Greetings from Patagonia
Tony Copland says hello from Patagonia… in his words, “A wild windy place with stunning scenery a long way from anywhere.”
More on the VDHS round at Mt Baw Baw
Five members from the MMBCC travelled to Mt Baw Baw on the weekend before last (15 & 16 Feb) to compete in round three of the Victorian State Downhill Series, which was also a category 1 selection race for the junior riders.
The weather proved to be less than favourable, with it raining solidly from 4.00 pm Friday to midnight Saturday. However, this didn’t deter anyone from riding especially Zac Empey who did a massive 8 practice runs on Saturday just because he could. Despite the poor conditions the riders put in some excellent performances.
Best result of the weekend went to Bella Green who won the Womens Sport class in her first DH race. Bella has been working hard and she is steadily improving. Looking forward to see what she can do in the future. Keep up the good work Bella.
Zac Empey finished a very credible 11th in his first DH race. He had the biggest class to contend with. Nearly 50 competitors, and he was racing a trail bike.
Matty Empey finished 4th in a very hotly contested U/19’s race with only 5 seconds separating 1st to 5th. The consistent results are a credit to Matthew as the upper end of the field seem to be swapping positions each race.
Elise Empey had a mixed weekend finishing 3rd in Elite women with 3 crashes. She qualified in first position for the final, beating the current world ranked number 8 rider by 15 seconds. But nerves appeared to get the better of her and she couldn’t put the race run together she needed for top spot.
Maddison Smith finished 6th in Elite women just off the podium. This is a great result for Maddy given her age and size. Maddy should be racing in U/15’s. She had a few bike issues during Saturday practice which where quickly sorted by her pit crew Adam Baker and Matt Darcy.
The Mansfield junior downhillers are starting to become a force to be reckoned with. All riders are steadily improving and showing commitment and skill. Keep up the good work.
All the riders are now preparing for the National Championships which are being held in Bright on the 14th of March.
Dirt Crits Irish Handicap - Tue 25 Feb
By Damian Grundy
After several weeks of racing with no reports (insert feeble excuse here!) here finally is a race report.
Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club mountain bike racing is alive and well!
A great turn out of competitors of 19 competitors were greeted by light rain meaning absolutely perfect course conditions. That is all except for the slippery wooden bridge.
A complete reversal of the usual riding direction threw several steeper pinches at the competition but the descending was as always lots of fun.
The podium was dominated by the young crew.
Charlie Dobson on his first night of seniors racing led the field home. Sam Moseley 2nd. Zac Empey 3rd. Archie O'Brien 4th and Daniel Biram 5th. Ariel Stava first female. Here are the results.
There are also a couple of other results now published - the Irish Handicap on 11 Feb and the Gravity Enduro on 18 Feb.
The social club with a cycling problem exemplified.
By Bruce Halket
Last Thursday’s road race was a handicap from the Botanic Park along Mansfield-Whitfield Road to a Sawpit Gully Road turnaround, then east along the Barwite Road and a finish on top of the ‘Coombesberg.’
15 started but none finished!
Just a hundred metres or so from the finish line, two riders came together which saw Steve Duke hit the deck.
Our club motto is “the social club with a cycling problem” - in a perfect display of our club member’s priorities, everyone stopped to make sure Steve was ok. No one cared about crossing the line for a result; so the race was declared null and void.
Steve was taken to Wangaratta Hospital by ambulance but thankfully Steve’s smashed-up helmet did its job and he’s already back home. He’s a bit battered and bruised and will miss the rest of this season but is already looking forward to being back on the bike for next season. Speaking of which, his bike barely has a scratch!
Many thanks to those who responded… from those who assisted on the road, those that cautioned oncoming traffic and those that comforted and assisted Steve’s wife Judi at the time and over the past few days.
Many thanks to our local Ambulance and Police for a quick response. And apologies and thank you to those motorists who were delayed while Steve and the ambulance were on the road.
Next week’s racing will be a series of Graded Scratch races, again starting at the Botanic Park and finishing on Graves Road.
Thanks to Jenni Sparnon for the pics.
The community needs your help
This from Rachelle Kinsmore of Mansfield Shire:
We are seeking community interest in our Age Friendly Project, in particular the ‘Community Support and Health Service Navigators’ project.
Our aim in this project is: to increase awareness and understanding amongst Mansfield Shire residents of the availability and entitlements to support services for over 55’s.
Our objective in this project is: to establish a network of age-friendly community ambassadors to support the community in navigating and advocating for community support and health services.
We are currently looking at implementing a new exercise program into our communities in particular concentrating on hard-to- reach / vulnerable sub populations, over the age of 55yrs, in a formal exercise program, that includes social connections.
If you or any of your members would be interested in this project or know any other groups or individuals who may be interested, please contact Rachelle Kinsmore or Bianca Sheeran on 5775 8563 or email Bianca with your interest.