Category: News

Unfortunately, the restrictions imposed under the terms of the latest government lockdown limit outdoor sporting activities to no more than two people not from the same household.  Clearly this means that we can’t continue with the current groups of six or fewer that we’ve managed to reintroduce over the last few weeks.  But we can keep riding in pairs and we plan to use the Love Admin system to facilitate this process.

This is how it will (hopefully) work…

I have created new ride groups at 22kmh, 24kmh, 27kmh and 30kmh on both Saturday and Sunday.  If you would like to ride at this pace, but haven’t found a ride partner, then sign up to the group at the pace at which you would like to ride on the day that you would like to ride.  If you want to ride both days then sign up for the ride groups on both days.  I will close the rides on Friday lunchtime and allocate everyone a partner to ride with at the same pace as them.  Clearly if there is an odd number of riders then it will be first come first served so I can’t guarantee to be able to match everyone up.  I will email out a list of partners on Friday afternoon and it will then be up to you to get in touch with each other and arrange your starting point and your route – the ride schedule is still on the website so you could use those routes.  The groups are all listed with a nominal start time of 8.30 but when you actually start is entirely up to you – ideally pick a time and place that you don’t think other pairs will pick.  If you don’t like the partner you’re allocated then you will need to get in touch with them to tell them that you are swiping left.  Similarly if you need to cancel for any other reason.  As this system relies upon me sharing your contact details with other riders, you will need to have approved this in your personal settings.

It’s not ideal but it’s the best we can do under the current circumstances.

I hope everyone is bearing up OK, not where any of us would have chosen to be right now.

Happy riding,

Andrew

We have moved over to the new LoveAdmin platform on Monday. Current members should have their details automatically uploaded/ported over. If your renewal is due and/or your membership has expired, please wait until Monday to renew/rejoin on the new system. Renewals/rejoins/new members WILL still have to pay the £20 membership fee – but your renewal date will be January 2022, along with everyone else. This is a new system for all of us and migrating has been quite a complicated process, so please be patient during the transition process – everything will get sorted and ironed out, but it might not be instantly! I will be reviewing all memberships on both systems (RiderHQ and LoveAdmin), so no-one will fall between the cracks.

Unfortunately, like almost everything else, our time trial calendar has been massively disrupted but time trials have now been given the green light to return!

You can see the list of events below. All are open events, so entry is needed 2 weeks prior to each event, as per Cycling time trials website.

August 29 Club championship “10” (with Sussex C.A. “10”) G10/45 Loxwood 1000

August 31 Club championship “25” (with Sussex C.A. “25”) G25/49 Loxwood 1000

September 19 Club championship “15” (with Sussex C.A. “15”) G15/92 Washington 0700

October 10 Club championship hill-climb (with open hill-climb) GH/92 Steyning 1100

October 10 Afternoon hill-climb GH/94 Shoreham 1430

October 18 Open “25” including G.Jackson “25” G25/93 Steyning 0800

Working rear lights are compulsory.

Unfortunately the August club “10”s and hill-climbs have been cancelled as a result of being unable to control social distancing at these popular events.

Sunday Rides

We will be resuming our Sunday led rides for new and prospect members from Sunday 5^th July.

There will be a maximum of 10 places for the ‘Come & Try it’ and 10 places on the ‘Steady Social Rides’ on a Sunday and you need to sign up in advance on the google doc here. In order to add your name against the ride you will need to click on ‘Open with Google Sheets’ to enter your name, and contact details for your next of kin, and then close it again when you have finished. If you have any problems, please email chair@brightonmitre.co.uk with your name and next of kin contact details to book your place. If a place is available you will receive a confirmation email. The Sunday rides are prioritised for new/recently joined members and also prospect members who want to come along and try a ride before joining. Regular club members are being encouraged to self organise rides during this time.

We cannot accommodate any more than 5 riders plus a leader on any ride so when a ride is full please do not turn up, you will be refused a ride with the group. We will monitor demand and also any changes to government and British Cycling advice on group activities.

Saturday and Thursday night Rides

There will NOT be a return to organised Saturday or Thursday evening rides for club members until we can meet safely in larger groups. We realise how keen everyone (including us!) is to resume normal club rides, so we will obviously try to reintroduce these as soon as practically possible. Please use Facebook and your existing social networks to arrange meet ups and group rides amongst yourselves and do not use St Ann’s Wells Gardens to meet up for the time being.

Guidelines for all riders.

 Participants must not attend a ride or session if they have Covid-19 symptoms, have someone in their household who does and are in the extremely vulnerable category or if they have been asked to remain at home by the UK Government track and trace system. Stay local, cycle to your activity where possible and avoid public transport if you can.

You will see on the sheet that start times are staggered, please do not turn up early or late for your allocated ride so as to avoid more than the maximum allowable number to congregate.

There will be no sign on sheets on the day, you will need to submit your next of kin details when you sign up. Ride leaders will do a verbal safety briefing before you set off and all riders should conduct a pre-ride check of their bike. Do the M check.

Participants must practice good respiratory hygiene during the activity (i.e. coughing, sneezing into a tissue or the crook of an elbow and no snot-rocketing)

Ensure all those involved maintain social distancing at least 2 meters. As we know 2m is an arbitrary distance when it comes to fast moving cyclists so consider the need to leave greater than 2 meters depending on wind direction etc. Try to avoid drafting. Riding 2 m apart and 2 abreast will cause problems for other road users so consider the road and act sensibly. When slowing or stopping at lights or junctions riders must remain 2 meters apart.

Don’t share food, snacks, water bottles or handle each others bikes.

Carry hand sanitiser with you to use at any stops

FRANK BLAKE,  1930 – 2020

Very sadly, Frank, a life member of the club for at least five decades, passed away recently.  He joined the club in April 1945, when one had to be 16 years old to apply, by being economical with his age.  National Service saw him with the R.A.F. in Yorkshire and riding time trials with fields of over 200 riders.  After resuming a civilian life and marrying Sally, they moved to Suffolk Street in Hove and was the owner of the first car in the road.  Forty years later, he remarked how he had trouble finding a parking space in the same road.  He worked in Queens Road, Brighton in the 1960’s and 1970’s selling and repairing typewriters prior to starting a bike shop, Kingfisher Cycles, in St. James Street, Kemp Town in 1980.  This was a tough time for the trade and he did well to survive almost two years.  After that, he drove taxis until his retirement.

Frank raced in time trials in the early 1950’s including a 2-8 “50” and 4-32 “100” before stopping racing in order to care for his father who had carried a shrapnel wound from WW2 and latterly worked on the local buses.  Frank seemed proud that he never had to pay a fare when his father was the conductor.  In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Frank organised a popular 4-up team time trial around each April, running for several years.  He was the club’s secretary for many years, including the early 90’s, which were a lean time for clubs in general and the Mitre in particular had only some 30 members – it was said we could hold a committee meeting in a telephone box but the Mitre still managed to run a National 24 hours Championship in 1994.  Deservedly he was club President for several terms and, quite simply, without him the Mitre would not be in existence today.  He would always be found at club events until becoming poor of health, about three years ago, and every Wednesday evening during the track season he could be found at Preston Park dressing room corner cheering on the competitors.

Frank recently reached the finishing line of life and he will be greatly missed by his widow, Sally, and children Stephen, Martin and Simone, plus anyone that had the pleasure of knowing this very kind and genuine man.