Here are some updates from the new Club Committee following their first meeting since the AGM in December. It’s great to see the new committee getting up and running, and particularly their initiative to encourage more members to try open racing.

Time to sign up for 2015

Open Racing

It was suggested at the AGM that the club should find ways of encouraging more Ards CC riders to represent the club in open races. This year the club will pay the difference between a full competition license and limited competition license, provided you take part in 6 open races over the season. This will be paid back to club members at the end of the season.

Sunday Club Run

From February 1st the Sunday club run will have an earlier start time of 9am.  Hopefully this will encourage those who wish to be home early to still come out with the club.

If numbers allow, as well as the usual club run there will be a faster training group for those who wish to prepare for the racing season. The intention is for both groups to merge at the coffee stop for the run home together.

Club Calendar

The club calendar will be published shortly. This year there will be 6 road races, the Orlock circuit will be changed slightly to include Stockbridge Road and the 10 mile TT course will move from Donaghadee to Millisle.

Key dates for your diary.

Tour Of Ards – Saturday 14th March

Champion Of Champions TT – Sunday 17th May

Town Centre Races – Wednesday 17th June

Tour Of Strangford – Sunday 13th September.

Club Kit

The order window is open until 6th February for anyone requiring club kit. A 50% deposit is required at time of order, with remainder paid upon collection. Contact Graeme Brown to place an order or for more information .

2015 Ards Club Clothing Prices

Jerseys

Short sleeve jersey (Quadri) £39.48 (Professional cut, standard)

Short sleeve jersey (Body Fit) £42.60 (Lycra sleeves and slightly tighter)

Long sleeve (Quadri) £45

Long sleeve (Body Fit) £48.12

Long sleeve (Isolation) £51.72 (Slightly warmer than Quadri)

Bib shorts

Professional cut bib short £70.68 (Standard)

Race proven cut bib short £76.56

Gilets

Professional cut gilet £55.56 (Standard)

Race proven cut gilet £74.76 (thinner and lighter with access flap to rear pockets)

Jackets

Long sleeve body fit £57.60 (lightweight tight fitting jacket type)

Long sleeve combi £94.44 (Wind block on chest & pixel reflective rear pockets)

Long Sleeve winter £110.52 (Wind block, chest and arms. Pixel reflective arms shoulders and rear pockets)

For more details on each product type visit http://www.bioracer.com/en/team-clothing

For a size chart visit http://www.bioracer.com/en/collection/size-chart

Some of the riders and supporters at the finish

Today’s Christmas 10 mile time trial was won by Ian Inglis (Curran Racing) in a time of 25:20, beating Ards CC veteran William Gill by just 7 seconds.

James McFarlane after today’s incident

However, the event was marred by an accident when James McFarlane was hit by a car at the Flood Gates car park close to the finish. An ambulance was called and James was treated at the scene. Thankfully, after about half an hour, James was able to return home. We  wish him a speedy recovery.

Two police cars also attended and the police are investigating the incident.

Ards CC would like to thank the emergency services for their prompt and professional response to this unfortunate incident.

Mervyn Irvine (Ards CC) also had a minor fall relating to a puncture, but assured us that he would still be able to compete in his traditional Boxing Day swim tomorrow.

The full result is given below. Thanks to all who turned up to marshal, to time keep and to supply hot drinks to the riders at the finish. As always, it was very much appreciated.

Also thanks to David McVeigh for these pictures.

Matthew Martin rode a private time trial in 31:04.

Winner Ian Inglis with the Jardine Trophy

Could William have saved 7 seconds with more aerodynamic antlers?

Top lady Gillian Orr

Time keepers Ron and Bobby

Here are three festive dates for your diaries

• First – Paul McMinn has a fry run booked for Sunday 14th December for the TT Lounge – North down house in Comber at 11 – 11:30 am. Cost is £5 each to include full fry and tea/coffee. You can also have a beer or whatever else takes your fancy. There will be secure parking for bikes in the beer garden. Please put your name down (via Facebook) if attending so Paul can get a head count. Bring along wife’s/girlfriends (or husbands/boyfriends..) to meet you there and drive you home if required.
• Next up – the official pre-Xmas club drinks, 23rd December, 7-7.30pm in Wetherspoons.
• And finally, the Christmas morning 10 mile time trial, 10am at the floodgates on the Portaferry Road, Newtownards. Every rider is asked to bring a small give so that everyone goes home with a price. Fancy dress optional, but encouraged – check out last year’s winners here.

Riders and supporters at last year’s Christmas 10

There was a good turn out for the club AGM on Wednesday evening. Thanks to all those who braved the weather to attend.

Desi welcomed everyone, and opened the meeting with a debate on the objectives of the club, as suggested in a recent article. The conclusions were -

1. Club runs, the Tour of Strangford Sportive and our club race program are our most popular activities with members, and we should continue to develop and grow them;
2. We have a long history of promoting excellent open races, and we should continue with our current events (Tour of Ards, Champions of Champions 25 and the Town Centre races);
3. Seven or eight members expressed interested in riding open road races. There was also a feeling that we should do more to encourage females. We will try to develop these two areas next year;
4. Growing our underage membership, and resurrecting an Ards CC stage race were also identified as things we’d like to do in the future, but are not priorities in the short term.

