by Del » Thu Sep 30, 2010 12:14 am
[quote="Paul H"]I have received a PM and understand I may have upset some people with my 'Alternative Missionary Cult' comment. If I have, please accept my apologies and bare in mind most of my comments are tongue in cheek and not to be taken too seriously.
HOWEVER, I only posted this in response to criticism of the rides I enjoy i.e. we are boring, dangerous, a laughing stock, rubbish cafe etc.
If people want to do alternative rides, it is no problem with me. I suggest that on the forum you focus on the positives of your ride rather than percieved negatives of ours and you will not get any disparaging remarks from me.
While this may not be the case with the person who PM'd me, I suspect that there are political/personality issues going on here and I hope these are resolved amicably without damaging the club.
Whoever is captain next year, I hope they make sure they take the middle ground. I have been going out on ACC CRs for about 10 years now and there has always been a good turnout and while there is no harm in making tweaks, any major changes could be risky. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Perhaps prospective Captains should post their mandates so we know what they are standing for.
Cheers
Paul,
You are not the only person who has read some of the recent exchanges this way. Your summary reflects my feelings and a small number of discussions I have had with other members.
I joined the club 3 years ago after deciding that it was more welcoming than Redhill CC, with a wider range of rides to suit varying abilities, even though Redhill CC ride to different destinations on Sundays.
The fact is that the current CR has been very successful and it suits a large number of people, fitting well into their Saturday schedule.
I would have expected to get bored with doing the same route each week, but have found to my surprise this hasn't been the case. Indeed, apart from fitting well with Saturday for me, it has also helped me improve my fitness and gauge my progress ahead of sportives I have entered, such as the Etape, Dragon Ride or Dartmoor.
Now, none of this means that I am against the alternative rides. In fact, if we ran them on Sunday, I'd certainly take part. So, I have no issue with both types of ride being promoted and enjoyed by members as they best suit them.
What I do object to, is people promoting one set of rides through cheap shots and sniping at a format that has done a lot to build the club and make it the success it has become.
People bringing new ideas and options should let their case be made on the merit they have. There is plenty of room for more innovation. John Camden's re-vamp of the evening 10 mile TTs has been a great success. The alternate rides are a great idea that should be encouraged. And I and others would be more than happy to volunteer as VCs, if that gives the opportunity to offer a wider range of weekend rides, Tuesday chain-gangs, TT events or anything that builds on a strong base.
Let's pack in all the comments of poor cafe, lousy coffee, boring, laughing stock and dangerous roads, because they are divisive and do nothing to build a strong and vibrant club.
Del