AUDAX VICTORIAN NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 Special Post Rapture Edition G Day Victorian Randonneurs! It s good to know that we Audaxians survived last weekend and are still around to enjoy the rides on offer over the next few weeks. Apologies for the tardiness of this newsletter s delivery. I was planning to get it out a couple of weeks ago but then I heard of the predicted destruction of life as we know it and I thought maybe I wouldn t have to do it at all. So I set it aside and cycled as many pre-rapture K s as possible (Chris Roger s Moondoggy 400 and Martin Haynes Flattest 400 in the Galaxy ) before last Saturday and what happens? Harold Camping doesn t hold up his end of the deal and I sat there staring at blank sheets of paper. Another apocalyptic prognostication bites the dust. Committee meetings are proposed to happen every two months and I plan to produce a newsletter within a week of the meetings being held. (Barring further Raptures of course). This timing will allow for the quick distribution of information from the committee to club members. I m thinking of having some regular sections in the newsletter to which you, the readership, can contribute. Here are a couple of ideas: Ride Anecdotes and Stories - Not ride reports, just amusing, ironic, interesting insights into a ride. The odd things that happen, the funny exchanges. Name names or go for anonymity as long it s amusing. Bike Gear for Sale - If you have some Audax gear to sell, this newsletter, that goes to 600 randonneurs might be a good place to list it. Free listing. I even do pics. If anyone has additional ideas about what could be included in this newsletter please me and make suggestions. Everyone s thoughts are welcome. Happy Reading & Riding Dave Harrington monsooncyclist@gmail.com What s in this Newsletter? p1 - General News Bits, Committee Elections p2 - Club Night Info, Vic Audax Ball p3 - Pres George Judkins State of the Club article p4 - Committee Contacts, Keith s Training Rides p5 - Upcoming Rides Committee Elections The Victorian AGM was held on 17 March and a new Vic committee was formed. At the AGM in March all positions were thrown open. The following nominations for committee positions were received. All spots were elected unopposed. Committee Positions: President: George Judkins Treasurer: Maxine Riggs Secretary: Peter Donnan Calendar: Stephen Rowlands General Committee: Henry de Man Derek McKean Kim Travers Dave Harrington Merry Rowlands General News Bits Next club meeting - June 7th. Maori Chief hotel in South Melbourne (see page 2). Next committee meeting - June 1st. Venue to be determined. Vic Audax Awards Night and Ball - Saturday June 18th. Great Southern Randonnee Stephen Rowlands reports that the date for GSR 2012 has been set for October 29th. A flyer will be created for advertising at PBP. The Lingalonga 1200 on Saturday 29th October will now start at Shepparton (not Wangaratta). Change has been necessitated due to Wang Jazz Fest happening on the same weekend and taking over all accommodation. The Gales East of the Prom ride on July 2nd is in need of a ride Organiser. If you are able to please call Stephen Rowlands on See page 2. Next newsletter deadline - June 4th

2 Audax Club Night! Tuesday 7th June - 7:30 pm The Maori Chief Hotel 117 Moray St South Melbourne New meeting location! Evening s Topic: PBP Packing & Preparation Highlights: Bike packing demonstration by Abbotsford Cycles. Tips on giving your steed a safe journey. Travel info from Howard Duncan, Bikestyle Tours Semaine Federale in Flers, Normandy from 31/7 to 7/8 PBP Committee update from Helen Lew Ton The latest correct information from the source Meals from 6pm. Meeting upstairs at 7:30pm sharp. Contact Peter Donnan at vic.clubnight@audax.org.au if you expect to have a meal so that I can let the pub know for catering purposes. The Maori Chief Hotel Tuesdays specials menu has $15 steaks! Plenty of free parking after 6pm Tram 55 (Kings Way metres) Tram 112 (Clarendon St metres) Tram 1 (Sturt St metres) (One block from previous Sth Melb venue, Bells Hotel) Club Nights, Past & Future... April Club Night saw an enthralling talk by the Checkpoint Club