Sunday night news

As a prelude to the Men’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday, a team of young cyclists were invited to ride the first section of the race course with Cadel. Congratulations to Talia Appleton, who was chosen as one of these lucky kids.

Dirt Crits

… start again this coming Tuesday with the Tour de Riflebutts.

Club kit now available

We’ve finalised the design and the new club kit is available from Ventou, our new supplier. Although those of you with the old blue/yellow/white/black kit from years ago will have used Ventou - they’ve been our supplier before.

Here is the link you’ll need. You’ll also need an access code - send an SMS on 0419 533 120 or email to Bruce to get this.

So, get online and order what you need. Then to save a little money, it’ll all be delivered in one parcel to the club address.

Ventou are offering two quality/price levels of jersey and bib knicks, Pro or Club. Plus there’s a speed suit, jacket, vest, arm warmers, casquette and thermal longs. Tops are available in either a Mens or Womens cut. (And as is the fashion at the moment, short sleeve tops have longer sleeves, to just above your elbow.)

The Ventou online shop will be open until Sunday 12 February.

Hot racing!

By Tim Hall

Temperature was the main consideration for Thursday night’s MMBCC handicap race. The route was a 25 km ‘out and back’ along the Whitfield Road, turning around at Sawpit Gully and finishing near the showgrounds.

Everyone was suffering from the heat, with much discussion about the variation shown by different thermometers – the consensus was about 38 degrees. But 15 riders started, and we all finished.

Limit riders Di and Tony started well, but were caught 7km out by Tim and Wil who were working well together. Di stayed with them nearly to the turn around before succumbing to the heat and needing to slow down. From there Tim and Wil rode in partnership to the finish and managed to hold off the groups behind. Tim enjoyed a rare win, having left Wil on the penultimate climb.

In the groups behind; Janine, Jason and Ian went off at 6 minutes, Talia and Alex at 4 minutes, Jarrod, Darren and Jock at 2 minutes 30 seconds, and Scratch group was made up of Bruce, Dave Moore and Steve Duke. All came together at the run into town near the Barwite Road, with Dave Moore escaping the group to take out third place and fastest time.

Ian Conrick bravely tailed everyone in, having been dropped on the first hill and having to ride the entire route solo.

Thanks to all the marshals and organisers who make racing happen.

Next week’s racing is the 25km Howes Creek Road route, starting at Lords’ Ground. On the duty roster is Tom Macmunn, Tony Morris, Janine Appleton and Tim Ross.

Here are the results and thanks to Tony Copland for the pics.

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Free beer!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you should know the Herald-Sun Tour is coming to town next weekend for Stage 4. And unless you’ve entered the Egg and Spoon Race at Tolmie Sports, there’s plenty of opportunity to see the racers.

They’ll do a lap of the Barwite Loop (clockwise) first, then head up to Tolmie (just in time for the Three Legged Race) and descend Old Tolmie Road. Then it’s up to Mt Buller.

The Tour is even offering a free beer to anyone who rides up Buller before 12noon on Saturday and logs the ride on Strava.

Here are the details on FaceBook.

More upcoming events

Audax Highland Fling, Yea - 156km Dirt version OR 130km or 206km non-dirt - Sat 15 Feb (for those of you NOT doing the traffic course in Mansfield)

Topbike Tours Hanging Rock Handicap - Ladies race organised by Hawthorn CC - 65km - Sat 22 Feb

Audax Double Bogie, Strathbogie - various distances - Sat 29 Feb

Day off update

Bonza day on Buller

On a gorgeous day on Saturday, Damian took his Junior Nationals squad of about 15 riders for a day of mixed riding on Mt Buller.

Huge thanks to Damian for organising it all… lifts for riders, sorting groups, barbecue for everyone and access to Airzone after riding. Awesome effort!

Club kit order soon

As you can see above, very slight change to the club kit layout - the three colour panels are larger; they’ll be larger on the back of the knicks too.

Samples have been posted and should be here this week; we’ll have them at the road race presentations this coming Thursday (assuming they arrive in time.) We’ll also try to get them to the first Dirt Crits of 2020.

The Ventou online shop should be open very soon.

Don’t blame it on the Handicapper, blame it on the Green!

By Alex Green.

Thursday night last week turned on near perfect summer conditions for club racing. In any normal year this would mean mid 20’s, a light breeze and clear air. Given this year’s fire season it meant the world wasn’t burning and the smoke wasn’t so thick as to make your eyes water. It was both things last Thursday.

Eight riders gathered at the sign-on at the Botanic Park carpark, along with what felt like around 10 marshals, commissaires, soignieurs, masseuses and at least one Osteopath. There were several no-shows from the handicap list, but there was some conjecture that this was all John Eisner’s fault as handicapper, putting down names randomly rather than confirm attendance of riders. Whilst he has been distracted recently, the feeling amongst the riders at the start line was there was no excuse for any administrative oversight in this important role and it was going to change the race dynamic.

Jason Parker post-race claimed to be a victim of John Eisner’s administrative tardiness. “I never said I was going to race” he said over coffee a couple of days later. But he was supposedly spotted turning up at Botanic Park just prior to race start in a Camry to take his new dog for a walk. He denies ever owning a Camry and strongly denies ever have driven one. He also said he “does not” have a new puppy. Investigations are continuing and he has, as yet, offered a reasonable excuse for not racing.

Micala Jacobs set off solo at Limit of 17 minutes. Despite being in this unenviable position in her post race interview she said “I might not have stood a chance out there tonight – thanks for nothing Eisner! – but at least it gave me a chance to say ‘hello’ to everyone else racing as they passed me. Or I would have if I wasn’t out of breath”. Micala got the largest round of applause as she finished as she started - solo.

The real action of the night was between the two other starting groups of Alex Green, Steve Curnow and Janine Appleton at 10 minutes and the Scratch group of Bruce Halket, Dave Moore, Steve Duke and Kody Appleton. I won’t keep you in suspense and pretend to be an award-winning author able to create a suspenseful narrative arc – they didn’t close it down. There is no point even pretending they were even close. As Alex, Janine and Steve crested the Coombesberg and looked back into the hazy distance along Barwite Road, they still couldn’t be seen. Scratch had no chance.

At his post-race interview Dave Moore said “Some say we were a victim of circumstance out there today. We all know who the victims were and who was responsible. I don’t care how sick he has been. We woz robbed!”. Commissaires are continuing their investigation into claims Mr Moore has brought the game into disrepute.

The winning group had nothing to complain about. They worked well together throughout the race, quickly settling into a rhythm from shortly after the start. There seemed to be headwinds out and back from Spring Creek, but once onto Barwite Road, the tailwind really pushed them along. Alex Green did one last big turn before turning onto the Coombesberg, thinking he had no chance holding their wheel up the climb.

Appleton in particular was pulling strong turns throughout the race. Curnow and Appleton pulled a few bike lengths ahead on the climb, but Green’s ‘positive’ weight advantage came into play on the descent to Graves Road, bringing the group back together.

A sprint for the finish saw Green just beat Appleton by half a wheel, with Curnow coming in third, a similar result to the same race last year. Curnow summed up the nights racing at his post-race interview when he was quoted as saying “I know there has been some controversy about the handicapping this week, not everyone is critical of Mr Eisner. Give the guy a break he puts his whole heart into each week. It’s great just being out there!”

In only his second win in 8 years of racing, Green thanked his group at the presentations. He ordered the chicken for dinner that night. He was heard later in the evening stating “I am not critical of Mr Eisner. Never have been, never will be. I would never make jokes at his expense. Oink.”

Next race is Thursday 30 January 2020. Start at Bot Park, racing Course 5 Whitfield Road – Sawpit Gully Road – Return to Botanic Park.

Here are the results and thanks to J-Rod for the pics.

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Road race duty roster

To help make it easier to see when you’re on duty, the road race duty roster is available again on one page!

Here it is. There’s also a link on the Home page, underneath the Events section. You can also find it under the Rides & Races menu. Plus each race on the calendar still have the names listed. You have no excuse!

Traffic Management Course

We now have only four spots left for the course on Saturday 15 February at the Mansfield Youth Centre, Erril Street, Mansfield. Email Bruce to reserve your place.

Seeking Volunteers for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

Sport Projects is calling for more volunteers to assist them from Thursday 30 January to Sunday 2 February with Race Torquay and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Elite Men and Women. Click here for more details and to register.

Upcoming Events

Lake Hume Challenge - Sat 22 Feb.

Tour de Riverina, monthly road race series, Stage 1 near Wagga Wagga - Sun 23 Feb

MTBA 2020 National Championships, Bright - Wed 11 to Sun 15 Mar

World Naked Bike Ride, Melbourne - Sun 15 Mar

Great Ocean and Otway Classic, Torquay - Sat 18 Apr

Sunday arvo update

Have you subscribed yet?

