Hayden Fletcher wins the 2025 Australian BMX Championships
By Bruce Halket
Hayden Fletcher, formally of Howqua Inlet, has finally managed to win the Elite Men’s Australian BMX Championship after years of injuries, set-backs and persistence. Congratulations on a well-deserved win Hayden!
Hayden and his family, especially his dad Paul (and fellow BMXer Adam Baker) were the impetus behind the MMBCC’s push to get a BMX track built in Mansfield over 15 years ago. Venues at the Showgrounds, Mansfield Racecourse and Withers Lane (near the rail trail) were all knocked back in a frustrating attempt to improve cycling infrastructure.
And speaking of Shire decisions, has anyone seen any news on the new gravel routes that were meant to be published this summer after being delayed for public consultations?
Imagine how much sooner Hayden might have won this if Mansfield had a BMX track and he’d not had to travel to Shepparton for training?! And how many other kids might have been following in his footsteps?
Hopefully, if the impending pump track actually gets built, we might get some more people interested in bike riding.
Dirt Crits starts downhill
By Dave Empey
The first Dirt Crits for the summer season kicked off last Tuesday.
There was a brand-new course in place to entice Bruce Halket to race so he could pedal and even a tiny bit of uphill.
Racing was very tight with less than a minute separating the top ten.
Ryder Chadd took the win followed by Spencer Carmen with XC upstart Ben Ross rounding out the top 3 with a strong ride.
Next week is the first XC event. Your resident pain master Damian Grundy will be absent, so course honours will fall to Cam Dobson. Although, in defence of both Damian and Cam, this one won’t be painful for a change, just a bit of fun.
Here are the results and thanks to Tim Ross for the pics.
Bocky stays away
By John Eisner
For some, the traditional start to the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club season began last Thursday night with locating one’s bicycle, pumping up near flat tyres, charging that solid rear red light and selecting one’s favourite, retro cycling apparel.
And so it began, with a good looking start list, carefully constructed by new handicapper, David Jagger, who had considered individual’s average performances and integrated it into a series of starting groups.
Thus, off went Dave Bock, John Eisner and Dave Jagger.
And so followed: Craig Wilson, Tim Hall, David McDonald, Steve Curnow, Adam Baker, Adrian Dowd, the father/son duo of Ben and Tim Ross, Steve Duke, Darren Bakker, Ryder Chadd, Andy Garrett, Bruce Halket and Carl Simmons.
With a modest headwind heading out towards Tolmie, the groups were looking good with a largish bunch forming at the Scratch end.
With a pleasant tail wind on the way home however, most groups seemed to split up leaving each person to do their own thing.
Out the front though, David Bock had been doing some solid turns thanks to some off-season training in Europe designed specifically to drag Limit (particularly Eisner) along. And to be fair, in turn, Limit responded like a well-oiled machine. With four km to go, Bocky was directed to ride off the front, which he did to earn a well-deserved first place. David McDonald, similarly, rode well off his group to snap up second with Eisner, Jagger and Wilson (on a classy, new, steel bike) making up the top five.
Carl Simmons looked dangerous from the start and finished well up the field to get fastest time.
Many thanks to our helpers for the night and thanks to the Mansfield Hotel for dinner and sponsorship.
Here are the results. Many thanks to Tony Copland for the race pics and to Alex Green for the post-race pics.
Next week is the Barwite Loop. And a reminder that late entries (after 8pm Wednesday night) won’t be accepted any longer.
Welcome back to Dirt Critters for Term 4.
By Tim Ross
First official night is Tuesday 14 October. Potential new riders are most welcome to come along for a look and ask any questions.
Dirt Critters is for primary-school age kids who like to ride and learn new skills in a fun and social environment. We meet at Rifle Butts Reserve on Tuesday after school – 4pm for Grade 3 and younger, 4:45pm for Grade 4 and older (but flexible). Younger secondary school kids are welcome to join us, but are encouraged to move up to senior Dirt Crits which starts at 6pm (there are a number of teenagers taking part in this).
Dirt Critters follows a rough program designed to expose the kids to some different types of MTB riding; some nights it'll be XC (cross country), some will be Enduro style, and some will be Single Track rides. Riders also have the opportunity to participate in races outside of Mansfield if they wish.
Please note that a current Auscycling membership is required for all participants (but otherwise there is no charge). Google 'Auscycling Membership' and choose 'Race All Discipline' (costs are $81pa for U7, $109 for U13 and $175 for U19). There is the option of a free four week trial for new riders who want to try before they buy. Click here for more details on MMBCC memberships.
For more details on Dirt Critters please email us or call Luke on 0455 604 785.