Velo Club Cumbria
Gerard McCarten
73 Balmoral Road
Fairfield
Whitehaven,
Cumbria,
CA28 6UZ
Phone: 01946 64576
Email Us
Website: http://members.aol.com/vccumbria/
History of the Club
In 1970 when membership of cycling clubs was at an all time low, the two remaining and functioning clubs, Derwent Valley Wheelers and Solway Cycling Club combined to form Velo Club Cumbria; the name being chosen at the time when the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland were merged to form Cumbria. Maryport Cycling Club joined at this time but reserved the option at that time to reform Maryport Cycling Club. But for all that VC Cumbria is the amalgamation of all three cycing clubs. To revitalise cycling in the area of West Cumbria a programme of events was mapped out and a determined effort was made to run events, even though numbers of participants were small. The policy was also to report every race to the local papers, therefore giving the sport visibility.
Gradually interest grew through the media coverage and by word of mouth until today club membership has levelled off at just under 100 with a further 50 youngsters in the clubs youth section - Lakeland Sprinters. Club races often attract up to 40 riders.
Our Club
Velo Club Cumbria is affiliated to the following national organisations:
British Cycling Federation (BCF) Road Time Trial Council (RTTC) Cyclist Touring Club (CTC) British Schools Cycling Association (BSCA) British Cyclo-Cross Association (BCCA)
Each of these organisations has an Executive Committee which sets out rules, aims and objectives of the organisation. These are given in the respective handbooks that are available to all members. Velo Club Cumbria/Lakeland Sprinters has a constitution and rules with club officials and a committee of which each member is elected at the AGM normally held on the first Tuesday in November. Every paid up member of the club has a vote at the AGM, but only motions made in writing and presented 10 days prior the meeting may be discussed and voted upon.
Constitution and Rules of Velo Club Cumbria
Services Provided by the Club
Time Trials VC Cumbria organises an extensive and wide range of time trial events. The club has organised three national time trial championships on behalf of the North District Council for the RTTC.
The 1989 National Junior Championship 25 Mile Time Trial. VC Cumbria had four juniors qualify in a full field of 120 riders. The 1990 National Championship 25 Mile Time Trial. VC Cumbria had five seniors qualify, Chris Boardman won in 50min 4secs.
The 1992 National Hill Climb Championship on Newlands Pass.
Also from 1995 VC Cumbria hosted a new national competition which was part of a series of selection of riders for the Olympic games individual time trial event. National championships apart, VC Cumbria also organises several 'open' events throughout the year attracting many visitors to the county. It also organises weekly time trials which are aimed primarily at the club rider. Events range from 10 miles to 100 miles and culminate with hill climbs at the end of the season.
Road Racing VC Cumbria's reputation is further enhanced by its record of organising road racing. At Cleator Moor the road race is famous for its ability to attract both international riders and thrill the many spectators it attracts. Also in the last decade road racing was twice been brought to Whitehaven town centre with the course closed to traffic.
Many other road races have been held in the area at Moresby and on a circuit at Cockermouth.
Cleator Moor sports also incorporates grass track racing with other like events at Egremont Crab Fair.
Youth Liason Velo Club Cumbria is also committed to catering for the young rider. The BCF with there national challenge series initiative gave VC Cumbria the opportunity to hire Rowrah Go-Kart stadium every Wednesday evening to run the West Cumbria heats.
Recently the BCF introduced the 'Impruve' scheme sponsored by the Prudential Insurance company and provided training and grants to clubs with the intention to lift the standard of clubs and attract more youngsters to the sport.
The club has been granted 'Impruve' status by the BCF as a measure of excellence. So far over thirty youngsters starting at six years of age up to sixteen years old have taken part in a programme of skill tests and racing events and won gold, silver and bronze medals at national events. A programme of coaching courses was introduced with five qualified coaches now available for the youngsters.
This development group of VC Cumbria is called the Lakeland Sprinters.
Newsletter An important part of maintaining the sense of involvement of all club members is to have a good newsletter which is distributed to all the club members. VC Cumbria has an excellent newsletter - 'Velo' which is published bi-monthly and is used to keep the members informed of things like the seasons events list and progress of the race league during the season. All members are welcome to make contributions for inclusion in the newsletter. These can range from simple adverts to write ups on particular sporting achievments that any member wishes to advertise - usually under the heading 'Blow Your Own Trumpet'.
Youth - Lakeland Sprinters On Wednesday evenings at 6:00pm throughout the summer about 40 young cyclists gather at the Rowrah Go-Kart Stadium to take part in various races and skills tests. This is Lakeland Sprinters, VC Cumbria's youth development group. The five to eleven year olds are supervised by Gerry McCarten and there is a skills section run by Penny Kingsland that provides structured instruction on bike handling based on the BCF Impruve Challenge. There are also the five training British Cycling Federation (BCF) coaches and two 'Get Set' tutors in the club. These sessions are fun but provide the children with the skills to take them onto the road in safety. The track is closed to traffic and parents are encouraged to help or take part.
For more information contact Gerry McCarten on 01946 64576
The Race Team The race team travel all over the area to selected events and this is run by Race Team Manager David Fletcher. The children move up to the race team if they wish at ten or eleven years old and can stay on to twenty-three. This is a new team but over the last two years they have made a great impact on the race scene. They meet at the Go-Kart track at the same time on Wednesdays through the summer - if they are not racing. During the winter members of the race team can be found on the VC Cumbria training rides with Ken Hargreaves.
For more information e-mail or contact David Fletcher on 01900 822661 Lakeland Sprinters has over 60 members.
Social Side Its not all serious stuff and the social side of the club is an important part of the clubs activities. Winter Club Runs One of the most rewarding of all VC Cumbria activities is the 'club run'. Here riders get the opportunity to relax and enjoy the beauty of Cumbrian Lake District particularly during the autumn days when the colours of the fells are changing.
There are organised training rides that are designed to improve the quality of racing during the summer season. Club runs take place on Sunday mornings starting at 10.00am from the Woollen Centre roundabout on the A66 just outside Cockermouth. They are for moderately fit cyclists and are usually between forty and eighty miles depending on weather, wind and levels of motivation by those taking part.
Winter Training Camp A one-week chance to get away from the weather in this country and get some miles done in the sun. A winter training camp is organised at Club La Santa, Lanzarotte and usually attracts between 15 and 20 people. Non-cycling partners are most welcome and there are plenty of facilities to keep other members of the family happy whilst the cyclists are on the road.
Awards Night The end of season knees up is when those members of the club who have done well get thier trophies and eveybody else has a relaxing social evening. The awards night is usually held in November in one of the country hotels dotted about the Lake District.
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