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MMBCC VDHS round
The weekend of March 22-23 will see the club host a round of the Victorian Down Hill Series on South Blue Range.
We’re still looking for a few volunteers to fill some spots. If you can help out, please contact Melanie Green with your availability. This is the club’s only big event this year, with the Mansfield Tour not going ahead. So please help out if you can…
Dirt Critters Update
By Tim Ross
The Dirt Critters crew braved the hot weather this week with some timed XC laps, riding against their own times recorded six months earlier; the biggest improvement wins.
The younger group raced around ‘Bogans’ with honours going to Dayna (a massive 35 seconds faster than last time) then Angus C.
The older group firstly raced around ‘Critters’ with Micah doing best (shaving 15 second off his previous time).
They then took on the longer ‘Joyride’ circuit and this time it was Baz doing best (over a minute better) followed by Micah and Jarrah. DNFs for the other three, who all inadvertently took a shortcut home!!
Next week Luke will be back to run some timed Enduro laps.
Howdy Howdy Howdy
By Damian Grundy
Thanks everyone for coming out for another fun night cruising around Rifle Butts Mountain Bike Park for an Irish Handicap on Tuesday 4 March.
Welcome to three first timers: Lachlan Steel, Ruby Rademaker and Ben Hoogesteger, we look forward to seeing them become regulars.
Whilst the race handicapping was once again an Irish Handicap, It had been decided by the brains-trust that we would have a mass start race and apply time corrections to finish times.
I do enjoy a proper shoulder-to-shoulder race start, fun fun fun!😊
So the starter (thanks Adam) said go and off we all rushed to complete our allotted number of laps as quickly as possible.
At the end it was young Ben Ross coming out on top with a corrected time of 38min flat, Archie Smith 2nd 38:06, Willem Morphett 3rd, Ruby Rademaker 4th 3:27, and Damian (yours truly) Grundy 5th and also fastest on the night 39:06.
Next week is a gravity night and then The Australian Mountain Bike National Championships at Mt Buller at the end of next week.
The long and the short of it
By Beau Geste
The short version.
They started first… they finished first. End of story!
The Longer version.
18 riders registered to race on the 6th of March, unfortunately Micala Jacobs was a late scratching due to Super Mum duties, we hope that Mica is feeling better soon.
Adam Baker, Wil Wilson and Ian Conrick were first to leave, they were followed by the pair of Steve Curnow and Janine Appleton (Last week’s winner), then came a strong group of Heath “the hammer” Hammond, Steve Duke, Adrian Dowd and Simon Mulvihill. Block was made up of evergreens Darren Bakker, Dev Moore and Simon Hall and an unusually large Scratch group comprising Ryder Chadd, Steve Brown, Damian Grundy, Bruce Halket and Andy Garrett were the last to leave.
Early tipping was in favour of the large Scratch group, where strong riders and stronger winds should have prevailed, however this was not to be.
Wilson, Conrick and Baker rode a beautiful team race.Conrick left the group early in affairs to provide a decoy for the big groups to chase. Whilst the strong and friendly southerly winds were mighty helpful pushing even bigger and older riders up “The Giant of South Barwite”, The Coombesberg, Baker waited for the larger and “older” Wilson to ascend the Coombesberg and they rode a strong leg on Barwite Road and into the now unfriendly southerly wind.
With several hundred metres to go and the climb to the showgrounds ahead, Baker was unleashed and crossed the finish line in a glorious first place. Wilson managed a creditable second, with Darren Bakker (aka Dario Baccarini) fresh from a non-cycling induced concussion protocol, winning the sprint for third. Steve Duke and Simon Hall rounded out the top five places.
This was truly a “Gingerbread man” race.
In some late news from last week’s race, the rarely achieved Bakker/Ross award was won by David Jagger who is now welcomed as a member of this esteemed club.
Thanks to the volunteers and officials without whom racing would not be possible.
Next week racing will be on the Long Lane Barwite Road Course, this being the third last race of the Summer series, results are crucial in the aggregate award.
Here are the results and thanks to Tony and Alex for the pics this week.
Last weekend to order club kit
The Ventou club kit portal will close after this weekend. Get your order in now or miss out for another year.
Here is the link to the Ventou MMBCC page. If you don’t already have the code you need to get access, email Bruce for the code.
Keep up to date with MMBCC WhatsApp
It’s the best way to keep up-to-date on any last minute changes to planned rides and races plus to find out the latest gossip.
For instance, did you hear the latest about VDHS organiser and Road Sub-Committee Chair Alex Green?
Many of you will know he used to be the CEO of Mansfield Shire Council.
He’s now in management at the Department of Transport.
And no doubt you heard about the recent road closures of the Melba Highway near the Kinglake turnoff.
Get your tinfoil hat ready because those three things are all connected!
Rumours have it that Alex is part of a secret cabal of Liberal Party and Mt Buller luminaries who plan to build a new underground motorway to allow Toorak residents much quicker access to the mountain.
The recent and upcoming roadworks on the Melba will be the tunnel entrance! And in a savage act of revenge, the Shire Offices will actually be the tunnel exit!