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In this month's newsletter:
Presidential ponderings
Hook Norton Brewery - club discount offer
Club ride routes competition
New members
2020 Road Race
Helping in the community
2020 TT season
Film Club
BSCC Zwift
Writing a blog
Club kit for summer
Possible club 2020 events
Don't forget, copies of all previous newsletters can be found on the club website:
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Four short weeks ago I was writing about the exciting plans we had for cycling in the coming weeks but the coronavirus pandemic and the impact its had on every aspect of our lives makes that now seem like a lifetime ago.
Just to think, at Hardriders (1st March) we had an inkling of what was coming and so put out a bottle of hand sanitiser for riders to use when they returned to HQ. Some of them actually laughed on seeing what we were doing - would they now laugh?
We are, for the present time, still allowed to ride our bikes out on the roads either solo or in family pairs. Unfortunately there are repeated anecdotal tales of groups of cyclists even to this day who seem to be oblivious to the consequences of their actions which could be the total ban on us using the roads as is the case in Spain, France, Ireland and Italy.
If you do chose to ride on the roads, please do it sensibly and within the law as that KoM for the Sunrising Hill descent will still be there to be broken once the virus has been and gone, make sure your bike is mechanically sound and that you also have food, drink and spares in case of a puncture etc.
Paul
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Hook Norton Brewery club discount offer
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Hook Norton Brewery and Banbury Star formed a partnership during 2020 and one of the benefits is the occasional discount for the online ordering of their beers and other products.
Several members took advantage of this during March to take delivery of worryingly large orders, you may be in lockdown but please don't take to the bottle to survive.
We will email all members with further discount opportunities which will become available when normal production resumes.
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We are blessed with some amazing scenery in this part of the world and our club rides are designed to make the most of what the Cotswolds has to offer.
But we need more rides to add to our library of routes so we have started a competition that is open to all members to create new routes that we can use when we resume normal cycling.
For each route the following rules apply:
- Routes must be created in Garmin Connect or Strava.
- The start and finishing point is Broadribbs shop.
- With the exception of the fast ride, the half-time coffee stop will be the Hook Norton brewery. The fast ride route has to go past the brewery.
- You can provide as many routes as you like.
We need rides in the following categories:
1) Gentle Cafe Ride
2) Intermediate Ride
3) Fast Ride
Submit the URL of your rides to president@banburystar.co.uk
The closing date is Wednesday 29th April and the winner in each of the ride categories as agreed by a star-studded jury will win Hook Norton beer for their efforts.
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Welcome to our new members who joined Banbury Star during March:
Fay Barrington, Richard Thomas, Anna Traer and Sam Martin.
Rich Collier, our Membership Secretary, has been busy sending out the 2020 membership cards. Please remember to complete your emergency contact details and any medical issues on the back of the card and also bring it along on club rides.
Subscriptions and any other payments to the club should now be paid direct to our Nat West account.
Sort code = 53-61-33
Account = 65953886
Having now moved entirely to online banking no more cheques or cash will be accepted for membership or payment for club events.
Please note: The online Membership Form must be completed for all existing members when renewing membership. The joys of GDPR compliance!
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TT rule changes - rear lights reminder
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Just another reminder that when we do get back to running our TTs - rear lights are now compulsory, It was observed during the Hardriders TT that some lights which, although complying with the spirit of the new rule, were not at all effective, in particular those mounted on the seat stays.
The appropriate new regulation is as follows:-
CTT Regulation 14 (i) – Compulsory Use of Rear Red Light
14 (i) No competitor shall be permitted to start either a Type A or Type B event unless such competitor has affixed to the rear of their machine a working rear red light, either flashing or constant, that is illuminated and in a position that is clearly visible to other road users.
So, the rules are now clear for both Open and club events:
no rear light - no start
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BSCC Road Races 2020 - cancelled
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We would now be entering the final phase of the preparations for our annual road race in May but of course its been superceded by events and we took the decision to postpone it even before direction was given by British Cycling.
