Getting up early in the morning to train canoeists on the Thames definitely its benefits, like this stunning sunrise. Photo: GB canoeing coach and 3 times Olympian sprint canoer Paul Darby-Dowman
.

F1 presenter Jake Humphrey celebrates reaching Teddington Lock with a Vettel ‘number one’ finger. The Lock marks the halfway point on a 10k run from his home in Richmond as part of pre-season training that isn’t limited to just the drivers!

Someone clearly likes exploring local scenes early! A still and moody morning on the Thames and early morning reflections at The Architects Gallery. Photos: sardinista

We have so far escaped the harsh winter of last year but some frosty mornings have started to creep up on us and with the plummeting temperatures, this week will see some great winter scenes in the park. Photos: Max Ellis

An un-assuming semi-detached house has produced a steady stream of world-class athletes in recent years and made locals used to the sight of the “Teddington Kenyans”. PACE Sports Management under the leadership of Ricky Simms owns “the running house” where hopefuls eat and train together in nearby Bushy and Richmond Parks as well as the track at St Mary’s University.

Olympic, Commonwealth and World Champions have all been through the training process at this “enclave of excellence” where Mo first noticed how obsessed the Kenyans were with their training regime. At certain times of the year, PACE-managed Usain Bolt also can be seen training in the area, staying at a B&B and feeding his love for Chinese food at a local takeaway.

Although travelling the world for training and competitions, Mo regularly returns home to his home nearby and his beloved training ground. This weekend he was back running in Bushy Park again, this particular time with Stars Gym.

Teddington is seen by many as a ‘base of Excellence’ for training due to nearby Bushy Park, equipment specialists Sweatshop, personal trainers such as gym-free In-Kilter Fitness and sports injury specialists such as Physio & Therapy.

Even if you’re not aiming to be a professional athlete there is plenty of encouragement and advice available nearby and you can also join in the free Bushy parkrun every Saturday at 9am.

New architects practice Fletcher Crane have revealed plans and artists impressions for the new £450,000 community hall which will be funded through a combination of insurance money and donations.

The timber-framed design was developed with input from consultations with the Church’s congregation and local community and will meet the various requirements that include optimising natural light, security and maintenance.

The plans are now online and are attracting some comments that highlight that the striking modern design might not be in keeping with character of the surrounding area and “more like a modern office than a church hall“. If given the go-ahead, work will start on the project in June 2012.

Another artists impression has been created, this time for the replacement clubhouse for Teddington Rugby Club & Teddington Town Cricket Club – designed with the rugby club’s recent success in mind as a replacement for a much-loved but ageing building.

The fund-raising for this project is ongoing but at the last published update was well over £100,000 from various events and private donations. The club hope to achieve the remaining £150,000 through funding, grants and corporate donations.

An unusual view of parkrun – a camera setup to capture runners attempting to jump puddles 1km from the finish line. Photo: jedleicester

Autumn oak leaves in Bushy Park. Photo: eurokeith

The Annual 5km Teddington Head rowing regatta recently hosted by Walbrook Rowing Club. Photo: Henry Elkington

More rowing on the Thames as fans of Made In Chelsea were pleasantly surprised as Proudlock and Alice had a date on the river at Teddington Skiff Club – the oldest such club in existence (founded in 1895).

The pizza dough displays outside Canta Napoli restaurant have been turning heads but this grand creation has stopped passers-by in their tracks! The restaurant’s pizza chef challenged his ability making this traditional presepe (nativity scene).

Perfect timing caught these birds on camera flying in formation close to the Thames just after dawn. Photo: maxellis.

A blast from the past – a fire hydrant cover still bearing the name Teddington Urban District Council, established in 1894 and absorbed into the Borough of Twickenham in 1937 – making this iron at least 74 years old. Photo: Peter Denton

By late Saturday evening, only a few cars remained parked on the route and were towed. Before and after the race however it was clear that quite a number of drivers weren’t aware of the race and related road closures and some sadly took out their frustration on the 2,800 race stewards. Many of these helpers were bussed in from around the country and had little knowledge (or indeed maps) of potential diversion routes for stuck drivers.

After the race barriers were swiftly removed and some roads were re-opened just after 10am. Others nearby in Hampton Wick and Kingston however remained in place until the mid-afternoon – causing traffic issues with buses and cars wanting to travel in this direction.

The pack leave Waldegrave Road onto the central bridge. Photo: Brian Holder (Teddington Society)

There was a real sense of community spirit as neighbours stood alongside each other waiting for the race to pass them – huge numbers lined roads through Teddington, along Chestnut Avenue in the park and towards Hampton Court. The 148 cyclists formed the middle section of a lengthy procession that included race marshals, support vehicles and ambulances. After the competitors disappeared into the distance, cyclist spectators took their turn on the route and advantage of the rare chance to enjoy some roads without any traffic.

The race itself was won by English Olympic favourite Mark Cavendish in 3hrs 18mins. Although not broadcast live, highlights will be shown on by the BBC next weekend.

As well as testing the logistics of such wide-spread road closures and preparation, one of the reasons for this test race was to receive feedback from residents and race-watchers. Any comments posted below will be collated and forwarded on to race organisers to help the real race run as smoothly as possible.

