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We started off last month's newsletter with an optimistic look at what should have been a great month of cycling. However, the poor weather conditions meant that on two occasions all weekend rides had to be cancelled, as did our first open event of the year, the Hardriders TT. On the plus side, the race squad braved the elements and raced most weekends, scoring points at each event, the Go-Ride tester event was a great success and the Spring Reliability Ride went ahead.
The club's Wednesday night time trial season really kicks off this month, with the first four events all on the popular K4/20 course. We have a Quarterly Meeting on 3rd and we launch Go-Ride on 21st, so a busy and important month ahead.
Full details of all these events are given below - read on.
Please send any comments, ideas or proposals regarding the contents of the newsletter to the Press Officer.
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All previous newsletters are available to view on the club website and can be viewed by clicking on this link:
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This newsletter was launched in March 2017 as a way of providing members with a means of keeping up to date with what is going on in the club, also using it to promote our activities to other clubs and interested parties. One year on and it's been an incredible success, far outreaching our expectations (we originally thought we would only have enough material for one issue every three months) and my sincere thanks go to Roger Gollicker for his hard work in keeping it going.
Our newly-formed race squad go from strength to strength, with riders competing every weekend on the local race circuit. This will be further complemented by members taking part in Open Time Trials in the coming weeks now that season is underway too. The results and number of members taking part totally validates the proposal made by Mark Boyles at the AGM to launch the squad and I'm heartened by the way members have taken up the challenge to represent the club so positively after an absence of many years.
Our Go Ride scheme for 7-16 year olds launches this month after a successful trial run and this gives our club a fantastic opportunity to bring the next generation of cyclists into the club.
We have an exciting summer ahead of us and I look forward to some warmer club rides and meeting as many members as possible.
Paul
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The 2018 season kicked off last week and there are now four TT's this month all of which will be on the K4/20 course. Start time for the first three is 6.30pm., but this then changes to 7pm. from the 24th.
Please do read again the new 2018 sign-in instructions which have now been posted on the Racing/Time Trialling section of the website. Of particular note is the requirement to sign in no later than 20 minutes before the start time and the ability to pre-enter via Facebook.
Remember our TT's couldn't go ahead without the marshals that are required out on the course and it's a condition of club membership that we all play our part. If you are unable to do your allocated evening it's your responsibility to swap with someone who can and the best way to do this is on the club's Facebook group in the preceding days.
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Group riding - have you read the booklet?
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The link to the new online guide is just a click away via the button below.
Following our initial skills session in February we intend to run further sessions throughout 2018 with the long term goal of making our weekend rides safer, more compact and enjoyable. To achieve this we need to make sure that everyone who comes on club rides is familiar with the rules, etiquette and responsibilities of riding in a group..
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Banbury Star welcomed more new members into the club during March:
Lee Davies, Marie McLoughlin, Naomi van Niekerk and Steven van Niekerk
If you haven't renewed it's now time to do so if you want to continue taking part in the club rides and events. We have decided that membership renewals will be done online so as we get up to date records for everyone which are then securely stored in compliance with the Data Protection Act and to also ease the burden on the membership secretary now we have so many members. Please note there is an increase in the price of the time-trial supplement for 2018.
If you are an existing member you can do it by following this link:
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The Spring Quarterly Meeting for all members will be held on Tuesday 3rd April at Wroxton Sports Club starting at 7.30pm.
Please come along as this is your club and your opportunity to hear details of what is going on, what exciting plans the club has and also raise questions of the committee.
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Unfortunately our big first event of the year, the annual Hardriders TT, had to be cancelled due to the extreme weather conditions. The event had already suffered a setback some weeks earlier, as road works at Ettington prevented us from using the original 23 mile course. However, swift action by race secretary Mike Hicks, enabled us to get permission to use our new Open 10 mile course as an alternative, but that too was eventually doomed. It's worth mentioning that when we told all 68 competitors of the change, only one rider cancelled their entry.
As planned, the new Open 10 mile TT will take place on 1st September, but the next Hardriders TT will have to wait until 2019.
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Ovo Energy Women's Tour 13-17 June
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We'll publish more details next month, but you may want to book a day off work on Friday 15th June. Stage 3 of the tour - Atherstone to Leamington Spa - does a circular route around a lot of our patch with opportunities to see the riders twice.
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Banbury Star Road Race Sunday 27th May
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Race Secretary Mike Hicks has now booked and organised all the essential elements for our road race, the above posters have been sent out to clubs in the area and the entries are starting to come in.
However, what is essential for this event, our biggest of the year, is the help of members for marshalling and other on the day duties. Even if you are only able to help morning or afternoon for a few hours, then please let us know. We're expecting a good turnout of Star riders this year, so this is also a great chance to give them your on course support.
John Tustian will again be recruiting and coordinating the marshals and volunteers, so please show support for your club by contacting him via the link below.
John has also arranged for the White Horse pub to sponsor the men's race first prize. This is another demonstration of the relationships we are building with local businesses as we use the pub for our committee and road race meetings plus the monthly social night.
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Monday evening chain gang
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The start of the TT season concludes our winter Wednesday turbo evenings which have proved very popular in keeping fitness up over the darker months.
The emphasis now moves to our Monday evening chain gang sessions which start on the 9th April. Ours doesn't involve shovels but will need a lot of hard work if you're to keep up with the group.
We will meet at Ludlow Drive at 6.15pm and use a variety of routes and drills such as the 20k course, the road race route etc.
