Presidents' Report 2017

Club News and Announcements
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Dougie
Posts: 755
Joined: 11 Jan 2008, 16:39
Location: Dulwich Hill

Postby Dougie » 14 May 2017, 21:05

For some reason the President can't post to the news and announcements threat. Probably best.


[b][u]President’s Report 2017[/u][/b]


Dear Members

It is with pleasure that I offer my report for the 2016 calendar year.

January in the Cycling calendar always starts the year off with a bang! Judging by images posted to the various social media platforms, our members were as far flung as one could possibly imagine. The highlight or quite possibly the lowlight depending entirely on your level of fitness, is the Alpine Classic. Why any rational, reasonable and dare I say, sane person would voluntarily ride 320KM, Climb 5500 vertical metres on a recent diet consisting of turkey, ham and alcohol is quite beyond me. Yet they did it and in their droves too! Major Kudos to the participants and their familial spectators. I take my helmet off to you. I will never ever join you. You are lunatics.

The Tour Down Under always draws a healthy contingent of Club Members. Images of our members perched on Willunga Hill being beamed out to the world are now commonplace. Hundreds of kilometres and thousands of metres were climbed in the week. It would be fair to say that a great time was had by all.

March saw the Falls Creek edition of the Peaks Challenge series. A new crop of riders joined Club Stalwarts and tackled this iconic ride. The Chorki Ski Lodge has firmly embedded itself into the DHBC list of accommodation venues of choice. Congratulations to those whom rode this gruelling parcors. Quite a number of riders went on to complete all three rides in the series. They collected for themselves a rather unique jersey and a level of awesomeness usually only reserved for people who can ride a stationary trainer for more than an hour at a time.

Members continued to train hard throughout the balance of the year. Individuals targeting races or Gran Fondos and groups of friends toured and generally enjoying the camaraderie of the bike and feeling of the wind rushing through the air vents in their helmets. The year ending highlight of the L’etape ride in the Snowy Mountains was so well supported even Froomie wanted a photo with DHBC!
One of the benefits of our wonderful sport is the positive effect on an individual’s wellbeing. I continue to be astounded by the direct correlation between our riders increased kilometre count and their reduction in kilograms. Fitness is reflected both in the physical good health of our members as well as their positive mental outlook.

The number of non-club organised rides never ceases to amaze me. My phone is incessantly pinging with new rides, generally in triple digits, being arranged. The amount of “Red on the Road” is extraordinary. I wish to acknowledge the contributions made by our Ride Leaders whom week in week out step up to the plate and welcome new riders and generally corral our Club Sanctioned rides. I have mentioned in the past that it is often the designated Ride Leader who is the first point of contact that many of us will have had by way of introduction to our Club. We generally find our place not long after these hearty welcomes. I would encourage you to give a little back and lead a ride, welcome a new rider or assist a bunch when you can. It is also important to thank those who regularly curate the various other rides. Some of these non-sanctioned rides are big enough to actually form another Club!

[b][u]Events[/u][/b]

I wish to point out the success of two events in particular. The Yearly Sydney Classic Bike Show and the amped up Tempe round of the Christmas Carnival. The Bike Show continues to gain support and goes from strength of strength each year. I congratulate the Valley Wheeler Team and their obsession with steel being real. Yesterday’s edition was no exception and their Sydney Morning Herald front page was quite a coup.

By all accounts the Tempe round of this past year’s Christmas Carnivals was one for the ages. I am sorry I missed it. Congratulations to the event team lead by Simon Bolton for reinvigorating track racing. I can’t wait for this December’s event.

[b][u]Nick Ruygrok[/u][/b]

This time last year I acknowledged the loss of Nick Ruygrok in the tragic accident of the 9th of December 2015. Nick’s partner Verity approached the Club in the middle of 2016 with a view to holding a ride to mark a year of Nick’s passing. Naturally we wished to assist in any way we could. Drew Johnson of Cuore, our Club Kit supplier and his team worked alongside Verity to create a unique jersey design that demonstrated Nick’s love of his AFL Club, his Surf Club and his Bike Club. The “Ride for Nick” was created taking in Centennial Park, LaPa and finishing Coogee with a BBQ. Approximately $6000 was raised for the Amy Gillet Foundation as a result of not only Verity’s efforts but that of the DHBC support for this wonderful occasion. I have never seen so many DHBC riders in "Teal". Nick's memory will be forever entwined in our Club’s history.

[b][u]Committee Matters[/u][/b]

Behind the scenes generally most of the Committee put in a great effort. There are one or two who could put a bit more air in their tyres but that happens in every walk of life. They have been pretty busy. Andrew has yet again and against all reports to the contrary ensured they we can pay for the stuff we order. We are an organisation of very modest means. We are sufficiently flush that we can pay for our Club Kit in advance. Pay our Velodrome Rental upfront and underwrite fabulous events such as the Christmas Carnival and the Classic Bike Show. There are no better hands to have in our cookie jar than Andrew’s.

Our Club Kit has been wrangled this year by Stuart Hickson. I think we may be close to having placed our tenth kit order. The Club owes a debt of gratitude to Stuart for chasing our kit down. The number of orders is a reflection of the growth of our Club. Indeed also the design and quality of the kit makes it desirable to own. We are grateful to Velofix for having hosted it for the last couple years. We now welcome Two Monkeys at Alexandria as our new home.

Laura, Paul and James have kept the administrative wheels of the Club turning throughout the year. The positions of Public Officer, Secretary and Road Captain are enshrined in our constitution. Without their efforts there would be a lot of pizza at the monthly meetings that would otherwise not get eaten.

Colin continues to contribute to the growth of the Club through the development of our Juniors. A number of our Juniors have gone on to medal and are now well ensconced in our Seniors Club rides. I am personally and deeply traumatised by their level of fitness and left somewhat uncomfortable as they eye the Middies Bunch as their next target.

Two members of the Committee are stepping down after a significant period of service to the Club. Firstly Alex Chubb, Alex has served as Track Captain for many years. Alex organises the seniors training at the velodrome and makes it his business to welcome new riders to the track. Alex has also played an important role in the operation of the Dulwich Hill Racing Team. His guidance and mentorship will be sorely missed.

Eleri Morgan Thomas is also stepping down after having served as past President and now as Vice President. Eleri’s contribution to not only our Club but to Cycling in NSW and Australia should not be underestimated. Eleri has made important and significant inroads into the growth of our Club and advocacy in general. I hold Eleri in high personal regard and I am glad for her guidance and considered thoughtfulness. Our Club will be lesser for her departure from the Committee.

[b][u]In Closing[/u][/b]

Many of our fellow members were following the recent Indian Pacific Wheel Race. Like you I was deeply affected by the death of Mike Hall. Over 30 of our Club mates joined 1,000 other riders in the “Ride for Mike”. At the same time more than 40 DHBC riders participated in the annual Blaney to Bathurst. We are significant force on the road and highly recognisable. I would urge you to make safety your personal objective. Please keep racing and training separate. Treat a bunch ride as an opportunity to ride with like minded companions. Display on road behaviour than promotes not only our Club but that of cycling in general as a rightful and legitimate activity. Remember we are vulnerable road users. A great ride is the one that every rider returns home from, safely. Smooth is Fast

Thank you once again for allowing me the privilege of serving as President of this wonderful Club. I look forward to continuing that service.

Best Regards

Dougie

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