Around 3000 people made it to see The Cobble Wobble over the course of the day to watch 180 riders take on the cobbled hill. With a little bit of rain earlier in the day it seems that we had a few fair weather riders who, lets face it, missed out on a lot of cobbling, wobbling and plenty of smiling too. Thanks to everyone who came along; cheered, waved, clapped and joined in – the atmosphere was amazing!

The day ran smoothly thanks to the hard work and professionalism of a lot of people, some local, some from far away, some paid and some who volunteer to raise money for their local club or organisation. The Black Canon Collective marshal team, who volunteer every year to raise money for the BCC mountain bike club based in Longleat did an absolutely amazing job, as always. Matt Wellsted made everything look stunning with his illustration wizardry and Fancy took care of the website, refreshing it with this years look.

Frome Town Council supported the event again this year, something that is hugely appreciated, and the Local st John ambulance, Frome Carnival Committee and Sydenhams tool hire all did their bit too. King Sound Reinforcement and Sports Timing Services did a fantastic job of providing all power, sound, lighting and timing – none of which were easy tasks given the setting.

The Milk Street Brewery “cobble wobble ale” was just as tasty as ever, and it was great to have them at the finish line,  something that very few bike races can boast.

All the residents played a massve part too, being great sports and allowing the hill to be transformed into one of the most unique urban bike race venues there is.

Ed at Milltag designed a beautiful Cobble Wobble jersey and donated some prizes including the King of the Cobbles one off Jersey, and (iL) Soigneur who created the fancy World Famous musettes and donated some stunning prizes too. Along with loads of dandy prizes Knog also provided the super cool timing board (perfectly built by Tim at Designed by Timber) allowing the crowd to really get involved as the action was unfolding on the hill. Clive Gosling and James Thorne were fantastic at keeping the crowd entertained, with world class commentary that had everyone in stitches throughout the day.

And finally, a special mention must go to Red Bull and Charge Bikes who, yet again, provided massive support and added plenty of sparkle to the event.

Thanks, and here’s to next year!

Andrew Denham

photos by Tom Rickhuss

Lewis Lacey, 22, from Poole, smashed the Charge Bikes King of the Cobbles with a time of 22.2 seconds last night, here in Frome.
Lewis, not currently sponsored, was fastest overall earlier in Cobble Wobble during the day so was the hot favourite to take the crown, but with a strong field it wasn’t a done deal until the last rider came up the hill.

I spoke to Lewis earlier today to get his take on things now that he’d had a chance to let the win settle in;

“I’m so happy to win the Charge Bikes King of the Cobbles, it was such an awesome atmosphere thanks to the amazing crowd, and the location which was really cool. The final was so surreal – you couldn’t see hardly anything for the camera flashes and cheering crowd – I didn’t know that riding something so painful could be so much fun, it was amazing!”

Lewis is ex British BMX, and 4X National Champion has been out for the past 2 years recovering from an injury and then surgery on his ankle, and after three consecutive 2nd place finishes in the national 4X series and now this win it’s clear that he’s back on form!

For all you gear geeks out there Lewis was running a 26″ wheeled 4X bike with a 36-29 t combination #justsoyouknow ; )

With Lewis taking the title and stunning one off Gold Charge bike, the second and third spot (and just as lovely Silver and Bronze Charge bikes) were taken by GT rider Gareth Montgomerie and Murray Roe, 26, from Cotham, Bristol.

photos by Tom Rickhuss

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Attending this years Cobble Wobble, and positioned right next to the Registration Desk, Claud the Butler is a bit special if you like cycling, coffee and cake!

Here at Claud the Butler we’ve been busy sourcing the finest quality ingredients to make our pop-up café a truly memorable experience.

Launched by cyclists, for cyclists, we offer pre and post-ride fare with the emphasis on sound nutrition and good old-fashioned great taste. Our coffee is barista style, hand-roasted stuff. Our cakes are homemade with locally-sourced, organic ingredients, our honest-to-goodness soups come with chunks of artisan bread – no nasties – and our in-house smoothie maker churns out our own special ‘recovery’ shakes… we also make a nice cup of tea.

Our ‘pop-up’ café environment offers seating – and shelter – for those pre-ride nerves and post-ride deconstructions.

Here’s the beer tasting notes and a look back at the beer clips from the past three years…

Destined to get your wheels turning.

COBBLE WOBBLE ALE 4.0% Well conditioned and golden in colour. This summertime beer , brewed with locally sourced malt & English Golding hops, has a full bodied crisp malty base and notes of lime. The finish is refreshing, clean & dry. Brewed to celebrate the time trial up St Catherine Hill, Frome.

October 1st and November 5th, 2011
The Silk Mill, Frome.

What is Wheeler Dealers? Well, think of it as a cross between a car boot sale with bicycles instead of cars, a bike-related lifestyle exhibition, and an artisan market.
As a stall holder you can sell whatever you like so long as it’s legal and it’s possible to sell it from a bike basket, pannier, bike trailer…or…to be honest, from a little table next to the bike you brought your stuff with…
In fact, as long as there’s a bike nearby, that’s just fine.
The more unusual the bike, the better. But if you think yours is a little dull, or God forbid, you don’t own a bike at all, we’ll have a few spares you can hire for a couple of quid more than the normal stall price. So that’s £12.50 instead of the basic £10.00.
The Silk Mill will be decked out with bike stuff ranging from the hi- tech to the aesthetically delightful, from street tough to downright weird. There’ll be refreshments, entertainment, bike-related sideshows…It’ll be bike-tastic!
As it’s a lot more than just a market, we’ll be charging people to get in: about 50p per person, but with discounts for those who turn up on bikes. Best of all, as it’s indoors, it’ll be nice and dry whatever the weather.
If you’re interested in hearing more, want to book a stall or contribute in some other way, get in contact. Call Patrick on 07906 452939, or Dickon on 07811 440584.

We’ve decided to do a Curry Wobble Buffet Special for £6.95 on the Sunday the cobble wobble is in Town from 4pm to 11pm so it coincides with the activities and the public can come in for a quick rest and a bite to eat as it is a buffet. The buffet is for the people that would want to relax and eat while enjoy the celebrations from the inside as the double doors will be wide open. Also as you mentioned bikers wouldn’t want to leave their bikes lying around to come and eat inside so we also decided since there is a buffet inside and there will be quick access to food, introduce Curry Wobble Bikers Special for £2.50. This is only sold as a takeout focused entirely for bikers as they will get a large container to fill up with a wide variety of food to takeaway.

… now I don’t know about you, but that sounds spot on to me!