Sunday update

Talia Appleton wins Eildon Junior Tour

Talia went to Eildon over the weekend to race the Eildon Tour in A-grade under-17 Women.

She was second on stage one, won solo by a mile on stage two and finished in a small bunch just behind the winner on stage 3. So after three stages on Saturday, she led the General Classification overnight by 40 seconds.

After Sunday’s hilly stage, she finished with the bunch to win overall by 15 seconds. Here are the details.

Congratulations Talia.

Ruby Dobson leads Vic CX Series

Many thanks to Mark Geary for the pic.

Ruby travelled to Creswick last weekend for two rounds of the Victorian State CycloCross Series. Racing in B-grade Women (not Juniors!) she finished second on Saturday and won on Sunday, meaning she now leads the B-grade overall. Details here.

The next round is at Beechworth on 18 July.

MMBCC at ECC

Saturday saw a large contingent of MMBCC roadies head to Yarra Glen for round one of the Eastern Cycling Club’s Tour de Metro series.

Steve Duke, Dave Moore, Darren Bakker and Ewyn Carter rode in C-grade with Ewyn grabbing second, Darren fifth, Steve finishing in the front bunch and Dave being visited by Mr Cramp.

Di Condie had a great ride in finished fourth in E-grade!

Well done all!

Many thanks to Mark Edwards from ECC for the pics. More pics available here.

AGM reminder

The MMBCC will hold the 2021 AGM on Wednesday 18 August 2021 at 7pm at the Mansfield Hotel.

We need vote on members of the Executive Committee and find some other committee members, hand out some Rider Development Grants, chat about road racing, Dirt Crits, Junior Development, the Mansfield Tour, the Buller round of the Vic Downhill Series and Recreational Rides. Get involved!

Grant reminder

With thanks to the Australian Communities Foundation, the MMBCC is accepting applications for Rider Development Grants for 2021-22. The Grants are designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers, to assist with the cost of travel, accommodation, equipment or training.

Click on this link to the Documents page where you can download the Rider Development Grant PDF.

Hurry! Applications are due by the end of July.

Finally…

Interesting article here from Iain Treloar at Cycling Tips on whether the Cofidis team, currently racing the Tour de France, are actually vampires.

If you’re really bored and want some ‘light’ reading, the club has adopted a new constitution in line with AusCycling guidelines. Feel free to download a copy from here and have a read.

End of Financial Year news

Annual General Meeting

The MMBCC will hold the 2021 AGM on Wednesday 18 August 2021 at 7pm at the Mansfield Hotel.

We need to vote on members of the Executive Committee and find some other committee members, hand out some Rider Development Grant money, chat about road racing, Dirt Crits, Junior Development, the Mansfield Tour, the Buller round of the Vic Downhill Series and Recreational Rides and more.

Between now and then, have a think about what you want from the club, what needs to change, what we need to discuss and even how you can get involved more.

Rider Development Grant

With many thanks to the Australian Communities Foundation, the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club is accepting applications for Rider Development Grants for 2021-22. This grant provides financial assistance for talented MMBCC cyclists aged 25 and under. The Grant is designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.

Grants are available to assist with the cost of travel, accommodation, equipment or training.

Click on this link to the Documents page where you can download the Rider Development Grant PDF.

The deadline for grant applications is Saturday 31 July 2021.

Krush Grassroots Scholarship

Mansfield locals Matt and Emma Darcy of Krush have announced a Grassroots Scholarship program.

Click here for all the details and links to the application form.

Long weekend update

Elise Empey named in Australian MTB World Championships team

Here are the details on the team selection. Unfortunately, with covid-19 still hangin’ around, most of the team won’t be able to travel to Italy to compete, including Elise. The consolation prize instead is a High-Performance Training Camp later this year..

Trail Towns on SBS

The ‘Great Victorian Rail Trail’ will feature as part of an upcoming episode of Trail Towns on SBS tomorrow Saturday, June 12 at 4:00pm. Trail Towns is a fresh and original new show for everyone who loves riding bikes, going on holidays and finding new and exciting places to ride, stay, eat and play.

