Press Reports

Updated 8 April 2005

Current Press Releases If you want to find the latest results try Activities then the section etc If you are after older results and gossip please go to the DLN pages If you want to know what's on go to the Diary

 

8-04-05 I had the following letter re: David Millar published in this week's "Cycling". (To avoid any suggestion that De Laune has a "soft on drugs" view, I didn't mention the club's name when I sent in the email.) Text below: "I was as disappointed as everyone else to discover that David Millar had used EPO, but he confessed and a pretty tough punishment was applied. Rightfully, the suspension has been re-set to start from the point he ceased being able to race so that he isn't unfairly penalised by the delay caused by the official disciplinary process. A two-year suspension should be just that, not two and a half. So now let's give the guy a break and encourage him to come back after his suspension and show us what he's undoubtedly capable of without resorting to banned substances. It's been questioned how he might manage to come back - whether a Pro-Tour team would take a chance on him or whether he would have to show what he's capable of in a Continental team first. One other route to generate interest for 2007 might be to ride the 2006 Worlds Time Trial. While training to come back to the top in road racing having missed two years would be tough, the TT might prove more practical. Even without a team solo training, plus motor-pacing to work on speed, would be possible and post-suspension he could even ride British TTs head-to-head with the home specialists to stake his claim for selection." Nigel Scales

 

Dacey grits his teeth 24-09-04 It's the old one-two as Brian Dacey beats Roland Crayford (right) to top spot in the World Masters' Pursuit final at Manchester's Velodrome for the second year running TWO weeks ago we reported on 66-year old racing cyclist Brian Dacey's campaign to defend his World Masters Championship titles. The moment of truth for the Herne Hill-based De Laune Cycling Club and Evans Cycles-specialised rider came at the Manchester Velodrome, home of Britain's successful Olympic cycling team. "It didn't start well," Dacey explained, who has spent most of his life living in south-east London. "The week before the World Championships I found I had an abcess under a tooth. I didn't want to risk my performance being affected by taking antibiotics, so I had to put up with it." On the first day of competition, Dacey was not feeling 100 per cent and was only sixth in the 500-metre time trial and fifth in the sprint. Dacey's first world title defence was threee days later, in the 65-69 age group points race. In this 10km race, points were awarded to the first three riders across the line on the 10th, 20th, 30th and 40th (final) laps. Riders start in a pack and race inches away from each other on lightweight track bikes with a single gear and no brakes it's not for the faint-hearted. Although he still wasn't feeling good, Dacey's morale was boosted by club-mate Peter Jenn's bronze medal in the 60-64 age group pursuit race, the previous day, and he dominated the race. He won the first three sprints and, having already secured victory, took second place in the sprint on the final lap to beat Uruguayan Luigi Fabbri comprehensively, 18 points to 12. Dacey covered the 10km in 14 minutes 24.635 seconds an average speed of more than 41 kph, almost 26 mph. "I was pleased, and a bit surprised by how well I went, especially after my lack of form in the earlier races," said Dacey. On the sixth and final day, having recovered from his efforts two days earlier, Dacey lined up for the 65-69 age group pursuit race. The pursuit is an all-out effort where you can't use tactics to compensate for a lack of speed or power the two riders start on opposite sides of the track and attempt to catch each other or complete the race in the shortest time. Dacey qualified fastest, covering the 2,000m in 2 minutes 37.919 seconds, then took his place for the final against the second fastest rider, British friend and rival Roland Crayford. Once again, Dacey put in a convincing performance, covering the 2km in 2mins 38.999 seconds (45kph or more than 28mph) and winning by 4.242 seconds. As well as the pleasure of earning their individual medals, Dacey and club-mate Peter Jenn had the satisfaction of contributing to Great Britain's second place in the final medals table with 18 golds, 14 silvers and 23 bronzes against 18, 18 and 11 respectively for the United States. So what's next for the double World champion? The UK track and road-racing season is drawing to a close and Dacey has no plans to enter any cyclo-cross or mountain bike races. He prefers his racing to be on solid surfaces rather than mud and grass instead he plans to prove his all-round ability by moving from Manchester Velodrome's indoor track to a week of road racing in Majorca. The European Masters Criterium Championship takes place there in October, on a circuit through a town near Palma and along its promenade. Dacey said: "I'd like to go one better than my second place last year. "It will be quite a hard race as it is open to riders in the 60-70 age group, so I'll be racing with equally fit riders who are five years younger, although a separate championship is awarded for the 65-70 age group. "After the Criterium Championship, there's a road race in the mountains a big difference from the track racing I've been concentrating on recently. "Finally, there's a three-day stage race, open to riders from 50-70 years old, so that's going to be tough 15 years age difference is a lot to have to bridge. Last year, I was one of only two riders over 65 who finished the whole race." And after the Majorca week? "I think I'll relax a bit before Christmas and start training again in the New Year," said Dacey. "The World Masters Games, held every four years, take place in Edmonton, Canada, next July, and I plan to compete in both road and track events and if you want to be successful you can't take it too easy." Anyone interested in taking up cycle racing can get more information from the De Laune CC website: www.delaunecc.org De Laune CC members range from schoolboys to senior citizens and are active in triathlons as well as road, track, time-trial, hill-climb, mountain bike and cyclo-cross racing. Taken from Article published in the