Rob Curtis Memorial Hillclimb TT

By Kody Appleton

A memorial race, dedicated to Rob Curtis, was held by the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club last Thursday the 16th of January.

Rob was an outstanding athlete. He represented Australia in cross country skiing and was very successful in the early days of adventure racing.

Members of our club nicknamed him "The Columbian" partly due to his appearance but mainly because he was a seriously good hill climber. On our Saturday morning club bunch rides to Tolmie, Rob would never attack but he never got left behind, regardless of the pace. He would match the fastest riders pace and play the mental game, “are you really faster than me?”

Sadly, Rob passed away two years ago from leukemia but his passion lives on in a memorial race dedicated to him.

The race was a handicapped uphill time-trial held on the Mansfield-Whitfield Road starting at Sawpit Gully Road and finishing at Spring Creek Road. Ten gruelling kilometres with a simple aim, go as fast as you can.

Race night saw desirable conditions with a cool crosswind blowing away the lingering smoke. The time-trial began with Matilda Reeve leading out followed closely behind by Steve Curnow who, in a turn of events, had brought his mountain bike after riding Buller earlier in the day.

On Scratch was Bruce Halket, ready to set a new PB up the Tolmie Hill. After ten painful kilometres the results were in with fastest time going to Halket followed only seconds behind by Kody Appleton.

After Handicap, Talia Appleton won after smashing her Dad’s raw time, with her brother, Kody, coming second overall by just seven seconds. Third place went to Micala Jacobs.

Special thanks to Rob's wife Sue Curtis and good friends Peter and Nikki Coffey for attending and providing the riders with delicious post-race fruit and snacks. Thanks also to our Commissaire and race officials.

Here are the results and the latest points score.

Next week’s race is the 32km journey from the Botanic Park, up to Sawpit Gully Road, then around the Barwite Loop and finishing on Graves Road. Entries via SMS by 8pm Wednesday please.

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Club kit order soon

We’ve been in contact with Ventou to finalise details of a few very small changes to the club kit. Their online shop should be open very soon.

We also hope to have some Ventou samples this week. They’ll be at the road race presentations this coming Thursday if they arrive in time.

Traffic Management Course

A couple of small changes to the traffic management course - one new enrolment but a likely withdrawal.

So we still have six spots left for the course on Saturday 15 February at the Mansfield Youth Centre, Erril Street, Mansfield.

Email Bruce to reserve your place.

New Year News

Welcome to 2020 - lots to get through this week:
- VDHS cancellation and bushfires
- Road racing
- Club kit changes
- QTC course
- Road Nationals and more.

Clarissa nominated

Clarissa Leatham has been nominated for the Mansfield Courier / Rotary Club of Mansfield Sports Club Person of the Year.
It’s a well-earned nomination for all the work Clarissa does with the Dirt Critters on Tuesday nights.
Congratulations Clarissa!

VDHS round

If you haven’t already heard, the club has unfortunately cancelled the upcoming VDHS round at Mt Buller next weekend due to the fires.
Ben Annear and the event team are working with the VDHS to try to re-schedule for an April date.
As soon as we know more, we’ll let you know.

Speaking of the bushfires…

You could fire a gun in High Street at the moment.
It’s an opportune time to think about supporting club members (and sponsors) who rely on trade in the main street. Here at MMBCC News we initially thought of Shannon at All Terrain Cycles (he sponsors the Tour every year, organises Riflebutts Reserve with Parks Victoria) now would be a good time to get your bike serviced or pick up a new pair of tyres.
Then there’s Di Condie at Greenway Lane, Steve Brown at the Mansfield Hotel, John Eisner at the pharmacy, Dean at our ‘clubrooms’ at the Delatite Hotel…
Support those that support the MMBCC.

Road racing starts again this week

The Rob Curtis Memorial Hillclimb kicks off 2020 road racing this coming Thursday 16 January. In a change of format, it’ll be held as an Individual Time Trial this time. So hopefully you’ve found your climbing legs over Christmas.
As usual, entries to John by 8pm Wednesday via SMS on 0428 503 437 (Yes, he’s back!)
Don’t forget… no 2020 membership - no start! And please bring your receipt or new card.
Renew your membership here. You must select a RACE membership, ride memberships are not valid for racing.

Club kit order soon

We’ve had a few more members express interest in new club kit.
Since the last time we placed an order, Seight Sports has merged with Champion Systems. After some negative feedback from some club members about the quality of some CS gear in the past, we’ve decided to go back to our previous kit supplier, Ventou. You can look at their stuff here and samples are on the way - we hope to have some at Thursday night’s Rob Curtis presentations at the Delatite.
More news on club kit soon…
Stop press: we’re not the only ones! Seight are planning to de-merge from Champion Systems due to all the negative reaction. But we’re still going with Ventou.

Traffic Management Course

We can now confirm that the venue for the Qualified Traffic Controllers course the club is hosting on Saturday 15 February is the Mansfield Youth Centre, Erril Street, Mansfield.
There are 14 booked in, so we still have six places available.
Even if you already have a job at the Tour, you’re invited to do the course. (You might get a new job at the Mansfield Tour next year!) The club is paying anyway, so why not get yourself a qualification!
Email Bruce to reserve your place.

Speaking of the Mansfield Tour…

Many of you will have been contacted by Jason Parker (Staff Coordinator, Chief Cat Herder, Minister of Volunteers) about your role at the Tour.
If you haven’t already gotten back to him, please reply as soon as you can (yes, even if you can’t help out. Let him know that too.)
The sooner we can sort out who is doing what and when, the better.

New calendar

As mentioned in the last newsletter, the club website has a new calendar. The format is different, with a new MMBCC Events page and the next four upcoming events listed on the Home page.
The drawback is that you have to open up each event to see who is rostered on for road race duty. Please have a look through to see when you’re on - ALL members will get a turn!

Road Nationals at Buninyong

Good luck to the MMBCC members who’ve travelled to Buninyong this weekend to race the Gran Fondo Championships on Saturday afternoon.
The Under 23 Men, Elite Women and Elite Men races will be telecast live on SBS on Sunday from 10am.

Upcoming events

Port Campbell to Warrnambool Handicap - Sat 15 Feb

Otway Odyssey - Sat 22 Feb

Great Otway Gravel Grind - Sun 23 Feb

MTBA National Championships - 11-15 Mar

Bike Buller calling for volunteers

Rapid Ascent, the Bike Buller MTB Festival organiser is seeking volunteers to help at the event.
Event Date; 7th – 8th March 2020
Location; Mt Buller and surrounds
Rapid Ascent are happy to make a donation to your club/group/organisation based on how many volunteers your group provides. We will pay $50/half day or $100/full day per person. There is no minimum or maximum number of people required
Roles: We have a variety of roles/tasks ranging from course marshalling, manning water/fruit points, competitor registration and administration roles, logistics, competitor services etc.
This is a great opportunity for clubs/groups to raise funds with no behind the scenes work or pre-planning. Turn up with your members and your group receives the money. This is also a great chance for groups/clubs to have a fun weekend or day out with your mates while helping other to have a fun weekend.
Volunteers receive an event T-shirt and lunch.
For further information please contact;
John Jacoby on 0408 035 261 or email him.

Sunday Night News

Club kit order soon

A few members are interested in club kit. Since the last time we placed an order, Seight Sports have been bought out by, or merged with, Champion Systems. We’ll be asking for some samples of Champion System gear to be sent out for us to look at. If you’re interested in upgrading your club kit, or get some for the first time, please contact Bruce.

New calendar on club website

The club website has a new calendar. The format has completely changed, with a new MMBCC Events page and the next four upcoming events listed on the Home page.

Dobson dominates the dirt

It was great to see a small crew of hardy competitors braving a warmer night.
A slightly different variation on a mid-length course saw the riders attack the climb to the saddle and then finishing around the back and down Rubbish Run.
As usual staggered starts and various lap numbers made it difficult to predict however Ruby Dobson was fast and came in in first place. Steve Morgan stepped up into 2nd place only a few seconds after Ruby and Ariel Stava rounded out the podium in 3rd.
Here are the results.
Overall it has been a great first half of the season and thanks to all involved.

Get well soon John.

In case you always wondered whether the Handicapper had a heart, doctors at Royal Melbourne Hospital have now confirmed, despite rumours, that John actually does have one. It just hasn’t been working all that well lately.

Get well soon John. Looking forward to seeing you back on the bike soon.

Spring Classic Conditions for the iconic Coombesberg parcours

By AJ Stephenson

About 25 riders set out on a relatively short route, into strong winds with tight handicap times, particularly the last three groups to go. With less than 30 seconds between Block and Scratch optimism would be in short supply.

First group away Wil, Micala and Hunter worked together well in the testing cross winds to stay away until the turn onto the Whitfield Rd, going on to finish with the main group that had come through with Scratch. Group 2 consisting of Talia, Judi, Ian, Tim and Alex set off at three minutes.

