Road race results, Targa and upcoming rides

Howes Creek under stormy skies.

Racing took place under threatening skies on Thursday 5 Nov, when a field of 23 riders took to the Howes Creek Road course.
Dave Clark started the racing off, followed by Tony Morris and then a large group of Geoff Jones, Di Condie, Cherie Worthington Will Grundy and Lucy Clapham; this group was always going to be hard to beat if they became organised, and organised they were. By the Turn around at Cummins Rd three groups were one and riding strongly.
Will Grundy suffered a mechanical on the home leg and was out of the running; the chasing group of Craig (Wil) Wilson, Belinda Cipa and Rod Manning were working well together to chase down the limit bunch... and they came close to achieving this.
At the finish Geoff Jones spoiled the party for women riders in this Melbourne Cup week and came away with the win. Second went to Lucy Clapham and a close run thing to third for Cherie Worthington.
Dave Clark found the pace a little willing on the return leg. However we are confident that his form will improve significantly after his annual training pilgrimage to the Great Victorian Bike Ride in the coming weeks.
Fastest time on the night was ridden by Josh Hopwood with a blistering 38.20.
Next Thursday is the inaugural “Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap” race, this being the first anniversary of Alain’s death. We hope that this will be a flagship event for the club and invite all riders to come and race, or perhaps join us for a ride after the race finish. The race will commence at the Botanic Park in Mansfield and finish on Graves Rd at about 7pm. (Day Licenses are available for those wishing to race and the club has some bikes available for loan to licensed riders.)
Bike riders of all types will then join together to ride out to Alain’s bike on Buller Road and back into town to raise a glass for Alain at the Delatite Hotel. All bike riders and friends are invited to join Alain’s family and the club on the ride and/or at the Hotel.
Thank you to our volunteers for their support… and see you on your bike!

Results here.

Bunch Rides this weekend.

With Targa High Country held this weekend, it's probably sensible to change courses for this weekend. Here are some details on roads to be used for Targa for the weekend. Leg 2 will be held on Saturday on the Whitfield Road. Leg 3 will be on the Jamieson Road on Sunday.
So… bunch rides should be the other way around - Jamieson Road on Saturday and Whitfield Road on Sunday.

Upcoming rides and races.

Barjarg round of the state downhill series - Sat 7 & Sun 8 Nov
Ride to the Divide - Sunday 8 Nov
They're also running a crit with 5 grades and a fair bit of prize money
Whittlesea Challenge - Sunday 15 Nov
River and Ranges Winery Ride - Sunday 22 Nov

MMBCC News 2 Nov

A message to all MMBCC members from Coral Guerin


Change to Nov 12 Road Race

The scheduled Four-Up Sprint planned for Thursday 12 November has been changed. Thursday 12 November will now be the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap.
Held on course number 9 (click here and scroll along to Course Number 9) the race will start at Mansfield Botanic Park, head north along the Whitfield Road, turning around at the Long Lane intersection, then left onto Barwite Road, right onto Old Tolmie Road and right again onto Graves Road, finishing on our usual finish line on Graves Road.
After the race, we're planning a processional ride out along Mt Buller Road to Alain's 'Spirit' Bike. Then it's back to our 'club rooms' at the Delatite for race presentations and to remember our friend Alain with his family and the rest of the MMBCC.
Everyone is invited to join us for the Ride for Alain from Graves Road, out to Alain's Bike, then back to town.


Dirt Crits Senior Race Report Monday 27 Oct

The race on Monday 26th October saw 21 keen riders taking on something a bit different with a graded scratch elimination in the Senior Dirt Crits event.
The conditions were dry fast and skatey with rocks and dust flying. The last half of 'Rubbish Run' was included for a bit of a novelty. Luckily, no one binned it too badly, although Jem Davies had a bit of a go at it and there were also others losing it a bit with the argy bargy of a mass start.

Keoni Bruner took out a convincing win in C-grade with David Bock taking out the honours in B-grade. In A-grade Kian Lerch-MacKinnon was too strong winning easily with Bruce Halket fighting off a charging Dan Friday for second.

Detailed results to come...


ITT Thursday 29 Oct

It was a smaller but brave and enthusiastic list of starters that rolled up for the Mansfield MtBuller Cycling Club’s traditional Chapel Hill Road Time Trial last Thursday night. A moderate, swirling westerly wind didn’t affect the field or times considerably and first off was Dave Clark returning after a stint of not doing much on the hill over winter. Rod Manning followed with Cherie Worthington, Lou Hopwood, Tim Hall, David Bock, John Eisner, Craig Wilson, Rob Skinner, Aaron Peterson, Bruce Halket, Josh Hopwood, Steve Flew, Jarrod Appleton, Kian Lerch-MacKinnon and Christie Hamilton making up the rest of the field.

