It has come to my attention that the rules regarding the acceptance of members to the racing team isn’t very clear, so I would like to take this opportunity to explain how we operate in more detail.

The acceptance of riders

First of all the team is not designed to be elitist in any fashion and we prioritise the correct attitude over results/ability as we feel this makes for a more harmonious team of riders to work with. Ideally I prefer for people to demonstrate their commitment and intention to race by contacting me in the first instance. Whether that’s over a series of rides or contacting me by email/phone call. However, occasionally, depending on the circumstances, we will reach out to others in a bid to get them to join. Ability is factored in to a certain extent, either going on past results or how a rider copes over a series of training sessions (usually at least 3 months) so that we have a clear idea as to whether racing is for them or not. Only then do I put the names forward for approval by the committee.

Purchasing of black and white Racing Team kit

There seems to be some confusion over the criteria for purchasing the racing team kit. In a nutshell, the kit is only available to racing team members and 1st claim members who are 3rd category or above – this is due to BC regulations. However, if they are a 3rd cat and not a member of the team they will not be entitled to rebate.

The kit for novices who are on the team is only available once they have completed a minimum of 2 road races so as to ensure that they are still committed to racing for the club throughout the year.

THEY DO NOT RECEIVE FREE KIT UPON BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE TEAM.

This seems to be something of a myth I’ve heard about through various people. Racing team members have to pay the full cost up front once they purchase the kit. They only receive rebate once they have completed a full season of at least 10 events (8 if they join after June) and are still a 1st claim member the year after. The same goes for entering events, they have to pay the full cost for events in a given calendar year and can only expect rebate if they adhere to the criteria listed above.

Racing Team members supporting the club

We have ensured that each of the riders on the team have agreed to help out with the club’s activities, such as the Big G Sportive, by stating that failure to do so could result in rebate being refused. We realise that through the incentive scheme the team is well funded by the club and we are aware of our responsibilities to make sure other club events are successful.

There have been previous posts about this here  Racing team kit rebate scheme and here  HTRC members incentive scheme which explain in further detail.

Finally, if anyone does have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact either myself or others within the team. We try to welcome feedback from club members to ensure that we are going about running the team in the best way possible.

Mark Walker
HTRC RR Secretary