Cape Rouleur Ride Captains 2013

We are pleased to introduce you to the 2013 Ride Captains.  The role of the HotChillee Ride Captain is to mentor and motivate you during the ride, provide assistance for the smooth running of the event, such as but not limited to, directions, peloton etiquette, drink breaks and advice.

 

Michael Blann

I was born by the sea in Hastings in 1970. My teens were spent exploring the south coast on a push-bike with dreams of riding the Tour De France one day.

In 1990 I headed to Australia to race as an elite and to experience some tough racing hanging on the tails of the bunch in races such as the Golden West Tour (a 9 day stage race) and other premier events in Queensland.

Dream over I headed back to England to get an education! From there I followed my passion in photography, which eventually became my career (and still is).

I first met Sven riding around the lanes in Surrey and he quickly became a friend and part of the Esher riding group. With the gift of the gab, he persuaded me to ride an event he was organising (it didn't have a name then) and so one summer we set off as a group of 18 friends to Paris.

I've now lost count of the number of times I've done The L2P but it must be 6 or 7 and it's been an honor to ride alongside ex-pros I admired as a kid - Kelly and Roche. I've also experienced the immense talent of riders such as Matt Stevens at the sharp end of the racing and even had some success along the way, winning the mountain jersey 3 times and been runner up 3 times.

This will now be my 4th year as a Ride Captain and I'm looking forward to it more than ever - meeting new faces, seasoned pros and old friends. See you on the road soon.

 

Craig Edwards

I was born in Namibia, grew up in South Africa and have spent the last 15 years living in Hermanus working in the Aquaculture industry. Having recently moved to Cape Town, I now own and manage a cycling tour company called Cape Cycle Tours.

I've been cycling for as long as I can remember but only started to take it seriously once I had left school. Married to a very capable cyclist who when the occasion presents itself is one of the most competent and experienced seconds you could hope to find.

This will be my second Cape Rouleur and third HotChillee event as a Ride Captain. The Cape Rouleur will be a warm up for the ABSA Cape Epic - starting exactly one week after the Cape Rouleur finishes. I'm lucky enough to be the sucker who gets to chase "The Bull" around some of the toughest and most beautiful parts of our country as the younger part of our masters team "HotChillee - Infinity".

 

Andrew Gill

(aka Gilly)

Andrew came to cycling following many years on the Rugby field. He immediately fell in love with the sport and soon started to league race for Sigma Sport as well as taking on numerous Tours, Gran Fondos and Sportives around the world. He loves all aspects of cycling and thrives on competitively riding as much as time off the bike, at the coffee stop or sharing a cold beer with team mates. 

This will be Andrew's 2nd HotChillee Cape Rouleur.   Andrew will also notch up his 6th London-Paris in 2013, the first dating back to 2004 when it was just 16 riders!  He crowned his cycling career in 2008 when he met his partner, Lizzie, in France while racing the L2P as part of the victorious Glasshouse La Fuga team. Two years later the first L2P baby was born! 

Moving forward Andrew continues to juggle an incredibly busy career and family life where his 5 and 3 year old boys keep him on his toes.  Andrew is looking forward to the 2013 season and intends to enjoy the twilight years of his league racing, but is incredibly excited about again being part of the HotChillee family and Ride Captaining the fantastic Cape Rouleur.  No other event has such fantastic spirit, comradery, mix of people and of course amazing host country.  Andrew is looking forward to meeting the 2013 riders, helping them to exceed their Rouleur ambitions and to celebrate their achievements in Cape Town...

 

Steve Jackson

(aka 'Flash')

Father of three boys, owner of seven bikes and keeper of one wife. BMX'er from the 80's and 90's (as witness by L2P Group 1 a couple of years ago on the infamous blowout crash, he still has the skills), now a roadie mostly but can be found at the skate park in Kingston and Teddington dirt jumps on his Standard Shorty BMX every now and then. Etape x 5, Marmotte x 2, Dragon x 6, L2P x 6, Surrey League, Hillingdon, Gorrick 12, no fixed "as never liked coaster brakes way back when" "I like to have a rest every now and then". Maybe trying a bit of track racing...

This will be his 2nd Cape Rouler, 6th London-Paris and 4th as Group 1 Ride Captain. Can be seen most weekends heading out to the hills with fellow Ride Captain Will Watt and the J Express crew.

Steven a Cat 2 racer and member of the HotChillee race team, will be working hard to achieve his goal of a Cat 1 license in 2013 and is over the moon to be given the opportunity again to help and give support on this years HotChillee events. "I am looking forward to witnessing the team tactics out on the racing sections whilst helping all groups, particularly pushing and pulling the fast guys to get them ready during the training rides for what will be the best 3 days of their cycling year!"

