November 2018 newsletter

November really marks the start of winter with shorter daylight hours and gradually much colder temperatures. Barring exceptionally bad weather our five weekends rides will continue throughout, along with other activities covered in this newsletter. There's even a proposal for a club cycling holiday in Mallorca in the Spring.

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

Thank you to all the members who came along to the second AGM for 2018. We've made the change from the traditional January one to now hold it in October which allows us to tweak membership fees before they are due.

A couple of changes were made at the meeting, with Mike Hicks standing down as the Race Secretary. Mike was instrumental in taking over the running of our annual Road Race for the last three years and also our Hardriders and Open time trial, thank you Mike! The position for a Race Secretary is now open so if you are interested in this role please contact me. 

As the club grows, we have also taken the decision to create three new roles:

- Time Trial Secretary

- Women's Representative

- Social Secretary

Oli Wright and Ila Pearson were successfully nominated to fill the first two positions and will bring with them a wealth of experience and enthusiasm that will keep Banbury Star at the forefront of being a club that's gained a hard-earned reputation for our events and encouragement of female participation.

Paul

New bank account - a further reminder

Just another reminder regarding the change in the club's bank account. We no longer bank with Yorkshire Bank, having now completed our move to Nat West in Banbury.

Our new account details are as follows:

Sort code = 53-61-33

Account = 65953886

Furthermore, we are moving entirely to online banking from now on and no more cheques will be accepted for membership or payment for club services. 

2019 Time Trial season information

Oli Wright has kindly stepped forward to become our first Time Trial Secretary, a much needed position to help organise and promote our continued growth in this section of the club's activities. Behind the scenes all the required approvals and paperwork are already underway with the CTT and Police forces regarding our 2019 TT programme. At the moment we don't envisage any major changes from 2018's successful calendar which saw our highest ever turnout. We will again try and ensure that reserve courses are nominated should we be forced to make last minute changes.

Although final CTT approval is still awaited, we do now have provisional dates for our two open TTs, which are;

Hardriders TT Sunday 3rd March 

Open 10 mile TT Saturday 31st August

Please note: Following the CTT's decision to increase their 2019 TT levy by £1 and the discussion that took place at the AGM, the Wednesday night TT fees will now be: club members £3, non-members £5 and the club season fee £25.

Membership

Banbury Star welcomed more new members into the club during October:

Phil Gilkes, Henry Boyles, NIck Wells and Juliet Wells

Renewals for 2019 will be due from existing members on January 1st.

Annual General Meeting report

The minutes of the AGM will be released shortly but a few other highlights were:

• a possible move away from Endura to another kit supplier
• new rides in 2019 that focus on lower speeds but longer distances
• following some recent incidents, the club investigating the purchase of bike cameras for ride leaders
• no change to the 2019 membership fee
• a healthy financial outlook
• a breakdown of our membership numbers which are at their highest ever
• provision of a fund to subsidise entrees to our road race

Proposed club cycling trip to Mallorca

At the AGM Matt Sleath presented a brief proposal for a club cycling trip to Mallorca. 

The rough plan is for a club trip for one week to Puerta Pollensa in northern Mallorca. Proposed dates are; 23rd - 30th March or 30th March - 6th April, based on availability.

The company we will be using is Mallorca Cycling Tours, who will create a bespoke program for us. All levels of cyclist are catered for, with daily guided rides including support vehicles etc.

Rough costs:

£750 for half board accommodation, (2 people sharing a multi room apartment) guided rides for 6 days and airport transfers in Mallorca.

Flights: £90 (+£90 for bike transfer)

Bike hire £20 per day (good quality mechanical Ultegra equipped bikes)

Links to the websites of Mallorca Cycling Tours and Aparthotel Duva are below. 

Matt will be posting more details on Facebook shortly, but you can register your interest now by emailing him direct.

Our downhill champion tries uphill

Club secretary Ian Maconnachie, our champion of downhill coasting with consecutive Trinder Trophy wins, last month decided to test his skills in the other direction - uphill. Along with Mike Hicks, he ventured south to West Somerset for one of the toughest events on the hill climb calendar. Porlock Hill Toll Road Climb is 4.2 miles long and the 120 strong field always attracts some of the countries best climbers.The winner clocked an amazing time of 14m36.9s, while Mike set a time of 23m.27.9s and Ian 25.54.9s. Apparently they both loved it and plan to return next year.

Autumn Reliability Ride notes

After a somewhat disappointing turnout for the Spring Reliability Ride, a nice autumn day ensured a much better turnout for last month's ride. Around 60 riders enjoyed the 100km Cotswolds route, which went as far south as Burford. Special thanks must go to Stephen Rooney for help with registration and the issuing of certificates.

The £175 raised from the two 2018 Reliability Rides will be donated to the Helen & Douglas Hospice who care for children.

2019 BSCC Road Race

A date for your diaries. Although final British Cycling confirmation is still awaited, our annual road race will take place on Sunday 26th May. This will again comprise a 3/4th Cat Men's Race in the morning and BC's Women' Team Race in the afternoon.

As always, the race will feature 3 ascents of Edge Hill.

Annual Dinner & Prize Giving

Thanks to the efforts of Ila Pearson in organising and promoting this event, it is now a sell out. Hopefully by the time you read this everyone will have paid and let Ila have their menu requests.

The guest speaker will be Steve Abraham, of ultra long distance cycling fame, who will have many stories to tell after his marathon efforts which included setting the world record for riding 7104 miles in a month.

Mudguards please from today

Another reminder that the fitting of mudguards and flaps on all club winter rides is now mandatory from today. The exception to this will be if dry roads and weather are forecast and an announcement will be made on the club's Facebook group.

The fitting of rear mud flaps is also strongly encouraged where mudguards are short and spray is still thrown up into the face of a following rider. Various types of flaps are widely available, but the club now have some BSCC branded flaps (see above) for those interested. They cost £8 each and can be fitted by anyone with basic bike maintenance abilities. 

Broadribb Cycles also have a stock of the flaps available.

Race Squad news

The evening training sessions will change from Chain Gangs to Turbo Training next Wednesday 7th. Starting prompt at 7pm, they will again be held at Wroxton Sports Club. Keep an eye on Facebook for any updated details.

Rising Stars - youth section news

The club held two more Rising Star/Go-Ride sessions in October. Our recently qualified Level 1 Coach, Lee Heron, is now able to implement  a structured session on gradually improving the riders skills and confidence.

Further sessions in November are planned for 10th and 24th, again starting at 9.30am at Banbury Rugby Club's ground. Any changes will be posted on the Rising Stars Facebook page.

Club kit

Another kit order is now with Enduro and Dave Speck will advise on Facebook when the items arrive.

Dave has currently in stock the following short sleeved Classic jerseys, priced at £54.18. 

The winter long sleeve range comprise: Jersey £61.20, Roubaix  Jacket £73.20 and Pro SL Waterproof Jacket £136.80 

If anyone is not sure of the procedure for ordering new kit, then please contact Dave Speck via the link below.

New members qualify for a £20 refund from the club when you make your first purchase of kit.

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

November's social night takes place today from 7.30pm, at our usual friendly venue the White Horse. A stock of the mudflaps will be available on the evening for those who haven't yet purchased them.

All members and friends are welcome and food will be available..

Upcoming events

Social night - White Horse 7.30pm Thursday 1st November

Rising Stars next sessions - 9.30am Saturday 10th and 24th November 

Annual Dinner & Prize Giving - 7.00pm Friday 16th November

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

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