Hello all. it’s been a while since any fresh content has been put on the club website, I know the main focus of interaction is our social media pages (and they in turn show up here keeping the website up to date), but I thought I’d post and let everyone know where the club is almost one year in.

It would have been about exactly a year ago I was thinking of logos, setting up the accounts and planning the first ride. (18th August is when the event was created)

A week or so after that I did the GNBR knowing it was a week until we met 10am at Newburn! It happened, 5 said they were going and about 10-15 turned up that day. At that time I thought that was alright, that wasn’t bad. and the 5-10 ridership continued (maybe as we were getting into winter then)

We battled on through the winter, and in the new year membership boomed. We became British Cycling affiliated. We wore a mix of colours, now rides are (or are going to be) a flood of colour since we have our own jerseys.

Now we have 54 ‘official’ members (that’s subscribed) with a good few more about to join or coming for some test rides in the mean time the club has grown from a group of people riding about every 2 weeks into that.

We’re about to have our first social event (a BBQ) to celebrate a great first year. We’re hoping alongside club rides and development rides we can continue growing the club. We are getting 15-30 on some rides which is numbers I’d expected from a club far more established than ourselves. Even ‘unofficial’ club runs of a weeknight are attracting around 10. which is fantastic.

I want to say a massive thanks to everyone that’s helped plan, helped other members out, and came along to rides, and I want to extend that thanks to the staff at La Taverna in Stella who host us before and after club runs, as well as the various cafe staff and coffee shops, pubs etc that have had to put up with us sometimes marching in with soaking gear on. Also the local shops and suchlike that have engaged with us on social media, and sent people our way, every single one of the people above has made the club what it is in some way. And for that I thank you, and I hope I can keep things ticking over as good, if not better as things go on, the clubs expanding so little tweaks in how things are managed will be having to happen to prevent mistakes, but every day is an education and for a someone who had no experience of managing such things. we’re not doing so bad, and I’m happy with progress of things so far, things can only get better though!

 

If you want to know more: check out some of these links

bit.ly/blaydonevents – A list of our upcoming rides and events

bit.ly/joinBCC – Join the club

bit.ly/clubruns – Info on club runs

bit.ly/developmentrides – Info on development rides

bit.ly/blaydoncycling – is our Facebook profile

 

Cheers!

Rob