Dear all
There’s a lot of WSCC news to update you on, so here goes …
Club AGM, 28 May
Many thanks to those who attended the club AGM on 28 May. It was a good opportunity to take stock, and to share some thoughts on how our club might develop over the coming years. Perhaps the highlight of the last year has been the new riders initiative, led by Neil McIntyre and ably supported by our ride leaders and everyone who has provided a welcome to the new faces. We have attracted some 30 new riders to the club in the last year across all ride groups and levels, which is a healthy sign.
There is one change to the committee following the AGM – Roy Wigmore decided to stand down from the Treasurer post, and Keith Stainer has been appointed in his place. We’d like to extend a big thankyou to Roy for his stint in this role. We also welcome Liz Palethorpe who has taken up the honorary post of club President, following on from Keith Chesterton, whose 5-year term in this position expired at the AGM.
Ride Leader Workshop, Thursday 23 June
As many already know, Laurie Mutch and Phil Gasson are organising a Ride Leader Workshop in Pyrford on 23 June, starting 10.00am and continuing through lunch. The idea is to share experience and ideas on how best to manage group rides across the sections of the club. The event is aimed primarily at existing ride leaders, and we hope that as many of you as possible will respond to Phil’s invitation to attend.
If other club members are interested in participating in this exercise, please get in touch with Phil as there might well be scope for some extra places. The more voices we have at the table, the better we can ensure that we make the most of the club’s collective expertise.
Elstead Audaxes, Sunday 17 July
After an enforced Covid break, the club’s Elstead Audax events (3 options: Overton, Danebury and nearly Stonehange) are being organised again by Nick Davison on 17 July. Nick would welcome some help in the hosting arrangements at Elstead village hall, since some of his usual helpers are not available this year. He’s particularly in need of help on the morning shift, which involves signing in the entrants and helping with the refreshments.
Tour of the Hills, Sunday 7 August 2022
We are also once again staging the Tour of the Hills Audax event, the main fund-raiser for the club’s activities, on Sunday 7 August. This year will be the 40th occasion that the club has run this event. Since we regularly attract 150-200 entrants from the cycling community of Surrey and beyond, it is also a great showcase for the club.
However, it does require a lot of helpers to make the event happen, both in the kitchen and out on the various checkpoints around the course. I will be asking for help on this shortly, and so will Jill, who has again offered to take on the task of managing the catering in the hall. So please make a note of the date in your diaries – Sunday 7 Aug – and let me know if you can assist on the day.
For those interested in entering the Tour (entry just £10), details can be found at https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=9670. Or better still, why not publicise these details to other cycling friends to see if you can encourage them to come along. If you’d like to get the best of both worlds, riding the event and helping out, I’m planning to do a dry run as the G4 ride on Wednesday 3 August and would love to see you there!
Club Kit
We have just a few items of club kit left in stock, as follows:
- Men’s short sleeve jersey (£45): L, XL
- Women’s short sleeve jersey (£45): L, XL
- Gilet (£50.40): M, L, XL
Let me know if you are interested in trying any of these for size (the sizes of short-sleeve jerseys in particular are a bit quirky). With so many new riders in the club, we expect it will soon be time to consider making a new order, so even if the available stock does not suit your requirements, let me know if you are interested – we need the meet minimum order sizes to make this worthwhile.
Happy cycling!
Derek