Sunday update

MMBCC Mid-Winter MTB Get Together

Come for a ride and a pizza!
When – The afternoon of Sunday 29 July. (Pizzas will kick off at around 5pm for an earlyish finish)
Where – Grundy’s@62 Borschmann Rd, Lima South.

RIDE OPTIONS
The Block: 15km loop. A big climb (660m gain) and then a 30min descent including some fun single track.
Home Loop: 2km easy single track loop. A cool track. This is a very accessible trail. Definitely in the beginner sort of range though a little climb to start. Feel free to do repeats.
South loop: 4km slightly longer loop mostly single track. Some beautiful fern gullies.
There are a number of play sections amongst the boulders here so come and explore.
Fine print: This is your chance to explore some private ‘animal’ tracks in the back of the Grundy’s. The wombats here are most industrious

WHAT TO BRING
- Your own pizza toppings, we will provide the pizza base, pasatta (tomato stuff) and cheese;
- Your preferred beverage; and
- A seat.
 
There is plenty of warm space inside so, regardless of the weather, come on out.
Lima South can often have quite different weather to Mansfield so assume nothing. Bring the bike regardless!
If the weather looks ordinary and you have some cool MTB DVD’s then bring them with you...  maybe bring them anyway.
RSVP to Damian via SMS on 0411 045 771 or email.

Annual General Meeting

Now less than a month away, the MMBCC AGM will be held at the Delatite Hotel on Tuesday 14 August, starting at 6pm.
We need to elect a new President. Do you want to nominate? Or is there someone else you think would do a good job that you'd like to nominate?
Plus we’ll need a hand to organise next summer’s road racing, mountain biking AND there’s interest in more recreational riding. There’s also the VDHS at Mt Buller and the Mansfield Tour to discuss.
Please come along.

Friday update

Le Tour starts tomorrow

Good luck to MMBCC Life Member Simon Gerrans who will be riding a lap of France in support of Tasmania’s Ritchie Porte. This will be Simon’s 12th tour. His last few have ended early but hopefully 2018 will see him get all the way around France with Ritchie taking yellow.
Standing (or sitting) in Simon's and Ritchie's way will be Chris Froome (aiming to win his fourth Grand Tour in a row, his fifth Tour de France) and his inhaler.

MMBCC MTB Mid winter RIDE EAT and CHAT get together.

By Damian Grundy

Here we are in the depths of winter half way between the last and the next summer of mountain biking.
I thought it would be a perfect time for an informal get together. It’ll also provide a chance to have a pre MMBCC 2018 AGM chat. You know… where are we going? What do we want to do in the future? Etc, etc…
You’re invited to ride our exclusive Grundy Trails (which are at their absolute mint best in winter) and then share in a pizza feast cooked in our woodfired pizza oven.
Interested? Then let's set a date and make it happen!
Options are: Saturday 21 July, Sunday 22 July, Saturday 28 July or Sunday 29 July.
The location will be Grundy's Farm, Lima South.
Riding will kick-off early afternoon. Ride options are extensive. Depending on who is interested, we can organise some various options of difficulty and speed. All will include plenty of single track.
If you want to come later for the pizzas only, that’ll be fine too.
Dinner will kick off early-ish… around 5pm.
We will provide the pizza dough and basics (tomato stuff and cheese) but you’ll need to bring your favourite toppings and drinks.
Topics of conversation will be the usual tales of trails tall or true, next season's Dirt Crits and any other topics of interest. My beloved family tell me that Trump and asthma medications are forbidden topics!
If you’re keen, please text me at 0411 045 771 with your name and preferred date.
I'll get back to everyone in good time with the final date.

Annual General Meeting Reminder

The MMBCC AGM will be held at the Delatite Hotel on Tuesday 14 August, starting at 6pm.
Wil has announced he’ll be standing down after four years as President, so we need a replacement. Plus we’ll need a hand to organise next summer’s road racing, mountain biking AND there’s interest in more recreational riding. And then we’ll need to discuss the VDHS at Mt Buller and the Mansfield Tour. Please come along to discuss it all.

Upcoming event

July-August - Sam Miranda Tour of the King Valley - website isn’t quite right yet but hopefully will be soon. In particular, the Gran Fondo and the Sunday road race are terrific!

1x drivetrains

They work brilliantly on mountain bikes and so they seemed to be a great idea for the road too. But Aqua Blue Sport on 3T bikes seem to have gone off the idea. Jarrod’s sent through an interesting article about why 1x drivetrains don’t seem to work as well on the road.

MTBA launch the National Cup

MTBA have launched a new points system which brings together all mountain bike races into the one Australia-wide, year-long series - The National Cup.

Rory’s law to close cycling injury loophole

TAC insurance will cover a cyclists involved in a collision with a moving vehicle. Hopefully, they'll soon cover us for more. Click here.

Finally...

A few pics from Mansfield does Melburn Roobaix a couple of weeks ago. In case you can't guess, we 'skied' it.
And yes... Ben Ross rode the whole thing!
Rumours of Alex Green's impending career change to modelling have been strenuously denied by the Fashion Police.

Club kit closes today

Club kit orders now open again.

Been getting a bit chilly riding lately? As part of our available club kit, Seight also offer winter weight knicks and jacket. Here’s the link to order Seight MMBCC kit.
Email Bruce for the password.
Kit sales have been extended till midnight tonight (Sunday 1 July.)

More upcoming events

Sunday 4 November - Preston Mountain Classic - one of the best road races of the year. This used to be a winter race in late May or early June but is moving to a new date in spring.
More details to come.

Email subscriptions

Here at MMBCC Towers, it's come to our attention that some of you are still subscribed to the club newsletter through the old BlogTrottr service. The club no longer uses this and it will stop soon.
We highly recommend you subscribe through the current subscription service, on the club home page, which uses Mail Chimp.

Wintry weather update

Quite a few local MMBCC roadies are currently in Bormio, in the north of Italy. About now they should be riding up the Passo Stelvio.

Annual General Meeting

The MMBCC AGM will be held at the Delatite Hotel on Tuesday 14 August, starting at 6pm.
Wil has already announced he’ll be standing down after three years as President (sorry, that should be four years! Sorry. Ed.) so we need to find a replacement.
Plus we’ll need a hand to organise next summer’s road racing, dirt crits, the Mansfield Tour AND there’s interest in more recreational riding. Please come along to discuss it all.

Congratulations again Jodie!

Congratulations to MMBCC's very own Jodie Batchelor who has been successful in securing a scholarship of almost $10,000 from Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV)!
The money secured through SRV's 'Change Our Game Scholarship' has been awarded to Jodie to assist her climb through the cycling Commissaire ranks both at a National and International level.
As mentioned in the last news update, in April this year Jodie passed the Elite National Commissaire Road and Track course (held up in Queensland), making her the only female in Victoria at this Commissaire level. Jodie's goal is to now proceed to the UCI to sit the UCI Track course (held in November 2019).
The scholarship will help Jodie get the experience required to hopefully be the preferred candidate for Cycling Australia, to then travel to Switzerland to attend the UCI Track Course in November 2019.
Well done Jodie, we're all very proud of your achievement!

