Note (& Note Well)
May I commence by saying I am VC167 (through & through) and the following is a personal view.
There has been much discussion in the past about what is a *proper* club in AUK.
Are you sitting comfortably, let me begin.....................
Once upon a time the AUK points trophy always went to the Willesdon CC which pleased their chairman “Baron Hardup” AKA Rocco Richardson a lot.
Then a new kid on the block the VC167 (AKA Prince Charming) *robbed* them of the prize. The Baron was OK about this as he knew us well and knew the pain we had suffered to achieve our goal.
There are many debates about the rules and whether this club or that club is fair, however ultimately all that matters is the points trophy encourages people to ride events *and* then to ride more events *and* more *and* more events.
The YACF challenge this year is being led by Marcus Yeo. Again there are debates about whether a club prize should be based on the efforts of one person. However for the last year or 2 Peter Turnbull has taken the individual whilst the club point went to the 167.
Inevitably there will be hecklers who say YACF is not a club but I for one will *not* be one.
My guess is that at this point in the season Marcus cannot sleep in a bed as such but probably slopes off to his nearest bus shelter for a *proper* rest.
If his effort encourages others to add to the YACF points count in support then that’s great.
Long distance cycling is a really hard path to follow, there is no room for an us and them mentality. My best mate in AUK is currently John Price who refused to dump me last Saturday between Banburgh & Alnwick despite me puncturing twice in 10k. FWIW we last rode together in 2003.
The AUK Dinner is I am reliably informed in York again. If YACF win I for one will applaud loudly (obviously I’ll need a glass of YACF fizz the be sincere about it).
There really is no room for petty differences here.
Let the best men & of course women *win*
Today is the longest day and it's still all to play for.
AC
Noted & Noted well
I think your answer defines why I asked the question in the first place - can I just register on an internet forum (No disrespect to YACF intended) and then register that as my club ?
As a newcomer to audax I don't claim to understand the importance of awards (club or individual) within AUK. I am only just coming to terms with the fact that it is possible to ride the huge distances that some of you ladies & gents do.
However, the intention of listing YACF as my "club" was nothing to do with awards, but more to do with the camaraderie of the sport that we all enjoy.
I happen to live in a small north Dorset town, similar to lots of small towns throughout the country. There is a chain gang run on sunday mornings, all good people but I tend to get dropped after the first couple of hills. The participants are generally 20 years younger than me and either racers or tri-athletes. My nearest clubs are 15 - 20 miles away (Poole / Bournemouth), and my local CTC events tend to start at least 10 miles away.
Therefore I would say that I really have no local club.
My decision to join AUK (Oct 2009) was as a result of the desire to participate in Audax events. So far I have done 9.
On my first (Primrose Path) I followed some bloke on a mountain bike and his mate on a Mercian. I suffered trying to follow them but by not stopping at the controls too long I managed to finish not too far behind them. They had enjoyed significant cafe stops. I later discovered that one of these pair is called "Hummers" and the other is known as "Postie" and that I was in the prescence of greatness, insofar as true long distance cycling is concerned.
A couple of rides later I followed a rather fine tandem (The Things) on the Mad March in Exeter before falling off on an icy stretch.
On my first 200 I had a problem with my rear hub, (flange broke across two spoke holes). It was a hilly event and I was ready to pack. The bloke on the mercian (Hummers) said "it's better than mine, you should just carry on". I did, He was right, I finished.
My second 200 was ridden almost all the way with a YACFr who I met through this forum (LEE).
Therefore as far as I am concerned this is not only the nearest (geographically) I would get to a proper club, it
is a proper club !
What do I need to do to get more points for it ?
Andy