The crosswinds caused echelons to form making it difficult for riders to find the sweet spot for a recovery, resulting in many groups losing wheels more quickly than usual. However, this group worked well together and when caught at the Col Du Coombesberg, were still altogether.

The next two groups leaving at 1-minute intervals were unable to stay together. Justin, Cam, AJ and Matilda (late starter) pushed hard on to Graves Rd. The fractured remains of the previous groups were passed allowing other groups to reform. Cam and AJ’s group also broke up, leaving Matilda and Justin on one of the rises before the Coombesberg. They had contributed some good turns up until then. Feeling like they were in with a chance Cam and AJ pushed on. At the summit of the Coombesberg the Alex and Co. group were caught and along Barwite Rd, Alex, Tim and Tahlia worked smoothly with Cam and AJ into the wind all the way to the finish.

Meanwhile at the business end of the race a similar story was unfolding. With a two-minute start on Scratch, Jarrod, Kody, Darren and Welcome Back Brega were away and riding quickly. Again, the testing conditions took their toll with Dazza losing the group prior to the Coombesberg. This group worked smoothly together and were only caught by Scratch on the Whitfield Rd, not far from town.

Meanwhile the Block group of Bruce, Dave, Lewis and Steve set forth with only 25 seconds on Steve and Josh. Predictably they were caught by the fast-moving duo, unfortunately at the expense of Steve, prior to the main climb. Next to go was Steve from the Block group when they were caught on the main climb. Not a great place to be caught by Josh Van Aert, considering he was averaging 40km/h for the 8km from Graves Road to Barwite Road with Bruce and Dave also posting personal fastest times for this section. This group then stayed together sweeping up almost everyone in their path with Josh recording the fastest time for the night.

However, despite a great ride by these late starters the race was taken by those off much earlier. AJ crossing the line first with a small gap back to Cam who was DQ’s (due to a technical breach). Second and third went to Alex and Talia respectively. Josh finished 4th less than 30 seconds behind the winner. Eight riders finishing within a minute of third with the remainder of the field coming in over the next two minutes showing an accurate night for the handicapper. (Speaking of the Handicapper, get well soon John!)

Many thanks to our officials and marshals, to Tony Copland for the pics and here are the results.

That’s it for MMBCC road racing for 2019. After a short break, the 2019/20 season will recommence on Thursday 16 January with the Rob Curtis Memorial Hillclimb. Until then, Merry Christmas and safe and happy pedalling.

Bike Buller calling for volunteers

Rapid Ascent, the Bike Buller MTB Festival organiser is seeking volunteers to help at the event.
Event Date; 7th – 8th March 2020
Location; Mt Buller and surrounds
Rapid Ascent are happy to make a donation to your club/group/organisation based on how many volunteers your group provides. We will pay $50/half day or $100/full day per person. There is no minimum or maximum number of people required
Roles: We have a variety of roles/tasks ranging from course marshalling, manning water/fruit points, competitor registration and administration roles, logistics, competitor services etc.
This is a great opportunity for clubs/groups to raise funds with no behind the scenes work or pre-planning. Turn up with your members and your group receives the money. This is also a great chance for groups/clubs to have a fun weekend or day out with your mates while helping other to have a fun weekend.
Volunteers receive an event T-shirt and lunch.
For further information please phone John Jacoby on 0408 035 261 or email him.

Sunday morning update

Have you subscribed to the email newsletter yet?

A road safety ‘experiment’ by the MMBCC - Cycliq cameras

The MMBCC club is looking at getting some Cycliq front and rear cameras for members to use to keep a record of close passes by motor vehicles. The cameras are also a tail light and head light.

We are interested in collecting this information on video so that there is good evidence of the event from which the police could take action, even without Victoria having a minimum passing distance law. The Mansfield Police have been very positive towards collecting this information and taking steps to improve road safety.

Currently, there is little evidence that the trial of driver education is having an impact on improving road safety for vulnerable road users/cyclists. If the club can have some good evidence on what is happening in a regional area (especially one that is being heavily promoted to cyclists,) then maybe we can influence the discussion by Ministers responsible for roads, community safety, tourism and health that more needs to be done.

We need to know if there are club members who might be interested in using the cameras while they ride to collect this information. You will be given support in how they work and the club will keep a record of the incidents and create a database.

If you are interested, please contact Donna Stephenson (Secretary) via email or 0411 112 295.

Another reminder… but there will be more!

This coming Tuesday is the deadline for RSVPs for the MMBCC Xmas Break-up. Have you sent an RSVP to Judi?

Dirt Crits - The Delatite Dash

With many thanks to Ben Annear for his expert timing (again) Dirt Crits was held between Carter’s Road and Mirimbah last Thursday. Consistency was the name of the game, not just being the fast. Winners, pictured below with slightly enthusiastic club President Damian Grundy, were Rachael Grundy in second, Sam Moseley in first and Charlie Dobson was third. Here are the detailed results.

A mountain goat searching for a buck

By Cam Lachal

The 22km race last Thursday starting at the Lords Oval, going out Howes Creek Road and finishing up O'Hanlons Hill was a close and entertaining race.

First out of the gate was Craig Wilson and Micala Jacobs who were doing well until Micala dropped a chain leaving Wil going it alone. With freshly shaved legs, Wil put his head down and was looking good. But he needed to do more than look good because the next group of Jason Parker, Janine Appleton, Dave Jagger and Judi Duke were a well-oiled machine taking turns like a pro team time trialling.

The group after that with Ian Conrick, Steve Flew and Justin Berry were in a bit of disarray with Steve being a no-show; more on that later.

Following them, Andrew Stephenson (AJ), Cam Lachal, and John Lazarov were also doing well.

This only left the ‘Block group of Dave Moore, Lewis Dowie, Steve Duke and Craig Oliver who were flogging themselves like repenting evangelists and banishing Steve Brown to purgatory (Steve left only 30 seconds after Block and could not bridge across.) Steve Brown's only crime was that of being a Unit and he was destined to face the head wind alone.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention Steve Flew who arrived late and slipped in like the phantom behind Block and did well to stay with them for quite a while. Steve was late because a wallaby took out his daughter Ana (spelt with one n) on the first day of the Great Victorian Bike Ride and then jumped into the Moyne River and was swept out to sea! (The wallaby, not Ana.) She escaped with fractures to the wrist and elbow. She was getting tests done in Melbourne.

Anyway, back to the race!

Block dropped an out of form Lewis who’d covered his face in snot. But the race for the win was going on further up the field

The group of Janine, Jason, Jagger and Judi could see Wil on the final hill and freshly shaved legs was not enough to keep him away; next time it will have to be a Brazilian and Compact Cranks!

Janine, after having a week off the bike was too strong and charged up the hill like a female goat in spring with her Buck at the top (Thanks Jarrod!).

Congratulations Janine on a good win.

She was followed by Cam (suspected of mechanical doping) who made a charge up the hill and, because of a lot of help from AJ earlier, started knocking over riders like Fred Flinsttone knocking over bowling pins on bowling night.

Judi came third with a strong ride despite her hectic training schedule. Then came Jason, AJ, Dave Jagger, Wil and then Dave Moore with fastest time of the night. Well done Dave… that New Zealand training camp really paid off!

Next week is the final race of the year, around the Barwite Loop finishing near the Showgrounds. Entries to the usual SMS number by 8pm Wednesday.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the pics - here are the results.

UPDATED - Lots about dirt and lots about Xmas

MTBA members vote YES to AusCycling

An overwhelming 89% of MTBA members today voted to approve AusCycling. Read more here.

MMBCC Xmas Party - Tuesday 17 December

It’ll be held at the Mansfield Hotel in the courtyard, under the tree (or in the function room if the weather’s not nice) on the evening of Tuesday 17 December starting at 6.30.

(Also, an update from the last time this was mentioned in a newsletter a fortnight ago - there are no Dirt Crits scheduled for this night - you were right Micala.)

Please RSVP to either Judi Duke via email or on 0417 551 116 or Kate Stonnill via email or on 0438 098 594… by Tuesday 10 December!

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro 2 - a fantastic night of gravity racing

By Damian Grundy

A few of the favourites were missing i.e. The Crash Bandicoots (AKA Matt and Elise Empey and Mr Dan Friday) get well soon y’all.

Most everyone kept it rubber side down and racing was fast and furious. Protests will most definitely NOT be considered with some exceptions.

Items of note:

• Finally persistence and ragged style paid off for James Griffin with a fastest run in the second leg. Congratulations James.

• A ‘ring in’ competitor JJ (we think it is McConnell and it would help if Adam Baker wrote his bloody name and contact details down as requested!). A protest has been lodged (Second against First) on the basis of unverifiable identity! Word on the street is that the protest stands a good chance of success. The racing Stewards, Messrs Grundy, Grundy and Grundy, are to assemble soon to consider the evidence.

