Evesham Wheelers

Over 50 members enjoyed a brilliant performance by “Consider This”, led by our very own Tarmac at a packed Bishamption Village Hall recently. From Lindisfarme to the Beatles and many more with loads of sing -along and a few of the bands’ original compositions, everyone had a great night. Thanks to Consider This and to the team at Bishampton Village Hall. Look out for more club socials later in the year.

Sunday March 22nd was cool and dry, providing excellent riding conditions for the 40 plus riders tacking 25, 50 and 80 mile routes. The 50 was the favourite with over 30 riders and an all new route heading broadly north of Evesham. Although the bulk of riders were EW members, we had participants from a growing number of local cycle clubs (4) and a few non club members. Thank you to everyone that took part – we raised over £200 for our three 2026 local charities and thank you also to Raphael’s who again hosted our annual event at Hampton Ferry.

This year was our 5th club trip to Majorca since 2020. We have missed only one year since then due to Covid, with the last 3 trips based at the Hotel Bahia de Alcudia with their fabulous cycle facilities.

Twelve of us went this year – 8 cycling and 4 doing a lot of walking and exploring. It was great cycling weather – 3 days cool, 3 days warm and all days dry ( well – except for those of us who sneaked a few extra days and chose wet ones). We had 6 days of pedaling with well over 300 miles covered by most of the group. And the walkers/explorers covered 8-9 miles most days, so all 24 legs on the trip got a good workout during the week. The biggest surprise of the week was the EW team winning the hotel music quiz! The pictures below can tell the rest of the story! If you are interested in joining in, look out for news of Majorca 2027 later in the year.

Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing) claimed his first National B road race victory at the Evesham Vale Road Race in Inkberrow on Sunday (8 March), attacking late from a four-rider break to take the win.

Held over four and a half laps of the rolling Inkberrow circuit, the race attracted a competitive field. Early laps were fast and controlled, with no moves able to establish a lasting gap.

The first serious break formed with around a lap and a half remaining when seven riders went clear, including Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team). Another group briefly bridged across, but the move became too large to work effectively and the peloton regrouped with one lap to go.

Ethan Squires (BCC Race Team) then launched a decisive counterattack, joined by Piers Mahn (DAS–Richardsons). Oliver Snodden bridged across soon after, with Ollie Hucks (Foran CT) completing a four-man group that quickly built a gap over the bunch.

The quartet worked well together and stayed clear into the finale. Inside the final 1.5km, Snodden attacked on the final rise and held his advantage to the line.

Hucks finished second after passing Squires in the final metres, with Squires third and Mahn fourth. Elijah Kwon (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) won the bunch sprint for fifth.

For Snodden, the victory marked a strong start to the season and his first win at National B level.

The better weather is (hopefully!) coming and we have plenty of club events coming in March 2026!

• 7th March: Majorca Cycling Trip
• 8th March: Evesham Vale Road Race
• 20th March: Social Evening with Tarmac and Band (see flyer)
• 22nd March: Charity Reliability Ride

Please see the Events section for further information.

Time and place: 24th November 2025 – 1930 at Wickhamford Village Hall
Apologies: Steve Bullen, Helen Russel, Mark and Anne Brazier, Mike Ferris, John Percival, Linzi and
Colin Lewis Painter, Matt Peck, Julie Edwardes

