Due to the current conditions and risk of ice on minor roads we have took the decision to cancel the Easy Wheeler & Dev Ride dated 16th December 2018. We have to consider riders safety on their way, during and after events. We will re-do this route at the earliest & safest opportunity
Winter Rides: *Updated October 2018*
Please Read the below so you fully understand our intentions for winter club events.
It might only be October but we’ve already had a light dusting of snow (a little more substantial on higher ground) and the daily ritual of scraping the car windscreen clear has started, below is our winter rides information and policy, we want to run club activities as much as possible but we must ensure it’s safe to do so. Most importantly if you have any questions please read this and ask away.
General info.
Unfortunately living in the North of England we are at the mercy of mother nature. We just wish to to re-address the issue of winter rides.
We try our best to keep club activity to as near to as full time as we can, we were lucky in previous winters as we never really had any severe weather but we can’t promise this season will be the same. The newspapers have prophesied the ‘coldest winter in 5 years’ again! That may have us all saying “they said that last year, and the year before that, and the one before that!” but we have to prepare for all eventualities and have contingencies for the winter months.
Our club rides will be shorter than the summer months to ensure we are back to base before it gets too dark or the temperature drops during the hours of darkness.
Our development and easy wheeler rides may be altered to run into a merged ‘loop’ system where ‘loop 1’ will be the Easy Wheeler ride followed by the ‘loop 2’ being development ride. You are welcome to attend both but it is essential to remember you are asked to help the newer or less experienced riders on these rides, they are designed to develop members and gain experience and these rides will always be only as fast as the last rider.
We will also be running CX rides whilst the weather comes in, check our events for further details.
Safety of all members is our top concern and it may get to the point where for these reasons we call off a ride. If you don’t feel confident riding in the weather that has been forecast, there is no shame in dropping out of the ride if you think you won’t be to manage for whatever reason. If you have any doubts or question ask us, we have many seasoned riders in the club. The chat page and the event page itself are ideal for this.
However, the final decision to go out on your bike is down to you and any ride undertaken is at your own risk.
We recommend lights for all rides during the winter months due to visibility being lower than the brighter summer months, especially for the ride to and from the club rides. For our week night training sessions they are mandatory (these rides take place in the hours of darkness, it’s also a legal requirement to be lit up at night (Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations)) – as a minimum, on a club ride a flashing rear light is suggested in daylight hours. (just think if there was an insurance claim, have you took reasonable precautions to aid your visibility) It is your responsibility to make yourself visible to others.
Please dress suitably for the conditions and temperature, we often ride in rural and isolated locations, especially on higher ground conditions can change within seconds. Please ensure you’re dressed for the weather (for example winter specific clothing,foul weather gear, jackets, neckwear. gloves, thermal layers). On some rides you may be required to wait for others (especially development rides and easy wheelers) so bear this ‘waiting time’ in mind, equally if you have a mechanical issue you may need to stop to fix it or wait to be picked up.
Regarding club rides and events, the decision to cancel or alter a ride will be made where we can, the evening before so during the winter please make sure for our events you check the social media channels.
On the occasion of a ride cancellation or alteration We will post a message on the main facebook page (facebook.com/blaydoncycling)
This decision will be made amongst the committee and/or a group of our regular riders from observing the current conditions, forecast and any weather warnings in place. Rides may be also subject to delay, cancellation or alteration (generally meaning cut short (by a ride leader)) on the day if we feel that it may not be safe to continue due to sudden weather or forecasts received. Please check the individual events and main page for any relevant messages before you leave the house that morning.
In the case of a ride cancellation the clubs decision is final.
on ‘yer bike: What are you doing this weekend? We’ve two rides suitable for all:
1) Our Development ride series continues see http://on.fb.me/1zyWO2b for full information, suitable for people wanting to improve and develop on their bikes, learn how to cover distances of 30-40 miles and develop group ride skills. A ‘No Drop’ ride with regular stops / regroups.
