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Thanks Jackie Fieldus: Welcome Andrew Hall!
Thanks to Jackie for 18 months of commitment as our Membership Secretary. Jackie is doing less cycling these days, and with a busy work and life schedule, asked if we could look out for a replacement to take over when possible. Andrew Hall very kindly volunteered to take it on, and we had an official handover on Friday. Obviously there'll be a period of adjustment while Andrew gets to grips with systems some of which are a little clunky, so bear with him. We hope however, that soon improvements will be made which will streamline the Membership Secretary role and make things like data analysis much easier.  Andrew has been a member of VCGH for 3 years and rides most weekends in the Social-Mod and Social groups, often alongside his son. As such he's an integral part of everyday club riding and has great insight into club ethos and structure, making an excellent first encounter with VCGH. He can be reached on membership@vcgh.co.uk. |
VCGH Rider Survey 2018
The link to the rider survey should have arrived in your email inbox late last night. This is a really important opportunity for us to gather feedback about how we're doing, and what needs to be improved in the Club's core service, so please take the time (it doesn't take more than a few minutes) to give us your opinion and help us develop ideas for the future. It doesn't matter if you're a regular rider or have only been out with us a couple of times - all comments are valuable. We'll close the survey at the end of this week (Sunday 17th June) and then collate the data and prepare a presentation of the results in the following week. Thanks to all those of you who've already filled out the survey (50 at the time of writing this) - there are some interesting ideas and insights. If you haven't received a link to the survey please email captain@vcgh.co.uk and I'll email you the link directly. |
The VCGH Big Ride
On Saturday 16th June we're running an event to involve as many VCGHers from as many ride groups as possible. It'll start with a series of club rides in the morning, starting from Thursley recreation ground carpark (next to the cricket green), and end up at 14:00 at the Three Horseshoes in Thursley for a barbecue lunch and beers (£10 per person for food - pay on the day). The rides can take whatever format you like; there are set routes and you can join a hub group going at a specified pace or you can make your own arrangements to ride solo or join a group of friends. The format is very much like the sportive-style Merry Harriers ride we run on Wednesday evenings. More details about the event can be found here. However, sign-up is now closed and the pub have been given final numbers so please email captain@vcgh.co.uk with any last-minute requests. Hope to see you there. |
Funeral Details for Saeed
Details of the funeral of Saeed Mumtaz Date: Saturday 9th June 2018 Time: 11am Where: GreenAcres Heatherley Wood Instructions: Please arrive and be seated/stood by 10.50am for the arrival. |
Our Values
I’ve been a member of VCG(H) since the beginning when even I was young, there were six of us, eight on a good day. I kind of know where we came from as a club, the roots, the ethos that said, ‘OK if there are others that want to ride with us, with our friendship group and they agree to be bound by our values that’s OK, come along, you’re welcome’. In time those values were formally agreed by the members and have since that club meeting back in May 2007 been agreed to by every member that has joined the club. Each of you on signing the membership form became a shareholder in VCGH. It’s our club, it's your club, we’re bound by that common code, more importantly the club sinks or swims because of the collective behaviour of us all. Perhaps I’m just a grumpy old man past my sell by date and should be put out to graze my days away, but I passionately believe that the community that is our Club is valuable, means a huge amount to its members and that the world is just a fraction better because we’re here. All that said little by little I think we are in danger of loosing our way. I see quite a bit of what seems to me thoughtless behaviour by some of our members. Rides that should be open to all members not posted on the Club calendar, I could name three in the last week. The effect of this is understandably that members not invited feel excluded and the spirit and set of core values that make us the best cycling club in the south of England get eroded little by little chip by chip. I therefore implore you to think about your commitment to the club, to care for your fellow member, value our community and post as many of your rides as you feel able to. Whilst I’m on a rant how about signing up for the rides you intend to join ASAP, not at the last possible moment. I ask this of you so everyone can see your intention - believe it or not people join rides because their mate is going, you sign, they sign and then the whole snowball starts. When you are passionate about a sport as we all are, there are always going to be moments of friction when the red mist descends, I just implore all of us to on balance be more selfless than selfish it kind of works out better that way. Much love Marco For and on behalf of us at our best. |
