Xmas break-up
Great turn-out last night to Jock and Di's for the Xmas party. Thanks very much to them for allowing us to invade their space for a few hours. And to Jenni and Di for organising all the salads and desserts. (That apple and cinnamon cake was sensational!)
Summer road rides
Just a reminder about our heat policy on weekend bunch rides, which currently start at 8am... if the Bureau forecast is for 35° or more for Benalla, the ride will start at 7am.
A stinkin' hot night for a road race.
A hot Thursday night on 17 December saw the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club host their last road race of 2015 with a 32km Handicap Race, starting at the Botanic Park, out to Sawpit Gully Road, then around the 'Barwite Loop' to finish on Graves Road.
In fact, it was officially classified as a 'stinkin' hot night. And stinkin' hot nights are the perfect conditions for Scratch. The backmarkers group was made up of two usual suspects, Kian Lerch-McKinnon and Josh Hopwood, plus a brace of visitors: James Dunn and Peter Wilkie from the Melbourne Cycling League and Chris Eddy from Echuca Moama CC.
Actually, Chris brought his whole family along; wife Kirsty and kids Samuel, Patrick and Jasmine all had a pedal and all respondent in EMCC kit. Danielle Garden, a semi-regular visitor from Echuca, also took to the line.
As expected, the strong northerly played into Scratch's hands, so to speak, and they'd reeled in almost the whole field before the end of the Barwite Road.
Wilkie made his break on the rolling hills on Graves Road and got to the line well clear in a time of 1.02.10 (corrected to 49.10 to also give him the Fastest Time.)
In a reduced bunch finish, Dunn got the better of Lerch-McKinnon, Sam Eddy and Chris Eddy. They were followed, in ones and twos, by Rob Skinner, Ross Hopkins, Dave Moore, Chris Hopkins (first unplaced female) and Danielle Garden rode strongly to make the top ten.
Top ten results and times can be found here.
Many thanks to our officials; Loretta, Louise, Leonie, Euan, Dave and Tony.
The race was followed by the club Xmas break-up at Chateau Condie/Brega which included a visit by Cycling Santa. He wished everyone a very Merry Christmas and made a particular point of hoping everyone, drivers and cyclists, stayed safe on the roads during the holidays.
With many thanks to our sponsors (All Terrain Cycles, Delatite Hotel, Eisner's Pharmacy and The Produce Store) for their support through 2015, MMBCC road racing starts again in 2016 on Thursday 21 January.