Enjoying one of his favourite courses and with a home ground advantage, Craig Wilson rode very well to record a road time of 19’42” over the 11.5km. Josh Hopwood and Bruce Halket got down to business, recording solid times of 16’04” and 16’54” respectively. Kian blitzed the tarmac with a fastest for the night of 15’49”. It was Rod Manning though who, undistracted by a bunch of other riders, rode a solid 20’04” coming in well ahead of his mark to take out the corrected win for the night. Josh placed second, Craig third, Kian fourth and Bruce fifth. Thanks to our crew of marshals and to the Delatite Hotel for supporting the presentations after the event.

Results here.

 

MMBCC News

Dirt Crits Senior Race Report 19 Oct

It was a big turn out at Dirt Crits this week with 22 starters in the Senior event. Newcomers included Nick Hinnaberg, Joel Marison, Christie Hamilton and Cameron Dobson. It was great to see Jai Lerch-MacKinnon back into the Dirt Crits scene. Allan Gerrans, a newcomer to mountain biking, was keen to work on his skills.

Damian Grundy had worked hard on analysing the times from the previous weeks to make the Irish handicap a tight race. He did a great job as the majority of the riders finished within one minute of each other. First over the line was Jai Lerch-Mackinnon, followed by Joel Marison and Ben Grundy. Dave Moore had an excellent return to Dirt Crits taking out fourth place, followed by Alan Gerrans and Ollie MacDonald taking fifth and sixth place, respectively. Fastest rider of the night was Kian Lerch-MacKinnon. Great work!

Cam Lachal is running the event on Monday night so we look forward to seeing you there!

More detailed results can be found here.

Handicap Road Race 22 Oct

On a breezy evening last Thursday, the 22nd, 25 riders started on the Whitfield Road for the MMBCC’s first Handicap road race of the summer.
First time racer Belinda Cipa came away with her maiden win from the consistent Di Condie. Tony Williams and Will Grundy couldn’t be separated in a dead heat for third.
They were followed home by Lucy Clapham, Christie Hamilton, Geoff Jones, Craig Wilson, Allan Gerrans and Laurent Guerin rounded out the top ten point scoring places.
Fastest time went to Kian Lerch-McKinnon who, despite being fastest, could only manage 15th place.
This week’s race is an Individual Time Trial on Chapel Hill Road. Entries via SMS to 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.
And... here are the results.

Weekly race round-up and news

Dirt Crits Monday 12 Oct

Junior Dirt Crits started back Monday 12th October and eighteen eager riders turned up. Once registrations were sorted the riders set off in two separate groups for a one lap time trial. A number of the riders showed considerable improvement in their times and their riding ability. Once that lap was done a rough handicap was worked out on their one lap times and they all raced another 2 laps. Max Next week Damian Grundy will take the race.
The Seniors turnout was a little smaller but the racing was nevertheless highly competitive. The first handicap for the new season saw some very close finishes within the field, however Adam Baker at the front was a clear winner by slightly more than a minute to Rachael Grundy in 2nd place and Dave Empey in 3rd.
Other results: 4th Bruce Halket, 5th Will MacDonald, 6th Jem Davies, 7th Dan Friday, 8th Mike Davies, 9th Ollie MacDonald, 10th Peter Coffey, 11th Will Grundy, 12th David Bock, 13th Ethan Lee, 14th Matthew Empey, 15th Alex Green and 16th  Kian Lerch-McKinnon. Sadly, Brett Stevens was a DNF due to a mechanical failure.
The MMBCC encourages all riders to come up and have a go. The courses aren’t too intimidating and the handicapping is designed to match race distances and time differences to each rider’s abilities in order to give all competitors a chance for a win at least every now and then. The emphasis is very much on fun and fitness. We would especially encourage females to come up and have a go.
For novice riders there is the possibility for some coaching and technical guidance, just ask at race registration.
Kids racing starts at 4.30 with registration from 4.15 onwards and seniors race at 6 with registration from 5.45pm.
Little Rippers start again on Monday the 19th. This is for prospective mountain bikers who are still on a balance bike! Riding starts at Riflebutts Reserve at 4pm.

Kian's big Saturday

While Kian may have finished last at Monday night's Dirt Crits, he had a reasonable excuse.
On Saturday he headed to the You Yangs for the Yowie; and won!
Then he jumped into the car for the drive to Bendigo, got there 30 minutes before the start and promptly won the State Schools MTB Final.
Great job by Ross for all the driving!
Then on Monday he had to ride all the way from Ancona to Mansfield to race Dirt Crits! I bet he slept well on Monday night! (He made up for it on Thursday night though…)

