I’ll get to this Sunday in a minute. First, I want to talk about Sunday 4th October 2020. Part of what makes a club, or any insititution is its history. Out of its history, its traditions.
Barry Covington Memorial Event
3 years ago, we created a new tradition to honour the memory of one of our members who died whilst taking part in a bike race in France. Not all traditions are celebrations of unalloyed joy, but the tradition we created to remember Barry was, at its heart, a celebration of everything Barry enjoyed about cycling, maybe just a wee bit shorter.
Barry was a fully paid-up member of the Long 4 and the Thursday night shop ride crew. He loved a race. He also did some unfeasibly long rides. London-Edinburgh-London probably the most extreme. He also loved being surrounded by friends and family and he loved a party. We have tried to build these elements into what has become a special day for the club.
For the last 3 years now, we have had a set of Sunday morning rides, followed by a social event back at the velodrome in Herne Hill, adding in some Crit racing on the velodrome circuit last year. We have some challenges this year, but here’s the outline plan:
Morning Rides
We’ll run a full set of rides, including a gravel ride in the morning. We ask for you to make a £5 donation to Barry’s (and now the club’s) chosen charity, Wheels for Wellbeing. We’ll collect this as you enter the ride on RiderHQ. This is open to sign up now and we’ll continue to promote it over the next couple of weeks.
Velodrome
Absolutely not just for the racing snakes, but for anyone keen to have a go on the track and to practice crit. racing techniques in a coached session. We’ll start by practicing some crit skills and finish with some races, adapting the competitive element on the day to whoever is there, grouping similar people together. We are limited on numbers to allow us to be Covid-compliant, so we’ll take 24 bookings and then a waiting list,so book now.
Social Event
Sadly, we can’t all get together for a good feed and some drinks this year. However, we are working on a plan for a virtual get-togther. More to follow on this.
Sunday Rides
For this Sunday, 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 okay to lead an extra group. Just let me know. More detailed instructions on the website. We have some spots for leaders, please let Niki know if you can help.
| Ride | Leader | Departure Location | Departure Time | Distance (miles) | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long 4 | Jo Underwood | SE20 Cycles | 7:15 | 45-55 | 17+ |
| Long 3 | TBC | Crooked Billet | 7:30 | 45-55 | 15-16 |
| Long 2 | Emily Williams | SE20 Cycles | 7:45 | 45-55 | 13-14 |
| Long 2 (2) | Andy Harding | Corner of Kent House Road / Beckenham Road | 8:30 | 60 | 13-14 |
| Longer 2 | Clare Parkinson | SE20 Cycles | 7:30 | 67 | 13-14 |
| Long 1 | Rachel Hutchings | 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 | Lucy Stylianou | SE20 Cycles | 8:45 | 30-35 | 12-13 |
| Short 1 | Ben Millard | Crooked Billet | 9:00 | 30-35 | 11-12 |
| Short 1 (2) | Kate Ferguson | SE20 Cycles | 8:30 | 30-35 | 11-12 |
| Steady | Ann Ferris | SE20 Cycles | 9:15 | 24-27 | 10-11 |
Strava Leaderboard
Unreal week on the leaderboard. Not often you do almost 10,000m of climbing and come second. Evidence of the Burt/Wilson trip to the Welsh hills and Kate’s epic tour of Scotland’s NC 500. Matt, Clare, Alison – that’s a proper ride!
Kit in the garden – Saturday 26th September 2020 10am to 12am
More details to come, but we are currently reviewing kit suppliers. We’ve been with Bioracer since the club started and they have been a great partner, but it’s important that we keep looking at what’s on the market. We’re also due a re-design having made the decision to reduce the presence of sponsor logos. I am going to be at the shop with a mouth-watering collection of cycling kit from other potential suppliers for you to have a look and feel. (With freshly sanitised hands obviously) So, come along and help shape our future!
Closing Thoughts
Have a great weekend.
James Hanscomb, Chair of Penge Cycle Club.