Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club newsletter 24th November 2009
Welcome to the third and by far the soggiest of your regular club newsletters.
The big news this week is rain. Dont look up at the sky and see if it has stopped yet, chances are that you will sink in to the mud and drown as soon as you stop moving
Saturday Rides The weather has played havoc with the Saturday rides with concerns over the forest having to shut in severe weather conditions. If the weather is looking particularly wet or windy then please check the forum on the www.boarsonbikes.co.uk website before you set off. If the wind gets over a certain speed then the F.C. shuts the forest to reduce the chances of accidents from trees falling on people. Saturday rides should continue as normal throughout the winter starting at 10am by the bike wash. If you are under 18 and not accompanied by a parent/guardian then please contact the ride leader before you come.
Night Rides The night rides are still proving popular despite the stickier dust we have at this time of year. All are welcome, but if you haven't ridden for a while please contact the ride leader before you come - night riding, especially in winter does require different skills and we need to keep everyone safe. Again, if you are under 18 and not accompanied by a parent/guardian then please contact the ride leader before you come. NOTE, next week the night ride is on THURSDAY 3rd December due to the club committee meeting on the Wednesday.
Trail Building Last weekends trail building was a washout it's very difficult to build trails with liquid mud! The next trail building day is on December 12th when hopefully conditions will be a little kinder.
Club Outride The club outride this weekend is to Swinley Forest near Bracknell. For those of you who have not been before the forest consists of miles of singletrack some of which is natural. It's great fun and has some good technical runs. We meet at the Lookout Discovery Centre RG12 7QW at 10.00 where you will need to get a permit to ride which costs two pounds for the day and there is free parking.
Bedgebury Forest Harvesting Operations The Forestry Commission are to begin tree harvesting To ensure the safety of the public, small sections of the forest where work is taking place will close. Please pay attention to warning signs and to instructions from Forest Workers. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the works some rides and tracks may become rutted and muddy during the harvesting; however this damage will be repaired at the end of the operation.
We will keep you posted once we know what areas are affected.
Christmas NightrideA further reminder about the special Christmas nightride on Wednesday December 16th. Cover your bike in tinsel and fairly lights and join us in a winter wonderland. Led by Andy, we will need to know nearer the time how many people are coming so we know how much (non alcoholic) mulled wine and hot mince pies to bring along.
New Bikes for Boars Update
As you may have previously read under our news section, Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club has been working in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and successfully obtain grant funding from Sport England to purchase new bikes and equipment for the Club. The grant was based on the Club delivering after-school coaching sessions to local school pupils and to hopefully encourage greater participation in cycling as a sport. For more information see the recent
Courier press coverage.
Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club newsletter 11th November 2009Welcome to the second in our long running series of newsletters. Note that I know have a proper "Boarsonbikes" email address (Thanks Paul), and your email addresses are now hidden (sorry!)
Saturday RidesSaturday rides continue to be well supported and are suitable for anyone who can ride a bike without stabilisers! The weather doesn't seem to have put anyone off yet and remember it is still dusty out there; it's just that the dust is sticky now! Meeting at the bike shop at 10am, the leader this weekend is Boris (Me!)
Night RidesThe darker the night, the more fun we have, so don't be shy come and join us on a Wednesday night. We have several sets of lights within the club for you to borrow, and if you get the bug and want to buy your own, an excellent helmet light and bar light can be bought for around £60 ask Boris for details. We meet in the car park at 6.15. Don't be late as we lock the gates at 6.30 to keep your car safe. This week's leader is Dave Coppins.
Trail BuildSaturday 21st November is a club trail build day. If you want to get involved with improving the trails and see what some of the club members look like under their helmets then this is the day for you. Trail building is immensely satisfying particularly when you ride down a great new bit of trail thinking "I helped build this". Tools are provided, but if you have a spade or mattock and want to bring it along, then that will be great as we sometimes have more people than tools. We use bikes to get to the work area, and we advise bringing a packed lunch. Meeting point is at the bike shop at 10am, and we work until around 3pm although you can of course leave at any time. Ian Smith is our trail chief.
Club MerchandiseDue to popular demand there will soon be a new design club shirt made by a well known, quality manufacturer of bike wear. There will also be other club merchandise available soon such as Beanies and Buffs. More details as soon as we have them, or keep an eye on our website.
Christmas NightrideThere will be a special Christmas nightride on Wednesday December 16th. Cover your bike in tinsel and fairly lights and join us in a winter wonderland. Led by Andy, we will need to know nearer the time how many people are coming so we know how much (non alcoholic) mulled wine and hot mince pies to bring along.
CoachingNow we are in the months of shorter days and stickier dust, coaching has ended for the year. In the last few months Gary and his team of Tim, Carl and Michael have run more coaching sessions than ever before and have trained all ages from primary school children to those in their second or third childhood. Details of next year's courses will be announced in the new year, but in the meantime the club would like to thank the coaching team for their hard work over the past twelve months.
RacingFive club members competed in the inaugural Insomnia night race - the Boars on Bikes team made up of Paul Stevens, John Rivett and Tim Bizley placed fourth in the threes category, John Kelly placed seventh in the solo event and Ian Smith rode as part of a non-BFCC team which placed second in the threes category.
This has inspired eight club members to enter for the Muc-Off 8 hour enduro to be held on April 2010 at Pippingford Park. First to enter were the Bedgebury Belles, a team of three ladies, followed by a mens team and two solo riders (John Kelly and Ian Smith).
Pippingford Park has a great reputation for challenging single track riding and the enduro course also features a timed downhill section. It would be great to make this a really big event for Bedgebury, so the more teams and solo riders the better, and supporters are extremely welcome. Entries are open to solo riders, pairs and teams of 3 or 4, with categories for male, female and mixed teams. The cost is £40 per rider and entries are open at
Muc OffBEDGEBURY WINS TOURISM AWARDS!At the Tourism South East Awards, Bedgebury received the Tourism Excellence Award for Sports Tourism. On the same day Bedgebury won the Medium-sized Tourism and Leisure Award at the West Kent Business Awards. Bedgebury Director, bike club member and all round good guy Dave Hiscock said "This is down in no small amount to the bike club! Please pass on my thanks to all. I hope to be out riding again soon!" Thank YOU Dave, hopefully we will see you out soon
Head Coach nominated for 'Outstanding Service to Sport' award
Our very own Head Coach, Gary Scott has been nominated for 'Outstanding Service to Sport' award at the prestigious Tunbridge Wells Junior Sports Achievement Awards, which is taking place on Thursday 19th November 2009 at the Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough.
The awards, which recognise those people who have contributed to sport in some way, either through their own sporting success or through their work assisting others involved in sport.
Gary has played a huge part in the success of the club's coaching program for both youngsters and adults, he has inspired many of us to try new challenges on the singletrack. We wish him the very best and of course he should get the award!!!.
These are just the latest stories, check the archives too...
November 2008
January 2009
June 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
June 2010
July 2010
January 2011
February 2011
September 2011
January 2012
February 2012
September 2012
October 2012
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