Hosted by Paul Van Der Ploeg and Dieter Kahsnitz, they head off on an adventure trip to discover new Trail Towns around Australia.

The first episode on Canberra went to air last Saturday.

Here’s a list of all the episodes and their air dates:

• Episode 2: Great Victorian Rail Trail, Saturday June 12

• Episode 3: Western Australia’s Southern Forests & Valleys, Saturday June 19

• Episode 4: Victoria’s Ride High Country, Saturday June 26

• Episode 5: Goldfields Region of Victoria, Saturday July 17

• Episode 6: Murrumbidgee to the Mountains NSW, Saturday July 24

Have a look at the trailer for tomorrow’s GVRT episode here.

Presentation Night

Here are the details from the recent presentation night from last summer’s racing. Thanks to Alex Green for the pics.

Dirt Crits

Ant Bateup with club president Mauro Brega and recently-crowned, two-time Australian XC Champion Ruby Dobson, who presented the trophy.

Road Racing

Chris Miller needed help from Mauro to lift the trophy!

Women’s Road Racing

Third-placed Belinda Cipa with the winner, Di Condie.

Alain Guerin Memorial Crossover

The usual suspects.

Australian Cycling Champions 130 years of bicycle racing

Warren Beaumont of Plateau Publishing has announced the launch of a new cycling book about road and track bicycle racing called Australian Cycling Champions 130 years of bicycle racing.

It’s one of the most comprehensive books published that covers the early history and major timelines of Australian bicycle racing and the performances of our top national track and road cycling champions from the late 1880s to 2020.

The 400-page paperback book includes over 60 colour and black and white photographs and costs $23.99. Click here for more details.

Presentation night RSVP reminder

Please don’t forget to RSVP to Leonie if you’d like to come along to the Mansfield Hotel for the MMBCC 20/21 season presentations. It’ll be a great night! Email details are below…

Proper End of Summer Update

Yes, we need you to RSVP. Please SMS Leonie on 0417 598 220 or email her using this link.

Melburn Roobaix is back!

Sunday 27 June. Tickets to the best cobbled classic in Melbourne this year are on sale now.

The Giro d’Italia starts this weekend!

And for the first time in years, it’s back on SBS on free to air TV! Woohoo!

And here are the links for a couple of the best tipping comps - Velogames and Cycling Tips.

Upcoming events

More events are being listed on the AusCycling website Events Page all the time.

Monday night update

Tuesday will officially be the last night of MMBCC racing for the 20/21 season. As it’s the last night of Dirt Crits, there’ll be a special ‘break-up’ afterwards at the Mansfield Hotel, for post-race reviews, nibbles (provided) and fermented recovery ale.

With the expected influx of road traffic for the Easter long weekend, Thursday’s road race has been cancelled.

But there will still be the usual gathering at the Mansfield for imaginary post-race reviews, nibbles and fermented recovery ale.

End of the month News

After a week off, there is HEAPS to catch up on this week…

Dirt Critters (Junior Dirt Crits)

by Kate Stonnill

Junior Dirt Crits wrapped up on Tuesday and, despite the threat of rain, it finished on a high.

Maddie Brown and Miles Vivash, both in Sprocket Rockets, showed enormous improvement in confidence and technique in a short time, with great success riding the bridge. They lead the charge and finished with a race lap.

The Chain Gang group turned up keen to race and so they did the longest race this season, covering Bogans, Joyride & a hot lap in under 25 minutes! Micah Chadd led them home followed by Alastair Ross in 2nd, Max O’Brien in 3rd and Trent Bowman in 4th who finished strongly to catch the leaders.

The Trail Blazers were also keen to be challenged in their last week - they raced their longest race circuit with two laps of Joy Ride followed by a lap of Critters. They rode solidly for an average of 30 minutes. The win taken out convincingly by Rueben Bateup (only rider in sub 30min) followed by Ben Ross in 2nd, Charlie Mountain in 3rd, Elsie Leatham in 4th and Jesse Fields in 5th.

