From the President

NWCC Labor Day Ride September 6th, 2021

September 3, 2021 No Comments

Hi all,

A quick reminder that the Labor Day ride will take place on Monday 6th, starting and finishing at the B52 Brewery,12470 Milroy Ln, Conroe, TX 77304.  We will roll at 9 am, and will have break points to gather ourselves up.  There is a selection of drinks to be had, and there’s a food truck on site.  The club will pick up the tab for every paid-up member’s first drink, whether it be beer, coffee, or whatever your choice.

Here’s the route: https://www.strava.com/routes/23508277

Please let us know, for logistics purposes, if you’re coming by “signing in” on nwcc.bike/events/calendar

Hope to see you there,

Geoff Donnelly

From the President 11Aug21

August 11, 2021 No Comments
An extraordinary meeting of the Board was called on Tuesday August 10th to discuss the club’s activities bearing in mind the current situation with the Delta variant of COVID-19.  We were unanimous in carrying on with the rides already in place; the Coffee Ride in Tomball and the three groups of riders leaving Zube Park at their various speeds will continue on Saturdays, as will the somewhat ad hoc Hump Day ride out of Hockley Community Center on Wednesdays.  However, we would be remiss as a Board if we did not review our decision for those rides at the end of the month.
The Labor Day ride plan was reviewed, with the original being scrapped.  We are now working on a different ride with an alternative start/finish point and will advise you of the plan as soon as we can.
It is with regret, though, that the Board has unanimously agreed that the Waller Flatlands Express (WFX) ride scheduled for October 10th be cancelled.  We have some serious misgivings on the safety and health of our volunteers.  We rely heavily on the Boy Scouts to run the rest stops, and on SAG drivers to provide support to riders in distress etc.  We cannot risk any of them being put in a position of catching the virus.  Many of the Scouts are at this stage too young to be vaccinated, and our SAG drivers are generally from our senior membership.  Furthermore, we are at the stage at which we will be paying non-refundable deposits to various bodies and, having studied the pandemic trends, there is some financial risk involved; that risk is, of course, secondary to our intention of protecting our volunteers.
The decision is a disappointment to us all, especially to Carl Grasshoff, Erica Harman and Troy Ottmer, all of whom have done much work in preparation for the ride.  They have agreed with and accepted the decision gracefully and all three of them have my thanks for the great work they have done to this point.
Despite this disappointment, I will look forward to seeing many of you out on the road soon.
Geoff

From The President July 2021

July 16, 2021 No Comments

Since the last update in early April, we have made much progress in returning to the normality that we had in the Before Times.  The Coffee Ride, led by Brent Neal and Chris Green on Saturdays, has been and continues to be a huge success.  The July 4th VP Ride on July 5th, starting and finishing at Senate Avenue Brewery, led and organized by our VP David Harman, was a wonderful event enjoyed by all who took part.  Wasn’t it great to see some much-missed pals for the first time in months!

Although rides out of Zube Park have never stopped, we have resumed our club group rides from the back lot at Zube.  We’re starting gently with a no drop group, and two other faster groups, all of which roll at 7.30 am on Saturdays.  We’re also trying to get our Hump Day ride at Hockley Community Center and the Friday trail rides up and running soon too.   Our MTB Ride Coordinator, Michelle Casper, holds a MTB Sunday ride once a month with details to be found on the website’s member events page when published (at nwcc.bike).

We now have a date for the replacement ride for both the Blue Bonnet Express (BBX) and the Katy Flatlands Century (KFC) rides, both of which have been cancelled for the last two years due to the pandemic;  the Waller Flatlands Express (WFX) will take place on October 10, 2021 and details will follow very soon.

Our Senior Games Coordinator, Carl Grasshoff, is making plans for those who wish to partake in the Texas Senior Games road races and time trials to be held at Pace Bend, near Austin on September 12.  It’s a second opportunity to qualify for the National Senior Games to be held in Fort Lauderdale in May 2022, and if you’re aged 50 by December 31, 2021, you’re in!  Being just a few years older than fifty myself, I can tell you from experience that these games are fun!

Our social media pages have been refreshed.  Our Twitter account is @NWCCHouston and the Facebook page Northwest Cycling Club Activities, open to non-members and members, can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthwestActivities  

The members-only page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/874642099690154  If you are a NWCC member and would like to have access to the members-only page, please request to join on Facebook.

Rides that may interest you if you like out-of-state events include The Birmingham Bike Club 100 on September 11, in Birmingham, AL.  Our club member Greg Smith is the Prez of the BBC and we have agreed a $10 discount for NWCC members who wish to sample this very good event.  We will issue the discount code soon.  Here’s the link: https://bhambikeclub.org/?page_id=1028

We have also obtained a discount for rooms at the DoubleTree hotel in Lafayette, LA, for the Bikes, Brews and Omelettes Two ride on November 2 and 3, in nearby Breaux Bridge, LA, on November 6 and 7.  For details, please contact me at president@nwcc.bike

The new kit has received great reviews from those who have already bought.  If you’re interested, please order quickly as this will be that last time the “window” is open this year.  It’s available here: https://vie13.tuosystems.com/stores/nwcc?fbclid=IwAR1pYkpS1cpd2IqgseM6miRhQSRYJ2FXP0KcZZKt5G7WbkTmgNIZwTbyEdo

Our membership has increased by about 100 since this time last year; welcome all of you who have recently joined us.  As you can see, the Board is working hard at bringing old and new rides back to the club, so please check on our website calendar regularly.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, wear your NWCC jersey proudly and, most important, be safe!

Now, when’s the rain going to stop?

Geoff