There's lots to report and plenty more going on this week including trip sign-ups, race reports, socials and more, so get comfortable.

First off, we are proud to officially announce the continued support of Mission Burrito and to welcome BikeUK (our bike shop of choice) as sponsors for the 2014/15 season. More info about what our sponsors can offer is available on our website.

BUCS Hill Climb
Curbar Gap, Peak District was once again played host to BUCS Hill Climb, a gruesome climb of 1.1 miles at 11.3%. It was a huge event, with over 300 competitors competing across the day. First off was Kate, who stormed up the climb in under 8 minutes, taking a hugely impressive 12th place! Not to be outdone, Georgie left it all on the road to set 7:49 and 8th place overall and secure 5th place in the Women's team competition! A strong contingent of UOBCC men raced against the clock, but the fastest was saved 'til last. Callum, got a huge cheer as he past us (see the video on facebook) to go on and set a 6:23, the fastest UOBCC rider and good enough for 60th out of 239 in a very strong field.

Bristol Individual Results:
Georgie Panchaud: 7:49  8th
Kate Mactear: 7:55  12th
Callum Hunter: 6:23  60th
Ben Alexander: 6:32  72nd
Andrew Kirby: 6:33  74th
Ryan Witchell: 6:40  89th
Fred Cook: 6:41  94th
Mike Gallagher: 6:50  113th
Alastair Stevenson: 6:56  123rd

On Sunday, we went over to Pea Royd Lane, to watch recently graduated Will Bourne compete in UOBCC colours in the National Hill Climb. Will absolutely demolished the climb to claim 14th place!  Huge Kudos to him. Our immense support even made it into CyclingWeekly. 

Cyclocross
Cam competed at round 2 of the National Trophy Cyclo-Cross series at the Southampton Sports centre on Sunday. Battling against an incredibly strong Belgian-based field who looked "simply a class apart". Dispite all this, Cam put in a tremendous performance to finish 34th amongst the star studded field, and 12th U23. See Cam's gurning face (links to Pictures of the Week).

Wednesday (Lights Required!!!)
Meet: 2pm. The clocks have gone back, and as a result, it will be dark when we finish our rides. Lights are a requirement to ride! The Uni do cheap lights sales once a month. We'll let you know when the next one is happening. They really are a worthwhile investment if you value your life.

Sunday
Meet: 10am at Clifton Suspension Bridge. Normal format, with groups of similar abilities heading off to explore over the bridge.

• Where: Mission Burrito, Park Street
• Time: 8pm
• Facebook Event

Now that the Hill Climb season is over, what better way to celebrate than seeing who can eat the biggest Burrito.
For those of you who want to enjoy their food Mission Burrito do a delicious selection of tacos, Tortilla chips and Guacamole (menu).

After everyone is suitably full we will head over to the old spoons on the triangle for beer to wash it down!

The first DH trip of the year will be to Bike Park Wales, this Sunday 2nd Nov. We will be riding their uplift service at the incredibly bargain price of just £15 per head, that includes transport as well. There's only 4 spots left, don't miss out on what's sure to be a great days riding!

The Sign-up is now available on our UBU page.

Dates: 7-9th November
Price: £30 (or £25 for drivers, please see post below if you have a car).

Our first weekend away road trip will be to the Brecon Beacons. We will be leaving in the evening on Friday 7th November for a weekend of picturesque scenery, stunning roads and general good fun. Sign-up is now open at £30 which includes ~50% subsidy, making this trip great value for money (food, accommodation and transport included).

To sign-up, go to the UBU webpage, login, and add Brecons Road trip to your basket.

We're always looking for drivers for trips. Please let us know if you have a car in Bristol or if you're minibus trained. We still need 1 more driver for the Brecon Beacons road trip. Fuel will be refunded and there is a £5 discount on the cost of the trip. Please get in touch with Fred Cook (fc12293@my.bristol.ac.uk) or reply to this email directly.

Cycling caps will available to buy for £7 each at the social on Thursday. If you can't make it, get in touch with Chris to arrange to buy another time.

Pre-order of 2014/15 kit will soon be available at BikeUK.

