The 2016 York Rally is coming up very fast now, and so this will be possibly a final catch-up before the event!
We’re about to send the show programme off to print:
and we’ve also just had our final planning meeting, on site on the Knavesmire. It’s looking in good condition for the event.
Just about everything is now coming together. We have:
- A full rides list!
- A packed trade show.
- Auction (Saturday) and Saddlebag Sale (the cycle jumble, Sunday)
- Masses of racing and sport, especially for under 16s! If you have kids into racing we will able to keep them busy: we have Go-Ride coaches on site giving free skills training to U16s (all day Sat, plus Sunday PM), plus youth categories in Grasstrack (Saturday) and Cyclo-cross (Sunday).
- A talks programme (still being finalised, but will we hope include touring talks, specialist club talks, and Q&A sessions on electric bikes and recumbent trikes)
- Performers are ready to go! As well as the Foresters folk band playing live on Saturday evening, The Pretend Stage will be back with their eclectic act! And Bo Clown will be entertaining with his bicycle-borne Punch and Judy, too.
- We have a bar selling craft beer from Cwrw Ial Community Brewing Company in Wales – under cover in a large seating area so we hope it’ll be popular.
- We’ve been working on many improvements after last year. So expect more and better signs, a bigger Rally HQ area with much less cramped displays, new bunting for the Arena, and much more!
- Plus we have a new Volunteer Co-ordinator – do drop by HQ to offer just an hour or so of your time if you can, or sign up online.
Campsite bookings are looking good, too! There’s still time to book a pitch, if you haven’t already. Advance campsite bookings close 11th June! It’s cheaper than booking on the day, quicker to get in, and you can be sited with friends or club-mates…
And in other news:
We are delighted to confirm that the lovely team at the Methodist Chapel in Riccall will once again be offering a wonderful array of food on Saturday morning – many of our rides head that way, and any passing cyclist is also welcome!
Meet the new York Rally fire engine! With space for fire extinguishers in the basket each side of the fire bucket, it’s our new rapid response vehicle, here being modelled expertly by Paul at our final planning meeting.
On the subject of pictures, all of the images sent in after the 2015 Rally for the Photo Competition have been enormously helpful – for the website, for the show programme and for promoting the Rally in general. So we’re running it again in 2016 – if you take pictures at the Rally, please do feel free to just send us the lot! Details will be in the show programme, page 23. Many thanks in advance.
Thanks for reading this far! We hope to welcome many of you on the Knavesmire soon!