The quantity of rain over the last few weeks has left the forest sodden making the single-track and in some cases the main paths potentially dangerous to navigate.

Keep an eye on the Website, the Forum, Facebook and Twitter for updates.

HMF are based in Ipswich and offer Sports Supplements, Martial Arts Equipment, Fitness Equipment, Yoga, Weights, Gloves, Bars, all under one roof.

For details of the offers they're providing for TROG members please see the Members Lounge section of our forum

Don't forget we also offer discounts for local bike shop Pedal Power, suspension fork tuning company Sussed Out Suspension, local Surf and Skatewear shop Wahoo and our flagship sponsor Speedy also provide much valued equipment to the club.

April 2012 Mud Sweat and Gears Round 1
For our 3rd attempt at hosting MSG, we returned to using Fireroad 30 as the arena and start/finish point.  The event had it's highest turn out yet, the weather was perfect and all went off smoothly.  Much thanks go to Mark Lambert and his helpers for making this one of the most well received events we've held.

January 2012 Duff the Stuffing
Over 250 local and not so local riders ventured out for this years Duff the Stuffing in Rendlesham forest just after New Years day. The medium loop was tweaked a little and the shorter family loop reused. There were almost 80 Parents and Children riding together - this was broken down into smaller groups very quickly. The success of event was very much down to the hard work and organisation of ManicManser, his family and many TROG helpers. TROG would like to thank Healey Building and Maintenance for their generous support in providing the food for the BBQ.

September 2011 Chilterns Day Trip
Only a couple of hours down the road but very different terrain for a Sunday ride compared to Tunstall! The group readied themselves in the car park at Watlington some riders were eyeing up the Red Kites circling over their heads whilst others picked up lunchtime savouries in the nearby Co-op. A great loop of 28miles climbing and descending the ridgeway many times. The ride featured the delights of the climb up to Dame Alice farm and a rooty descent down towards the River Thames at Hambledon.

August 2011 South Wales Trip
A new venue for a TROG trip took in the legendary Gap ride in the Brecons on Friday before heading further south to The Green Lanterns B&B on the outskirts of Neath. The plan was to do W2 at Afan the next day but the delights of a Friday night in Neath had to be sampled beforehand. Even though the loop around W2 was in the rain it was still a great ride - although climbing for an hour post lunch wasn't enjoyed by everybody! The final day threw in an unplanned ride around the Rhossili penisular - what a gem! A classic old-skool ride in the sunshine with Ice Cream vans appearing just in the right place & time.

June 2011 Tunstall MSG
Almost 300 riders across the categories ventured to Tunstall for a very dry and dusty spin round a dedicate race trail which reused parts of last years FarEndFour loop. Although this year two new bombholes were added to the loop to challenge the riders - Junkpit and Armpit.

May 2011 Peak District Trip
Initially organised my Mark until he broke his arm on the North Wales trip. A large group of riders headed out to Bamford to sample the delights of Ladybower loop, Cut Gate and Jacobs Ladder. A big thank you goes to Jules.b for picking up the arrangements from Mark.

April 2011 Wales Trip
The Easter trip to North Wales is a pass of rites for TROG members - ever popular and well organised by The Downhill Cod. This year a new venue - Nant y Arian was added to the regular visits to Coed y Brenin, Penmachno and Llandegla. The weekend was plagued with pinch flat punctures, a broken titanium frame, a taxi rip off and a broken arm. Thanks again to The Downhill Cod for the arrangements and our hosts at Heulwen B&B in Dolgellau.

Jan 2011 Dales Trip
In past years the Dales have been part of the calendar for October - it slipped to December but was then postponed due to the bad weather. The Dales Bike Centre kindly allowed the booking to be moved free of charge. So at the end of January a group of TROGs ventured up to the Yorkshire Dales to sample the classics such as Fremmington Edge and the Barf end descent to Gunnerside. Thanks to MrGreedy organising the trip and negotiating the postponement with Stu at Dales Bike Centre.

Mud, Sweat and Gears Round 1 - May 2010
Having been approached by Sports Essex and British Cycling, TROG agreed to help them expand their previously 3 round series into a 6 round Eastern Region League, by hosting the opening round of the 2010 series.  Yet again we were let down by the elements, but the efforts of many members, most notably Andy Tyler, made it successful albeit muddy day.

Forest Fest - April 2010
TROG were represented again at Rendlesham Forests' Forest Fest which provided an ideal place to test out the new promotional banners.

Wales Trip - April 2010
Once again there was a TROG pilgrimage to Wales, and around double the numbers of last year's trip attended. The weekend saw minimal mechanicals and injuries and over the 3 days we completed the black run at Cli-Machx, The Beast at Coed-y-Brenin and the black route at Coed Landeglla.

Scouts - March 2010
Having been approached by the local Scout group, several TROGs offered their time and experience to guide them around the forest and an enjoyable day was had by all.

