I've shouted long and hard for people to suggest new ideas for club runs, especially in the late Autumn when everyone's mojo has flown off for two months in the Caribbean...so Kudos of the week goes to Mick Stanford, who researched, planned and suggested an offroad jaunt to a canal tunnel of some 3kms in length. On the face of it, this seems strange, but a great route and the unique Netherton Tunnel canal towpath with dark stagnant waters just one metre away attracted a decent turn-out, and a whole heap of fun. Great stuff, Mick, and keep these innovative offroad, gravel or whatever you want going.
Four rides out on Sunday, albeit the canal run took away riders on Dave Cox's D-Run so he gallantly researched faraway cafes to visit on later dates. Thanks also to Si Walker for a quite splendid ride out to Churchfields and Ben Walmsley's A-ride that was supposed to have 3 riders, but ended up with one late, one early and one overslept and all three riders riders riding out on their own trying to catch non-existent riders ahead!
Huge thanks to Dr Philip Whiteman for organising the Salinae and Cotswolds 210kms audax on Saturday, a wonderful, but tough ride out to the country's most expensive cafe in Witney, Oxfordshire! There were 6 or 7 Beacon Riders out on the event, and great to see Joel Subash riding long again, four months into his RRTY (200km ride every month for a year)...a true Randonneur. Fats first 60kms and last 60ms, but tough 80-90kms section in the middle up and down the Cotswolds hills, including the truly awful Sudeley Bank.
Anyway, it's the Beacon RCC Awards dinner this coming Saturday at the Black Horse in Northfield, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet, now's the time to do it! Hope you can make it, and I know it's cold and Strictly Come Dancing is on, but come along and have a chat and a laugh with your clubmates. See you there!
Finally, we're trying to finalise volunteers for the Beacon RCC Cyclocross event on Sunday 8th December at Walsall arboretum...Looking at the message board, we have the following, but please can you re-confirm your name please, and we still want more helpers to help. Let me or Adrian Ravenscroft know if you can help.
Saturday 7th December - Course Build at 1pm
Helen Jamieson, Jason Halstead, Mick Stanford, Stuart Jones
Sunday 8th December = Set-up and marshalling
James Russell (early only), Simon Woodward, Helen Jamieson, George Barker, Mick Stanford, Stuart Jones, Alistair Hey, Karl Walton, Andy Wrightson, Phil Richards (sign-on), Martin Davis, Celia Brown
So, a good group there, but the more the merrier...tasks and times will be set separately!
See you Saturday at the dinner...I'm the MC again, so heckling and cake-throwing is allowed.
Phil