This is open to all members, not just for those who race or time trial, and we will sort groups out based on ability level on the night.
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The Chandlers Arms, Epwell
Yes again - see below
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The Chandlers Arms was our first nomination when we started this section just over 12 months ago - so why are we mentioning it again? Well simply because it still remains a big favourite on club rides, especially with the Wednesday Wobblers. Also because when the previous landlords left many thought it would never be the same again. Yes, in some ways it's different, but we still get a very warm welcome from Jordan, the bar manager and excellent coffee and cakes.
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Full marks to the race squad and to Mark Boyles for his vision and enthusiasm to get the club racing again. Already we have three riders, Blaine Carpenter, Jonathan Ward and Mike Wisowski gaining promotion to 3rd Cat status. Not only that, but quite a few of Mark's targets have already been achieved; we've been the largest club team at the recent Abingdon Crit series, the turbo training sessions have been a success, we will have a new Open 10 mile TT, we're now part of the CRRL and we could have more club riders entering our road race than we can accommodate.
Further proof of how successful this initiative has been is the fact that Banbury Star currently lies a solid second in British Cycling's Central Region road race rankings.
Race and TT reports/results will continue to be posted on the News page of the club website and the season's achievements can be found here:
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Our Go Ride tester event took place at Banbury Rugby Club on Saturday 10th March, organised by Lee Heron and Katherine Daniels, with local British Cycling Go Ride co-ordinator, Catherine Ruffley, on hand to give help and advice.
This test event was deliberately kept small and manageable with nine children, aged between around 8 to 13 years. They were put through a series of drills and exercises, designed to improve their bike handling skills and confidence, with a short time trial type event at the end.
The really encouraging thing is, that in spite of the poor weather, they all had a great time and want to come back for more.
We're now planning a soft launch on Saturday 21st April to a wider audience. If you’d like to be part of Go Ride by helping out as a volunteer, even on an occasional basis, please get in touch with Lee at goride@banburystar.co.uk
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As has been reported on Facebook, the next batch of club kit has just arrived and is ready for collection. Unless Dave Speck gets a large number of requests for more clothing, the next order window will open around September time.
In the meantime, Dave does now hold a small stock of the short sleeved Classic jersey, priced at £54.18.
The available sizes are 1 x SM, 2 x M, 2 x L and 1 x XL
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New members qualify for a £20 refund from the club when you make your first purchase of kit.
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Silverstone 9Up TT - Friday 15th June
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As we write entry details have not yet been issued. We do however know the date and the course will again be 3 laps of the full F1 Grand Prix circuit, which is approx. 11 miles. Entry to the circuit will be around 4.30/5pm, with a warm up permitted from 6pm for 40 minutes. Teams start from 7pm.
Mark Boyles will be coordinating the club entries, so keep an eye on Facebook for further details. This is another reason to take this day off work if you also want to watch the Women's Tour.
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Silverstone cycling evenings
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If you like the idea of being able to cycle around Silverstone's F1 course but are slightly daunted by the prospect of having to do it in close proximity to eight other club members, there is an alternative!
The track will be open to cyclists on some summer evenings with unlimited laps for a mere £5. The dates are:
Tuesday 24th April
Tuesday 12th June
Monday 23rd July
Wednesday 29th August
Booking is done directly with Silverstone but is not yet open. Here's the link for more information and club trips will be announced on the Facebook group.
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Five weekend club rides are now available, please make sure you pick the one to suit your ability and speed.
Have a look at the club's website and Facebook group for details of the rides, all of which have downloadable Garmin maps:
10am Saturday: easy café ride: 25 miles, 12-14mph
10am Saturday: intermediate café ride 35 miles, 15-16mph
9am Sunday: fast non-café ride 50 miles 17-18mph
9am Sunday: intermediate non-café ride 50 miles 16mph
10am Sunday: intermediate café ride 35 miles 15-16mph
All rides will start at Broadribb Cycles, meeting 15 minutes before the departure time.
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Now come on - first time racers, winter turbo trainers, race squad newbies, time trial regulars, Wednesday Wobblers, weekend ride regulars, alpine climbers and now velodrome fanatics - inspire us and let us know your story so far.
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blogger@banburystar.co.uk is waiting to hear from you. Your name can be withheld if that is your preference.
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Banbury Star CC social evenings
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April's social night is next Thursday 5th.
At our usual venue the White Horse pub in the centre of Banbury starting at 7.30pm.
Plenty to chat about with an exciting season ahead. All members are invited.
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Velodrome visit a big hit
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Firstly, a big thank you again to Keith Barcock, for the idea and all the arrangements. Twenty one members made the 90 minute trip to Derby Velodrome for two hours of great fun and a real appreciation of what Team GB's track cyclists have achieved over the last decade.
The coaches were great and within our session time even the novices were high up on the boards, riding and swapping position in pursuit teams.
All agreed, this will now become a regular trip on the Star calendar.
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Quarterly Meeting, Wroxton Sports Club 7.30pm Tuesday 3rd April
2 Up Club TT, K4/20 course Wednesday 4th April
Chain Gang 6.15pm, every Monday, Ludlow Drive
Wednesday night TTs, 4/11/18th at 6.30pm, 7pm from 25th April
Social night White Horse 7.30pm Thursday 5th April
BSCC Go-Ride Launch Event: 9.30am Saturday 21st April
BSCC Road Race, Men 9am - Women 1pm Sunday 27th May
For more details and other events please look at the calendars on the club’s website or Facebook group.
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Follow Banbury Star on social media
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