• Good news from indoor cycle speedway; Jack Lush achieved first place and Matthew Lush got 4^th in the Under 16 category of this National event.  Well Done Jack and Matthew!

• With the current cold weather, the humidity is lower than usual; the air is very dry so please make sure you drink enough during sessions, as otherwise you will become dehydrated.  Little and often is best.

• A quick reminder for all riders who use the Velodrome’s black & white Dolans, please remember to take them back to the bike store at the end of the session.

• There was a pair of waterproof over-trousers left in the Riders’ ‘D’ at the end of today’s session; if anyone has lost them, they can be retrieved from the Velodrome Reception.

• As we are approaching the end of the month, please make sure that you have renewed your membership.  If you are a Manchester Council tax-payer, please remember to bring along a Council Tax bill to take advantage our MCC tax-payers' discount.

• For those who are waiting for Racing Licences, the British Cycling affiliation issue has now been resolved and membership cards and licences should have been sent out.

• On Saturday, I gave a quick reminder to carry out regular bike checks - here is the expanded version:-

• If you ride your own, or a Club bike, please make sure you take time to do a regular safety check on the machine, as it is easy to become complacent.  Every time you get the bike out, you should always check the basics, including tyre pressure & condition, handlebar end-stops and wheel-nut tightness.  Your regular checks should include tightness of all nuts, bolts and lock-rings on the machine, particularly the crank and chainring bolts, as these are subject to great stress.  Other check should include smoothness of bearings and even tension of spokes.  You depend on the machine on the track, so make sure that it is dependable.

• While on the subject of equipment checks, spare a thought for your helmet and shoes.  Check your helmet for cracks and insecure straps; check your shoes for worn or loose cleats or damaged straps.  Replace anything that is damaged.

• For riders who use Velodrome black & white Dolans, these should also be checked for obvious problems before use, but if you find a fault with one of these, tell one of the coaches and ask for a replacement bike.  Faulty bikes must be tagged for repair and not just put back into the store.

• One last note; on Saturday there were a number of Dolans left around the Riders' ‘D', which were left for the Coaches to round up after the session.  All the black & white Dolans we use need to be put away at the end of our sessions, so if you use one, please be considerate to our coaches and make sure that it is returned to the bike store before you leave.  Thanks.

Those of you who ride (or watch) our Wednesday evening sessions should notice a few changes over the coming weeks as we move into our winter programme. There will be less racing as we focus on improving conditioning and speed over the next 3 months. This is going to involve a lot more volume – for example lots of sets with a short time for recovery.

Wednesdays are for invited riders who are actively racing – primarily at Youth A/B and Junior level – and the aim is to prepare for the summer track events such as the National Championships and National Omnium series. After Easter we will move on to sessions with more technical objectives including starting techniques, pursuiting and sprint events.

• Please come prepared for this – we want to make the most of the short time we have on the track.

• Try and bring a turbo trainer with you so you can keep working while the other group is on the track  

•  Please make sure you have your bike/kit/drinks sorted BEFORE you arrive

• Don’t be late – the warm up starts at 6pm on the dot!!!

1.             Participation in sessions.

• Efforts

Efforts (between group sets) by individual riders were at the coaches discretion and could only be done by National level riders who were not participating in the other parts of the session.

• Coaches

Coaches, including junior/trainee coaches, should only ride on sessions to lead or demonstrate an exercise (e.g. lumps and bumps) or to pace Keirins or warm up lines.

• Second claim members

It was confirmed that second claim members could not participate in sessions until the end of the winter track league season. This also applied to second claim members whose parents were club volunteers.

• Free access to sessions

It was confirmed that when a member of a rider’s family was making a regular contribution to the club as an official or coach then the rider would be entitled to attend track sessions free of charge.

2.             Wednesday sessions.

• Aims and programme

There was a discussion regarding the need for a more structured seasonal programme and the advice given by Tim Buckle (BC regional coach). It was agreed that the winter sessions should focus on improving conditioning and speed, with the emphasis on volume and effort. Racing should be minimal during the winter sessions. From Spring onwards there would be more focus on technical objectives and preparing for events such as the national omniums. Wednesday sessions were aimed at riders who were actively racing and primarily at Youth A/B categories.

• Selection process and criteria

Potential Wednesday riders would be assessed on Saturdays by the Wednesday coaches and an invitation would be based on agreement between coaches. Riders should be sufficiently able and competent to participate and should be actively racing or (during summer) be committed to starting the track league as soon as possible. Jason agreed to draw up a list of current Wednesday riders. The Saturday Group 3 would focus more effectively on the transition to Wednesday sessions and would offer a more challenging programme.

3.             Any other business

• Club Champs

A suitable date would be found at the end of March. The Champs would include a U12 Omnium (Alan Mason Trophy) and it was agreed to provide an additional trophy for the U14 Omnium.

• Clubroom security

John agreed to purchase combination locks for the clubroom and for storage cupboards.

• Tea stall

As the ACT were still running a tea stall Andy would speak to Bob Barber to see what criteria needed to be satisfied in order to reinstate the Eastlands stall.

Meeting finished at 9.15pm

• Membership – Please renew as soon as possible and certainly before the end of the month.  Also, please note that British Cycling racing licenses also need renewing, as they run from January 1^st as well.

• For those who wish to start racing, the ACT track league started their new season last week.  You will need your Youth Accreditation, a valid BC racing license and a bike with the correct gearing for your age category.  Please ask one of the coaches if you have any problems.  There are usually long queues for registration, so get there early!

• Tomorrow, Eastlands Velo are running a Tombola stall at the Bikes & Bits sale at the Velodrome.  The doors open at 11.00 am and looks like it will be an excellent event.

• SportCity are selling off the remainders of the old kit at reduced prices; quite a lot was sold at the Saturday session and the rest will be on the stall Sunday 15th.

• There are still various bikes and rollers available for hire; please see John if you wish to hire them.  Hire fee for bikes is £3 per week, for rollers it is £4 per month.

• The Club Championships will be taking place on a suitable Saturday around the end of March; the date is still to be confirmed.