Blog Bulletin

A polite reminder that front and rear lights must be used on club rides during the daytime when there is poor light. It goes without saying that a motorist's range of vision will be reduced in the fog and mist or if the weather is particularly overcast. The more lights we have running, the bigger our presence, which hopefully makes us all safer. 

Also, please ensure that you have mudguards fitted between 1st October and 31st March. This is out of consideration to your club mates and the cafes we use.

Saturday's ride is to Quackers Cafe, near Pucklechurch. We first discovered the farm shop by complete accident on a Sunday Series ride back on 2nd March 2014. Then, it was a thoroughly miserable day. Cold and wet, and in desperate need of a warming drink and something to eat, Quackers was a very welcome and completely unexpected find.   


The Social Group's 37.7 mile course can be viewed and downloaded here. It has 1,558 feet of elevation.

Similarly, you can find the Sporting Group's 43.3 mile course here, which has 1,792 feet of elevation.

There are two important points to note, which are relevant to both courses:

• As always, please take care when crossing the busy A46 road.
• The ascent of Hinton Hill is less severe using Cock Lane, but the road surface isn't as good as the Cotswold Way. Ride leaders will need to make a decision on the day, based on the local conditions, as to which route to use.

Please take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the course you intend to ride. If you have a Garmin or a similar device, please download it. Both will be very helpful to your ride leader.

The first Knight Riders session of 2017 got off to a flying start. We were joined by Graham Simpson who rode over from Sherston and became our latest new MCCC member. During the course of the ride out to Purton and Royal Wootton Bassett, the temperature plummeted from 4 degrees to minus 2. Our customary meeting with a gritting lorry took place at the beginning of the ride, as we made our way up to the BP garage. Peter C's course avoided lanes where ice might have formed and we all returned intact.

If you're thinking of joining us, but are uncertain as to the drill for riding at night, here's a link to an excellent 'how to' video by the guys at GCN.

Riders: Graham, James H, Peter C, Phil and me, Tim W.

I have great pleasure in announcing that Peter C is the clear winner of the 2016 Chairman's Trophy. Points were allocated based on attendance on club rides between 1st April, when the competition began and 31st December. Well done Peter!

Position	Member	Points
1st	Peter C	73
2nd	Tim W	63
3rd	Phil	43
4th	Steve C	37
5th	Tim H	34
6th	James H	28
7th	Lyndon	28
8th	Mike G	26

The Grimpeur Challenge for the most elevation gained by members of the MCCC Strava Club during the same period, was won by me, Tim W.

Position	Member	Elevation in Metres
1st	Tim W	82,599
2nd	Peter C	77,280
3rd	Mike G	63,453
4th	Lyndon	42,981
5th	Phil	39,875
6th	Tim H	35,807
7th	Andy Poolman	34,511
8th	Malc	25,903
9th	Steve K	24,207
10th	Paul	14,586

Engraved trophies will be presented in due course.

The future is bright, the future is green

We've always taken a relaxed view over the wearing of club kit. We'd much rather see members riding in something other than a club jersey, than not at all. That's not about to change, but a uniform body of cyclists can make a very impressive sight and often commands more respect on the road. Motorists seem far less inclined to angrily demand that we get out of their way. It's also a great way of advertising the club.

With a number of new members joining recently, I thought it might be useful to provide some information about how you can buy our club kit.

Firstly, Howard carries a certain amount of stock. If you have to order yours from our supplier, Force GB, they make them on an individual basis, which means that if it turns out to be the wrong size, they won't refund your money or exchange it. If you email Howard to arrange a fitting and he doesn't have one in your size, you'll at least have a better idea of the size you need.

You can follow the link to our own club page on Force GB's website here. In addition to the jerseys, they have an extensive range of cycle clothing all available in our club colours.

MALMESBURY CLARION CODE OF CODUCT

Also of interest to new members will be the Malmesbury Clarion Code of Conduct, which can be found here. If you haven't read the document yet, please take a look so that you are fully aware of your responsibilities. Thank you.