Almost road racing again...

Just one more week to wait until we can probably race, with the imminent announcement of some easing of COVID restrictions this Sunday. 

In the meantime, we are planning to meet tomorrow at Mansfield Botanic Park, Thursday evening at at 5.50pm for some road rides at 6pm, followed by drinks/dinner together from 7.15 pm.

1. Remember to bring your face mask for the 5-10 minutes while sorting out groups;

2. Keep 1.5 metres apart while stationary at Botanic Park;

3. Do not congregate in groups greater than 10 while waiting;

4. Ensure you are aware of the route that your group is riding - it is especially important that the turnaround is safe. There will be no marshalls; 

5. Ride safely - it is a privilege to be able to ride together; and

6. The front bar and tables outside have been booked at the Delatite Hotel for the cycling club, so please feel free to rock up with your mask for a drink and/or dinner afterwards.

False start - racing isn't back just yet.

Red flag - stop race.

After some more deep diving into the DHHS restrictions, we’ve decided we’re NOT racing on Thursday 12 November after all. (But if you’ve entered already, why not come along for a ride anyway… maybe at race pace! And maybe a recovery ale afterwards - meet at the Botanic Park for a 6pm start.)

More news on when we can actually race (both on- and off-road) as soon as we can let you know.

Sorry about this…. it’s been that kind of year.

Road racing is back!

We have been given the endorsement of AusCycling Vic to return to racing, in a Covid Safe way, for the next two weeks. A covid 19 Safe Plan has been written and must be strictly adhered to.

We’re planning Graded Scratch racing on Thursday 12th and Thursday 19th with 3-4 groups (A grade, B grade, C grade and maybe D grade - depending on numbers) with a maximum of 10 per group.

The location for Thursday 12th is Course 12 (Mansfield-Whitfield Road, finish on top Coombesberg) starting at the Botanic Park and Thursday 19th is Course 2 (Buller Road , turn around after Hearns Road) starting near the BP servo on Buller Road.

After the 22nd of November, we may be able to race as per the rest of the calendar, depending on DHHS and AusCycling Vic regulations.

1. NO cyclist should attend if they are unwell at all or have had contact with a family member who is unwell.

2. Cyclists must enter online via email this week to John Eisner, who is in charge of organising the Handicap Groups. There will be NO entry fee charged this week.

3. You MUST have a current race licence with either Cycling Australia or Mountain Bike Australia, or a new one issued by AusCycling. You will be required to email your race membership number and expiry date when you register for the race.

4. You will be issued with race numbers for the duration of the racing season. It is your responsibility to attach the race numbers. NO ONE is to ask anyone else to attach race numbers at the event.  

5. Cyclists must wear a face mask to the event until they are about to start. They must put on the mask as soon as they have finished their race. The group will need to leave the finish area immediately once the last rider from that group finishes.

6. All cyclists must scan the QR code at the event. We will have a record of entries but this will help with knowing what spectators, family members, volunteers etc will also be at the event.

7. We encourage ONLY cyclists and volunteers that have been scheduled to volunteer to attend the event - no onlookers for the first two weeks please.

8. Maintain 1.5 metres while waiting for your start. Stay in the allocated area for your group. 

9. Download the government's COVID SAFE app to your phone if you haven’t already. 

10. There will be lots of other rules too. If you don't think you can follow them all, then perhaps give these first two weeks a miss till we sort out all the finer details.

So, if you are keen to race this Thursday, email John Eisner  by 6pm on Wednesday with your name, race licence number and identify if it is AusCycling, Cycling Austraila or MTBA.

Stay tuned for news on the start of Dirt Crits.

The 'what's been happening' update

(Keep up to date by subscribing to the Latest News.)

We’ve had a lot of questions lately regarding what’s going on with the club. Normally we’d be racing by now and we’d have had our Annual General Meeting. Here’s an update.

AGM

The AGM has been delayed while we’ve waiting for Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted enough for us to have more than just a few members attend in person. It appears that’s not going to happen in the next couple of weeks.

So we’ll delay no more!

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 26 October at 7.30pm. The venue is to be confirmed - but that only concerns 20 members anyway - most of us will have to attend via Zoom.
(We might even find we have to have the whole meeting via Zoom, but we’ll let you know that too.)