1. Agreement to minutes of previous meeting (CM)
   The minutes of the 2024 AGM were issued to members by e-mail in advance of the 2025 AGM. There
   were no objections and the 2024 AGM minutes were approved.
2. Chairman’s report (NR)
   The report from the Chairman was read out.
   “Here we are again, it doesn’t seem long since the last AGM. We have lost a few older past members,
   remember Norman Regwell’s funeral is on Thursday, I regret that I cannot be there. Two committee
   members have stepped down, and I would like to thank Linzi and Terry for their efforts. Also, thanks to
   the rest of the committee for work over the last year. All committee jobs are up for grabs this evening;
   you have your chance to come forward and fill the vacant positions or any other position.
   There have been numerous events throughout the year but there is always room for more, more on this
   later. So onwards and upwards more runs, more events and more fun.”
3. Treasurer’s financial report (DT)
   The Treasures report and the audited Financial Report were issued in advance of the meeting and are
   included in these Minutes of Meeting as an attachment.
   A question was raised as to whether a better interest rate could be obtained on the balance of the club
   funds. This will be further investigated by the Treasurer. A further question was raised regarding the
   coverage of ride leaders through the club affiliation with UK cycling organisations. It was confirmed that
   our affiliations do cover ride leaders leading club rides. Whilst not related to the Treasures report a
   question was raised regarding the provision of first aid training for ride leaders. The committee responded
   that was already being investigated for 2026 and that the action was already captured in the Action Log
   for the committee.
4. Other club officials’ reports:

• President (CH)
  The report from the President was read out.
  “Thank you all for coming. It’s been a busy year for the club with the trip to Majorca, Cardiff charity ride,
  trip to Wales (Wiltshire), London – Edinburgh – London, Dieppe, Cathedral ride, Robin Walkers’ Portugal
  ride for Parkinsons, and the Maggie’s and Campden Nurses cheque presentations.
  But it was a sad end to 2025 losing four club members — Clive Tree, Bob Hartis. Some of you would
  know Aria Scarsbrook. Norman Ridgewell whose funeral is on Thursday 27th November at Fladbury
  Crematorium. Please wear club kit. Also, I would like to thank the committee for all their hard work and
  the ladies for doing the refreshments.”
• Membership (JC)
  Membership at the end of 2024 stood at 129. For the 2025 membership year 21 members did not renew
  but 14 new members joined. The result being our current membership stands at 122.
• Road race (MG)
  The report from the Road Race Coordinator was read out.
  “After two years without an Evesham Wheelers Road Race due to cancellations, the event returned this
  year with a competitive field on the Inkberrow circuit. We were back at our favoured village hall, and the
  club’s volunteers did a superb job again. Our very own Isaac Allport appeared in the race for the first time
  and made a fantastic showing, placing well. After a 6-man break-away, the race was eventually won by
  George Kimber of the Spirit Racing Team. The event managed to raise £388.30 for the club.
  Thank you to everyone who gave their time, the race couldn’t run without you, and we hope many of you
  will volunteer again for next year’s race which is scheduled to take place on Sunday 8th March 2026. See
  you there!”
• Audax (NR)
  The report from the Audax Coordinator was read out.
  “It’s been an interesting year on the Audax organizing front. Problems with halls, unlucky with the weather
  and computer issues have made it an uphill struggle but given that they have been a success.
  For the next year and beyond there will be changes. I’ve decided to move away from organising out of
  Honeybourne, it gives me more options. The Neville Chanin Memorial 200km will have a revised route
  and a 100km event on the same day to accompany it. There will be a new 200km event in the summer
  with the Rollright Rumble 100km to accompany it. The Round Trip to Leominster 200km will be in
  November again and have a new more benign 100km than the Rollright Rumble with it. I did knock up a
  route to Ledbury yesterday evening that will do the job.
  Looking into the future I plan to upgrade my organizing license to be able to do 300 and 400km events.
  I will have an overnight 300km with a 150km event to go with it.”