Club kit orders now open again.

Here’s the link to order Seight MMBCC kit. Email Bruce for the password.
Kit will be available for purchase till Sunday 24 June.

Winter is a great time for some ‘trainer-ing’

Now that the snow is falling and the roads are getting busier, it' a good time to either spend a bit more time on the mountain bike (so long as you don’t mind cleaning your bike afterwards - we’re taking to you Bruce!) or get on an indoor trainer.
With platforms like Zwift and SufferFest making indoor cycling much more interesting, smart trainers are getting more popular than your run of the mill trainer of old. Here are a few links of reviews in case you’re in the market for a new trainer.
(Some of these overseas models mentioned might not be available in Australia.)
Cycling Tips
Bike Radar
Road CC

Upcoming events

June (next weekend) - Melburn Roobaix - a hugely fun day through the Melbourne's back streets.
July - Tour de Beechworth - a Saturday morning ride around Beechworth, a mongrel climb up a steep, dirt hill for lunch, then a sensational French dinner at the brewery that night while watching the Tour de France on the big screen.
August - The Redback MTB Stage Race - experience Australia’s Red Centre by bike, ride endless km of single track, day after day in the warmth of the NT!
September - The Fruit Loop Ride - starts & finishes in Shepparton; a flatter 115km course than the old one that went into the Strathbogies. Now held the week before Amy's Gran Fondo.
September - Amy’s Gran Fondo - rumour has it that this’ll be the last one. (In that case, it'll be back to the Fruit Loop for 2019.)
October - CA Masters Nationals in East Gippsland - seeing as though our club has so many members who are ‘of a certain age’ this is a chance to do something about it.

Friday Update

Just a quick update this week...

Congratulations Jodie!

Photo of all the Australian and New Zealand participants and instructors from the ENC course.

Congratulations to the MMBCC’s Jodie Batchelor. Back in March she attended the Elite National Commissaire course in Brisbane. Last week she found out she’s passed!
Jodie is now one of only six Commissaires qualified to ENC for Road and Track (and one of only two women.)
Next up, she wants to be a UCI Commissaire - so look out for her in years to come at the Tour de France!

Club kit order

Is anyone keen on some Seight club kit? Here at MMBCC Towers we've had a few approaches but we need a minimum of 10 pieces for Seight to open sales.
Now that it's getting a bit chilly, it might be the time to order a pair of thermal bib knicks!
If you're interested, drop Bruce an email.

Mother's Day Sunday

All Terrain Cycles are having a women's clothing sale - 30% off the women's clothing rack! Ends Saturday.

Finally... have you subscribed to get this newsletter via email? Why not!

May the Fourth be with... someone

Will the force be with Chris Froome and the rest of the 'Sky' Empire tonight when the Giro starts?

Strategic Plan Discussion

Following on from the first Strategic Plan Discussion last Tuesday, the next meeting - More People Racing / More People Participating in Events - will be held on Tuesday 8 May at 6pm at the Delatite Hotel.
See you there! All members welcome…

ATC Gravel Grinder race 2

Seven starters took to the All Terrain Cycles Gravel Grinder 2.
First away was Craig Wilson and he looked to have a good lead till he got to the cows on the long paddock (it was the gravel of Long Lane, actually) and promptly punctured.
Steve Flew, resplendent with musette bag and still on the club loaner bike, went past the stationary President and was never headed.
AJ Stepenson and Dave Moore filled the other steps of the podium.
Dan Purcell started on his own off Scratch and while he caught Bruce Halket and Tom Macmunn he couldn’t catch any others, despite riding fastest time.
Flew was awarded the ATC voucher for his win and Wil was awarded the Conrick Prize for getting a second puncture!
Results can be found here.

Speaking of Dan…

Good luck this weekend to Dan Purcell who’s racing Mens’ C-Grade at the VRS Tour of the South West in warm, wonderful Warrnambool. Give ‘em heaps Dan!

And more on gravel...

A few more pics have been uploaded from the Two-Up Ride on Anzac Day; scroll down after using this link.

Mansfield Tour

At the Presentation Night we held a discussion on the 2019 Mansfield Tour, particularly about how we plan to split up all the work necessary… so it’s not all left to just one or two.
Here is a first draft of a breakdown of the roles we need filled. Each role has it’s ‘busy period’ at a different time of the year. Most of the work will be computer-based, so you need to be proficient with emails and probably spreadsheets too.
We received a few expressions of interest on the night but this is for those of you who didn’t attend Presentation Night.
If the Tour is to go ahead in 2019, we need more of you involved. Have a read of the roles and then, if you can help, please email Bruce.

Thursday News

This week... news from presentation night, the club's Strategic Plan, our last road race of the season, the Mansfield Tour and details on yesterday's Two Up ride.

Have you subscribed yet?

2017/2018 Presentation Night

Dirt Crits Series winners, from left to right: 2nd Damian Grundy, 1st Daniel Friday, 3rd Bruce Halket.

Summer Road Series Championship, from left to right: 2nd Talia Appleton, 1st Dan Purcell, 3rd, Bruce Halket.

Summer Road Series Womens’ Trophy: 1st Talia Appleton, equal 2nd Judi Duke. (Absent, equal 2nd Jodie Batchelor.)

Alain Guerin Crossover Trophy, from left to right: 3rd Dan Purcell, Alain’s grandson Jett Guerin, Alain’s wife Coral Guerin, 1st Bruce Halket, 2nd Damian Grundy.

The All Terrain Cycles Good Sport Awards were presented to Damian Grundy, for organising and handicapping this season’s Dirt Crits, and will be presented to John Eisner, for handicapping the Summer Road Series (and also because we’ve all decided he desperately needs a pair of knicks that actually fit!)

Strategic Plan Discussion

Following on from the Strategic Plan Discussion at Presentation Night, the first meeting - More People Riding - will be held on Tuesday 1 May at 6pm at the Delatite Hotel.
See you there! And ask any others who might be interested.

All Terrain Cycles Gravel Grinder race 2…

will start this coming Sunday 29 April at 9am from outside Rodwell’s on the Buller Road. Registration will open at 8.30 and presentations of prizes, including the ATC voucher to the winner, will be held afterwards at the Mansfield Coffee Merchant.

Mansfield Tour

At the Presentation Night we held a discussion on the 2019 Mansfield Tour, particularly about how we plan to split up all the work necessary… so it’s not all left to just one or two.
Here is a first draft of a breakdown of the roles we need filled. Each role has it’s ‘busy period’ at a different time of the year. Most of the work will be computer-based, so you need to be proficient with emails and probably spreadsheets too.

We received a few expressions of interest on the night but this is for those of you who didn’t attend Presentation Night.
If the Tour is to go ahead in 2019, we need more of you involved. Have a read of the roles and then, if you can help, please email Bruce.

Two Up Ride

Anzac Day saw the second annual Two Up Ride held. Eleven MMBCC members set off from the Bot Park on a planned route of approximately 85km with plenty of gravel sections, as is tradition.
However, due to too many punctures taking too long to fix (Ian Conrick set a new world record for FIVE punctures in one ride!) this had to be truncated to about 60km.

