March 2017 newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of the re-vamped Banbury Star CC newsletters which has been put together to give members quick and easy information about the club and what is happening.

Regular features will include:

• Upcoming club rides and events
• Race and ride reports
• Blog features
• Information about the club

The worst of the winter weather has now hopefully passed and you’ll no doubt be looking forward to warmer temperatures, longer hours of daylight and more hours in the saddle.

We’ve got a great year of cycling activities lined up for members, it’s your club so please join in and make the most of what Banbury Star CC has to offer.

Stop press!

It wasn’t just Banbury Star CC who were celebrating a 125 year anniversary in 2016 as Cycling Weekly magazine also reached this amazing milestone and, better late than never, will be joining us for a club ride on Sunday 12th March. This will be a great opportunity to show off all that is good about the club and its members so please try and join the ride which will meet at Broadribb Cycles from 0945 onwards and head out for 40 miles with an optional ascent of Edge Hill. We'll stop at the Chandlers Arms in Epwell for coffee and cake.

Presidential musings

So my first month since taking over the Presidential reins of our club has been even busier than I expected it to be, I’ve been heartened and encouraged by the messages of goodwill I’ve received plus offers of support from so many club members; the willingness of my clubmates to step forward and help organise is refreshing and this will allow BSCC to do even more this year.

Since the AGM, Michelle Giddings has decided to stand down as Treasurer and on behalf of all the membership I’d like to thank her for not just keeping the accounts in great shape but also for looking after the club kit orders. The Treasurer position is not the most glamorous of roles but one that helps a club to function and is essential to a smooth and transparent operation. Her professional manner in looking after the accounts is admirable and she’s set the bar very high for her successor. Thank you once again Michelle.

Dave Mobbs has been busy with membership renewals and also new joiners to BSCC. If you’ve not yet rejoined, you can make his job easier by paying now rather than waiting for him to chase you. There’s going to be a departure from the paper membership booklets of previous years, expect something a little different for 2017 which matches the club’s more modern style.

Having John Tustian take on the Ride Secretary position will mean co-ordination across our rides can now happen and also the creation of some fresh new routes in our beautiful Cotswold countryside to complement the many we already have.

My first priority as President (and stand in Race Secretary) was to ensure the background work for the 2017 Time Trial season was launched with the relevant local police authorities and the CTT governing body. This has now been accomplished and we can look forward to another successful series of events.

Banbury Star CC enjoys a long and proud history and one we can all help to build upon for future generations of cyclists. We finished our 125th anniversary year with the highest membership ever, far surpassing our target for the year. 2017 promises to be even better and if you have any ideas, suggestions, comments or feedback please do get in touch either at president@banburystar.co.uk or on a ride or social night

Thank you

Paul

Membership

BSCC would like to extend a very warm welcome to the following new members for 2017:

Anay and Ashish Sinha, Steve Harris, Sebrina O’Rourke, Simon Smith, Robert Shepley, Chris Jackson, Lee Heron, Przemyslaw Kozak, Faye Ives, Lee Heron, Stuart Hackett, Stephen Lee, Kern Langley and Naomi de Pennington.

Plus all those who previous members who have renewed their membership this year, welcome back!

2017 Time Trial calendar

The Time Trial season is just around the corner and after 2016’s large upturn in interest with over 50 riders taking part on some evenings, 2017 promises to be as equally successful. It doesn’t matter what level of cycling you aspire to or what road bike you have, please come along and have a go.

The first event is the 5 mile "come and try" event on Wednesday 29th March from Gaydon to Kineton and back.

For more information, including downloadable course maps, results and the all-important marshal roster (work in progress), please follow the link below on the club’s website:

Silverstone 9-up team time trial

Do you fancy riding three times around the F1 circuit at Silverstone as part of the UK’s biggest time trial event? Our friends at Bicester Millenium CC organise a charity team time trial which will be held on Friday 9th June.

Banbury Star will be entering teams once more, with details posted on the website and Facebook closer to the time.

Aviva Women's UK Tour

Once again, our region will be visited by some of the world’s top women road racers when they pass through on Friday 9th June as part of the Aviva UK tour.

As with 2016 which saw them climb Burton Dassett, another local hill will feature this year – it’s rumoured to be Edge Hill which is of course on our very own road race. The precise route will be released in the coming weeks and there’s sure to be a large Banbury Star presence at The Knowle.