Graded Scratch Thursday 15 Oct

The second round of the Mansfield Mt Buller Cyling Club’s Summer road series was held last Thursday on the Buller road in perfect cycling conditions.
Twenty one starters fronted up for the graded scratch event with A Grade heading off first. It didn’t take long for Josh Hopwood to get restless and attack off the front. Reeled in twice, his third attempt was successful but it wasn’t long before Kian Lerch-MacKinnon made his own move on the long hill up to Hearns Lane. Interviewed after the race, Hopwood noted that, “I looked back and suggested we form a team but by the time I’d said that, Kian had passed me and was well up the hill on his own.” Eventually the peloton reeled in Hopwood but with a level head, Kian stayed well clear of the field earning a solid win. A bunch sprint decided the minor placings with Josh edging out Tom MacMunn for second and third place.
B Grade had a relatively uneventful trip out and back with Craig Wilson’s mechanical issues being the only point of note. The sprint finish was well contested, however, with Will MacDonald leading from “a mile out” and was able to hang on to reserve a tentative spot in A Grade with a good win. David Jagger judged the bunch well and placed second with David Bock coming a close third.
C Grade separated early on with Di Condie riding well out the front. Geoff Jones was pursuing doggedly and further back were Tony Morris and Christie Hamilton. Nearing the end Di looked back and was surprised to find Geoff quietly sitting right on her wheel. Tactically reversing the situation, Di dropped back before a good sprint finish saw her take the win over Geoff with Tonyplacing third and Christie Fourth. The evening finished well at the Delatite Hotel with presentations, dinner and appropriate rehydration.
The club welcomes anyone who is interested in having a go at racing or cycling in general. With Graded and Handicapped formats, the level of experience, equipment and fitness becomes less important plus it’s a great, social way to keep fit! Check out the club’s website at mmbcc.org.au.
This week’s race is the first of the handicapped races on the Whitfield Road. SMS John on 0428 50 34 37 by 8pm Wednesday to enter.

A-Metre-Matters becomes law in SA

Further to the recently announced trial of 'A Metre Matters' laws for two years in the ACT, South Australia has this week adopted it as law! Great news for South Australians. But what about Victoria?
The Victorian Minister for Transport is Jacinta Allan and our local lower-house member is Cindy McLeish... in case you think 'A Metre Matters' would be a good idea here too.  

Finally, with the 100th Melbourne to Warrnambool on this weekend, here are a couple of good articles on the world's second oldest road race. Click here and here.

 

Race round-up October 5th-8th

Dirt Crits, Riflebutts Reserve, Monday 5 October

Welcome one and all to the first race of this new season of MMBCC Dirt Crit mountain bike races.
And might I say “What a sizzler for a mid-Spring race!”  
Great to see friends and competitors after the winter break all ready and eager to go for the new season. A good number of familiar faces and some new faces fronted up at Riflebutts Reserve Mountain Bike Park on Monday night for the first of the seasons' races.
The race format was a little experimental with two shorter races in order to help us gauge form and fitness.
A mass start for two regular laps was the first effort with Ethan Lee first over the line followed closely by Matthew Empey and Bruce Halket in 3rd. Time gaps were a miserly one sec between 1st and 2nd and then a mere three seconds to 3rd. 4th David Bock, 5th Mike Davies, 6th Peter Coffey, 7th Brett Stevens, 8th Jem Davies, 9th Rachael Grundy (1st Female), 10th Will MacDonald, 11th David Jagger, 12th Adam Baker, 13th Trevor Arnold, 14th William Grundy (1st Official Sandbagger), 15th Ollie MacDonald, 16th Matthew Currie.
The second race was then a handicap for 2 laps simply reversing the order of finishing from the first event and using the finishing time gaps as the start gaps also in reverse.
At the finish of the final 2 laps it was Will Grundy, having obviously shaken off the sand from his first 2 laps. as the clear winner. Bruce Halket demonstrating the benefit of regular winter ergo sessions came through the field for a very commendable 2nd and David Jagger a strong 3rd. Rachael Grundy 12th overall completed the family sweep with a dominant performance in small but strong women’s field J as the first woman.
4th Mike Davies, 5th Jem Davies, 6th Matthew Empey, 7th Ethan Lee, 8th Brett Stevens, 9th Will MacDonald, 10th Peter Coffey, 11th David Bock, 12th Rachael Grundy, 13th Adam Baker, 14th Trevor Arnold, 15th Ollie MacDonald, DNF Matthew Currie.
Looking forward to next week’s race already. Grab your mountain bike and come out for some fun.

Graded Scratch Race, Whitfield Road, Thursday 8 October.