Desi then presented his Chairman’s Report. He reflected on a great year for the club, and mentioned the Giro, the growing turnouts at club races and the success of the club runs as particular highlights.

Desi (chairman), Lindsay (secretary), Melissa (assistant secretary), Gwen (treasurer), Dany (PRO) Maggie (Social sec), Marie and John A. all stood down. The meeting thanked them for all their hard work – the recent growth in the club is in no small way thanks to their efforts.

The following people were elected -

• President – Billy Kirk
• Chairman – John Carty
• Secretary – Gareth Murray
• Assistant secretary – Graham Brown
• Treasurer – Con Russell
• Public Relations Officer – no-one was elected to this position on the committee, but Dany, James and Alastair all offered to continue to help out.
• Child Protection Officer – David McNally
• Social Secretary – Paul McMinn (non-committee)
• Other Committee Members – Darren Colville, Paul Cunningham, Bernard McCluskey

Non-committee positions -

• Time keepers – Ron Martin, Bobby Magreechan, Dany Blondeel, Paul Robinson
• Auditor – Richard Hanna
• First Aid Officer – to be confirmed.

Dany, Richard, Desi and Alastair offered to continue supporting where needed but could not commit to a position on the committee.

It was agreed that we should try to get more members vetted and trained in child protection – David will investigate this. We should also try to train more first aiders, to cover club races and club runs – Con offered to look into this. Watch out for more information on both of these in the New Year.

It was agreed to keep membership fees fixed at £15 for Seniors, £5 for Under 18 and anyone in full time education, and £1 for non cycling members. Club race entry fees were also unchanged at £2 for seniors (£3 for visitors) and 50p for Under 18 and fte (£2 for visitors).

Next up was a discussion on whether the club should register with the NI Charities Commission as a Community Amateur Sports Club or as a Charity. The issue wasn’t clear, and the incoming committee were urged to seek guidance from Cycling Ulster.

Thanks to some sterling work in the background, Richard was able to confirm our open event dates for 2015. These are Tour of Ards (Sat. 14/3), Champion of Champions 25 (Sun. 17/5), Town Centre Races (Wed 17/6) and the Tour of Strangford (Sun 13/9).

The club race calendar was also discussed. It will be largely the same as this year, but the committee were asked to consider safety changes to the Orlock road race circuit (to use Stockbridge Road, and to finish at the brow of Orlock hill), to consider a different 10mile course, and to consider adding a 6th road race to the calendar (while bearing in mind that the Tuesday evening club runs are also popular, so we don’t want to lose any of them!)

Thanks again to everyone for their positive input, and for reading this far. Good luck to the new committee in 2015 – may the wind be on your backs!

This year’s Ards CC Annual General Meeting will be on Wednesday 10th December at 7.30pm in Ards Leisure Centre. All members will have the chance to select the committee that will run the club for the next 12 months, and to influence what the club does.

Below is an editorial piece. It does not necessarily represent the views of the committee, but will hopefully promote some constructive debate. 

There has been some tension in the committee recently, partly caused by differences of opinion on how best to run the club. This is not entirely unexpected as the objectives of the club evolve over time.

Ards CC has a long and proud history.

In the late 1970s, the focus was on recruiting and developing younger riders. The current medal scheme and handicap trophies were put in place. Ards CC schoolboys and juniors won races and championship medals in Ulster and Ireland, were picked for representative teams, and even set a couple of unofficial world records. Over half the membership was under 18.

Five Ards CC schoolboys were part of the Discovering America cycling expedition that cycled 3960 miles coast to coast across America in 1980, setting 2 unofficial world records along the way.

By the late 1980s, the younger membership started to decline and the focus changed to our senior riders who were successful throughout Ireland and beyond. For example, Ards CC teams took the yellow leaders jersey in the Gorey 3-day, the Tour of the North and the Tour of Ulster. As new branches of the sport emerged there was debate about whether we should get involved in Mountain Biking and Triathlon – we had champions at both disciplines. The club was even affiliated to the Cycle Touring Club for a couple of years.

Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman went head to head on the Portaferry Road

The club also became heavily involved in event promotion, peaking with two head to head races featuring Olympic Champion Chris Boardman and World champion Graeme Obree. We also promoted two very successful Irish Championships.

We’ve also been lucky enough to have had many excellent officials and support volunteers, including international mechanic Lindsay Gamble, and Dany Blondeel’s Belgium Project.

Lindsay pictured helping out with the Belgium Project. He has been mechanic on teams from Ards CC right through to the Irish team at the World Championships, and has a huge wealth of experience.

In recent years the cycling scene, and Ards CC, have continued to evolve. On a positive note, membership has grown steadily and our club runs are very popular. Club race participation is increasing. Our Tour of Strangford sportive was a huge success this year with over 270 riders taking part. And of course there is the rise of Strava….