2) our first ‘Rehab Ride’ (info is at http://on.fb.me/15ePEmg) This is our first ‘club ride’ style ride aimed at those who can cover 40-50 miles and can keep a pace around 14-15mph, these rides will feature additional things such as longer climbs or challenging climbs. (Ryals this week) It’s named ‘Rehab Ride’ it’s designed for those who have been off the bike over christmas and the winter months to get back on. They have also been designed for a mixed start between la taverna and kirkley as we’ve an increasing number of people taking partners to development rides. it is the first one so please bear in mind timings and mileages may be adjusted next time, these rides have been designed to allow Development Rides have slightly smaller groups and allow the BCC riders to focus on those who wish to develop their skills.
we are hoping these new style rides will help us cater for all, it is however a little trial so may be subject to alteration or change in future.
Here’s the night before reminder!
0945 meeting for 1000 start (prompt) at Kirkley Cycles
Please Note: The weather forecast is changeable and at present the ride is STILL GOING AHEAD though with police and weather sources warning us of adverse weather we may have to CANCEL in the morning, a post will be made in the event by Blaydon CC or Kevin if this is the case please check our event (click here) before traveling. If you are riding to the event please take care on the roads.
Winter Rides: *Updated November 2015*
Please Read the below so you fully understand our intentions for winter club events.
Unfortunately living in the North of England we are at the mercy of mother nature. Just to re-address the issue of winter rides.
We try our best to keep club activity to as near to as full time as we can, we were lucky in previous winters as we never really had any severe weather.
Safety of all members is our top concern and it may get to the point where for these reasons we call off a ride. If you don’t feel confident riding in the weather that has been forecast, there is no shame in dropping out of the ride if you think you won’t be to manage for whatever reason.
We recommend lights for all rides during the winter months due to visibility being lower than the brighter summer months, especially for the ride to and from the club rides. For our week night training sessions they are mandatory (these rides take place in the hours of darkness, it’s also a legal requirement to be lit up at night) – as a minimum, on a club ride a flashing rear light is suggested in daylight hours. (just think if there was an insurance claim, have you took reasonable precautions to aid your visibility) It is your responsibility to make yourself visible to others.
Regarding club rides and events, the decision to cancel or alter a ride will be made where we can, the evening before so during the winter please make sure for our events you check the social media channels (usually this will be decided
We will post a message on one of the following (twitter and main club page are interlinked):
This decision will be made amongst a group of our regular riders from observing the current conditions, forecast and any weather warnings in place. Rides may be also subject to delay, cancellation or alteration on the day if we feel that it may not be safe to continue due to sudden weather or forecasts received. Please check the individual events and main page for any relevant messages before you leave the house that morning.
Just a gentle reminder of a few things raised in the Dev Ride Debrief from today’s ride:
On the whole we have managed to get the composition and management of these rides into a much smoother and well delivered package of late, but there is a few issues still outstanding and a few little reminders we feel it is right to just reaffirm to all that join the development rides.
You MUST: listen to ride leaders on these rides. They will take control of the ride and keep the pace, and the groups on the right track. non-inclusively this could be making sure we remain riding in 2’s at the most, assisting on crossing junctions, making sure traffic can see us, and that there is a safe passage for any vehicles. If you are not confident riding with others in close proximity ask a ride leader about this, it’s pretty daunting at first, but then again, didn’t you think clip-less pedals were when you first got them?
White Lines: As nice as the white lines may look on the road, do stay away from them, that’s the middle of the road, and we really don’t want to be there if we can. by no means do we suggest riding in he gutter but we want to keep at a reasonable distance from oncoming traffic (also cats eyes or missing road studs can be pretty dangerous to ride over!)
Calling it: When someone warns the group of a hazard, listen and look, don’t brake if you don’t have to, quite often people grind to a halt, and with a large group behind you that can start to cause problems.