Magazine editor Trevor Gosbell. We were all amazed at Trevor s dedication and passion for the task, it takes him about 40 to 50 hours to produce each edition. Trevor provided some excellent tips on what makes for good articles and photos. In fact, the talk was so interesting that it would make a great article for Checkpoint, Trevor? Club Nights organisation is being handed over to the dynamic duo of Merryn Rowlands & Kim Travers, with some suggested topics potentially in the pipeline: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Tyres presentation by Vittoria Tyres. Film Night showing of Audax UK documentary Any Given Sunday & PBP 2007 DVD. Audax Awards Night And Ball Saturday 18th June :30pm Champagne & Orange Juice 7:00pm Entrée Served 3 Course Meal - BYO Dress: Formal / Black Tie $50 per Ticket Victorian Ride Organisers free Alpine Classic Volunteers free Band: Public Nuisance (Music from the 60 s to now) Richmond Town Hall Bridge Street, Richmond Contact Merryn - mkr@merenre.com The Queens Royal Tour Sat/Sun/Mon June 11/12/13 Gales East of the Prom Saturday July 2nd An undulating ride to Tidal River and back with spectacular views of Corner Inlet, Wilson s Prom and Bass Strait. Soup along the way to keep the winter gales at bay. This ride needs a new organiser asap! Contact Stephen Rowlands if you might be interested. Start: Foster Distance: 150 / 200km - Supported Come spend the Queen s Birthday long weekend cycling around the Seymour area. Take the challenge and do three 200km rides in 3 days. Saturday, Sunday and Monday will each have a different 200km ride available. Come up for one, two or all three rides. There will be a nice combination of hilly and flat roads. Seymour has a number of restaurants, food stores and accommodation options for those who want to make a weekend of it. Start: Seymour Distance: 200km on each day - Not Supported Page 2 Peter Donnan

3 Annual General Meeting Victoria Region Audax Cycling Club of Australia Tuesday 15th March 2011 The British Crown Hotel 14 Smith Street, Collingwood Attendees: Stephen Rowlands, George Judkins, Carol Judkins, Merryn Rowlands, Gordon MacMillan, Helen Lew Ton, Jane May, Maxine Riggs, Peter Donnan, Kim Travers, Derek McKean, Leigh Paterson, Dave Harrington, Phil Bellette, Tim Laugher, Andy Derham, Henry de Man. Apologies received: Gareth Evans, Tim Taylor, Hans Dusink, Steve Ambrey, Peter Curtis, Peter Mathews, Bridget Evans. President s Report from George Judkins In making the President s Report for 2010 can I thank all ride organisers for their efforts over the year. Can I also thank all volunteers for their help in making so many of the rides memorable for the participants. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes that carry out a multitude of functions both at the regional and also the national level. Thanks to riders for their participation throughout the year. A personal thank you to the out-going committee for working so well together and the contributions and support you have given. In terms of membership the past year has been one more of consolidation than of growth. Member numbers for Victoria for 2010 were 628 compared with 630 the year before. Victoria had 56% of national membership. Membership Australia wide is down in 2011 and this is currently under examination by National Committee. The calendar of rides over the past 12 months has been excellent. It has been pleasing to see new organisers putting new rides on the calendar. Special thanks must go to the Calendar and Ride Coordinator Stephen Rowlands who puts in considerable time and effort in recruiting and chasing up organisers, formulating the calendar and liaising nationally to ensure it integrates with the interstate calendars. The Alpine continued as a very successful marquee event thanks to the highly capable direction of Phil Bellette. The Western Districts Wanderer organised by Peter Donnan was a superbly supported 1000km ride attracting many interstate riders. It was also very pleasing to see the large contingent of Victorian riders and volunteers that travelled to Perth last October for the Perth-Albany-Perth. It makes one realise the significant place Victoria holds in the randonneuring