September 2019 newsletter

Please send any comments, ideas or proposals regarding the contents of the newsletter to the Press Officer. Copies of all previous newsletters can be found on the club website - About BSCC

Presidential ponderings

The club has had a great August with an increase in the turnouts for club rides and our weekly time trials and we continue to attract new members.

Out on the race track and roads we've had seen some incredible performances too - more below.

There is a bit of a hilly theme to this month's newsletter too, whilst most people's August is spent enjoying a relaxing holiday we've been going upwards and downwards in the search of trophies and glory. Now some curse the hilly nature of Banburyshire at times but those very same slopes do provide a fun playground for us to indulge our masochistic tendencies. I'm more of a fan of the downhill element rather than slogging my guts out at a hill climb but still couldn't get near winning the Trinders Trophy.

September sees the end of the time trial season which means a six month period of cold turkey for those who enjoy and indeed need their Wednesday evening fix of graft and sweat. So to provide a solution the club are investigating the possibility of putting on a series of autumn/winter TTs which would be held on a Saturday afternoon until the full season resumes next March. The proposal has the blessing of the National body for time trials and planning has now started to see what we can organise. Please keep an eye on the website and Facebook for more information when we have it.

End of time trial season curry night

As we close in on the final time trial of the 2019 summer season thoughts turn to our traditional final evening curry night which will once again be held at the Indian Queen restaurant on the Stratford Road. As always the meal is  open to racers and non-racers alike.

We'll start at 8pm allowing those riders who've taken part in the 5 mile TT out at Gaydon to spruce themselves up a bit.

We do need to let the restaurant know how many to cater for so please go to the club's Facebook group and leave a comment in the pinned announcement if you want to come.

The Seven Cols

Anyone who rides around the Banbury area will know it's impossible to go far without encountering one or two hills. Some of these are steep enough to provide a sufficient test that warrants their inclusion on national tours and we also put entrants in our club's road race and time trials up them too.

Whilst some club members relish the idea of showing off their mountain goat credentials in the race to win Strava KOMs, for mere mortals the hills provide more of a challenge. And not just climbing them as their descents provide an equal test but in the opposite direction.

And that's why the club's timekeeper Keri Williams created what's known as "The Seven Cols", a route that takes in seven of the best and was the chosen ride for a Gentle Cafe Ride on Bank Holiday Monday with 11 members taking up the challenge on what was a hot and sticky day. Everyone got round the route in spite of it being less than gentle, there was no coffee or cake involved and some had never ridden up one let alone the full seven before. The efforts resulted in one or two beads of sweat becoming evident so a post-ride rehydration session at The Falcon was required.

The ride gave confidence to those who were maybe previously daunted in trying the hills that they could be conquered. We will do this route again soon.

2019 Membership

A warm welcome to our newest members who joined during August:

Marcus Gaskell, Luke Norris, Matt Norris and Anthony Lyczkowski

Subscriptions and any other payments to the club should now be paid direct to our new Nat West account.

Sort code = 53-61-33

Account = 65953886

Having now moved entirely to online banking no more cheques will be accepted for membership or payment for club services. 

Please note: The online Membership Form must be completed for all existing members when renewing membership. The joys of GDPR compliance!

Leiden Plaque - stop press

Stop press - Banbury Star regained the Leiden Plaque this morning, a full report will appear next month

NEC Birmingham Cycle Show 13-15 Sept.

The Cycle Show returns to the NEC Birmingham on Friday 13th September for 3 days for those interested in looking at new bikes or gear. The link to the show website is below, which lists all the exhibitors and what's on each day, plus advance booking details which will save you money and time.

OVO Tour of Britain 7th - 14th September

As we should all know by now the Tour of Britain is on our patch on Friday 13th September with multiple climbs and the finish at Burton Dassett. Depending on the race pace the organisers expect the riders to arrive for their first climb between  2.40pm and 3.26pm - finishing after their third ascent between 3.19pm and 4.13pm.

If you've not got the time, or prefer to avoid the crowds, then they're due to climb Sunrising Hill between 2.24pm and 3.06pm.

Also, don't forget the individual time trial takes place the previous day at nearby Pershore. The riders will tackle a 14.5-kilometre (nine mile) course that starts and finishes in the market town of Pershore and passes through Little Comberton and Bricklehampton during a scenic anti-clockwise loop.

All the details of every stage, with maps and timings, together with a list of all the competing teams and riders can be found via the link below to the main Tour website.

Bike Maintenance

Mike Gillet is planing another session on bike maintenance very soon after the great feedback he received last month and it will be advertised on Facebook for those interested in simple bike servicing.

Look out for an article on the website coming soon about preparing your bike for winter (yes, I know it's still summer but being prepared is all part of the marginal gains).

Trinders Trophy report

One of the more unique trophies we race for each year was supplied to the club by the now-closed Trinders bike shop and is competed for on a hill near Hempton. Unlike road racing with its myriad of rules this has just one: no pedalling allowed.

