CYCLING REBIRTH
THE Gold Coast Cycling Club has transformed itself from two struggling associations dying at the vine a year ago to one united body on track to become the biggest in Queensland.
Cycling at club level was on the brink of collapse early in 2017 with both the Gold Coast Cats Cycling Club and Gold Coast Goldstars struggling as membership numbers decreased.
“There wasn’t a lot of cohesion from the separate committees and things weren’t stable,” GCCC president Dominique Verstreken said.
“Events wouldn’t run smoothly or wouldn’t get organised. That is why the Darren Smith Classic suffered.
“No one wanted to put in the effort to put an open event on the roads and get all the permits in place.”
Verstreken said the merger of the clubs in June last year had not only saved the sport on the Gold Coast but helped it become a powerhouse in the state.
“It’s an exciting time for the club and a new era,” Verstreken said.
“We are the third or fourth biggest club in Queensland with around 330 members, including 70 juniors, and we have five to 10 new riders joining every week.
“We have a committee of nine people and that’s the first time GCCC has ever had one that size.
“Cycling Queensland is really behind us and if we keep growing the way we are we will be the biggest club in Queensland. Some clubs in Brisbane have between 350 and 500 members.”
The GCCC won the Australian Club Premiership at the Cycling Australia awards last year. Laurelea Moss (Masters Cyclist of the Year) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kat Garfoot (Road Cyclist of the Year) were also honoured.