Yes, an update to the update - a lot this week:
- Photoshoot Monday:
- Last week's Four-Up (with pics this time!);
- Monday's Backwards Handicap Dirt Crits;
- Changes to Thursday night race duty;
- BMX update;
- More on Damian's coaching;
- Thursday night's Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap; and
- A bike for sale.
Talent wanted!
Do you have a couple of spare hours on Monday afternoon?
To promote cycling around Mansfield, the Shire are taking some photos of roadies late on Monday afternoon - around 4pm.
If you can help out - we need you! - please call Danielle Roberts on 0409 007 196.
Four-Up - Thursday 9 November
by David Jagger
The cycle race last week was considerably different from the standard road race. A series of short sprint heats were raced culminating in a final. Cyclists were divided into four grades depending on their ability. Within each group, cyclists raced in a sprint of four people over a comparatively short distance of 1km. Some older and wiser cyclists played a game of cat and mouse with a slow amble for the first 900m, juggling for position and preparing for a fast dash to the finish. Riders with either great endurance or no tactics just put the pedal down and sprinted for the whole kilometre!
The event attracted about forty riders with ages ranging from 11 to 65. D grade contained some of the younger riders and a few new to racing. Ben Grundy showed that he is a good sprinter winning the group from Elise Empey and Judi Duke. He seemed to have the attitude of attacking from the front. C grade was won by Tim Hall who displayed cunning and just knew when to take off (as they say in the classics, “start as late as possible but before anyone else”) and outsprinted John Eisner and Jodie Batchelor.
Just to prove that experience isn’t everything, B grade almost had an upset with newcomer to the club, Cameron Dobson just falling short of taking the flag as Dave Moore won the final. Nathan Pelling was hot on their heels and rolled over the line in third in his best result so far.
The big boys were trying to sort themselves out during the heats. Young guns Dan Purcell and Kian Lerch-MacKinnon were chomping at the bit just to sprint the races whilst seasoned cyclists were happy for them to do the hard work. In the end though, brawn still beat cunning with Rob Curtis and Bruce Halket rolling across the line in third and fourth.
Overall a great night with brilliant Spring weather. Here are the results.
Next week is the Alain Guerin Memorial handicap in memory of our beloved club member who tragically died out on the Buller Road three years ago. It should be an interesting race finishing with a hill top climb on the dreaded “Coombesberg”.
Crit Dirts
A very different, backwards format of racing on Monday night saw Dave Moore take the bikkies.
Thursday race duty update
The club race trailer is now stored in the shipping container up at the High School.
If you’re rostered on first, in bold, you need to organise to get it in time for each race.
The next three are Tom Macmunn, Dave Moore and David Jagger. Here’s the calendar so you can see when you're rostered on.
And here is the Road Race Info page with the updated details on how to get the trailer.
BMX Update
Hayden Fletcher will miss this weekend's Victorian BMX titles at Wyndham to prepare to leave for Tulsa Oklahoma on Monday for what is called THE GREATEST BMX RACE ON EARTH, the USABMX Grand Nationals,
Hayden has been in good form, with two wins at local Melbourne race tracks and a 3rd place at last week's Knox Thunderdome.
After breaking his collarbone 6 weeks before last year's race and not being fully fit, Hayden is super keen to put on a much better show this time around.
Hayden would like to thank the MMBCC for the many years support for his high performance grants, money that has helped fund this trip.
In other BMX news, 8 year old MMBCC BMX member Finn Baker is doing double duties this weekend at the Victorian Championships, racing in the 8-10 yr old cruiser class (24 inch bikes) and in the 8 year old boys Expert class. All this while his dad Adam will officiate at the four day meeting - around 800 riders will compete traveling from all over Australia. Good luck Finn!
Recapture your youth
with Damian Grundy
Road training and coaching session - Tuesday 21 November 4.30pm
The best sports physiologist that I ever worked with always emphasised that ‘Novelty’ was a key component of the best training plans.
Tuesday’s session from Mansfield Botanic Park will be novel indeed, the question is: how good are you at pedalling? This will be a limited, low gear, single speed training session.
Come along, all ages welcome.
Please let me know by SMS 0411 045 771 if you are coming.
The first session that you attend is a freebie. However after that there will be a small charge for the sessions: Juniors $5 and Seniors $10.
Road sessions will be every second week: 21/11/17, 5/12/17 & 19/12/17
Mountain bike sessions at Riflebutts - 29/11/17, 13/12/17.
Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap
On the left: Laurent Guerin and Jean-Daniel Guerin with winner Brendon Green. On the right, the podium of Jules Fleures, Brendon Green and Dan Purcell.
The third running of the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap Road race was held with the threat of inclement weather and a large field of riders. 34 local riders were joined by 10 riders from Melbourne, mostly with the Hometec shutters team, which includes Alain’s sons Jean-Daniel and Laurent.
The “big smoke” inclusions filled spots at the fast end of the field with the scratch group consisting of six riders, local lads, Kian Lerch-Mackinnon and and Dan Purcell, and part-time local Jules Fleurus. With this many strong riders the winner would surely emerge from this group.
The block group contained 7 riders and second block 9 riders, this was an evening of fast bunch riding with the final result being decided on the north side of “the Coomsberg” of Old Tolmie Rd.
Groups rode well on Whitfield Rd to the turn-around point at Sawpit Gully Rd and it was not until Barwite Rd the scratch group exerted their dominance over the race, passing all in front of them, leaving only the final climb of the Coomsberg to sort out the important placings.
The group consisting David Jagger, Allan Gerrans, Ian Conrick, Steve Curnow and John Eisner rode strongly to stay away from most of the rest of the field and would feature strongly on the final result.
In the final, only three seconds separated the top ten finishers, making recording results a challenging task for our volunteers and demonstrating some fine handicapping skill.
Tenth place was occupied by David Jagger who was led by Allan Gerrans, Bruce Halket, Brad Thexton, Lewis Dowie (In his second race and on a MMBCC loan bike), fifth place was secured by Rob Curtis, fourth Kian Lerch-Mackinnon, third was Jules Fleurus, second Dan Purcell and the eventual winner at the same time as Dan was Brendon Green of Team Hometec shutters.
A great race and a deserving winner.
The reason for the memorial highlights two issues for us at the club, firstly the loss of our friend and colleague “Au revoir mon ami”, and secondly the need to highlight safety on our roads.
Thank you to our volunteers and Commissaires, without whom we cannot race.
Here are the results.
Bike for sale
Gavin Bailieu has his bike for sale so he can buy himself a more suitable one.
Please have a look.