A good turn out witnessed an inspirational talk from Graham Brodie on his Audax adventures over the past 30 years and, in particular, his attempts to conquer the Paris Brest Paris ride – where thousands of riders do what they can to complete the 750 miles within 90 hours. We heard of a rider who managed the feat within 89 hours 59 mins and 59 seconds; of many riders who didn’t make it through heat stroke, mechanicals and sleep deprivation; and we heard from Graham how he learned from his own experiences of wasting too much time with other cyclists, and his overheating feet, so that this year he managed the task with three hours to spare.

In his annual report, David Byfield noted that it had been another busy year for CTC Cornwall with many rides and events organised. He announced that, following extensive consultation with local riders, it had been decided that the Liskeard cycle groups would, from 1st November 2019, form a new cycle club affiliated to Cycle UK, called Liskeard Velo. This would not affect the ongoing existence of CTC Cornwall, which would continue to support cyclists throughout the county and the Penzance Cycle Group. It would also be CTC Cornwall which would continue to organise and fund public cycle events, such as the Christmas family ride; family BBQs; and the Women’s Festival of Cycling.

The new Liskeard Velo club, which would now include the former groups Liskeard Velo, Liskeard Ladies, Liskeard Easy Riders and the two Wednesday social ride groups, would mean cheaper membership for people in work and part time work. From 1st November, it would be a requirement that riders should have Liskeard Velo membership (£5 per annum) plus third party liability insurance. Members could choose where they purchased their third party insurance. Some might want to continue to have this through full Cycle UK membership; but it would also be available from other less expensive, or even no cost, sources. The new membership secretary, Megan Evans 07842 697788, would provide full details. The new club now had its own website with full details of membership and forthcoming rides for local riders: www.liskeardvelo.org.uk .