Going Up: on climbs we have noticed a few people ‘boxing in’ others. if you are struggling keep to the left a little, this allows anyone who may need to get past, to do so. The person behind you might be in the wrong gear for the slower speed and need to get past if safe to do so.
Communication Is key: If you do have to stop. make sure just as you would in a car your intentions are clear. above all this, if you take one part away from this blog. it’s that communication is vital. We need to know what you are doing and what you are about to do and vice versa. Clear calls or hand signals form a big part of communication on the road. If you are unsure about what these are please ask one of us. Also please remember on the development rides when things are shouted they are shouted so that are clear and ultimate we want to get everyone around the course as safely and efficiently as possible.
Speed: Development rides are for those who are averaging 12-14.5 mph on the rides after many outings with them we have took the average speeds of the front and back and found this to be a fairly fair placing for the rides. if you can achieve this with ease we suggest coming along to the club rides as development rides may not be graded towards your ability! By all means join us but we ask you to keep to the group speed and avoid ‘pushing the pace’ and using your experience and skills to help newer riders. Development rides were brought in to bridge a gap many other clubs seem to forget about, those who are in the middle, that we think is why they get such a good turnout, that and our great sense in picking great cafes!
As always any questions please do comment below. One of the Development Ride crew will be to help out. Comments can be made on our facebook post that this will generate or the blog here using Disqus.
At Blaydon Cycle Club we have three ‘levels’ all will be explained, what they are, what they are for, who they are for and why we run them.
This post has been commissioned as we have a considerable amount of new members, and a few questions have been asked and we want to make sure that everyone understands how we operate and how we are trying our very best to be as inclusive as possible. We understand a lot of our social media traffic might sound like everyone’s wanting to go around winning Le Tour but that’s more than likely isn’t the case (but we can dream, right?)
The three rides are graded as follows:
‘Easy Wheelers rides’ Occasionally when time allows we operate an ‘Easy Wheelers’ ride, these are open to all. but the focus is on new riders, those ‘fresh out the box’ these rides are shorter (10-15 miles) and are there for any new riders, or those new to riding in groups simply to get used to cycling on the roads (we pick quiet roads for these rides) and riding in groups. everyone is welcome to these but you must remember if you are experienced already these rides are exclusively for the newer riders to learn new skills and gain confidence, more able riders should be prepared to help others and be fully aware the ride will be geared for the new riders.
Development Rides Dev Rides are our middle tier of rides, generally they are every second week and run any time from 9am to 10am start. They usually run a length of 30-40 miles and are planned with a route that is not too challenging. Being Northumberland a few lumps and bumps are inevitable but these are kept to a minimum and around the top we will regroup. These rides are in essence for development and improvement, right from how to climb, corner, even eat and drink on the go. We want people to develop their skills, teach others, learn from others, the rides name is pretty self encompassing when we label it! Blaydon Jerseys will always be on hand and your ‘ride leaders’ will be pointed out at the start, these are your port of call if you have ANY issues on the ride be they mechanical or physical. We also think these are a great ride for your first ride if you have never been out in a club,you get to ride in a group, and meet many of our regulars. The intention is development rides are there to prepare you for and work your way to club rides as your confidence and skill sets grow.
Club rides perhaps the most confusing of late. We have operated a few ‘big’ club runs of late, more notoriously our recent ‘Hilly Fondo’ has caused some panic within the club. We want to reaffirm that challenging rides such as a ‘Fondo’ happen occasionally as we do have a very diverse group of riders. Club rides are not there just for the fast, the racers, they are all inclusive as is any ride. As you can imagine with 20-30 people on a ride it is hard to put a maximum speed or time limit out there and have such a large group out in one go. What generally happens now on the club rides is a ‘breakaway‘ group forms which contains a small group of riders who are capable of 16-18mph averages, behind those is the main group these generally are 13-15mph average depending on the terrain and course, if the group was even larger there is a chance of having a 3rd group.
