AUK OFFICERS' REPORTS 1996 Secretary Your Committee has met on four occasions in 1996. This statistic alone does not reflect the great amount of work carried out by individual committee members throughout the year to ensure that AUK's business has been conducted effectively. A shadow was cast over the year and a significant link to the past broken by the death of our Patron "Oppy". Although he lived on the other side of the world, he had real interest in AUK. It was fitting that we were represented at the funeral by past chairman Mick Latimer. While there have been no other major changes in 1996, innovation and personal achievement have continued. The new entry level Brevet and Randonneur awards have encouraged many to achieve a "200" for the first time and tempted erstwhile unattached riders to ride events and to join AUK. The "Crackpot 1000" has broken new ground, not to mention backs, in AAA challenges, planning is in progress to try to establish an international standard "flagship" AUK event and this year's awards to individual riders and to organisers tell their own story. Mindful of views expressed at the last AGM, the Committee has tried to improve communication by publishing a summary of each Committee Meeting in Arrivee. In addition, in the Autumn edition of Arrivee, we are seeking the views of each member about those aspects of AUK that give them most concern and those that give them the most satisfaction, together with what action they think the Committee should be taking to improve performance and the running of the club. We hope that everyone will take this opportunity to make their views and suggestions known. On a personal level, as Mareve and I will be spending a significant chunk of 1997 on the long machine cycling around, Pall, Fiji, New Zealand, Western Australia and Provence, I have decided to stand down at this AGM. Without doubt AUK is the best cycling organisation in the UK and it has been an enormous privilege for me to be the Secretary working with such a committed and professional Committee. I am sure that my successor will enjoy the same support and friendship from the Chairman and other Committee members as I have over the last five years. Peter Hansen TREASURER - year to 31 August 1996 - The operating surplus is sufficient to enable the club to continue without financial worries for the coming year. Following comments at the last AGM I have set out the income and expenditure to show more clearly the two sides of the club's activities. The level of subscriptions more than meets the costs of running the membership side of our activities and Arrivée production and I recommend that the Annual Subscription shah be unchanged at £7 renewal and £9 initial. The other fees set out at Page 6 of the 1996 Handbook also to remain unchanged. (Regulation 9) I recommend that the level of Honoraria payable to the Brevet Production and the Validation Secretaries be sanctioned at £750 and £600 respectively. ( Regulation 10 ) Card production and AUK validation costs too seem adequately covered for the coming year by the present charges and I recommend that with the addition of a Late Card charge (see the preamble to the motion on Rag 12) they remain at current levels :- Validation - £0:20 RM addition £0:25 - (subject to any ACP changes) ( Regulation 11) Card Production - £0:30 - Late/Additional Production - £0:40 ( Regulation 12 ) Last year's figures have been moved around to match the current layout as nearly as possible without a wholesale reworking of those accounts. I would be happy to hear from any member wanting further amplification or clarification of the figures. A copy of the accounts for the year are set out opposite. Keith Benton Systems Manager Quite a bit of money has been spent on computer equipment this year, with the aim of improving compatibility between committee members' equipment, and the longer-term aim of enabling slicker and quicker, and more effective communication between committee members - many of whom can be remarkably elusive at times. However I am glad to have this opportunity to state that I am firmly in favour keeping this sort of expenditure to an absolute minimum. Rather I would like to see us sinking any surplus funds that we may have, directly into improving the quality of events. Francis Cooke BREVET CARD PRODUCTION To the end of July, two-thirds of the Calendar Events had been ridden for which 10,766 cards have been supplied for the 197 rides. This time last year it was approximately 11,500 for 35 fewer events. By comparison, this April the number dropped by 860 and June increased by 610. From March to July there was a monthly average of 2,000 rides oon offer. Although I am 'willing and able' to continue producing brevet cards if wanted, I will offer support and encouragement to anyone wishing to make a 'take-over bid' - the thought of taking up cycling is very attractive. Bry Ferguson MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY My first year as membership secretary has been busy and stimulating. Almost 3000 incoming envelopes have worn out two letter knives and I am no longer quite the computer illiterate I was. Throughout the year the experience and support of Ben Steven has been invaluable. While I have handled most of the post Ben has been working on an ingenious new database which should streamline membership processing in the future. Membership had once again risen to a new high of 2782 by the end of September, an increase of 200 over last year. A modified numbering system has meant household members sharing a number, but retaining their uniqueness by the addition of a suffix letter. They remain, of course, full members in every