Details will be emailed to members as soon as they’re confirmed, including a formal Notice of Meeting, the club financials and a proxy voting form.

In the meantime, if you’d like to nominate for a position on the Executive Committee, please download the nomination form here, print it out, get it filled in and follow the instructions on the form to get it to club Secretary Belinda Cipa by Friday 23 October.

Road Racing

From the information we have received from Cycling Victoria, we will not be able to begin racing in Mansfield until metropolitan Melbourne are at Stage 4/Final Stage - meaning there have been no locally acquired COVID cases in 14 days. Both Melbourne and regional Victoria will be able to race at this time - no early entry for Regional Victoria unfortunately. From the DHHS roadmap - this is unlikely to occur before November.  

Until that time, we are allowed to ride together as a bunch in groups of up to 10, keeping 1.5metres apart. It is important that you carry a mask with you at all times, as when not cycling, you should be wearing your mask.

The GOOD news is that we now have one national cycling body - AusCycling from 1 November 2020, which will allow more members to participate in road racing (and all road racing members to participate in mountain bike events). For existing members of any of BMXA, MTBA or CA, your current membership, including insurance coverage, will be recognised by AusCycling until the expiry date of that membership.

The road racing committee has been working on getting our Road Racing COVID SAFE so that once we’re allowed to start, we’ll be ready. A big part of being COVID safe includes reducing the "touching of equipment". This includes the decision to encourage members to pay for a 10 week local race payment and online entries, instead of night-before, individual entries. This payment will also give you access to a permanent race number and seatpost/bike number which you will be responsible for, for the duration of the 10 weeks. We are also looking into the purchasing of timing equipment to reduce our paper trail.

In preparation for our racing season, all members are encouraged to download the COVID SAFE app if you haven’t already. We’re also encouraging all members to have a look at some online COVID Infection Control training as it is the responsibility of all members to comply with our COVID safe plan.

Dirt Crits

Dirt Crits will resume once we get the DHHS approval for more than 10 people to gather, which we hope will be some time in November.

Kate and Clarissa are gearing up for another huge season of Dirt Critters, which includes new number plates for all riders, like the one below for the Sprocket Rockets (thanks very much to Adam Baker.)

Adult Dirt Crits needs an organiser. Damian doesn’t have time anymore so we need someone to take over and continue his good work.

If you’re interested, please nominate yourself on this form as the MTB Delegate.

AusCycling starts 1 Nov

AusCycling is GO!

Cycling Australia today voted YES - meaning it will join with MTBA and BMXA in forming AusCycling. From 1 November AusCycling will start operations and your membership of the MMBCC will allow you to ride whatever discipline you want - road, mountain bike, track or BMX.

Here’s the link to the official statement.

You can find updated info over the next few weeks on the AusCycling bookface page or the AusCycling website.

In the meantime…

• Cheer on Ritchie Porte tonight as he tries to time trial his way to the Tour de France podium. #RoarForRitchie

• You’re now allowed to ride in bunches of 10, including weekend road bunch rides.

Sunday arvo update

AusCycling one step closer

Below is a statement issued by Brunswick Cycling Club on Saturday 12 September. The MMBCC is in total and utter agreement with the statement and looks forward to the implementation of AusCycling’

“We welcome the decision today by Cycling Tasmania to support AusCycling.
A significant number of clubs, many who were available to be signatories below, are also fully supportive of the AusCycling proposal that we endorsed on 19 November, 2019.
A single licence, giving access to the world of cycling and from the outset affordably priced, will be an important instrument in growing membership. As clubs this means more people at our events, either competing or spectating, buying from our canteens, purchasing our apparel and all bonded by the love of the bike. All of this will boost our club finances, add to our evolving cultures and grow cycling.
An open knowledge base, with a library of resources from all disciplines, from all over the country, sharing important tips and learnings, will, among other things, bolster our capability in applying for and receiving grants. We are delighted with the commitment by AusCycling to create a dedicated club support and development team as a priority. With workload on clubs easing we will be more efficient and able to better support our treasured volunteer base. From coaching support through to national bike education programs our capability is vastly improved.
In addition to the benefits derived via increased membership and club support, we believe a unified body will deliver improved commercial opportunities which our clubs will be a major and direct beneficiary of. Our current structure means competing codes such as AFL & Netball will continue to be far more attractive commercial partners as they are much easier to deal with. There are significant sponsorship opportunities when you can negotiate with partners on behalf of all disciplines.
It’s time our sport acted as one code with a single focus on improving the lives of all cyclists. Unified advocacy is a natural outcome and we know we are far more effective as one voice. One organisation with a powerful membership base calling for improved infrastructure and rider safety will give the sport a seat at the table when planning for smarter cities, a healthier society and overall mobility.
As clubs we have a long and rich history, individually and collectively. So too does our sport and we respect the legacy and where it has got us to. However the sport has evolved and the administration of the sport has not. We are very excited to finally be working as one for all cyclists.
Our clubs are committed to working with the new organisation and really look forward to becoming closer to clubs both locally and across state lines. We recognise there will be teething problems as with any new venture or business but we have a much better platform for it to evolve and continue to improve.
There is a lot to look forward to and though we know we represent a majority we are in this together with the whole cycling community.
Ag Giramondo
President - Brunswick Cycling Club

