#74

August  2010

A newsletter of the

NORTH WEST TASMANIA RECREATIONAL CYCLING GROUP

Download the printable version (MS-Word)

RIDE PLAN -        SUNDAY    29^th AUGUST

Squeaking Point Ride

Ride starts 11.00 a.m.

Meeting point

The Cherry Shed, Latrobe (intersection with the Bass Highway, on the Launceston side of the Mersey hospital roundabout).

Starting time:

11.00 a.m.

The rides

This is the first ride I shared with the club and it is time to re-visit. It will be a bit of a “gut buster” as some of us haven’t ridden much this winter.

Slightly longer than normal closer to 40 kms than 20kms we will start from the Cherry Shed an 11.00 am start.

The ride will go from there to the Moriaty School along Bonney’s Lane to join with Oppenheim’s Lane to take us out to the Exeter Highway and towards Squeaking Point.

We will be returning via Appleby’s Road. Bakers Lane to Moriaty and then to the Cherry Shed and collapse over a well deserved coffee.

There will be plenty of opportunities to shorten this ride and return for an early coffee depending on weather and fitness. Shorter rides will be decided at 11.00 at the cherry Shed.

Some of us may not even leave the starting point!

Helen Plaister.

Ride Organizer

PREZ SEZ

Dear members,

I hope that you found your last copy of Chainmail on the net quite easily.  One member told me that they could not open the site, so I assume that everyone else made it through with no problems.  I hope so.  The siting of the newsletter on the web site does make it easier for whoever is producing it.

Thank you to Helen and Brendan for organizing the Wynyard ride.  For the middle of winter, we had a beautiful day. We had about 20 riders and it was good to welcome some new faces.

In the last Chainmail, I explained that Bicycle Tasmania was looking at how it could better operate.  Well, their Committee will recommend at their AGM this week that they operate with Bicycle Victoria.  They will retain their own identity, but BV will offer administrative support, and the same membership privileges as BV members – insurance, copies of Ride On, ride costs etc.  Those of us who are BV members in Tasmania will, I understand, be transferred to BT.  From the membership that BV collects from members, a certain amount will be returned to BT.

This weekend saw the AGM of the Tasmanian Bicycle Council.  We are members of the TBC at the moment, thus have a voice in bicycle matters at the state level.  The decision was made to review the State picture after the BT AGM which will be this Thursday.  The situation has been made more complex by the fact that Cycling Tasmania (the group that represents competitive cyclists, but which now also wishes to represent recreational cyclists) has had its proposal adopted by our Northern equivalent, TBUG.  We will need to discuss this situation at the AGM.

TBUG prepared a spread sheet to compare the offers from groups who wish to assist cycling in Tasmania.  I have included this in this newsletter to help inform you, and I have added some extra information which we have subsequently become aware of.

We will also need to discuss the issue of insurance again at the AGM.  This became very clear to me when we organized Bike Week this year, after the first accident that we have experienced in six years of operation; and we do have some more information that we need to consider as a group.

The AGM will be held after the Sprent ride in September.

Cheers,

Keith

Comparison of membership and affiliation options

(NWRCG, TBUG,  Bicycle  Victoria, Cycling Tasmania)

