This post comes from Wilko. Prepare to be challenged(!), and feel free to add comments on this issue.
With many years associated with the Armidale Cycling Club I do think we may be losing some direction in what has made this Club special - and that is the real strength in a Club is not our best rider, it is our slowest rider, eg the new and the young. I now see our Tuesday and Thursday, and in some ways Sunday rides, not catering for such a rider.
I have just introduced two juniors to the Thursday night ride. While Reece and Jillian now have the ability to stay with the bunch traveling at speed, they are still very short on experience at bunch riding, day or night - this being their first night ride. I would like to put this question to the group that was in attendance last Thursday (17 April) - did any of them say to themselves “we have two new juniors here tonight that are trying to learn the trade of cycling, let’s slow down a little, let’s take more care, let’s not put them under too much pressure as to fatigue them, and in turn maybe cause an accident? If they were to be dropped, let’s slow down and wait. Let’s spend a few rides helping them settle in, as someone did for us a year or two back.” If no-one can answer “yes” to this question, maybe I am right. We are indeed losing our direction.
While in the winter months I do think that the night rides should be for those that have reasonable ability, but with consideration still given to those at the bottom end of that ability. For example, juniors or senior riders returning from injury.
As most member of the Club would know, myself and a few dedicated seniors have on Tuesdays and Thursdays been taking out a group of juniors in the Under 17 and Under 15 age groups to prepare them for the senior level. These sessions have been mostly skill-based. We have not concentrated on fitness training much at all. This was brought about because we felt that this sort of skill-based training could no longer be conducted on the normal Club rides on Tuesdays and Thursdays as they seem to have taken on more the Tuesday/Thursday race day - with “how fast can we ride, how fast can we hill climb and sprint” - Robbie McEwen look out! Thank goodness we all slow down on Saturday “race” day - dead set, it is easier racing than keeping up on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I would like to see Tuesday and Thursdays return in the summer months to this type of skills training. This way the juniors and the learner can join us as a Club and not have to be separated. This will require slower riding at times but you will be surprised how quickly riders improve. (We started the summer riding at about 18 kph, we are now doing roll-throughs at about 45 kph at times). If we return to this form of skills training just maybe it will prevent some of the unnecessary accidents that are happening at racing and on some Club rides. So I ask these questions once again - Is a Club as strong as its slowest rider, or fastest? Do you think we are losing direction? Is the whole Club catering for learners, juniors and women riders? Al and Dave have done great work in this area in the last couple of years, but where do these riders go from the track? How many women and juniors have you seen or noticed on the Tuesday/Thursday rides or Sunday rides? ….and yes, we all know how fast you are, but have you got the skills required to back this up in racing?
Peter Wilkinson
9 responses so far ↓
1 Bob Murison // Apr 25, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I agree with what Peter has written but do not expect that things will change at all.
The racing should be flat out on Sat and that Sun be a recovery ride for those who had a go the day before. If you had a rest on sat and want a hard ride on Sun to make up, best do it by yourself.
2 Ray Phillips // Apr 26, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I also concur with Pete and agree with Bob, that things will not change which is a great pitty as many members have said to me they want changes and for the club to function the way Peter has described in his artical. We all need to take responsibility for the safety of everyone and this means some people have to change their attitude about riding.
3 Alen O'Hara // Apr 27, 2008 at 12:17 am
For the last two years I’ve been ranting and raving like a lunatic on this matter, finally there is some one else that can see.
Who has the Navman ?Lost direction for god sake were not even in the right universe.Care for or help your fellow clubmate ,let alone a kid or a fat boy,youve gotta be jokin.WHY?
This behaviour will contine so long as it is tolerated and encouraged ,as will the crashes,undertaking,rubbing wheels ,rolling turns the wrong way,disobeying road rules.
I hear alot of bitchin ,but see no changes from the ones bitchin.Just alot of riders acting like dumb sheep, if something is not right ,don’t just follow because everyone else is doing it, Say something ,do something ,make a stand . Don’t put up with the the arrogance .
I believe there are enough smart people in the club to make the change . Go On I Dare Ya’s.
Get the real Armidale Cycling Club back !
4 Scott Hazo // Apr 27, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I rode with Armidale Cycling Club for 15 years. I first came to the club as an 11 year old on a borrowed bike and was taken in by Colin Maciver and Peter Wilkinson. These guys would drive me to endless races all over the country side in the years to come. Over the years i slowly moved from starting off ‘go’ about half an hour in front to starting off scratch about 30 minutes behind. I was never particularly talented as a cyclist, but was ALWAYS encouraged at the club and therefore enjoyed a reasonable level of fitness and success. The best thing about the club was the enjoyment factor. The bunch rides were good and hard, but never did the bunch ride off into the sunset when a rider was dropped. Sure, you went hard on a hill interval on Rockvale in the dead of winter, but then at the top, you turned around, rode back down the hill and made sure everyone was back on and ready to go again. If you wanted a hard session, you went out before the club ride to do some efforts, or went afterwards to do your thing. I have great memories of my time in Armidale riding with the boys, and even now that i am nearly 20 years older than when i first started… i know i can come back and hear the same story Wilko told me when i turned up as a junior on a borrowed bike. You MUST train hard if you want to be the best, but if you want the best club, train smart. I am now a member of a club that has the most sponsorship of any club in NSW, gets upwards of 100 riders to local races and the bunch rides have to have 3 bunches in order to fit on the roads… but i know about 3 blokes and have no time for chatting cos i am usually hanging on with my tongue hanging out as we average 44km/hr at 5am… I’m not training for the Tour De France, but to some it seems we are.
