I think we are all a little frustrated by the continuing restrictions on group riding. I tried to find out if it’s actually illegal for us to ride in groups of more than 6 people, but all I can find are fairly ambiguous statements about ‘guidelines’. Illegal or not, it doesn’t seem to be the right thing to go back to larger groups just yet. In fact, I think many of us are getting quite fond of smaller groups. It’s easier for us and we leave make less of an impact on other road users. It’s certainly a load easier if you’re a ride leader.
The challenge is, we still believe in the idea of having a ride leader for each group who knows the route and who keeps the thing together. It’s less critical in some groups than others – but the survey we did a while ago made it clear this was important. The challenge arises when we have to find ride leaders for so many groups, week in, week out.
My mission at the moment is to find ways to make the club easier to run. We’re all volunteers on the committee – and most of us have day jobs. As the club has grown, we have burnt too many people by asking too much of them, so we need to find systems and processes that are less time consuming – and we need to share the load more. I genuinely love it when people step up and point out something that isn’t working – and I love it even more when those people offer to be part of the solution. That’s what makes volunteer organisations work. People who care, stepping up
Sunday rides need another good look – it wounds me when people miss out on a ride because we have limited spaces. Grant and Niki are getting their heads together to come up with some ideas. For this week, I think we are putting on a record number of rides, so thank you to all those leaders who have stepped up.
Club Kit
Kit is an ongoing challenge and Loren and I have been looking at alternative solutions to get kit to people more efficiently. In the meantime, I will do some further distribution this weekend. Here’s the plan:
- If your name appeared on this Facebook post, you have kit to collect.
- If you message me, I will leave your kit with Winnie in the shop for Saturday morning only
- If the kit is still uncollected, it will be at an address in Penge tbc for collection.
Sunday rides
Fingers on the buzzers and get ready to sign up on RiderHQ for the ride of your choice. It is open for booking at 6pm today. Don’t panic if you don’t get on a ride, we are putting on extra groups each week and please put your hand up if you’re ok to lead an extra group. Just let me or Niki know. More detailed instructions on the website.
| Ride | Leader | Departure Location | Departure Time | Distance (miles) | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long 4 | TBC | SE20 Cycles | 7:15 | 45-55 | 17+ |
| Long 3 | James Hanscomb | Crooked Billet | 7:30 | 45-55 | 15-16 |
| Long 2 (1) | Clare Parkinson | SE20 Cycles | 7:00 | 55+ | 13-14 |
| Long 2 (2) | Alwyn Gosford | Corner of Kent House / Beckenham Road | 9:30 | 45-55 | 13-14 |
| Long 2 (3) | Rachel Lynn | SE20 Cycles | 7:45 | 45-55 | 13-14 |
| Long 1 | Chris Martin | Crooked Billet | 8:00 | 50 | 11-12 |
| Short 4 | TBC | SE20 Cycles | 8:15 | 30-35 | 15-16 |
| Short 3 | Nick Brun | Crooked Billet | 8:30 | 30-35 | 13-14 |
| Short 2 | Liz Begley | SE20 Cycles | 8:45 | 30-35 | 12-13 |
| Short 1 (1) | Katie Ferguson | SE20 Cycles | 8:30 | 30-35 | 11-12 |
| Short 1 (2) | Barry Graham | Crooked Billet | 9:00 | 30-35 | 11-12 |
| Steady (1) | Andrew Stroud | SE20 Cycles | 9:15 | 24-27 | 10-11 |
| Steady (2) | Ann Ferris | Crooked Billet | 9:30 | 24-27 | 10-11 |
Strava Leaderboard
Michael Whitby is a machine. Who needs a train to get to Liverpool. James M is a beast too. Some top stats here all round.
Barry Covington Memorial Ride: 4th October 2020
Finally a date for your diary. Been a while since I wrote that!
For those new to the club, each year at this time, we ride in memory of a member and great friend who tragically died whilst taking part in the Amateur Road Cycling World Championships.
The format last year was a massive success – with rides in the morning and then meeting back at Herne Hill Velodrome and doing some Crit racing in the afternoon. Penge style, naturally, with some serious and some less so.)
More information to follow as we figure out what is possible. We’ll be asking for volunteers to help organise.
Have a great bank holiday weekend and don’t be getting those ‘oh no, summer’s over’ blues. There’s masses of good riding to look forward to yet.
James Hanscomb, Chair of Penge Cycle Club.