Road Club Social Rides – The easing of lockdown regulations from 29 March allows us to run road club social rides once again, and although British Cycling guidelines allow groups of up to 15 riders for club rides the committee believe we should only recommence with groups of 6 as we were doing before the lockdowns came in at the end of 2020.
The reasons for limiting group size to 6 are:
– Riding in groups larger than the new lockdown limit of 6 for outdoor exercise (the general public will not be aware of the British Cycling approved limit of 15 for club activities) is likely to risk abuse and dangerous driving from the anti-cycling minority.
– Takeaway stops from cafes and petrol stations place a strict limit of 6 people in a group, so although we can in theory ride as a group of 15, we can’t stop as a group of 15.
Our ride leaders will be organising their rides through the club members Facebook page and website Forums in the same way as they were before the last lockdown by asking members to register for their ride via text. We also request that groups ensure sufficient distance is maintained at the meeting point (Speedy’s Bridge or elsewhere) between the different groups to ensure the “rule of 6” is not breached. Non-members who want to try out a ride are encouraged to enquire via clubrides@fccc.org.uk
Off-road Club social rides can similarly recommence on 29 March and will continue to be organised via the club WhatsApp group with the specific request that the group size be limited to groups of 6 as for the road rides.
Club Time Trials are scheduled to recommence from Thursday 1 April with the same pre-registration protocols prior to lockdown i.e. restricted to club members and entry via Google forms that will be published on the club’s social media and website.
Open TT events will also resume from 29 March (check the CTT website for a full list). Vernon Schutte is organising our own Open 25 mile TT on 17 April.
Road Racing – Circuit races will restart from 29 March although road racing still appears some way off. Please contact Luke Stratford at roadracing@fccc.org.uk for more details.