Each group finished off with some Easter cheers of drinks, lamingtons and easter eggs - and the leftovers were very appreciated by the Seniors.

Dirt Crits

By Dave Empey (Ghost written by Kate)

Seniors returned to the 10 lap short course undeterred by the threat of rain. The challenge was to see how quickly Ruby Dobson could catch and pass all of B grade who started 5 min ahead… which she did. Ruby finished first in A grade with a time of 31.05. Followed in 2nd by Ant Bateup 36.24, 3rd Luke Vivash 39.50. 

B grade followed with Steve Curnow taking the win in 39.25 followed by Dave Bock 44:15 and Charlie Hall in third 47.57 just ahead of brother Daniel. 

With one week to go the consensus was for another Gravity Enduro to see out the season. Followed by a drink & or feed at the Mansfield after the race. 

A wet and windy race.

By Tim Hall

With some foreboding, fifteen riders gathered for the regular Thursday night racing. The squalls of rain disrupted the marshals in their pre-race duties and the riders huddled behind the wall of Rodwells at the start line on Buller road.

But the rain mostly held off for the racing. At least it wasn’t too cold, just windy and wet roads.

The route was out along Buller Road, around the Barwite loop, finishing back in town opposite the showgrounds.

Limit set off with Tony Morris and David Bock, followed by David Jagger and Di Condie. David and Di were caught by Tim Hall and Craig ‘Wil’ Wilson just past the Graves Rd corner making a handy group of four for the rest of the race.

Behind them, Janine Appleton and Steve Curnow were making ground in the head wind section, but struggled after the corner when the wind was from the front quarter. Both were ‘in the mix’ when the block and second block groups came through and finished the ride with them. Included there was Tom Macmunn, Dave Moore, Bruce Halket, Steve Duke and Darren Bakker. Anthony Plumber was off the back of the bunch at that time, struggling on the hills and in the wind.

Setting out last to manage on his own was Chris Miller – punished by the handicapper for his good form in the lead up to the Mansfield Hotel Tour.

Meanwhile, out the front was David Bock, still leading and nearly holding off all the others. In the wind and, by now, on his own.

Caught on the run into town, David Bock managed to get onto the back of the group of four and stay with them to the final corner. With the back markers closing in very quickly, Tim worked his way up the climb to the finish line. Dave Jagger came in second, with Wil third and David Bock fourth.

The finish was very tight with all except three riders finishing within 90 seconds of each other.

The Mansfield Hotel award went to David Bock for his tenacity in difficult conditions, on his own out the front. A great effort!

Thanks as always to the volunteers, commissaire and handicapper for supporting the racing. And to Lise Curnow for the images this week.

O’Hanlon’s/Howes Creek Handicap - Thu 18 Mar

By Chris Miller

Riding conditions were near perfect for this year Howes Creek Handicap Road Race on a still late summer evening with a slight haze and smell of smoke in the air from all those farmers and cockies burning off last season’s crops stubble. A bunch of Mansfield finest cyclists had gathered, many arriving early for a pre-race warm up rollo and reckie of the roads to MacMillan Point. Plenty of movement and murmurs at the station starting line as all participants discussed how best to ride the handicap race and how to tackle the mighty O’Hanlons Rd hill top finish! (Over 10% - steep!)

Departure from the Lord’s Ground saw David Bock and Di Condie take off first to set the pack to chase. Wil Wilson was off next, comfortable in his tempo as he tapped it out along the long road of Malcolm St out to Howes Creek Rd. The consistent quiet achiever Janine ‘She’s Apples’ Appleton took off looking super shape and pro as always with Seven Curnow in tow. Followed by the engine room of the club, Anthony Plummer, Steve ‘The Duke’ and Damian ‘Reg’ Grundy. Next off was always strong and smiling Jock Brega, Darren Bakker and ‘Late for Detention’ Tom MacMunn. The final Motley Crue off-scratch with Bruce ‘The Don’ Halket, Chris  ‘Always the Bridesmaid’ Miller and the ever chippy Dev Moore left off Scratch with a laborious time handicap of 12 minutes to chase down.

