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British Cycling South East Interclub Competition on Zwift
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COVID-19 Updated Advice
Due to the updated government directive this week to limit unnecessary social contact, and following subsequent advice from British Cycling and the CTT, Velo Club Godalming Haslemere is suspending all club rides and organised events with immediate effect. This applies to all club rides organised through our website calendar and Facebook Group, as well as any other group events (pub socials, committee meetings and AGM, Club time trials (April and May events cancelled), Jets training sessions, day trips, spin sessions etc.) between now and the end of April. The VCGH Exec Team will continue to review the situation and will update the members if any new information affects this plan. Meanwhile we will also aim to publish a series of Zwift group rides for anybody who has access to Zwift and would like to ride with other club members. We will also look at the possibility of an online vote for the AGM official business (appointing of officers etc.) More details to follow. There is no current UK ban on cycling, and in fact the Government recommends taking exercise, so members are encouraged to get out on their bikes if they can, while respecting the Government’s advice. Stay healthy everyone, and keep in touch. VCGH Exec |
AGM
The Annual General Meeting of VCGH will be held at an accessible venue (to be confirmed shortly) on Monday 20 April (18:30-23:00) and followed by a club dinner, probably buffet style as per last year. All members are invited and encouraged to attend. An agenda and financial report will be posted on the website in good time so that you have a chance to look through beforehand. You can sign up your intention to attend on the calendar posting, but there will be a separate form for the dinner/AGM as soon as the venue has been confirmed. Any questions to execteam@vcgh.co.uk |
Club Kit Order
An opportunity to order new kit for 2020, including race jerseys and Gabbas. Women's kit now has a minimum order of 5 items. The order will close on Saturday 7 March. Lead time is 6-8 weeks. Please fill in the form. Questions to shop@vcgh.co.uk.  |
New Year Social
Friday 31st January at the Red Lion in Godalming from 20:00. No agenda - just come along to catch up with your cycling mates and meet some new ones. Hope to see you there. |
VCGH Announcement
The VCGH Exec Team announces that Marco Burgin is resigning from his role as Chairman of the club, effective November 2019.Due to increasing work-travel pressure over the past several months, Marco has been less able to cycle regularly, and is no longer free to spend the time the Chairman role demands. He has therefore decided it is time to step aside and allow other club members to take on those responsibilities. Marco has been involved in the leadership of VCGH for many years, and has worked very closely with Lara and the modern Exec Team since 2013, building VCGH into what it is today. On the road, Marco has been one of the most visible and enthusiastic VCGH riders. He has dedicated every Saturday and Sunday to leading groups of various sizes and levels, making all marvel at his strength, endurance (and patience!). He has been the first welcome for many new riders, guiding them in the finer points of group riding etiquette and our club’s community spirit. His charm and charisma have led to a firm set of Sunday Social apostles from all areas of the club’s ranks. Many have benefited from the trips he has organised and led over the years, from day trips in the UK to multi-day adventures to Paris, the Alps, Pyrenees, and Northern France; every trip organised to the last detail through an unstinting passion to see other people enjoy their cycling and achieve more than they thought possible. He has also been the first to volunteer on setup or support crews, from Race Across America and Land’s End John O’Groats, to Bikefest and the TT series. There are few club events at which he has not been a participant or organising force. Behind the scenes he has been a joy to work with; always driven and committed to the task at hand, passionate about fostering the club’s ethos, forever supportive of new ideas, and infusing everything with his irreverent sense of humour: An inspirational mentor. I’m sure everybody would like to join with me to thank Marco sincerely for his enormous positive contribution over the years. Though he is not disappearing altogether (we hope to see him at various club events in the future, not least at Bikefest which takes place in his back garden!), his daily presence will be much missed. For the time being, Brian Waters will step up as acting Club Chairman. The Exec Team will expand to include Pete Ross who, amongst other activities, will assist Mark Wright with the financial functions of the club; and Frank Eisenhower, a much-valued logical head. There will probably be additional changes in the next couple of months, and a full structure will be discussed at the AGM in 2020’s first quarter (date TBC). If you have a burning desire to get involved with the club’s organising team, now is the time! Please direct any questions to Lara. |
Club Hillclimb