Monday 13th October was the last day of trial membership. The trial basically covers us on insurance during the first couple of weeks whilst riders aren't officially signed up. From now on, we will need riders to be members of the club to join us on rides.

Membership Perks:

• Free kit and bike hire (check out what's available here)
• Discounted club kit
• ~50% off weekends away and other trips (All disciplines).
• Free entry to BUCS (we also cover transport and accommodation costs).
• Discounted socials

And if that's not enough, joining the cycling club makes you a member of one of the most respected clubs in the University (as shown by our UBU Club of The Year status in 2012). We endeavour to bring together like-minded people for social rides, races and other fun activities.

Click here to buy Membership. (login and add to basket).

UOBCC creating a wall of noise for the best hillclimbers in the UK at the National Hill Climb in Stocksbridge, Peak District on Sunday.

See our website for more info about our sponsors and what special deals they can offer.

Cyclocross

Georgie Panchaud won the Banjo Cycles Floodlit Cyclocross League in Swindon. She stormed to victory after winning the 5th and final round this Sunday.

BSCC Hill Climb

Bristol South CC hosted their annual hill climb up Burrington Combe this weekend. Callum and Sam represented UOBCC with 17th for Callum and a middle of the pack 51st for Sam, to wrap up a great WTTA Hill Climb Series. Full results of the series here.

Wednesday
Meet: 2pm. As normal, we will head out from the suspension bridge in groups of varying speeds and abilities.

Sunday
Meet: 10am at Clifton Suspension Bridge. Normal format, with groups of similar abilities heading off to explore over the bridge.

• Where: The Hill, Clifton
• Time: 8pm
• Facebook Event

A general knowledge quiz with an injection of cycling trivia mixed in. There will be free pizza available for the early arrivers. This won't be for the university challengers amongst you, just an excuse to drink beer and have a laugh!

No prize for the winners except the kudos of knowing the name of an obscure 90s Mapei domestique.

See you all there!!

Cycling caps will also be on sale (£7 each).

Our first weekend away road trip will be to the Brecon Beacons. We will be leaving in the evening on Friday 7th November for a weekend of picturesque scenery, stunning roads and general good fun. Keep an eye out for sign-up being announced on the facebook group. There will be ~50% subsidy and the cost should be around £25-30 (food, accommodation and transport included).

Keep the weekend of 7-9th November free and we'll tell you more soon!

Now that you've had time to settle in at university, its time to look forward to the road racing season ahead. This year there will be two teams; Development for those who have little or no racing experience and Performance for those who are old hands. Both teams will have a weekend training session in addition to the Sunday club ride and you will need to be able to ride in the fast group ride (men) and the medium (women). To indicate your interest or for more information, contact Cameron Toms on Facebook or ct13975@my.bristol.ac.uk

Sunday 2nd November
7-9pm
Price: ~£15

If you've got a car and can drive on this trip, please let Ryan know either on Facebook or by email: rw13701@bristol.ac.uk

We have a small quantity of leftover kit from last year's run, consisting of a handful of Women's jerseys. All are Bioracer's size 2/small (size chart here) They'll be sold for £32, a 20% reduction! We also have a plethora of club cycling caps, £7 each. Get in touch with Chris for any more details.

Monday 13th October was the last day of trial membership. The trial basically covers us on insurance during the first couple of weeks whilst riders aren't officially signed up. From now on, we will need riders to be members of the club to join us on rides.

Membership Perks:

• Free kit and bike hire (check out what's available here)
• Discounted club kit
• ~50% off weekends away and other trips (All disciplines).
• Free entry to BUCS (we also cover transport and accommodation costs).
• Discounted socials

And if that's not enough, joining the cycling club makes you a member of one of the most respected clubs in the University (as shown by our UBU Club of The Year status in 2012). We endeavour to bring together like-minded people for social rides, races and other fun activities.

Click here to buy Membership. (login and add to basket).

Afan XC Trip.

The Jedi Master himself, Tejvan Pettinger destroying the Bristol South CC Hill Climb on Sunday morning in a time of 6:57 (40 seconds ahead of 2nd place).

