Guide Post Hotel, Bradford, 22nd September 2007
Present: Ian Poole (Chairman); Martin Eadon, Chris Gooch, Pete Hargroves, (Commission members); Brian Furness (BC Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator).
Apologies: Dan Alexander, Martin Booth, Kelvin Hoy.
Note: the meeting was preceded by a regional liaison meeting attended by representatives of North East, North West, and Yorkshire leagues.
Matters arising from the previous Commission meeting
Future Planning. In the absence of Martin Booth and of any feedback on the matter, Chris Gooch and Martin Eadon were asked to review the proposed course for the 2008 National Championships at Sutton Park and report back.
Following discussion with Yorkshire representatives prior to the meeting, it was confirmed that the 2009 National Championships would be staged by Yorkshire CCA at Peel Park, Bradford.
Finance and administration
The Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator reported that the budget position remained similar to that reported at the previous meeting, with the bulk of income/expenditure yet to come. Handbook sales were close to covering costs. The automation of the rankings system within the database had still not been addressed by the IT department, so this would have to be tackled manually for the third successive year. The Commission recorded their disappointment at this lack of progress.
National Programme
2007-2008 Calendar. It was noted that changes had been enforced in the course at Abergavenny due to the un-notified construction of three permanent speed bumps on the road section. After discussions with the organiser and the Chief Commissaire it had been agreed to bypass this section and use a grass start, with the finish line moved further down the road.
Chris Gooch reported that any adjustments that may be needed at Ipswich would be assessed at the Eastern League event to be held at the same venue the previous weekend.
Martin Eadon indicated that construction work at Mallory was ongoing, but this would not prevent a viable course from being devised.
There were no issues raised over the Bradford and Derby courses.
The Cyclo-Cross Co-ordinator reported that the race finish support vehicle had been booked to support the Inter Area Team Championships, and this was approved.
2008-2009 Major Events. A draft calendar for 2008-2009 had been circulated, incorporating the notified dates of UCI World Cups and possible dates for National Trophy rounds. With the likely need to replace at least three of the current National Trophy venues next season, it was vital to identify new venues before the mid-December deadline date for the UCI Calendar. There was some discussion on the feasibility of adding a sixth round of the series, however it was reported that increasing costs of central provision were already being absorbed to the limit of the capacity of the central budget, and an increased input from individual event promoters would be needed before this could realistically be considered. It was therefore agreed to replace the £100 minimum tender fee with a required input of £500 to £600; this to be allocated as a recharge of specific costs, e.g. international calendar fee, judging services.
National Championships: Already discussed under item 4 of the agenda.
Regulations
Gridding. Guidelines on gridding for the National Trophy events had been circulated and, with minor amendments, adopted. This to be circulated to riders together with the start sheet for the first event.
Pits Protocols. Martin Eadon and Pete Hargroves outlined plans to introduce controls for helpers in the pit area for the men’s elite race, to address the congestion which had become an issue in this event. The pit would be divided into four boxes and a fifth larger general zone. Teams and riders would be allocated pit positions on the basis of one helper per rider, with wristbands issued to denote the box allocated. Helpers would retain the same pit position on both sides of a double pit, so the first box in one direction would be the last box on the return passage. Jet wash would be located outside the pit area. This format was agreed, and they were asked to progress this in time for the first round of the series.
International Competition
Event Programme. It was agreed that it was difficult to plan a definitive event programme when many key riders were resting following their summer seasons. Assessment for support to the first World Cup in Kalmthout and the European Championships in Hittnau would be made after the first round of the National Trophy.
Staffing. It was anticipated that a meeting to discuss staff support from the Performance department would be scheduled shortly.
Selection Criteria. These had been reviewed and approved and would be posted on the web site shortly. (Download here: >>>>) There was some discussion on the nomination of riders to World Cup events who would travel on a self pay basis, and whether the same performance criteria should apply as for funded riders. It was agreed that it should, and a decision would be made in respect of the Kalmthout World Cup after the races at Abergavenny.
Commissaire Training
Ian Poole reported on regional commissaire training courses held in Manchester and Swindon. Further to the morning’s liaison meeting, he confirmed that the appropriate documentation would be made available to allow the delivery of a further course in Yorkshire.
Any Other Business
Youth Participation: It was noted that a request for dispensation for a youth competitor to ride above category had been received and rejected, while another rider who had entered the youth race at a meeting and then been allowed to also ride the senior race had been warned that this should not have been authorised, as had the officials involved. The policy that such dispensations would only be given in very exceptional circumstances was endorsed.
Martin Eadon also reported that two youth riders had ridden in a cyclo-cross in the West Midlands on 16th September and then moved on to compete in the Warwick town centre criteriums on the same day, where they had produced below par performances. These matters raised two related issues: firstly, the very different policy towards youngsters riding above category adopted by cyclo-cross compared with closed circuit racing, where dispensation was more widespread; and secondly, the lack of control over the number of times that youngsters rode in a given period, an issue which was addressed in Belgium by the use of the calendar card system. The matter was not debated at greater length due to time constraints, however members were asked to consider this and revisit it at the subsequent meeting. It was also suggested that the issues be referred to the Road Commission to canvas their views.
Date of Next Meeting
Provisionally set for Saturday 8th December 2007.
