PTW

just had a read of the emails regarding the future of Road Racing in Wales and this business with the RAS being pulled. i'm sure some of you have seen them. Looks like that before long there will not be any races in Wales before long. what are your views men?

I don't really understand what's going on there and who said what but it sure does look unpleasant.

Perhaps it's indicative of the way cycling is going. There were a lot of blank dates at the CTT date fixing meeting a few weeks ago and, sadly, the West Wales cannot get a single organiser for next year (four events last year). I used to take pride in organising TT's and road races (and Pembrey crit's for a few years!) but when the time came for me to scale things down a bit I decided to concentrate on TT's because it's the side of the sport that I also participate in and, to be totally honest, it's easier to organise a TT than a road race! I also used to regularly attend the WCU AGM's but the more it moved away from amateurs running it to fully paid 'staffers' then the more I felt disconnected.

However, when it comes to the professional sport then, for me, road racing IS cycle racing (no disrespect meant to testers) so I sincerely hope that Welsh Cycling can do something to encourage 'grass roots' road racing so that events like the RAS become an easier step up for all concerned. Having said that, I appreciate that there are already some pretty over-worked and over-burdened people already doing a fantastic job for cycle racing in Wales, e.g. John Richards and Steve Thomas to name just two.

There's a lot of things in the mix here (apathy, risk assessments, the police, lack of support from the clubs, work commitments, etc.) but I hope that Welsh Cycling can find a way forward and I wish them all the best.

I have scanned them, but not really read them in detail, (have been away) could you clue me in?