Mercia CC Lloyds Cycles Bulletin21/01/22

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Hi everybody,

Stop Press:  Anne has spaces available in the Velodrome session on Tuesday evening, 25th January. Let her know if you want to give it a try, bike hire is available.

Stop Press 2: Kieron is proceeding with the arrangements the two rides on Sunday 30th January from 10 am starting from the Henhurst Club, 100 and 50 K options, turn up on the day. Routes for the rides as well as .gpx files can be found here Locations & Routes – Mercia Cycling Club.

I have completed all of the club admin functions for 2022 for the affiliations to BC and CT along with the club event dates.

The club TT season will start with a 5 on March 29th at 7PM and continue each Tuesday until August 30th. The first two events will be 5miles , I have requested 10 mile events for the final two in August but these may have to be 5 miles if the evenings are dark. I have set the start time for 7pm for all of the events and would welcome feedback if a 7.30 start is preferred in mid season when light permits.

The hillclimb will be Sunday 2nd October at 11am at Marchinton Woodlands.

I have not yet planned a 25 for the club championship. I would appreciate your views on the best option. We can run a club event on the Yoxall-Lichfield course early on a Sunday or we could select a Central district open event and use the time in that event as the counter for our championship. If a Yoxall club event is the choice I will need to know by the end of April to deal with the police forms.

The South Pennine have changed their club event evening to Wednesdays from 2022 and are running 10 mile events on several Wednesdays on the Sudbury course and Mercia riders are welcomed. If there is an appetite we could run 10 miles events at Sudbury on some Thursday evenings if we can get timekeepers and marshals willing to go there although two club events locally each week plus the Coalville events may be sufficient.

Hopefully, now that Covid regulations are beginning to be eased, we can have a more normal season, weather and road works permitting!

I am aware that we have missed two AGMs as a result of Covid limitations and at this point in the season there seems little point in holding one now as all 2022 events planning is in place. On a personal note I am still avoiding indoor events and riding mainly alone without café stops. You may feel that I am over cautious but having adapted to cautious  behaviour for the past two years I am in no hurry to change this too soon as I think that there is still plenty of the virus in circulation and I am definitely in the at risk age group.

For the future, what the club needs is younger people to come forward with  ideas of what future events will be attractive to the new generation of cyclists . What the club then needs are the people willing to come forward and organise these events.

Sunday rides from the Town Hall have restarted and there are several groups who regularly hold midweek rides. The South Pennine led Wednesday ride is ongoing and now heads for the café at Don Ammotts in Hilton for a café stop at about 12.15.

The Henhurst Club has survived lock down, has a new bar person and is open for us as usual.

2022 subscriptions for the Mercia are now due, £20 race, £10 social or second claim and £1 under 18. I will be happy to receive subs at the first club event in March and payment can be made direct to the clubs bank which is Natwest, sort code 52.10.35, account number 04623282. v.net, If you do pay by BACS please email me so that I can check when the statement is received.

I am looking forward to the new season, dusting off the TT bike thinking about training and consuming less wine but timekeeping also seems quite interesting!!

Best wishes for 2022, health and contentment,

Regards

Tony