Warm weekend update

Hope you’re getting out on the bike while the weather’s so nice… and before the Silly Season gets too silly!
(If you’re reading this on BookFace, don’t forget to subscribe to the MMBCC News on the website.)

Dirt Crits

Last week’s results saw this week’s field split into three grades: A, B and C.

Ruby Dobson proved that tan wall tyres increase your speed by taking A-grade on new rubber.

Younger brother Charile showed there’s something in the genes, just getting to the line ahead of a much-improved Stu Clark to win B-grade.

Selina Green proved the fastest of the Green Girls taking out C-grade.

Here are the results.

Next week is a four-run Gravity Enduro. Don’t be late for the start!

Racing on The Coombesberg

By Beau Geste, Boorolite Times cycling correspondent

Thursday 10 November 2020 will be remembered for strong southerlies and the looming giant - “The Coombesberg”. 19 Riders took to the road in howling winds, 12 minutes separating Scratch rider Josh Hopwood from the Limit group of Wil Wilson and Di Condie.

Wind usually brings a result for the strong riders and Thursday’s race was no exception.

After the start Condie and Wilson worked hard against a savage and brutal cross head wind to finally turn onto Graves Road and enjoy the tail wind which was to push them up the treacherous slopes of the “Coombesberg” and over into the land of Barwite.

In later groups Josh Hopwood was mopping up all before him setting a blistering pace, groups split, riders were unceremoniously “dispatched out the back” as the test of the Coombesberg took it’s toll.

Block group of Dev Moore, Chris Miller (Welcome), Ewyn Carter, Nathan Pelling and Jarrod Appleton stayed more or less together but were no match for the power and speed of the Hopwood, who blew them away early in the race.

Other groups broke up, reformed and all completed the course within 7 minutes of each other.

Condie and Wilson stayed away seeing very little of the race behind, “never saw them” Wil said.

Wil prevailed in the end with Di second and Belinda Cipa breaking away from her group for a strong 3rd place. Josh Hopwood placed 4th with the fastest time for the day 30:54.

Wil said after the race ”Staying together wins races”, he also said a lot of other stuff.

Presentations were enjoyed at the club’s new sponsor, The Mansfield Hotel, a great social atmosphere where everybody promptly forgot who won and agreed that it was a great race… perhaps one of the best!

Thanks to our volunteers and our sponsors, especially our new sponsor “The Mansfield”. Next week is the Rob Curtis Memorial Time Trial on Whitfield Road to from Sawpit Gully Road up to Spring Creek Road - “No place for fat old men”.

Here are the comprehensive results (with thanks to The Handicapper) and thanks also to Tony Copland for the excellent camera work.

MMBCC club kit reminder

A few members have contacted Bruce regarding club kit - but not enough for a minimum order yet.

The Ventou club kit has been updated to include the AusCycling logo. If you want some, please contact Bruce.

New bikes for GreenEDGE

The Kings of Bland formally-known as Mitchelton-Scott have traded in their bland Swiss steeds for some much-needed Italian flair for next year. The team will have a new name, ride new Bianchi bikes (Mi piace molto!) and hopefully have some new, not-so-bland, kit to wear.

Don’t forget…

The ATC gravel ride very Wednesday during Daylight Savings. Meet at ATC in High St at 5.50 for an hour of gravel, rewarded afterwards by a fermented recovery beverage.

Early December Update

Dirt Crits

The first Seniors Dirt Crits race last Tuesday was a ‘seeding’ race - to form the basis of handicaps for the rest of the season.

Five laps of a ‘Dave Empey Signature’ course awaited the 16 riders on the start line.

After a slight navigational issue at the start, Ruby Dobson made her way to the front of the field and was never headed. Dan Friday and Bruce Halket fought it out behind her with Dan comfortably taking the second step on the podium. Here are the results.

Big ‘ups’ to some Tuesday night newcomers: Dan Riley, Stu Clark, Ant Bateup and Rob Mosley.

Next week will be a series of graded races, based on these results; we might even find out who was sand bagging.

Ruby’s form obviously continued through to the weekend… congratulations to Ruby on winning the first round of the Victorian MTB Championship Series at Forrest on Saturday. Hopefully she’ll repeat the result at Sunday’s race two.

The next round of the series will be at Ballarat next weekend; the round after that will be held at Eildon on Sunday 10 January. More details on the series here.

Howes Creek, O’Hanlons and THAT hill!

By Tim Hall

It was a beautiful night for racing – warm and sultry, but the finish at the top of the hill of O’Hanlon Rd / Campagnolo’s Road is always dreaded by those in the know.

Limit riders John Eisner, Di Condie and David Jagger started together but quickly left John behind on the rolling hills of Howes Creek Road. John was later heard to say that he was off to have some serious words of displeasure with the handicapper.

Second limit group of Tim Hall, Craig ‘Wil’ Wilson and Andrew Clark worked well together to catch Limit on the way out, making a robust group of five for the rest of the race.

