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LATEST NEWS
Last weekend the the annual BG&E Awards ceremony took place at the Saracens Rugby Club in Exeter with a large number of BG&E Club members and families attending. Award winners were as follows.

  • Mamhead Winner: Ed Parker (Throttling up and beating everyone up Mamhead this year)
  • Le Pop: Simon Wellaway (Still think this was dodgy as fancy dress usually mean more than a Hawaiian shirt)
  • Mamil of the Year: Mark Flynn (Losing shed load of weight, riding every chance he gets)
  • Cheater of the Year: George Wellaway (accepting Force Medal for only completing a mile or two)
  • Wipe out: Jess Dillon (Banging head on garage door, slipping on ice and breaking both wrists)
  • Lantern Rouge: Nick Parsons (Promising to come out and arranging rides but not turning up)
  • Clubman of the Year: Simon Wellaway ( Brilliant compare and good all round gentleman and organiser)
  • Youth Award ( Ellie Green and Lily Parsons for climbing Mamhead without stopping)
  • Ladies Award: (Julie Green)


We all spent the first 40 minutes trying to work out who was who due to the lack of helmet and licra. After this the night kicked off with the awards ceremony and then a prize auction where we raised around £400 for Force Cancer Charity. Sarah from Force was on hand to give out prizes and stare out young Mr Wellaway for his medal acceptance. As everyone including the children partied until the wee hours it reminded us that cycling may be a one of the things that makes this club so so special but the other is the social community spirit of all those who are members. Roll on 2014!!

BG&E Cycling Club Sunday Rides are Go!!!

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The BG&E Sunday rides have now started. Last week we ventured to Haytor and this week a ride to Tiverton and then back via Bradnich. As is always the case at this time of year some of us took it easy and just got through others pushed themselves to see how they compare to the last rides they completed.  

Both rides took place in stunning sunshine with a number of new riders coming along. 

If you fancy a trial ride please come along on  Sunday and give it a try. We normally start at 9 a.m until the clocks change and then the rides will start at 8 a.m at the Countess Wear swing bridge.

We never leave anyone behind and always stop at certain points to make sure everyone gets home. 

Please keep your eye out for the latest news letter for an idea of the rides and plans for the coming months

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BG&E Present New Bikes with Cyclists Fighting Cancer and The Pro Cycle Centre

Pictured below from left to right are Rob Taylor from the Pro Cycle Centre in Newton Abbot, Simon Wellaway from the Beers, Gears and Engineers Cycle Club and two lucky recipients of two brand new Dawes mountain bikes donated by Cyclists Fighting Cancer.

Harry and George are 15 yr old twin brothers who live in Newton Abbot and both have had treatment recently for Leukaemia.

Also in attendance was Sarah Lakey from CFC (Cyclists Fighting Cancer).

Simon also presented two water bottles from the BG&E Cycling Club for Harry and George to keep.

Simon thanked Sarah on behalf of the BG&E Cycling Club for inviting him to be present when the bikes for Harry and George were presented to them. It was a complete surprise to them as they didn't know anything about it. This follows our donation to CFC after our Cycle Jumble in October in aid of the charity.

Simon Wellaway said, 'It was great to see how the money we raised has helped in part to purchase this lovely surprise for Harry and George, I hope they enjoy riding their new bikes and have a Happy Christmas'.

To find out a little more about the charity and The Pro Cycle Centre please see the links below...

www.cyclistsfc.org.uk

www.procyclecentre.com

Cycle Jumble: Two Children Receive New Bikes

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On a wet autumnal morning the BG&E Cycling Club held their first ever Cycle Jumble in aid of Cyclists Fighting Cancer who provide bicycles to children or young people affected by cancer. The Alphington Sports Club provided an excellent venue for this event where a number of stalls set up to sell a variety of cycling related items including complete bikes.

Sellers travelled from as far as Bristol and Dorchester in answer to a successful advertising campaign over email, the internet and distribution of leaflets during the Tour of Britain and around the locality of Exeter.

As a result of the advertising a steady flow of buyers also attended the event to grab some bargains and were welcomed by a warm drink and homemade cakes provided by the members of the club.  

 A very successful morning cumulated in some fantastic feedback from both the sellers and the buyers but more importantly raising the sum of £300.00 in aid of Cyclists Fighting Cancer.  

Louise Johnson from CFC sent the following message to the BG&E’s which we would like to share with you, which makes all the effort worthwhile…..

“I confirm we have received your fundraising amount of £300 and see below how your contribution has assisted.”

“You will be pleased to know that a nearly 6 year old Hunter (birthday on Sunday) received his bike on the 11th November.  Hunter lives in Bideford and receiving treatment for leukaemia.”

“Romesh is 5 years old and also having treatment for leukaemia, living in Braunton.   He will receive his bike soon along with further cycling equipment for his family eg. Either a trailer or tagalong.”