October brings lots of changes to Mansfield: warmer weather, daylight saving and Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club racing starts again!
Road racing kicked off on Thursday 8 October with a Graded Scratch race to welcome the legs back to competitive riding. 24 roadies woke from hibernation to turn the legs over.
One of the highlights of the night was the high number of familiar faces making a welcome return to racing after a hiatus; welcome back to Deb Sala Tenna, Louise Hopwood, David Jagger, Rob Skinner and Geoff Jones.
Another highlight was the new faces having a go at racing for the first time: a very warm MMBCC welcome to Cherie Worthington and Lucy Clapham. It was great to see so many ladies racing and having a go!
Five A-graders headed out first with Josh Hopwood being first back on his lonesome; he’d ‘simply’ ridden everyone else off his wheel. Mind you, a little mechanical incident between Mauro Brega and Darren Bakker helped his cause; while both bikes were nobbled, only the riders’ pride was hurt.
Despite being dropped before halfway, Tom Macmunn fought back strongly to finished second ahead of Brega.
The biggest field of the night saw 10 B-graders start in a leisurely, even sedate fashion. (11 were entered but Jason Parker was a DNS when he succumbed to the old electronic-gears-with-a-flat-battery trick.) The tempo increased after the turnaround when Dave Moore and Rob Skinner went clear. David Bock, John Eisner and Allan Gerrans worked hard to bridge across; but when Dave and Rob surged again at the Barwite Road, only John had enough in the tank to stay with them.
At the finish, Rob proved too strong ahead of Dave and John.
C-grade saw an orderly outward leg, with Di Condie giving some tips on race craft and bunch etiquette.
Will Grundy was prominent, covering all the important moves and conserving energy where possible. His strategy proved successful; he got away from the bunch with Louise Hopwood and won the sprint to take his second win in four days (on his other new bike!) Great result from Worthington coming in for third place in her first race.
Many thanks to our volunteer officials for the evening: Leonie, Julie, Jenni, Tony, Ian and Jarrod. (And a reminder to all potential road racers that a BRIGHT, constant beam tail light is compulsory for all road races!) Next week’s second road race of the season is another Graded Scratch Race, this time on the Mt Buller Road, starting at Rodwell’s at 6pm. Entries via SMS to 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.

More results here.

MMBCC News 5 Oct - Dirt Crits & Road Racing

Great turnout at first Dirt Crits

Last night saw a great entry list at the first Dirt Crits. Congratulations to Will Grundy on taking the first win of the season. Full results will be listed soon.

The Dirt Crits Calendar for the rest of 2015 is now available here.

First road race this Thursday

The traffic lights are gone so we're good to go with the first Graded Scratch Race this coming Thursday on Whitfield Road, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back (Course no. 5). Entries by 8pm Wednesday to John Eisner via SMS on 0428 503 437.

 

MMBCC News 21 September

 

Dirt Crits start soon!

Thanks for your feedback via the MTB survey. Due to the survey results, racing will be held on Monday nights this year.
Start dates and times:
- Seniors: Monday 5 October 6.00pm.
- Juniors: Monday 12 October 4.30pm.
The Dirt Crits calendar is still being finalised; more details soon.
 

Road Races start soon too!

Our first race is planned to be a 25km Graded Scratch Race from the Botanic Park, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back on Thursday 8 October (Course 5).
However, the traffic lights for the road works on the new housing development just north of town are still in place and we're still waiting to hear whether they're still scheduled to be there on the 8th. So stay tuned. If the lights are likely to still be installed, we might have to cancel (as our permit doesn't allow us to change 'venue' at short notice).
Our second race is meant to be a Graded Scratch Race on the Buller Road on Thursday 15 Oct (Course 2, 22km) so this might end up becoming our first race.
The Road Race Sub-committee will be meeting soon to organise the duty roster for the summer. If there's a certain Thursday night you know you can't do, let Bruce know as soon as you can.
We'll also be meeting to organise the VicRoads/Police permits for 2016. If you have any request, get them to Bruce as soon as you can.
 

Cycling Australia membership renewals.

1 October is the day road memberships can be renewed. Joining the club for 2016 includes October, November and December of 2015 as well. Click here for more details.
 

Club kit.

There is still a few bit 'n' pieces of club kit left at half price! Contact Bruce if you'd like some.
 

A-Metre-Matters trial in ACT.

The Australian Capital Territory will trial the 'A Metre Matters' laws for two years, replicating the trial underway in Queensland and soon to be introduced in South Australia.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the same in Victoria!
The Victorian Minister for Transport is Jacinta Allan and our local MLA is Cindy McLeish in case you think 'A Metre Matters' would be a good idea here too.  
 

A few recreational rides coming up…

Ride to the Divide on 8 Nov.
Cycling Victoria's Whittlesea Challenge on 15 Nov.
GreenEDGE Winery Ride on 22 Nov.
Cycling Tips' Giro Della Donna also on 22 Nov.
 

New club website.

The newly upgraded club website will be ready to publish shortly. This is another call for photos. Please contact Bruce if you have an image or two which would look good.
 

MMBCC News 6 September

AGM wrap-up
Many thanks to all who attended the AGM at The Produce Store last month; and thanks to all that put their names down for the different sub-committees.
Congratulations to our new Treasurer, Tony Williams, who is the only addition to the existing Executive (many thanks again to Julie Dolling, our outgoing Treasurer.)
Congratulations also to Kian Lerch-Mackinnon and Hayden Fletcher, the 2015 Rider Development Grant recipients.
We'll soon have the minutes up on the website so you can check out all the details.

Simon selected
Simon Gerrans has been selected to race the World Championships, at Richmond, Virginia, USA, on Sunday 27 September. Click here for details.
SBS will announce their broadcast details shortly.

Yarck to Yea
Next Sunday 12 September will see a charity ride along the Great Victorian Rail Trail for 27km from Yarck (meeting at the Giddy Goat Cafe) to Yea (the old railway station) raising funds for the John Wallis Foundation.
Ride starts at 10am with Registration open from 9am. There are also shorter Run and Walk options. Or click here to register online.