• In Men’s B, River Reeve flew down the hill in both runs showing the field a clean pair of heels in the overall. Rumour has it that he might have turned a blind eye to the plight of his crashed brother Hunter in the first run. Considering he started after and finished before there is little doubt that he passed a stricken Hunter. Brotherly love is a wonderful thing. Thankfully Hunter’s main injury was to his pride. Better luck next time Hunter.

• Ruby Dobson was in fine form and won Women’s with a comfortable margin to that venerable veteran of the women’s field, Rachael Grundy and the young’un Maddie Smith in third.

Here are the results. Next week is the Delatite Dash from Carter’s Road to Mirimbah.

You could win a car!

Now that we have your attention, have you sent an RSVP to Judi or Kate for the MMBCC Xmas Party?

The Black ‘n’ Tan’s back!

By Bruce Halket

The Black ’n’ Tan was back on Thursday 28 November when 13 of the hardest riders of the MMBCC lined up for a lap of the Chapel Hill Road Loop, a 29km handicap race including 4km of gravel.

First away from Pollards Road was a lonely Hunter Reeve as the Limit group on a generous 20 minutes. He was followed seven minutes later by Micala Jacobs, David Jagger and Craig Wilson off 13.00; Ian Conrick, Steve Curnow (on his mountain bike!) and Tim Hall off 7.30; Cam Lachal (NOT on his new bike!) and John Lazarov off 5.00; AJ Stephenson off 3.30; Bruce Halket off 2.00 and the Scratch group was Steve Brown and Ewyn Carter.

The only catch along sector one of the ‘black’ was Halket getting Stephenson just after the turn onto Chapel Hill Road after 10km; the two worked well for the next few kays to the ‘tan’.

At the other end of the gravel, Craig Wilson posted yet another DNF! Wilson has a reputation (some say it’s well-deserved) for not being able to finish a MMBCC road race with gravel, by always managing to have a flat. This time, he confounded the critics, sort of, by not having a flat. His rear tyre managed to delaminate - going out of ‘round’ meaning he really couldn’t keep riding but keeping intact his remarkable record of DNFs on the dirt.

By the end of 4km of ‘tan’ the back end of the field was really close; a huge off-road effort by Brown meant he and Carter had Halket in their sights; he in turn had almost caught the Elles (Lazarov and Lachal) and they’d almost caught Conrick, Curnow and Hall.

They all came ‘together’ on sector two of the ‘black’ but a new group of Brown, Carter, Halket and Lachal formed as they climbed the last little pinch before the Buller Road intersection. This was when nearby residents wondered whether the train line to Melbourne has been reinstated and a steam locomotive was being used - such was the noise of Halket’s breathing as he tried to stay with the Scratch group.

These four could see the Jays in the distance (Jacobs and Jagger) and managed to finally get them about 1km before the line.

But none of them saw Hunter Reeve - he’d simply ridden away from everyone and wasn’t seen again - he won by over 5 minutes! Brown was second (and fastest overall) ahead of Carter, Halket, Jagger and Jacobs who was Fastest Woman.

Many thanks to our volunteers and officials for a safe, well-run race.

Thanks to Alex Green, Melanie Green and Tony Copland for the pics. Here are the results.

Next week is the dreaded O’Hanlon’s Hill finish; entries to the usual number by 8pm Wednesday please.

But wait, there’s more!

Have you sent an RSVP to Judi or Kate for the MMBCC Xmas Party?

New stuff on the For Sale pages

There’s a new bike listed on the For Sale pages. Plus some Shimano Ultegra shifters and derailleurs.

"It's all happening here!"

LOTS to get through this week…

A win for road safety and thank you Mansfield Police

This week a club member experienced a very close pass in a 100km zone and was using a Cycliq Fly camera front and back and captured very clear footage of the pass. They wrote up the facts of the incident and took a copy of the video and a picture of the pass to the police.

Based on the clarity of the video footage, Mansfield Police were able to identify the driver and issue them with an infringement notice.

If any members are interested in knowing more about the Cycliq camera and how we can use these devices to get evidence of dangerous situations, visit their website or contact MMBCC Secretary Donna Stephenson.

New loan bikes

With many thanks to Shannon and the team All Terrain Cycles for their generosity, the club now has a couple of small (20” wheeled) mountain bikes for kids to borrow for Dirt Crits.

Dirt Crits

Not content with each getting on the podium in last week’s races, the Reeve boys went even better on Tuesday taking out the Teams Race at Riflebutts. Well done to Hunter and River!

Here are the results.

Don’t forget that Round 2 of the MMBCC Gravity Enduro Series is on this Tuesday!

Road Race cancelled last week and new SMS entry number for this week

It wasn’t the heat, as the temperature dropped a fair bit when the change hit at about 5pm. It wasn’t just the wind but it was very gusty. And it wasn’t just the smoke and dust. But the combination of all three last Thursday made the Commissaires and Road Committee cancel.

So we’re expecting you all to be fresh and flying this Thursday for a Handicap around the Chapel Hill Road loop! (Yes, that means a bit of gravel.) Somehow or other, John has managed to escape for a holiday so entries this week need to go to David Jagger on 0428 346 790 but are still due by 8pm Wednesday.

More news from Tassie

The travelling Greens and Empeys left Derby and headed to Maydena for the next stop on their Enduro Tour of Tassie. They were also joined by some other familiar Mansfield faces.

Tuesday Elise Empey had a little off, dislocated an elbow and was a DNS (Did Not Start).

Wednesday it was hot. Thursday it was REALLY hot. Friday it snowed!

Saturday Dan Friday had an off and broke a hand and was another DNS.

Sunday Matthew Empey had a BIG off (it looks worse than it really was - he’s ok, just a bit bruised) and was a DNF.

Zac Empey finished 17th in Under 15 Men.

Bella Green finished 7th in Under 17 Women.

And Dave Empey finished 3rd in Masters 6 (55-60) including this jump - keep in mind the tree ferns are between two and four metres high!

Herald Sun Tour comes to Mansfield and Mt Buller!

The 2020 Herald-Sun Tour for Men is coming to Mansfield on Stage 4. Here is a link to all the stages.

And it’ll use the Old Tolmie Road Loop… twice!

However, as it’s early in the season for most of the pros, Scott McGrory has taken pity on them and will send them around the OTRL the ‘wrong’ way so they don’t have to climb Old Tolmie Road. But they’ll still have to descend Old Tolmie Road twice which will be fairly spectacular in itself!

They’ll leave from High Street, go past the Botanic Park and up past Spring Creek Road, turn right onto Old Tolmie Road, descend to Barwite, go over the Coombesberg, right onto Graves Road, right onto Buller Road and right again into Chenery Street… then do that loop again. When they get to the end of Graves Road the second time they’ll turn left and go to Buller.

Here’s the whole route of Stage 4 on Strava if you want a look in more detail.

The only drawback for us is that the Women’s Tour will only be two stages and won’t come to Mansfield.

Vets Racing with Northern Vets

There may be a couple, or at least one club member heading to Seymour on Sunday 1 December (@ 10am) to race in the Angelo De Francesco Memorial Handicap over 52 km, starting at Kobydoyn.

If you are not registered with Vets Racing and have not been registered in the last five years, you are entitled to three come and try races; you pay only a race entry of about $17. 

To enter, you will need to contact the club handicapper by midnight of the Thursday before racing. Details of the event, race rego procedure and handicapper contact can be found on their website.

Vets racing is very inclusive and they will cater for all levels of fitness and abilities. AJ will have room in his car for at least one person and a bike or two. 

Contact Andrew Stephenson on 0402 269 185.

MMBCC National News

Good evening and welcome to the MMBCC update. Lots to catch up on…

MMBCC Christmas Party is go!

It’ll be held at the Mansfield Hotel (in the courtyard, under the tree - or in the function room if the weather’s not nice) on the evening of Tuesday 17 December starting at 6.30. (We promise not to eat all the food before those racing at Dirt Crits get there!)

Please RSVP to either Judi Duke via email or on 0417 551 116 or Kate Stonnill via email or on 0438 098 594… by Tuesday 10 December!

Brendon’s Three-peat

By Janine Appleton

There were 24 starters for the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap on Thursday night, with near perfect conditions over the 29km. This is the fifth year the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club has held this memorial race to remember a friend and celebrate his life.

Alain Guerin was riding on Mt Buller Road in the middle of the day in November 2014, when he was hit from behind. The driver was charged with dangerous driving causing death due to being on his phone at the time he hit Alain. It is a very simple message. If you drive distracted - you may kill someone.

That person has family that will miss them forever. That person lives in your community - a student at the high school, a plumber, a nurse or your child’s teacher. That person volunteers in your community as a coach in the swimming club or is a member of the CFA. That person loves riding their bike for their long-term health.