The pace was set high at the back of the field with Halket, Moore and Miller setting the now familiar Wolf-pack of rolling turns and working hard to bridge the first 2 minute gap. The roads felt heavy as ever on the warm night as heart rates quickly climbed to over 150bpm. It seemed to take forever to catch the first group at about the 10km mark with Tom MacMunn charging at the front. It was agreed to merge the groups for the betterment of all as we all continued to chase down the next groups up the road.

Road conditions proved tricky with rolling, winding roads, steep pinches and gravel covered off-camber corners to navigate. Thanks to all the marshals on each corner offering advisory caution to riders and keeping traffic informed of our presence.

With a slow wide turnaround at the MacMillam Point cul-de-sac the Scratch group Wolf-pack reformed to tackle the final chapter of the race. Halket, Moore, MacMunn and Miller kept the wattage and tempo high as we began to catch further race groups. Plenty of positive encouragement was offered as we passed Wil, Di, Steven and the ever smiling David Bock.

There were still 5 to 6 more club folk up the road so we knew it was going to be a close finish.

Chris ‘The Bridesmaid’ Miller even got ahead of himself and rose the temp off the front until Bruce ‘The Don’ told him to “pull his head in” and leave some in the tank for the final climb. The group finally caught the Engine Room of Ant Plummer and Steve Curnow equally contemplating how to bloody hell to tackle the final climb with Janine Appleton looking focused within the bunch.

With only 1 km to go and still no sign of ‘The Duke’ and ‘Reg’ who must have been closing in on the final climb up O’Hanlon Rd. Rounding Campagnolo Rd (an appropriate cycling name) Moore put in huge turn before bidding the mob good day followed by Halket offering some final advice to the group on getting set for the big climb to the finish line. MacMunn was absolutely charging on the front as he lead the scratch bunch into the final off-camber corner at a frightening speed – it took all our road handling skills to avoid over cooking the corner and end up over the bars.

The final two, ‘The Duke’ and ‘Reg’ were sited on the final hill climb as ’The Bridesmaid’ rolled passed Tom’s awesome lead out with hopes that tonight might be the night for his first win of the season.

The legendary tough climb up O’Hanlons Rd was as tough as its reputation as all riders began chewing their bar tape and watching their heart rates climb through the roof. Miller managed to keep his cadence and wattage just high enough to catch the final two with 150 metres to go. Only just hanging on and inspired by the finishing marshals singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody line “Chris Miller!” instead of “Bish Milla, we will not let him go”… Chris “No Longer The Bridesmaid” Miller managed to take his first victory for the season; but only just!

The remainder of the field continued to grind up the gruelling climb, willing the finishing line to arrive. Steve ‘The Duke’ did a great job hanging of for 2nd followed closely on the podium by Damian Grundy. Halket took 4th and Tom ‘Late for Detention’ MacMunn 5th and best dressed and quieter achiever Janine ‘She’s Apples’ Appleton 6th - Janine may have been seen gentling falling off the bike with exhaustion at crossing the finish line.

David Bock and the ever cheerful Jock Brega still also managing a smile at the end of the climb.

Needless to say that everyone gave their all on this challenging course and a bloody tough final hill climb finish.

As always a huge thanks for all the organisers and marshals of Jason Parker, Tim Hall, Michael Pearce, Tony Copland and vocalist Leonie McLaughlin…’Chris Mil La!” And thanks to Leonie for using Tony’s camera to grab a few snaps.

MMBCC well represented at National Downhill MTB Championships in Tasmania

By Kate Stonnill

The National Championships competition was held in Maydena Tasmania. Practice runs commenced on Wednesday 10 March on very dry and dusty tracks followed by seeding runs on Saturday after heavy rain which turned the tracks to “peanut butter” mud. This proved challenging for the riders who were seeding for their race runs and for the cross-country riders who had their own championships running at the same venue.