On a slightly more negative note, underage membership has continued a long decline, with just 2 members under the age of 18 this year. The number of Ards CC riders competing in open races has also continued to decline, particularly in road races. And we lost the Portaferry 3-day this year.

This pattern of change of not unique to Ards CC. There is no right answer to what a cycling club should be.

I think the changes outlined above have, in part, contributed to the tensions in our committee. It is important to periodically discuss and agree a set of objectives for our club. This will allow our members (new and existing) to understand what sort of club we aspire to be. And it will give a clear direction to the committee.

I therefore suggest we take 15 to 20 minutes at the start of this year’s AGM to review and agree the objectives of the club. We can then proceed to elect a committee that is bought into achieving these objectives.

William Gill with one of his 6 trophies at the awards night last year

Award Night in Romas (Newtownards) on Friday 21th November 2014 from 7.30pm..dinner served 8pm.

Thanks again to everyone who supported our Tour of Strangford leisure ride in September. Due to generous sponsorship from Jarrah Coffee Shop and Restaurant our basic running costs for the event were covered, and we were able to donate the money from entries to our two nominated charities – Diabetes UK and Meningitis Reseach Foundation. Below are copies of their thank you letters, showing how much your generosity was appreciated.

So – not just a great day’s cycling! Hopefully we’ll see you all again next year (or maybe on one of our club runs before then..).

One of the best ways to enjoy cycling is the club run. It’s a great way to meet like-minder individuals, enjoy a bit of craic, discover some new roads, and learn how to ride in a group and share the work.

Desi would be proud of this group – just a few miles from Comber and already the lead rider is pointing to grass in the middle of the road

And if you are new to club cycling, autumn is the perfect time to try out a club run – the racing season has come to an end and the racing guys will be taking it easier for a few months.

Ards CC run two weekly club runs. The first meets at 9.30 on Saturdays in Comber Square (with a feeder group leaving Newtownards Fire Station at about 9.10). Club chairman Desi leads 20-30 regulars on a magical tour of the back roads – usually lasting about 40 miles and often with a tea stop. Pace is a sociable 15-16 mph.

When I was a schoolboy, I had a local map stuck on my bedroom wall where I used to mark all the roads I’d ridden on. Desi will help you get your map fully coloured in!

A few of the regulars on the Sunday run

Sunday’s run meets at Newtownards Fire Station at about 9.30am (with a feeder group meeting at Nero’s in Conway Square first for some continental sustenance.) This run is a bit faster (maybe 18mph) and a bit longer (50-60+ miles), with the odd “special” thrown in.

You’ll need a well maintained bike and a helmet, and if you want to join us regularly you also need a licence to give you the appropriate insurance cover. We’ll be happy to talk you through it on a Saturday morning.

Closing in on the mythical village of Scollogs Town. Where will next week’s club run take us?

Why not give it a go!?

<Report from Dany Blondeel, pictures from David McVeigh. >

Just amazing!

You have to respect N-Ireland cyclists..when it comes to charity they come in their droves..We needed 4 ferry crossings in Strangford to shift the lot..A record broken in the history from Ards CC (1944 when it al started ) 281 entries ,with 271 taken the road around the Ards Peninsula and to be greeted by dry weather, and a light breeze..At the pit stop at Downpatrick been welcomed by our fantastic tea ladies and  roadies, with food for the hungry ..before catching the Portaferry Ferry …an tailwind then all the way home to Newtownards Town as send from heaven ..all riders finished in good time for a feed ,left over of the food and drinks ..as we expected 180 riders and the catering had to deal with 100 extra hungry cyclists..a few runs to the shop was needed..but everyone fed ..and due to generous sponsorship of Official Jarrah of Ards Coffee shop ,all running costs been met !! This resulted in a whopping £2680 for the charities Meningitis Research and Diabetes UK ! As a Belgian I am proud of my adopted country..the generosity of his people is second to none!! Thanks to all who helped to get this on the road ,and the mass of cyclists ..one word can describe this…….CHAPEAU

The mother and grandmother of wee Jaxon Roy Kelly (local child)who passed away after a battle with Meningitis, Melissa representing the Diabetes Uk and the Meningitis fundraisers and ToS organiser Dany

Thanks to David McVeigh for driving me about today ..my first outing in months not to a hospital ..great medicine the fresh air ..his pictures will be linked soon to this story ,and I can promise there is some crackers..please tag yourself in the ones I took today ..

Ards CC proudly lead the run out of Newtownards

Perhaps inspired by Nicholas Roche’s exploits in the Tour of Britain today, there was a great turnout of 16 riders for tonight’s club hill climb on Bradshaw’s Brae.

Fastest was former Irish hill climb champion Mark Kane, who stormed up the hill in 3:55 – a time that would have given him a podium in the Tour of North when the course was used for a stage in the 1990′s. Second was mountain biker Johnny Reid, with Ards CC’s Gareth Murray just one second further back.

Historic moment – Mark Kane wins the Irish hill climb championship in 1991. Ards CC promoted the race on Carrowreagh Road.

Full results -