Thank you for everyone’s support on this event. Club members who assisted or donated parts to sell, the sellers who paid a fee to sell their items and to those who attended to buy. A big thanks to the kitchen crew for keeping the kettle boiled and selling the cakes. Lastly The Alphington Sports Club for providing the venue free of charge in support of the charity.

The feedback was very positive and it looks as if we will hold another Cycle Jumble in the Spring…Watch this space we will be in touch. Thanks again……..

BG&E Cycling Club Breeze the Breeze

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On the 6th October, Force Cancer ran a very successful Autumn Breeze with over 700 riders turning out to take part. 

Two groups of BG&E riders took part, those that wanted to test themselves against the clock and those that wanted to ride as a group.

The fastest BG&E rider rode the 60 plus miles in a very fast 3 hours and 37 mins. A further bunch of 20 plus riders took around 6 hours to complete chatting and enjoying a gorgeous Autumn day.

Sarah Daniels and all the volunteers and helpers should be commended for the time and energy they put into these events. We all ride them and take part but the effort that goes on behind the scenes is huge. Well done Force!!

Force bike rides have helped the charity raise £100,000 this year. 

If you wish to donate or want to find out more about raising money for Force Cancer Charity, please visit 
www.forcecancercharity.co.uk

 

BG&E's Ride from Taunton to Exeter and back for Force

A group of BG&E cyclists successfully completed the challenge of a cycling from Exeter to Taunton and back in aid of Force. The event, organised by David Wilson Homes, saw our team ride from the Hillside Gardens development in Exeter to Langford Mead in Taunton, covering around 60 miles. David Wilson Homes sales director Louise Ware said the day was a great success. "There were 12 cyclists in all and it was great to see so many take part to raise money for such a worthwhile cause." Force Cancer works with people who are affected by cancer. It has a range of services available at its Support and Information Centre and is also active in cancer research within Exeter. The cyclists were greeted at the half way point, Langford Mead, with refreshments, and were welcomed back to Hillside Gardens with a BBQ and applause from residents.

Read more here

Force 55 and 100 Miles Rides

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A large number of BG&E's and WOW's took part in the latest Force ride with some of those participating featured in the picture to the left. 

Highlights and lowlights of the day included a number of people jumping up from the 55 to the 100, Danny Hawkridge completing 100 miles with Amanda, whilst nursing an injured knee. Mike Jerrett and Steve Mantell enjoying a leisurely ride with a tipple taken in a couple of the local hostelries on route. Julie Green yet again managing to persuade someone to fix her puncture without getting her hands dirty. Jess, Mark and the strong legged Cat and Christian who I understand completed the 55 mile route.
Low points were the near incidents between Tim and Stu (which ended in a high point as it gave us something to talk about) and the very clear crash as Roger Baker whilst looking for Mike and Steve in a beer garden managed to rear end a lady and fall off his bike hurting his wrist in the process. Luckily the young lady saw the funny side and felt quite sorry for Roger. 

Well done to all that took part and congratulations on achieving your goals.

Lastly from all at BG&E, we would like to give special thanks to Force and all that they do with regard to the event and also the amazing volunteers that make the ride so pleasurable.


The Hooker 100 2013

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The Annual ride to celebrate the life of Colin Hooker took place this month with the biggest turn out in the clubs history. Men, Women and children of all ages took part either riding the whole distance or joining the main peleton for the ride into Budleigh Salterton where the Hooker family very kindly laid on a lovely spread.

Colin Hookers legacy is a friendly non competitive club that welcomes all. I am sure when Colin looked down on Budleigh beach he would be very proud of this part of his legacy.

For the record Jason Copland won this years competition for the yellow jersey and as a consequence had to dive into a very cold sea.

Lands End to John O'Groats Completed

Our intrepid riders completed the Lands to John O'Groats raising money for charity and realising some life long dreams. A new webpage dedicated to this challenge will be available shortly along with a journal of the trip and some of the adventures faced. 

In the meantime have a look at some of the highs and the lows of the first days as a number of club members joined the team to cycle from Lands End to Boscastle and then onto Exeter.

May 2013 News Letter Published 

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The May 2013 News Letter is now available so you can plan the month ahead. 

Training for the Hooker, Force and various Sportives is ongoing and should ensure we are all at our peak at the height of the Summer.

Please remember the club is about fun and never leaving anyone behind so if your looking at a racing career you may want to look at other clubs in the area.

If you want to come out on any of the rides this month please email and advise and we will ensure we look out for you at one of the meeting points.



Club Membership Forms UPDATED

The membership forms have now been uploaded and you will need to complete one and pay one of the membership fees to continue enjoying some of the great benefits of the BG&E Cycling Club. Please download and complete your form, sign it and return it to one of the committee members on the next Saturday (WOW's)/Sunday rides. 