Bright Junior Camp
The MTBA Junior Camp is on again at Bright from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September. It's open to all mountain bikers between 13 and 17 years old. For more information, please contact Jason Parker.

New club website
Hopefully, this will be the last Latest News you'll get to read on this old website. The new site is almost ready! It will have all the details of the upcoming MTB and Road Race season calendars.
If you have any new-ish photos you think might look good on the new site, please contact Bruce.

CV Challenge Series
Cycling Victoria have already started promoting their Seight Challenge Series for the summer… and it has a significant change. What we think is the best of the rides, the Whittlesea Challenge, has now moved date to November.
Here are the details of all the series.

GreenEDGE Winery Ride
On the weekend following the Whittlesea Challenge is another of our favourites, the GreenEDGE Winery Ride. This is a beauty!

How to look good on the bike
Finally, here are a few good tips on how to look good on the bike from Mark Cavendish's Sports Director at Etixx-QuickStep, Brian Holm. "Rule #7: Avoid sleeveless cycling jerseys at all costs" works very well for me. But I'm also keen on "Rule #9: Don’t look like a triathlete".
Click here to read the full article on Cycling Tips.

News 12 June

Here's the latest news from the MMBCC...

Rider Development Grant applications now open - click here to download
The Grant provides financial assistance for talented MMBCC cyclists aged 25 and under. It's designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.
Please click here to download a copy of the Guidelines for the 2015 MMBCC Rider Development Grant.
Sorry for the short timeframe but we need applications to reach us by Monday 6 July.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM at The Produce Store on Wednesday 19 August.

Road Race Reminder...

Our next road race is tomorrow, Sunday 26 April; entries will be taken on the day from 9.30am (please don't be any later than 9.45!) and we'll start at 10 sharp! Entry is $5 for adults, $2 for juniors.

Course is number 14 - Botanic Park to Sawpit Gully Road turnaround, left onto the Barwite Road and finish on the Coombesberg. Click here and scroll down to number 14.

If you have a spare hour or so and don't feel like racing, please come along and help out so we can put on a safe race. The club will shout you a coffee at The Produce Store afterwards, plus you'll have the gratitude and appreciation of all the racers.

Early Autumn News

MTB News
All Terrain Cycles are hosting weekly night rides up at Riflebutts Reserve. Charge your lights and meet at the reserve at 6pm every Wednesday.

Autumn Road Series begins
Our first road race since finishing the Summer Series is set for this coming Sunday. It'll be on the Whitfield Road, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back (course number 5 on the club listing).
Entries will be taken on the day from 9.30am (please don't be any later than 9.45!) and we'll start at 10 sharp! Entry is $5 for adults, $2 for juniors.
If you have a spare hour or so and don't feel like racing, please come along and help out so we can put on a safe race. The club will shout you a coffee at The Produce Store afterwards, plus you'll have the gratitude and appreciation of all the racers.

Summer Series results
The Cycling Club held its Summer season break-up at with a barbecue at Mirimbah Park on Sunday 29 March.
Trophies were awarded for the riders who scored the most points over the season in Mountain Biking, Road Racing and in a new “Combined Award” where the rider with the best combined score in both Mountain bike and Road disciplines is awarded the trophy.
In Mountain Biking Aaron Sargeant won the trophy showing a clean set of hills to the second place getter, Ethan Lee and third place David Bock.
Bruce Halket took out the Road Race Summer Series, second was the ever-competitive Darren Bakker and in third place Josh Hopwood.
The new combine trophy was one by 'Mr Consistent' David Bock; he was happy to accept the new trophy designed and constructed by Ash Perrin.
Thank you to our helpers and commissaires throughout the season.

MMBCC President Craig Wilson, Dirt Crit series winner Aaron Sargeant and Dirt Crit Co-ordinator Jason Parker.The three winners (L to R) Bruce Halket, David Bock and Aaron Sargeant with their trophies.

Here are the top ten in each competition and the top five in the combined.

MMBCC Dirt Crits 2014/2015
Aaron Sargeant                316
Ethan Lee                         290
Dave Bock                        274
Jem Davies                       272
Brett Stevens                    255
Rod Sargeant                    236
Cameron Lachal                236
Kian Lerch-MacKinnon       197
Matthew Empey                178
Peter Coffey                     155

MMBCC Road Race Summer Series 2014/2015
Bruce Halket                     112
Darren Bakker                    88
Josh Hopwood                    70
Kian Lerch-McKinnon          66
David Bock                        59
Foley Lachal                       52
Will MacDonald                   50
Mauro Brega                      47
Mitch Greenway                 44
Tony Williams                     34

MMBCC Combined Trophy 2014/2015
David Bock                         333
Kian Lerch-McKinnon           263
Bruce Halket                       261
Cam Lachal                         244
Will MacDonald                    204

Cobbles, frites and Belgian beer
Get out your Belgian Beer and your pommes frites… Paris-Roubaix is on this Sunday night! One of the best road races of the year, it combines normal roads around the north of France with 27 sections of nasty, uneven cobble stones, or pave. It'll be shown on SBS One from 9.30pm. Click here for a preview.