Alpine Cycling Club
Bairnsdale Cycling Club
Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club
Bendigo and District Cycling Club
Blackburn Cycling Club
Brunswick Cycling Club
Castlemaine Cycling Club
Coburg Cycling Club
Cycle Collective Cycling Club
Echuca Moama Cycling Club
Footscray Cycling Club
Geelong Cycling Club
Hawthorn Cycling Club
Italo-Australia Cycling Club
Latrobe Cycling Club
Leongatha Cycling Club
Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club
Rowville Riders
St Kilda Cycling Club
Wangaratta Cycling Club
Warragul Cycling Club
Wellington Cycling Club
Westside Cycling Club”

Summer of racing

We have our Victoria Police permits for road racing! This is usually the toughest part of the process, so to get it sorted so early is a great result - well done to our road race organising committee.

All we need now is permission from VicRoads, the Shire and the Department of Health and Human Services and we’re good to go! No news yet on when that will be but we’ll let you know as soon as we do!

For Dirt Crits, we just need permission from the DHHS for Community Sport to start again and we should be right.

In the meantime… wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your fingers crossed.

AGM News

We are still planning on a having our Annual General Meeting as soon as we can - it’s likely to be a ‘zoom’ or online meeting.

We’ll be formally calling for Executive and other committee nominations soon - proxy and nomination forms will be available download and will need to be returned a week before the meeting.

As soon as we finalise more details we’ll let you know.

Monday update

The ISO Cup results are in…

Well done to all club members who posted a time. Congratulations to all those on the ‘podiums’ … call into All Terrain Cycles to collect your prizes.

AusCycling Update

Cycling Tasmania will have a Special State Council meeting to vote on joining AusCycling on September 12.

If they vote yes, they’ll be the 6th state to vote yes, meaning Cycling Australia will have enough states voting yes to join MTBA and BMXA in moving to AusCycling. We’ll be one step closer to one cycling membership!

ISO Cup prizes!

All Terrain Cycles gift vouchers…

ATC is generously giving away gift vouchers for each of the four segments of this round of the Iso Cup.

1st - $50; 2nd - $30; and 3rd - $20. Yes, that’s right… three vouchers for each of the four segments. That’s a total of $400! (Thanks Shannon.)

Here are all the details. It all starts Saturday.

Rainy day update - the ISO Cup is back!

The ISO CUP is back!

It’s time to put on your race face and lay down a winning time for the MMBCC ISO CUP round 3! This time there are a few new rules, new time limits and four different Strava segments.

Timing

This time it’s not just for a day, or even a weekend… you’ll get nine days to post your best time! Ride as many times as you want, on as many of the segments as you want, between 7am on Saturday 29 August until 5pm on Sunday 6 September. That’s two full weekends plus five midweek days! You have no excuses.

We’ll be using Strava segments again; so you’ll record a time automatically if you ride the whole segment and upload your Garmin/Wahoo/Lezyne ride data to Strava afterwards.

Membership

This time you need to be an actual paid-up member of the MMBCC - either Cycling Australia or Mountain Bike Australia, whichever you prefer. If you’re not already, go to the Join Now page for more information.

You also need to be a ‘member’ of the MMBCC on Strava.

Prizes

There will be prizes for each segment… not sure what the prizes will be but we’ll find something for you. Plus there’ll be a prize for the best cumulative time combining all four segments.