This weekend saw lots of racing going on both in and out of the mud with some great results to show for it all.

On Saturday UOBCC hosted our first Open Hill Climb on Belmont Hill. A huge thank you to Tom Hall for all the hard work put into organising the event, which drew in plenty of riders from the local area and notably a strong contingent from both Oxford Universities.

Top placed UOBCC finishers:
Women:
Kate Mactear: 2nd
Men:
Will Bourne (alumni): 11th
Andrew Kirby: 16th

Full HC results can be found on our website.

After the Hill Climb, it was over to Ashton Court to support the muddy XC riders on either the 8hr or 4hr Oktoberfest race (Cam pictured after winning the 4hr event).

Oktoberfest results:
8hr pairs: Barney Butler and Ben Bryan: 17th.
8hr 4's: Naomi and the Bath dudes: 7th.
4hr pairs: Cam Toms and Sean Polden: 1st!
4hr solo: Eric Eckstein: 3rd, Tim Robinson 4th.

"It was a great atmosphere on a very slippery circuit. The morning hillclimbers came out to give us some much-appreciated encouragement despite a midday downpour. Meanwhile, bavarian drinking songs played over the cheers from the crowd for those who attempted the finish line jump. Countless gummy bears were converted to mud-slinging power throughout the day, and well-deserved beer at the end was (too) rapidly digested to our delight. Well done to all, Paul Newman who runs the Oktoberfest said we were one of the biggest teams there, and the results show us to be among the best too." - (words Eric Eckstein, VP MTB)

Cyclocross

Women:
Georgie Panchaud: 1st!
Seniors:
Ryan Witchell: 17th
Chris Brasnett: 33rd

"The course at Hengrove this Sunday was short and fast, the previous day's rain having left it slippery but not very muddy. Ryan and Chris made good progress as the men's field was strung out right from the gun, finishing what was their first ever winter league race! In the women's race, Georgie worked a masterclass in pacing and timing, working her way through the field before pulling away from her final competitor in the last lap. Well done to everyone. Bring on next weekend!" - (words Cameron Toms, Race Captain)

A special mention goes to Cam for competing in both the HC and Oktoberfest on Saturday and then making it out to support the cyclocross on Sunday. The title 'Race Captain' is well suited.

Meet: 2pm. As normal, we will head out from the suspension bridge in groups of varying speeds and abilities.

• Where: Roll for the Soul
• Time: 6-9pm
• Facebook Event

Grab some food and learn some maintenance basics!

For just £6 get yourself one of RftS's incredible burgers, in house made chips and an hours bicycle maintenance tuition. Choose from:
✰ Soul Burger (Black eyed beans, aubergine and herbs)
✰ Lentil and Nut Burger

At 7pm when we're satisfied and full of veggie goodness one of RftS's bicycle wizards will take us through some of the fundamentals of bike maintenance.

Please bring £6 with you to cover food and tuition.

This Sunday we're heading off with our knobbly tyres to Afan Forest. Afan is a trail centre like no other, with plenty of rocks, roots and fast descents.

Cost: £10 (cash on the day) - signup on the Union Page to secure transport (login and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to signup.)

Please Note: Afan is physically demanding and hard on bikes. Before signing up, make sure:

• You are fit
• You have a decent mountain bike in good mechanical condition.

Meet: 10am at Clifton Suspension Bridge. Normal format, with groups of similar abilities heading off to explore over the bridge.

Monday 13th October was the last day of trial membership. The trial basically covers us on insurance during the first couple of weeks whilst riders aren't officially signed up. From now on, we will need riders to be members of the club to join us on rides.

Membership Perks:

• Free kit and bike hire (check out what's available here)
• Discounted club kit
• ~50% off weekends away and other trips (All disciplines).
• Free entry to BUCS (we also cover transport and accommodation costs).
• Discounted socials

And if that's not enough, joining the cycling club makes you a member of one of the most respected clubs in the University (as shown by our UBU Club of The Year status in 2012). We endeavour to bring together like-minded people for social rides, races and other fun activities.

