Category: Club News

You may not be aware, but British Cycling are proposing changes to BMX racing that could dramatically change the future of our sport.

On 7th November 2014, British Cycling asked the views of their members to proposed changes to Youth Competition structure across all cycling disciplines:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/go-ride/article/20141107-goride-news-Member-views-being-sought-on-new-development-pathway-for-youth-racing-0

Despite no data ever being produced supporting the proposal, on 1st June 2015, the board of British Cycling issued a statement approving the changes:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20150601-about-bc-news-British-Cycling-announces-changes-to-youth-competition-structure-0

In response to an outpouring of critical feedback from the BMX community British Cycling entered into a short period of consultation with the BMX commission and several invited delegates:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20150626-about-bc-news-Youth-Review-update—board-statement-0

The BMX Commission are not elected but appointed by British Cycling. They have no mandate to consider the views of the members (though some do) and they are free to action changes based on their personal opinions alone.

On 28th August 2015, at the meeting of the BMX Commission and representatives of the wider BMX community, most attendees felt they had reached agreement for an age inclusive pathway. Behind closed doors, British Cycling altered the inclusive experience based pathway to one where under 9’s would face restrictions at National and International competitions.

The people behind the age restricted proposals have confessed that their proposals are not based on any evidence nor do they know the impact they will have on BMX.

We believe that our National Governing Body owes a duty of care to protect the sport of BMX from mismanagement, so we produced a study examining the data behind the proposals.

We have attached a copy of this report so that you can make up your own mind.

What should you do next?

If (after reading the attached report) you believe British Cycling should be making policy changes effecting BMX based on facts rather than anecdotal evidence then you should email Ian Drake iandrake@britishcycling.org.uk and ask him to ‘conduct an open consultation and impact assessment before approving changes affecting BMX youth competition.’ You may like to use the text below.

Subject: Proposed changes to BMX youth competition structure

Dear Mr Drake,

After reading the BCS Group study, I do not believe the proposed changes to youth competition structure affecting BMX have been properly considered.

Please do not implement any of these proposals until an open consultation and impact assessment has been completed in full.

Failure to do this, will damage my faith in British Cycling’s ability to represent the best interests of BMX racing in the United Kingdom.

Yours sincerely,

Don’t forget as per the Regional Race flyer – there is a change of times for Saturday Gate practice, now being 12:00 till 15:00. The track will then be closed till Race day for final fettling & preparation. This will be your last opportunity to dial your gate & lines before Round 5 of the SW Regional Championships.

Weather’s looking very good for the remainder of the week, in fact for RD5 on Sunday it’s about as good as it gets for racing at Bideford – Sunshine & light northerlies, we must blessed by the weather gods!!

Gate practice tomorrow 6:30 till dusk. £1:00 Members & £3:00 for Non Members. Hot & cold drinks on offer & we can even do some hot food on our new griddle thingy.

Yayyyyyy I here you all shout… It’s track maintenance Sunday!! We’ve only got 4 weeks remaining ’till Bideford regional & we really want to make this a race to remember. We’ve been manicuring the track for the last few training evenings and it’s beginning to come together, however, there’s still plenty to be getting on with. Many hands make light work & we need some help with:

• Weeding
• Strimming
• Sweeping & dusting
• Rolling
• Stone removal

It really shouldn’t take more than a few hours if there’s enough of us up there. The weather going to be kind, with scattered sunshine. We even have the new cable for the gate & fingers crossed & a fair Bideford wind will solve the recent issues we’ve been experiencing!!

Lets all pull together to make the facility the best it can be. Cheers & see you there!!

Saturday 4th April – 2:00 till 16:30

Bideford BM-EGG’s Hunt (like what I did there)  Usual gate practice followed by an Easter egg hunt. Everyone will some chocolate and all successful hunters will be entered into a prize draw! Hot dogs on sale and usual treats and drinks.

Everyone welcome, £1:00 members or £3:50 non members. Weathers looking OK so far, but keep checking for updates

2014 was a cracking year for Bideford BMX Club. The club made great progress on the track with riders competing regionally and nationally with the best of ‘um.  The riders have done their club proud and the committee would like to thank you for your determination and commitment. We’ve improved on our overall points tally compared to 2013, matching our overall position in the regional club standings – a credible 6th, only 57 points behind Decoy.

Moving into 2015, the club has a stable foundation in which to improve both on and off the track, as many of you know there’s been a considerable amount of work behind the scenes to secure an improved future for the club. Hopefully by mid 2015 we’ll begin to see improvements to the clubs facilities.

Now on to the presentation….

Saturday 10th of January 2015 @ the Bideford Conservative Club – 7 till 11pm. Bring a dish. It’s gonna be a great night and an opportunity to celebrate the great successes the riders  and club made in 2014.

One last thing… Happy & prosperous New Year, here’s to a great 2015 on the track!

 

We’re pleased to announce we’ll be running the legendary Bideford BMX Boot Camp to kick start your winter training. These sessions run by Nicole Williams are designed to challenge your general fitness and to fine tune & maximise your bike fitness for the coming 2015 season.

There will be two groups comprising of 15 participants only to ensure you get the most out of each session.

WHEN: 6 Sessions starting on the Tuesday 6th January 2015 – 6.30 to 7.30 for the under 12’s / 7.30 to 8.30 for everyone else.
WHERE: Barnstaple Pannier Market
HOW MUCH: £30 per participant for the six week course, paid in full on the first session

The boot camp will be run on a first come first serve basis, please state your name (name of who you want to attend) and your/their age.

All profits go towards the ongoing development of facilities at the club. So your safe in the knowledge that you’ll not only getting fit but also helping the club with it’s ambitious development plans.