MTB XC segment - ISO CUP XC 2 MMBCC

At Riflebutts, follow the blue arrows on XC loop, onto Fourteen Farts, back onto XC loop into top of Rubbish Run, onto the 4WD track then sharp left onto lower Critters to finish. 4.34km long. Click here to see the segment on Strava.

Gravity Enduro segment - ISO CUP Gravity Enduro 2 MMBCC

Also at Riflebutts, follow the red arrows… start at top of Joyride, left onto Midland Link then into Rubbish Run to finish. 1.14km long. Click here to see the segment on Strava.

Road segment - 10km mark to Farmstay

Just one road segment this time… but it’s a new one. Follow the ISO Cup signs from near the tomato farm up to the Farmstay driveway. 4.9km. Click here to see the segment on Strava.

Gravel segment - ISO CUP Gravel RT-Pikes MMBCC

Another brand new one for those that don’t mind a bit of dirt. Start on the Great Victorian Rail Trail; the segment starts just after you cross over Withers Lane, turn right onto Pikes Road to the top of the hill. 5.5km.
Click here to see the segment on Strava.

Hints and Tips

• If you’re trying for one of the mountain bike segments at Riflebutts, we highly recommend you do a recce lap first. With so much rain and bad weather lately, there could easily be some changes to the track (surface erosion, trees or branches down, etc.) since the last time you rode it;

• Strava timing is done through satellites, so it’s difficult to get the start and finish signs in exactly the right position. We recommend you start riding hard well before the START sign and continue on well past the FINISH sign;

• Upload your ride data by 6pm each day to make sure your new best time is counted; and

• Please remember the Stage 3 COVID-19 restrictions - groups of no more than two unless you’re a family.

Signs marking all segments will be installed before Saturday 29 August. Good luck!

Event re-scheduling

There have been a lot of event changes lately.

L’etape Australia has now changed from late November this year to 19-20 March 2021.

The Mountain Bike Nationals at Maydena in Tasmania have also been moved to March 2021.

(When are we going to fit in the Mansfield Tour?)

And the Herald-Sun Tour scheduled for February 2021 has been cancelled!

Finally…

If Stage 3 restrictions are lifted on schedule, we hope to have the Annual General Meeting in late September. If we all do the right thing, hopefully we can start racing again, in some form, in October. So… wear a mask, wash your hands and stay safe.

Bike riding lockdown reminder...

Ride in pairs!

Just a reminder that now that we’re back under Stage 3 Restrictions, you can only ride with one other.

You don’t need to wear a mask during strenuous exercise but you do the rest of the time - so put one on as soon as you ‘slow down’ or get back to town.

Wash your hands, wear your mask and as Keif Richards says - “SAY STAFE!”

Early August Update

Want to keep up-to-date with everything that’s happening with the MMBCC? Subscribe to Latest News!

The beanies are here!

Did you order a club beanie? Even if you didn’t order one beforehand, we have some spares. So call into All Terrain Cycles (with $20 cash only please) to pick one up.

Proper mountain biking

Pink Bike have a new mountain bike field out. This time, it’s about mountain bikes that have less than 180mm of suspension travel, that will actually allow you to ride UP hills and don’t make you feel bad for wearing lycra!

Yes, that’s right - proper mountain bikes! Here’s the link.

Road racing has started

The first big one-day pro race was held over the weekend - Strade Bianche! This was the race that was cancelled just before the European corona virus lockdown started. Annemiek Van Vleuten won the Women’s race, Wout Van Aert the Men’s version.

Shame it wasn’t on TV. But, thankfully, almost all the pro road races from now on will be on SBS, either on TV or on their website - the only one they’re not showing is the Giro d’Italia.

So get set for some late nights - what else is there to do?!

Lost light

Cam Dobson lost a Knog PWR front light doing the Old Tolmie loop last week. It’s black, is about 15cm long, looks like a light. If you’ve found it and you’re feeling highly ethical/honest, or even just nice, can you please drop it off at ATC at your convenience? 

A 6-pack of craft beer, bottle of wine or equivalent quantity of chocolate offered as reward.

Mountain biking near Melbourne

We’re lucky that we’ve got some good mtb trails around here we’re allowed to use at the moment. But once the lockdown ends and you feel like going somewhere else for a ride, here’s a good rundown on what’s available around Melbourne.

