A few dates for your diary, the club would be grateful if you could take note and keep them free for the future!
Every year, the club hosts two race days - the Stephen Roche GP, and the Noel and Kieran Hammond Memorials. For us to put on these races successfully, we need a full contingent of Orwell members willing to volunteer to help out. Anyone who does open racing knows that marshalls are required at every junction, drivers for lead cars, people to manage sign-on, etc.
We also hold the Joe Daly Memorial Charity Cycle Rally, which is an annual event in aid of Simpson's Hospital. Support from club members would be very welcome both to boost the club profile and to help marshall participants and keep everyone safe on the roads. It's a family event, rolling from Dundrum to Enniskerry and then returning, on 23rd June. Stick on your Orwell jersey, bring the kids, and come along for a pleasant cycle!
The Roche GP takes place on Wednesday 26th June this year. We hope to hold five events, which would include a number of youth races, and a senior race. All the action takes place on a tight 1.3km loop in a residential estate in Dundrum. It makes for a spectacular evening's racing as a marshall, as you can watch the race unfold each time it passes - think Corkagh Park but with more houses. Last year we had both Pedro Delgado (Roche's rival in the 1987 Tour de France) and Nicolas Roche in attendance.
The Hammond Memorials have moved to a later slot, this year they're happening on July 14th. This event requires a lot of marshalls, as it takes place over a long circuit near Roundwood. Any past, present and potential racers know that volunteers are crucial for races to happen, so play your part! We're hoping the weather will be kinder now that it's in July, but hail, rain or shine, we need people to man the junctions and keep everyone safe. Your reward will be numerous sandwiches, hot tea, and many thanks from the club and the participants.
Lastly, ahead of the Cycling Ireland EGM on the Pat McQuaid nomination on the 15th June (PDF of details), there will be an Orwell EGM to decide our vote. This will be held on the 27th May in Milltown Institute at 7.30pm. If you're not familiar with the Milltown Institute, then firstly shame on you for not coming to any of the events this year, and secondly, it's located here: http://goo.gl/maps/gshcE.
The resolution is as follows: "That Mr. Pat McQuaid be and is hereby nominated by Cycling Ireland to stand as a candidate for the Presidency of the UCI at the 2013 UCI Congress and that the said nomination be executed and submitted forthwith by the Board of this Company."
You must be a fully paid up member of Orwell to attend and vote. Bring your licence, there will be a sign-on sheet at the door. Each member has a single vote, and voting will be by secret ballot. There will be no option for voting by proxy if you cannot attend. If you feel strongly about the matter, please attend the EGM.
We will have one principal speaker in favour of the McQuaid nomination, and one speaker against. Thereafter, each member who wishes to address the floor will be allowed to speak once, and given two minutes to do so.
As we are quite a large club, we are allowed six delegates for the CI EGM, which means six votes. We will need people to attend the EGM on our behalf, so please let us know on the night if you are able and willing to do so. Details are at the link above. Delegates have no free vote at the CI EGM - their vote will be decided in advance.
If a two-thirds majority is achieved in either direction at our EGM, all delegates will be instructed to follow that majority vote. If no two-thirds majority is achieved, then the delegates will be split pro rata. i.e., if 100 people attend the Orwell EGM, and 50 vote for, and 50 against, then 3 delegates will vote for the resolution at the CI EGM, and 3 will vote against. If the split is not so neat, we will round off as appropriate. Please use the forum to ask any questions.