Behind them Janine Appleton and Mike Pearce worked together, too strong for Steve Curnow who fell off the group early. Janine was determined to beat daughter Talia up the climb to the finish. Mike rode strongly, noting this as his first race with the club.

Great to have Rob Skinner back racing after some considerable time off the bike. His group, with Talia, Ian Gipps and Anthony Plumber got caught by Scratch, but not early enough for them to help Talia to catch Janine.

Back at Scratch, Matt Hoskin also had his first ride with the club. Ewyn Carter was fast on the flat, with Will Calvert-Jones and James Dunn just fast throughout. Scratch caught ‘Block, then it all fell apart in the chase for the front markers.

Heading back in from the McMillan Point Drive turn-around, the Limit group worked hard to stay away. Although nearly missing the turn into Campagnolo Road, Tim was first around the corner and made best use of a small break to push on up the hill to the line to take the win in a corrected time of 48:23.

Everyone struggles on the hill; it’s a great commendation to the club members that every rider is encouraged and cheered across the line. Wil came in second, with Dave third.

Fastest time went to James Dunn, off Scratch, in a time of 38:19.

Thanks as always to the race committee and the marshals, who make all this possible!

Here are the results and many thanks once again to Tony Copland for the pics (Isn’t it strange how no one seems to be smiling on the O’Hanlon Road shots?! - Ed.)

Next week’s racing is the Barwite Loop; starting at Rodwell’s, and finishing on Mt Battery Road outside the Showgrounds. Entries to John Eisner by 8pm Wednesday night thanks!

Club kit sales open soon

The MMBCC club kit from Ventou has been updated and will be available for sale shortly. The logos on the jersey have been updated to include AusCycling for a cleaner, neater look.

If you want club kit for the fist time, or need to update your tired, old stuff, please contact Bruce.

(It takes about 8 weeks to make the kit once the orders are finalised… so think about the cooler weather next year too - Ventou make a really good winter jacket at a reasonable price.)

ATC Gravel shop ride

All Terrain Cycles are now hosting a Wednesday night, no-drop, gravel ride. Over the ‘summer months’ (while we have Daylight Savings) we’ll meet at ATC in High St at 5.50 every Wednesday evening for an hour of meandering off-road followed by a fermented recovery beverage at a local watering hole.

Everyone is welcome!

Weekend news

A big update of racing news this week (both on- and off-raod) and a huuuge note of thanks.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the MMBCC News - on the right hand side of the Home page.

Dirt Crits starts again this Tuesday

Juniors

4.00-4.30pm Sprocket Rockets ages 5-7yrs.

4.30-5.00pm Chain Gang 8-10 yrs.

5.00-5.30pm Trail Blazers 11yrs +

(generally 13 plus should go to Seniors at 6pm, but if you’re new to MTB racing, then start with Juniors).

There’s a $10 charge for the 3 weeks in December - 1st, 8th and 15th.

If you haven’t been to Junior Dirt Crits before, Tuesday 1 December is a Come and Try Day - bring your bike and a helmet and give it a go!

If you have been to Dirt Crits before, you’ll need a valid MTBA/AusCycling membership - go to the Join Now page for details and a link to AusCycling if you don’t already have one. No license, no start.

Seniors

6.00-7.00pm. For the first week, Seniors will be a series of graded races; A, B, C and possibly D. Course planning is currently underway and will be unveiled on Tuesday to great acclaim! (Right Dave?)

All riders need a valid MTBA/AusCycling membership - go to the Join Now page for details and a link to AusCycling if you don’t already have one. No license, no start.

Road racing is back, baby!

By Will Calvert-Jones

After the Covid-delay, the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club summer season finally got under way on Thursday 26 November. Questions were posed; was the Paps fire going to affect air quality? Well, No. How was everyone else’s winter fitness? Subpar and keen. Was the handicapper paid for favourable times? Maybe. But, gee, were we excited to be back racing?! YEAH!

The route was thirty kilometres with road and gravel involved. Those on gravel bikes, not so much involved.

Bypass Eisner (welcome back, old chap) took us off limit but was stopped at the Rifle Butts traffic light. Janine and Nathan worked seamlessly to Booroolite together, with the block group of Tom, Talia, Anthony and Will breathing down their necks. Scratch group (the faster ones that leave last to catch the others) consisting of Bruce, Steve, Dave, Browny and Kody had matches to burn and were ready to strike on the bumpy stuff. Except for Kody, who needed to see a man about a dog, under a tree, out of sight from everyone mid-race with a puncture.

They nearly caught Will who crossed in first with Browny roaring in for second and the fastest time. Nathan took the last podium place on his sparkly new steed while Bruce and John rounded out the top five.

Many kudos to the committee and organisers for getting the race season off and running. The bike club is keen for more participants both fast and leisurely, check out our website for upcoming events.

All the best to Judi and Browny on their recoveries.

