Minutes of Meeting of the BC Cyclo-Cross Commission
Henbury Lodge Hotel, Henbury, Bristol, 30th June 2007
Present: Ian Poole (Chairman); Dan Alexander, Chris Gooch, Pete Hargroves, Kelvin Hoy (Commission members);
Brian Furness (BC Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator).
Apologies: Martin Booth, Martin Eadon.
Note: the meeting was preceded by a regional liaison meeting attended by representatives of South West, Wales, Wessex and Western leagues
Matters arising from the previous Commission meeting
Website. It was noted that the Commission web page had been actioned. It was also reported that entry on-line would shortly be available for the National Trophy and National Championships.
Gridding Guidelines. There was considerable discussion on this issue, led by Kelvin Hoy, who was asked to circulate to Commission members guidelines in respect of Category A, B and C regional events. There was further debate on the procedure for National Trophy events, where the series standings and UCI rankings also came into play. It was suggested that the gridding order could be reflected in the rider race numbers, which would then change from race to race. However this was rejected for a number of reasons, and it was agreed to keep the two issues separate.
The need for better control of the start/call-up procedure was also agreed. The Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator was asked to draft gridding guidelines which would apply specifically to the National Trophy series, to be included in the series programme or in notes to riders.
Double entry regulations. After discussions with the Technical Commission, the deadline had been amended to the closing date of the event.
2007-2008 National Calendar. A revised prize list had been circulated to Commission members and approved.
National Programme
2007-2008 Calendar. It was noted that the chief commissaire appointments for National Trophy events were now being made by the UCI, and the assistant posts would be appointed once all the chief posts had been confirmed. The Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator was asked to clarify the UCI regulations regarding the holding of racing licences by UCI Commissaires. (Note: the UCI regulations only prevent a UCI Commissaire from holding a licence in the name of a UCI registered team). However it was felt that the possibility of a UCI appointed Commissaire also riding in one of the non-UCI supporting events sent out the wrong signals in relation to the wider issues of regional event development, and may also lead to a possible conflict of interest.
The new handbook was distributed, and the Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator highlighted some issues arising from the submission of events, in particular that two of the regional championships had not been submitted for approval by the Commission. In the case of the North of England Championships, he explained that this had been confirmed after discussions with Manchester City Council and North West officials, and felt that the Commission would be happy to endorse it. However the location of the Eastern/South Eastern Championships gave some cause for concern, and Kelvin Hoy felt that this would not be supported by South Eastern region riders. Chris Gooch also indicated that the race timetable for the event was not as Eastern region had agreed, and would investigate.
Future Planning. It was noted that Martin Booth had agreed to liaise with Gordon Siers regarding the course for the 2008 National Championships at Sutton Park. It was noted that there had been no further developments regarding the proposal to stage the 2009 National Championships at Bradford, and it was agreed to write to the Yorkshire CCA to progress this and set up a meeting.
Pit Control. Pete Hargroves suggested that there was a need for better control of pit areas at national events, including the setting up of zones to which rider support personnel would be allocated. Kelvin Hoy felt that stricter monitoring of the pit areas by commissaires was also needed, and it was agreed to see if a local commissaire could be found by each organiser to specifically address this. Ian Poole suggested that guidelines for pit personnel should be drafted.
International Programme
It was agreed that Ian Poole and Pete Hargroves would seek a meeting to clarify arrangements for 2007-2008 and beyond. Pete Hargroves outlined the likely programme, based on the previous season and the international calendar for 2007-08.
Date of Next Meeting
Provisionally set for Saturday 22nd September 2007 in the Bradford area, to incorporate a regional liaison meeting with representatives from the North East, North West and Yorkshire.