It’s a reminder that the roads are for everyone to share. If you see a single cyclist, a pair or a group, please adjust your speed accordingly. Always look ahead and plan your passing to give cyclists a safe space - a minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres in speed zones over 60km/h)

In the race, most groups were stretched early due to the inclusion of four riders from the Hometec Shutters team (the team Alain’s sons Jean-Daniel and Laurent ride for). This was most evident in the Scratch group of local riders Steve Brown and Josh Hopwood being blasted off in the first kilometre by last year’s winner, Brendon Green.

With 10km to go, Brendon caught the last of the larger groups. He stormed past them which resulted in only his father, Guy Green, tucking in behind him. It wasn’t until the Coombesberg, less than 1 km to go, that the front rider for the whole race, Hunter Reeve, succumbed to Brendon’s immense average speed of 39.5km/h for his third win in a row at this race.

Final results were Brendon Green 1st. 15 seconds behind his father, Guy Green, was 2nd. Local rider, 15 year old Hunter Reeve was 3rd. A group of five, Simon Bone, Cam Lachal, James Black, Mauro Brega and Talia Appleton rode in together for 4th to 8th.

Special thanks to Jodie Batchelor for attending the race from Adelaide, for assessing newly registered Cycling Victoria Commissaires.

Here are the results and thanks to Tony Copland, Laurent Guerin and Bruce Halket for the following pics.

Bobby and River the new wave

Another huge night at Dirt Crits with 21 entrants for a varied number of laps around Damian’s favourite circuit. In a great night for the wave of junior riders coming through, Bobby Ritchie took the win ahead of River Reeve and the ‘forever young’ Damian Grundy, Sean Gannon and Ariel Stava.

Here are the results.

Adam Baker wins

Even though the MMBCC is no longer a BMX club, Adam Baker has produced some great results lately to take out the Victorian State Series in 40-44 Men’s Cruiser Class. Adam raced six of the eight rounds all across the state - Warrnambool, Lilydale, Mildura, Bendigo, Park Orchards and Portland - and with five 2nd places and a win in the final round enough to wrap up the series win.

Congratulations Adam and good luck next weekend at the Victorian titles.

AusCycling vote update

Road is still in the balance; it seems Tasmania will be the deciding state. NSW and WA have voted no (although there might be a challenge to the validity of the NSW vote) so if it votes yes, Tassie will be the necessary sixth state needed for AusCycling to go ahead. We’ll know soon.

Surprisingly, BMX Victoria voted no but it seems there will still be enough states voting yes for an overall yes from BMX. (So MMBCC might become a BMX club again soon… )

MTBA is still unknown; a 75% yes vote from individual members is required. If you haven’t voted yet, please remember to send through your proxy vote.

News just in from Tasmania…

Round 2 of the Enduro World Series was held this weekend at Derby in Tasmania. The Empeys and Green travelled down to fly the flag for the MMBCC, with some great results!

Elise Empey won the Junior Womens category while Bella Green just missed the podium in 4th.

Matt Empey finished 8th in the highly competitive under 21’s; Zac Empey finished 15th in Junior Men and old man Dave Empey 8th in Masters Men.

Thanks to Alex Green for the pics.

Downhill and 'drowning'

With no Dirt Crits held this week, due to Melbourne Cup Day, instead of an article about what happened at Dirt Crits, here’s an article about Matthew Empey’s recent ‘holiday’ in Europe.

Matt Empey at the IXS European Cup

Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club member Matthew Empey recently travelled to Europe to race the last four races of the IXS European Downhill Cup.

Matthew competed in four races held in three countries. The first race was held in Schoneck, Northern Germany. Arriving early allowed him to train for four days in the Czech Republic before the race. Race day was wet and slippery on a short course with very little margin for error. Matthew qualified in fifth position. Race runs were tight with 1.5 seconds separating the first four placegetters. Matthew finished the day in fourth position.

The next race was in Brandnertal, Austria. The race track was steep, littered with tree roots and huge gaps. The course was daunting to say the least. Race day was dry and fast. A mistake on race run in the first corner cost Matthew, as he ended up in 19th position.

The third race was the German National Championships in Thale. The course was long, flat and fast with huge road gaps. Race day was wet and slippery after a week of dry weather. Matthew qualified in 9th position. Race run was interrupted by a flash storm which dumped 20mm of rain on the U/19 Pro field causing chaos. Matt ended up in 7th position. Another excellent result.

The last race was the Swiss Downhill Cup in Bellwald, Switzerland. Again, a different course this one being steep rocky and very very fast. The fastest riders clocking speeds up to 80 km/h. No rain at this race, however’ it did snow on the track walk and practice day. Race day was dry and fast. Matt qualified in 8th position and improved to 7th position in the final.

Matthew gained enough points with the top ten finishes to qualify for next year’s world cups. This was an amazing effort by Matthew as he raced totally unsupported in Europe. He raced in the Elite Pro U/19 age group where all the riders are fully sponsored and supported by large bike brands. To achieve World Cup Qualification status in just four races is an amazing achievement, as there are 20 races in the IXS Cup. Matthew is now looking forward to racing the upcoming Australian Downhill season.

Winter Weather for Road Race

By Jarrod Appleton

Despite cold and wet weather 20 riders still contested the Jamieson Kevington handicap road cycling race last Thursday. Prior to the race a number of riders were campaigning to call off the race and have an extended social evening at the Jamieson Brewery. But the hardcore stalwarts quashed their dissent, shaming them into silence, in a fashion Xi Jinping would have applauded.

The rain eased temporarily just prior to the race which gave the riders time to have a brief warm up. The handicapper had the field structured with some interesting time gaps. Last week’s winner Alex Green was moved back two minutes and two groups as a consequence of his success. And the overall time gap between Limit (the first riders to start) and Scratch (the last and fastest riders to start) suggested there was an opportunity for a faster rider to win for the first time this season.

Soon after the start of the race the rain increased to a steady, moderate level. The combination of rain from above and spray from the rear wheel of the rider ahead meant everyone was soaked through from early on. It was one of those occasions where athletes knuckle down and get the race done as fast as possible, not for the pleasure of competing, but rather for the pleasure of getting warm and dry after the race.

Despite this race offering the best scenery of any of the circuits the club uses, nobody was able to admire any of it. The concentration required to safely sit a few centimetres from the wheel of the rider ahead, while being constantly sprayed in the face by water precludes any sightseeing.

Placings on the evening from first were Jarrod Appleton, Darren Bakker, Talia Appleton, Bruce Halket and Steve Duke. Fastest male was Steve Brown and fastest female was Talia Appleton.

Special thanks to the volunteer marshals and commissaires who also had to deal with the inclement weather. Without dedicated generous people who give their time willingly, sports like bicycle racing couldn’t happen. If you would like to assist the club by helping as a marshal, and by doing so get a ringside seat at the race, please get in touch with MMBCC. None of the jobs are difficult or require any prior experience.

Here are the results. Tony’s camera threw a wobbly in the wet but he’s managed to salvage a few pics.

AusCycling Open Letter

Here’s an Open Letter from AusCycling, signed by quite a few noteable cycling identities.

And after the Cycling Victoria AGM on the weekend, CV has announced that Victorian clubs have voted YES to AusCycling - 87.5% voted in favour.

STOP PRESS - MMBCC at Barjarg

Three members of the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club raced the 1st VDHS downhill race at Barjarg this weekend. The three participants, Maddison Smith, Elise Empey and Matthew Empey all performed extremely well.

The Barjarg downhill track is one of the toughest tracks in Australia; littered with rock gardens, drops, chutes and technical traverses.

The three junior riders punched well above their weight, with Elise winning Elite Women by 19 seconds and Maddison placing fourth in Elite Women (Maddison is only 13). Matthew competed in the very competitive U/19 Junior Men and finished 4th, less than one second behind third.

The next round of the VDHS series will be held at Narbethong. If any juniors are wanting to have a go at a Downhill race this would be a good one to start with.

Cup Weekend Update

Apparently we should have something here about horses; not sure why. Anyway, onto riding bicycles…

Classic Mansfield Racing

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

Some may remember that I visited Mansfield for the last few years. When not cycling in Spain I am lucky enough to travel to a few locations and sample the delights and camaraderie of cycling clubs from places as diverse as Los Angeles, Beijing and St Petersburg. But Mansfield remains my favourite – the town, countryside and the people are all beautiful.

Thursday night racing (31 October 2019) was no exception, with perfect late afternoon summer conditions for racing. With nearly 30 starters the scene was set for another club great race out the Whitfield Road and back via Barwite Road, finishing on Graves Road.

Riders gathered for the sign-on at the botanic park carpark, with Allan Gerrans overheard saying “I’ve always liked this course, it suits my style of riding, and I hope I can bury a few out there today.” Despite strong performances in the past weeks Allan didn’t feature in the finishing places this week.

