The Good Friday Road Race Needs You!
Have you ever watched pro cycling and wondered, 'Hmmm, wouldn't it be cool to be in the cars amidst the riders, watching the break, seeing the action for more than the split-second that roadside spectators do?' Well, here is your chance.
Hamilton Cycling Club is looking for a few good drivers as it prepares for the April 2, 2010 edition of the Good Friday Road Race in Flamborough. If you have nerves of steel, and a steady hand on the wheel, please contact HCC treasurer Dave Wooley at bamboo744@hotmail.com.
And, for those of you who want to help in other ways, we are certainly accepting volunteers to help run the Good Friday RR - the opening road race of the acclaimed Ontario Cup series. General volunteers, please contact HCC racing secretary Henry Dudko at squirreltruck@hotmail.com.
HCC-MTB Meeting
We invite anyone interested to attend a meeting between the Hamilton Cycling Club and area mountain bike riders, scheduled for 7 pm Wednesday, Feb. 3 in the Upper Room of the Coach and Lantern Pub (384 Wilson St. E., Ancaster).
The agenda includes:
1. Elect/designate two new board members representing mountain biking within the HCC
2. Form a sub-committee for trail advocacy who will be responsible for communicating between the HCC and various organizations such as the City of Hamilton's cycling committee, RBG, Hamilton Conservation Authority, etc. Schedule regular meetings open to all members to update progress.
3. Discussion of rides/events/clinics to be scheduled for the club for the 2010 season.
4. Drink beer... if not already done.
All members are encouraged to attend. Those who cannot are encouraged to email their comments to Jeff Landry at landryjc@mcmaster.ca or post within the HCC forum.
New Courses, New Events in 2010 HCC Schedule
The Hamilton Cycling Club is excited to share a revamped and reinvented 2010 calendar of club events -- with new time trial courses, new hill climbs and the kind of variety local cyclists will love.
You can now find every event scheduled -- except for the Valley Park Cyclocross and HCC AGM (for which dates are TBA) - on the HCC Calendar. Also, you can use this hot-off-the-press Word document of the dates. H.C.C. ROAD SCHEDULE 2010
New HCC Forum! Let the debates begin
The Hamilton Cycling Club is happy to offer a forum to registered users here. It's easy to use, and if you are keen you can even use a Daffy cartoon character for your avatar, as Henry D. has.
A few things to remember:
1. This is a club site, so stay cool. If you wouldn't say it in person, well.. 'nuff said.
2. You should be emailed a login password, in case registration is confusing.
3. Have fun!
A few uses:
1. Organizing group rides.
2. Buying and selling bike stuff.
3. Giving the club feedback.
4. Debating the Lance-versus-Contador odds.
A Call for Sponsored Riders
The Hamilton Cycling club invites interested athletes to apply for sponsorship for the 2010 race season. Athletes must submit their application by March 1, 2010 to Membership Secretary Carl Clarke at dclarke65@cogeco.ca
Athletes requesting sponsorship must:
1. Be full HCC members in good standing.
2. Submit a race resume including results from the 2009 season.
3. Submit in writing what you plan to use the sponsorship dollars for and how it will benefit the club.
4. Be at least 16 years old on December 31, 2010.
5. Be willing to sign a contract including but not limited to stipulations on number of races entered, use of HCC kit, etc.
See full details in the sponsorship criteria form HCC sponsorship criteria 2011.
Go Tell on the Mountain (Bikers)
The Hamilton Cycling Club executive has taken a significant step forward in building its mountain bike initiatives, with a Jan. 13 decision to join the International Mountain Bicycling Association and to add two MTB reps to its executive ranks.
Both motions were voted on at this week's executive meeting, and received unanimous support from the executive members present. It comes amid discussions between area mountain bikers and HCC about building its MTB work.
At the meeting, the HCC executive considered the IMBA membership and the addition of two executive members as first steps, if the club is to augment its MTB wing. The directors agreed that the future of HCC will include more MTB events, trail-building and advocacy for access to public land.
"There is a perception out there that the club is only for roadies," explained racing secretary Henry Dudko. "And that is just not true, because so many of us are also riding mountain bikes because it's a lot fun."
The decision left mountain bike racer Marc Risdale, who attended the meeting, pleased: "Hamilton has always stood out in southern Ontario for lacking a mountain bike club and we’re really excited that the Hamilton Cycling Club has taken these significant steps towards welcoming a whole new group of riders. We have ambitious plans and we look forward to working with all members in bringing them to fruition.”
There is another meeting between HCC and MTBers coming up at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Winchester Arms pub in Dundas.
Spin Classes are Picking Up…
Hamilton Cycling Club is excited to announce that we will be expanding our spin classes at Freewheel Cycle in the New Year. We will have classes Monday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. starting January 4, 2010.
Spin classes will be free for youth members and $10 for adult members. Anyone wishing to attend must RSVP to denise-johnson@sympatico.ca as there is limited space and classes fill up quickly.
*****
We also have some hot events coming up, which you can find on the Calendar page.
- Saturday, Jan. 9. Forest City Velodrome. Youth ride at 2pm. Ontario Madison Championship racing at 7 pm.
- Sunday, Jan. 17. Joyride 150 indoor bike park 10am. See www.joyride150.com for more info about the park. Youth and adult members welcome.
- Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7: Toronto Bike Show will have a X track challenge which we will have some HCC youth participating in.
HCC Youth Take to the Boards at Velodrome
Enjoy the photos from the youth visit to the Forest City Velodrome in London, a great taste of track cycling as Hamilton prepares for its own velodrome for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
HCC Spin Class was Rockin’
Tonight's spin class at Freewheel Cycle in Dundas was a success, with 11 of 14 bikes filled. That's an increase from last week, and a good sign that HCC is wise to add a second class in January. This will be either on a Monday or a Sunday. Stay tuned! Thanks Denise, for drawing out the keen teens in the community - it bodes well for the future of HCC!
Velodrome for Hamilton
Andrew Iler - a former HCC racer himself - is spreading the news on Facebook about the most exciting venue to be built as a result of the 2015 Pan Am Games -- a Hamilton velodrome! Learn more about the venue and the National Cycling Centre Hamilton that Iler oversees on his Facebook group here. (This amazing photo, of the Ghent Six Day races, is from his Facebook page courtesy of the London Phoenix CC's Flickr page.)
