Frome Fling is coming up soon! Saturday 19th November; the biggest night in the Frome, Westbury and Warminster social calendar.
Today was the best Dig Day yet!
Over 30 people made it out to work on our beloved trails at The Allotment, and it’s fair to say that we achieved more than even the most optimistic amongst us could have hoped for.
We’re super happy to have created the start of the 143 freeride line, with a lush rollin drop into a trick step-up that’s bigger than most houses.
We also completely rebuilt the drop on 143 and ‘flip-flop’ too, along with a load of raking that’s made most every trail visible and will keep them from bogging up over the coming months.
Thanks to everybody who came along and worked so hard, this is what happens when we all work together!
: D