Sunday update

2018 Black 'n' Tan

Race 1 of the All Terrain Cycles Gravel Grinder Series was held today, Sunday 15 April, on the famous (should that be infamous?) Black 'n' Tan, attracting eleven starters.
The much anticipated 'tan' sections were in perfect condition for racing after rain on Saturday and didn't really have an impact.
The rain then stayed away for Sunday. However, the windy conditions, and Bruce's ordinary handicapping, meant it was a back marker's day.
Dan Purcell and Josh Hopwood powered their way through the field and dropped even the last stragglers on the climb up the dirt on Mt Battery Road. Josh managed to get away at the finish to get the better of Dan.
Bruce was a long way back in third.
Ride of the day was shared by Darren Bakker and David Heatley, who both managed to hang on to Scratch until they accelerated up Mt Battery Road, and held on for 4th and 5th respectively.
Craig Wilson won the 'Sense of Direction Award' by taking a wrong turn onto Hallett's Lane, instead of Sculleys Lane and adding an unnecessary kilometre or two.
Here are the results and below are Alex Green's pics.

Don't forget... Summer Presentations this Thursday at 6pm

This Thursday 19 April the Delatite Hotel will host the MMBCC Summer Presentations at 6pm. Come along and congratulate all the winners!
It’ll be followed by a quick meeting about the Mansfield Tour, then the Strategic Plan discussion.
Why not come down for dinner and a chat...

Amstel Gold tonight... #GoGerro

News of Friday the 13th

Don't forget to subscribe...

Racing this Sunday

From the archive: Steve Flew climbing up Mt Battery Road on his way to wining the 2012 Black 'n' Tan.

The All Terrain Cycles Gravel Grinder series kicks off this Sunday with everyone’s favourite, the good ol’ Black ’n’ Tan. Starting from outside Rodwell's and finishing on Graves Road, registration will start at 8.30; racing starts at 9. Entries on the day.
(We’re short of a few marshals. If anyone has a spare hour to lend a hand, we’ll shout you coffee afterwards at the Merchant.)
On Sunday 29 April we'll be racing on the Long Lane Loop.
Winners of each race will receive a voucher at ATC plus the glory and kudos of a grateful nation.

Summer Presentations

Next Thursday 19 April the Delatite Hotel will host the MMBCC Summer Presentations. Come along and congratulate all the winners!
It’ll be followed by a quick meeting about the Mansfield Tour, then the Strategic Plan.
Why not come down for dinner and a chat?

Upcoming Events

Ride the Ranges next Sunday 22 April - 85km for $45 or 130km for $75, starting and finishing in Euroa.
Wangaratta’s Graham Daws Memorial will be held on Saturday 12 May and is now part of the Riverina Inter Club Racing Series.

Meanwhile in Europe…

This Sunday is the Amstel Gold Race. SBS will show it on Viceland from 10.30. Go Gerro!
And next time you take a drink in the bunch, especially on a wet day, spare a thought for Lawson Craddock, seen in this little ‘incident’ during the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco.

April Tour of Flanders Fools Day

It's Tour of Flanders Day.
April Fools!
No... really! It's Tour of Flanders Day. One of the best pro races races of the season is on SBS Viceland tonight from 9.30. In the meantime, here's what's been happening at MMBCC Towers, starting with the last two road races. (MTB details to come soon-ish.)

Penultimate Thursday

By Joop Van Hosterberg

Club racing focused on the short sharp climb of the Coombesberg on Old Tolmie Road with a “long tail” to a finish outside the showgrounds on Mt Battery Rd.
At this point of the year it has become very difficult for the fast ones in Scratch and 'Block to catch the outliers in the Limit groups, as they seem to have learned how to ride in a group! Smooth is fast folks!
This being the second last race of the Summer season, intense interest is focused at the top of the leader board and a good result from any of the top three will all but secure the aggregate trophy; Club President Craig “Wil” Wilson now well and truly out of the picture.
Talia Appleton, riding very strongly since her overall win at the Victorian Schools Cycling Competition, was looking to post a strong result as was Dan Purcell, resplendent in his Mansfield Tour ‘Sprint Leader’ jersey. Vice president Bruce, alas, was away for this race and this may prove telling in the final wash-up.
Handicapper Eisner would be happy with the way the race came together in the finish, but not so close that a bunch sprint was required.
The youngsters stayed away, mostly, with the exception of a very strong ride from Cam Dobson, who pulled away from his group to secure his first win.
An avalanche of junior talent followed Cam over the line with Matilda Reeve in second place, Elise Empey rounding out the podium, closely followed by Bella Green for fourth place.
Talia Appleton arrived in 9th place picking up a couple of valuable points in the aggregate race.
In late news the club “raced” up the Col du Tolmielet on Sunday morning in warm but wet conditions.
Damian Grundy prevailed, over Steve Duke and Judi Duke with the rest of the small field in age order, oldest coming in last!
Next Thursday is the last race of the summer series with a finish on Whitfield Road near the Botanic Park, the outcome of this race could determine the names on the coveted “Wooden Crank”.
Thanks to all our volunteers over the season and especially during the Mansfield Tour last weekend.

Down to the wire

By John Eisner

A strong field of thirty three cyclists fronted up for the final Thursday night race of the 2017/18 Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club’s Summer Road Series. The stakes were high for several riders with club championship points (and all-important sponsorship contracts) at stake.
Courtney Lynch, Bella Green and Elise Empey led the charge as Limit followed by the smooth and improved bunch of Di Condie, Judi Duke, Kieren Payne, Matilda Reeve, Rod Manning and Dave Bock.
Peter Ellett, John Eisner, Talia Appleton and Craig Wilson were next, followed by Alex Green, Kody and Janine Appleton, Allan Gerrans and the Steves (Flew and Curnow).
Dave Moore, Andrew Stephenson, Rob Skinner and Cam Dobson were next then Jock Brega, Jarrod Appleton, Darren Bakker, Steve Duke and 'rolling start' Aaron Peterson.
Bruce Halket and Damian Grundy made up the Chopping Block while Dan Purcell and Kian Lerch-MacKinnon were off Scratch.
As predicted it was a fast 25km out to Sawpit Gully Road and back. Wilson was energetic and rode off the front of his bunch but was unable to bridge the gap to the well organised Condie group. Similarly, Empey rode well, in her restricted gears, off her bunch to mix it well in the final ten. With lots of hard work most of the faster groups merged by the return to the Barwite hill leaving a few casualties along the way.
Up front Di’s group continued to ride smoothly and in a close finish managed to hold off the pursuing Scratch group by 24 seconds with Di taking out a good win.
Payne placed second with Manning third, Judi Duke fourth and Reeve fifth.
A big thanks over the whole season to our crew of helpers and to the Delatite Hotel.
Speaking of the Delatite, that's where the club will be be hosting the Summer Presentations at 6pm on Thursday 19 April. Winners of the Summer Road Series, Womens’ Road Aggregate, Dirt Crits and the Alain Guerin Combined trophy will all be announced.
Invitations are cordially extended to all members, family, friends and miscellaneous hangers-on.

