which club?

[elefunksoup]

Hopefully this will stir up some debate! I'm moving up to newcastle (from the central coast) and I'd like some advice on which club to join - Hunter District or Kooragang? My preferred racing is track and crit. Thanks all...

[Gai M]

why change clubs?

 Central Coast is not that far away.
And is a very co-hesive club where there is a lot of encouragement and tolerance,
no matter who you are or how old or slow you are.

some of us (well, I live in Cessnock) do some racing and training with CCCC.

BTW, I am an ex-member of Cesssnock and current member of KOCC.
I don't think, in my case, it would make any difference if I changed allegiance up here.

However, if you want to be in a team sprint or team pursuit, then you'd be best to join HDCC.


old woman who likes to do crits and track.

[elefunksoup]

Hi Gai. Thanks for your reply. A couple of reasons to join a club "up north". CCCC aren't a great club for track (tho they've been great in other ways). Also I'd like to have local club members to train with during the week with and a crit course i could ride to.

Other opinions? :-)

[Boostland]

You can ride with riders from other clubs here

You can also race at nearly all the local events if you stay a member of CCCC, only events you can't ride in are the club championships as they generally only allow members of said club to ride in said club championships.

If you want to ride team events with Newcastle riders then pick a club that has riders that you could team up with firstly in your grade then gender then age group.

[Nuff Nuff]

I am just a nuffy bunter who recently joined up with HDCC and prefer track. The club has been good to me so far and no complaints. With regard to track, it is run by the trust and although it has a large HDCC contingent it is welcoming of any rider from any club (though HD will try to convert you). If your moving before licence change you might want to come to track training (Tuesdays from 6pm) and racing (Wednesdays from 7:30) or road (Friday night) and see which club you are comfortable with.

Otherwise as a bias HD member, I would recommend HDCC

[elefunksoup]

Thanks. Have decided on HDCC. Have gone to a few Tuesday night track sessions in 2011. Hopefully much more frequently in future.

[marto1971]

so elefunksoup, how are the people at HDCC, im looking to join a club as well but without the info on here i dont know where to go or what to do about it, as i dont just want to sign up online

[simply red]

marto ,its me again ...As I am over 30(or is that 45)the vets is the club for me but as for what other club  in newie ,that can be a big questionI
f you are an Aor B grade rider you would probably want to join HD as they are very strong in this grade .When it comes to the bottom grades there isn t as many riders (other than friday night racing at the gang ,when riders from all clubs race regularly)sometimes C and D combine such as at the criteriums.
            The Kooragang club are a good club for alround riding always a race doesn t matter what grade your in they are very friendly and they also go away to a few race meets as a club (bus trip wise).Who knows maybe one day these two clubs may merge to form a very large and strong newcastle cycling club

[Proudly hairy-legged]

Wow, Simply Red, this forum must be dying if even a merger comment thrown in can't prompt a response!

For my 2c worth, even though you've made the decision for HD, I am a Kooragang member and like it a lot. The people there are friendly and I can't see a reason to switch. 5 laps 'round the island every Saturday can get boring but if you're that concerned about it nobody's stopping you from heading to Black Hill or Seaham every now and again for some variety. Hell, why not head down to the Central Coast to get you arse whooped on the hills?! Or maybe that's just what happens to me...

[Gai M]

I am a Kooragang member and like it a lot. The people there are friendly and I can't see a reason to switch. 5 laps 'round the island every Saturday can get boring but if you're that concerned about it nobody's stopping you from heading to Black Hill or Seaham every now and again for some variety. Hell, why not head down to the Central Coast to get you arse whooped on the hills?! Or maybe that's just what happens to me...

I'm with you PHL.  I can't see a reason to switch.  Although, I must be about the only trackie not to transfer to HD. 

Kooragang club IS friendly and accepting.  Don't have to worry about ATTITUDE.  Everyone gets to race and there is still variety in handicaps and other variations on the straight scratch races.  Unfortunately, I have been concentrating on track and with shop committments, living an hour away from Newie, I can't make it to Kooragang at present.

Don't forget, Cessnock CC is also an option, esp for hills but not as difficult as Calga.  If you tire of the Friday night Worlds, then Central Coast run a crit at North Wyong. 


Newcastle's  (only?)  womens masters trackie.

[marto1971]

thanks RED, so at the young age of over 30 also (40+) and being closer to 100 kilos, from all of the living the good life (yeah rite ) im going to be slow, so im guessing its looking towards kooragang, but i will be racing elsewhere when work and time allows, saturdays dont really work for me as i normally have work comitments until 2.30, and xc racing once a month  for hmba

[Proudly hairy-legged]

Welcome to the "around 100 kilos club" Marto! The Island is very forgiving to those of us who've gone to the biscuit tin more than others, although the run up the ramp can feel like Sugarloaf when someone like Darren Towill decides to hit it up there.

Gai, when a relatively "unknown" gets a result at races I often hear people say "He/she doesn't race much, but they do track". It seems focusing on the track is one of the best places to concentrate on, and is most likely to bring the results. Alas my track bike is seeing about as much riding time as my wife's bike these days, it didn't even get to see any results before going into semi-reitrement.

On another note I must say I had a blast at the Aussie Day races. Luckily the weather held out and we got some good racing in. I haven't had that much fun in a bike race in a long time, very enjoyable.

[elefunksoup]

Well my only experience so far of HDCC is tuesday night velo training, which isn't exclusively HD anyway. But I'm a happy trackie. Just need to get a handle on regular road training rides or a couple of road buddies (hint, hint).

[Boostland]

There are a few bunch rides getting around just ask a few other riders at track, there are some listed in here and on the HD website but the info is a little out of date.

I know the Wed morning ride still goes but that is like a A grade race some days.