MMBCC end of season barbecue...

 

This coming Sunday 29th March

 
Location:     Mirimbah Park, Mirimbah
Start time:  12pm
Catering:     BYO everything (There is a BBQ there, however it’s more of a boiler than a cooker!)
Activities:    Presentations for the season will be made.
                  Damian Grundy will also have some fun activities, so make sure you bring along your bike!

MTB rides

For junior riders or family groups, park at Carters Rd and ride the section of track that winds along beside the Delatite river to Mirimbah.
A more challenging ride would be the second half of the Australian Alpine Epic Trail. Meet at Mirimbah car park (just before the pay booths on the left) at 8:30am. Riders could shuttle to Telephone Box Junction and then begin their ride from there at 9:00am, completing the second half of the Epic trail around to Carters Rd and along side the Delatite River back to Mirimbah.

Road ride

Join the normal club bunch ride from the Botanic Park. Then drive out to Mirimbah and join in the fun.

 

More news Feb 23

Delatite Dash postponed

After some ferocious weather the call was made to cancel the Delatite Dash. Mountain bikers are not averse to some wet weather, but lightning and falling branches are a different hazard altogether.
However, everyone is super keen to try out the new track, so it's back on!
The Delatite Dash will be held on Monday 2nd March. Hope to see you at Carters Rd by 5:45pm!

Road Race Roster Updated

The roster for Commissaires and Duty Marshals for the Thursday night road races has been updated. You can find it here. However, we're still missing a few positions.

If you can do Set-Up (which means collecting the trailer from Steve Plummer's, taking it to the start and helping to organise - yes, you can still race!) on March 12, March 26 or April 2 please send an email to Bruce or John as soon as you can.

Communication

Here's a great article on communication in bunch rides courtesy of Cycling Tips. Some of you roadies need to read it!

Latest news Feb 21

Here is the latest mountain bike and road race news from the MMBCC...

Junior Dirt Crits- 16/2
It was a pleasure to be able to see the Junior Dirt Critters race on Monday night. I knew most of the faces, but there were also a few new riders too! Some of the younger brothers and sisters are getting involved in riding. One of these was Lacey Reeve (pictured in the pink helmet) who bravely rode down the finishing hill for the first time! The Juniors are enjoying the handicap format and are keen to see if they have improved each ride.  Jason.

Dirt Crits Race 12- 16th February
Cam Lachal ran the senior event this week.
Most riders competed over two laps of the longer lap, except for Kian Lerch-MacKinnon and newcomer Greg Ellis, three lappers.
Peter Coffey raced into 1st place with a time of 45:02, Aaron Sargeant recovered from a fall to take out 2nd place in 45:06 and Mr Consistency, Dave Bock finished in 3rd place 45:55.
Great work Cam for creating a close event, with the top 8 finishers riding over the line within 2 minutes of the winner.


Series Points
Aaron Sargeant has established a good lead in the series points on 272 points. In second place is Ethan Lee on 243 points and Brett Stevens is following closely behind on 233 points.

Granite Grind
The Granite Grand MTB race, Lake Mountain, will be held this Saturday 21st February. Competitors will race over 1, 2 or 3 laps of the course. For more information visit the Lake Mountain website- http://lakemountainresort.com.au/events/2015-granite-grind-weekend

Bike Buller MTB Festival
From 7th to 9th March Bike Buller will hold its MTB Festival. If you’re not planning on competing there are roles available for course marshalling, registration, course checking, timing….everything!!!  Volunteers will be paid and lunch is provided. For more details – contact Craig; 0487 946 005 or at Craig@rapidascent.com.au

Next Week’s event- The Delatite Dash
Next Monday night, 23rd February, Ben Annear from Mt Buller will be running the ‘Delatite Dash’ for Junior and Senior riders.
Registration will be at 5:45pm for a 6pm start at Carters Road.
Riders will be sent off from fastest to slowest, riding from Carters road to Mirimbah. Senior riders will start first and Junior riders will go off last.
Junior riders will complete the course once (a distance of about 3km). Parents are encouraged to ride with their sons and daughters as this section of trail is more technical than riding at Riflebutts Reserve. After this they will head to Mirimbah Park for a free BBQ.
The Senior riders will complete the course once. They will then ride back down Mt Buller road to Carters Rd and will complete the course a second time.
Afterwards, Ben has organised to cook a BBQ.
This is the first time an organised event has been held on this section of track, so it would be great to get as many riders along to participate in the event.

Cheers,

Jason Parker.

2015 MTB Calendar

Monday 23rd February: The Delatite Dash
Junior and Senior Race 6pm: Carters Rd to Mirimbah

Monday 2nd March
Junior Race (Kate Empey)
Graded event (Damian Grundy)

Saturday 7th - Monday 9th March: Mt Buller MTB Festival
No Dirt Crits

Thursday 12th - Sunday 15th March: Subaru Australian Mountain Bike Championships, Bright Vic
Head to Bright to support our local riders competing for the National title.