Having mixed abilities is a hard balance to strike within cycling, and it can be hard to plan for from our end, and its with your continued support that allows us to facilitate the group rides. Quite simply put we need members of all abilities to make the rides a success. In no way are club rides designed for the ‘fast lads’ (as they get called) they are inclusive for everyone.
If you have concerns over a particular route please raise them on the event page or direct message the club page (or email us) we will do our very best to help everyone, and make any adjustments or reassurance to anyone who needs it. Some club rides are challenging, some will be easier, we just want to strike a fair balance to all of our members and offer a bit of everything, all feedback of late has been noted, we really do need that feedback if we are going to be able to try and help everyone. The support can be and will be out there for all.
if you have ANY questions please to sign in with one of your social media accounts below and post a comment and we will do our very best to answer your questions. It’s with everyone’s great support the club is where it is. and it’s with this continued support and occasional feedback that we can plan for the future.
Thanks for reading this, and if you have any questions regarding how we grade and deliver our rides again, please do comment below (on this page as opposed to on twitter or facebook itself please) any feedback is appreciated and this is a great open forum to facilitate this.
We have just had our 8th Development ride. They’re getting more and more popular each time and we’re seeing a lot of new members and a lot of regular faces develop their skills. As such we have had to tweak the rules, learn from our mistakes and listen to feedback for how we run these rides, while the emphasis is on fun and development there is a very real risk ever present when we use the roads.
Please make sure you read and understand the attached document in regard to Development Rides.
Click the following link to view the document >> development ride info PDF
Event info is all at bit.ly/BCC15jun14
if you are coming please RSVP via the link, send a tweet or reply below using the diqus system, you can also ask any questions this way.
We are pleased to announce the next in our development series, once again massive thanks to Kevin for planning the route and making these the success that they are.
We’ll meet at Kirkley Cycles again, although slightly off our usual meeting point and a little straying from our Blaydon roots the offer of quiet country lanes, a cafe start and relatively flat roads is perfect for this type of ride.
Our beginners /development rides are very popular! often with up to 20 people on! http://bit.ly/
They’re for you to get our build confidence, learn to ride with others and progress onto longer rides hopefully with the club!
They have a few simple rules which are posted at the bottom of this post for everyone’s safety.
This ride like many others we have hosted will consist of a small loop for everyone, we then return to ride HQ and those who wish to continue onto the longer development loop can do so. We aim for 10-15 miles depending on the terrain for lap one, for lap two we bring the ride up to around 40 miles in total.
The Development Group rules & guidelines:
– The ‘back marker’ rider won’t allow anyone to fall behind them.
you shouldn’t overtake the leading rider as they are there to help navigate and help manage the pace of the ride, also we can’t look out for you if you are ahead. Naturally, groups will split a little but there will always be a Blaydon jersey (or ride leader) nearby.
– If you have to stop, let whoever is leading your group know for example with any mechanical issues, or you need to stop for a rest.
– we will re group at various points on the initial loop.
– if you spot a hazard such as a pothole generally cyclists will point down at it, if you are not confident you can just shout something such as ‘Pothole!’ you may hear other things such as ‘Car!’ which generally means a car is behind and we should go into single file or allow the car to pass. other calls are made for cars but generally they are obvious as to what is happening.
– ensure you drink enough fluids, hydration is vital, sip small but often generally is the advice from cyclists.
– finally… enjoy the ride, chat to people, ask questions, make suggestions
new to cycling, new to group riding, or just coming back after some time off the bike for whatever reason? This Sunday welcomes in a continuation of our Development rides:(previously beginners rides)
We’re changing the venue once again, we’re testing out Kirkley Cycles near Ponteland
Date → 1st June
Time → 10:00 (for 10:15 departure)
Pace → 12-13mph (no one left behind)
Route → http://www.strava.com/
Venue → Thorneyford Farm, Kirkley, Ponteland, Northumberland NE20 0AJ
The usual format applies, a short 1st lap then a second lap for those wishing to stay.