Summer Presentations and Strategic Plan

As mentioned briefly above, you're all invited to the Summer Presentations at the Delatite Hotel at 6pm on Thursday 19 April to find out who's won.
Also... as mentioned in a previous newsletter, the club is developing a strategic plan and would like members to be involved. Being a small club, the plan will be used promote membership and organise events, communicate to our local community and the broader cycling community and use in conversations with potential sponsors and agencies such as local government and state government.
You’re invited to a meeting at the Delatite Hotel, after the Summer Presentations, to discuss and develop the plan in more detail.

To get in the mood for the Tour of Flanders...

Cycling Tips Preview plus Cycling News Preview and Top 12 Contenders. And, most importantly, here is your invitation to view the race in comfort and style... in Alex's shed.

Hell of the North (cote)

Next weekend is another of the best races of the season, Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North.
However, the even better* Melburn-Roobaix, the cobbled cult classic is on Sunday 24 June. All event information for the 13th 'Hell of The Northcote' can be found here.

* This one we can actually ride ourselves!

Don't forget...

We have two more road races left this season! We have our Autumn Gravel Series races (click here and scroll down a bit...) on 15 and 29 April.
Get inspired by the cobbled classics and get into it!

Finally...

This isn't related to our local races, the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. It's an interesting little film about Graeme Obree.

Congratulations Dan!

A few words from Dan on the Mansfield Tour...

I just wanted to write a quick few sentences to really thank all the mmbcc members and volunteers for the support over the weekend.
All the cheering from the roadside was a great motivator - not to mention the 'Go Dan' signs and chalk on the road up Mt Buller (AJ, Donna, Steve & Judi you guys are legends!).
From a rider perspective the whole race was incredibly well organised and ran super smooth, I didn't hear a negative comment all weekend. I know the challenges the organising committee faced in planning the race so congratulations Di, Bruce, Wil and everyone involved for pulling it off.
Old Tolmie Rd (Col du Tolmielet - as it is now known) has become famous overnight and is really being talked about through cycling circles. Cycling mates of mine in Melbourne are already asking me "what's this crazy steep berg just out of Mansfield that everyone is talking about?". While I died a thousand deaths up there on Saturday afternoon, I think it was a terrific addition to the race and will no doubt improve Mansfield's status in the cycling tourism industry. If the course remains the same, I look forward to watching Kian and Josh really rip up there at the 2019 Tour. Maybe Kian can take his KOM back? Maybe Bruce will pin a number on and show all the Masters Men how to climb Col du Tolmielet?
Shannon - Just quietly I think the Sprint classification was a great addition too! Thanks for sponsoring it.
What a team effort by the club to deliver this awesome event. Thank you all!

Pre-Tour update

Starting with the latest first this week… more video, results both on- and off-road.

Mansfield Tour

Good luck to Rob Curtis and Dan Purcell (I can hear Matt Keenan now, "Purcell's Baaaack!;) who are racing the Tour this weekend. Race well boys!
All the best too, to everyone else who’s helping out on the Tour - thanks very much for all the time you’re donating and we really hope you enjoy the race and having so many roadies around town this weekend.

Thursday Night Road Race

Ian Conrick is apparently writing an article on Thursday’s race. It hasn’t hit MMBCC Towers inbox yet but we’re sure it will eventually and when it does, it'll appear here.
In the meantime, here are the results (which also includes the cumulative points scores - the last time we'll publish these for the season - just to build the suspense) and below are Tony Copland’s pics.

Dirt Crit results

Gravity Endure night at Dirt Crits last Monday and no surprise to see Dan Friday and Matt Empey with fastest times. But based on differential, Damian took the win with only two seconds difference between his first and second runs.
Here are the results.

Bike Buller MTB Festival

By Kate Empey

Big congrats to Dan Friday who took out 1st in overall ranking in Vet’s Gravity Gods (three races over three days, two Downhill and one Gravity Enduro).
Elise was first in overall U15 Girls and Amateur women’s. Matty and David both finished overall 2nd in their respective categories.
Zac Empey even got a look in with his 3rd in the Kids 10km race (but any disappoint in not winning was soon forgotten because he got a NEW BIKE for his birthday on Friday! Happy Birthday Zac! - Ed.)
Bella Green came 4th in both Downhill and Gravity Enduro. Bella has had a massive improvement over a year and she and Elise competed in their first downhill event.
Kian Lerch-MacKinnon finished 4th in XC and competed in every other event too including Downhill, Gravity Enduro and Super D with his ever present smile!

Public Holiday Update

Fairless follow-up

To start off with this week, this may be of interest to those of you that went to the movie night last week. Here is the YouTube video to watch Steve Fairless win in Denmark in 2015, after just missing out in Slovenia in 2014 (in the movie).

Dirt Crits

While the results are still in the ether somewhere, we do know that Bella Green won followed closely by Ruby Dobson and Dan Friday (junior).
Results link will be here soon... ish.

At least Bella's smiling...

The Handicapper’s eye view of Thursday night.

By John Eisner

Wednesday Night, 8pm; most of the entries have been SMS’d for the Howes Creek/O’Hanlons Hill finish on Thursday. Just after 8, Craig Wilson and a few others receive a reminder, boosting the start numbers to a healthy 33.
Over coffee the next morning the groups are looking good. Josh Hopwood pleads lack of race practice and is placed straight into the formidable looking Scratch group with Bruce Halket and Lewis Dowie.
Jock Brega, Tom MacMunn and Jarrod Appleton looked like a solid Block unit while Matt Empey, Dave Moore and Steve Duke looked good in group three.
Janine Appleton and Mel Green are a bit in no-man’s land but form a dynamic duo questionably helped by the addition of Alex Green.
On recent form, there was no real reason to split the next nine players – Jason Parker, Steve Flew, Ian Conrick, John Eisner, Jodie Batchelor, Peter Ellett, David Jagger, Wilson and Kieren Payne and similarly Di Condie, Rod Manning, David Bock and Donna Stephenson looked good in the penultimate group.
Elise Empey and Bella Green made up the young, Limit bunch but what to do with Talia Appleton? Great recent form, a couple of missed Thursday nights and probably likely to be run over by the Conrick bunch (possibly literally). Thinking Di will be a good mentor.
Thursday night as the race unfolds, Hopwood “menaces” the rest of the backmarker groups who formed one unit, fairly rapidly eventually catching Rob Skinner, AJ Stephenson and Nathan Pelling.
The Conrick group worked like a machine despite its size and finally caught up with the Condie crew to be subsequently caught by Mel and Janine.
With the race coming together at the bottom of the final hill, Talia made the most of her power to weight ratio and according to one observer, “danced off the front” to take a good win.
Acting somewhat like a chromatography experiment, the hill separated out the rest of the bunch with Hopwood putting his fiddle back in its case and crossed the line second. Manning and Donna Stephenson did well to come 3rd and 4th with Bruce Halket 5th.
A big thanks to our crew of helpers and to the Delatite Hotel for another fine dinner.
Here are the top ten results and also the season point scores… it’s close at the top!
Plus... here is the last kilometre or so seen from the Juggernaut's Cycliq headlight/camera.