1. Club strategy update (CC)
   An update was provided on the club strategy, with the following highlights and key points for 2025.
   Much work has been done on improving communications within the club and externally. The external
   facing web site has undergone a major revision and is now more manageable and has attracted new
   members during the year. Many thanks to Mark Gunn and Tery Smith for making this happen.
   The What’s app Community has been created which allows all members to see the various What’s App
   groups and join if they wish, thereby creating transparency to all members.
   The establishment of the Social Secretary role for 2024 was a key enabler in the improvement of
   communications and in initiating further social events. Our thanks to Linzi for this. As Linzi has stepped
   down this role remains open.
   It is recognised that more events are required that will engage all age groups and hopefully attract
   younger members of the community to join the club. Work is already underway on this and it is planned
   to make further progress on this during 2026.
2. Update to club rules (CM)
   A proposed revision to the existing club rules was issued to all members in advance of the meeting. The
   reasoning for this was discussed and a vote held on the approval of the revision. A clear two thirds
   majority approved the revised rules. The revised club rules will be issued to all members and made
   available on the club website during December 2025.
3. Clothing (AC)
   An update on club kit was given. The Club store is open now and there is a special offer of 20% off.
   Sizing samples are now available for members to try on prior to purchase. Contact Andrew Collins and
   arrangements can be made to try on the various sizes available.
   There is a proposal to produce a special edition club kit to celebrate the club’s 80th anniversary in 2027
   with kit available to purchase in 2026. Some ideas have been developed but if members wish to input to
   the design, then they should contact Andrew Collins to discuss.
4. Runs Coordinator Report (CC)
   Thanks were expressed to the leaders of the weekly club rides, but more leaders are required. A Ride
   Leader workshop was held in June. Sixteen attended but only one potential new ride leader participated.
   Prospective ride leaders should contact Colin Chapman if they wish to help in leading the club rides.
   Ride leader guidelines were developed during 2025 and are available on the club website. Any question
   or comments on these may be directed to Colin Chapman.
   Successful multi day club trips were held in 2025 to Mallorca and to Wiltshire. The latter being held as
   an alternative to the more usual autumn trip to Wales.
   A question on the use of mudguards during winter was raised by a member. It was clarified that whilst
   there is not a Club rule mandating the use of mudguards that they are strongly encouraged during the
   winter period. Should members not have mudguards during wet rides they should ride at the back of the
   group.
   It was reiterated that it is the individual responsibility of all members to inform ride leaders on rides they
   are participating in of any medical conditions that the ride leader should reasonably be aware of. This is
   clearly stated in the ride leader guideline.
   Whilst rare there have been cases during 2025 where riders on club rides have been ‘lost’ from the group.
   All members were reminded that they should maintain awareness of, and contact with, the rider behind
   them.
   A discussion was held on group sizes and how this has been working during 2025. Whilst there have
   been occasions where group sizes have been larger than advised in the Ride Leader guidelines there
   was no objections by the members on the current ways of working. Members were reminded to keep
   groups to a manageable size and ensure appropriate gaps are left for other road users.
5. Events for 2026 (CM)
   An overview of planned events for 2026 was provided, with date when known.

• Club rides and trips
  o Mallorca – 7th March 2026
  o Road race – 8th March 2026
  o Charity reliability ride – 22nd March 2026
  o Dieppe – September 2026
  o Wales – October 2026
  o Cardiff – TBA
  o Cathedrals ride – TBA
• Social events
  o Winter gathering – TBA
  o Season opener (possibly including a live band) – TBA
  o Summer BBQ – TBA
• Other events
  o First aid training
  o Ride leader meetings
  o Informal Strava based time trials

1. Suggestions for charities to support this coming year (DT)
   Suggestions for charities that the club can support in 2026 were requested. Proposals were made for
   Tree of Light and Evesham Adventure Playground. Post meeting a further suggestion was made for
   Bowel Cancer UK. These will be reviewed by the committee during 2026.
2. Elections of officials.
   The following nominations were recorded and will form the 2026 committee. The first committee meeting will be in January 2026.

Riders: Carmine Petta, Chris Mustow, Colin Chapman, Drew Johnson, Henryk Gromadzki, James Dyke, Tom Shaffer.

And our invaluable road crew and luggage chauffeurs extraordinaire: Chris and Dominique.

