VCB Annual General Meeting report

Velo Club Baracchi members are looking forward to their prize presentation evening this Saturday but in the meantime club chairman Brian Boxall has given them fulsome praise.

Speaking at the annual meeting he complimented the racing members on good performances and also spoke of the twelve new time trial records amassed in the year by some of the 20-strong riders in this discipline.

One of the riders he mentioned was Lucas He, a junior who will still qualify as a junior in next year’s competition, who set six records at ten miles and four at twenty-five miles.

Mr Boxall was elected chairman for another year and he also agreed to act as club secretary again in the absence of any other candidate.

After several years acting as vice-chairman Mark Richards stood down but will continue to coordinate club clothing orders and will continue as a second-claim member.

Paul Hayward was elected vice chairman and John Thompson continued as treasurer, with Paul Dennington as welfare officer, to meet British Cycling’s requirements.  David Loynes was thanked for his service in that post.

Richard Allen, who has been a member for many years and is a former hon secretary, was added to the committee to widen its representation.

Members learned that the club will continue as a member of the Eastern Road Racing League, which will offer them some priority in league events promoted by member clubs, of which there are now 44.

Three of the club’s successful road racers, Richards, Liam Gentry and Nick Esser moved to DAP CC in the season for their competition, but VC Baracchi is anxious to retain all others and build on the existing team if possible.

Subject to final approval at the British Cycling “date fixing” meeting on December 9 the club’s own Ringsfield Road Race for third and fourth cats will be on July 15, 2018.

Guests of honour at the club presentation night at the Carlton PH on Saturday will be Pete and Pam Milner, stalwarts of the sport who are well known locally, not least for their dedicated timekeeping in Godric CC club time trials and in the open time trials of many clubs, including VCB.

On the Sunday at 9am the Chairman’s Breakfast ride to Earsham Street Café in Bungay will be led by the new vice-chairman.

John Thompson has been one of those putting in the miles recently.  He rode the Essex 3R’s 107km audax from Witham in 6 hours and 20 minutes and last Sunday took a jaunt on local roads.