On board with the Juggernaut in the final.

And here are Tony Copland's pics of the night.

Finally...

Please take a few secs to add your name to an e-petition on the Victorian Government website about vulnerable road users... like us!

Oh! One last thing...

If you've put your hand up for the Mansfield Tour and you haven't spoken to Bruce about your role yet, please give him a call in the next day or two. (You've got his number...)

Sunday Update

With the Mansfield Tour only weeks away, please subscribe so you can stay up-to-date and what you're helping out with. (It's on the Home page, on the right!)

Movie night this coming Wednesday 7 March

Double Bill - Fairless and MAMIL

As long as the DVD arrives in the post in time, first up at 7.30 will be Fairless, which tells the story about Steve Fairless, a rising star of Australian Cycling who gave it away at the age of 26 to return home to his dairy farm and provide for his family. At the age of 50 (over 20 years later), Steve returned to settle some unfinished business. He quickly became one of the best ...
After intermission, MAMIL, a new Australian-produced cycling movie with promises of ‘a light-hearted, yet insightful, look at the secret lives of MAMIL’s in their natural habitat’. Yes, ubiquitous ‘Middle-Aged Men In Lycra’ are thrust front and centre stage in this 98-minute feature film that focusses on personal reflections upon why we ride.
Here’s a review of MAMIL and here’s one of Fairless from when it was first released, with a bit of an interview with the director.
Tickets are $15 each for MMBCC members and friends. Please email Bruce to book your seat.

Dirt Crits Scratch Races

Three grades raced a longish lap at Riflebutts. Six riders rode six laps with Damian Grundy taking the win just ahead of Bruce Halket.
Seven raced over four laps with James Griffin winning a minute ahead of Rachael Grundy.
Talia Appleton and Bella Green raced three laps with Talia taking the win.
Results here.

Individual Time Trial over the Coombesberg

Time Trials are not fun. They are a test of fitness and a riders’ ability to endure suffering. There are next to no tactics involved - just go as hard as you can for as long as you can.
To make matters worse, the MMBCC Individual Time Trial last Thursday 1 March was held on an out-and-back, undulating course over 12km including going up the dreaded Coombesberg and back again to Graves Road. Then the weather chimed in with a gusty, blustering southerly making it even harder!
Not fun.
With handicaps taken into account, the win went to Talia Appleton ahead of Judi Duke and David Bock. The rest of the top ten were Cam Dobson, Bella Green, Rod Manning, Bruce Halket, Damian Grundy, Ian Conrick and Steve Duke.
Bruce Halket rode fastest time of 21.11 proving he’s no fun at all. Lewis Dowie was second fastest with 21.44 just ahead of Damian Grundy on 21.47.
Many thanks to Di, Darren, Rob and Richard for helping out and officiating, to Dave for the flyby and to the Delatite Hotel for presentations and post-race de-brief.
Next week sees O’Hanlons Road rear its ugly head again as the finish line for a handicap race, starting at the Lords’ Ground. Entries the usual way by 8pm Wednesday please.
Speaking of Wednesday, this coming Wednesday 7 March the MAC will host a movie night for all MMBCC members. It’s a double bill featuring a short documentary on Shepparton’s Steve Fairless and another doco called MAMIL. See you at the MAC at 7pm.
Finally, with the Mansfield Tour coming up on March 17 and 18, we can confirm that Sydney Olympic Gold Medallist and Chief Commentator for cycling at the Commonwealth Games on Channel 7, Scott McGrory, will be the commentator for our Tour too.
Here are the results. And they also include the cumulative point scores…

Physics and cycling

Here’s a good article on Cycling Tips which explains the physics behind why you should try a break away.

Finally…

A working bee was meant to be held today to fit signage to the club’s TT start ramp in preparation for the Tour. Press studs have been ordered to easily install the banners on race morning, without the hassle of cable ties as in previous years.
Thankfully, David Jagger did some testing of the press studs we’d bought (like the ones pictured above) and found they’re not strong enough screws to go into the steel frame of the start ramp.
We’ll have to use pop rivet press studs instead.
Because of this, a group SMS was sent around explaining that the working been has been cancelled.
An unnamed member responded that “The club hardly needs more studs!”
A reply stated “Incorrect. The current club studs don’t screw well enough!”

Lazy Sunday afternoon...

Have you subscribed yet?

Double Bill Movie Night - Wednesday 7 March - 7pm

First up will be Fairless, a film that tells the story about Steve Fairless, a rising star of Australian Cycling who gave it away at the age of 26 to return home to his dairy farm and provide for his family. At the age of 50 (over 20 years later), Steve returned to settle some unfinished business. He quickly became one of the best ...
After intermission, MAMIL, a  new Australian-produced cycling movie with promises of ‘a light-hearted, yet insightful, look at the secret lives of MAMIL’s in their natural habitat’. Yes, ubiquitous ‘Middle-Aged Men In Lycra’ are thrust front and centre stage in this 98-minute feature film that focusses on personal reflections upon why we ride.
Tickets are $15 each for MMBCC members and friends. Email Bruce to book your seat.

Mansfield Coffee Merchant Summer Series Race 2

Race two of the Mansfield Coffee Merchant Series again saw Limit ride away on their own - this time it was Bella Green who was never headed. Mum and Dad are very grateful for the win and the prize of a kilogram of coffee from the Merchant!
Here are the results, very detailed results from Dave Jagger.

Up and Down Race

Some strong climbing and even stronger descending saw Ruby Dobson take the overall win from Tom MacMunn and David Jagger.
Complete results here.

The Bakker Plumbing Handicap

By Beau Geste

Riding and Racing in Jamieson is a privilege and a pleasure.Thursday 22 February saw the running of the annual, and much coveted “Bakker Plumbing Handicap”, starting at downtown Jamieson out to Sailor Bills and back to Jamieson for the finish.
31 riders in all raced on Thursday with a great bunch of junior riders and a welcome back to the fold for Mark Ross.
This was always going to be an interesting race to call, as regular scratch riders Kian Lerch-Mackinnon and Dan Purcell were unavailable, leaving the door open for lesser mortals to fill the void.
Big groups were the order of the night with several groups of six or more and very few small groups.
Ben Grundy had an unfortunate accident with a tree which, without warning, leapt onto the road and unseated him from his bike. Those trees down south can be tricky. Thanks to Deb Sala Tenna for offering assistance.
As is the case with all handicap racing the Rabbits, two Bella’s and an Elise, tried to stay away from the groups behind, and the Scratch group of Halket, Brega, Bakker, MacMunn (Senior), Appleton (Senior) and Grundy (Senior) were doing their level best to bring all before them under their control.
In the finish it was a big night out for the handicapper, the group of David Jagger, Di Condie and Wil Wilson rode strongly and collectively to release Wil in the final kilometres to secure the win. President Wil thanked his group for their efforts saying “Cycling is a team sport and our team did well, David and Di gave me their wheels tonight and I am proud and grateful.”  
Second was David Jagger, followed in by Tony Morris (travelling well after his win in the initial 2018 Sunday race), Di Condie was in 4th place and Jodie Batchelor rode strongly for 5th place. Fastest time on the night was recorded by club Vice-President, Bruce Halket.
Thanks as always to our army of volunteers, and special thanks to Wrong Side Brewery for opening their venue for us.
The Club would like to acknowledge Darren and Trish Bakker of Bakker Plumbing for their ongoing support of cycling, and specifically for sponsoring this annual event.
Perhaps your business would like to be named in a race, it’s a great way to be involved, and a great way to “show off“ your business or activity.
Results here and this week it includes the season points tally.
Photos below from Tony Copland.
Next week is an Individual Time Trial, up and over the Coomesberg, and don’t forget, Mansfield Tour, Victorian Road Series Race, run by our Club on March the 17th and 18th. Mountain top finishes on Mt Buller and Old Tolmie Road with the promise of some hard and fast racing.