[Update] some early highlights of the race here – Bushy park can be seen 47 seconds in

Mo is Britain’s male athlete of the year and intends to represent his country in two events at next year’s Olympics – the 5,000m and 10,000m distances. To guide him towards Olympic medals, he has switched coaches and crossed the atlantic to train with three-time New York marathon winner Alberto Salazar.

Mo has mentioned that after the Olympics he will be leaving the track and be hitting the road to take on the longer marathon discipline – his longest distance currently competed in is the half-marathon.

Attendance to the evening (Wednesday 3rd August 2011 6:15pm) is by RSVP only – contact spikenight@sweatshop.co.uk if you are interested. The event is aimed at budding runners 14-18 years old (and their coaches) who want some rare advice from a professional to help improve their running.

On offer on the evening is limited edition kit and customisable spikes. After the store event, attendees will run as a group to St Mary’s where they can meet the Nike running team and Mo/Alberto for valuable running advice in a question and answer session and enjoy photo opportunities! As the poster says: “Grab your track mates and your coaches and get yourself down to Sweatshop.”

Mo enjoyed joining regulars at this week’s bushyparkrun this week and before anyone gets too excited about beating his time, he was running at his wife’s pace who was trying out the 5k distance for the first time!

Photo: David Rowe

140 world-class international cyclists will be speeding along the 140km long route that will be used during next year’s London Olympics. The Olympic organising committee has been working with Richmond Borough Council, TFL, the emergency services and Royal Parks to ensure the minimum of impact will be experienced by residents whilst racing fans can enjoy watching the event itself.

Tour de France in Kent

Since the initial letter was distributed, considerable discussions have taken place with Richmond Council to minimise disruption to residents and businesses. Roads will close on the Sunday from 4-6am and start to re-open at 11:30am – this is expected to impact on traffic over a wide area. Approximately 1,000 roads will be closed and 80km of barriers put up along the route.

Hampton Court bridge and Kingston Bridge will remain closed until approximately 3pm due to the race following this route on the return journey. Bushy and Richmond Park will closed to traffic as usual on Saturday night and not re-open until Monday morning. Pedestrians and race-watchers will be welcome along the route and in the parks – estimated to be passing through Teddington at 9:30am and returning to Hampton Court by 11am.

TFL Maps & lists of restricted roads & cycle route.

During the road closures there will be marshalled limited crossing points for pedestrians and traffic. Journeys usually made by bus or car should be made by alternative methods where possible on the day. Some bus routes will have diversions in place whilst others may not run at all. In addition to road closures, cars won’t be able to park on the race route roads themselves after 6:30pm on Saturday night (13th August).

If you wish to find out more information about this event, a drop-in session is being held at Teddington Train station on Tuesday 26th July 2011 (4:30-7:30pm).

They beat London North rivals West Leigh Junior School 4-3 in the finals of the RFU YAZOO Tag 2 Twickenham title, played at Rugby School last Wednesday.

More than 35,000 children played in the tournament which is the largest primary school program in England. The team is also thrilled to be playing in a further international competition in Twickenham, the home of England rugby in August.

Ian Dickinson, co-Head of Stanley Primary. “To win the national tag rugby championship is a fantastic achievement reflecting the team’s dedication to their training over the year and the commitment of the coaches – James Watson and Paul Burke. To be the first school to retain the trophy shows the real depth of sporting talent that is developed each year at Stanley.“

The RFU and YAZOO work with police charity Child Victims of Crime to organise this competition.

The existing club house affectionately known as the ‘potting shed’ is to be replaced with better facilities that both clubs deserve considering recent successes, growth and future potential.

BBC’s Countryfile visited Bushy Park on the 26th of May to film for the episode aired last Sunday – using the Royal Park as an example of how a bit of the country is never far away from us in our city life and how “..in London’s suburbs is a great place to take that winning photograph in the Countryfile calendar competition.”

Click for iPlayer video (17m 30s in)

Presenter Julia Bradbury describes the park as having watery worlds, wonderful wildlife which is handy as these are two of the categories from this years’ competition. Also in the program is a piece about the Surrey Downs which will feature in the Olympic Road race which will also pass through Richmond and Bushy Parks.

Eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a blink-and-you’ll miss it scene from central Teddington in the latest BT Home Hub advert – a night-time shot of Repair Station on the bridge.

Also see footage from The Mason’s Arms relaunch after their refurbishment.

The open day (12:30-4:30pm) is designed to help showcase the facilities that some might not be aware of and highlight activities available during the summer.

All ages are welcome at the centre – a programme of free taster sessions will include spinning, yoga, bums and tums, Pilates and the ever popular Zumba. Staff will also be on hand to give you a tour of the facilities and give you a free health and fitness consultation as well as entering a free prize draw.

Cllr Pamela Fleming, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Community, Business and Culture: “All of our leisure centres in the borough offer a vast array of classes and exercise sessions and I imagine that sometimes it is difficult to choose which one to do – particularly with some of the newer activities such as Zumba. This open day is a good opportunity for local residents to ‘try before you buy’ and come along and see which class they most enjoy.”

If you like what you see and wish to sign-up on the day, there will also be reduced rate memberships on offer. Places are limited and advanced booking is advised for classes – call 020 8977 9911 to book or for more information with list of classes see here.