Dear Nomads,
Before we get onto cycling related news, a special mention must go to two well known Nomad members who have been forced to reduce the time spent on their bikes lately due to other special events. So, firstly, congrats to Ben Graves and wife Kathryn who welcomed baby Imogen into the world on the 8th Feb. She weighed in at a healthy 3.3kg and Ben is already picking out bikes for her (although he has a battle on his hands because Kathryn is already picking out ponies for her). Secondly, massive congrats to Jason Blenkarn who married his fiancée Kirstie on the 16th March. The Nomads wish you many happy years together.
Now onto the cycling news! With the racing season getting underway, a few people have asked about the track league which is due to start on the 18th April. If you would like more information, then head over to the Sussex Cycle Racing League’s newsletter about it by clicking here. SCRL also run a circuit racing series, which several Nomads have been taking part in. More information on that can also be found on their website.
Whilst we are on the subject of racing, the Nomad women have made an excellent start to the season with Amy, Gemma and Janet all taking part in races recently, and with Gemma and Janet both picking up BC racing points for themselves and the Nomads by finishing in the top 10. Gemma was also back in action at a TT race over the Easter weekend, picking up first prize, so a massive well done to her. Kudos also to URDT/Nomads rider Kev Witton, who came 2nd at the cat 4 Velopace race at Preston Park on Sunday, which means he has now won enough BC points to move up to 3rd cat. Well done Kev!
As a club we are very keen to encourage more male and female members to race, so if you are interested in racing, then do get in touch with Steve Noake, Alex Beyfus or Gemma Hobson, who are all active racers. Hopefully they can give you some guidance on how to get started and answer any questions you may have. The women’s world of racing is still establishing itself locally, but there are more and more events being created every season, and more women gaining the skills, fitness and confidence to take part, which is brilliant. There are also some helpful blogs out there by local women about getting into racing, including this one on SCRL’s website which is worth a read if you have even a vague interest in racing, whether it be now or in the future: https://scrl.co.uk/2018/03/30/new-to-womens-racing-a-blog-from-a-new-regular-racer-at-preston-park-will-help/
If you are keen to get started sooner rather than later, then Gemma advises going down to Preston Park this Sunday, where the SCRL have another round of their road bike races for women. Preston Park is a very good course to take your first plunge into racing, and the Sunday event has built in popularity with 13 women on the start line at the last race. Janet Clapton, Amy Hulley, and Gemma Hobson represented the Nomads but Gemma is keen for other women Nomads to come and give it a go. To enter, you can sign up by clicking here or you can sign up on the morning (just be sure to arrive at 8:30 to give yourself time to sign on and warm up for a 9am start).
If it is time trialling you are interested in, then the TT season is well under way, and you can enter open events via the CTT website, which can be found by clicking here. Local cycling clubs also host their own TT events, which anyone is welcome to enter, so do check other local club websites for more information. The Nomads 10 TT series kicks of towards the end of this month on our new course, and information on it can be found by clicking here. We encourage everyone to come and take part, and the great news is, points are awarded based on how much you improve each week and NOT on how fast you are, so it really doesn’t matter if you are not as fast as Jason Blenkarn. It’s more about having fun and taking part.
As well as asking about racing, people have also been asking if we will be having a pop up café again this year, and I am happy to report that 2 have been organised by Steve Ratford, and Helen Codling. Steve will be formally inviting other local cycle clubs along, but if you happen to ride with members of other clubs then feel free to mention it to them and encourage them to come along. Helen will be baking lots of delicious cakes as usual, and all proceeds will go to charity. The first pop up café will be on Sunday 13th May from 10.30 am, at Steyning Athletics Club and the second one will be on Sunday 17th June from 10.30 am, at The Recreation Ground, Fletching. Both events have been added to the Nomads calendar on our website, so check them out if you want additional information.
Next up, Derek has asked me to remind you all of the special offers that are available to Nomad members. The list can be found on the membership page here (scroll down below the online form). Also, for those who are British Cycling members, there are many additional member benefits, for example liability and legal insurance; 10% discount at Halfords; discounted bike insurance etc.
I’ve also had an update from Jason on club kit ordering. He will be putting together the next kit order shortly, so if anyone wants to stick a last minute order in, you can do so up to the 8th April. The kit order that was sent off in January is in production so hopefully the kit will arrive and be distributed in a few weeks time. If anyone has any questions about club kit, then send them to sussexnomadsclubkit@hotmail.com and either Jason or Kevin will get back to you.
Next up a reminder to all those members who have yet to collect their 40th anniversary commemorative mug. Will, Mark and Adrian still have plenty of mugs waiting to be taken to their new homes and filled with tea, so please get in touch with them if you have yet to collect yours. Contact and collection information can be found in the last newsletter (click here to go to it).
Another reminder next, about the Haywards Heath bike ride. This year it is being held on the 15th April, which is less than 2 weeks away, so if you plan to do it and haven’t got your entry in yet, you better hurry. The event is always good fun and they raise a lot of money for local charities. Plus you get a medal at the end. Enter via the link here. For those not doing it this year, there will be a club run route available instead. See the website for more info.
Lastly, as you all know, the Nomads are fully reliant on a group of volunteers who give up their time to make sure that we can continue to run as a club. Bearing this in mind, we’d like to announce that the role of Treasurer on the steering committee is now vacant. The role is temporarily being filled by Will, but this is not ideal since Will already has a role on the committee and it is unfair to expect him to do both. So, if anyone is interested in taking on this role or wants to know more about it, then please contact Will (willfaas@btinternet.com). In addition to this, we are also looking for additional ride leaders to help run the Sunday morning club runs. If you are interested in helping with that, please contact any of the committee members.
That’s all for now, except to say good luck to all those Nomads taking part in the Paris Roubaix sportive this weekend!
Have a good week!
Sally