world. Congratulations must go to Lorraine Allen and Don and Enid Halton for being granted life membership to Audax Australia in recognition of their outstanding efforts and extraordinary contributions to the running of our organisation over a long period. Congratulations to Outstanding Member award recipients: Peter Moore, Merryn & Stephen Rowlands, Peter Donnan and Ron McInnes who all serve this club so well. Page 3 Congratulations must also go to all the riders, particularly those who have earned awards by completing various series of rides. One of the great social highlights for the year was the club nights that were organised by Peter Donnan. These nights provided attendees with a huge amount of information on topics from riding overseas 1200s, sleep deprivation, lighting, riding the Paris-Brest-Paris and the Oppy. The nights were extremely popular. Thank you to all the presenters, thank you Peter Donnan. The newsletter was popular when we were able to get it out. Thanks to Steve Ambry for that. Thanks to Jane May for handling the clothing sales. Also thanks to Mike Boehm for his IT support. Ron McInnes for coordinating volunteers, Hans Dusink as Regional Brevet Secretary and Gareth Evans for advice and input. We are also very lucky to have such a hard working Treasurer in Maxine Riggs to keep us on top of the financial situation. Thanks Maxine. The Region remains in a healthy position financially. I ll leave Maxine to discuss this in detail in her report. Last year there was discussion on the sizable cash surplus the region held. There has been considerable comment from several members throughout the year that the region has plenty of money and we need to do more with it. The committee whilst acknowledging the situation is conscious that we do not want to be slack in our administration of regional finances nor do we want to encourage poor ride budgeting from ride organisers. Every ride making a loss would be undesirable and not be sustainable in the long term. Furthermore the Alpine which has been a significant revenue raiser in the past is experiencing rising costs that will see it be less profitable in the future. Thanks to Peter Curtis for assisting the rest of the committee in identifying and tossing around ideas on how we might responsibly provide benefits from some of the funds to active club members and supporters. Initiatives where we are trying to provide benefits to active members include this year s 30th Anniversary Opperman 24 Hour where Victorian Members are receiving a discount on their entry, rider packs and their medals will be free. Thanks also to organiser Martin Haynes for his work on this. The Ball / Awards night is another example of the club providing something special. This night was well received by all attending last year and all agreed Merryn Rowlands did a fantastic job with the arrangements. I have feedback from other regions that they are really quite jealous of our event. The night is largely funded by the region to the tune of around $8000. As this is a significant item of expenditure the committee is keen that I share this cost information with you. It can be expected that the cost this year will be of similar magnitude. (continued next page)

4 (continued from previous page) The committee has also been identifying other potential initiatives and those that have gained most traction and some of which we hope to pursue in the coming year include: 1. Major ride support 2. A range of volunteer and rider awards 3. 1st Aid training & kits for interested organisers 4. Selected free rides for members 5. T-shirts 6. Promotion Posters and Advertisements 7. Permanent club night venue I d like now to broadly reiterate what I said at the AGM last year in terms of the committee s broad objectives. As the committee representing the region we aim to: Provide a quality calendar with a mix of rides that are safe, enjoyable and attractive to all members and abilities Encourage and support new riders / members Encourage and support current and new ride organizers Keep members informed of club activities Facilitate club fellowship through club nights and functions Be receptive to suggestions from members for improvement