Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club Newsletter 20th January 2010 Apparently there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Well I'd like to see the Lycra shorts which would have enabled me to ride through that half metre snow drift in a blizzard last week!

The club events calendar has come to resemble the departure board at Gatwick during an air traffic controllers strike with all the cancellations. But we plough on regardless, and here are this weeks opportunities to get off the sofa and on to your bike.


Monthly Committee meeting

OK, this one will not get you on to your bike, but it does get you off the sofa to talk about bikes. The February meeting will take place on Wednesday 3rd February in the old Pantry. This is in the walled garden, about 500 meters past the usual Bedgebury entrance in the direction of Goudhurst. It starts at 18:30 and all club members are welcome.

Club Ride Saturday 6th Feb 10am

BFCC is pleased to welcome two new visitors on our forthcoming Club ride. Luke Anderson is the newly appointed Regional Go-Ride Coach for British Cycling and Oli Ireland is Bedgebury's newly appointed Cycle Development Coach.
Both Luke and Oli have asked to join our Club ride on Saturday 6th Feb in order to introduce themselves and meet members of the Club adults and juniors. This is an opportunity to maintain the excellent relationships the Club has with British Cycling and the Forestry Commission.
It would be wonderful to have a excellent turn out on the day, so if you fancy meeting two really nice guys and have a great mornings ride with fellow members then please come along.
The ride is paced at all abilities, albeit we occasional split large groups by ability to ensure everyone has fun.
The ride meets at Quench Cycle shop at Bedgebury and leaves promptly at 10am.

Ride your bike and raise some money

Right To Play is an athlete driven international humanitarian organisation that uses sport and play as a tool for development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Their Events Manager Leo Matlock has contacted us with details of a fundraising bike ride to take place this year.

I am arranging a charity cycle ride for 300 people from Brussels to London this July 4th-7th and I wondered if this might interest your club members? It will be a brilliant event over some beautiful scenery, and undoubtedly a great challenge. Details are available Here but what makes this ride unique is that all riders will be able to watch the finale of the second stage of the Tour de France and get the opportunity to meet Team HTC Columbia afterwards. Furthermore one rider will win Mark Cavendish's signed Scott bike that he rode on the 2009 Tour de France. Pricewise we ask for a £150 registration and a sponsorship pledge of £1000, this includes the Eurostar to Brussels, all food and drink, accommodation, vehicle support, and most importantly includes a significant donation to the children who benefit from our programmes in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more.

Night Ride

Tonight's night ride will give you the chance to see me in my "anti-snowdrift" lycra shorts! Come along to the car park at 18.15 for a lovely ride through the forest. Lights are available to borrow if you require.

That's all for now.

Boris

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Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club newsletter 5th January 2010 Happy New Year!

Right, so where were we before I got stuck in a holly bush and had to be pulled out by a fat bloke dressed in a red suit who seemed to have a Reindeer obsession?

Oh yes, Pedalos and the singletrack trails.

Well the good news is that a pedalo is no longer needed. The bad news is that you now need a snowmobile. Or skis. Or a bobsleigh.

OK then, back to realit

Monthly Committee meeting

The January meeting will take place on Wednesday 6th January in the old Pantry. This is in the walled garden, about 500 meters past the usual Bedgebury entrance in the direction of Goudhurst. It starts at 18.30 and club members are welcome . If you want to get involved and influence what your club does, then this is your chance.

Bedgebury Closure

Unfortunately the arctic weather has led to some of the club rides being cancelled in the last few weeks. If you are planning on coming to a club ride then please check on the website forum at http://www.boarsonbikes.co.uk/forum.html for up to date information. The closures dosent just affect club rides of course, so if you are travelling any distance it may be worth checking with the Forestry Commission before you travel.

Night Rides

The Christmas nightride was well attended with 12 Elves riding around the forest on bikes which sported various festive decorations. At the halfway point Santa (Andy) opened his sack to reveal some hot mulled wine and a feast of mince pies and stollen cake. Amazingly no-one got frostbite despite the light covering of snow! Photos of the ride are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/42788966@N06/? The nightrides are continuing throughout the winter, but there is no ride this Wednesday due to the committee meeting.

Saturday Rides

This is the perfect chance to uphold your new years resolution to ride more and burn off the Christmas calories. Meet us at the bike wash at 10am for a friendly ride in the forest. No one is left behind and everyone can ride at their own pace. We generally finish between 12.00 and 13.00 for tea and medals in the cafe.

Trail Building

Saturday 16th January 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 10 am, and we work until around 3 pm although you can of course leave at any time. Ian Smith is our trail chief.

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