The trophy is awarded to the rider who can coast the furthest after descending the hill, going over a hump then negotiating a series of bends before the road flattens out.

Thirty riders took part last month and it was no surprise that fortune once more favoured the FLABS with most struggling to pick up enough speed on the descent to get over the road's rise.

In third place was Simon Furneaux, second was Darrel Foulk and retaining his trophy for a third consecutive year was Ian Maconnachie - congratulations!

Star Summer Sizzler BBQ

The club's summer BBQ was held in August at The Bell Inn at Great Bourton, ably organised by Ila Pearson with members from both Banbury Star and Team Cherwell coming along to enjoy some great food and banter.

2019 Time Trial season and calendar

We're almost at the end of the summer TT season with only a couple of events remaining, the five mile "come and try it" and the Dassett hill climb which is moved to a Saturday to allow more riders to take part and try and win the Durran Cup.

The club rides that day will follow a route that's timed to allow those on it to take part in the hill climb.

Open 10 mile TT - Report

The club’s 10 mile Open TT attracted an entry of 55 riders, which included three women and sixteen men Star members, for its second running of this new annual event. Although there was a fresh crosswind, the morning was thankfully dry and sunny making for another successful event. Danny Axford (Artic Aircon RT) was the clear winner with a new course record time of 20.53, with Linda Dewhurst (Team Milton Keynes) winning the women's category on 25.9. First Star rider and 7th overall was Simon Bull on 22.44, although we should mention that second claim club rider Simon Smart finished third overall on 22.25.

Incidentally as some of you may know, Danny is a regular competitor at Star events, having won our annual road race in 1993 and 2018.

As usual these events wouldn't take place without the help of members - so the club extends a thank you to all those that helped with time keeping, signing on, kitchen and cake making and course marshalling. Also a big thank you to our TT Secretary Oli Wright for making it all happen.

Full results can be found via the link below.

Race Squad news

A Star in front - Stuart Quick leads the bunch at a Thursday night Milton Keynes Bowl Summer Crit race.

If you've been following the race and TT reports on the club's website, you'll know that an increasing number of members have been active during the last month. While Rich Collier and Lee Heron have both done 100 mile TTs this summer, several members have also competed in 50 mile events. MK Bowl on a Thursday night has become a favourite venue for those racing with Tobi Ng, Stuart Quick and Luke Sherlock earning valuable licence points. In fact Luke went on to score his first win last Thursday which gained him his Cat 3 licence. Meanwhile Tobi is now only 2 points off his Cat 2 licence, which is great Race Squad news. 

Coming up this month we have the following TTs

15th September - Westerly 25 mile down near Marlow
15th September - CTT Midlands 50 miles TT west of Stratford
22nd September  - Coventry Road CC 10 mile TT
Then to wrap the TT season up we have the Thruxton race circuit event on 20th October

On the Road, Crit and CX scene we have

7th September -  Criterium de Hoops Bon Anniversaire at MK Bowl
8th September - RLSCC Friz Hill Road Race
15th September - Birmingham Business Park Road Races 

The entry details to all these above events can be found via the links in the Racing Calendar below. 

The 2019 Racing Calendar

Don't forget this section now lists the dates of time trials, crits and road races throughout our region for the months ahead. This gives members more information on each event, with a further link on how and where to enter.

Follow the links below to see what we've got planned so far, plus all the CTT Open events.

Cycling at Silverstone on 17th September

This is the next opportunity for families to cycle around the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. The track is open to the public for family cycling for just two more dates this year - 17th September and 9th October.

The whole track was recently resurfaced, so why not enjoy the chance to cycle around the wide, super smooth and traffic free 5.89km Grand Prix circuit. Booking is required via the link below. It's £10 per person with children free.

Club kit

Below is a list of club jerseys which Dave currently holds in stock:

Short sleeve jerseys - Medium
Short sleeve jerseys - Large
Long Sleeve jersey - Large

Don't forget, if at anytime we have 5 orders for any one garment, regardless of size, or men's or women's fit, then an order can be opened and placed with Enduro.

A new order for winter clothing will be announced in the very near future with club members receving an email directly from Endura.

The 5 Weekend Club Rides

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 18mph*

9am Sunday: intermediate non-café ride 50 miles 16-17mph*

10am Sunday: intermediate café ride 35 miles 15-16mph

All rides will start at Broadribb Cycles, meeting 15 minutes before the departure time.

* may be quicker depending on who is riding

Banbury Star CC monthly social evenings

Our next club social night is on Thursday 5th September from 7.30pm, at our usual friendly venue, The White Horse in Banbury, sponsors of our men's road race.

As always, family and friends are welcome and food will be available.

Upcoming events in September

Social night - White Horse 7.30pm Thursday 5th September

Tour of Britain finish at Burton Dassett - Friday 13th September

NEC Birmingham Cycle Show 13th to 15th September

Annual dinner - Hook Norton Brewery Friday 29th November

Chain-Gang sessions for men and women every Monday from 6.30pm - see Facebook for any updates.

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

Follow Banbury Star on social media