Hi folks – here’s an update on ACC news and a few dates for your diary:-

Who are ACC’s Committee members?

Chairperson – David Tibbit, Treasurer- Tim Walker Sharp, Secretary – Marie Mcilroy, Club Kit – Jon Standen, Website- Matt Harlow, General Committee Member – Hilary Herridge.

Who are the route planners?

A – Jon Standen, Peter Harrison, Matt Harlow

B – David Tibbit, Marie Mcilroy

C -Marie Mcilroy

Social – Bev Smithers, Sarah Harrison

Would you like to join the Committee and/or the Route Planners group? Please message Marie or speak to any of the people listed above. We could do with having a few more members on both groups – none of the roles are too time consuming or arduous and you’d be very welcome 🙂

How much money is in the ACC Bank Account?

The latest balance is £1261. This is raised via the annual membership fee of £12. The funds pay for ACC’s affiliation to British Cycling, Notts & Derby Cyclo Cross League, Time trials Association, Cycling Uk affiliation, website domain, club kit subsidy, admin supplies such as postage, stationary and photocopying.

Do you have any ideas on how you’d like the club funds to be spent? If so please let the Committee members know.

When’s the Christmas Club ride and lunch this year?

Saturday 14th December. Venue to be confirmed soon.

Is there going to be an ACC cycling trip to Majorca in 2020?

Yes – if you’re keen? Date suggested is 18th – 25th April. Please express your interest via the main ACC whatsapp group or message Marie direct.

What about the Litter picking idea – it was suggested at the AGM that this would be good PR with the local community for the Club to do?

Watch this space – will keep you posted on this item – arrangements are hopefully going to be put in place soon.

Would you like to meet on Sundays to ride?

Some people can’t make it on a Saturday so please use the ACC WhatsApp groups to message others if you wish to meet up on a Sunday to ride.

Are there any Social events planned for ACC?

If you fancy meeting up socially for a chat and a drink then please come along to the Smiths Tavern in Ashbourne on Thursday 28th November, 8 pm. Bring along your ideas for any social events you’d like to see planned for the future..?

Do you fancy having a go at track cycling at Derby Velodrome?

If so please let Hilary Herridge know – you can message her via the main whatsapp group.

What are the various Club WhatsApp groups?

There are 7 in total. If you want to be added to any of them please message Marie to let her know. If you are already in any of the groups but want to be deleted from it you can do this yourself at anytime.

‘ACClub’

This is the main one for ACC mainly for posting news, routes, and anything else from members themselves that is of interest to all ACC members

‘ACC Cycling Marketplace’

This is for any sales or wants regarding anything to do with cycling.

There are 5 groups for routes:-

‘A Group’ – for A Routes

‘ACCBees’ – for B Routes

‘Bb ride option’ – for B Routes for riders who want to ride at a steadier pace than the general pace of the ACCBees and/or possibly a shortened distance.

‘ACC Cees’ – for C Routes

‘Social Group’ – for Social Routes

Can you please clarify the structure of the Saturday Rides and tell us if there are any changes to them?

We asked ACC members if they had any feedback or suggestions on the Saturday Rides. Out of a membership of 84 riders we received 8 replies. This maybe suggests that the majority of riders are happy with things as they are or possibly some folk are reluctant to voice their comments. The Committee are hoping to put in place someone who can act as a medium between the route planners and ACC riders so as to feed back any comments as they come in. Hopefully this way we will keep on top of any issues that may arise. We are also hoping that maybe riders from all the four groups would be willing to sometimes entertain the idea of welcoming riders of a slower pace who wish to increase their average speed, to cycle within their group. This can work well if the faster riders are willing to ease off a bit and encourage others to ‘draft behind their wheel’. Another suggestion put forward is for the routes to sometimes share the same cafe stop. This would enable riders to switch from one route to another so improving social interaction across the groups and give the chance for riders to ride with a slower or faster group. It’s impossible for the Saturday Rides to please everyone but hopefully the majority will be satisfied. The Committee discussed and reflected on all the comments received and have tried to reach a solution that hopefully offers people a choice of rides and pace that will suit most. The club offers four routes each week with a variety of distances. These routes are open to all riders to have a go at. Nobody should feel that they have to stick with one group all the time. However, it makes sense that people need to be aware of their own average cycling pace and how long their chosen route is likely to take them to complete. Therefore it’s a really good idea for riders to communicate with each other either beforehand via the whatsapp groups or at the ride meeting point to decide what that pace will be and if they need to split into similarly matched pace groups. Either that or people agree to slow down or speed up to other riders’ paces. A guideline can be given as to what the average pace is for the routes but it is very dependant on who turns up on the day. Good communication is key to an enjoyable and safe ride for all 🙂

So here’s a clarification on Saturday Routes at present – this is an updated extract which appears on the Club Website:-

Please note that the distance of all the four rides will vary according to whatever is appropriate to the weather conditions and time of year as well as the terrain.  The average speeds quoted are a guidance only and they will vary according to terrain, the participants present on the day and the agreed pace of each group. All groups have the option to split into smaller groups depending on how many riders turn up and the desired pace agreed upon. All four routes are open to all ACC riders to choose from.

SATURDAY ‘A’ RIDE –

Distance aims to be 60 miles, but will often be within a range of 55-65 miles.  The average speed ranges between 16 – 20 mph.

 SATURDAY ‘B’ RIDE –

Distance aims to be 50 miles, but will often be within a range of 45 – 55 miles. The B and C ride pace varies from 12 – 15 mph.

SATURDAY ‘C’ RIDE –

Distance aims to be 40 miles, but will often be within a range of 35 – 45 miles.

SATURDAY ‘SOCIAL’ RIDE –

Distance aims to be around 25 miles, but will often be within a range of between 23 – 30 miles.  

Average speed pace is generally  around 10 – 11 mph.

INDOOR CYCLING AT ASHBOURNE LEISURE CENTRE ON THEIR STAGES BIKES – SUFFERFEST SESSIONS

Some of ACC’s members meet up for indoor stages bikes at ALC on Thursday evenings, 7.30 pm.  Ring ALC on 01335 343712 to be sure of booking your bike ahead – otherwise turn up on the night.

FRIDAY “Breeze Rides” (Women Only)

Breeze rides are our women only social rides that cater for all abilities. More information about our Breeze Rides can be found here. 

These rides meet on a Friday morning at 0930 but have to be booked beforehand.  Please message or call Marie on 07891 320041.

Racing

Within the club we have a number of members who compete in the NDCXL Cyclocross League. Ask on one of the rides for more details. 

So that’s all the news for now folks – if you’ve any questions please feel free to ask any of the Committee members 🙂