 

Jon Lewis

(aka 'Eddy')

Once again I am privileged to have been called upon to be a Ride Captain for HotChillee, the premier cycling events company.

I know all the Ride Captains hope to be asked to return because we all feel part of a big family, one that keeps growing in strength and numbers. I'm known as a passionate and demonstrative rider but my hard Brydon-esque looks mask my love of the sport and all those willing to push themselves harder and further than most of society. My idea of a good day in the office is for as many riders in my group to have exceeded their own expectations as possible. In short, yes I like the group to ride hard... but only so they can reflect on their own strength, performance and endeavors. This was really borne out in 2012 when Stage 2 of The London-Paris was a nothing short of an armageddon rain-off. Group 2 responded with an effort that could only be matched by the man who's name adorns the Ride Captains bikes... the great Sean Kelly.

All the work that Chain-Reaction-Cycles have done on the Sean Kelly signature bikes paid dividends as we tore through the rain soaked landscape of northern France. Every single rider knew what it was to turn themselves inside out for the ride and I slept happy...

This year will be my sixth London-Paris. The ride I am most excited about being a Ride captain for is the Cape Rouleur, a new addition to the HotChillee global events series. The moments I am most looking forward to are seeing the riders achieve their dreams and hearing from them how their day was won.

See you up the road, Eddy.

HotChillee: L2Px5, ACx1, RCx3. Other Cycling achievements: PBP finisher >70hrs , finalist at World masters track champs x2, Current BC 1st Cat road-man. Qualified coach, mechanic, commissaire. Race promoter and Director of Dreadnought.cc, manufacturer of cycle-wear in Britain.

 

Martin Markowski

Excited by the fact that 2013 means my 4th London-Paris and 2nd year as a Ride Captain. 2012 saw me as the new boy on the team and I was overwhelmed by what an amazing experience it was, backed by great sponsors kit and fellow Ride Captains and back up crew, the feeling of pride in helping encouraging and pushing some amazing people in group 6 to their goals in reaching Paris along with Goose and Dan the man .

I have my own business Bayeux Landscapes where I have toiled in rain or shine for nearly 20 years. I have two young daughters who take up my time along with my work and cycling.

I live in Hastings where I started cycling aged 17 and soon after met Ride Captain Michael Blann and started to train and race with him. I had a bad accident at 18 which took me out of racing for a year. I regained my fitness and moved up to a 1^st Cat the following year where racing took me to Germany and Ireland where I rode the Ras - 12 days of rain and pain. This is when I met Stephen Roche in his Fagor World Championship jersey riding a stage up the Wicklow Mountains in the rain where he gave me a few friendly words of encouragement.

In 1989 I moved to France and raced with the UV Aube team in Troyes. I moved back to England in 1990 and after several jobs started landscaping. I then started my own team Bayeux in 1995 and my first race in these colours I won the Perfs Pedal Race. I then raced for several years before hanging up my wheels.

A couple of years later the cycling bug bit again and I started Bayeux Landscapes cycling team and have raced occasionally ever since, usually managing to scrape a win every year.

I can't wait to start the whole party once again in January with all of HotChillee new faces and catch up with familiar friends from last year.

 

Rachel Przybylski

(aka 'Zappy')

2^nd longest standing Ride Captain in the bunch. The London Paris veteran having clocked up 6 in a row, plus 2 Alpine Challenges, 2 Majorca Rendezvous trips at the Stephen Roche Training Camp and more training rides than I can recall. Outside HotChillee I hold down a full time career in the City as well as road racing at national level. Biggest news for me in 2013 is my selection as Ride Captain for Cape Rouleur, the latest event in the HotChillee Global event series.

I was introduced to HotChillee by a friend 7 years ago, a 'newbie' cyclist, keen as they come. All the mistakes made, all the lessons learnt. Follow me, I'll tell you how not to do it and all the tricks to make it easier out there on the long and winding road.

Apparently my most well know personality trait is bossiness?. moi, really?! Get me as an Ride Captain and there will fun times and motivation galore, but misbehave and there will be much high pitched assertiveness on display. Hills are my favourite terrain, but I can be found riding in all sorts of places, in all sorts of conditions, like The London-Paris 2012 which is to be forever known the 'epic' year due to exceptionally unfortunate weather. At times like that only the wisest of words will do, and our longest standing Ride Captain knows how to tell it. The end is where the end is and we will be there when we get there? truly inspirational.

As with all Ride Captain's we try to be the fountain of knowledge, the guiding hand. We strive for continual growth as individuals and as a pack, to be everything a peloton of determined riders needs to enjoy the challenges of a lifetime.

See you on the road, or in a café? (can be bribed with cake!)

Zappy - or as most recently referred to - the Metronome, tapping out a rhythm for my group to follow.