Looking back and forward

With apologies to those who did come to the AGM in November, here’s some edited highlights:

2015 – Highlights

•Membership continues to grow: 240+ in 2015 •As active as ever with a high number of members riding and competing •2015 saw the club calendar grow again for the 4th year in a row •Club rides continue to be popular and well attended •Strong VCN presence in many local events •Men’s road racing seeing a resurgence and more club members trying competition for the first time Another year of growth with 241 current members, up from 217 in 2014, and a higher proportion of that growth from female members up to 28 from 22 in 2014. We now have 19 youth members, 7 female and 12 male, though not all are active riders Geographically most members are from NR postcodes but we have members in Manchester, London, Peterborough, Ipswich, Cambridge and Colchester.

Winter 2015 Newsletter

VC Norwich women’s road racing report 2015 2015 continued in a similar vein to 2014 with Jen competing in the short flat local circuit races and Lou taking on the longer hillier road races. Jen again had some good results in the Ipswich and Lotus crits and won the Lotus women’s league. Lou’s best results were a 2nd place out of 40 in the Bedford Classic Road Race which had a decent uphill finish and 8th in her age group in the National Masters Road Race Championships. It was also nice to see Sophie Alden on the start line for the VC Norwich Road Race. In 2014 there were only 2 women’s road races in the Eastern Region so it was nice to see a couple more added to the calendar in 2015 and there looks to be at least 2 or 3 more road races for women in the region for 2016. Women’s racing in the region is definitely on the up so hopefully we can encourage a few more VCN women to give it a go with the increase in female membership! VCN Honorary Members Victoria Williamson has won a silver medal at the UEC Under-23 European Track Championships in Athens. The 21-year-old paired up with Katy Marchant and finished second in the women’s team sprint. Williamson, who is now based in Manchester, has also previously won bronze in the team sprint at the World Track Cycling Championships with Becky James in 2013 and World Track Cup with Danni Khan last year. Emma Pooley continues to shine in her new discipline of triathlon

•In 2015 we selected the EAAA as the club charity •Donation this year will be £1521 •We have an Invitation to the EAAA HQ to hand it over

•As always we need support: - –“Organisers” for VCN events –Work alongside existing organisers to “learn the ropes” –Help run the new club events –Supporters for the clubs own events and others –Marshals, helpers –LCCRL, Gas Hill Gasp –Training to support VCN or other cycling events –TT Time keepers –Commissaires –Coaching –Accredited Marshals –Club –Website, Facebook, Twitter –Enquiries Social activities

So … a look ahead

Event

2016 Date

Organiser

Reliability ride

Jan - TBC

Prize Giving dinner

Feb-26

Club weekend tour

March - TBC

VCN 100km Audax

Apr-23

Jonathan Greenway

25 Mile Open TT

May-01

Club 10 TT #1

May-12

Club 10 TT #2

Jun-09

VCN men’s Road Races

Jun-25

Mark Smart

VCN women’s Road Races

Jun-25

Mark Smart

Club 10 TT #3

Jul-14

Club 10 TT #4

Jul-28

10 Mile Open TT

Aug-29

Will Bamber

Sporting TT

Sep-11

Club Hill Climb

16-Oct

Steve Swift

2016 AGM

November

2016 Christmas Ride

11-Dec

… and of course we shall need plenty of help to make these events happen. If there’s something you’d like to help on and want to put in your diary now, then email info@vcnorwich.co.uk and let us know you’re up for it.

That dinner date:

The inestimable Paul Dolphin is putting the final touches to arrangements for our annual dinner and presentation night. Provisionally we’re booked into the Oaklands Hotel on Yarmouth Road in Thorpe on Friday (yes Friday) February 26th and we expect it to cost about twenty quid a head. Keep an eye on your email … full details will follow soon.

Her name is Emma …

… and we hope to see her dancing in the sand next year. In Rio. Our honorary member Emma Pooley retired from road racing last year. But now, she’s set her sights on the road race in Rio at the coming 2016 Olympics. This report from BBC Sport:

Olympic silver medalist Emma Pooley is set to return to the British cycling team for the Rio Olympics in 2016, having retired from the sport in 2014.The former world champion will target the time trial and may also support Lizzie Armitstead in the road race.

Pooley, 33, retired from cycling after winning two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games to concentrate on triathlon and other endurance events.

"This is a truly rare opportunity that I can't resist," she said.

Pooley won silver in the time trial at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before finishing sixth in the event at London 2012, where she also helped Armitstead win a silver medal in the road race.

The 29.8km time trial course in Rio features the 1.2km, 7% average gradient Grumari climb and the "impressively hilly nature" of the terrain persuaded Pooley, renowned for her climbing abilities, to come out of retirement and target a gold medal.

"I've decided it's worth a serious attempt at targeting that event," she said in a statement on Wednesday. "If I can prove to both myself and the GB team selectors that I have the capacity to win the time trial in Rio, I'll compete for selection for the Olympic team - I'm happy knowing I won't get selected unless I really do have the potential to win.

"I have no desire to go to the Rio Games, and sacrifice some of the most exciting triathlon races of the season, just for the experience of another Olympics - I'm committed to aiming for gold."

NMG Sportive Trophy As if there was ever any doubt – for the second year running Jonathan Greenway rode away the Sportive trophy was a truly monumental annual mileage of 6037, more than double the total of second-placed Mike Farrington.

Mike accompanied Jonathan on the epic Paris-Brest-Paris ride which in itself covered more miles than everyone other than third-placed Carl Pentney in organised rides for the whole year.

So well done to Jonathan, Mike and Carl.

The whole basis of the Sportive Trophy was both to reward the most impressive ride distance and to encourage members to show the club colours in organised rides all over the country. So next year things will change.

There’s to be a new VC Norwich Audax Trophy awarded to whoever rides the most mileage in 2016 in Audax rides.

The Sportive Trophy will be awarded to the rider chalking up the most miles in sportives and reliabilities but, of course, not Audaxes. The events qualifying are measured course, organised rides where we can check that riders did take part. Another rule is that they must complete them in club kit in order to help get our sponsors’ names out there. So from January we all start again – and send mileage claims to newseditor@vcnorwich.co.uk

Finally  …  the  VC  Norwich  Newsletter  editorial  team  wishes  everyone  in  the  club  a  very  happy  Christmas  and  many,  many  happy  miles  in  2016.