Not racing and racing in the rain…
Not racing in the tropical downpour - dirt crits
By Damian Grundy
Summer really is coming - at some stage! But winter called in last week for a few days to say good bye.
Not surprisingly with all the rain, Dirt Crits had to be cancelled last week. Kate and I have discussed next week and decided to put this week's XC on next Tuesday.
Dave is home next Wednesday, so the first Gravity night will be the week after, once he gets back.
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racing in the cold and wet - road racing
By Bruce Halket
A wise, anonymous cyclist once said, “The way to end a drought is to put on a bike race.” So it proved this week.
The dry September abruptly ended on Tuesday forcing the cancellation of the season’s first session of Dirt Crits at Rifle Butts MTB Park; and then on Thursday we thought the rain had eased off in time to race in the dry.
Wrong!
A drizzly evening saw 17 entrants reduced to 14 starters for the 25km along Whitfield Road from the Botanic Park to Sawpit Gully Road and back for the first MMBCC road race of the ‘summer’.
With the Limit group a late Scratching, first up off 14 minutes was Dave Jagger and John Eisner. The two of them were telling anyone within earshot they’d been off the bike for weeks. But everyone knew they’d been regulars in Jock’s shed on the trainer over winter, working hard on their fitness. Nice try boys!
Next, off 11 minutes, was Steve Curnow (recently returned from hiking in the Flinders Ranges) and Ian Conrick (still recovering from Geelong missing the finals.) Their group had been reduced by a late scratching too, making their task much more difficult.
Another scratching saw the next group reduced from five to four. Off 4.30 was Darren Bakker (keen to give his new, ex-GreenEdge Giant its first local hit-out), Ant Bateup (on his recently updated gravel-bike-turned-road-bike), Adrian Dowd (hoping his injured achilles had recovered) and defending series champion turned winter hill runner Mick Pearce.
Next group to go, off 3.00 consisted of multiple-time Australian mtb champ Ruby Dobson and a couple of old blokes, Steve Duke and me.
Finally came the contingent from Seymour Broadford Cycling Club - Shayne Kirby and Andy Garrett off 1.00 and Jake Lay was the sole Scratch rider.
Lay caught Block about 5km into the race and the three SBCC boys powered their way through the field.
Dowd was the first in trouble. Nursing an injury is not the best way to gain fitness and he was dropped from his group early. Next to go was Duke who couldn’t hang on to Dobson up the hills.
As the SBCC train went through the field, a few of us managed to hang on for a bit; Dobson, Bakker and me. Dobson was the first to drop off when an early morning trainer session, school all day, then the gym, finally caught up with her near Long Lane. Bakker’s phoopha valve blew up the hill near Barwite Road.
And after we’d finally caught and passed the Limit group (really good ride by Eisner and Jagger!) I actually started to think I might be a chance. Then the SBCC boys accelerated after Possums and I just simply wasn’t strong enough to keep up with them going downhill!
Lay took the win, in 36 minutes and 20 seconds, ahead of Kirby and Garrett. I managed to hang on for fourth ahead of Bakker; then came Eisner, Jagger, Dobson, Bateup and Pearce made into the final spot of the top ten.
A huge thanks to our team of marshals and Commissaires for braving the cold, wet conditions to allow us to safely race - Mel, Janine, Belinda, Cam, Tim and Alex. Plus thank you to our ‘official’ club photographer, Tony Copland, for braving the cold, wet conditions to produce the following evidence that we’re all hard AF. Or silly. Or both?
And here are the results.
Next week it’s the Barwite Loop. Entries via Entry Boss and check the duty roster!
AGM wrap-up
A very productive night at the Mansfield Hotel meeting room, back on Wednesday 6 September.
Dave, Janine, Cam and Liam have agreed to go again as President, Treasurer, Secretary and Recreational Rep respectively. Steve Brown has joined the Executive as a general member. Bruce decided to pull the pin as Vice President but will keep sharing the website and newsletters with Josh Hopwood. There were a few others changes to some of the other sub-committees too.
Healthy discussions were had on lots of topics - all the details can be found in the Minutes, click here to go to the Documents page.