Thanks to the 17 riders and the marshals who turned up this morning in dire wet conditions to support our final event of the year; the Club Hillclimb TT. This takes place on Staple Lane north of Shere (behind Combe Lane). It's about 1.3 miles long with an average of gradient of 5%; steeper in the first half and then levelling out to a couple of flatter sections at the top. The times were generally a few seconds slower than last year, perhaps because of the chip and tar resurfacing which has taken place during this year, or perhaps because of the relatively chilly conditions. Nevertheless some exciting close results, with 4 riders around the 6 minute mark within 6 seconds of each other. First home was our consummate expert Jon Hughes in 5:07, with Chris Carroll and Will Ranoe - the MB Cyclery team - in 2nd and 3rd place with 5:27 and 5:35 respectively. 4th (and 2nd vet) was Mark Pritchard in 5:39 and 5th (and 3rd vet) Chris Parker in 6:01. First female (and our fastest female result over the 3 years we've run this event) was Dani Forshaw in 6:40. It was a great event to watch and a good vibe at the top of Staple Lane, despite the puddles. Thanks to AllezNutrition whose mobile catering van kept us full of hot drinks and snacks. Thanks also to the guys who came out to help run the event. We only need 4 marshals for this one, but they're critical to its running so big thanks to: Push-offer: Matt Hurst Start timekeeper: Matt Hill Finish timekeeper: Peter Davies And to Nick Davison and Arlo Parker for coming out to support! Full results are here. Next year we're running this event as an Open time trial on 17th October. This means riders will need to sign up to the event in advance via the CTT website, and there will be an HQ at West Clandon Royal Legion, not far from the event start. Hopefully VCGH members won't be put off by a bit of paperwork, and we might get a bigger field from local clubs. It's never too early to start spreading the word! Thanks to all of you for your support for this season's TT series. It's been great to see the attendance grow throughout the year, with our little hardcore bunch of specialist time-trialists, a few triathletes, great attendance from the race team, and loads of new riders giving it a go. Look forward to seeing you all on the start lines next year! Lara |
Club 10 TT #6
Everybody was complaining of the 'bracing' weather this morning at sign-on, and quite right too - my car was reading 5.5 degrees when I was putting the signs out. No wonder so many people couldn't write their names properly! It was nevertheless bright, dry and sunny, even though temperatures didn't rise much before the first rider set off. Great turnout again, especially for a September event, so thanks to all of you for making the effort to be there. It's awesome to see the HQ teeming at the end of an event. The majority entered the road bike category again this month, with Will Ranoe first home in 24:19, Rob Julian second in 25:58, and Carl Wichman third in 26:30. Carl was also 2nd vet on standard, only 3 seconds behind his standard time (impressive given that standard times are set for TT bikes), and Peter Land - for his first go at our TT - was 3rd vet, only 20 seconds behind his standard time. Laura Senior was first female road bike in 27:52, with Caroline Julian second in 32:07. Well done to Simon Williams, Caroline Julian, and Poppy Porter for being the only three riders with PBs this month (not easy on a chilly September), and to junior Tom for a very excellent 31:37 for his first solo TT attempt. In the TT bike event, it was Callum Davies-Russell first home in 24:32, followed by Mark Herbert in 27:11. Lara Taylor was 3rd in 27:12, and also 1st female TT bike and first vet on standard with a plus time of 1 minute 35. Thanks also to the riders who were patient with the horse riders out on the course. It's always frustrating to have to hold back mid-race and deal with an unwanted delay, but it's not a closed road event so there's always a possibility of things going awry. It's great to see our riders being so generous to our fellow minority road users. Awesome to see a total of 6 women on the start list, and this is definitely reflective of the increase in women in VCGH as a whole. Can we do even better next year? Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out at this month's event. As you all know by now, the event series couldn't run without their help so it's always massively appreciated. This month my team was:
Thanks also to Robin Johnson for help with clearing up, and to Adrian and team at Loxwood Sports which has been a fantastic HQ for another season of club 10s.
Only one event left in our TT series this year, and that's the hillclimb on Staple Lane on 12th October. As with the 10-milers, this is a welcoming event that's suitable for all levels of rider so please come along to our grand finale! |
Club Spin 2019-2020?
As usual at this time of year I look at the interest in setting up a winter spin session for club members (and their close associates). Last year we ran this on Wednesday evenings at Broadwater Leisure Centre at about 19:45, and it seemed quite a popular session. Cost was £8 per session. I have no idea at the moment whether this slot would be available for this year, but I’d like to start by finding out who would be interested in this or a similar session over Oct 2019 - March 2020 before I speak to Broadwater? As before, it’d be likely that you’d need to commit to a 6-week block in advance although I can occasionally work some pay-as-you-go seats, for those who can only commit occasionally (but only if we have a core of committed attendees). Please email me if you're interested, and also add your evening availability in case Broadwater can’t give us Wednesdays any more. The 19:30 timing, however, is unlikely to change. If you have friends or family members who might be interested, please pass on this message. There are 12 seats in each session so I would fill with VCGH members and previous spin members first, but there are usually still a couple of places. All the best, Lara |
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