Sunday 17 February

The level crossing between Orston and Bottesford is due to be closed from 29 January until 12 February. I don't know if it will be passable on a bike, but please post if you get any more information.

Television coverage is on Freesports TV this week, both live and repeats. Virgin channel 559 Sky 422 and others

This came through today. If anyone is interested please reply to Will Gurton. Note the specific requirements. Ed Good afternoon, I hope this email finds you well - and sorry for the length in advance! I am currently recruiting male cyclists for an academic research study being conducted within the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University. I found your details via British Cycling and your club website as a potential contact for Sherwood CC . I am contacting many of our local cycling clubs and thought yours might be a suitable fit. During this study, we will be examining the single and combined effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion and an individualised warm up strategy on 4-km cycling time trial performance . In order to complete this research, we are looking for cyclists that meet the following criteria: Males (18 - 45 years old) BMI: 18.5 - 29.9 kg/m2 Elite or sub-elite ( category 1/2/3 ) cyclists No use of sodium bicarbonate as a performance aid within the last six months Briefly, each cyclist would be required to attend our laboratory on six separate occasions across roughly a four week period. These visits will include an initial maximal exercise test, familiarisation to experimental procedures and 4 x 4-km cycling time trials. All exercise tests will be completed on the cyclists' own bike to increase the practical application for your future events. As part of the testing experience, I will provide each cyclist with a scientific report , which will describe their physiological responses to the maximal exercise test. This type of exercise test usually costs in the region of £150 and therefore is a very high demand service within applied sport science. The physiological parameters obtained can be implemented into training programmes, e.g. for the prescription of training zones . I would also be willing to have a brief consultation with cyclists to explain the data and possible implications for their training. I can of course provide you with more detailed information, but firstly do you think this is something your club members would be interested in? I have attached our study poster. If you think best, I would be willing to travel to one of your rides to give a quick talk on the study in more detail. I look forward to hearing back from you in due course. I will be hugely grateful for any help you can provide us with. Will Gurton, BSc MRes Exercise Physiology Nottingham Trent University Tel: (+44) 7957000057 Email: william.gurton2019@my.ntu.ac.uk