Page 17 - PBCOctober2015

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine Volume12 No.2 October 2015 17

Mr Dumkins comments on being part of the Club

The Pickwick Bicycle Club is not just about the lunch……this year I have made a concerted
effort to attend not just the luncheons but some of the many additional events that the club
organises and / or attends.

PBC Golf Day
The first event was the Golf Day at Harpenden - a quite magnificent setting and a really
enjoyable day even for a non golfer like me! I play (well turn up with a bag of sticks and a
barrow load of balls!) at a couple of society events a year so cannot be considered a golfer,
but it is great fun, great company and thoroughly recommended.

Benson Bicycle Rally
This annual event around the Oxfordshire countryside is a delightful day out as either a
cyclist of spectator. I attended this with my partner Sue and had a fantastic day, we as a
club should be getting many more members than the half dozen that attended this year. Do
come and support this event on the first Sunday in July and if you are really enthusiastic we
will have some club bicycles in time for the event next year!

Mr Pickwick goes to France
Sue and I were not sure how this one was going to pan out, neither of us had been to a cycle
race before let alone the Tour de France! But we set off to Dinan in northern France and
met up with a dozen or so PBC members and their partners. What an event! We had an
amazing time in great company, copious amounts of food and a constant stream of quality
wines!
Oh, and there was some cycling going on as well!
The Tour really is a must see, Sue was really unsure about attending the race and had
planned on shopping instead but once the first team had gone past in the time trials she was
hooked. A really great weekend, over all too soon!

My fellow members, who, like me have probably only attended the luncheons for many years,
I urge you to join your fellow members in the spirit of clubs name and join us at some of the
events outside of the luncheons by either partaking or spectating, I promise you that you will
not be disappointed! We will publish the dates and enclose application forms at the beginning
of the year to allow you to plan in advance, even if you make the effort to attend just one of
these events you will be increasing the profile of your club. I would like to thank all the
members who have organised the events, I appreciate that a lot of effort goes into making
them happen, and having joined in this year, I’m afraid you are stuck with me now as I have
thoroughly enjoyed it! Roll on the next event!
Mr Dumkins