2023

The Netherlands – cycle touring heaven

Knowing what a flat and cycle friendly country The Netherlands is, I’d always thought that as someone who loves cycle touring, I must one day go and explore the country in more detail. So, in June this year I set off on my trusty 26-year-old Dawes Galaxy, with a rough plan for a 10-day circular…

The end of an era

Honorary member and legendary timekeeper Keri Williams gives us a light hearted good-bye to our popular K4/20 course in its current form No-one likes change, especially grumpy old timekeepers, but I was particularly upset to hear about the upcoming demise of the K4/20-time trial course. The course and I have had a long-term relationship (it’s…

My first Cyclo Cross (CX) race

Club Women’s Representative Heidi Yates, gives an honest account of her first attempt at CX racing There has been a lot of chat in the Cyclo Cross (CX) space over the last few years with people claiming it to be a fun and friendly event. So, with Milton Keynes putting on a summer series, the…

Riding the Marston Mega Cross

Member Garry Putt gives an interesting account of a recent off-road enduro event he competed in On a Sunday in June, my brother Kris and I joined 210 other cyclists at the very pleasant Marston Lodge, near Market Harborough, in south Leicestershire.  It comprises 700 acres of woodland, farmland and lakes. You may have heard…

LSD and the Art of Zen Cycling;

Another great blog from the keyboard of Mike Kirby Zen: A state of calm attentiveness in which one’s actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort, lost in the rhythm of the task at hand. I started to write this many months ago but time pressures meant I did not finish it. But…

Behind the scenes – how our road race is run

Acting club Press Officer Roger Gollicker, outlines what it takes to run our annual road races Whilst I’ve been involved in various ways with the club’s annual road race over the last seven or eight years, this year saw me enjoying quite an eye-opening experience, as I got to take on my press officer duties,…

Banbury Star women – it’s all action now

Press officer Roger Gollicker (with more than a little help from Heidi Yates) outlines the growing success and enthusiasm of our women members This was going to be a news item, but following an email and suggestion by women’s representative Heidi Yates, a blog now seems more appropriate. The gist of Heidi’s email was –…

Information on the Oxfordshire Road Race League (ORRL)

Joint Race Secretary Richard Santhouse, outlines his plans and hopes for the coming season  As we move into the 2023 racing season, I’d like to share some information about the ORRL and other race key events. The link at the bottom of the blog, takes you to the Banbury Stars racing availability chart for ORRL…