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GRIDIRON 100km - 12 OCTOBER 2014 - ENTRY CLOSED
LAST MINUTE ROUTE CHANGE!
To all entrants to the Gridiron event on 12th October, this is to let you know that we have been forced to change the route and direction of the 2014 'Gridiron 100' at extremely short notice for safety reasons. All registered entrants will have been emailed the details but if for some reason you have not received them please contact ctcwessexcycling2014@gmail.com
Please be assured we will still provide an exceptional day's riding; two experienced riders rode and checked the new route to their full satisfaction on Thursday 2nd October. The entry is now closed with our usual high level of participation.
An explanation of this exceptional turn of events is given here:
The Gridiron has been run on the second Sunday of October for the past 21 years. UK Cycling Events, who organise the event for Wiggle, are aware of this as they clashed with the Gridiron five years ago when they first ran the event. We informed them by phone and letter of the clash and how our date is calculated and they promised to change the date in future, which they have subsequently honoured until this year.
We notified the local Safety Action Group (SAG) of our event in January. They notified UK Cycling Events in April that their event clashed with ours. We were not informed, and can only assume that this is because we registered our event in advance of theirs. In June we discovered the full nature of the clash, wrote to UK Cycling Events and the directors of Wiggle and informed SAG. Wiggle's ride also clashed with a 'Pony Drift' inflaming local feeling. In June, SAG informed those concerned that the Wiggle route had been amended and their major concerns had been satisfied but this was not the case.
On 23rd September CTC Wessex attended a meeting of SAG to conduct a final review - this should have been a formality - but to everyone’s surprise we discovered that there remained a serious clash. We have been in regular communication with UK Cycling Events since then, unfortunately they are unwilling to make any changes to the Wiggle event.
The 'Gridiron 100' is a family event, the age range of participants (5 - 82) makes it a celebration of non-competitive cycling. The organising committee are acutely aware of their duty of care to all entrants and other road users. So, as we could not agree any sort of compromise, we (with the help and cooperation of the village halls and WI's who make our event possible) have agreed to change our route in the interests of safety. The revised route now runs in the same direction of the Wiggle route and you may share part of your ride with some of their riders. Our revised route is not a simple reverse of the original, as sight lines at busy road junctions need to be considered AND we have taken out as much of the road section we previously 'shared' with Wiggle by changing our route.
Everyone involved in organising the Gridiron is determined to make it an enjoyable day. We are back at the very popular Boldre War Memorial Hall. We look forward to meeting you all on the 12th and sharing the magic of the New Forest with you at this special time of year.
The Gridiron 100 Event Team
Please be assured we will still provide an exceptional day's riding; two experienced riders rode and checked the new route to their full satisfaction on Thursday 2nd October. The entry is now closed with our usual high level of participation.
An explanation of this exceptional turn of events is given here:
The Gridiron has been run on the second Sunday of October for the past 21 years. UK Cycling Events, who organise the event for Wiggle, are aware of this as they clashed with the Gridiron five years ago when they first ran the event. We informed them by phone and letter of the clash and how our date is calculated and they promised to change the date in future, which they have subsequently honoured until this year.
We notified the local Safety Action Group (SAG) of our event in January. They notified UK Cycling Events in April that their event clashed with ours. We were not informed, and can only assume that this is because we registered our event in advance of theirs. In June we discovered the full nature of the clash, wrote to UK Cycling Events and the directors of Wiggle and informed SAG. Wiggle's ride also clashed with a 'Pony Drift' inflaming local feeling. In June, SAG informed those concerned that the Wiggle route had been amended and their major concerns had been satisfied but this was not the case.
On 23rd September CTC Wessex attended a meeting of SAG to conduct a final review - this should have been a formality - but to everyone’s surprise we discovered that there remained a serious clash. We have been in regular communication with UK Cycling Events since then, unfortunately they are unwilling to make any changes to the Wiggle event.
The 'Gridiron 100' is a family event, the age range of participants (5 - 82) makes it a celebration of non-competitive cycling. The organising committee are acutely aware of their duty of care to all entrants and other road users. So, as we could not agree any sort of compromise, we (with the help and cooperation of the village halls and WI's who make our event possible) have agreed to change our route in the interests of safety. The revised route now runs in the same direction of the Wiggle route and you may share part of your ride with some of their riders. Our revised route is not a simple reverse of the original, as sight lines at busy road junctions need to be considered AND we have taken out as much of the road section we previously 'shared' with Wiggle by changing our route.
Everyone involved in organising the Gridiron is determined to make it an enjoyable day. We are back at the very popular Boldre War Memorial Hall. We look forward to meeting you all on the 12th and sharing the magic of the New Forest with you at this special time of year.
The Gridiron 100 Event Team