Hatch Warren & Beggarwood Cycling Club
As we move into the festive period and the year draws to a close, we are reflecting back at what a fantastic year it has been in the life of Hatch Warren Beggarwood Cycling Club.
What started over a couple of pints in the Portsmouth Arms in August 2015, where the founding members discussed the feasibility of forming a cycling club, the club has grown from strength to strength, and we now have over 120 members, who come from all over the Borough.
The club was officially affiliated with British Cycling in January, members started joining up in late March, a group of members arranged and participated in our first away day, where we caught the ferry to the Isle of Wight in early May.
June and July were exciting months, which saw the arrival of our bright yellow and blue club kit. Our Tuesday night evening rides were now very popular, and at the busiest we had 47 riders turn up one week! The club also attended the Hatch Warren Summer Festival, we ran our first roadside mechanical workshop with the assistance from Richard at RAWCycles, and a number of members completed their First Aid courses.
The members of the club, also participated in the Big Wheel, to raise funds for St Michael’s Hospice and we had a good turn out with riders taking part in the 21, 39 or 65 miles routes. The last day of July was another major milestone in the club, when some of our members participated in the Ride London event and our 100th member registered via the British Cycling website.
We held a Summer Social in August, with over 30 gathering for a picnic and games on the warm summer afternoon. In September we celebrated our first birthday with lunch at the Sun Inn, Dummer. In early October, 10 of our ride leaders completed the Ride Leadership Award Level 1 course. We also received the first batch of HWBCC hoodies. The autumnal weather also arrived and we launched a webstore within our website, to allow our members to order their winter kit.
Looking ahead, a number of club members last year completed the Tour of Flanders route and more have expressed an interest in completing it in 2017. As a result, we’re offering a limited edition club jersey especially for the occasion (subject to meeting minimum order numbers). It’s a splendid design (see picture) and will be available for a limited time only. As always we seek to look for events for people to get out on their bikes both home and abroad! If you’re interested in the jersey and/or the ride, please get in touch.
If your New Year’s resolution is to get fit, healthy or to loose weight, why not join us, as we would love to welcome new members in 2017, and at just £7.50 for membership until the end of March, you’re able to ride with a group of friendly, like-minded individuals, who will provide an amazing amount of support, both on and off the bike and you’ll get to see the glorious Hampshire countryside that surrounds us. If you’re new to cycling or haven’t cycled for a while, why not join our monthly introductory Sunday morning rides? The next one is scheduled for Sunday the 8th January at 9am.
Finally Hatch Warren Beggarwood Cycling Club, would like to wish all residents within the Rabbiter distribution area a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
For more information, please see our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HWBcc/ (Hatch Warren Beggarwood Cycling) or visit our website: www.hwbcc.org
Come Ride With Us. Hatch Warren & Beggarwood Cycling Club
