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.