Hello everyone

Happy New Year! Despite some significant weather challenges in recent weeks and with the rain lashing down outside as I write this, we have been able to start 2023 with some great rides in the last week and it is clear that many of you have been very keen to get out and enjoy the countryside again. It was remarkable to see how much the flood plain of the Thames was living up to its name on a recent 3* ride. And it was clearly a wise decision by ride leader Eddie to divert away from Great Brook Road (clue in the name…) Also great to see a number of new riders enquiring about and joining the rides already this year. A few things to highlight in this newsletter:

MINCE PIE RIDES OUTCOME

As mentioned last time, despite having to cancel the main Mince Pie Ride event in December, I am pleased to say that we have raised over £1,200 for Whizz-Kidz. I have been in touch with the charity and they asked me to pass on their heartfelt thanks for this great contribution. I think we can all be proud of how we made the best of a difficult set of circumstances.

SOCIAL EVENT – GROVE RUGBY CLUB, Wednesday 1st February

I can confirm that we will hold this event on the evening of Wednesday 1st February at the Grove Rugby Club on the edge of Wasbrough Field, Grove Recreation Ground. We will feature an informal seminar with hints and tips for GPS devices and related online functionality (Garmin, Strava, etc, etc) as well as an opportunity to place orders for a full range of club branded clothing. We will arrange a food delivery and the bar will be open. This is mainly an opportunity for us to get together in normal clothes and catch up on the gossip! More details to follow, but a date for the diary for now. 

RIDE LEADER ONLINE TRAINING

Cycling UK nationally has put together an online training course for ride leaders. Those of you who are currently registered as ride leaders will have received an email about this and should have received joining details on 9th January. This should be a useful resource and I would be interested to hear our leaders’ views having completed it. 

WANTAGE AND GROVE ACTIVE TRAVEL GROUP

There have been a number of local initiatives endeavouring to protect and improve infrastructure for walking, cycling and other means of car-free travel. In line with other towns and cities in the County, a new informal group has been set up to focus efforts on this – Wantage and Grove Active Travel (WAGAT). I have been asked to be the Chair of this group and I am very much looking forward to seeing what we can do in this important area. I should emphasise that there is no direct connection between Cycling UK (nationally or locally) and this new group, but I wanted to make you aware if it – please do contact me if you would like to participate or be on the mailing list.

ADULT CYCLING WITH CONFIDENCE TRAINING

Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire & Rescue Service Road Safety Team are offering their latest cycling training initiative, FREE Adults Cycling with Confidence training. This does come recommended from other local groups. The two hour training session is designed to build your confidence, giving you the core skills to safely negotiate your local road system including roundabouts, traffic lights and cycle infrastructure. To book your FREE place please email RoadSafety.Education@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

The next session available is: Tuesday 24th January 2023 10am – 12pm
Meeting point: Seacourt Park & Ride, Botley Road, OX2 0HP

That’s enough for now – I look forward to seeing you on a ride soon.

Best regards

John