Let’s keep moving

Cycling advocacy group We Ride Australia has launched a new campaign to urge local councils to improve cycling infrastructure so more people can walk and ride during and post coronavirus.

The Let’s Keep Moving campaign centres around an animation, which highlights how we have changed our travel habits during the coronavirus pandemic and how the community has benefitted as families and individuals walk, scoot or ride in their local neighbourhoods.

Road Racing Update

The road race committee met 7 July 2020 to plan the 20/21 racing season. We are still uncertain the impact of COVID-19 may place on the season but we are proceeding on the assumption that it will be able to proceed.

The committee considered several aspects of the race season plus feedback from riders throughout the season and discussed issues for a couple of hours.

The outcomes are below:

• Marquee Events: Alain Guerin Memorial and Rob Curtis Memorial are two main events on the calendar that commemorate members that have passed away. Greater promotion of our marquee events is something the road race committee is keen to explore and support. This would include promotion as interclub races, with riders from other clubs encouraged to participate. We will be looking for assistance from the membership to assist in this. 

• Gravel: Two courses that include gravel sections will be retained in the road race program. These are Course 17 (Chapel Hill Road) and Course 7 (Mount Battery). These are relatively short sections of gravel within the overall course and provide variety for riders throughout the season. A separate gravel series was considered, but given the uncertainty of the season, it is not considered viable to get enough riders and organisers to bring this together. It may be considered in future seasons.

• Steep Hill Finish: Course 15 finishing up Campagnolo Road is a particularly steep finish when compared to other courses. It has been decided to retain this course to provide an opportunity for fast uphill finishers. An issue with this course is the distance from Mansfield upon finishing and the way in which riders group upon return. This will be managed more closely on the night, with riders asked to regroup before turning onto Howes Creek Road. We will also review the timing of the event so it is scheduled during longer daylight hours.

• Sunday Hill Climb Series: Re-introduction of this series was considered as an alternative. Similar to a standalone gravel series, the uncertainty of the 20/21 season makes this difficult. It could be considered in future years.

• Benalla Road: Course 3 (Benalla Road) will not be included in the program 20/21 season. Traffic on this road has increased over the years. It was included 18/19 season with a later start, but traffic was still heavy during this event. Dick Forrest, a long time member, lives at the Highway Intersection and has sponsored this race in the past. The committee will discuss the opportunity to sponsor other races.

• BP Roadhouse: Discussion around the safety of starting at BP Roadhouse / Rodwells carpark was considered. Traffic can be heavy at this location, but the off-street parking, marshalling and potential for off-street starting are excellent. It will be retained as a starting point for races.

• Buller Road: Course 2 (Mansfield - Hearns Road return) was reviewed for safety. Traffic is a consideration on this road during racing, but it is not as heavy as Benalla Road. Graded Scratch Races had traditionally been held on this course and this format will make a return for 20/21 on this course. The finish at Walsh's stockfeed was reviewed and poses some difficulty with traffic and space to manage people. A new finish point will be investigated on Jamieson Road or Crosby's Lane to avoid these issues. Timing of this event will also be reviewed to ensure sunset does not impact on rider visibility.

• Marshalls: The committee debated the appropriate number of marshalls required to run and oversee a safe race for members. Three marshalls will continue to be rostered for each race.

  • Review of marshall roster will consider active members available for marshalling and ensure those rostered as Chief Marshall are comfortable with this role.

  • Chief Marshall allocates tasks and directs other marshalls in their roles. It is important if rostered for marshalling that you listen to and take direction from the Chief Marshall. 

  • Each club member must take note of when they are rostered and take full responsibility for attending. If they can not, they must organise a replacement and advise the Chief Marshall of this change.

  • The marshall roster is balanced throughout the year to ensure balance and equal sharing of the tasks.

  • Additional volunteers are still strongly encouraged to attend and assist with marshalling.

  • Timing and organising races caused a number of issues during 19/20 season. For this reason, new timings are proposed for racing in the coming season:

    • 5:00pm: Chief Marshall arrives with trailer and sets up.

    • 5:30pm: Marshalls arrive.

    • 5:50pm: Race registration closes. Members racing must be registered before this time and are encouraged to arrive around 5:30.

  • Chief Marshal will have discretion to recognise the efforts of marshalls and volunteers at presentations (drink of choice) using club funds.