sense. Asking members to assemble their own membership cards was a great timesaver, although it caused confusion for some, especially those who threw away the envelope with the precious label. There was just one written complaint, which suggests that most people coped with the challenge. We'll be asking you to do the same again, so please don't bin the envelope containing your 1997 handbook and calendar. Anyone mislaying their card can find their number on every Arrivee mailing label. Ray Smith EVENT SECRETARY Once again, congratulations and many thanks to all the Helpers and Organisers (139), who gave AUK its biggest-ever Calendar. It has been usual for there to be a drop for the year after PBP, but this time we had an increase of 20 events, due to a nett gain of some 11 Organisers - some new, and some former ones. With the increased membership, and more publicity, it is reasonable to have a higher density and frequency of rides, and this in turn gives more choice to riders. In spite of the growth, we are still short of events above 200km, and a bit low on RM. We need more spread through the UK, and more spread through the year: it is possible to run a 400 in September! Please get in touch with me if you fancy running some events. At one point we had just topped 300 events, but then had some cancellations. One event had to be dropped because of very low entries, and then the numbers trebled after the deadline. Organisers need to arrange many things, and have to know numbers in advance. Having a good choice of rides means giving support, (in all ways), so please try to enter in plenty of time. The figures for 1996 are: Cat. 50+ 100+ 150+ 200+ 300+ 400+ 600+ 1000+ Totals BP 28 108 †30 -- -- -- -- -- 166 BT -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 2 5 AUK -- -- -- †74 8 †9 1 -- 92 LRM -- -- -- 16 8 †4 4 1 33 Totals 28 108 30 90 16 13 8 3 296 *includes multiple starts. †includes Arrows and Darts. Peter Coulson AUK/ACP CORRESPONDANT a far less hectic year than the last, for obvious reasons. Regular contact has been maintained with ACP: for committee queries, post-PBP matters and ACP Brevet 5000 claims. There has been correspondence with the RM and both foreign and AUK randonneurs, mainly concerning AUK events. A transport strike prevented my attending the ACP présentation des prix in December but I intend to represent AUK at this year's ceremony. Noel Simpson INTERNATIONAL EVENTS This has been my first full year in this post, following on from my predecessor David Patey, who is now early retired and no doubt enjoying to the full an unfettered cycling life. Perhaps he will enrich the pages of ARRIVEE with tales of his exploits abroad. Bonne Route, David! The changeover has not been without difficulties regarding the posting of' the FFCT Magazine, Cyclotourisme. I still haven't received a single copy yet! Fortunately Bry Ferguson has sent me his, including the all important calendar of events Ou irons-nous so that I have been able to satisfy most enquiries from members. Judging from your enquiries France continues to be the most popular cycling destination abroad, with high on the list famous one day classics, Paris-Roubais and the Trophee d'Or Cyclosportives: La Bernard Hinault and La Picarde eg. Enquiries about similar rides in other countries suggest to me that International Events appeal in particular to the 'Cyclosportifs' among AUK members. The Raids Alpine and Pyreneen also continue to attract riders. The Semaine Federale saw a considerable number of British cyclists taking part - I was one of them. Bry Ferguson told me some 150 riders from Angleterre had taken part this year, but I don't know how many of those were members of AUK. I have sent in an article to the ARRIVEE editor about my experiences in the Semaine Federale 1996. I hope some of you will write about your events abroad too! Len de Vos Press Secretary Another year of good cycling press coverage for AUK with mass circulation journals now asking for features on Audax. In addition it seems that no new Complete Book of Cycling is complete without reference to our non-competitive sport of long-distance riding. Also, thanks to the expertise of Francis and Sheila, the hottest news on Audax UK can be obtained on the Internet, a free service to members, potential members, the media and the world at large. The demand for our AUK/Cycling Weekly Controle and Pointer signs has greatly increased and they were supplied for this years CTC National 400. Our stocks should last for a year or two and organisers are invited to keep contacting me for free supplies. I also have copies of a professionally edited version of the 1995 PBP video, with lead-in sub titles in English, primarily for use in promoting media interest in the longer distance cycle events. Copies are available on loan for showing to your local cycle club or group. Brian Morris MAGAZINE EDITOR We've produced four issues of Arrivee, over 2,500 copies per issue, each with over 60 pages. The 1996 Calender was published in an Arrivee-sized Handbook, a format which has proved popular and will continue. Our grateful thanks to Peter Coulson who provided easy-to-use Calendar data and Francis Cooke the Handbook Compiler. Also to Tim Wainwright who now takes on Arrivée production responsibilities for the spring and summer issues. The steady growth in AUK membership has meant an increase in the number of Arrivée pages and we are now close to the limit of our present technology (ie stapling). Continued growth will mean either an occasional extra issue, or a change in format to A4 size pages, or more drastic editing - the former if funds permit. Heartfelt thanks also to Bry Ferguson our proof reader, Ray Smith who produces address labels and copes with new members, Tradeprint for the printing, packaging and posting, and, of course our talented contributers who continue to entertain and inspire. Sheila Simpson Validation Secretary They said this will be an easy year, things tend to drop off after the PBP. What drops off I’m not sure, it’s certainly not Brevets as the following results show. Brevet Populaires: (1995 results in brackets). 