Dacey roles back years 15-09-04

Brian Dacey, who is defending his World age-group titles in Manchester's Velodrome

VETERAN CYCLE STAR GOES IN SEARCH OF EVEN MORE GLORY

AT a time of year when most over-65s would be relaxing in the garden or perhaps enjoying a round of golf or a game of bowls, Brian Dacey has been on a racing cycle putting in the miles in races and time-trials on the roads of southern England or lapping the track at the Herne Hill Velodrome.

Dacey is a multiple cycling track-racing world champion and will be defending his world age-group titles this week in the World Masters over-30s Championships at the Manchester Velodrome, where Britain's successful Olympic team trained.

He was a successful racer back in the Sixties, winning road-races and road time-trials, as well as track races before retiring from the sport.

Dacey did most of his track racing at Crystal Palace and it was there that he won many big events, including the King of the Palace title in 1967.

However, Dacey was inspired to make a comeback in 2001 after helping at the World Masters Championships.

Dacey said: "Cycling is very tough and it took time before my body readjusted properly to the demands of the sport and he really started to get results."

In October 2002, he competed in the World Masters Games in Melbourne, Australia an event held four yearly representing more than 20 sports with in excess of 25,000 competitors and unofficially known as the "Masters Olympics".

He rode in all the cycling events four on the velodrome, plus the road-race, criterium and time-trial in the 60-64 age group with a best placing of fourth, being beaten in the bronze medal ride-off in the pursuit by the reigning world champion.

Dacey, who has spent much of is life living in south-east London, also made it to the sprint final with four other riders two Australians, an American and a German all of whom were either current or past World Masters Champions.

He finished fifth, but was still pleased with this result in his second year of competition.

Dacey added: "My enduring memory of the World Masters Games is of three Australian riders tearing round the velodrome in fierce competition, who were born within three months of each other in 1920!"

Wins on the purpose-built Eastway Road racing circuit in east London for Dacey, were followed in May 2003 by an outstanding performance in the British Masters National Track Championships.

Here he won the gold medals in the 65-69 year old age group of all five events 2,000 metres pursuit, 750-metre sprint, 500-metre time-trial, 10km points race and 10km scratch race.

In July of last year, he showed his all-round ability by winning the National Masters Road Race Championship for the 65-69 age group over a 100km course.

Then, last September, Dacey went a stage further, winning gold medals in the pursuit and the points race, as well as bronze in the sprint, at the World Masters Track Champ-ionships, also held at Manchester Velodrome.

His campaign to defend his titles in this year's World Masters Track Championships has gone well.

He added: "I had a number of victories in road races at Eastway and elsewhere and a good performance in June at this year's British Masters National Track Championships, where I retained my sprint, points race and scratch-race titles."

Dacey also took silver in the pursuit covering the 2,000 metres in 2 minutes 47.399 seconds, just 2.210secs slower than the winner, and another silver in the 500-metre time-trial where his time of 41.031 was only 0.118 seconds behind the gold medal winner.

The icing on the cake was his Streatham-based club-mate Peter Jenn taking the pursuit gold medal in the 60-64 year-old category. Jenn will also be riding at the World Championships so Dacey will have a De Laune club-mate for company in Manchester.

De Laune CC is a cycling club originally founded in 1889, with its headquarters now at Herne Hill Velodrome in south-east London. It has members active in road and track racing, time-trials, mountain bike racing, cyclo-cross, and triathlon.

Although south-east London is its home, members are spread across the capital and the south-eastern boroughs. More details can be found on the website at: www.delaunecc.org 

Taken from Article published in the