Club Annual Awards Evening - March 2010
Held at Fynn Valley Golf Club, the Annual dinner had grown from previous years and over 60 people attended, with many hard working club members' efforts recognised. Ian France was awarded TROG of the Year and Scott Jennings received the Trail Builder of the Year award.

Thetford MTB Racing's Winter Series 4 - March 2010
TROG, once again, worked with Thetford MTB Racing to hold a round of their race series, and once again it proved to be a battle against the elements!

The last few weeks have seen much fun and banter, so why not come along and join in!

andpresent...

A Watt Bike Evening

Greshams, 312 Tuddenham Rd, Ipswich, IP4 3QJ

Monday 16^th January 2012
19.00 – 21.00
£3/session

(provisionally we have booked further Mondays tbc)

The Watt Bike is an interactive exercise bike that records a rider’s performance, including speed, distance, cadence and power output.

The bikes will be connected to a big screen to host a fun evening of virtual racing.

All you need to bring are refreshments and your enthusiasm.

For further information see,

Cycle Suffolk website

Watt Bikes website

TROG Forum discussion (Members Only)

Or contact, sport@sinkfarm.com

Existing Members

To renew your membership simply go to the Sign-up Page

To provide a little 'grace period' we won't reset the membership status for existing members until Sunday 15th Jan but from that time only paid-up members will have access to the 'members only' areas of the forum.

We're ready and waiting for the deluge of membership payments

New Members

For those of you who have enjoyed the TROG led rides at Tunstall, Rendlesham, Alton Water and our other locations then why not become a full TROG member in 2012? To join TROG simply go to the Sign-up Page

TROG membership brings with it much more than just gaining full access to the forum; we organise several away trips throughout the year (Wales, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, etc), club clothing is available, you receive a 10% discount at Phil's Bike Company in Ipswich as well as other offers, there is an annual club meal (with plenty of banter) and informal BBQs at the Tunstall Campsite. We also have a large 'dark side' contingent (yes, roadies, sorry but I'm one myself) and there is usually a good TROG turnout at the local charity rides such as the Suffolk Sunrise and the Dunwich Dynamo.

We hold regular club meetings at Kesgrave Social Club (see the forum for the dates and agenda) and for 2012 will be looking to tie-up many of the meetings with a local ride. Why not join one of these gatherings and find out more what TROG is all about; such as the initiatives we have planned for the year ahead, race events, trips, trailbuilding, etc.

We run monthly (sometime more frequent) trail-build days to help keep the Tunstall trails in the best possible shape and we will be building this area significantly in 2012 now that the 'Viking Trail' at Tunstall is officially recognised by the Forestry Commission. There is usually a ride after each trailbuild session so you won't miss out on wheel spinning time. Just keep an eye on the 'Trailbuilding' section of the forum. The trail-build days are another good way to meet up with fellow TROGs.

£10 won't break the bank and you probably spend that on fuel in a week or two just carting your bike around. With the discount from Phil's Bike Company the membership fee could pay for itself on you next purchase!

Give TROG a go for 2012 - sign up at the Sign-up Page

Have a great 2012

This is always a fun place to ride, with flat fast flowing singletrack and the odd incline to test out the lungs and leg muscles.

With the mild weather of late, the race filled up fast and TROG were very well represented, with 17 members racing, including 2 race virgins – Debbie and Tony (Forest).

The rain had threatened but it stayed dry and not too cold !!  Some excellent results were achieved by all, with a 1^st place from Lewis Parker in the Junior category – that boy is fast !!!

From the comments received after the race, it seemed everyone had fun.

“That was definitely the best Thetford race I've done so far, excellent course and most importantly it somehow stayed dry” – MrGreedy

“Brilliant race today with superb conditions, this has to be one of my most enjoyable races so far!!” – Libtech

“Despite some pretty serious nerves, I really enjoyed my first race” - Debbie

“Ground, dry; Company, good; Position, happy with” – Ecnarfi

“That was the best Winter Series race I have had in YEARS! Not bothered what the result is....I just bloody enjoyed every minute of it. Happy days!” - Tesla

“Bring on Round 2” - Ady

Results:

2hr Junior
Lewis (Lewis p) - 1st

2hr Male
Stuart (tesla) - 27th
Ian (ecnarfi) - 39th
Danny (dannyboy) - 63rd

2hr Male Vet
Carl (smithy) - 11th
Julian (juels p) - 13th
Ady (adrianhealey) - 17th
Julian (jules_b) - 41st
Tony (forest) - 82nd
Chris (screwy) - 122nd
Mark (mark a) - 140th
Jon (johnny d) - 146th

2hr Female
Debbie (Debbie) - 10th

4hr Male
Mark (MrGreedy) - 25th

4hr Male Vet
Mark (wingnut) - 7th
Andy (andy1) - 13th
Ian (Libtech) - 34th

If you only attend 1 meeting this year, make sure this one is it!

If you want to put yourself forward for a role on the committee or to put ideas forward then post in the Members forum or contact a committee member before the meeting so the club can have a chance to talk them through before the meeting.