West Highland Wheelers Committee Meeting Tuesday the 22^nd of March 2022 – held on Microsoft Teams

Present– Doug Little, Gregor Muir, Steve Bradley, Marian Austin, Norma Gregory, Dave Parfitt, Jacqui Parfitt, Gill Barnes, Norman Clark.

Apologies– Ian and Ailsa Pooleman

Winter League–

• The final race of this year’s Winter League will be an enduro at Nevis Range on Sunday the 3^rd of April. Steve has got 5 stages planned for the main race with the option of doing an “enduro Lite” with only 3 stages. There will also be a special power stage for e-bikers (this will be a stand-alone stage and will not count towards the overall race results)
• There will be a kid’s version of the race with the kid’s departing at 11.15 after all the adults have gone out. The under 8’s will probably just do the first stage, the under 12’s might have the option of doing the enduro lite.
• Sign on will be from 9.30 with the first riders potentially going out at 10.30. The aim would be to have the last stage closing at 1.00.
• The numbers will be limited to 50 adults. Non members will need to pay £5.00.
• The race will be followed by a BBQ and prizegiving. Doug will purchase the food for the BBQ and appeal for volunteers to do the cooking. Vegetarian and gluten free options will of course be available.
• Spook has very kindly agreed to organize the timing. As a thank you for doing this it was agreed that the club would buy him a present(a bottle of whisky)
• Steve will liaise with Carrie in the marketing department at Nevis Range re risk assessments etc.
• Doug has ordered WHW branded buffs to present to anyone who has done at least 3 races. There is a slight possibility that these will not arrive in time. Cost of the buffs is £4 each + VAT.
• The cost of the timing licence for the race will be £48 + VAT .
• There was some discussion as to how best to include e bikes next year. Should they maybe go before the other racers or start after. This discussion needs to be revisited before next year’s races start.

Time Trials

• Doug to check with Dave as to whether he is still keen to help to put together a TT schedule.
• Gill is going to contact Emma Pearce to see if she would be willing to help put together a potential schedule. The aim would be to nominate specific people to organize each race rather than having one or two people organizing them all.

New Committee Members

We need to try to fill the following positions.

1. Minutes Secretary. Doug will just double check with Ian and Ailsa that they no longer wish to do this.
2. Website/social media coordinator. Hopefully this might be something that Jodie would be interested in. Doug to liaise with her about this.
3. A Junior rep.

Scottish Enduro Series Kid’s Races at Nevis Range on Sat 23^rd of April

• The Kid’s Club are helping to organize these races – mainly by supplying marshalls. £5 from each entry will go towards the club.

Kids Club

• Kid’s club will restart on Saturday the 30^th of April. At the present time it is looking that we may well have a slight shortage of leaders available.
• Mark is running a number of  Level1 and Level 2 courses in the near future. Once the club gets up and running again, we shall look at getting more people on these courses and qualified.

Bike Festival Week

• It was decided that with a lot of things already potentially going on with the club this Spring that we would not hold a bike festival week this year. We shall however have a push to increase riders coming out on Wednesday evenings.

Wednesday Evenings

• Numbers have gone down recently. Covid and some bad weather (until recently!) has not helped this. In a push to encourage more people out Gregor has proposed an introductory evening at Nevis Range on the 4^th of May. The aim would be to have four distinct groups of differing levels, each going out with a leader.
• It was agreed that Nevis Range would be the venue on the first and 3^rd Wed of every month as this is the best place to be enable differing levels to be catered for.
• Jacqui is going to be away for quite a few Saturdays this Spring, so will not be able to help out much with Saturday Social rides. She is however keen to introduce a block of ladies only beginner sessions on Wednesday evenings.
• It would be good to put a poster advertising these in the local bike shops etc. If anyone wishes to design a poster that would be much appreciated.

Lochaber Trail Association

• The Trail Association have got 6 dig days planned this year with The Fort William Foxes running a women’s specific one as well. The first of these will be at Torlundy on the 10^th of April. Facebook events for these will go live at the end of March.
• There may well be the opportunity to organize a Wheelers specific dig day in the future.

Moving the Wheelers Shed

• We have been given a new position to place the shed over by the High wires.
• The aim is to move the shed on Friday the 1^st and Sat 2^nd of April. Mark Clark is going to very kindly take the lead on this, but other offers of help would be appreciated.
• Nevis Range have offered to help transfer everything over once it has been dismantled.

Membership

• We are very soon going to get to the date when rolling memberships come up for renewal. It was agreed that we would move to a direct debit system for membership payments
• Doug is going to organise a meeting with Shaun, Jacqui, and Evelyn about setting this up and to discuss other membership issues.
• Gill is going to look into how best to resolve issues with Stripe.

Pumptrack

• All looking promising. £480,000 has now been raised and an invite to the main contractors will go out on the 7^th of May.
• The Viridor application failed on a technicality so the club will not need to act as a third party and provide £2500.

British Cycling stuff

• The offer from British Cycling for free membership to new club members is still available.
• Before Kid’s Club restarts, Marian, Gregor and Doug need to get together to look at updating all the coaches necessary qualifications.
• Doug has contacted Neil Wilson to say that the club would be interested in hosting a round of a Dirt Crit Series later in the year.
• Marian is currently the only committee member receiving British Cycling e mails. It was suggested that it would be good for all committee members to receive them.

Next Meeting

• Tuesday the 10^th of May at 7.30 at Marian’s house.