When the seven of us rolled out on Tuesday, September 30th, Wiltshire welcomed us with a crisp autumn sun and the promise of open roads. Our base for the week: The Castle Hotel in Devizes, perched alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal, proved to be the perfect HQ with its secure bike storage, hearty meals, and staff who seemed genuinely pleased to see seven slightly obsessive cyclists turn up with muddy bikes and bigger appetites. https://castlehoteldevizes.co.uk

We were blessed with three dry, often sunny days out of four, not bad for late September. The outlier was Friday’s 75-mile return leg, which began with drizzle, graduated to proper British rain, and ended with a full soaking just as we neared home. It was, inevitably, also puncture day: Chris edged out Drew 2–1 in the flat tire stakes, a victory of sorts.

Across the week, we clocked up around 250 miles, and more of it was off-road than any of us had bargained for. From canal paths with personality, to a bone-rattling traverse of Savernake Forest, and some honest field-plugging between Chippenham and Calne, our bikes were not quite the ideal weapons of choice. I can see the point of Gravel bikes now! Still, the challenge made the views sweeter. Wiltshire’s rolling hills, meandering country lanes, and wide, green valleys are a quiet cyclist’s dream.

From all of us, a huge thank-you to Chris and Dom, who ferried our luggage to and from Devizes respectively, sparing us from the dreaded pannier drag and adding a touch of pro-tour luxury to the week. Without that support, it simply wouldn’t have been half as much fun.

All told, it was a cracking week’s riding, full of laughter, grit, and a reminder that you don’t have to go to Wales for wild hills and wet weather. Wiltshire will do just fine…

Day 1 – Home to Devizes (71 miles)

Day 2 – Devizes – Bath – Chippenham – Devizes (66 miles)

Day 3 – Devizes – Marlborough – Devizes (40 miles)

Day 4 – Devizes – Home (77 miles)

UPDATE – Evesham Wheelers – setting a direction for the next 5 years 

Reminder:

In December 2024 we published a paper outlining a direction for the club and explaining how we believe the club could develop over the next 5 years or so.  This update explains progress to date. 

We set a vision for the future: As a club, we aspire to bring people together through cycling in the Evesham Vale and surrounding area of outstanding natural beauty. 

To do this, we believe the club’s mission is to: 

1. Provide a regular and highly social leisure activity and a fun way of keeping fit – in body and mind 

2. Provide personal challenges through both formal and informal rides 

3. Provide opportunities for the local community to enjoy cycling, across all age groups 

Everything we do should embody these core values: 

1. Support each other – help, guidance, technical & local knowledge 

2. Respect – for each other and particularly for our volunteers and ride leaders. 

3. Inclusive – with a particular emphasis on communication 
    

So what have we done so far?

Having a clear vision of what we want the club to be is of little use unless it helps us identify and implement practical projects and changes that deliver our aspirations for the club. We outlined 7 areas of work we thought were important to move the club forward. The table below provides a brief update on progress in each area. 

