YORK CTC RALLY 2013 cancelled

[bobb]

I've not been to the York Rally before and now it seems I never will 

It clearly is easy to get to, so I don't think that's the problem. It's certainly easier for most than Mildenhall. In fact I wouldn't bother going to Mildenhall if I couldn't cycle there, such is the non-existence of useful trains across East Angular.

It seems to me that piss poor management is to blame rather than a lack of interest.

I think the YACF North Side Massive should organise something. How hard can it be?!

[Kim]

I think the YACF North Side Massive should organise something. How hard can it be?!

Some bike rides are being organised as we speak in the FNRtSR thread.

[Tim Hall]

Remind me which train takes you to Mildenhall.

Liverpool Street to Naaaardge, Naaaardge to Thetford. Advanced tickets eight of your earth pounds. 12 mile ride from Thetford to Mildenhall, although that is via the main road.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Remind me which train takes you to Mildenhall.

Liverpool Street to Naaaardge, Naaaardge to Thetford. Advanced tickets eight of your earth pounds. 12 mile ride from Thetford to Mildenhall, although that is via the main road.

Or you can get a train to Ely from Kings X and then fly through the fens to Mildenhall at great speed on quiet roads, marvelling at how fast a laden tourer can go on the flat. Trying not to think about what this means for the return trip which is something akin to trying to cycle into a brick wall. Yeah. That bit's never so good.

I always thought I'd get to the York Rally one day but I guess not.

[Kim]

You can get a train from Mordor Central to Ely, fight your way on and spend 3 hours standing up holding your bike by the toilet while people give you the Look Of Death for taking up valuable pram space.  Then fly through the fens into the nearest ditch, b0rk your ankle and try not to think about the return trip.

Last year we expensively hired a van.  The field it was parked in turned into a swamp, but I discovered that my comedy off-roading skills seem to work on four wheels as well as two...

[David Martin]

It takes much longer to get there from up here, though it is one change to Ely and not terribly much more expensive. But a much longer ride from the station. The joy of York was that I could collect the young'un from school and ride to the station, then be in York on a direct change and at the campsite by 10pm.

Really not surprised to see the York Cycle Show fall through this year.

[matthew]

CTC national office has absolutely no role in its organisation...

Greg and maybe this was part of the issue. does the CTC national office back and promote a series of regional rallies and should it get involved as part of being a membership based organisation.

[Regulator]

CTC national office has absolutely no role in its organisation...

Greg and maybe this was part of the issue. does the CTC national office back and promote a series of regional rallies and should it get involved as part of being a membership based organisation.

CTC is supposed to be a member based organisation.  As such, it should be supporting regional events organised by member groups.

[mrcharly-YHT]

CTC national office has absolutely no role in its organisation...

Greg and maybe this was part of the issue. does the CTC national office back and promote a series of regional rallies and should it get involved as part of being a membership based organisation.

To my knowledge, the schism is *not* the fault of the national office.

The quote below illustrates the sort of problems behind the scenes of the rally.  I believe that the national office encountered constant issues with the york rally committee and in the end washed their hands of it.

Fundamentally one of the problems is that the local show management (not the on-day volunteers) are unapproachable... I tried approaching the CTC York rally people about having a coffee and cake marquee and they didn't even answer emails. OK, I didn't try really hard, but the person I approached came on this here website as a person involved with setting up the rally.

I bet most of York didn't even know the rally took place. Certainly nothing in the local press, no posters, no signage. Nothing. Not even an A-frame at the end of the ruddy road saying 'CTC rally this way'.

I'm afraid this was my experience too. I happened to have a LEL meeting in the room next to them one day, so popped in to talk about LEL and Audax UK involvement. A couple of them were friendly, but the rest of them just looked startled. My emails and phone calls, several of them, were never answered.

You can't run an event like that.

[Regulator]

To my knowledge, the schism is *not* the fault of the national office.

The quote below illustrates the sort of problems behind the scenes of the rally.  I believe that the national office encountered constant issues with the york rally committee and in the end washed their hands of it.

In recent years there have been some involved in the York Rally committee who have not been the most apporachable (we've seen an example of that on this very forum) - and they lost out when they got rid of Mel Luxton.

But CTC National Office is not without fault.  Kevin Mayne made it very clear that he did not want to support the York Rally* and it was only through efforts by CTC councillors that there was any National Office support for it - but even this was meagre and grudging.




*His view seemed to be that only the Birthday Rides or anything organised by National Office were worthy of National Office support.

