Winter League
Winter League
Winter League
Many Thanks to North Argyll Cycling Club for running the latest round of this year’s Winter League at Sutherland’s Grove last Sunday. Brilliant to see such a great turnout for both the adults and the junior races. Full results are below and the next race is on Sunday the 6th of February at Invergarry.




Winter League
Well done to all 35 riders who took part in the main race and the 13 riders who took part in the junior races. There was some great racing in all the categories, with Gary Macdonald finally winning the Claire Mackintosh memorial antlers for the 3rd consecutive time. Many thanks to Vince and Cammie for organising the race and to those who donated and helped raise £314.85 for Macmillan cancer support. The next round of the Winter League is at Sutherland’s Grove, Barcaldine on the 16th January and is being very kindly run for us by North Argyll Cycling Club.
Main Course Results
Junior Races
Under 8 boys;
Under 12 girls
Under 8 boys;
Under 8 Girls;
Time Trials
18 adults and 6 juniors took part in this years Xmas handicap on a very cold and frosty day in Glen Nevis. It was great to see riders all the way from the ages of 6 to 85 taking part. Some great efforts were made with Xmas decorations and we even had a visit from Ma and Pa Santa Claus. Results are as follows;
Adult’s Race
Junior Race
Committee Minutes
West Highland Wheelers Committee Meeting Tuesday the 8th of December 2021 on Zoom
Present; Doug Little, Marian Austin, Dave Parfitt, Jacqui Parfitt, Norma Marshall, Steve Bradley, Mark Clark.
Apologies; Norman Clark, Ian Pooleman, Ailsa Pooleman
Trail Maintenance.
Steve brought up that it is important for leaders at Kid’s Club (and for the rest of us) to take care in deciding which trails to go down according to current conditions. A lot of damage was done to Rainbow Nation last Saturday morning following the previous days torrential rain.
It would be good in the future to try to do some more trail maintenance sessions after morning Club sessions. Learning about how to build trails and proper trail etiquette is an important part of what kid’s club should be about.
Xmas Handicap.
Winter League.
Provisional Schedule for the rest of the series is below
DATE VENUE ORGANISER KID’S RACE
| Tuesday 28th December | Nevis Range – Clare Mackintosh Memorial race | Vince and Cammie Mackintosh | Yes |
| Sunday 16th Jan | Barcaldine | NACC | yes |
| Sunday Feb 6th | Whitebridge, Invergarry | Vince Mackintosh | Possibly |
| Sunday Feb 27th | Strontian | Jo and James Tait | Probably |
| Sunday March 20th | Wolftrax | ?????????????? | Probably |
| April 15th – 18th | Easter | ||
| Sunday ??????? | Nevis Range – possible Enduro? | Steve? | Probably |
Committee positions.
Wed nights.
Time Trials.
February in preparation for next year’s series of races.
Kid’s Club.
Pump Track
Adult Social rides
Bank Balance
Any Other Business.
Next Meeting – Tuesday the 8th of February at 7.00.
Social Rides
Despite starting in freezing fog at Nevis Range base station we finally managed to climb high enough to get into the sunshine and witness a stunning cloud inversion. A great way to finish what has been a great year of Saturday afternoon rides – especially when Jacqui produced some delicious Mince Pies! Many thanks to everyone that has been coming to the sessions, they have been great fun! We are looking forward to seeing you on the trails during the winter and we are definitely planning to start formally organising the rides again in the Spring.
Kid's Club
Huge congratulations to Nina Cameron and Cory Muir who have just qualified as British Cycling Level 1 MTB Leaders. To achieve this they had to complete 2 days training with Mike Pescod, and they are now helping out with leading the younger riders in the club. Having come right through the club from an early age it is really great to seem them now inspiring these younger riders! Some of the other older teenagers ( Evan Macdonald, FrasDaniel Parfitt, Rory Gilfillan, Kai Frost,Cole Jackson, Joseph Tait, and Kieran MacDougal) have also been helping out with the younger groups and have been getting some great feedback from riders and coaches alike – well done! Many thanks to Lochaber Sports Association for providing us with a grant to help with the Level 1 course, and thanks also to Mark Clark for providing training for some of those not on the course. We are aiming to run another Level 1 course next Spring.
Winter League
Well done to all the racers ( both young and not so young) who took part in the second round of this years Winter League. Despite all the efforts of Storm Arwen Mark Clark laid on a couple of great courses. Special mention must go to Gary Macdonald, who despite trying to ” fatten” up and also having no motor, managed to complete one more lap than the rest of the field. Many thanks to Mark for all his efforts, and everyone else that helped with the marshalling, timekeeping and baking! The next race is the Claire Mackintosh Memorial race on the 28th of December, run by Vince and Cammie at Nevis Range.
AGM Minutes
AGM – Thursday the 4th of November at the Pinemartin Café.
