Hi everyone,

Here's this month's round-up of club news, races and events — please share any suggestions for future editions with Charlotte Anderson.

Winter Series

Well done to everyone who raced at Cambridge last weekend. It was a beautiful, sunny race with the added fun of lots of punts along the back of the colleges. Particular shout outs to LBZ race winners: Ewan, Ethan, Matthew & Lydia. A brilliant club effort saw us finish 3rd overall — well done, everyone! Even if you missed the first race of the series, you aren't too late to join in! The next race is at Bishop Stortford on 1 November. To race, please sign up here by Wednesday 28 October: Sign-up sheet

This is a series of races that takes place over the winter (does exactly what it says on the tin). There are six races in the series, including one we will host in the New Year. If you compete in a number of these then there's a series trophy at the end of the race series. The races are largely raced by age-group, with a shorter distance option for those in divisions 8/9.

All the details are here: Winter Series Canoe Marathons – Flatwater Racing.

The race dates are here:

Remembrance Day Race — Sunday 8th November 2026

Sign up to race here: Sign-up sheet If you aren't racing, please support the club by volunteering here: Volunteer sign-up sheet

This is a charity event. Profits go to the Royal British Legion.

Start location: Great Linford Memorial Hall, Marsh Drive, Great Linford, Milton Keynes MK14 5AX. Car parking, toilets & refreshments will be available.

Finish location: Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club, at the rear of Cedars School / Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Mentmore Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 2AE. Car parking, toilets & refreshments will be available.

Classes — this event is open to kayaks, canoes and SUPs:

• Class A – Marathon Divisions 1, 2 & 3 (K1/K2)
• Class B – Marathon Divisions 4, 5 & 6 (K1/K2)
• Class C – Marathon Divisions 7, 8 & 9 (K1/K2)
• Class D – Canoes and other single bladed paddle craft (C1/C2)
• Relay – Teams of two crafts (K1s or K2s)

Note: Where paddlers in a K2 are not in the same division, the class will be that of the average ranking. Pairings can be male, female or mixed.

Course: 15 miles with 4 portages. It's a paddle-back course, starting at Great Linford Wharf, Milton Keynes, MK14 5AX, Bridge Number 77. Paddlers head south and finish at the Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club landing stage. For relay teams: leg 1 is 6.5 miles with no portages, and leg 2 is 8.5 miles with 3 portages.

Winter Training Schedule

From Tuesday 13th October, we'll be switching to our winter timetable. The following sessions will be available:

There's a good mix of sessions available throughout the week, whether you're looking to keep active over the winter, develop your fitness, or continue your competition training.

We look forward to seeing you at the club!

Aylesbury Paddle Back

Look out for details coming soon.

Junior Funday

Sunday 25th October — meet at the club at 9am, finish at 3pm. Bring lunch!

Fun and games in the morning, K2s and K4s in the afternoon (or other way round). Also including a break-out session at lunchtime with our club welfare officers (Fiona & Andrea).

Please sign up using the usual link: Sign-up sheet

Hare & Hounds

For anyone who hasn't come across it before, Hare & Hounds isn't a straight race against the clock — it's a handicapped time trial. The slowest paddlers (the "hares") set off first, with faster paddlers (the "hounds") starting later according to their handicap, so that everyone is aiming to finish at roughly the same time. It makes for a close, sociable race where no one gets left behind on the water, and each race's finishing time sets your start time for the next one in the series.

These will run in the usual Club sessions as 'intra-club' races on a Saturday (dates below), and there are distance options for every level of experience — plus a trophy at the end of the series!

AGM — Saturday 21st November

Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 21st November, following straight on after the regular Club session.

The AGM is where the club looks back on the year, reports on finances, and elects the committee for the year ahead — it's also open to any ideas, questions or concerns members want to raise. It only works if members turn up, so however the club runs over the next year really does depend on who's in the room. Please come along if you can — the more voices involved, the better the decisions we make together.

Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club · Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Leighton Buzzard · Est. 1976

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