Membership Forms are here

If you want to try a couple of trial rides without joining the club please contact us on rides@bgecyclingclub.co.uk. We host a couple of free rides in advance of joining to give people an idea of the pace as you may find we are too slow for you. 

If your a lady and would like to take a relaxed trial ride out with the girls please email wows@bgecyclingclub.co.uk. 

If you are riding on any trial ride you will need to print and sign a disclaimer and bring it along to the start of the ride. Please download the form here



The BG&E Awards Ceremony 2013

The BG&E Awards Ceremony took place at the Royal Oak in Okehampton Street last weekend and was enjoyed by all.

A raffle and auction were held in support of Force Cancer Charity with members of the club able to win prizes  donated by some truly fantastic local business's. 

Prizes included, Cycle Surgery Vouchers, Saddles and Paddles Hire Voucher, Cyclerama Voucher, Half Baked Brand Voucher for a long sleeve Devon Shirt, The Ride Journal donated by HBB, Set of Blackburn CLICK Lights donated by Exeter Cycles, Bike Service Voucher donated by Exeter Cycles, Coffee and Cake for 4 donated by Exeter Cycles, Bottle of Whisky, Tri Bars and finally a Handlebar Basket with goodies inside.

The award winners were as follows:

Wipeout - Adrian Copland

Cheater Award - Torquay scandal :- Paul Webber, Mike Jerrett, Ian Pang, George Wellaway & Simon Wellaway

Lantern Rouge - Nick Parsons,Dougie White,Steve Mantel,Danny Hawrigg and Jim Conway

Youth Award - George Wellaway

Special Award - M.A.M.I.L of 2013 - Paul Webber

Clubman of Year - Nick Evans

Rapha Condor Shirt Raises Over £150.00 for Force 

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Pictured is Simon Wellaway (Left)  handing over a limited edition Tour of Britain Rapha Condor Shirt to Alan Meaton (Right) the highest bidder in a recent silent auction organised by Simon.

Alan’s bid of £151.23 secured this piece of cycling memorabilia which will take pride of place in his Son’s bedroom.

Special thanks to Tom Southam from Rapha Condor Sharp Continental Cycling Team for donating the shirt and also to The Bike Shed in Exeter for allowing it to be displayed in the shop.

Lastly, thanks to all who placed bids but were unfortunate not to be the highest bidder.

Thank you for supporting this very worthy cause http://forcecancercharity.co.uk/



The Mamhead Challenge 2012

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The Mamhead Challenge happened with a brilliant turnout of 30 people. Everyone from children to runners all set out to conquer the hill in the fastest possible time. Brilliant achievements from all the youngsters with George Wellaway finishing 7th overall. Other notable achievements were that of Jack Conway, Cameron Holt and the young Kat and Christian Berggren all of who conquered the hill again.

The most annoying sight this year was Ian Pang running up and therefore causing distress amongst the cyclists. Speaking personally the sound of Ian stomping behind me drove me on......up until the hills got steeper where he promptly overtook me and left me behind....I will never forgive him for that the....the.....the biped!!

I have a number  of photos on my camera and Gary Boardmans memory stick but as I can only read mine you will have to bear with me until I can find a way of trasferring to the web site.

The winners and the losers are as follows:


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Danny
Lee Plain
Stewart Saunders
Ashley
Ed Parker
Laurie
George W
Mark Bagwell
Paul Davey
Paul Webber
Age Copland
Dave Dicks
Neil Coplland
Ian Pang (RUNNING)
Jason Copland
Martin Green
Roger Saunders
Mike Jerrett
Nick Parsons
Antony Goff
Christian Berggren
Kirsten Berggren 
Cameron Holt 
Joff Holt 
Eric Berggren and Kat Berggren (TANDEM)
Paul Westacott
Jack Conway
Jim Conway
George Parker

8.16
8.44
9.50
10.20
10.23
10.42
11.21
11.26
11.31
11.33
11.36
11.43
11.44
11.52
11.58
12.02
12.02
13.31
13.43
13.45
13.49
13.49
13.58
13.58
14.06
15.27
17.05
17.05
18.46

The River Exe Photos

One of our roving cyclist spent the morning riding around Exeter taking some stunning phone camera photos. Please see the photo gallery below for some very extreme flooding.

Force Opens New Extension

Force opened a new extension tonight. Approximately 250 people attended the opening ceremony including representatives from various walks of life and healthcare professionals. Force staff, volunteers, fund raisers, patients past and present and of course our very own "BG&E's", Simon Wellaway, George Wellaway, Nick Evans, Kevin Jamieson, Eric Berggren, and Paul and Sarah Westacott were all in attendance to watch the opening of this great new facility. 

The attending club members presented a special BG&E shirt to Sarah Daniels, who thanked the team and said it would look lovely on her office wall.

