Monthly archive for March 2020

Cycling UK has now advised that all club rides should be cancelled in view of UK Government advice to avoid unnecessary social contact and to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. See https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/what-does-covid-19-coronavirus-outbreak-mean-cycling

CUK also advises that Organiser’s (i.e. group leader) Liability Insurance might well be invalidated if organised rides are staged. However, individual CUK member cyclists should continue to be protected by Third Party Liability insurance.

As a result, we do not think it is viable to operate the rides listed on the WSCC rides calendar, and therefore formal club rides are suspended until further notice.

However, the CUK advice continues to emphasise the (obvious) health and wider welfare benefits of safe cycling. We therefore hope that for the time being many WSCC members will feel able to carry on riding outside, and that club members will continue to support each other during this period of uncertainty (for example via personal contacts and the WhatsApp groups that operate for several groups within the club). In the event that club members do find themselves sharing the road with other cyclists, the principles for social distancing and safe riding that we outlined in our previous advice continue to apply.

The official advice has also led to the cancellation of cycling events such as the Philip Hampton Memorial ride and the Isle of Wight Randonnée. Planned WSCC events such as the Sunday club rides we had scheduled for 7 June are (on current information) likely to meet a similar fate. We hope to be in a position to provide a more positive update soon.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or any other member of the WSCC committee if you have questions or feedback on the above.

Derek

We have had numerous discussions within the committee and with other club members over the last few days, trying to take stock of the advice that has been issued on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) threat.  The latest government advice is to avoid non-essential contact with others, including visits to pubs and clubs.

In the short term (starting with the rides on Wednesday 18 March) we plan to continue to offer club rides, but to change the way they operate, as follows:

1. Continue with current outdoor meeting points at the start of the ride, though naturally we should avoid contact with other riders.
2. Abandon organised coffee and lunch stops (many of our usual venues for these will in any case probably choose to be closed for business from organised groups in light of advice).  Instead, we will ask ride leaders to prepare and advertise a route that allows for a scheduled stop at around half way to enable riders to rest and to take food and drink that they have brought with them on the ride. This is likely to mean that planned routes are shorter than normal on all-day Wednesday and Sunday rides.
3. Adapt riding in groups by forming smaller sub-groups (4-5 per group), and ensuring reasonable distance between riders and between groups.  This should still permit the normal patterns of signposting and generally looking out for fellow riders (e.g. in the event of punctures or technical or navigational difficulties).
4. All riders to take extra care to be considerate, not to endanger fellow riders, and to take particular care with respect to any “emissions” that might provide a transmission mechanism for viruses.

We recognise that some club members will choose not to participate on club rides during this period.  That is a choice that each of you will make according to your own personal circumstances, health, age and attitude to risk.  We would, however, insist that any member who feels that they are or might be suffering from the symptoms of a flu-like virus (high temperature, coughs, breathing difficulties etc.) stays safely at home until such concerns can be dismissed.  The same applies to those who have been in recent contact with others who have exhibited such symptoms, or who have had recent contact with known COVID-19 hot spots.
 
Whether the approach outlined here can be viable beyond the current week must depend on the official advice we receive from the government and its experts.  For example, if/when advice is issued requiring all vulnerable persons to be “shielded from social contact” it is hard to see how attendance on a club ride would be a sensible course of action for such people, and it is possible that restrictions on non-essential movements will be increased still further in the coming weeks.

Even if it turns out that club rides cannot easily be operated, we hope that club members can and will use existing communication mechanisms and friendship groups to look out for one another, and (where applicable) perhaps to engage in smaller impromptu ride groupings during these testing times.

Derek

The ordering portal is now open and can be found here.

The kit is made by Alé, a high quality Italian manufacturer. The design is shown in the illustration above. After considerable discussion we have opted for a bright, modern design that we hope will give a fresh image for the new club name.