Click here to buy Membership. (login and add to basket).

UOBCC teammates cheering on Sam in our inaugural Open Hill Climb.

Thanks for joining us for a great first week of term. We went big this weekend with our first free trip for XC and some monster road rides to accompany it. Roadies and XC all headed to the Forest of Dean for some epic riding on all parts.

The post-trip summary, now in Limerick form:

A hardy eighteen rode the Forest of Dean,
Bright sun fell on moss and all were keen,
Big climbs, our legs weathered,
Over drops, our brakes feathered,
The fun we all had was obscene.

Here's what's coming up in the next month for the knobby tyre types:
11th October:  Seven of our riders take part in the Oktoberfest XC endurance race over at Ashton Court.  Go ride across the bridge and heckle them, especially if you're already going that way for the hillclimb.  The 8hr racers go off at 9am, and all of our riders will be on circuit from 1pm till 5pm.
19th October:  We're doing a day-trip to Afan, one of the best trail centres in the UK.  More details below.
2nd November:  It's our once-a-term uplift trip to BikePark Wales.  (An uplift is when you have a van take you up to the top of the hill all day.)  This will be nicely subsidised by the club so that you get a day of uplift that's friendly on student budgets.
Want to see more stuff we're doing?  Cruise on over to our events calendar.

Everyone is welcome to our social rides from beginners to Pros, we'll find you a group to ride with.

Meet on the Clifton side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Wednesday - 2pm

Sunday - 10am

Wednesday 8th Oct (7-9pm)

Location: Everyone Active St Pauls Community Sports Academy

We've teamed up with the good folks of Bristol Bike Polo who are hosting a taster bike polo session for us!

If you've no idea what bike polo is, check out this video.

All you need is yourself and your town/commuter/fixed gear bike and your very best bike handling skills. Mallets will be provided.

Please RSVP to give us a heads up on numbers.

Friday 10th October

Free road race coaching for beginners: Following all the fun we had Odd Down cycle circuit last week, we're running a second coaching session this Friday! The session is open to everyone, but focused on complete beginners and those fairly new to racing. This is a great opportunity to get some riding tips from some of our experienced racers or just have some fun on a purpose built track. It's all free, so you've got nothing to lose!
We'll be meeting at the start of the cycle track in Castle Park at 2.30 and should be back by about 6.30. Sign up on Facebook event and we'll see you then on Friday.

Please RSVP to give us a heads up on numbers.

Where? Roll for the Soul

When? 6pm for food.

Grab some food and learn some maintenance basics!

For just £6 get yourself one of RftS's incredible burgers, in house made chips and an hours bicycle maintenance tuition. Choose from:
✰ Soul Burger (Black eyed beans, aubergine and herbs)
✰ Lentil and Nut Burger

At 7pm when we're satisfied and full of veggie goodness one of RftS's bicycle wizards will take us through some of the fundamentals of bike maintenance.

Buy your TICKETS HERE. (login and add to basket)

Join the Facebook Event for further updates.

Sunday 19th October

Our next XC trip will be to Afan forest in Wales.

Afan is a trail centre like no other, with plenty of rocks, roots, and fast descents. Afan is very, very good. Join our facebook group, and keep an eye out for signup details.

NB: Afan is PHYSICALLY DEMANDING and HARD ON BIKES. Before signing up, make sure:
 A: You are fit.
 B: You have a decent mountain bike in good mechanical condition.

We're sure many of you will use and/or know about Strava. As a club we have lots of members using the app/website and you can join the UOBCC Strava Club here. In future weeks we may do a GCN style 'Strava Club' wrap up to see who has been doing the most riding during a week.

UOBCC committee for 2014/15.

On Saturday 11th October, UOBCC will host our first Open Hill Climb on Belmont Hill. Entries are now closed, however, with 27 out of the 74 entries being UOBCC members, there will be plenty of need for cheering support throughout the morning! Riders start from 9am through to just after 10. So whether you'd like to support your teammates or you just enjoy watching people suffer, then come along. More details are on the facebook event.

Cam having a ball at the Odd Down Training Sessions last Friday.