As many of you will be aware a new cycling peak body will come into effect on 1 November 2020. The body, AusCycling, will represent the three sports of road and track, BMX and mountain biking. The national bodies of BMX and mountain biking voted to join AusCycling some time ago. Cycling Australia only recently voted to join when the required 75% of states and territories voted yes to a proposal to join. The only state that voted no was NSW with WA abstaining.

So shortly Cycling Australia will cease to exist with its functions being assumed by AusCycling. This will leave Cycling NSW as a stand-alone organisation with no national representation, licencing authority, or meaningful revenue streams.

Last week the Waratah Masters committee resolved that the club should affiliate with AusCycling and we have subsequently done so. We have done this for a number of reasons.

• Guaranteed continuation of insurance for club race organisers and volunteers. When Cycling Australia rolls into AusCycling all current insurances remain in place for affiliated clubs. Cycling NSW are unable to guarantee that the existing cover will remain for clubs that do not affiliate. As we hold weekly races the insurance of race organisers and volunteers is of paramount importance and we are not prepared to take the risk of losing coverage.

• An uncertain future for Cycling NSW. The Cycling NSW board have been unable or unprepared to articulate what their future role will be as a stand-alone organisation. If they continue to exist they will have no representation at a national level, no race sanctioning authority, no UCI licence issuing rights and no clear revenue stream when they lose race licence revenue and national grants. Their relevance to clubs such as ours will become marginal at best.

• AusCycling will assume responsibility for all existing club member licences. From 1 November your existing licence will allow you to compete across all three sports – road and track, BMX and cross country. We believe this is in the best interests of our sport. Additionally, the cost of your licence will fall significantly when you renew.

• The cost to the club of affiliation with AusCycling is $295 per year. So the cost of our affiliation is minor.

• AusCycling have also given all clubs an undertaking that they will not interfere with club race entry systems or costs.

In joining AusCycling we are now confident that our regular Sunday races will continue on as usual. So, from our clubs racing perspective nothing much will change. However your committee is also unanimous in the belief that having one peak body replacing the 19 separate state and national organisations, across the three sports, is in the long term best interests of the sport we all enjoy and care about. Therefore, we should support the new organisation.

For the time being we remain affiliated with Cycling NSW until we get a clearer indication of their future plans.

You will be receiving further communications from AusCycling in due course. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact myself or any committee member.

Best wishes

Ian Jackson – President