The best thing about cycling is the mateship on the road and the feeling of camaraderie. I mean, i must have spent 1000 hours staring at Wilko or Col’s rear derallieur (or trying to pretend Wilko’s bike shorts weren’t worn through to the butt crack).
I remember on my first night ride i didn’t have any lights, so these 2 blokes rode across town from their respective houses to drop me off at my front door and speak to my Dad about the sorts of lights that were available on the market. Bullo then sold me a set and let me pay them off at $5 per week for about the next century…
A GREAT club, don’t change it… and even with this gentlemanly attitude we used to kick arse at all the northern division and state races anyway. Remember Ian Maciver riding off the front over Gibralter and getting 2nd in the Grafton? Or Mick H winning B-grade by hammering off the front after Wire gully? How about Colin winning every national title there is, or Wilko scaring every member of the bunch in Nemingha to Nundle to take their turn? Remember Joel Love’s natural ability or Richard Wilkinson’s refusal to push any gear but the 53/10 on Boorolong? Wilko’s Delungra easter training rides had us all excited about seeing the city lights of warialda and trying to ride up Bingara lookout… I’m still waiting for my bag or oranges for winning the bingara bash. Who can forget Leon the Lion or Georgie’s refusal to ride pick a plank bridges? I remember Wilko handing me an unpealed orange in the Grafton to Inverell and looking baffled when i threw it away! Or how about the time he put me off scratch with Murray Coxon and i was dropped in the first 50m but chased for the next 90km to Bundarra and back cos i was too scared to stop in case he found out?
So many memories, too many to count.. Remember when Blanchy chased down the lion after the lion put him on the tarmac 100m into a race…bloodied and beaten 40kms later Jason caught him and attacked to win simply saying ‘you’re an idiot’ as he crossed the line! Or how about learning to sprint as Bullo literally threw you over the line and you thought you were flying. Remember when Paul’s willy froze to his knicks on the Sunday ride and he cried when he peeled it back? HAH! Or Houlty doing the Bendemeer 200km loop with his brakes rubbing?
SORRY for the trip down memory lane… Couldn’t help myself.
5 Martin Atkinson // Apr 28, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Being a rather new member of the club I feel that I can’t say too much about the above comments. However, I would like to say that I have found the club very encouraging and enjoyable in my first year of riding with it.
I have riden road bikes for years, but this is my first time as a club member, and before I finally bit the bullet and joined, I was always discouraged by rumours that cycling clubs are elitist and not interested in new and novice riders. I would like to say that I have not found any evidence of this with our club - I have felt welcome from my very first race day, on the Sunday rides and even on the few Thursday rides I have been on. I have found the training valuable and the advice I have recieved from many members very useful.
I do agree with Peter that there needs to be room for learning - and yes I guess I have noticed a few areas that I think would need improvement, but overall I think the club is well organised and supported.
6 Tim Dunn // May 15, 2008 at 12:16 am
I’m not sure what to say.
I’m concerned about the increase in falls and believe they can be eliminated with some common sense.
New members need to be encouraged and allowed to settle into the bunch rides in a non threatening manner.
We need to earn the respect of motorists by riding as per the road rules.
I quite like the current tues/thurs format. Out easy as a bunch. Home hard in graded seperate bunches.
I haven’t ridden a Sunday for awhile, but agree it’s a recovery ride only, a chance to get some klms in the legs and have a chat. Perfect for new members to learn the ropes.
Cyclists I’ve met elsewhere have said, “You lucky B@#$@&%, Armidale is a cycling heaven.”
Why?
The rides, the hills, the Club!
Lets get back on track.
Regards.
7 Scott Hazo // May 16, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Armidale IS cycling heaven… good luck in the Masters in Port this weekend…
8 Lindsay Rowlands // May 18, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I want to say that for there to be a change in attitude through the ranks of the club it is most easily realised through a reassessment and regrouping at the ground level. What we do is ride, so when we ride together we need to do it as a club that respects its leaders and members. The best way to do that is be clear about how we should ride together.
I’d like to suggest that on any club ride on local roads that there be a ‘captain’ who makes the decision before setting out to split the group (or not) into smaller units based on current ability. Likewise there should be a leader in each group who ensures their group obeys road rules and keeps the group organised.
Whether it’s a training ride or recovery I would love to see regular change of pulls on the front with an organised way of cycling through the pack, i.e., parallel lines rotating clockwise in chain fashion. This keeps riders focused and alert, everyone gets a good workout and rest, and provides practice at working/cooperating in a group. It also avoids those 3-abreast moments where tired riders fall back through or around the pack.
Hope this contributes to the resolution of the current situation.
9 admin // May 18, 2008 at 12:59 pm
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