	Personal accident, income protection	Third party liability for TBUG and members	Communic-ations	Cost	Considerations Positive	Considerations Negative
N W R C G	NO	NO	Chainmail Website	$1 annual membership $2 per ride Personal insurance costs	Local management Very low cost Easy organization to run Focus on participation No indemnity insurance	Either liaise with other groups or separated from wider cycling world Governments want one contact point for cycling if they are to support infrastructure development
B i c y c l e V i c t o r i a	YES 24/7 “Riders rights” legal  support	YES	Ride on Magazine Email news	$105 single $90 concession $135 couple or 1 parent+2 under 21 $150 couple with 2 plus under 21 $30 clawback to pay officer	Focus and experience in urban, commuter and recreational cycling. BN will provide a paid BT staff member answerable to the BT executive to work 3 days per week on advocacy issues, split one day a week in south, north and north-west regions. Discounts to BN events; Round the Bay, Big Rides in Aust and NZ BN general resources Discounts Personal riding insurance in Australia and New Zealand Increased cost	No connection with road, MTB riders Insurance is “personal” only – no third party liability for NWRCG Not set up for BUG affiliations or covering another organisational structure.
	Personal accident, income protection	Third party liability for Group and members	Communic-ations	Cost	Considerations Positive	Considerations Negative
T B U G	NO	YES TBUG Events Only	Email news Web site	$30 single $25 concession $50 family	Local Lower cost Limited Discounts	Out of loop on wider cycling issues and state-wide issues. Barrier to increased inclusion of other riders
C y c l i n g T a s *	YES 24/7	YES 24/7		Year commencing Sept 2010, Cycling for All classification $77    over 19 $65   U19 and +65 $22   Club VIP for officials $176   2 parents, 2 juniors or 1 parent, 3 children	Claw back of $20 to Group which would cover cots with reasonable membership (80) as no Public Liability insurance needed – covered by CT. Tasmanian organisation for all cyclists Full time Exec Officer Christian Farley for 3 (?)years Lower cost Possibility for Opt Out of Ins membership at clawback rate Opportunity to develop a statewide widely representative body with ear of govt. Covers the wider profile of cyclist in Group’s catchment Personal riding insurance cover world wide Affiliation fee? Focus on racing. No culture of recreation and urban /commuter cycling, a challenge to get this created	No history of advocacy for cycling, done thru Amy Gillette Foundation?

*Currently covers all road, track and mountain bike riders/racers.  Affiliated with Cycling Australia

We acknowledge the efforts of Bicycle Tasmania and TBUG in researching these matters.  This summary was based on one developed by TBUG for its members.

THE FUTURE OF the NWRCG Inc.

So, what would you do?

Option 1: Stay as we are?

This would keep cycling low cost and affordable, and keep our structure simple.

This does not address the issue of being a part of the State cycling scene with input into any decisions about cycling facilities and laws, or having links with other cycling groups.  We could continue to support the Tasmanian Bicycle Council if it continues.

Nor does it address any insurance issues for our organizers (the Committee) or individual riders.

Option 2                                  Align ourselves with Bicycle Tasmania (and Bicycle Victoria and the National Cycling Network)

The proposal is set out above regarding this option.  Note that if we were to have any insurance for the Group, that would have to be organized outside of the Bicycle Victoria proposal.  BT is putting this proposal to its members this week.

Option 3                                  Align ourselves with Cycling Tasmania

This proposal has been adopted by TBUG (our Northern equivalent).  A summary is above. This proposal allows for low cost access to events without membership, and covers the Group for insurance for organized events.  The association with the bulk of non-competitive riders could be lessened with this proposal, although Cycling Tasmania wants to develop its work in this area..  We do have many things in common with the competitive side of our sport, and this proposal brings these together.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

Greetings from Hans who is cycling through Australia for a couple of months. Great Landscape ,fantastic people but challenging. Sometimes 90 km of just bush!

For those people who are interesting in touring here the address of my web album    www.picasaweb.google.com/kreli2005

Cheers,

Hans

Dear Editor,

Och aye the noo!

Greetings from Scotland.

The whole country is in a state of awe after having met Joan and Lance – well, Lance really.  After a wee dram, Lance held forth.  We have never been held in raptures for so long.   Is he for real?  Do you have any more like this?

Amazing! Outstanding!

But totally believable!  What sort of a people are you in Tasmania?

Jock

(Address and full name supplied to the Editor)

PS.  If you have any more like him coming our way, please give us notice so we can be ready.  We might need to go into the Highlands for a wee while.

Editor’s note: Lance has obviously told them the yarn about how he should be on the International Heritage Register because he was the first test tube baby from New Norfolk.

If you have any matters of cycling importance. Please forward them to the Editor for consideration.  Note that Lance and Joan will resume this role for the next Chainmail in September.