Finally...

MMBCC members will be contacted in the coming week regarding duty for the Mansfield Tour on March 17 and 18. You might have noticed the flags are already up in the centre of the main roundabout! But there's still plenty to do to get ready.
Details of the race are here, including the new Stage 2.
Scott McGrory, Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medallist and chief Channel 7 commentator for the cycling at the Commonwealth Games has been confirmed as our commentator too!
It's going to be a great weekend.

The Barnaby Joyce issue

It’s been a huge week of MMBCC cycling!

Sunday
It started on February 11 with the first Mansfield Coffee Merchant Sunday Series race.
In a first for the MMBCC, it was a Handicap race but held on a small-ish circuit of 6km, along Ogilivies, Jamieson, Buller Roads and Crosbys Lane; four laps for a total race distance of 24km.
Tony Morris was first to start off Limit and had finished his first lap before half the field had started; Dan Purcell starting alone off Scratch had a huge job ahead of him.
Morris was never headed and won 3kg of Coffee Merchant coffee for a great ride.

Monday
Dirt Crits on Monday was an Irish Handicap at Riflebutts MTB Park.
The night started badly for Dan Purcell who fell during warm up and withdrew before the start after injuring his arm. Bruce Halket also fell before the end of lap one, injuring his ego.
James Griffin rode smoothly to win ahead of Jason Parker, David Jagger, Andrew Wettenhall and Dan Friday (the younger).
Here are the results.

Thursday
Thursday's road race were Graded Scratch Races to the top of the Coombesberg for A, B and C grades. Here are the descriptions from each of the winners...

A-Grade by Lewis Dowie

A-Grade were first to start from the Mansfield Botanic Park. Calls were made to disqualify Jarrod Appleton for a rolling start, having had to repair a flat tyre at the last minute, he made it just in time. Luckily for him, it wasn’t a fast start, because the neutral zone (which allows the old riders to get their heart rate up) extended until the Barwite Road turnoff. Here the pace picked up. Darren Bakker made an early break but the main bunch, riding strongly together, quickly reeled him in.
Damian Grundy made a break before the turn around at Sawpit Gully Road. The main bunch letting him go, knowing that the longer he was out front, the less chance he would have of making a break at the finish.
Lewis Dowie decided to put on an acrobatics show for the marshals at the turnaround. He came in a bit too fast and hit the brakes a bit too hard trying to avoid the rider in front and went over the handlebars. Lessons learnt: 1. Be careful with disc brakes; 2. Jock always turns right on the line; and 3. stay on the outside. The rest of the bunch took pity on his ineptitude and slowed to allow him to get back to them before the chase of Grundy began.
Various tactics were in play the rest of the race with no-one willing to be left out on the front.
Grundy and Dowie led up the Coombesberg, but there was a surge from the riders behind, pushing them out the back as the bunch came over the crest.
The race ended with a bunch sprint to the finish line. Dowie managed to find a clear run up the outside and pulled ahead to beat Bruce Halket by a wheel, with Appleton in third.

B-Grade by Dave Moore

Eight riders started in B grade and it was clear from early on that Rob Skinner, Steve Duke and Anthony Plummer were going to be the main aggressors. All of their (many) accelerations were nullified fairly quickly and all eight starters made it to the bottom of the 'Coomesberg' in one bunch.
Duke, who had spent a considerable time at the front all night, took the bull by the horns and set off up the climb at a rate of knots, with riders dropping off as the gradient increased and the speed didn't seem to decrease. Young Kody Appleton made a strong acceleration with about 1km to go, and only Dave Moore was able to follow.
After briefly catching his breathe, Moore put his nose in the wind for the second time all night and managed to push on to the finish in the lead, closely followed by Appleton and Duke.

C-Grade by Steve Curnow

C grade took it easy until the Barwite Road and then things heated up a bit with people being in front but not wanting to be.
Jodie Batchelor and Di Condie kept the bunch honest with two sprints, one before the Broken and one after. Steve Curnow and Big Wil wheeled them in, and the rest came along.
Steve Flew and John Eisner did their share of leading with Curnow offering to give them a break from time to time.
The big break was at Long Lane on the return. Eisner led, followed by Flew, Curnow, Dave Jagger, Batchelor and Kieren Payne. It worked! Jodie made sure that the front group maintained the lead, encouraging them to push on.
Once again Flew gallantly took the lead and then onto Old Tolmie Road with Coombesberg looming large. Half way up Flew made a dash only to succumb to a cramp, but he had set the ball rolling for the terrible sprint up to the finish line.
Eisner looked good, but Batchelor got the better of him and Curnow decided to give it his all, overtook Payne, Eisner and Batchelor to take out a convincing win. Condie also received a very prestigious award, leaving no doubt she had given it her all. 

Pics below by Tony Copland and here are the results.

This week's road race...

The Bakker Plumbing Handicap will be held this coming Thursday 22 Feb, starting and finishing in Jamieson (late start - 6pm for a 6.30 start).
Presentations and dinner afterwards will be at The Wrong Side Brewery. Mmmmm...
Marshals: 1. Luke Olver; 2. Lewis Dowie; 3. Courtney Lynch.

Don't forget too that race two of the Mansfield Coffee Merchant Summer Series will be held on the Ogilivies Road Loop again next Sunday; but we'll start a bit earlier... 8am rego for a start at 8.30. (And we'll try not to be late starting this time!)
Marshals: 1. David Jagger; 2. Mauro Brega; 3. Tom Macmunn; 4. Dave Moore.

Club Strategic Plan

The club is developing a strategic plan and would like members to be involved in the development of it. Being a small club, the plan will be used promote membership and organise events, communicate to our local community and a broader cycling community and use in conversations with potential sponsors and agencies such as local government and state government.

The club would appreciate your involvement in the development of the strategic plan. To assist the process, MMBCC has developed a one page draft, above, that is based on information from the website and Cycling Victoria's plan. We value your input and would firstly like to invite members to a meeting on Thursday 19 April 2018 after Summer Presentations.
Could you please email Bruce to let us know if you are interested, so that we can book a venue.