Be diligent, responsible and transparent in the administration of the region If we can achieve this I am sure the region will continue to prosper. Can I wish you all happy and safe cycling in 2011 and for those who heading to France for PBP best wishes for a great ride from the Victorian Committee. Thank You. Committee Contacts: George Judkins - President judkins@netspace.net.au Maxine Riggs - Treasurer maxineriggs@optusnet.com.au Peter Donnan - Secretary pdonnan@bigpond.net.au Stephen Rowlands - Calendar srowlands63@gmail.com Henry de Man - henryjde@yahoo.com David Harrington - monsooncyclist@gmail.com Derek McKean - derekim@bigpond.com Merryn Rowland s - mkr@merenre.com Kim Travers - Kim.Travers@cpsu.org.au Keith Lowe s Weekly Training Rides Cruising up the Hills - MONDAYS Each Monday starting at 9.00am a social group of riders will tackle the Dandenongs, doing various distances. All welcome - any reasonable weather. Start: Ring Keith Lowe for start details. Tel: keithlowe9@bigpond.com Distance: 80km Cruising down the Bay - WEDNESDAYS Every Wednesday there will be 3-4 hours of riding down the Bay into the Mornington peninsula. Maybe some hills, definitely some coffee. All welcome - any reasonable weather. Start: Mordialloc - Ring Keith Lowe for start details. Tel: keithlowe9@bigpond.com Distance: 80km Page 4

5 Upcoming Victorian Audax Rides Page 5 Kinglake Loop Sunday May 22nd A hilly ride from Kinglake to Yea and return via Kinglake West. A good one for the hill climbers as the route goes to Yea over Junction Hill and returns the same way. Start: Kinglake Contact: Bill Jeppesen Tel: bill.jeppesen@doi.vic.gov.au Distances: 116km - Supported Last Gasp Gallic Qualifiers Saturday May 28th The last possible chance to complete a missing ride for your PBP qualification. These are very achievable rides using the same routes as the established Gippsland Gambol series. 200km ride starts Sunday morning and finishes with the 600 riders. Start: Stratford Contact: Peter Mathews Tel: pmathews@alphalink.com.au Distances: 200 / 300 / 400 / 600km - Supported Drouin to Cape Patterson Saturday June 4th Scenic ride with an undulating start through green farmland to Korumburra and Inverloch. Then coastal and ocean views as you cycle past Eagles Nest to Cape Patterson. Distance: 200km - Not Supported Wanderlust Sunday June 5th Starting from suburban Heidelberg, the ride wanders through the scenic Warrandyte towards Yarra Glen, and then back through the leafy St Andrews and Eltham - an uplifting ride that will surprise! Start: Heidelberg Contact: John Bahoric Tel: john.bahoric@arup.com.au The Queens Royal Tour Sat/Sun/Mon June 11/12/13 Come spend the long weekend riding around the Seymour area or just come up for the day, lots of hills great training for PBP. Each day will have a different 200km ride. Start: Seymour Distance: 200 / 200 / 200km - Not Supported Drouin to the Wong Friday June 17th Start from Drouin Railway Station. Lovely scenic ride on quiet roads with lots of hills. Drouin to Poowong, Nyora and Lang Lang, Heath HIll, Athlone. 850 metres of climbing See Sea Rider Sunday June 19th - Rail Trail / Bike Path A cruise along the shared path from Box Hill North through Southbank and Williamstown to Altona and back. Cappuccini compulsory at checkpoints. Start: Elgar Park Contact: Chris Rogers Tel: ritchierogers@bigpond.com Wandong Winter Wander Sunday June 26th Get your riding friends together and ignore the winter weather. Wander through the wonderfully undulating, quiet country roads north of Melbourne and enjoy the fresh air. Start: Wandong Contact: Lorraine Allen Tel: membership@audax.org.au Distance: 50 / 100 / 150 / 200km - Supported Gales East of the Prom Saturday July 2nd An undulating ride to Tidal River and back with spectacular views of Corner Inlet, Wilson s Prom and Bass Strait. Soup along the way to keep the winter gales at bay. Start: Foster Distance: 150 / 200km - Supported This ride needs a new organiser asap! Contact Stephen Rowlands. Noojee 100 Sunday July 10th Hilly, scenic ride on quiet country roads. Excellent views of green farmland, dairy cows and forest. Enjoy lunch in Noojee at the Red Parrot Cafe. Distance: 200km - Not Supported