The
2008 cycling season is just around the corner and will begin for the
Brampton Cycling Club with our first official race scheduled for
March 20
th, followed closely by our first series
of group rides scheduled for the 29
th. I would
like to
thank the new 2008 BCC executive for all their efforts in providing the
membership with a full program of events for this season. An
organization such as the BCC could not exist without the efforts of
such volunteers and I commend them all for building a solid
foundation for all of our racing, touring and social events. It is my
hope that the membership will have a great deal of success and
enjoyment while participating in our scheduled events this year. Our
affiliation with the
Ontario Cycling Association has been renewed for
the 2008 season so that each BCC member will be receiving two
membership cards. It is recommended that you keep these cards with
you when participating in a BCC event.
To all my friends who have ridden and competed within this club year
after year - I hope that you all have had a good and productive “off”
season and have built up some solid base training during these cold
and snowy winter months. I share your desire to get back on the road
and I am looking forward to riding with you again. I would also like
to extend a warm welcome to those individuals who will have the
privilege of joining the BCC for the first time in 2008. I wish you
all a safe and successful ride with the Brampton Cycling Club.
Kind Regards
Gerry Bick
President
Brampton Cycling Club
Welcome to the
2008 BCC racing season to all club
members, both those renewing their memberships and to the new members
joining us this year. As always, a comprehensive
race
schedule awaits, which encompasses a wide selection of time
trials, crtiteriums, road races, sprints and hill climbs.
Feature events this season will be the Trevor Allen RR on June
15
th; the 100 KM RR on July 27
th;
our
proposed OCA sanctioned criterium event running the whole day on August
10
th, which is currently in the planning
stages and would
commence with the OCA Youth Series segment; the Ed Ruttle
Stage Race being held on the weekend of August 16 – 17; and the Most
Improved Rider 40 KM ITT on September 7
th,
which will be piggy-backed again this year as our club’s entry into
the
2008
World Masters Time Trial Challenge.
In order to improve road safety, the road races this year will follow
the Australian pursuit style format, with non BCC associate members
starting in the final groupings. The sprints were enjoyed by
those participating in them last season,
and we encourage you to try them this year…..they are essentially
broken down into mini crits and the number of riders competing will
determine the format of elimination heats at each of the four scheduled
sessions.
As always, the success our events enjoy is directly proportional to the
participation of volunteers showing up at events to help out, so please
check the racing schedule for your timekeeping/marshalling assignments
and utilize the ‘
switch
request ‘ feature if you cannot
commit to a particular duty, but could switch with someone else on
another day.
Remember,
any member is welcome to watch and/or help out ant any given
event.
The BCC is continuing with our policy of not charging youth
riders ( 17 years old and younger ) with racing fees when
racing in our club events, so long as they are OCA insured.
I will attempt to make weather related decisions the night before a
scheduled event, so please check the on-line race schedule for last
minute updated cancellations.
Finally, we are excited to announce the long awaited formation of a
BCC racing team. The deadline for submitting your name to be
considered is March 24
th. The
expectation is that the
individual would be competitive at the OCA level of racing or for the
youngsters, compete in the OCA Youth Series. The club will
provide a sponsorship to each team member, and the BCC race committee
will select the successful candidates comprising the team of no more
than ten members.
Please consult the
BCC website to review all the racing pages or feel
free to contact the racing executive for further details.
Remember to wear your helmets and ride safely … Lets make
2008 a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone !
Marc Heinig
VP Racing
The weather is steadily improving & it’s almost time to start
the 2008 BCC touring season. I would like to thank everyone who has
volunteered to lead our various rides as without your support we would
not be able to offer the program that we all enjoy.
I have only published the March, April & May portion of the
schedule so far & will be adding more at a later date.
The key events that we have lined up for this year are;
The Eden Mills picnic will be held a little earlier than usual and will
be on May 31
st. The format will be much the same as before but this
year it will be free of charge to all BCC members.
We are introducing a new event for all members plus your families. This
will be held at the picnic area in
El Dorado Park (Steeles &
Creditview in Brampton) on Saturday July 12
th. All rides will leave
from there at staggered times to arrive back at around 12:30 where we
can meet up with our families for a picnic. This event is still in the
early stages of planning & more details will be published as
things progress. The intention is that this event will also be free of
charge.
As the
Riddeau Lakes tour is very popular within the BCC we will be
running some training rides (probably on Sundays) to help prepare for
the big weekend which this year is on June 7
th & 8
th. These
rides will also be useful for those working up to the
Tour For Kids
epic in August & you are most welcome to join in. As the
intention is to cover these rides with our insurance we will have to
restrict participation to BCC members only. Through the message board
we can also coordinate travel arrangements up to Ottawa & it
would be great if we could all get together for dinner in Ottawa on
Friday evening.
Lastly, there will be a ride up to the
York Soaring Club located north
of Fergus where we can each have a go at gliding. This will be weather
dependant & no date has yet been fixed but the plan is to do
this on a Sunday in late spring or summer & leaving from
somewhere like Acton so that we can get up there & with plenty
of time for the gliding. The cost would be around $80.00 each.
Our first scheduled rides are on Saturday 29 March so make sure your
membership application is in before then as only BCC members are
allowed on club rides.
See you on the road soon….
Andy Mallinson
VP Touring