• Commissaires: A Chief Commissaire and Second Commissaire will continue unchanged. The Commissaire oversees the race and works closely with the Chief Marshall to ensure racing is safe for members. Commissaires are rostered separately from Marshalls. If you are interested in completing a Commissaires course please get in touch with Janine Appleton. It is critical we continue to have qualified Commissaries to allow competitive racing to continue.

The road race committee considered all of these issues carefully and debated them from different perspectives. Not all members of the race committee had identical views and discussion throughout the meeting was robust. The outcome we have decided on for the 20/21 season is supported by all members of the road race committee.

If you do have feedback for us or are interested in becoming involved in the committee please do not hesitate to get in touch with Alex Green via email or 0428 369 886.

We will move forward planning the season for 20/21 and getting the administrative approvals in place. This takes several months. We hope to see you on the start line in early October.

Alex Green
Janine Appleton
John Eisner
David Jagger
Belinda Cipa

Mid July News

M&DCB road safety

The MMBCC does its banking with the Mansfield & District Community Bank. And because they know that many of our members depend on the roads being safe, they’ve sent us a link to a 30-minute video presented by Carmen’s Road Safety Education, in an effort to help reduce road accidents and save lives.

With motor vehicle accidents and associated deaths, injuries and trauma occurring at a rate five times higher on Victoria’s regional roads compared to city areas, road safety education is essential for our community and our growing youth population.

We would like to share this video with your members, as it is relevant for every driver – whether it be learner, young driver, parent, or daily commuter.

John’s story is a very powerful message that will stick with you, whenever you are behind the wheel. We would like to encourage our community members to take the time with the drivers in their family, to watch this message together.

Cycling Victoria RACE Member Survey

Dear Cycling Victoria Race Members,

In light of the disruptions the COVID-19 health crisis has caused to racing, Cycling Victoria seeks to gain an understanding of our members future racing plans. To improve our racing services and adapt to the future aspirations of our members, it is important that we receive feedback.

To help guild our decision making and tailor our services to the needs of our members, please take 10 minutes to complete Cycling Victoria’s RACE member satisfaction survey.

More girls on bikes - Breaking Barriers

Belgium has long been considered one of the World’s strongest road cycling nations; but recently it’s mainly been about the men. Now, they’re finally doing something about getting more girls on bikes.

Carnegie Caulfield ISO Cup

CCCC are running an ISO Cup too. But rather than out on the road or trails like our’s, this one is virtual; starting this coming Tuesday.

So if you’ve got a smart trainer, here’s the link.

Plus a bit more…

Pink Bike has a weekly little video of some ordinary and some VERY ordinary riding - Friday Fails. Here and here are the links to a couple of recent episodes.

An article about cycling during and after the lockdown.

Finally… normally at this time of year we’re staying up late watching Le Tour de France. Here is an article about other times when Le Tour hasn’t quite started the right way.

Mid June News

Don’t forget to subscribe to MMBCC News…

Want a club beanie?

Ventou are offering to make club beanies for the MMBCC. They need a minimum of 25 orders.

Proposed layout is above. Cost will likely be about $22.50 without a pom-pom or $25.00 with a pom-pom. But they’ll all be the same, just depends on how many of you want which one.

So… do you want one? Email Bruce if you do.

Just to let you know, the next club kit sales window is likely to open in September.

Ventou survey

Speaking of Ventou, they are offering prizes to fill in their Survey 2020.

“We have just launched our latest Ventou / Brooklyn Project Survey!
We have a range of raffle prizes on offer... once you've completed the survey you will automatically go into the draw.
Our prizes include our new indoor trainer mat and customised face masks, along with a number of other prizes as outlined below.
Prize winners will be announced on social media by Friday 3rd July.
The survey is estimated to take 5 minutes.
Anyone can complete the survey, you do not need to be an existing Ventou / Brooklyn Project client.
We appreciate and value your ongoing feedback and thank you in advance for completing our survey.”

Click here to fill in the Ventou survey.

Big changes at GreenEDGE

In case you hadn’t see it over the weekend, Australia’s only World Tour pro road team, Mitchelton Scott / GreenEDGE have a new sponsor and a new name - Manuela Funacion.

There are some interesting thoughts on the change at Cycling News, Cycling Tips and Inner Ring. Worth a read.