[Wowbagger]

Remind me which train takes you to Mildenhall.

Liverpool Street to Naaaardge, Naaaardge to Thetford. Advanced tickets eight of your earth pounds. 12 mile ride from Thetford to Mildenhall, although that is via the main road.

Last year Mrs. Wow and I bought £8 tickets to and from Kennett, which is about 6 miles form Mildenhall.

Lpoo to Ipswich
Ipswich to Kennett.

It would also be possible to do

Kings Cross to Cambridge
Cambridge to Kennett

although I'm pretty sure that the cheap tickets wouldn't be available on that route.

On checking, it seems there aren't any advance tickets available from London on that route at the moment, although they are available from Southend. However, it's simple enough to get £8 advance tickets to Stowmarket then £8 walk-on singles to Kennett.

[mrcharly-YHT]

thanks for the clarification, Reg

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

There is no denying that the Knavesmire can be very boggy, the clue being in the name!

WRT Paul Hepworth mentioned above, I think (although I could be wrong!) that he puts comments below cycling stories in the York Press as 'PedallingPaul' . I sometimes wish he wouldn't since he often tries to wind up other commentators with what I'd call ill-judged trolling.  A shame since some of comments are sensible but it's too late as he has lost much credibility with being too antagonistic.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'm pretty sure it is him and 'PedallingPaul' comes across as a complete and utter idiot.

[alexb]

Last year we expensively hired a van.  The field it was parked in turned into a swamp, but I discovered that my comedy off-roading skills seem to work on four wheels as well as two...

You ended upside down in a ditch covered in nettle rash?...

[Arch]

Last year we expensively hired a van.  The field it was parked in turned into a swamp, but I discovered that my comedy off-roading skills seem to work on four wheels as well as two...

You ended upside down in a ditch covered in nettle rash?...

I did that once. Amusingly, I was still on the bike, only under it, if you see what I mean.

[Wowbagger]

Last year we expensively hired a van.  The field it was parked in turned into a swamp, but I discovered that my comedy off-roading skills seem to work on four wheels as well as two...

You ended upside down in a ditch covered in nettle rash?...

In Kim's defence, I must say that was a piece of comedy on-roading that got lost.

[interzen]

I'm pretty sure it is him and 'PedallingPaul' comes across as a complete and utter idiot.

It is and he does.
He is/was press secretary for North Yorkshire CTC.
Go figure.

News of the cancellation has finally reached the pages of the local rag (or the website, at least). Some of the comments are, shall we say, predictable.

[madcow]

We stopped reading the Press after we left York, but PH vs Mike Usher was always an entertaining correspondence flow. Utter shite mostly but entertaining shite.
All those criticising should remember that the Rally is (was? ) run by volunteers on the committee. If you haven't been able to offer your time or body for some helpful task over the weekend , don't be be so surprised to see the Rally end up the way it has.

CTC HQ were happy for it to go on as a CTC event and provided secretarial support , but were not willing to underwrite it in any way, except taking space for selling and recruiting. Most years the Rally made a profit and CTC wanted a share mainly by asking that the secretarial support was paid for. The committee declined ,CTC HQ withdrew and the disconnect between reality and York Rally set in.

As I have said on the other thread, some of the blame lies with the racecourse management. Even when the floods of autumn 2000 turned the Knavesmire into a lake , they refused to accept that there was a drainage problem. Only when they started losing racing days , did they address that problem and only in selected areas.
The toilets are rubbish and  a large number of stay aways would be those  who didn't fancy spending 2 days  wondering if it was safe  to go for a pee and brush their teeth.
Traders as well got fed up with everyone looking for cheap bargains. OK a tyre is a tyre ,but why should a trader divert shop staff to a show when they could take a profit at home without all the fuss of   shifting tonnes of gear to York. If you want a meet the people exercise then there are now better bike shows than York.

So if anything is to come out of this we need to identify why folks went to the Rally and what they will miss.
Time for a poll ?

Was it the chance of  a bargain
seeing new bikes or gear
meeting friends,
opportunity to visit York (the city)
the surrounding countryside,
touring or audax rides,
just an excuse to get away from home.

I am sure some one can do this better than me .Please.

[clarion]

What was needed from CTC HQ was publicity.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I went to meet friends, for a bargain and the chance to find odd spares.

There were several traders who sold obsolete parts, old (unfashionable) shorts/jerseys, odd spares; and did a roaring trade.

With reference to the volunteering bit; I tried to contact PH with regard to offering services, got a rebuff nearly two months later. Hopeless.