In order to maximise our chances of meeting minimum order quantities, we have limited the range on offer to 3 items, each available in men’s and women’s cut. These are:

• Short sleeve jersey £45.00
• Long sleeve jersey £55.25
• Gilet £50.40

These prices are for direct delivery to each person making an order via the online link. (There is a £5 per order charge for delivery, but you will not have to pay this on any orders made before the 30 March deadline, as the committee has decided to fund this out of club funds).

Sizing

Alé’s guide to sizing (in metric, with some help added in red text to convert from metric to imperial) is reproduced below:

Men’s

Women’s

However, please note the following feedback we have obtained from testing the trial kit:

The short sleeved jerseys come up rather tight. Most of those who have tried the Alé kit for size find that they need one or two sizes higher than they would normally expect. As a rough guideline (based on fairly consistent feedback from a number of those who have tried the kit for size), I’d say that for men with 38” chest you should expect to go for an “XL” and for a 40″ chest an XXL. And for a woman who is normally a UK dress size 10 you should expect to go for an “L” in the short sleeve jersey. I appreciate these sound surprising – but the short sleeve jerseys really are quite snug!

The long sleeve jerseys are a different (warmer, slightly fleecy) material and their sizing seems more conventional. So for our 38” men’s chest size, an “L” in the long sleeve jersey seems about right. The same sizing applies to the gilet.

As you will see from the above, all 3 items in the men’s sizing are available in 6 sizes, from “XS” to “3XL”, and the corresponding 3 women’s products come in 5 sizes, “XS” to 2XL”.

We currently have a stock of Alé kit in the style (but not in the WSCC design) that will be used for our club kit to try for size. If you are interested to try for size and have not been able to do so at the club dinner or at the start of Wednesday’s ride in Ripley, the trial kit is currently at Derek and Jill’s house in Send, and they would be happy to arrange for you to test the kit before you place an order. To do this, feel free to contact Derek Ridyard

We have not made any firm decisions yet on whether the club will hold stock, but if we do so there might be opportunities for you to swap sizes after you have purchased. But that cannot be guaranteed and it’s obviously far preferable if you get it right first time!

Ordering process/deadlines

To ordering kit, simply click on the link above and follow instructions.

If you have difficulty accessing the link or using the Alé web site, please contact Derek Ridyard or John Child or speak to another friendly WSCC member to see if they would be able to order on your behalf.

The deadline for orders is 8am on Monday 30 March. Alé expect to be able to deliver the kit by the end of May.

The prices quoted include delivery or your order to the delivery address you specify on the order. As noted above, the club will absorb the £5 per order delivery charge for this initial order period, so now is a good time to act.

Alé does require that the club as a whole meets a minimum order size of each item, to make production viable. We will endeavour to ensure that these minimum order quantities are achieved. (If for some reason we fail to meet the minimum quantity on any item, that might have to be deleted from your order, but do not be concerned about this at this stage, as we will be informed before the end of the order period if this is the case).

Finally, having taken the steps to design a new club kit our plan is to keep this design going for the foreseeable future. In the recent past, we have organised a new club kit order once every couple of years or so, but to meet the supplier’s minimum order quantities this is not something we can offer on an annual basis. So if you are interested in the new kit please do take the opportunity to order now, and benefit from the free delivery we are offering members on this occasion.

Thanks.

Derek

Do you know this path?
There is a path from Smuggler’s Way in the Sands to Crooksbury Common that is under threat of being closed. I have shown the path in magenta.

The surface shows that the path is in regular use by walkers and cyclists and I think that I may have seen the occasional equestrian as well.

The landowner has started the process (section 31 deposit) of saying that this path is not a Right of Way. If I can find sufficient evidence of usage then it may be possible to have the path formally added to the Definitive map as a public Right of Way.

If you have used the path or know of any other people who have used it, then please get in contact with me either by phone, 01252 725888 or by email david.ross.gu9@gmail.com.

David Ross

Footpath Secretary Farnham Ramblers
Coordinator Farnham Wayfarers