Speaking of Cycling News…

Did you know it’s originally Australian? Do you know the first race it reported on? On their 25th anniversary they celebrating with an article about their very first race article - the 1995 Mt Buller Cup.

Upcoming events

Port to Port - 10-13 Sep - Newcastle, NSW.

Preston Mountain Classic - Sun 18 Oct - Strath Creek, Vic.

Cape to Cape - 22-25 Oct - Margaret River, WA.

Amy’s Gran Fondo - Sun 8 Nov - Lorne, Vic.

L’Etape Australia - Sat 28 Nov - Kiama, NSW.

STOP PRESS - End of May News - updated results

Bike Spot 2020

Tell the TAC which roads are safe to ride on… and which ones are not safe!

Use this link to add a ‘spot’ on a map and describe why you think it’s safe, or it’s not.

Sorry it’s so late to get this to you - the survey closes today (31 May) - but you’ve still got a few hours.

Road Iso Cup 2 Results

Here are the road results; firstly the 4km Sprint/TT. Apologies to a couple of members, who’s named seemed to have dropped off the last lot of results. (Special mention to the Appletons who won the TTT!)

… and here are the 10km Hillclimb results:

Congratulations to both Talia and Warren.

Mountain bike results will not be declared. Not enough riders entered and not enough of those that did were able to beat Damian. So it’s a draw!

Winners (including Dan and Arial from Iso Cup 1) get to choose between either a club t-shirt or a Mansfield Tour jersey from Ventou. Send us an email with your choice of prize.

There’ll be another round of the Iso Cup in a few weeks!

Iso Cup continues this weekend

There were some really good times registered on Strava for last weekend’s Isolation Cup, particularly on the road. However, there weren’t many on the mountain bike. So Damian has suggested that we continue through this coming weekend as well!

Even though the weather forecast isn’t as perfect as last weekend, it still looks reasonable. (It even looks like we’ll have a southerly breeze, making really fast times possible for the 4km TT on the road!)

Any time registered on Strava between 7am and 5pm (yep, extended by an hour) this coming Saturday and/or Sunday will count towards this round of the Isolation Cup.

Details of each of the two road and three mtb segments is in the previous two newsletters.

Results next week. Good luck!

Mid May Update Update

MTB Isolation Cup update

Here are the Strava Routes for this weekend’s Isolation Cup at Riflebutts:

• The Cross Country loop;

• The Hillclimb; and

• The Downhill.

Tomorrow afternoon we’ll save the segments and use them to sort out the results over the two days.

As mentioned in yesterday’s News, times can be posted to Strava between 7am and 4pm Saturday and/or Sunday. Your best time on each segment will count towards the final result, based on Damian’s handicapping.

The XC Loop is signposted with blue on white arrows. The HC and DH are signposted with red arrows.

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to download the Strava app to your phone.

And don’t forget to subscribe to MMBCC News on the website Home page to keep up with results.

New date for Amys Gran Fondo

Usually held in September each year, the 10th anniversary edition of Amy’s Gran Fondo will see a one-off move to November for 2020 due to corona virus. The new date is Sunday 8 November.

L’Etape Australia route announced

To be held on the weekend of 27-28 November, L’Etape have announced the new route for 2020. It starts and finishes in Kiama, on the NSW south coast, is 136km long and has 2,770m of vertical gain. Worth checking out.

Registrations open on 27 May.

If you listen to podcasts, Simon Gerrans is on a L’Etape Aus podcast called Cycling Insights with commentator Matt Keenan and it’s good!

Mid May Update

The Isolation Cup is back!

This weekend the Isolation Cup will be held again, with just a few small tweaks. The main change is we will take entries logged on Saturday and/or Sunday. Your best time on either day will count.

The road competition will be held on the same two Strava segments as last time. Both courses are still sign posted. You still need to have a time posted to Strava between 7am and 4pm.

• The 4km TT along Whitfield Road, from Barwite Road to the Broken River, has a segment called MMBCC Isolation Cup 4km TT/Sprint on Strava. Here is the link.

• The 10km climb on Whitfield Road, from Sawpit Gully Road to Spring Creek Road, has a segment on Strava called MMBCC RR Course 18 (Sawpit Gully - Spring Creek). Here is the link.