Monday 16th March
Junior Race (Kate Empey)
Senior Race- Long Course (Cam Lachal)

Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd: Mansfield Tour

Sunday 22nd March: Working Bee (2-4pm)

Monday 23rd March
Junior Race- Gravity Enduro (Kate Empey and Shannon Rademaker)
Senior Race- Gravity Enduro (Shannon Rademaker)

Sunday 29th March: End of season Break-Up
Mirimbah Park BBQ and fun activities

MMBCC road race report: Controversy at the Four-Up
The Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club’s race on Thursday 19 February was the annual Four-Up sprint race: a series of sprint races along a 500metre section of Graves Road.
A-grade had seven starters: Darren Bakker, Mauro Brega, Anthony Plummer, Cam McGann, Foley Lachal, Aaron Peterson and Bruce Halket; while B-grade had six starters: Will MacDonald, Wil Wilson, Tony Williams, Gus Muscara, David Jagger and Geoff Jones.
While half a kilometre doesn’t sound like much, four heats in close succession proves very testing. Meant to foster a tactical battle, as might be seen in track racing, the aim of the Four-Up is to score enough points in the four heats to make it through to the final – but energy-saving proves just as important. As they say in the classics, “start your sprint as late as possible… but before anyone else!”
Foley Lachal was fastest on the night. He consistently starting his heats quickly and tried to hold on all the way to the finish. This would have proved very successful had he not broken a couple of simple safety rules and been relegated in two heats. Controversially this meant he missed out on the A-grade final by one point. D’oh!
The B-grade final saw MacDonald just get up over Muscara, who were both clear of Jagger and Williams.
The closest finish of the night saw Halket pip Plummer by a tyre’s width, ahead of an unlucky Bakker and Peterson.

Above: Will MacDonald and Wil Wilson fight it out during one of the Four-Up heats, both resplendent in the old MMC jerseys. Will did it so easy he wasn't even in the drops! Photo: Mansfield Courier.
Plummer had to have a little lie down after the A-grade final. He adopted the foetal position for a minute or two but strenuously denied vomit was involved.
Many, many thanks to our officials and volunteers: Di, Jenni, Margaretanne, Leonie, Dave, Peter and David.
The MMBCC’s Summer Series continues on Thursday 26 February with a Handicap Race along Howes Creek Road; entries via SMS to 0438 513 355 by 8pm on Wednesday please.

SHADES OF GREY IN CYCLE RACE

First away on the Whitfield/ Graves Rd course on Thursday night was Geoff Jones who stayed out front on his own until about three quarter distance. Ultimately he hung on to take 7th place.

He was followed from the start by Dave Clarke, David Jagger and ‘Lady Di’ Condie all looking to recover some form.

The ‘smart money’ for the night was the next bunch of ‘Grey Nomads’ who left 6 minutes after the first rider. Principal Tim Hall organised the bunch as a team which included Alan Gerrans, ‘Wil’ Wilson, David Bock, Rod Manning and Tony Williams. Tim called the turns and the group set off as if they were teenagers. Bock went to the front and shut the pace down but, unfortunately, Manning was harassed by three Border Collies opposite Kareen Hills Estate and lost his momentum. Perhaps they remembered him from his Veterinary days!

Three minutes latter Jason Parker, Will MacDonald and Gus Muscara set off with the Nomads in their sights.  Muscara looked the goods having been training for the 7 Peaks Challenge and rode strongly. Parker was trying so hard he nearly set his back tyre on fire breaking for the turn around. MacDonald resolved that the handicapper should have put him with the Nomads but the colour and quantity of his hair was no match!  They made little impression by the finish.

Block was led was by that feisty Italian Mauro Brega adding some international flavor to the event.  He rode with Darren Bakker, Cam McGann (back from a few years off the bike) and talented newcomer Jess Douglas. Jess had won last week’s event and was justifiably moved back in the order by the handicapper. ‘The road was dead’ they said. According to Brega his bunch ‘got caught and caught no one’.

The catchers were the Scratch trio of Josh Hopwood, Foley Lachal and Kian Lerch–Mackinnan. The latter two are real teenagers. They carved their way through the field just making the top ten. Kian was adjudged to take fastest time by the width of a tyre over Josh who called for a photo but there was no camera. 

Never the less, Scratch couldn’t quite catch the Nomads who proved that grey hair is no bar to cycle racing and that the group that stays together working as a team can prevail. They were aided by Jagger when he and Condie were caught but the blonde just couldn’t hang onto the greys! Once over ‘Coombsey’s Hill ‘, Alan Gerrans led the remaining four home after Hall and Jagger faded on the hill.  He towed his next door neighbor, Williams, in for 2nd.  Wilson elected not to contest the final sprint in deference to favors afforded to him on route … so he said! Bock, the ring in Jagger and then Hall filled the next 3 places making it a full house for the team.