Despite the best efforts of the faster markers to chase down the early starters they just couldn’t get it together in a consistent manner to challenge for the placings. Bruce Halket, when asked post-race what went wrong, replied “I should have been training rather than sitting around all winter doing nothing. This sport is a mental game, but apparently training has something to do with it.” Keiren Payne agreed strongly with this sentiment but was out of breath and unable to comment. The one bright spot for the faster riders was Josh Hopwood again set fastest time for the night. “I felt aero out there today. It’s great starting with [fellow scratch marker] Steve Brown, but really pleasing to eventually ride away from him as the race settles down.”

All the action was with the earlier starting groups as they battled crosswinds in the rolling terrain. A group of ten riders came together quickly and started working well together.

After the turnaround, the group lost Craig Wilson, Tim Hall, Micala Jacobs, Judi Duke and Steve Flew despite them putting in some sharp turns. “I loved it out there today and felt good. At the end of the day I just couldn’t stay with them” said Duke.

The winning group of Janine Appleton, Steve Curnow, Bella Green, Hunter Reeve, Dave Jagger and Alex Green settled into a rhythm for the remainder of the race. Working well into a headwind along Barwite, the first cracks started to appear as they climbed Coomesberg. David Jagger clearly out of breath was heard to mumble “So long…see you at… thanks…” leaving Appleton, Curnow and the Green’s to battle it out.

In the end, Alex Green came over the top of Appleton and Bella Green to take his first win in 8 years of club racing. Curnow came in fourth. At the post-race interview Alex Green said “I’m happy to say that you can just be an average kid with no talent at something and still make it happen if you believe in yourself and dedicate yourself 100%. I would also like to thank my mother.”

Mr Green and his family were seen celebrating the win late into the evening with dinner at the Delatite Hotel, a long term and great supporter of everything cycling in Mansfield.

As with all club races around the world that I attend, they couldn’t happen without the support of volunteers, marshals and behind the scenes work. A big thank you to all and a special call-out to the commissaire for the evening Tony Copland. He is well renowned throughout Victoria as firm but fair, particularly by visiting cyclists who make sure they have their registrations up to date.

Next Thursday the club races at a town called Jamieson; it also sounds very beautiful.

Here are the results (and the current points scores) and many thanks to both Tony Copland and Alex Green for the pics.

Dirt Crits – Gravity Enduro Summer Series race #1

By Damian Grundy

Tuesday 29 October 2019 - Rifle Butts MTB Park - what a great evening of GRAVITY fuelled racing!

It was great to see so many riders keen for the battle. It has been an amazing start to the season and yet again on Tuesday so many new faces.

The evenings racing consisted of two technical and mostly downhill courses. As Damian was setting the courses there were a couple of baby (very small, short, insignificant) uphill bits which, of course, were the MOST fun.

The field was divided into three grades with Men A, Men B and Women.

Taking out he wins on the night were Matt Empey in Men A, Kevin Gannon in Men B and Elise Empey in Women.

Matt Empey was simply dominant with an overall time for two runs of 10 min and 11 seconds. This was a full 45 seconds faster than some old has-been in second. Of course Shannon Rademaker’s chances were cruelled by a broken chain in his second run.

In Men’s B the results were much closer with 13 seconds separating first and second. Kevin Gannon recorded a very quick 11 min 12 sec for his two runs.

Elise Empey and Ruby Dobson, who was second in the Women, were separated by 11 seconds. Elise’s overall time was 1 min 27sec.

As with any race there were many tales of woulda coulda shoulda. But as we all know “when the flag drops the bulls**t stops”. Well done to everyone and especially the winners.

The gravity series will return on Tuesday 26 November. If you missed the first race (strained heart muscle possibly), never fear. This is a four race series and your best three results will count to the overall.

Here are the results and thanks to Alex Green for the pics.

AusCycling

One final thing about AusCycling before the Cycling Victoria Annual General Meeting on November 9. The club will vote on your behalf. Which way do you want it to vote?

Unless we hear otherwise, the club will likely vote YES with a few suggestions about pricing, as discussed in last week’s news. But what do you want? Have your say! Send Damian an email and let him know your thoughts.

Cycling NSW has voted NO, but I suspect the way they worded the poll question didn’t favour a YES vote. As a contrast, we’ve also included the question the Melbourne Cycling League asked their members.

And here’s the link to a response from Port Fairy Cycling Club on Facebook which is worth a read.

MTBA members will have details of their AGM and the voting process by Wed 6 Nov. Remember, each individual MTBA member gets a vote.

Speaking of Port Fairy…

Well, almost. The details of the 2020 Melbourne to Warrnambool have been released and there’s a new 75km Handicap from Port Campbell to Warrnambool a few hours before the pros. (Perhaps Protra Pedina will enter as he’s apparently visited that part of the world too.)

Finally…

Targa High Country is on next weekend. It means the Mansfield-Whitfield Road will be closed north of Bridge Creek from 10.40am on Saturday. So it’s probably not the day to plan a ride to Whitfield and back. Plus Mt Buller Road will be closed in the morning for a few hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; plus in the afternoon on Friday and Sunday.

Sunday arvo news

This week… Dirt Crits, Coombesberg TT and more on AusCycling.

Clarissa flies!

Dirt Crits on Tuesday night saw another big turnout at Riflebutts Reserve with 24 entrants for an Irish Handicap. This week’s race was based on either a short or a long lap, or even a combination of the two, plus staggered start times.

First group away for two long laps were Jo Wall, visiting from Bendigo, Matt Empey, Damian Grundy, Cam Dobson and Bruce Halket. They were followed by the rest of the field at all sorts of different start times.

Grundy, Halket and Dobson faded but Empey and Wall roared ahead overtaking most of the field but they weren’t able to catch the flying Clarissa Leatham. She who won by 20 seconds from Bobby Ritchie who was just ahead of Empey. Maddy Smith came in fourth just ahead of Wall.

The handicaps were so accurate that there was only 4 minutes between the winner and eighteenth place!

Here are the detailed results.

The Race of Lies.

MMBCC road races are usually Handicap races. But two or three times a season we run an Individual Time Trial, each racer riding alone, against the clock. This elicits cliche-laden articles about there being nowhere to hide, every man for himself, the Race of Truth, etc.

This was all disregarded on Thursday when the MMBCC hosted a Race of Lies. The MMBCC super computer had a little meltdown and incorrect results were awarded at the Delatite Hotel presentations on Thursday night.

Overnight a call was put into the IT Department who told us to turn it off and turn it on again. Voila! On Friday morning we had accurate results…

The win went to Steve Curnow, ahead of Bruce Halket, Josh Hopwood (who also rode fastest time of 19.40), Allan Gerrans and Bella Green was fifth and first unplaced female. Then came Dave Moore, Alex Green, Micala Jacobs, Jarrod Appleton and AJ Stephenson.

In another example of close handicapping, with a different 24 entrants, only two minutes separated first from seventeenth!

Detailed results can be found here and many thanks again to Tony Copland for the pics.

More on AusCycling

Wade Wallace, the founder of Cycling Tips, has written a very good article explaining the proposed changes to the structure of cycling in Australia. Here’s the link to have a read.

A reminder about the voting process too… for Cycling Australia it’s the member club that votes, for MTBA it’s the individual member that votes.

Unless we hear otherwise from members, the club will likely vote in favour of the AusCycling proposal. MTBA members should make up their own minds.

FYI, below is the proposed membership costs of AusCycling. Overall, we think this is heading in the right direction but we’d prefer to see two changes… the cost of Junior memberships, especially U13, should be lower and Masters memberships for those under 65 should still be available.

The prices listed above do NOT include the club fee (the portion of the overall fee which goes to the club) which for the MMBCC is $10 for Juniors and $20 for Seniors. There are no plans to change the MMBCC club fee.

A mountain bike race, a road race and a gravel ride walk into a bar...

Huge first night at Dirt Crits

We came (to Rifle Butts Mountain Bike Park).

We Raced.

The rest speaks for itself!

And if it doesn’t then: The handicapper was overrun by all the new names and had a meltdown but the race went ahead and some of the new guys took advantage of the obviously dodgy handicaps to run away and win.

Well done all. Super fantastic to see the new faces - including 8 women, a record for Dirt Crits!

Here are the results and thanks to Alex for the pics.

Wet, windy and hilly

By Talia Appleton

There were four groups lined up on what was a cold and wet Thursday night, for the second week of the summer series club racing. Luckily the rain passed just in time for the 6 o’clock start.

There were six ‘Did Not Start’s on the night, including four riders from the first two groups off, so this put the trio of Janine Appleton, Dave Jagger and Talia Appleton off first as Limit. Right from the start this front group were working well together and it didn’t look like the group behind of Allan Gerrans, Steve Curnow and Ian Conrick would catch them.

