December 2001

CLUB DINNER & PRIZE PRESENTATION

The club dinner was a huge success, held at The Grange in Thornton Hough on Friday 30^th November. Everybody I have spoken to who attended seemed to have enjoyed the occasion. The following letter I received from Doug Phillips best illustrates this.

It was one of the best I have attended, the meal being very good and the service first class.

Congratulations to Ian Hawkins for being a triple champion – winning the Club Championship together with the L.T.T.C.A. and West Cheshire C.A. Championships. Well done Ian for being a credit to the North End. Bob McDonald excelled himself presenting the prizes, I did not know of his hidden talents!! (Although John Burgers wrote his script). Linda McDermott from BBC Radio Merseyside presented the trophies and medals.

Ruaraidh Gillies welcomed our guests and was very humorous; he is taking bookings for after dinner speeches (no he's not - Ruaraidh!). Willie Moore was an excellent choice as guest speaker and was very interesting.

Dave Newby is taking bookings for drag evenings!! He did a strip show and took to it like a duck to water. James Hartley was an example to the young lads on how to treat the girls!! Peter was voted our clubman of the year; he is always willing to help.

My wife came to the dinner for the first time in many years along with my daughter-in-law and grandson, Doreen and Harry Mahar shared our table so what could go wrong. I had to tell my grandson to stop bidding for the theatre ticket in the auction or he would have to sell his car!

Doug Phillips

QUIZ RESULTS

Answer to last months quiz.

Chris Quinn

TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

Track championship took place on the 15^th November at Manchester Velodrome. Mike Garner retained the title he won last year. Andrew Massie riding on a hired bike was very strong pushing Mike all the way even though he was on a much smaller gear. Rebecca Jones the only lady rider gave the men a run for their money. Young Steve Large shown that he can ride the track as well after his good showing in the hill climb.

Flying 200m in time trial

25 Laps Points Race

20 Laps Scratch Race

Final Championship Placing

HANDY TIPS FOR CLUB RUNS

I shall be using all of these next time we have a club run! (I think Bobby Mac or Mike Garner don’t need to read this!)

10 ways of avoiding the front in a club run, to carry this out, you need to be very crafty and devious, you must have a cunning plan to get away with this to fool your club mates.

1. Muff a gear change when riding up hill, while trying to sort it out, lose the front and end up at the back
2. At junctions when the group has to stop, make sure you are the last to cross the road.
3. Arrange with your partner at home to call your mobile at a given time (you must make sure you are at the front of the group at this arranged time) when the mobile rings, make your excuses and go to the back.
4. 4 Get chatting to your partner at the front, involve one of the riders behind you, after a short time, the rider behind will move up at some stage to join in the conversation, at this point let him/her take on your position at the front and discreetly disappear to the back.
5. Start a sprint for a sign and deliberately lose it, you can slot in nicely at the back as everyone accepts the challenge and whizzes past you.
6. This one is a classic, stay at the back, when the riders at the front return to the rear of the group, pretend to be hanging off the back, head down, struggling, when the change over is complete, make a miraculous recovery and take up your position at the rear.
7. Start coughing uncontrollably, wobble about a bit causing the riders behind to yell at you to get to the back.
8. Drop your feeding bottle Note: Be prepared to leave it in the gutter when returning to the rear of the group to collect in case someone spots this move and attacks.
9. Eat a large curry the night before you go out on your club run. Letting off staggering farts will cause the riders behind you to ensure you stay at the back.
10. Before the club run, make sure you are well hydrated, drink 2 or 3 pints of water before you go out. When your bladder is full, avoid stopping until you get to the front, inform everyone you need to take a leak. Make sure when you set off again you position your self at the back of the group

Les Kennedy

(Fortunately Les hasn't included here the eleventh one which he added to the Internet site he found these ten on. Let's just say it involves see-through shorts and the reactions of the riders behind you! Ruaraidh)

A Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year to all our members.

Let’s hope it’s a great season next year !!

Stop Press: Club Annual General Meeting

At the Club's AGM in December, a motion was accepted to raise subscriptions in line with the rise in insurance costs being levied on the club from the CTC, through which each and every club member is insured. This is a rise of seven pounds across the board. To that end, subscriptions for 2002 will be as follows:

There is no rise in the Initial Membership fee of £5.

Several officials' posts became vacant at this AGM, and, for the first time since I have been a club member (now six years) they were painless to fill. If I wasn't such a modest guy, I'd say this is due to my rallying calls during this year! But I am such a modest guy, so I won't! :-)

The new faces are:

• Club Chairman: Geoff Brandt replaced the retiring John Burgess, who had served his three years. Geoff had been Vice-Chairman: that role was accepted by Colin Gray.
• Club Secretary: Chris Quinn replaced Les Kennedy, who had stepped in at short notice during the year..
• Road Captain: Bob MacDonald was voted in absentia to replace Peter Kay!
• Time Trial Secretary: Peter Byrne took over from John Burgess (who had only be filling in because no-one had taken it up last year!)
• Press Secretary: Pete Davies has stepped into a position that had been vacant since Doug stepped down last year.
• There were also several changes to the list of Vice Captains, Timekeepers, Handicappers and Sponsorship Committee, as well as various Delegates. Details, if you want them, are available from Les Kennedy.

I will take this opportunity to make it known that I am entering my third year as Treasurer, and so will be required to step down at the end of that year. Anyone who might wish to consider the position but would like some idea of what is involved before putting themselves forward is more than welcome to contact me between now and next December.

Ruaraidh Gillies

Previous Newsletters:
2001 January February March April May June July August September October November
2000 January February March April May June July August September October November December
1999 January February March April May June July August September October November December
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