Present; Doug Little, Gregor Muir, Evelyn MacLennan, Norman Clark, Alastair MacLennan, David Underwood, Lindsay Jarrett, Linzi Beckett, Lindsay Barr, Campbell Mackintosh, Vince Mackintosh, Mandy Watson, Aidan Baltrunas, Stefan Baltrunas, Gill Barnes, Dave Parfitt, Jacqui Parfitt, Norma Marshall, Damien Forster, Nix Forster,Mark Clark, Ailsa Pooleman, Marian Austin, Ruari Watt
Apologies; Ian Pooleman, Mylene,Evan and Roddy Macdonald, Emma Pearce
Minutes of last AGM – Proposed as accurate by Noman Clark, seconded by Dave Parfitt.
Chairmans report;
Notable successes
Fort to Fort;
Held last Sunday the 31st of October. 34 entrants and £170 was raised which will be added to the inspiring fund raising achievements of Adrien Beard towards Pancreatic Cancer UK.
1ST Male – Gary MacDonald (1:39:26), 2nd Male Cammy Mackintosh ( 1:46;45)
1st Female – Marie Meldrum ( 1:57:17), 2nd female Ailsa Pooleman (2:16:04)
1st Junior – Cammy Mackintosh, 2nd Junior
1st E-bike – Joint winners -Lindsay Jarrett and Linzi Beckett ( 2:47:45) –Lindsay was the first person to complete the course carrying an oxygen cylinder!
A huge thank you to Jacqui for being there all day, doing the timing and providing refreshments ( ably assisted by Rachel). Thank you also to Norma, Lance, Amy, Alan, Ewen, Jonathon and Vince for their invaluable marshalling.
Winter League;
Despite winter lockdowns we managed to hold 4 races last year. Unfortunately, we were not able to hold any junior races. Many thanks to Mark and Marian who both organised 2 each. Thanks also to anyone that helped with marshalling, and of course to Andy for working out the scoring. 29 males and 21 females took part in the series.
1st Male -Gary Macdonald 2nd Male Cammy Mackintosh
1st Lady – Nix Forster 2nd Lady – Gill Banes
1st Junior – Cammy Mackintosh 2nd junior – Aaron Tressider
1st e-biker Doug Little – Only entrant!
Marian has put together a provisional program for next year with 8 races. Junior races will be confirmed once we have confirmed dates and venues. Kid’s races will be at the same venues but will be run separately by kid’s club.
Provisional Schedule
DATE VENUE ORGANISER KID’S RACE
| Sun 21st November | Wolftrax | Jamie Maxwell | Probably |
| Sun 5th November | Glen Loy – Strone side | Mark Clark | Probably |
| Tuesday 28th December | Nevis Range – Claire Mackintosh Memorial race | Vince and Cammie Mackintosh | Probably |
| Sunday 19th December | Glen Nevis – Not part of the Winter League | Andy Rogers | Probably |
| Sunday 16th Jan | Barcaldine | NACC | No |
| Sunday Feb 6th | Whitebridge, Invergarry | Vince Mackintosh | Possibly |
| Sunday Feb 27th | Strontian | Jo and James Tait | Probably |
| Sunday March 20th | Glen Loy – Erracht side | ?????????????? | Possibly |
| April 15th – 18th | Easter | ||
| Sunday April 24th | Nevis Range – possible Enduro? | ?????????????? | Probably |
Races will be free of charge for members. For non members the charge will be £2 for children and £5 for adults.
Rather than T shirts for those that complete 3 races we are looking at the possibility of providing mugs.
It was suggested that it would be a good idea to have some shorter, possibly less technical options available when possible in order to encourage members who might be slightly apprehensive about taking part. These courses might also be suitable for older children who do not necessarily wish to take part in the full races. Mandy Watson volunteered to look into these options.
Xmas Handicap
Many thanks to Andy for once again organising this. To be held on Sunday the 19th of Dec.
Bike Festival -it would be great to get this back up and running next year in the Spring. If there is a person or people who would like to put themselves forward as main organisers for this that would be great. The committee would of course be willing to help with this.
Website
Many thanks to those that have worked on this. Most notably, Shaun, Evelyn, Amy, Robbie Mark and Doug. This is still definitely a work in progress and there are things that needed to be added. In particular, access to past files/results. We are looking for someone to help keep the website updated and help to progress it .
Membership
At present there are 369 members ( 2019 -346, 2020-247). 103 female adults and 38 female juniors, 151 male adults and 77 male juniors.
Time Trials
Great to see Time trials back on the agenda. There were 7 races held this year. A Huge thanks to Dave, Emma and Alastair for organising these. Many thanks also to everyone who helped with marshalling and timekeeping. A special thanks to Pete Berrie for stepping into the breach when needed!
Saturday Social Rides
These were an experiment this year but seem to have been going well. There has been a steady stream of ladies and e-bikers. Will take a break from Xmas to the end of the ski season , but will definitely resume next Spring. Many thanks to all those that have come and those that have helped run them.
Wed nights
Numbers have been up and down but generally good with a good few new faces. Many thanks to Gregor for putting together the schedules.
Treasurers Report
Gill reported that things are looking healthy and that the bank account is £1000 up on last year. After a considerable amount of effort by Gill we now have access to internet banking – many thanks!