GDPR Compliance
To comply with the new data protection regulations (GDPR) we have updated our Privacy Notice within the Membership Application Form and created a new Privacy Policy to provide clear and concise information about what personal data we collect and how we use it to better understand our club membership, their activities and requirements, and to inform future decisions about improving the Club for all members. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know. |
We need a new Membership Secretary
After 18 months of great work as our Membership Secretary, Jackie Fieldus would like to hand over the role to somebody new. This is a great opportunity to get involved with your Club and get to know its inner workings! You are very often the first contact that new members will have with VCGH, and are ideally positioned to encourage and inspire potential joiners, so a friendly outlook and a good understanding of the Club's ethos are the most important qualities you'll need. Most of the administration is via the PayPal dashboard and Google Drive but all relevant training and support will be given. The role can be what you make it, but here's a little bit about the core responsibilities:
If you'd like to understand a bit more about this opportunity please contact captain@vcgh.co.uk as soon as possible. We need you! |
Saeed Mumtaz
Unfortunately I have some very sad news about one of our club members, Saeed Mumtaz, who has been a regular rider with the intro group over the past few months. At the very end of the intro ride yesterday, and going very slowly on the approach to Milford Station carpark, Saeed fell off his bike. He was immediately found to be unconscious by the riders with him, so emergency services were called. CPR was administered by our riders and by a bystander who happened to be a trained lifeguard. Paramedics arrived on the scene and attempted to resuscitate but sadly their attempts were unsuccessful. Saeed’s family were informed by police yesterday. I wanted to send information out about this event as soon as possible, as clarification. However, at this point the exact cause of Saeed’s death is still unclear. We will of course keep you informed of any further information relating to the accident, and also of funeral arrangements when we receive them, should any of you wish to attend. We will be sending a message of sympathy to Saeed’s family on behalf of VCGH in the next couple of days. Please come back to me on captain@vcgh.co.uk if you have any questions or comments, and if you would like to add any personal messages to the card we will send to the family. All the best, Lara |
May Club TT
Bright, calm and sunny this morning, but still pretty cold. 21 riders in total including 4 women. First rider home was Jez Ponting in 23:00 followed by David Walters in a PB time of 24:37, and Steve Green giving the VCGH TT a first try in 25:08. First woman was Lara T in 27:55, very closely followed by Ali Walters with a resounding PB of 28:36. In the road bike category, kudos must go to Will Ranoe who powered round the course in an astonishing 23:14 (a PB by 2 seconds), followed by Jon Hughes in 24:42 and Matt Hill in 25:27. Thanks to everyone who rode this month, and for your excellent pothole-dodging skills. I'll be reporting the holes on Skiff Lane and the start corner in the hopes of having them fixed before the June event. And special thanks as always to the team of volunteers who helped to run the event for us, as it wouldn't happen without them. This month they were: Start timekeeper: Ben Brown Push-off-er & HQ teas: Hugh Johnson Marshals: James Evans, Frank Edge, Ralph Buschow, Frank Eisenhower, Chris Eaton, Rob Wheeler Finish timekeeper: Brian Waters HQ: Karl Chandler Thanks also to the Buschow cheerleading squad! Full results are here (use the spreadsheet tabs to toggle months) Next event is 23 June so please put it in your diaries! LOST PROPERTY (contact captain@vcgh.co.uk)
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Race and General Kit Order
We are hurriedly placing an order to boost stock club kit and for VCGH race kit - apologies that this is already quite late in the season. Please would you email shop@vcgh.co.uk by this coming Thursday 17th May if you would like to order any of the following items. If you need help with sizing please check the sizing chart (follow the links to each item) and/or get in touch with Lara for advice - Castelli’s sizing is notoriously small and it’s best to get the order right than rely on us ordering surplus stock for you.
We only place one order for race kit every year, so if you would like to acquire any, this is your opportunity.
All kit will be printed in VCGH club colours.
As usual the minimum order quantity of 10 per garment applies (4 for Bioracer speedsuits) so we can't order any of these items if demand is for significantly fewer than that, and the lead time is 6-8 weeks once the order’s in.
There is a reasonable level of normal club kit available in stock. You can check the stock inventory for details. There’s more general info about kit (and pricing) on this page.
We will shortly be launching a t-shirt design competition for a casual VCGH t-shirt, so look out for that email coming soon!
Let Lara know if you have any questions. |
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