Check out the latest Club newsletter!

Welcome to the latest Welland Valley CC newsletter (and yes, we know it’s been a while).

We use these newsletters to update members on a wide variety of things of importance including some calls to specific action, so please do read it all as it’s a bit of a beast. In fact it’s nearly as long as War and Peace, but there’s a lot more cycle-related content (although Tolstoy did, apparently, learn to ride a bike at the grand old age of 67 after being provided with a free set of wheels by the Moscow Society of Velocipede Lovers to help him get over the death of his seven year old son, Vanichka).

Anyway, there’s a whole host of club events and initiatives coming up in the next few months; so, grab a (non-Russian) vodka / tea / coffee / protein shake / beer and take a look at this lot.

WVCC / Macmillan Sportive – Saturday May 21 2022
After a two-year covid hiatus, the club’s annual Sportive is back in business and open for entries.

Saturday, May 21 is the date for your diary. And once again the start and finish is at the fabulous Langton Brewery, Thorpe Langton, with sign-on open from 7am and first riders away at 8am.

There are five rides to choose from – 100k and 65k on the road, and 100k, 60k and 25k routes for all you off-road / gravel / mtb enthusiasts. Full details of all the routes (plus catering, parking, complimentary drinks etc) – along with online entry – can be found here (https://wellandvalleycc.co.uk/events/sportive2022/).
Macmillan Cancer Support and Thomas’s Fund are the benefitting charities.

Bruntingthorpe Festival of Cycling – weekend of June 25 & 26 2022
This major new initiative sees your club teaming up with Bruntingthorpe operators Cox Automotive to stage a two-day Festival of Cycling on June 25 and 26.
The Festival is aimed mainly at encouraging new / less experienced cyclists living in villages and towns close to Bruntingthorpe to hop on their bikes and try some new things. That said, the Sunday TT is very much for WVCC members.
Day 1 sees the airfield open for sponsored rides, e-bike testing, a flying lap challenge, group riding for beginners, bike maintenance sessions, off-road riding, Bikebability, Whizz Kids and a whole lot more.

Day 2 sees the club staging a 10-mile time trial on the airfield circuit, run under CTT rules (11:45am); followed by the prestigious AA Brown Road Race, run under TLI rules (2:00pm).
The Sunday time trial is an ideal opportunity for Welland Valley members who are new to TTs to ‘have a go’ in a traffic-free environment. It is, of course, also open to experienced ‘testers,’ and the club is keen to have a full field for the event.

Find out more about the Festival here (https://wellandvalleycc.co.uk/festival-of-cycling) or go straight to Sign Up Genius to book your place in the TT.

Stand up and be counted
A reminder that it is a condition of Welland Valley membership that ALL Club members must volunteer to marshal / support at least one club even per year. And if you are a regular competitor in any discipline, you must volunteer at least twice per year.

So far, more than 70 members have yet to register to marshal on Sign Up Genius. Please do it now. Right now. This minute. Thank you. (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080a4ca8ab2aa5f94-volunteer3).

Re-cycling (see what I did there?) kit
We’re prepared to bet that most club members have cycling kit somewhere in their house that they no longer wear or use. We’ve come up with a scheme that can put that kit to good use and benefit other Club members too.  It should be a ‘win, win’ opportunity; make more space in your home, get the opportunity to buy kit at low prices, be environmentally friendly by recycling, and raise some money for a very worthwhile cause. What’s not to like?
So, here’s how it will work:

• Have a sort through all your cycling kit and put to one side all the stuff that’s in good condition but no longer fits or you no longer wear. By ‘kit’ we mean anything specific to cycling that a cyclist might want.
• Get that kit to Judith Rout by the end of May 2022. Bags of stuff can be left very safely outside her front door. The address is 44 Fairfield Road, Market Harborough, LE16 9QJ.  There’s plenty of room to pull on to the drive and it’s well lit by a lamp post too.
• Judith will sort and price the stuff.
• Most of the kit will go on sale at competitive prices in the Oxfam shop on Market Harborough High Street. Club members will be told when it will go on sale to give them the chance to get in early (it’s going to Oxfam because Judith works in the shop and can organise it there).
• WVCC branded kit will not go to the shop but will be available to members only via the WVCC website.
• Any large items too big for the shop will be available via the WVCC website.
• The money raised will go to Oxfam and be used to help fight poverty.
• If the process works well. it could become an annual event. If it doesn’t, it won’t!

New speed added to Sunday Club Runs
A reminder that a Very Steady ride has been added to the existing three Sunday Club Runs (Fast, Brisk and Steady). The new Very Steady ride is ideal for those looking for a spin at c12 mph with a dedicated ride leader.
Also, keep an eye out on Facebook and the website for news of the occasional longer club run (70-100 miles).

Chain Gang also expanding
The Thursday evening chain gang sessions (organised by Nick Clarke) go from strength to strength.
Riders currently go out in two or three groups – with even the slowest averaging well over 30kph. Now the club plans to test a slower chain gang ride for members who wish to join in the fun, but perhaps lack experience / confidence / early season ‘legs’.
The new group (along with the others) will meet at Church Langton Community Hall from 6.20pm onwards for a 6.30pm departure.  Please reply to this email if you are interested in the chain gang but are not currently on the dedicated WhatsApp group to be kept informed.

Breeze Rides take off
The club has added Breeze Rides to its huge repertoire of events, reports organiser Judith Rout. Breeze Rides are a British Cycling initiative aimed at getting more women to give cycling a go in a group, have fun and make new friends. They’re gentle, friendly and go at a pace where everyone can chat as they ride. WVCC members are asked to spread the word among family and friends. All the info is on the British Cycling Let’s Ride page ( https://www.letsride.co.uk/ and look under ‘Rides -Breeze’). In addition, the Club is looking at trialling guided rides for all genders later in the year.

Bruntingthorpe Road Races and TTs.
A reminder that the club has eight nights booked at Bruntingthorpe for Team Road Races and 10-mile TTs. (July 5 – road race; 12 TT; 19 road race; 26 TT; August 2 road race; 9 TT; 16 road race; 23 TT).
Last year both the races and TTs proved incredibly popular; so early sign up is advised.
For 2022, in addition to the usual three team races; a novice race will be staged each evening. This will be for riders new to road racing and will include a briefing on race safety and a guided first lap.
Once again, the road races and TTs will be run under TLI rules and regulations, and you will require a TLI licence to take part. Be sure to get your licence asap ( https://www.tlicycling.com/membership/ ).

Join our coaching team
The Club is looking for two or three members who would like to train up as Level 1 British Cycling coaches to support Whizz Kids and our existing coaching team. All costs will be funded by the club in return for your commitment to support club coaching sessions. To find out more, reply to this email or have a chat with Kevin Nicholls or Simon Ward.

And finally….
Check out the Club’s new Instagram feed (https://www.instagram.com/welland_valleycc/ ); take a peek at our improved website (with a particularly fab events section); and watch out for info about a TT bike available for a junior rider to use (free of charge) for a season.