CLUB MEETING OF THE WEEK
The minutes brought to you by speedy Club Secretary Fran:
Anerley BC Member’s Meeting, 24th April 2019, Purley URC, 7.30-9.00pm
We had an extremely productive meeting on Wednesday evening with almost 25 folks in attendance. It was especially good to see Meike, and to have her chair the meeting. The purpose of this gathering was to discuss how to address the increasing danger of group riding, with a particular focus on the Tuesday rides due to the large number of participants.
There was a focus on two issues – the discipline (or lack of) in group riding and the problem of the huge number of riders arriving simultaneously at a destination. We discussed various ways to address these problems, ranging from splitting the group into four sections each going off at 15-minute intervals to having three groups each going to separate destinations on a rotation basis. The pros and cons of each scenario plus others were addressed, and the final decision on the way forward for the Tuesday rides was virtually unanimous.
The important bit -Tuesday Rides
Three groups will be in operation, Group A, Group B and group C
The 9.30am group (Group A) will continue as it is since ride discipline is good, although there is no room for complacency here. The 10am group will split into two groups (B and C) each with a ride leader and a backstop. These two groups will go to the same destination but via different routes. Riders can decide on the day who they would like to ride with BUT there must be an equal number of riders in each group, and if there happens to be an imbalance the ride leader or the back stop will ask riders to swap. It is vital that these leaders, who have volunteered in this role, are listened to and respected. Riders must stay in their groups for the return journey. For extra safety, ride leaders should endeavour to have a contact number for each member of their group and riders should know the mobile number of their ride leader.
The back stop plays an important role in terms of safety and ensuring the group keeps together. The main job of the ride leader is to set a reasonable pace and to know where the group is going.
For the Tuesday rides to function there is a need for more ride leaders, and a number of people said they would be prepared to help. Tom V has offered to do some training for ride leaders in place of a few Tuesday rides, and Tim agreed to step into his role during this time to lead a couple of the 9.30 rides in his absence.
Those offering to help lead rides include
Sue D, Stuart, Karen, Tom V, Barry, Peter R, Bob the Builder, Des, Tim and Sally (although please note that they will be off on another adventure from 1st June until September). George is happy to help lead the 9.30 ride occasionally. Tom Tom has offered to continue to be in the role of a back stop and Vince has also offered to help in this role. John D was not present at the meeting but might also be happy to lead occasional rides.
Specific Ride Discipline
Ride discipline needs to be adhered by all Anerley riders and it was agreed that the following should be uses on all rides:
Car behind – shout ‘Car Up’
Car in front – shout ‘Car Down’
Over taking should ALWAYS be on the right, you should look over your shoulder and shout ‘Passing by’
If there is a need to ride in single file – shout ‘Single’
If you feel you (or anyone) is being dropped shout ‘Easy’
If you see pot holes or obstacles etc shout ‘Hole’ and/or point in the direction
Riders need to familiarise themselves with these commands and they should be passed from rider to rider where appropriate during rides.
There should be no need for rides to be constantly stopping at junctions to wait for people – if this is happening then the pace is too fast. Stopping should only be for mechanical reasons or to wait for folks at the top of a hill.
Where possible these suggestions should be implemented asap. It was agreed that we should trial them for a period of three to four months and then review it to see what has worked and what needs to be revised. With this in mind it was agreed that ride leaders send a sentence or two directly to Peter R for collation, saying how the ride went with a particular reference to ride discipline. This is an ‘off the record’ ride report, and if various names keep cropping up for lack of discipline then those people will need to be spoken to directly.
Additional bits!
Mark has requested that all members wear the club jersey when possible, and these can be purchased via George. Mark is also planning on doing another track session to help riders improve their ride discipline. Further details will be announced nearer the time, but if you are interested drop Mark a line to let him know so he can start planning.
Des has kindly offered to run a ride/training session for members on Thursday mornings. This would be for riders who would like to improve their riding but cannot keep up with the present Thursday group. This would start on Thursday 9th May. For safety reasons Des is keen for this group not to get beyond 6 (or possibly 8 maximum) riders. Meet at Shurguard at 10am.
And finally…..
The fact that we are increasing in numbers at this rate is a sign of the openness and friendliness of the club. Let’s aim to keep it this way and in a spirit of inclusiveness welcome people with this openness and love. If welcome-ness and friendliness is a hallmark of our club, then we should all wear our yellow and black jerseys with pride.
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