The British Cycling Federation annual awards dinner was held at the Bolton Wanders Reebok Stadium on Saturday 11 February. This year, it was attended by over 430 people, which British Cycling's Competition Coordinator, Paul West, told me was the best attended dinner yet.
The annual dinner pays tribute to winners of National, European and World titles from youth categories, all the way through to the master's age groups and is a fantastic social event.
It is also an opportunity to recognise and thank the unsung heroes of our sport; the clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers, who work tirelessly so that we can enjoy racing and riding across the many disciplines. It was noted that without them, there would be no champions because there would be no races in which these titles could be decided.
Brian Cookson, the President of the BCF, opened the event with a mention of the tragic road accidents involving cyclists, which had cast a shadow over our sport. Brian made the point that the best way to honour the memory of these riders, was to keep the sport alive and reminded us that we all had a part to play in that. He moved on to talk about Tour de France in 2007 and formally announced the route for the prologue and stage 1. The details had been released just 48 hours before the dinner and it made for a very upbeat start to proceedings.
The awards themselves were divided into three segments, with youth, junior and masters first, then senior national titles and finally European and World achievements. Volunteer awards were included in each segment and between the awards, the dinner itself was served and eagerly devoured.
Many of the big names were not present, as they have departed for Australia in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, but there were still over 130 champions and of these 31 were female riders.
In the volunteer awards, it was great to see Helen Ellis of the WCRA receiving recognition for her long standing commitment to work with girls and women cyclists across many of the disciplines.
There was a great deal of networking, as people moved between the tables around the room. Many of us had not seen our fellow competitors since October and some were almost unrecognisable out of lycra and in their high heels. As for the girls ….!!
In addition to the awards and the dinner, there was a funky light show, with loud music and cycling video clips that kept everyone entertained.
Finally, at the end of the evening, the formalities dispensed with, the music was turned up and those with the staying power took to the dance floor. We were having so much fun, we stayed to the very end, way past midnight. You know the moment the lights come up and you realise it is time to turn in!