Kian to MTB Nationals at Armidale

Good luck to Kian Lerch-MacKinnon who’ll travel to Armidale in norther NSW for next weekends’ Australian MTB Championships. Keep in mind that Armidale is Barnaby Joyce territory… hopefully Kian will stay out of THAT kind of trouble.

Friday news

Hot one tomorrow so bunch ride at 7... plus it's Tolmie Sports Day. So it’s a good day to be off the roads a little earlier than usual.

Summer Sunday Series starts this week

Don't forget... road race Sunday morning, starting on Ogilivies Road (near Dundas Court) at 9am - rego at 8.30 and we'll do the handicapping on the day.
If you're racing, or even if you're not, please bring a friend. We need a few more corner marshals than usual. And we'll be doing four (perhaps five) laps, so you'll get a good view of the race from that corner!

Dirt Crits

A relatively small list of entries saw a race over two long laps with a ‘secret’ handicap.
Turns out there was a ’win’ up for grabs for the fastest lap, and another for the two laps closest in time.
Bruce won both, being first back after two laps and with only four seconds difference between his laps.
Realistically however, for Bruce to be able to win, a number of his competitors needed to suffer from problems. They duly delivered. There were two punctures, a number of navigational issues with guide dogs and some found it difficult to keep their white sticks out of their spokes!
Here are the results.

Debbie does disappearing

By John Eisner

Despite the heat and the prospect of a cruel hill finish, plenty of riders put up their hands for the weekly Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club race last Thursday.
Kian Lerch-MacKinnon and Dan Purcell once again had the tough assignment of chasing down the rest of the field with two and a half minutes to the next, harshly handicapped pair of Bruce Halket and Rob Curtis.
At the Limit end Deb Sala Tenna had to fend off the remaining twenty odd competitors.
The groups worked well together and at the turnaround it was looking close but with the quick run home Dave Jagger's bunch didn't catch Bocky and Judi Duke until the final bend. A bunch of riders also caught up shortly thereafter and all had Deb in their sights at the bottom of the O'Hanlon's Road hill.
Luke Olver leapt off the front and in a strong finish was able to overtake all the group in front. But he still didn't catch Deb who had disappeared up the road long ago. After riding the whole race on her own, Deb stayed away to take a very well-deserved win.
Dan and Kian ripped through everyone as well but had to settle for third and fourth respectively, Dan also taking fastest time.
Lewis Dowie made a late charge from the 'Block end and placed a good 6th just behind Steve Duke who rode smoothly up the final pitch. The rest of the field was not far behind with more than a few wondering if this hill finish was really Halket's idea of fun!
Thanks to our crew of helpers and the Delatite Hotel for a tasty dinner.
Here are the results and below some pics from Tony Copland.

ASIO let us publish an update!

This week:
- recent road races;
- a bit on dirt crits;
- some upcoming events; and
- volunteers still needed for the BikeBuller MTB Fest.

Thank you!

To all the MMBCC volunteers at the Mt Buller round of the Victorian DownHill Series... a huge thank you very much for all your time and effort. The event ran really well due to plenty of work by Ben Annear (many thanks to you too Benny!) and all of you!

Juniors Juniors Juniors

By Jarrod Appleton

Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club has had an unprecedented increase in juniors taking up road cycling and participating in racing on Thursday evenings. In particular, the junior female division has burgeoned. Juniors now make up a quarter of the field and they are not just there to make up numbers. They are getting great results regularly taking home the prize money. Their rapid progress is due to the support of all the senior members of the club. Every bunch training ride or race is a coaching session with senior riders giving advice on all aspects of riding from pedalling technique and bunch etiquette, to race tactics. This generous support has also extended to the provision of bikes and equipment. The club is so keen to help juniors into the sport it has acquired a good supply of loan bikes over recent years. It is committed to provide a bike suitable for any kid wanting to give it a go.
Mansfield is rapidly becoming a cycling Mecca for road cyclists from all over the state. They are drawn here by Mansfield’s growing reputation of quiet scenic roads and magnificent climbs. This is complimented by the polite and careful driving of motorists in the district allowing cyclist to relax and enjoy the ride.
Despite the heat and humidity, two races have been run in the last fortnight. A 10km hill climb handicap from Sawpit Gully Road up to Spring Creek Road along the Whitfield Road was dominated by the juniors. Cycling Australia rules have juniors racing on restricted gearing. This means on down hills and fast flat roads they run out of gears. Since this race only went up hill, gearing played no part in the results. Four of the top five places were filled by juniors. Kody Appleton was delighted with his first win in his second season of racing, not to mention the $30 prize money. Good earnings for a 14 year old for twenty nine minutes of very hard work. Following him over the line in second place was his sister Talia. Another sibling duo, Elise and Matt Empey, took third and fifth place respectively. And breaking the junior clean sweep was Craig Wilson in 4th.
Last Thursday’s race was on the longest course used by the club. 32km out to the turn around at Sawpit Gully on the Whitfield Road, then around the Barwite loop and finishing in Graves Road. The results indicate a classic tortoise versus hare scenario. Scratch riders Dan Purcell and Kian Lerch-Mackinnon devoured almost the entire field finishing only 34 seconds behind the winner Craig Wilson and 20 seconds behind Dick Forrest in second place and Rod Manning in third place. Dick and Rod were the limit riders, starting first, 21 minutes prior to Dan and Kian.
Many thanks again to all our volunteer marshals and the courteous drivers north of town. Next week sees racing on the western edge of Mansfield, finishing atop the intimidating hill on O’Hanlons Road.
Here are Tony Copland's pics of the Hillclimb Handicap on Thursday 25 January.
And here are the results.

and the long 32km Handicap last on Thursday 1 February. And the results.

Dirt Crits

The last two Monday evenings have been oppressively hot so Dirt Crits have had to be cancelled. But surely we'll get to race this week!
Next up on Monday 5 Feb it's the first kids race for 2018 and an Irish Handicap for the big kids.

Some upcoming events

A visit by cycling author Jeremy Scott to Mansfield Library...

and the Tolland Cycling Club's Open Handicap at Wagga Wagga in early March.

BikeBuller MTB Fest

The MMBCC has been offered money if we can get a few club members to help marshal at Mt Buller on the Labour Day long weekend.
If you have some spare time on that weekend, please drop Wil a line.

Is this the future of road bikes?

The 3T Strada of Herald Sun Tour leader Lasse Norman Hansen has proper brakes (yes, discs) and only one chainring. It's almost a mountain bike!

Finally...

Beware of kangaroos out on the road and good luck this weekend to Kian Lerch-MacKinnon racing in the Victorian XCO Championships at Falls Creek on Sunday (plus round 5 of the series at Mt Beauty on Saturday!)

Monday Update

This week... first road race of 2018; next weekend at Buller; results from last weekend; yesterday's Gravel Grind and tonight's Dirt Crits.