The open-ended nature of the restrictions imposed by the Government on public meetings means we cannot plan for a later date in the year as we need many months of advance notice to book the services of the race HQ, paramedics, NEG motorbike riders, BC Commissaires, and agreement of the two police forces etc so with great reluctance what was postponed has now been cancelled for 2020.
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In the coming weeks and months many members of the community are going to need the help of others as the spread and impact of coronavirus really takes hold.
We are assessing what help we as a club can give back and one possible way is to act as cycle couriers, using our bikes to deliver prescriptions from pharmacies to those in Banbury and the outlying villages who are unable to travel. Royal Leamington Spa CC have just introduced such a scheme and have up to 40 members out on their bikes helping with deliveries.
Discussions with several GP surgeries and the "Oxfordshire All In" initiative are underway to see if we can help and if you are interested in taking part the first thing to do is leave your details on this form so as we know who can help, when and how. Twenty BSCC members are already on board, thank you!
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2020 TT season -what's happening?
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By now we would have held the first of our Wednesday evening club TTs, the five mile "Come and Try It" event out at Gaydon.
Because of the restrictions on group meetings, all club and Open TTs up to and including the 31st May have had to be cancelled in line with the guidance from Cycling Time Trials.
At present, we still plan on holding both the Leiden Plaque event and our Open 10 mile TT.
We will restart Wednesday evening races as soon as we get the green light so please keep an eye on the Facebook group and website.
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So you've feasted on Netflix box sets and have exhausted the collective content of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Brittbox so what next?
To help get through lockdown and also provide members with some kind of cycling entertainment Dave Pittman will be posting details of bike-related films on our Facebook group for viewing on YouTube.
Get the popcorn in, along with refreshments and enjoy dipping into the cycling archives.
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Last month we mentioned how, during the awful weather, Zwift had become an incredibly popular home training tool.
Now of course in the midst of the coronavirus lock down, Zwift is about the only way where group rides and competition can happen.
So, for those of you who only have the vaguest idea of what it's all about, Mark Boyles has written a blog to explain. The link below takes you straight there.
A regular Zwift turbo session now takes place every Monday evening at 7pm. Organised by Mark, he will post the joining details on the club's Facebook group during the day.
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"Lockdown" - read or write a blog
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What better time for most of us in the current lockdown, than to consider writing a blog in our new spare time. We've already had an amazing 43 blogs written, all of which are still up on the club website and can be found via the link below. They cover all subjects relating to cycling and the club. So, if you have an opinion, idea, suggestion, holiday or touring adventure, road, TT or CX event to recall, equipment and maintenance advice and tips to give or are you a Zwifter convert - we'd love to hear from you. Particularly last year's C2C club riders who promised a story.
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Club riding kit - Summer's coming
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Although club rides are on hold we can still order short sleeve jerseys and bib shorts. However remember, we need to get 5 orders for any one garment,regardless of size, or men's or women's fit, before an order can be opened placed with Endura.
Full details of club kit are on the club website. Dave Speck currently holds a small stock listed below:
Ladies Short sleeve jersey - Small
Men’s Short sleeve jersey - Large
Men’s short Sleeve jerseys - Medium
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Whilst there are no club rides at the moment, today is the day when mudguards would no longer be required.
Let's hope by 31st October, when they need to be fitted again, we're all back riding together.
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Weekend Club Rides - current situation
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As with anything related to group cycling, it's now on the back burner until the pandemic is deemed to be over but here's a reminder of what you can look forward to in the coming months.
Five weekend club rides are now held, 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
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Monthly social evenings on hold
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Alas the current COVID-19 situation also means our monthly social meetings at the White Horse have had to be postponed until further notice.
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Possible 2020 club events
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Social nights at the White Horse will resume as soon as pubs are allowed to re-open.
Leiden Plaque interclub TT - Monday 31st August
10 mile Open TT - Saturday 6th September
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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