Race day, thankfully, came out sunny to dry out the tracks and give the riders a faster race run. The track was a World Cup standard trail, a first for Australia, which included very steep technical rock sections, steep off camber corners and large jumps with gaps up to 45 feet wide.

Mansfield was well represented with five riders from the club competing at the national level.

First to ride was Maddison Smith in Under 17’s women. Maddie raced well with a clean run on a very technical track to come third to take home the bronze medal.

This was quickly followed by the Under 17 men. This was the largest class on the day with nearly 70 fighting for the podium. Zac Empey raced well with only a couple of slide outs finishing strongly midfield at 39th.

Next up was Junior Women. Bella Green raced well on the gruelling track to finish 5th, only missing 4th place by one second. Elise Empey, who qualified fastest, was last to come down the hill in this category. Elise came across the line to snatch the Gold and the National title.

The girls were then followed by the Elite women. On time Elise would have finished second in Elite women. The junior women in general proving they are a force to be reckoned with. Auscycling also mentioning the strong junior women’s class.

The only class left to emerge from the trees were the much-awaited Elite men. Matthew Empey, ranked 9th, in his first year of Elite, unfortunately a nonstarter due to injury. The class was closely contested with Troy Brosnan once again finishing on top in a very exciting finish for all spectators, made even better with live timing and the huge crowd at the finish line.

Congratulations to all riders from MMBCC.

2021 Mansfield Hotel Tour

By Bruce Halket

After a covid-cancelled 2020 Tour, it’s been a pleasant week since the 2021 Mansfield Hotel Tour to know that we were finally able to organise our home race again.

Feedback to the changes have been really positive and mostly well-received.

Kudos to all the club members who had a go at racing the Tour: Rachel Delaney, Will Calvert-Jones, Chris Miller and Josh Hopwood. (In particular, thanks to Chris who volunteered on Saturday morning holding TT riders, then did his own TT, then back to work holding others - something I can see more MMBCC entrants trying next year. I’m looking at you Hopwood!)

Many, many thanks to all the club members (and others!) who volunteered their time to host the event. In particular, huge thanks to Jason Parker, Dave Jagger, Dave Moore, Jarrod Appleton and Alex Green for putting up with me on the Tour Committee. And a special thanks to Tony Copland who worked as an AusCycling Commissaire for the weekend and to Al Seaton of High Country Trees for supervising the traffic management.

Thanks also to Annina, Craig, Jamie and everyone at AusCycling Victoria and to Jean-Pierre Ronco for all the great images. For more images of the tour and other great cycling images, visit Jean-Pierre’s website.

And, of course, many thanks to our sponsors: Mansfield Hotel, All Terrain Cycles, Mansfield Crushing, Paton Air Helicopters, Krush, Lezyne and Goodyear.

We’ve already announced that we’d like to go again in 2022, the weekend after the Labour Day long weekend, 20-21 March - that is if club in general agrees to host it again. (That will be the week before the Highline MTB Fest.)

Thanks again for your support.

Sunday arvo update

News from the Nationals

First, in cross country racing, Ruby Dobson has twice been crowned Under 17 Australian Champion!

On Friday in the short track XC (XCC), despite coming off on the same corner twice, she still won by two minutes! Results here.

Then on Saturday in the Olympic distance race (XCO) she started as well as she finished, winning by 8 minutes! Results here.

Also on Saturday, in qualifying for the Downhill, Elise Empey qualified fastest and Bella Green fifth in the Junior Women Downhill plus Maddie Smith qualified fastest in Under 17 Women. GO Girls!

On Sunday, downhill finals day, Elise Empey won gold in the Junior Womens Downhill with a time good enough for second in Elite Women! Great work Elise.

And Maddie Smith won Bronze in the Under 17 Women.

Special mentions to Bella Green for a great ride for fifth in Junior Women and Zac Empey for 39th in the highly competitive Under 17 Men, improving 7 places. Here are the Downhill results.

A big hearty congratulations to all competitors and to their families for all their support… it’s a really proud result for the MMBCC.