At the back end of the race Steve Brown was pulling fast turns that were 3-4 times longer than the others, making strong riders sprint onto the back after finishing their turn. Because this group was so strong, Cam Lachal, Jarrod Appleton, Justin Berry, Darren Bakker and John Lazarov were caught not far from the turn around. The joining of groups formed a large, fast pack to chase the others down.

Nearer to the end of the race, Janine, Talia and Dave were still in front. Dave pulled his last turn before swinging off 6km from the finish, then Talia sprinted away from Janine with 5km to go, hoping to ride solo to the finish and take the win.

Behind, the large group of 8 were closing down on all of the other riders. The last 5km of Howes Creek Road has many short but steep pinches, and all of the groups smashed up, with Steve Brown motoring up the road, to try to catch Talia and Janine.

But Talia and Janine were too far ahead with Talia coming in for first followed by Janine in second, Steve Brown third and fastest time for the night. Steve Duke fourth and Tom Macmunn rounding out the top five.

(Kudos to Justin Berry for a great ride. Firstly, he was ‘penalised’ three minutes for winning last week. Then on Thursday night the rest of his group this week didn’t turn up; so that he didn’t start alone, he was moved back another two minutes… effectively penalised five minutes! But he stayed with the faster group the whole race and finished tenth. Well done Justin! - Ed.)

Many thanks for our marshals and Commissaires for volunteering in wintry conditions. Here are the results and thanks to Tony Copland and Alex Green for the pics.

Next week’s race is the Graves Road Individual Time Trial.

Mixed surface social ride next weekend

By AJ Stephenson

Location: Fawcett Hall Café and Market

Date: 26 October

Time: 0900 (for coffee, ride starts when we’re all hydrated) Start and finish at Fawcett Hall Cafe.

Highlights: Great gravel roads, quiet sealed roads, GVRT (rail trail), some hills, Country Market with heaps of bargains and great food and coffee (based on last years experience)

Routes: Multiple route options that will hopefully meet many peoples desires.

About a year ago Donna and I sallied forth on our gravel bikes looking to explore Coles Creek Rd. With me in charge of navigation, the inevitable happened and we missed the rather obvious turn off. Following that blunder we continued on the GVRT and attempted to get back to Coles Creek Rd on any of the roads we came across. This led us up and down many small hills and ended with locked gates. Eventually we continued on past Yarck towards Alexandra. We turned left into Spring Creek Road and by this time were starting to get a little hungry, we were looking forward to a pie at the Bonnie Doon servo. A few Ks up Spring Creek Road we came across an oasis in the form of the Fawcett Hall Market. As a part of the market there was a café set up in the hall serving fantastic coffee, cakes and meals. So this year we are planning this as a social ride starting and finishing at the Markets so you can pick up a bargain after your ride and lunch.

GPX Routes to be added later: Long Loop 70klm 1100Vm; Shortish Loop 65klm 600Vm.

Long loop takes in a mix of gravel, sealed roads with a little rail trail (Maintongoon and Sonnnberg Road). Led by AJ.

Shortish Loop is a mix of gravel, sealed and more railtrail, with the option of a stop at Yarck for some more coffee. Led by Donna.

If you are very social-ride inclined, there is an option to tootle to Alexandra on Spring Creek Road and the rail trail and return.

Here is the link to the Facebook events page to register your interest.

Handicap entries

A quick word or two on entries, just for Handicap races…

We ask you to enter by 8pm on Wednesday so that John has enough time to calculate the handicaps. He needs to calculate the estimated speed of each rider and how well he thinks those riders will combine into a group.

The handicaps are calculated on your being there. Your absence throws the handicap calculations ‘out of whack’ reducing the chances of the group you were supposed to start with.

So if you decide not to race, even if it’s at the last minute, please let John know as soon as possible. Because he’ll need to redo the handicaps. And the more time he has to do this, the better they’ll be. Theoretically.

Sunday update

First, a few reminders:

• Roadies, don’t forget your CA licence each week;

• MTBers, don’t forget Dirt Crits on Tuesday; and

• Don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter.

Berry crushes opposition

By Jason Parker

Last Thursday, the first event of Mansfield Mount Buller Cycling Club’s Road Racing season was held on a beautiful afternoon with very little breeze. The format was a 25km handicap race starting at the Botanic Park, turning around at Sawpit Gully Road and finishing on Mt Battery Road.

Commissaire Tim Ross provided the pre-race briefing before the 21 riders, in six bunches, headed off at different intervals.

John Eisner, Kieren Payne, Rod Manning and grandson Hunter Reeve (participating in his first road race) headed off first. David Jagger, Craig Wilson and Bella and Alex Green set off one minute later. At two minutes, the starter sent off Allan Gerrans, Steve Curnow, Justin Berry, and Jason Parker. Four and a half minutes passed before John Lazarov, Darren Bakker and Cam Lachal left the start line, with Dave Moore, Bruce Halket and Dave Moore a further minute and a half back. The Scratch bunch headed off in pursuit a further minute and a half later, consisting of Josh Hopwood and newcomers, but experienced racers, Steve Brown and Ewyn Carter.

On the outward journey, the Green bunch caught the Limit bunch and they began to work together. Justin Berry’s crew had worked well and the leading bunch were within touching distance. They decided to catch and attack the group on the rise just past the Broken River bridge, in an attempt to distance any who were trying to join them. Allan Gerrans attacked and his bunch distanced all but one rider, Alex Green, who began working with his new group and providing encouragement. Steve Curnow rode smoothly to drag the group up to the turnaround. Just after the tomato farm bend on the home run, the Berry group began to do rolling turns, maintaining a good pace for the entire return trip.

At the top of the Barwite hill there were no chasers in sight, so the Berry bunch knew that the placegetters would come from within their group. Justin led the bunch around the corner onto Mt Battery Rd and then continued on to take the win from Parker, with a slight gap to Gerrans, Alex Green and Curnow. Just over a minute and a half later, Hopwood (the fastest rider on the night) led Moore, Bakker, Halket, and Duke over the line in tenth position. The other racers finished their race at different intervals - Carter, Jagger and Wilson, Manning, Lazarov and Lachal, Brown, Bella Green, Payne and Reeve.

Thanks to the officials and volunteers on the night. Here are the results. Next Thursday 17 October the Howes Creek handicap race will be held with registration from 5:30pm at the Lords Oval. Riders are reminded to bring along a copy of their current Cycling Australia licence and to enter by 8pm on Wednesday.

Racing starts next week!

It’s that time of year again… please subscribe to the newsletter so you can stay up-to-date!

The magpies have been swooping for weeks, the wattle is flowering, hay fever has eyes and noses irritated… so it must be time to start racing bikes again!

The calendars have been published; here is the Dirt Crits calendar and here is the Road Racing calendar.

Roadies, please check the duty roster to see when it’s your turn to help out. (For information on what to do when you’re on duty, please read this!)

Membership renewal reminder

The start of racing for 2019/2020 is a timely reminder about your membership. Please make sure you’ve renewed and have a valid race membership, whether you’re racing Dirt Crits or Road… or both.

Go to the Join Now page to join for the first time or renew.

MTBA memberships of the MMBCC are a 12-month membership. Cycling Australia memberships of the MMBCC are a calendar year membership but as a bonus they include Oct-Dec 2019 in your 2020 membership.

In particular, this is a shout out to roadies… we’ve downloaded a member list from Cycling Australia this week and, for some unknown reason, not all of you are listed. (If you remember, we had this problem in January too.) So, to confirm that everyone has insurance cover, please bring your membership card along to your first race; or at least the receipt from your payment if your card hasn’t arrived yet. No card - no start!

This summer should be the last time we need to buy separate CA and MTBA memberships… hopefully we’ll be buying a single AusCycle membership next summer.

Weekend update

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AusCycling Roadshow

With a name change from One Cycling to AusCycling, the information ‘Roadshow’ has almost finished - the last one will be in Mackay, Queensland this coming Wednesday.

In case you missed the Melbourne session, here is the link (in case you don’t have a life and have three hours spare!) From what we can gather, it seems NSW, TAS and WA are against it but everyone else is a yes. Even Bicycle Network! Let’s hope it goes ahead. For more details visit the AusCycling website.

Amys Gran Fondo

Congrats to Judi Duke for finishing in the top 20% of her age group and therefore qualifying for the Gran Fondo Worlds in Canada next September!

Also, if you have a look at this video (between 1:20 and 1:26) you can see Darren and Bruce proudly sporting the MMBCC kit. It looks like they’re rolling to the front to take a turn but we have it on good authority they were trying to get the 75 year old lady in blue to do more of the work!

Ruby wins!

Ruby Dobson travelled to the You Yangs at the end of August for round 5 of the Vic Interschools Cycling Series, hosted by the Geelong MTB Club, and won the Under 15 girls.