It was fitting that Allan Gerran’s take first place as back at the Delatite Hotel post-race, the Tour de France Yellow jersey presented to the club by his son Simon was displayed to the members.  It is to hang in the cycling bar.

Next week’s race is the Four-Up 1km Sprint on Graves Road. Please SMS your entry to 0438 513 355 by 8pm Wednesday. With the extra set-up work involved in the draw for the Four-Up, no late entries will be accepted.

 

news...

Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club

Road Race Report  5/2/2015

A strong southerly breeze was always going to make the trip to Sawpit Gully and back to Graves Rd a challenging race and 20 riders completed the journey tonight.

Geoff Jones and David Jagger led the handicapped field off 18 minutes from the scratch group of Josh Hopwood riding the 33km distance solo tonight.

David Bock and Tony Williams followed Geoff and David and they were followed by a large group of Allan Gerrans, Wil Wilson, Janine Appleton, Kat McKean, Rod Manning, Ian Conrick and Gus Muscara, this was looking like the strong group of the night if they stayed together and worked.

Cameron McGann , Jess Douglas, Christine Hopkins, Jason Parker and Will McDonald made up the next group on the road, which was then followed by the “block group” of Ross Hopkins Jock Brega and Darren Bakker.

The big group of Gerrans, Wilson , Conrick etc imploded on Carlisle Hill and they were soon down to three riders  and by the turn around much of the handicapped time had been erased with relatively small time gaps separating groups.

The return Journey into the wind ensured a finish by strong riders and Jess Douglas prevailed in her first race with the club, followed by Ross Hopkins who is scary fit after the Hopkins’ Himalayan adventure and in third place was Kat McKean.  It was very pleasing to see numbers of women racing and we would love to see more.   Fastest time was Ross Hopkins by a mere 2 seconds, so a great ride solo from Josh on his new bike!

Next weeks race will be held on the Whitfield Rd Graves Rd course (No.9), and will be followed by presentations and the unveiling of the Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune, won by Simon Gerrans , and donated to the Club) at the Delatite Hotel  following the race, all are welcome.

Thanks to all our volunteers and helpers (always room for more!), and now might be a good time to come and have a go.

“Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club… a Social Club with a Racing Problem”

 

Dear Dirt Critters,

 

Here is the latest mountain bike news.

 

Junior Dirt Crits 

Junior Dirt Crits off to a good start. First two weeks we did the usual mass start with riders still finding their legs, practising passing and chasing down the rider in front. Two pretty hot weeks for the start back with plenty of dust to try and manoeuvre in and out of. There were a couple of new faces and they settled in well. 
On the 16th February we will start handicap races.

Dirt Crits Race 11- 9th February

The second Irish handicap event was held on Monday night. Thanks to Kate Empey for running the event.

 

Aaron Sargeant continues to get fitter and came home with the win this week- Nice work! In second place was Harry Retief and in third was Rod Sargeant.

 

Granite Grind

The Granite Grand MTB race, Lake Mountain, will be held on Saturday 21st February. Competitors will race over 1, 2 or 3 laps of the course. For more information visit the Lake Mountain website- http://lakemountainresort.com.au/events/2015-granite-grind-weekend

 

Bike Buller MTB Festival

From 7th – 9th March Bike Buller will hold its MTB Festival.

If you’re not planning on competing there are roles available for course marshalling, registration, course checking, timing….everything!!!  Volunteers will be paid and lunch is provided. For more details – contact Craig; 0487 946 005 or at Craig@rapidascent.com.au

 

Photo Error

Apologies to Kian for the incorrect photo in last week’s newsletter. He is pictured on the left competing in Canberra last weekend.

 

 

Next Week’s event

Next week Kate will be running a handicap event for the Juniors and Cam will be running a long course event for the Seniors.

 

Jason Parker

 

 

 

2015 MTB Calendar

 

Monday 9th February

Junior Race (Kate Empey)

Senior Race- Irish Handicap (Jason Parker)

 

Sunday 15th February- Working Bee (2-4pm)

 

Monday 16th February

Junior Race (Kate Empey)

Senior Race- Long Course (Cam Lachal)

 

Monday 23rd February

Junior and Senior Race 6pm- The Delatite Dash- Carters Rd to Mirimbah

 

Monday 2nd March

Junior Race (Kate Empey)

Graded event (Damian Grundy)

 

Saturday 7th - Monday 9th March- Mt Buller MTB Festival

No Dirt Crits

 

Thursday 12th - Sunday 15th March- Subaru Australian Mountain Bike Championships, Bright Vic

Head to Bright to support our local riders competing for the National title.

 

Monday 16th March

Junior Race (Kate Empey)

Senior Race- Long Course (Cam Lachal)

 

Sunday 22nd March- Working Bee (2-4pm)

 

Monday 23rd March

Junior Race- Gravity Enduro (Kate Empey and Shannon Rademaker)

Senior Race- Gravity Enduro (Shannon Rademaker)

 

Sunday 29th March

End of Season Break-Up- Novelty Events and BBQ (Damian Grundy)