Hot Boogie Nights for Mansfield Bike Racing

by Protra Pedina (guest Spanish cycling enthusiast from Club Rocacorba, Girona)

Thursday night Stump Hill Classic
Some may remember that I visited Mansfield last year and was impressed with the quality of riding. Well here we are in 2018 and as luck would have it I am back for another year and found myself on the roads as part of Mansfield Mount Buller Cycling Club Summer Road Racing Series.
Thursday 18 January event was supported by Jenny and Dick Forrest from “Stump Hill” on the Midland Highway. The race presented riders with several challenges even before starting. The handicapping, prepared each week by John Eisner, was based on a race length of 25km, but the Marshalls set a course closer to 22km in length. A difference of this amount can throw the handicapping out, and Mr Eisner was quoted as saying at the sign-on for riders “I’ve been a very naughty boy”. As he also was Commissaire for the day, and having ultimate control of the race, no one was willing to contradict him. In the end it was of little consequence and the efforts of setting the handicaps have been well judged throughout the season.

The bigger challenge for riders was the very hot conditions of the day with the temperature not quite reaching the maximum temperature before racing is cancelled. With the temperature hovering in the high 30’s at 6pm the conditions suited some riders, but most were just looking for shade until called to the start line. Ian Conrick was heard to comment “Geez its hot!”
Eighteen riders started from Limit rider Elise Empey, to Scratch riders of Dan Purcell and Kian Lerch-MacKinnon. Kian went on to post fastest time for the night, after showing no nerves on the start line and a morning that included strength work on the bike as part of his training regime for the national Mountain Bike Championships.
A group of Steve Flew, Nathan Pelling, Melanie Green and Alex Green rode well throughout, working well on the rolling terrain. At the turning point on the Benalla Road, Steve Flew started to flag before losing contact with the group on a sharp pinch. At a post race interview Mr. Flew’s only comment was “I didn’t see that coming.”
The group of Bruce Halket, Ross Hopkins, Dave Empey and Darren Bakker also rode consistently throughout, but with little luck in making contact with the leaders. They joined late in the race with Luke Olver and Mark McDowell to roll in together and conclude it really was too hot to have any chance at a win.  When asked about when the group realised the chase was not going to work Bruce Halket responded “It’s not easy. In the last five kilometres I said to the guys, ‘It’s already done. It’s gone.’ After, guys are changing at the front after I tried to go in the breakaway, after Bakker tried to close… and after in the end it came for a slow roll to the finish. It’s unbelievable. Yeah!”
The business end of the race came from two groups of Ian Conrick, Jodie Batchelor, Judi Duke and Keiren Payne. Despite a strong and sustained effort Conrick and Batchelor could not chase down Kieren Payne for the win and Judi Duke for a well earned second.  At the race presentations Keiren spoke about the thrill of his win. “Ah, it’s something special for sure. Yeah. It doesn’t change the world or anything but for me it’s something very nice. Yeah.”
Keiren went on to say ““I have to say thank you for Judi and her strong second and also some friends in the group – I have some friends still in the group, and I’m very happy for that.” When asked if he would consider the upcoming club ride from Swanpool to Tolmie that included sections of gravel he made his intentions clear by claiming “Road bikes are called ‘road’ bikes for a reason!” Mr. Payne and his family were seen celebrating late in to the evening with dinner at Delatite Hotel, a long term and great supporter of everything  cycling in Mansfield.
As with the race last year I reported on a big thanks to all volunteer and marshall's, without their support the events could not happen. Margaretanne Hood again taking out Best on Ground for her work as the lead car, but it was a close run decision with Will MacDonald looking dangerous for 2018.
Next race 25 January 2018, a hill climb from Sawpit Gully Road to Spring Creek Road.

Volunteers still needed

Please... please... please... if you have some spare time this coming weekend we still need a few more marshals to help out at the VDHS on Buller.
Please contact Ben Annear on 0424 453 789 as soon as you get this to help us deliver one of the biggest events our club will host all year!
We need your help.

Weekend results

Congratulations to the Empeys, Elise, Matthew and Dave, who all got on the podium in each of their classes at Round 2 of the Victorian Enduro Tour at Mt Beauty on the weekend.
Elise came third in Under 15 Women, Matt got third in Under 17 Men and Dave finished second in Super Masters Men.
Results here.
Congrats too to Kian Lerch-MacKinnon who won both Victorian MTB Series races he entered on the weekend: Saturday at Silvan and Sunday at Lysterfield Lake. Results can be found for each round through this link.

Come to where the flavour is... Marchfly Country

Sunday 21 January saw the first All Terrain Cycles/MMBCC gravel grind. Damian's idea was to ride from Swanpool to Mansfield, via Tolmie, with a bit over 20 km (of a total of around 80km) on gravel.
It's a great ride! The roads around Swanpool, Tatong and the Tolmie-Tatong Road were stupidly quiet - we probably saw two cars. The climb along side Hollands Creek was really lovely and shaded and even once it turned to dirt remained gradual and pleasant.

The only drawback was the march flies! If you didn't climb fast enough, it felt like you'd either be bitten to death or picked up and taken away.
But once we started descending again the flies couldn't keep up and the descent down from Tolmie was over before we knew it.
We'll do this ride again in Autumn, once the flies have disappeared. Don't miss it!

Dirt Crits Cancelled

Unfortunately, tonight's Dirt Crits have had to be cancelled. So racing will start next Monday 29 January at Riflebutts with an Irish Handicap.

Monday Night update

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This week... a reminder for roadies, an offer from Cycling-Inform, Sunday's gravel grind and more!

Road Race Reminder

Road racing starts again this week with the first Stump Hill Classic for a few years. And there’s loads of cash on offer too!
This is a reminder that, as usual, entries need to be in to John Eisner via SMS on 0428 503 437 by 8pm on Wednesday.
Then, on Thursday morning, we’ll be downloading the most recent members list from Cycling Australia. If you’re name is not on the list for a RACE membership, you’re not racing! Please bring your receipt with your to prove that you've renewed your membership.
Here’s the link to renew. Or go to our Join Now page to read more about it.
But please don’t turn up to race without a valid Cycling Australia RACE membership.
Also, it’s forecast to be a hot one on Thursday. If it’s too hot to race, the Commissaire will make the call on the night.

Bright Boot Camp offer

Cycling-Inform are offering four places on the February 2018 Bright Boot Camp to MMBCC members FREE (waiver of camp fee $697). Only stipulation is that you stay at Bright Chalet where the camp is based, which is $110 per night which includes three meals a day.
Camp dates are Friday 16 Feb through Tuesday 20 Feb. For more information click here.
Please contact Jodie on 0417 598 817 if you want to secure a place.

Sunday’s gravel ride

There are now only four spots available in the ATC bus for Sunday’s gravel ride from Swanpool to Mansfield via Tatong and Tolmie.
Email Bruce at ATC to reserve your spot.

A couple of reminders…

There are a few bikes still available on the For Sale page.
We still need volunteers for the Victorian Downhill Series race at Mt Buller. Plus there’s also the Bike Buller MTB Fest and the Mansfield Tour.
More details here and you can email Ben here about volunteering for the VDHS.

Finally...

Congratulations to Kian Lerch-Mackinnon who rode to an impressive 6th place in Elite Men at the Nerrang round of the national mtb series on the weekend.