Well done Ruby!

E-bikes

Electric pedal-assist bikes are hugely popular in Europe, becoming much more common here and are now so well-designed they’re hard to tell from normal bikes. We might have to be a bit more careful with handicaps on Tuesday and Thursday nights! Here’s a look at the e-bikes on display at EuroBike recently.

Upcoming Events

The UCI Road World Championships start this weekend, based in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Here is a preview of all the courses.

The last round of the Enduro World Series is being held this weekend in Zermatt, Switzerland. Here is a course preview - definitely worth a look.

MMBCC Dirt Crits - early Oct - details soon

MMBCC Summer Road Series - starts Thu 10 Oct - calendar and duty roster details coming soon

Sam Miranda Strade Nero Gran Fondo - Sat 12 Oct - Oxley

Fitz’s Challenge - Sun 27 Oct - Canberra

Almost-the-end-of-winter update

News from the Annual General Meeting

Here is a quick rundown on what happened at the AGM late last month:

• Rider Development Grants were awarded to three applicants: Maddie Smith, Bella Green and Ruby Dobson. Congratulations to all three!

• One change to the Executive Committee with Ben Annear standing down from the Secretary’s role. Many thanks to Ben for his years of consistent, high quality work. Donna Stephenson nominated for the role and was elected unopposed. Congratulations Donna and welcome aboard!

• The Road Race sub-committee is: Alex Green, Janine Appleton, John Eisner and David Jagger. Alex will represent them on the Exec.

• The Dirt Crits/Mountain Bike sub-committee is: Shannon Rademaker, Damian Grundy, Kate Stonnill and Clarissa Leatham. Shannon will be the rep on the Exec.

• The Recreational Rides sub-committee is: Jarrod Appleton, Donna Stephenson, Tim Ross and Katie Moore. Jarrod will represent this committee on the Exec.

• The Mansfield Tour organising committee is: Bruce Halket, Jarrod Appleton, Dave Moore, Dave Jagger, Jason Parker and Alex Green. Bruce will sit on the Exec on their behalf.

• The Junior reps on the Executive are: Matt Empey and Elise Empey.

• The general members to sit on the Executive are: Katie Moore, Cam Dobson and John Lazarov.

A reminder that to keep up to date with what’s happening at Executive Meetings, all minutes are available for download here.

Bella wins!

No, it’s not cycling but this is a brilliant result nontheless.
Congratulations to recent RDG recipient, Bella Green, on winning the Interschools Div 2 SlopeStyle competition on the weekend.
Great stuff Bella!

One Cycling

The One Cycling Roadshow has been announced. The closest we’ll get is the Melbourne meeting on Wednesday 11 September, 6-9pm at a venue to be announced. Here is a link to register and get a ticket to the event. It will also be live-streamed. (Not sure if you need to register for a ticket to get access to the livestream though.)
The MMBCC has been pushing for this for years - one membership to cover road and mtb (and BMX) - so hopefully this is worthy of your vote.

Upcoming Events

Alfred 6-Hour MTB Race - Sat 21 Sep - Bright
MMBCC Summer Road Series - early Oct - details soon
Sam Miranda Strade Nero Gran Fondo - Sat 12 Oct - Oxley
Fitz’s Challenge - Sun 27 Oct - Canberra

One week to go...

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AGM next Tuesday.

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held next Tuesday 23 July at the Delatite Hotel, starting at 6.30pm. Head to the pub at about 6 for dinner and let’s have a chat about the running of the club.

We need to vote on members of the Executive Committee and find some other committee members, hand out some Rider Development Grants, chat about road racing, Dirt Crits, Junior Development, the Mansfield Tour, the Buller round of the Vic Downhill Series and Recreational Rides.

See you at 6 next Tuesday at the Delatite!

Working Bee at Riflebutts MTB Park - Sunday 28 July 1-5pm

There is moisture back in the ground so it’s time to dig!

The plan is to overhaul Rubbish Run trail, realign one section and upgrade the rest of the trail to bring back the fun. Yew!

Bring hand tools, e.g rakes, shovels, rakehoes, etc. Plus eye wear, gloves and a hard hat if you have one. And, of course, wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

And please be on time as a Parks Ranger will conduct a safety brief prior to the working bee.

One Cycling

You probably received an email this week from either Cycling Australia, Mountain Bike Australia or BMX Australia about One Cycling. Here are the details, if you didn’t read the email.

Going by the timeline included, all members will be asked to vote on the negotiated proposal in October or November this year.

The MMBCC have been pushing for something like this for years! (Kudos to both Craig Wilson and Damian Grundy who’ve both worked hard on this too). It should be a great thing for MMBCC members who race both mountain bike and road.

Hopefully, it’ll be worthwhile.

Finally…

As the Women’s Giro Rosa wasn’t televised, here is a link to catch up on highlights of each stage.

This is how to handle a bike! The winning run of the recent Les Gets round of the Downhill World Cup.

Ratification. Or just plain ratty?

First up… the Mansfield Tour

The Mansfield Tour committee are recommending the club hosts the event again in 2020 - but we need to ratify that decision at the AGM.

Ratify? No, nothing to do with our little mate below; think more along the lines of this.

We had a committee of six working on the Tour this year and we’d like a couple more for next year. With a couple of the existing committee unavailable for 2020, that means we’ll be after four more to join the current four members.

Have a think about what you could contribute and we can discuss it in more detail at the AGM.

If you’d like a chat in the meantime, send a note to Bruce or call him on 0419 533 120.

Speaking of the AGM… when is it?

Good question!

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 23 July at the Delatite Hotel, starting at 6.30pm.

Head to the pub at about 6 for a drink, order dinner and let’s have a chat about the running of the club.

Of course, all Executive Committee positions will be declared vacant. Plus we need a new Secretary, some more members of the road sub-committee, plus the Dirt Crits sub-committee, Junior Development, Recreational Rides and General Committee positions to fill.

If you’d like to have a chat about what’s involved, send a message to Damian or Bruce.

Next up… the Rider Development Grant

We haven’t received an application yet!

The RDG application form is now available for download here. The club has had quite a successful year financially, so let’s find some promising junior riders to help out. The grant can go towards any of the costs involved in a rider developing further - travel/fuel costs, equipment, coaching, entry fees, etc.

Applications close on Friday 28 June; that’s less than two weeks. Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM on Thursday 23 July.

Finally, a little light reading on someone crashing a bike…

It seems Chris Froome’s crash was even worse than everyone initially thought.

What does it mean for Le Tour?

Maybe 2019 is Ritchie’s turn?!

AGM, RDG, MST and more...

MMBCC AGM

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 23 July at the Delatite Hotel, starting at 6.30pm.
Head to the pub at about 6 for a drink, order dinner and let’s have a chat about the running of the club.
The AGM is a little earlier this year to give the Road Sub-committee a chance to apply for permits in time for us to start racing in early October. We already have a few members continuing from last summer but we need a few more of you to help out.
We also need a new Secretary. (In case you didn’t know, Ben and Melissa are expecting. Congratulations!) Ben will likely be a little bit busier at home for the next while; therefore we need to find a replacement.
Plus there’s the Dirt Crits sub-committee, Junior Development, Recreational Rides and General Committee positions to fill.
If you’d like to have a chat about what’s involved, send a message to Damian or Bruce.

Rider Development Grant

The RDG application form is now available for download here. The club’s had a good year financially, so let’s find some promising junior riders to help out!
Applications close on 28 June.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM on 23 July.

Mansfield Tour

The 2020 Tour will be one of the topics up for discussion at the AGM. The 2019 Mansfield Subaru Tour was reasonablly financially successful so the committee are recommending we host the event again in 2020 - but we need to discuss it at the AGM and get the whole club to make that decision.
We had a committee of six working on the Tour this year and we’d like a couple more for next year. With a couple of the existing committee unavailable for 2020, that means we’ll be after four more to join the current four members.
Have a think about what you could contribute and we can discuss it in more detail at the AGM.
If you’d like a chat in the meantime, send a note to Bruce or call him on 0419 533 120.

Upcoming Events

Melburn Roubaix - Sunday 30 June - A ‘treasure hunt’ around the back streets and cobbled lanes of Melbourne’s inner suburbs. This is one of the most fun days you’ll ever have on a bike!

Tour de Beechworth - Saturday 27 July - A ride around Beechworth (on- and off-road) culminating with a French dinner at Bridge Road Brewers and a live cross to SBS’s Mike Tomalaris at the Tour de France.

Amy’s Gran Fondo - Sunday 15 September - Australia’s best recreational ride on closed roads, including the Great Ocean Road.

Finally, one for Strava users…

If you’re a Strava user, join the UCI Cycling Club, go for a ride this coming Monday and the UCI will donate bikes to World Bicycle Relief.
8am from the Botanic Park?
Click here to find out more.