Thinking of becoming
a club member?
If you are thinking of becoming a club member then you
have 2 things to do.
1. Start riding with the club.
2. Join the club.
Both of these things are very easy.
1. Before starting to ride with the club you should chose
which of the clubs rides suits you best.
Can you ride 25 miles at 16 mph on your own? If so the
Sunday club run is fine for you. Whilst the club runs are
further than 25 miles the effect of being in a group will
extend your endurance. If you are in any doubt over whether
you can make it on a club run but would like to try it anyway
contact ‘Wedge’ with about a weeks notice and
he will arrange for a Chaperone to look out for you on the
club run and ride home with you should you feel that it
is too much for you. Don’t feel this is a bind for
the club, it is quite normal at clubs all over the country
and we have all been there, it’s much easier to plan
in advance though!
Can you ride 30 miles at 17.5mph? If so as well as the
Sunday ride the Saturday bash is suitable for you. You will
need some skills at riding in a group for this ride. If
you have never ridden in a group then if you mention it
at the meeting place somebody will look out for you and
show you the rope. If you have never been on a Saturday
ride before then you should not be tempted to the front
until you are sure that the pace is okay for you. Saturday
rides are often spilt in two with a slower group leaving
5 minutes before the racing members.
Can you ride 30 miles at 19mph? If so you are probably
up to the Tuesday bash. This is a fast training ride and
it is a wise precaution to know the way home, the bash will
not wait after the first 5 mile neutralized zone. There
are short cuts on the two routes that you can use to regroup
and recover.
Want to race? To ride the club time trials you must be
registered to an RTTC (Road Time Trail Council) affiliated
club, Stratford CC is affiliated. Then once you are a paid
up member of the club you may turn up half and hour before
the start of the race and sign on and ride the time trial.
It is your responsibility to know the route (they are all
quite simple). Time trials are all individual and so you
are only racing yourself, this means that you are already
good enough to start racing.
Not up to the rides and want a training program to get
you into shape? If you join the club we have the expertise
within the club to outline a training plan for you and some
goals so that you can target joining the clubs social rides
in good time.
Membership
Stratford CC has 3 levels of membership:
Racing Member.
This is a fully paid up member of the racing team, Stratford
CC will contribute towards the race entry fees and fuel
expenses incurred driving to races. This membership is for
you if you intend to race a lot.
Normal Membership.
As the name implies, this is the normal membership level
for the club. This level of membership entitles you to ride
with the club in all rides and race for the club under its
affiliations to the RTTC and British Cycling. You may ride
club Time Trials for free.
Affiliate Member.
This level of membership is held usually by the partners
of club members, this entitles you to attend club social
events and race under the clubs affiliations but you must
pay for the club time trials.
To become a member follow the link to the clubs membership
secretary and follow the instructions there, it is a simple
as that.
SAFETY
& ETIQUETTE
First Things First!
Before setting off on your bike always check your brakes,
gears, spokes, tyres etc. Always carry a spare inner tube,
tyre leavers & a pump. And make sure you know how to
change your inner tube should you puncture. Carry a mobile
phone!!
Riding in a group
Do not cycle more than two a breast and try and keep
as close to the edge of the road as safety permits.
Try to hold a steady line. Do not make any sudden moves,
unless forced to.
You should always be aware of what is ahead, potholes parked
cars, walkers etc., start making your move with time to
spare. Always shout back and let everyone know!
Let people know when a car is coming. ‘car up’
(behind you) or ‘car down’ (coming towards you)
The closer you can get behind the cyclist in front the
more shelter you will get the more energy you will save,
when you are ‘holding a wheel’, always keep
your front wheel slightly to the right of theirs then if
they do flick you have somewhere to go, and always have
hands, preferably, on your brakes but certainly within a
finger’s movement from them.
If you need to slow down, ease back gradually. Do not stop
pedalling and sit up and never hit the brakes.
When cornering the idea is to spread your weight evenly
across the bike – push your bum back in the saddle
and your hands forwards into the bends of your bars and
relax. Where possible keep pedalling, the momentum helps
your balance. If you cannot keep pedalling point your knee
into the corner and keep your outside leg straight. Try
not to brake whilst cornering brake before you hit the bend.
Get comfortable with having a drink. Taking a bottle from
a cage is a very common cause of accidents.
The ‘chain gang’
There will be 2 lines 1 moving towards the front the other
dropping back rotating everyone to the front for a few seconds.
The idea is to keep moving smoothly at a good speed. When
you move to the front and it is time to pullover do not
sprint past and open gaps causing people to chase. Move
past steadily and move over smoothly allowing the rider
behind you to do the same and the pace should accelerate
gradually. Once it is too fast for you to continue rotating
sit just off the back without disrupting the chain.
Happy riding.