Kid’s Club
Started again in Spring and has been going well. The last group of sessions for this year start up again on Saturday and will run until the 11th of Dec before taking a break until next Spring. If everyone turns up this Sat then there will be 86 kids in 12 groups + we have 9 teenagers helping with the coaching of the younger groups. These teenagers have pretty much been coming to the club right through from a younger age , so it is great to see them going to the next level and giving back. The aim, with the help of Mike Pescod, is to help them get their level 1 leadership qualification ( their first step on the coaching ladder.)
Election of Office bearers and the committee
Stepping down – Evelyn, Nix, Shaun, Ruby ,Fraser.
Doug thanked everyone for all the great work that is carried out by everyone on the committee .
Position Proposed Seconded
| Chairperson | Doug Little | Norman | Gregor |
| Official Secretary | Marian Austin | Gill | Doug |
| Treasurer | Gill Barnes | Ailsa | Marian |
| Minutes Secretary | Ian Pooleman | Ailsa | Doug |
| Junior rep | ?????????? | ||
| Time Trials | See below | ||
| Kid’s Club sub group | Doug Little | Gregor | Mandy |
| Newsletter/ website | Norma Marshall See below | Doug | Marian |
| Child protection and Covid 19 officer | Gregor Muir | Dave | Evelyn |
| General | Dave Parfitt | ||
| Steve Bradley | |||
| Mark Clark | |||
| Norman Clark |
Subscription Rates
to remain the same for next year;
AOCB
Next Meeting – Tuesday 7th Dec
Trophy presentation
Most Improved Lady – Lorraine Whelan ( trophy presented)
Most improved Downhiller – Alan Cameron ( trophy not presented)
Most improved junior male – Alexander Pervan ( trophy not presented)
Most improved junior female – Charlotte Strachan ( trophy not presented)
Flying Gorilla Award for getting up and carrying on after crashes. Lance Marshall. ( trophy presented)
Inspirational award – Lyndsay Jarrett ( no trophy for this as yet)
Time Trials;
Men’s – Gary Macdonald ( trophy not presented)
Female – Mairi Meldrum ( trophy not presented)
Junior – Cammie Mackintosh ( trophy presented)
Winter league;
Male – Gary MacDonald ( trophy not presented)
Female – Nix Forster ( trophy presented)
Junior – Cammie Mackintosh( trophy not presented)
Doug thanked everyone for coming and Nevis Range for providing the venue.
Winter League
13 Adults and 10 juniors took part in the First races of the 2021/2022 Winter League series. The adults raced around the Cour Loop, whilst the juniors raced as many laps as possible around a small loop at the Nevis Range base station. Cammie Mackintosh triumphed in the adult race and once again managed to even out pace the e-bike riders! There was some great racing in the junior races with some exciting family rivalry developing! Many thanks to everyone who helped with timing, marshalling, course setting, tree clearing and of course the baking. The next race is at Glen Loy ( Strone side) on the 5th of December. Watch out for posts giving details about the race on facebook.
Results:
Cour Loop race;
Junior race;
Under 8’s
Under 12’s
Fort to Fort
Well done to all the 34 riders who took part in Sunday’s Fort to Fort. Fair to say that conditions were fairly damp but there was a slight breeze behind ( or at least to the side). Well done to Gary for winning by a good 7 minutes ( Cammie is gradually getting closer though!). Great to see some new faces ( and some old faces!) doing the event. A special mention has to go to Lindsay Jarrett who became the first person to do the race carrying an oxygen tank. A huge thank you to Jacqui for doing the timing and providing much needed refreshments at the end ( ably assisted by Rachel of course). Thanks also to Alan, Norma, Lance, Amy, Ewen and Vince for marshalling – we couldn’t do the event without you guys helping!
Results;
Gary MacDonald 01:39:26
Cammy Mackintosh 01:46:45
Aidan Webster 01:51:09
Jamie Gall 01:51:44
sam Daynes 01:52:32
Iain Pooleman 01:56:53
Marie Meldrum 01:57:17
Tim Brand 02:00:02
Damien Forster 02:01:01
Gregor Muir 02:04:34
Ailsa Pooleman 02:16:04
Graham Macnab 02:18:11
Mike Webster 02:21:53
Nix Forster 02:21:54
Aaron Tresidder 02:24:24
Es Tresidderr 02:24:27
Emma Hebborn 02:35:59
Andy Rodgers 02:43:34
Gill Barnes 02:45:10
Emma Pearce 02:46:41
Lindsay Jarrett 02:47:45
Linzi Beckett 02:47:45
Marian Austin 02:56:17
Lucy Nevison 02:58:31
Zeemon Erhardt 02:58:31
Ruairidh MacMaster 03:21:10
Andrew MacMaster 03:21:12
Kenny McIntyre 03:24:55
Lorrainne Wheelen 04:37:49
David Exeter 04:37:51
Doug Little 04:37:50
Mark Clark dnf
James Exeter dnf
Hilary Tresidder dnf
Kai Tresidder dnf