Communications	This work is well underway. One of the early tasks was to define all the ways we communicate as a club and the role of each of the many channels of communication (Facebook, WhatsApp, emails, website, etc.). This has been completed.  The new website is now live and we are adding to the content as we go: There is a new look, a simple structure, updated group riding guidelines, a revitalised calendar of events, a news section with more current content, etc. We are still working on developing a “members only” area and some other functionality.  Your feedback and contribution of news items will help keep it alive.  A new “Whatsapp community” is now live. It links all the club Whatsapp groups and allows everyone to see other Whatsapp groups and join them if they wish.  There is an announcement section and a general chat so that we can keep the actual ride groups focused on ride specific updates.   Linzi L-P has taken on publicity and social media and the level of communication has increased dramatically, with newsletters as needed, event publicity and new events being promoted such as the bike maintenance and ride leader evenings, and quiz evenings.
New Activities and Events	This work has now started.   The thrust of this work is to identify potential new social and riding activities that we could develop for members, with a particular focus on those that would also attract a wider demographic of members.  This work is now just starting and being coordinated by Matt Peck – please contact Matt if you think you could help or contribute ideas.
Age Profile	Early days: The work in this area – aimed at broadening our appeal to younger members particularly – is now being combined with the work on new activities and events.
Partnerships	Up and Running: The initial phase has been to identify a list of potential partners and what the mutual benefits of working with each of them could be, for both them and the club.
Committee Structure and Processes	Well Under Way: This work was started soon after the new committee was appointed in November 2024.  This work aimed to formalize how the new committee would work together and covered basic stuff like meeting agendas, minutes, annual planning and project management.  We are seeing early benefits already, with delivery of improvement in our communications probably being the most significant.   Our 2025 annual plan has been driven more by progressing strategic projects and now needs to move on to a more operational basis for 2026, for example with clearer financial planning.
Finance Policy	No progress yet:  This needs to be progressed in 3Q so we can develop an annual plan for 2026 based on agreed financial policies – simple things such as updating our policy on the appropriate use of club funds, investment of club funds, audit and safeguarding policies, etc.
Risk Management and Compliance – Privacy Policy	Complete: This was completed and launched by email to all club members at the start of 2025.  As a reminder, it outlines the club’s and your individual responsibilities for use and for safeguarding of personal data.

If you would like to help with or contribute ideas to any of these areas of work, please talk to any committee member or email secretary@eveshamwheelers.org.uk explaining your area of interest. 

This year’s Reliability Ride broke recent records

· It was sunny!

· We tripled the level of funds we raised for our club charities compared to 2024.

· Numbers were up for total participants and for total miles ridden.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the new routes and sitting around in the sunshine afterwards at Raphael’s Restaurant, www.hamptonferry.co.uk/restaurant.html. For data enthusiasts, here are a few facts and figures:

Participation:

· Total riders: 57 – up nearly 20% on 2024

· Routes available: 25 miles, 50 miles, 80 miles

· Most popular route: 50 miles (75% of riders did the 50 mile route)

· Least popular route: 25 miles (nobody chose the 25 mile route this year).

Distance Covered:

· Combined mileage ridden: 3270 miles- 28% up on 2024

· Average distance per rider: 57 miles

Fundraising:

· Total raised: £346

· Compared to 2024: Up from £110 (more than a 3x increase!)

A huge thank you to everyone who took part and supported our nominated charities. We’re already looking forward to planning the 2026 event—stay tuned for updates!

A group of 22 cyclists from the club made the trip out to Chipping Campden to Jecca’s House, the home of Campden Home Nursing, to make a donation to this worthy charity.  The Campden Home Nurses provide end-of-life nursing care, bereavement support and counselling services. They provide nursing in patients’ own homes across Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire with a base in Chipping Campden at Jecca’s House.  The club made a donation of 350 pounds, which was well received by their Communication Manager who even donned one of our new club jerseys for the cheque presentation.  Furthermore, they laid on cakes a refreshments for us for which we further contributed another 114 pounds.

Whilst at Jecca’s House we took to opportunity to present our own club member Robin Walker with a cheque for 500 pounds for the Cure Parkinsons charity.  Last year Robin  was part of a team of 22 cyclists taking on a challenge which saw them cycling in Norway from Bodo, the Northernmost city in the world, to Tromso, The cyclists, 14 of which were living with Parkinsons cycled 635km over eight days in August 2024.  In total Robin raised over 3,000 pounds for Cure Parkinsons and is continuing his charitable efforts and this year with a further ride for the same cause but this time in Portugal with an 820km ride from the North to the South of Portugal.  Donations can be made through Just Giving – here.

The donations to our charitable causes come from events such as the Reliability Ride and the Audax Rides that the club holds.  This allows us to give back to the communities in which we regularly cycle and to donations that our club members have a tie to.  Members can propose charitable causes for consideration by contacting the committee, ideally around the time of the club AGM in November each year as this is generally when the decision of the charities is made.