50km 722 (437) 100km 4814 (4312) 150km 945 (830) Total = 6481 (5579) Brevet AUK/RM: 200km 4220 (3716) 300km 618 (834) 400km 477 (657) 600km 226 (402) 1000km. 11 (39) Total = 5552 (5648) Tourist. 55 (72) Darts, Arrows etc. 36 (45) Overall total Brevets = 12,124 (11,344) 73 Brevets were not validated, information controls being the main problem, may I suggest that organisers using this type of control, should check the brevet cards at the finish and if the brevet card is not completed as required at the information control, to draw the riders attention to it. I am sure that in the majority of cases it was just forgetfulness on the riders part. However 11 riders resubmitted their brevet cards with acceptable explanations why they were not completed and these were then validated. Dave Whitney who deals with all ACP validations, reports the following: 17 events at 200km resulted in 1037 brevets. 8 events at 300km resulted in 320 brevets. 3 events at 400km resulted in 144 brevets. 4 events at 600km resulted in 158 brevets. 1 event at 100km resulted in 11 brevets. A total of 33 events resulting in 1670 brevets. A list of Super Randonneurs has been prepared and passed to Francis for inclusion in the handbook. A total of 177 riders achieved Super Randonneur, a reduction 133 from the previous year. 1035 members took part in events of 200km and over (AUK/RM events), and the list was presented to the AGM showing the events ridden by members and the points they gained. There were some discrepancies, (about 50%), in the number of points I calculated and the number of points some members claimed. This was due to the rider and/or organiser not passing on information. I do request that all members learn their membership number off by heart. I have wasted a lot of time checking members incorrect numbers, (even committee members get them wrong). Again when I have to identify the CTC DA and the club whose riders have gained the most points, without all riders fully completing their brevet cards I am unable to give a true picture, (the Willesden members never forget). There have been numerous claims for the new Brevet 500 and 1000, also the Randonneur 500 and 1000 awards which is very encouraging. The year has also shown a growth in the demand for medals, some 2300 medals and over 650 cloth badges have been sent out. I hope this report meets with the members approval and apologise for it not being available before the AGM. BA Mawson Permanent Validation Secretary Last year I expressed surprise that in a Paris - Brest year there was an increase in permanent rides of only some 6% from 309 to 329. This year my surprise is that the rise is from 329 to 480, an increase of over 40%. I'm not sure where this improvement has come from, but it is certainly welcome and I hope it is sustained. It may in part be due to the changes made at the AGM as now it is possible to do Youth Hostel Darts and Arrows in both directions where previously they would have counted only once. It is noticeable that there a good number of people new to permanent riding and not just doing single rides, whilst some of the more familiar names I have seen in the past appear to be taking a time out. The End to End was popular this year with 16 completions and 2 cards still to be returned. Sadly the plan by Hakan Olsson to ride at randonneur pace foundered before leaving Sweden when on a 600km ride 3 weeks before 'an overturning car meeting another car coming from the other direction' forced his group off the road resulting in both his companions each sustaining a fracture. Hopefully they have recovered and we may see them next year, possibly on the LEL. Tom Hanley's Buccleugh 400, in lieu of a calendar 400 in Scotland, received 15 completions which produced all the Scottish Super Randonneurs this year. Youth hostel darts were as popular as ever and Peter Coulson had a busy year ( over 100 rides) with his various series. New rides this year include some short but altitudinous runs into the Pennines and a complete SR series With several other 200s from Rob Kilby. The principal rider this time was Steve Abraham with 143 points in 50 rides, slightly more than Liz Creese amassed last year. Liz had, in her own words 'a quiet year' doing only 51 points in 24 rides! George Berwick did the longest ride of the year, a Great Triangle and knowing George it probably had some interesting moments. Other notable tallies include Maureen & John Chaney with 38 points each, all on tandem. Mark Houlford peched up 37 grimpeur points including a strenuous burst in 3 weeks in August & September doing Andrew Manwell's Applecross, Snow Roads & Fell Roads then heading to the Vosges & Alps for 8 PROFS. Dave Hudson accumulated 36 points, mainly on Peter Coulson's Midland Series. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Permanent organisers for their work throughout the year. A final point to ponder, Permanents are usually ridden in small groups and the riders usually stay together. This year, for example, all the Wessex Super randonneurs went over to France for a celebration weekend and amongst other things rode a PROF as a group. It can be argued that these are the audax events whereas the calendar events are the randonnées. Duncan Peet