Sunday Arvo Update
Invitation to all MMBCC members - Xmas break-up
The committee of the MMBCC would like to invite all members to our annual Christmas party to be held this Thursday 15 December from 7.30pm at the Mansfield Hotel.
The club is providing a couple of platters of nibbles for starters with a small tab on the bar. Everyone is encouraged to order something from the delicious menu to support our amazing long term sponsors, The Mansfield Hotel. Once again we would like to formally acknowledge the support from Lesa and Steve Brown over 2022, with meal vouchers at every road race, a venue to reflect on the drama's of the race or "could have beens" and catch up with familiar faces, whether racing or not. The Mansfield Hotel is also a major sponsor of the Mansfield Hotel Tour, which is planned again for 2023 on 4 and 5 March.
It would be especially wonderful to see some more mountain bikers there, so the club is paying for any Under 18 mountain biker's meal (must be a member - see Janine before ordering).
RSVP by 9pm on Tuesday 13 December to Janine via email.
So come along for a feed and a drink and we’ll raise a glass to celebrate the start of our mid-season hiatus.
Matt gets revenge
By Dave Empey
Back to Gravity Enduro this week and a change of trails. This week’s course was a little more technical than the previous tracks but everyone raced well.
Racing was certainly tight across the entire field with less than one and a half minutes separating the entire field and just 13 seconds separating the top five. Matthew Empey got revenge for last week’s drubbing by Nathan Dabbs in the XC, with Sam Mosley, Archie Smith, and Zac Empey hot on their heels.
Here are the results.
Next will be the last race before the Xmas break and, as most have requested from Santa, it will be another Gravity Enduro.
Club kit open for orders
Ventou club kit is now available. Here is the link you need - email Bruce for the code to get access.
For those that ride off-road more often than on- there is a Ventou-designed mtb jersey coming soon. (As soon as the design is finalised, we’ll publish it here.)
Sales close online at the end of the year with delivery expected about mid-February.
Ian Conrick. Some say he’s a good lookin’ rooster. Here at MMBCC Towers, we think he looked good like this in 2007 but now it’s looking a bit too retro. Time to update the club kit Ian. (John, Dave - you blokes too!)
Don’t forget the ’S’
By Bruce Halket
The MMBCC’s first foray out to Jamieson this season was a ripper! Thirteen entrants made the trip south for 28km of quiet, undulating road to Sailor Bill’s Creek and back on Thursday 8 December.
First away was Micala ‘Don’t forget the S’ Jacobs and Tony Morris off Limit, 18 minutes ahead of Scratch. The conversation club of Dave Jagger and John Eisner followed at 10.30, with Steve Curnow going solo off seven minutes; next was Janine Appleton, Bella Green and Craig Wilson off 5.30; Rob Skinner and Mick Pearce off 2 minutes and Scratch saw Steve Brown, Steve Duke and Dave Moore start last.
First hiccup of the night was Bella Green who only realised just before the start that she didn’t have a tail light on. By the time she got back to the car and installed it, Janine and Wil had already started and Bella had to ride alone. She was caught not long after the fast-starting pair of Skinner and Pearce and these three were looking good during the southbound leg till Bella got dropped.
Appleton and Wilson caught Curnow before the turn and hunted down Jagger and Eisner not long after.
In the meantime, the Scratchies were steadily making ground on those ahead and Green even managed to hang on to them for a while near Sailor Bill’s Creek.
But Limit just kept plugging away and maintained a healthy lead throughout.
Coming to the finish line, opposite Sappers Track in Jamieson, Jacobs powered away from Morris to take an emphatic win, ensuring we won’t spell her surname wrong again. A mere 30 seconds later, Steve Brown stormed across the line to take third in the fastest time of 48.02.
The top ten was rounded out by Duke, Pearce, Appleton, Moore, Skinner, Wilson and Jagger.
Many thanks to Mel, Charlie and Darren for marshalling and to the Jamieson Brewery for the meal and presentations - until the power went out.
No photos this week as Tony was away and Bruce wasn’t organised enough to take any. Here are the results.
Next week’s final race of 2023 is around the Barwite Loop and is followed by the MMBCC Xmas Break-up at the Mansfield Hotel. All members are invited to celebrate the start of our mid-season hiatus; a break to either work on some fitness and skill before the second half of the season or to burn off the calories from Xmas.