The mountain bike competition will again be at Riflebutts Reserve but we’re aiming for it to be split into three different segments; a hillclimb, a downhill and a cross country loop - something for everyone!

Details of the Strava segments will be available tomorrow (Friday).

Download the COVIDsafe app

We’re sure everyone is excited by the announcement of the State Government to relax and lift the social isolation rules. We are still a long way from ‘back to normal’ but it feels like we are on the road to recovery!

As part of the changes, non-contact sports and exercise such as cycling are now permitted as long as physical distancing is maintained. There will be more guidance to come about how we might progress back to group riding and even racing in the months to come.

We have gotten to this point because we have come together to support each other to be safe and followed what our health experts have recommended we do.  A big part of continuing this progression will be to use the COVIDsafe App. The executive of the Club discussed this issue at its last meeting and resolved to recommend to all club members to download and use the app.  We think it is important to do this to support everyone in this effort and give us all a better chance to getting back to doing all the things we love and had taken for granted. Download the COVIDsafe app now!

Once we’re back to normal…

How about we emulate the feat of a couple of the team at Cycling Tips who tried to ride every single street in their suburb (Ivanhoe, Melbourne). We could do all of Mansfield, including the gravel!

Friday Night News

Isolation Cup results

Apologies for the delay… but it’s a bit tricky trying to organise handiapping afterwards. However, John and Damian have managed to work their Handicapping Magic and come up with the following:

Congratulations to Ariel and Dan on their wins!

We’ll try to find some kind of ‘prize’ in the trophy cabinet. (The pressure in now on Dan to back this up over winter and maintain it through all of next Summer’s Road Race Series!)

Keep your eyes out for the next Isolation Cup in another newsletter soon. It’ll be on Strava again but probably just an existing Strava Segment next time.

Upcoming Events

L’Etape Australia - The course hasn’t been revealed yet (due next week) but it’ll be based somewhere around the Shoalhaven/Illawarra/Southern Highlands area of NSW. Simon Gerrans is the Ambassador for 2020… maybe a few from Mansfield should go to show him some support. Here are the details.

7P7D - There’s already talk about doing Victoria’s Seven Peaks later this year, once we’re allowed. Starting near Mt Baw Baw, the aim is to ride all 7 peaks in 7 days, including all the ‘flat’ bits between the peaks… it’s over 1,000km in distance and over 18,000 vertical metres of climbing! Current rumour has departure pencilled in for early to mid November.

The Isolation Cup!

We’re racing again… kind of.

The MMBCC are hosting the Isolation Cup this weekend. It’s just a bit of a test and if it works, we’ll try to do this more regularly over the coming months.

Saturday 11 April, it’s roadie day. There’ll be two stages, both on the Whitfield Road.

Stage 1 is a 4km time trial / sprint section between Barwite Road and the Broken River, heading north, away from town.

Stage 2 is a 10km hillclimb between Sawpit Gully Road and Spring Creek Road - the same as the Rob Curtis Memorial.

Update! Each course will be signposted. There’ll be signs installed on Whitfield Road near the start and finish line of each road stage on Saturday. Keep in mind that Strava is only accurate to a few metres - so get a flying start!

Sunday 12 April is mountain bike day. It’s the most of the standard, full XC Loop at Riflebutts but doesn’t include Bogan’s Beginnings, Ants Pants and Fourteen Farts. Your time will be taken on two consecutive laps! Update: arrows will be installed marking the course at Riflebutts on the day.

There are a few rules though:

• You can ride anytime between 7am and 4pm to log a time;

• You can have as many goes as you want between 7am and 4pm - your best time counts;

• As per current social/spatial distancing guidelines, no more than two at a time, unless you’re part of the one household; and

• This will be decided on Strava!

If you’re not already on Strava, you’ll need to download the app to your phone - use this link - and start an account. It’s free. Or if you already use a Garmin or Wahoo computer, you need to upload your ride data to your Strava account.

Once you’re into Strava, or you’re already on it, request to join the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club within Strava. As long as you’re a current club member via MTBA or CA, you’ll be granted access!

After the weekend, we’ll check to see who posted the best times and try to find some prizes to award. Winners will be based on our standard handicaps and there might also be prizes based on weight and age (which Strava will want to know anyway.)

Please remember - no more than TWO RIDING TOGETHER unless you’re from the same household!

So… what are you waiting for? Go get Isolated!