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

Next week it’s the O’Hanlon’s Road finish; starting at Lord’s Ground, we ride all the way out to the end of McMillan Point Drive and back, then turn left onto the dreaded finishing hill. Entries to John via SMS by 6pm Wednesday…

Get well soon Judi and Steve

If you hadn’t heard on the grapevine, Judi Duke and Steve Brown were involved in an accident during the usual recovery ride on Friday morning. Both were taken to hospital but are, thankfully, on the mend.

The club sends all our best wishes to both Judi and Steve for a speedy recovery and hope they’re both back on the bike soon.

We also send a huge thanks to those that helped out at the incident; in particular the members of the public and tradies who stopped to assist and helped direct traffic until the emergency services arrived. We’re really grateful for your assistance.

Thank you to the police and ambos for their efficient help and a massive thanks to the other riders/club members who helped out too.

New road race calendar and duty roster

The next few races are now up on the Events Calendar. Have a read through and check when you’re rostered on. The rest of the season’s races will be published shortly.

To make it a little easier, here is just the duty roster on one page. There’s only a few races listed at the moment, the rest will be updated shortly.

Finally…

Here’s a link to the 2021 Pink Bike Trail and Enduro bike Field Test.

After news earlier in the week that Simon Gerrans is getting involved in cycling again now that he’s back in Australia, here is news on what other retired pros are doing.

And with AusCycling starting up earlier this month, here’s an interview with the incoming CEO.

Road race course detour for tonight

Due to roadworks on the Mansfield-Woods Point Road (at the corner of Riflebutts Road) tonight’s race will need to detour along Delatite Lane.

This won’t change the overall course length but will add to the amount of gravel - up from 4km to 10km.

See you at 5.30 on the corner of Pollards Road!

The Let's-go-racing update

With restrictions easing further on Sunday - it’s time to start Covid-Safe racing!

Dirt Crits

Racing will start at Riflebutts MTB Park on Tuesday 1 December. More details soon.

Road racing

Thanks for being patient. Three more sleeps until Thursday 26 November - our first race for the 2020/21 Summer Season. 

It’s 29km including some gravel - starting at the corner of Pollards Road, near the airstrip, travelling along Jamieson Road, left onto Chapel Hill Road and onto the gravel, left onto Hearns Lane, left again onto Buller Road and finishing at Walsh’s driveway. 

If you want to race, you need to text John Eisner on 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.

We will be allocating permanent season numbers on the night. You will be responsible for this number for the whole season. If you have a specific race number you want, please let John Eisner know. A reminder that there will be no entry fees for the races up until Christmas.

A couple of other things to keep in mind:

• If you drive out to the start line, please park safely and allow for smooth flow of traffic along Pollards Road;

• if you don’t enter the race and just come out for a look, we ask that you use the QR scan code at the event for an accurate record of who attends;

• Think about which tyres you are planning to ride on. We are hoping to have a tail car to pick up the riders with flats;

• Remember your mask for before and after the event; and

• It’s back to the Mansfield Hotel for drinks and/or dinner afterwards. We will have two or three tables of 10, so feel free to come along at around 7.30 pm after the race, out in the courtyard.

AGM highlights

The covid19-delayed AGM was finally held at the Delatite Hotel for the MMBCC AGM on Monday 26 October.

Damian Grundy has stepped down as President after two years and as Dirt Crits co-ordinator after years and years! A huge thank you to Damian for all his work. Hopefully we’ll see him on the bike a bit more often from now on.

Thank you too to Belinda Cipa who has resigned from the Secretary’s role. Belinda stepped in at short notice after Donna Stephenson moved to the other side of the country.

Congratulations to Mauro Brega on being elected President and to Cameron Dobson who is our new Secretary.

Many thanks to Kate and Dave Empey who have put their hands up to organise Dirt Crits this summer.

The minutes from the AGM will be available to download from the Documents page very soon.

Finally being able to have more than 10 people meet together meant we finally had a chance to present the trophies from last summer’s racing. Here are the photos of the winners and the final points scores for your perusal.

Summer Road Race Championship

L to R: 3rd Talia Appleton, 1st Janine Appleton, 2nd Bruce Halket.

Women’s Road Race Trophy

L to R: 2nd Talia Appleton, 1st Janine Appleton.

Dirt Crits

L to R: 3rd Maddi Smith, 1st Ruby Dobson.

Alain Guerin Memorial Crossover Champion

L to R: 3rd Alex Green, 1st Talia Appleton, 2nd Bruce Halket.

Membership page updated

With the changeover to AusCycling on the first of November, the MMBCC Join Now page on memberships has been updated. This is the page you need to go to if you didn’t update your current membership before 1 November.

Whether you want to race road, MTB, BMX or even track cyclocross - AusCycling has you covered.

It’s an easy renewal process, just follow the instructions.

And remember - as it says on the Join Now page, no licence, no race.

Join BNV through the MMBCC

A completely new section on the Join Now page - just scroll down a bit further - is the option to join Bicycle Network Victoria through the MMBCC.

So, if you don’t want to race (or join AusCycling) yet still want to be covered by decent insurance, this might be for you.

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!