Membership benefits

Don’t forget all members receive a 15% discount on labour and the RRP price of parts and accessories at Broadribb Cycles, Banbury. And if you want a complete bike then Broadribb’s should also be your first port of call as they will put together a very favourable package for club members. The club has an excellent relationship with their Banbury store, so please support them whenever you can. We also start our Saturday rides from the shop, where coffee is made available. Support your Local Bike Shop!

Club ride coffee stops

We are always on the lookout for new coffee stop locations to add to the map published on the website. 

If you know of any others you would like to see added, please email

webmaster@banburystar.co.uk

Spring reliability ride

Our traditional spring reliability ride attracted 54 riders on Sunday 19th February for a test of man/woman and machine over the 63 mile course.

Congratulations to all those who passed by finishing within their target time and who were the first to receive new finisher certificates designed by Mark Boyles.

Sadly, one or two did fail by suffering mechanical issues. Remember, it’s not a race, it’s a test and for those who didn't measure up there’s always the Autumn ride to come back and try once more and receive the coveted certificate.

Ride library

Did you know the club’s website has over 130 pre-defined rides with Garmin maps plotted and available for download?

These range from 25 to 70 miles and are ideal if you need some inspiration for a new route or fancy re-tracing your steps from a previous club ride.

Hardriders time trial

Our first race of the season was the Hardriders 23 mile TT from Wroxton to Ettington and back, with the 17% Sunrising Hill thrown in to each leg.

A pre-race torrential downpour resulted in a lot of surface water for the riders to contend with and a brisk crosswind did little to help although had the benefit of drying the road for the later starters.

The 2017 event was won by Jack O'Neil, first female was Lydia Watts and first veteran Tim Butt.

Club rides

1000 Saturday: easy café ride, meet at Broadribb Cycles

0830 Sunday: fast ride, meet at the Dog & Gun

1000 Sunday: intermediate ride, meet at the Dog & Gun

The club's website has a full calendar of each ride planned for the coming months, including a downloadable Garmin map.

The club blog

Have you been reading the club’s blog page on the website? We’ve now had eleven blogs posted, covering a wide range of cycling-related subjects, by members young and old alike.

The latest blogs are about Matt Watson, one of our younger members who has a great racing future ahead of him and who writes about his experience of the first criterium race of 2017 and his goals for the rest of the year and by Keri Williams who writes about how the popular Seven Cols ride came into being.

Coming soon, top time trial tips and tricks…..

The blog page can only exist if members provide their stories, so don’t be shy....

blogger@banburystar.co.uk is waiting to hear from you.

Banbury Star CC social evenings

Following a request, the club has started having regular social meetings on the first Thursday of each month. These are open to members past, present and future and are held in the White Horse pub (opposite the Dog & Gun)  in Banbury starting at 7.30pm. Please try and leave the lycra at home!

The Wednesday Wobble

As well as the weekend rides, some of the club’s “no work team” get together for informal outings on Wednesday mornings, typically following a 35 mile route taken at 15-16mph. If you are interested in joining them then look for a Facebook posting the day before to see if it’s going ahead and which route will be taken.

The group meets at the Dog and Gun pub for a 10am departure. Please note this isn’t a BSCC ride but the usual group-riding etiquette is followed.

Ride leader training

To further enhance our club ride experience, British Cycling coaches will soon be visiting Banbury and taking ten members through the formal Ride Leadership Level 1 course.

Our club rides have significantly grown in popularity over the last twelve months and this training will help make them more manageable whilst also improving ride preparation and delivery. It also has the benefit of giving the club more leaders to draw from and help spread the workload.

Club bike for loan

The club has a bike available for members to borrow if they would like to try a road bike for the first time.

It’s a Boardman Road Sport 50cm which means it’s suitable for riders between 5’ and 5’6” tall. All we ask for is a £30 deposit which is refunded when the bike is returned (in the same condition!).

For more information and availability please contact Dave Speck davidspeck@ymail.com

Cycling on TV

As well as the better-known Eurosport and ITV4 coverage, did you know that the Bike Channel (the first television channel totally devoted to the world of cycling); can be viewed on the following channels; Sky 464, Virgin 552 and Freesat 251?

Upcoming events

Social Nights:

• Thursday 6 April
• Thursday 4 May
• Thursday 1 June

Time Trials: every Wednesday from 29 March

Ride Leader Training: Saturday 1 April

Quarterly Meeting: Tuesday 4 April - Wroxton Village Hall

BSCC Road Race: Sunday 21 May - NOA Pavilion

BMCC 9-up TTT: Friday 9 June - Silverstone

Broughton Castle Sportive: Sunday 9 July

For more details and other events please look at the calendars on the club’s website.

Follow Banbury Star on social media