If you would like to support Force in any way, please visit their website at http://forcecancercharity.co.uk/



BG&E's Defy Bad Weather for the AGM

Whilst tree's were fallling and rivers were overflowing their banks, approximately 30 people turned up at the Imperial to hear the plans for the future of the BG&E cycle club with old and new members turning up to listen to different ideas and perspectives.

Suffice to say that some very interesting changes are afoot and it will mean a further meeting in a quieter location to discuss a very interesting future. The date for the extra-ordinary meeting will be announced shortly so keep your eye on your email.



Welcome to the Velodrome

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An amazing evening started with training, coaching and a severe telling off from our coach. It is funny with BG&E's we all go a bit Bodmin and then in less than an hour become a fully functioning incredible team that can perform to incredible levels. 

The final ride was a demonstration in how we can work as a team.

The individual time trial was one of the highlights of the evening with individuals given 2 timed laps to show how fast they were. Below are each individuals times. On a final note Martin Green beat Nick Parson by a 10th of a second.

An absolutely amazing performance by young Jack Conway and Matthew Dixon who after over an hour of cycling still managed amazing performances in the time trial.


1.
2.
3.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
James
Vince
Simon
Ian
George
Dave
Lee
Martin
Nick
Kev
Jim
Jack 
Matthew
36.44
37.87
40.25
40.25
40.97
41.69
41.71
42.47
42.59
43.53
45.85
47.43
49.05

Sunday Ride - New Cycle Cafe Opens on the Quay

The hard core were out this weekend with Jim, Paul, Martin, Joff, Ash Roger and Ian all meeting at the Swing Bridge at the slightly later time of 9.00am. Some bright spark suggested Mamhead so off we went to hurt ourselves. 

Upon reaching the bottom the Colagno missile and Mr Webber went straight up the hill without stopping. Joff, Martin and Roger took a breather and then went for it. As we got to the top we met two gentleman who were also out for a ride and we chatted as we headed back to a cafe down on the Quay. The thrilling final leg of the trip back to Exeter was the 40mph drop down Longdown which as ever got the adrenaline pumping. 

We can all highly recommend the new cafe Exeter Cycles which is based on the Piazza down on the Quay. The guys were really friendly and supplied us with lovely coffee's and biscuits along with amazing service. If you want to see stunning bikes and some real retro go and visit the shop.

Here Come the WOW's

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The WOW's invaded The Boathouse at Dawlish Warren and made the staffs life a misery with their requests. Mandy wanted toast which was not on the menu and Lesley and Julie wanted to share a breakfast as it was too big.....Thanks to the wonderful staff and remember if you want a ride out with the girls they plan to ride every Saturday.


BG&E's Ride the Autumn Breeze 7th October 2012

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A number of the BG&E's appeared for a ride out on the Force Cancer charity's Autumn Breeze and completed the course as the pictures below testify. The young up and coming juniors continue to come through the ranks and impress the older members of the club. Well done to all those who attended and took part....Even the ones who didn't get to the start and only did Exeter to Exmouth to Exeter.

Heres the official pic of the Autumn breeze BGE team with Sarah from FORCE handing over a check for £100 There was further 12 BG&E riders that took part but they were the fit ones and had finished way before the group in the picture. 

BG&E raised over £400 for FORCE. Well done to all who took part.




Ladies Shirts and New BG&E Mugs order NOW!!

The ladies version of the famous shirt is now available with the WOW (women on wheels/wine) logo. If you interested in purchasing one of these great shirts please contact Mike Jerrett and he will explain the purchasing process.

Moor to Sea 8th September 2012

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Joff and Roger along with a BG&E team of domestiques managed to complete the Moor to Sea. The boys all said this was one of the most gruelling rides they have completed due to the relentless climbs. If you want a real test put this one in your diary for next year.

Both Joff and Rog recorded respectable times but it seems Roger went missing for a large part of the route....Where he went no one knows. Cheater of the year??



George Hands Over his Sponsorship

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George Wellaway paid a visit to the Force Cancer Support Centre to hand over his sponsorship money for completing 100 miles on his bike last month.

George not only completed this incredible task but also managed to raise £462 for this incredible charity. 

George and Sarah Daniels are pictured (left) as George hands over the money


And the winner of "Le Pop" is........

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Adrian Copland came through and won the Le Pop race held on Sunday. He was closely followed by Martin Green and Gary in the adult category.

In the youngsters category George Wellaway again took the laurels followed by Cameron Holt and the very young Christian Berggren who performed a super human effort and beat his father in drinking his pint quicker. 

The longest drink took nearly 15 mins to drink (Pippa should be ashamed)

A great day was enjoyed by all with the Jolly Green Giant winning the best fancy dress.


Video Archive 

BG&E Summer Camp 2010 and BG&E LEJOG 2010
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