WHPVA Championships - Betteshanger, Kent

[Mr Larrington]

Chairman Al advises campers to bring sturdy tent pegs and Big Hammers on account of the ground being harder than Chuck Norris.  TV's Louise Lear has promised rain overnight/tomorrow morning but I doubt that’ll make much difference.

[Kim]

Looks like the organiser advance party are getting all the weather out of the way before the main event...

[Mr Larrington]

It's been and gone in sunny E17, which is Teh ACES as it means not having to wrestle the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic's seats in the rain.

[fd3]

Good luck to you all.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

A streamliner decked it on the last turn to the finish of the 1 lap time trial and slid into a couple of spectators. Ambulance called and racing abandoned for the evening. Beer, wine and cheese as preparation for tomorrow’s races.

[cycleman]

That doesn't sound like a good start 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

100m standing start completed with no crashes. 100m flying start in progress, then a break for lunch.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

https://wc2024.bhpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/wc2024/liveresults/ for live results, subject to appeals, timing misfires, etc.

[Mr Larrington]

A streamliner decked it on the last turn to the finish of the 1 lap time trial and slid into a couple of spectators. Ambulance called and racing abandoned for the evening. Beer, wine and cheese as preparation for tomorrow’s races.

He also killed Thaïs Leborgne's bike utterly to DETH, tearing off the rear wheel.  I think she was more upset by that than being sent flying by an out-of control Italian.  The lovely chaps at ICE lent her a trike for the rest of the weekend and she duly won the women’s multitrack class.

2024 overall World Champion is Pieter Sijbrandij, son of Ymte of That Ilk.  I remember racing against setting off at the same time as Ymte and Swanette before Pieter was even conceived 

Many photos to get off the camera but they'll have to wait until tomorrow coz I want me dinner and a nice soak in the bath and a bed that doesn’t require wrestling with zips if I need to go for a jimmy at three in the morning.

Edit: LWaB narrowly avoided running over a sqrl with a DETH wish this morning.

[Mr Larrington]

Photos from the southeast, Sah!  Faahsands* of 'em!

Friday: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319631345/

Saturday am: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319632687/

Saturday pm: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319631915/

Sunday am: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319632455/

Sunday pm: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319634057

Podia: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/albums/72177720319633020


Crash victim Thaïs looking a lot happier than she did on Friday evening. by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

* Slight exaggeration…

[Beardy]

That’s an eclectic mix of HPV. And did I spot a RowBike in amongst the foot and hand pedal cycles?

[Mr Larrington]

Yes, a Thijs rowing instrument of torture.  Only two arms-only machines chiz.

But on the bright side, 2D Thomas was there to bring order to the rabble


Thomas guarding the Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle against criminal sqrls by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

[Kim]

* Kim collapses in a pile of computers, wiffy cycle gear; .cmn files; earwigs; hastily-assembled industrial power cables we didn't have on Thursday; assorted scrappy pieces of paper bearing a confusing mess of race-Bistromathics and a strange residue which seems to be what you get when you mix sunblock, energy gel, line-marker spray paint and 10W40 motor oil.

On the Verschlimmbesserung principle, I'm not looking at any race results until I've admired all of Mr Larrington's photos, returned the Stupid Hire Van and had approximately 26 hours of sleep.

I can confirm that barakta was extremely confused by a garbled report of 2D Thomas sightings over the Official Time Team Race Radio.

[Kim]

Crash victim Thaïs looking a lot happier than she did on Friday evening. by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

* Slight exaggeration…

Photoshopping HK OTP into that picture left as an exercise for the reader.  She'd presumably got a head start on the massive queueueueueue for what Betteshanger over-optimistically pluralise as 'showers'.

[Speedy611]

I’m a rare poster in this parish, but have to chime in to say what an utterly fab time
I had. Humungous thanks to Kim and Dave et al.

My quads and glutes are toast today after the 3 hour fun-a-thon and I have some amusingly patchy sunburn. Was delighted with 20.5mph average for the race though, despite this being snail-like compared to the streamliners. Awesome fun watching the fast folk coming zipping past in long trains.

Here’s one of Dave’s pics of me momentarily ahead of
two trikes



https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/53932673317/in/album-72177720319634057/lightbox/

[Mr Larrington]

Or as it were:


Fig. 28948: using a Beard as an ASI by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

[citoyen]

Nice pic!

Really wish I could have made it. Maybe next time...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Scrolling through Saturday AM pics too fast, something transposed and I thought someone had created a three-wheeled Brompton. Then I came to the photo of the Brompton with aero wheel covers. Then the canoe bike. Then the push-me-pull-you.

[alfapete]

Those are some seriously lovely trophies being presented. Are you able to share where they came from? AUK Awards Sec is jealous but probably doesn't have the budget

[Kim]

We had an advert for the wire model maker, which included a discount code, in the programme...   https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HotwireCrafts  apparently.

The Brass acetylene lamp was bought spontaneously from one of the exhibitors at the York Rally.  We reckon it was a good fit for the whole coal-mining theme.

Plinths were fabri-cobbled by Twed from Useful Bits Of Wood and Dead BSO found in ye shedde.

I'm not sure where the medals came from, but can find out.

Our trophy budget was raised above normal BHPC Blue Peter crafting levels on account of a generous donation earlier in the year.

[Kim]

Scrolling through Saturday AM pics too fast, something transposed and I thought someone had created a three-wheeled Brompton. Then I came to the photo of the Brompton with aero wheel covers. Then the canoe bike. Then the push-me-pull-you.

Similarly there's a photo from Gravesend a couple of years ago where Jon Woolrich manages to wobble his low-racer in front of barakta in a way that makes it look like he's on some sort of tilting trike.

[Kim]

I think I've managed to eliminate most of the egregious Time-Team-originated stupidity from the results.  What's left are a mess of missed tag reads and/or random stoppages in the 3-hour race, and decisions for the Race Director.

[Mr Larrington]

Has this been forwarded to someone to bung on the group in Mr Zuckerberg's Walled Garden?

[alfapete]

We had an advert for the wire model maker, which included a discount code, in the programme...   https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HotwireCrafts  apparently.

Thanks Kim

[Kim]

Work on the 3-hour race continues.  I spent about an hour last night coding a new analysis feature for CrossMgrVideo.  This allowed me to do an hour of errant-velomobile-spotting in about 5 minutes.  Next time someone who understands RFID tags needs to attach them at scrutineering; people don't read instructions and it's the only way to be sure.  I think we've managed to account for most of the missed tag reads and known stoppages.  (See the lap notes in the 'race chart' view at the bottom of the page.)  What's left are unexplained long laps that don't seem to divide neatly by the rider's usual lap time.


Meanwhile, we have a report from our aero-bearded slow race correspondent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Yt-BxviAk

And Russ is steadily uploading footage from inside the Woodstock as he gets round to it: https://www.youtube.com/@russellbridge/videos  (May contain bad swears.)

There are also countless photos in Mark Zuckerberg's Walled Garden, when it degins to give you more than a login page.  I recommend firing up that browser you only use for buggy websites, and not clicking around too much.