The new Tenby cycling club has started strongly. With 18 members in just one month we couldn't have wished for better. The new club team kit design is well under way and we hope to be showing off the jerseys, complete with sponsors logos, in the next two months. The club has been running club runs on Thursday evenings from Tenby Leisure Centre leaving at 6.30 pm. We have had a regular 10 to 15 riders of various levels doing from 18 to 30 miles. If you fancy giving it a try, please come along for a couple of weeks and join the club if you enjoy. There are also regular Saturday and Sunday morning rides; these are usually arranged after the Thursday rides. Members are kept up to date by email. The new club web-site is under construction for members and any cyclists interested in joining a bike ride alike. Obviously we have been busy setting up the club with all the red tape and paperwork, as well as designing the club kit. We have, of course, been getting out on the bikes as well. Shane Dougherty, Andrew Milward and Gareth Rees took part in a 40-mile sponsored ride from Marloes mere and Cardigan Wild Life Centre. The money raised was to replace a bird watch keep at Marloes which was destroyed in the storm earlier this year. The keep had been built originally in memory of Mark Britton, the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Britton, who died in tragic circumstances 10 years ago. Andrew and Gareth also recently took part in the Carten 100 sponsored bike ride along with Nick Brown, of The Pembrokeshire Velos. The 100-mile ride from Cardiff to Tenby has become an annual event and this year was to raise money for The Joshua Foundation, a charity for terminally ill children to provide holidays and breaks for them and their parents. Last Sunday, Andrew and Gareth took part in The Forest of Dean Cyclo-Sportive. Just one week after the 100-mile Cardiff to Tenby ride, the pair lined up for the challenging 85-mile sportive. Rather than a race, the sportive is a personal challenge where you race the clock in the hope of achieving the best time possible. With over 8,000 feet of hill climbs, it certainly turned out to be a tough time for them both. Andrew did extremely well with a time of six hours and 16 minutes and achieved gold. Gareth came home just nine minutes later and was delighted just to finish his first sportive, having only started cycling last August. Next Saturday there is a 120-mile sponsored bike ride on roads around the Pembrokeshire coastline. Alistair Birch from Haverfordwest is expected to be representing Tenby Aces, with Andrew Milward and Gareth Rees undecided until the aches and pains have disappeared from this week's event. Anyone who fancies starting cycling, whether as a sport or for fitness, come and join us on Thursday evenings, Tenby Leisure Centre, 6.30 pm.