Dirt Critters

We don’t hear enough from our Junior mountain bikers on Tuesday afternoons at Riflebutts, but thankfully, that changes this week.

Chain gang. Raced Critters and then Bogans. 1st Paxton Smith, 2nd Max O’Brien, 3rd Alastair Ross.

Trailblazers. Raced twice around Joyride. 1st Reuben Bateup, 2nd Ben Ross, 3rd Charlie Mountain.

Many thanks to Nicole Ross.

Dirt Crits

By Damian Grundy

On a perfect early autumnal eve a group of hardy off road bicyclists gathered to prove once and for all, who is the greatest amongst us.

Most expected a gravity-fed plummet to greatness. All were shocked to hear gravity was failing and cross country was to decide their fates.

Mr David Bock prevailed in a master class of grit and determination.

Young Charlie Hall was second and Luke Vivash was third.

Honourable mentions to the others: Daniel Hall, Daniel Friday, Charlie Dobson and one other who's name has been redacted.

Road Race

By Dave Moore

16 well-seasoned racers made it to the start of Thursday’s race on the Buller Road. The average age of the riders would have been in the mid to late forties (at least). It would be great to see some of our younger riders race again in the last few weeks of the season, or if not, next season.

The conditions were perfect for racing on the 22km out and back on Buller Road – turning just after Hearns Road. The aim for this course is to not get caught before the turn if at all possible as large groups often form ending up with a bunch sprint as it is notoriously difficult to drop any riders on the fast downhill return journey.

The riders were split into seven groups with Dave Bock starting first by himself, great to see Dave back after a long lay off due to injury. Many of the subsequent groups either lost a rider before the start or split up on the drag out to the turn – making the task of staying away that bit harder.

By the turn the remnants of a few groups had formed a new group of five containing Di Condie, Dave Jagger, Janine Appleton, Damian Grundy (also returning after an extended lay off), and Steve Duke. They were being chased hard by a another group of five that had formed when Chris Miller and Dave Moore caught Mauro Brega, Darren Bakker and Tom Macmunn on the way out.

True to form one supergroup of 10 formed near Pollards Road with only Steve Curnow and Tim Hall hanging on at the front of the race – would they stay away and contest the win between themselves? Despite their best efforts the answer would be no – a strong ride nonetheless.

Chris Miller and Dave Moore attempted to split the group on the race back to town with only very limited success. Chris Miller did the longest turn of the night approaching the finish with all attempts to get off the front ignored by all other racers.

So a sprint finish it would be – and what a sprint it was! There was significant discussion afterwards regarding rules of sprinting and a strong reminder that the number one responsibility of all riders is to ensure a safe race above trying to win at all costs. Either way Dave Moore managed to show a clean pair of heels to Tom Macmunn and was heard saying that it was the biggest achievement of his cycling “career” and that he would be dining out on it for years to come – especially when in Tom’s company!

Damian Grundy took an excellent third after his injury time out and the top five was rounded out by Chris Miller and Darren Bakker.

Thanks to all the volunteers how make the racing possible each week and thank you to all our fellow road users for their patience and consideration during the race.

See you next week for next weeks race.

Here are the results and thanks again to Tony Copland for the pics.

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

Want to keep up with what’s happening in and around the MMBCC - all the rumours, gossip and goings-on?

In this week’s news, it has been revealed that Dave Moore is not Irish, or Scottish, and he’s much older than he looks!

He’s actually Bulgarian, his real name is Dafo Moronov and he was a Soviet-era secret agent based in the northern suburbs of Sofia. In the early 70’s he was transferred to Britain to spy on best-selling author John le Carre and was the author’s inspiration for the novel, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Dave!

To find out more, join the club’s WhatsApp group by sending an SMS with your name and number to the group Admin, Will Calvert-Jones, on 0400 144 366.

Finally…

Interesting to note that with GreenEDGE’s new name, Team Bike Exchange, the UCI’s new three letter code for the team this year is BEX. For those old enough to remember BEX, it might be just what they need after an underwhelming start to the season.

“A cup of tea, a BEX and a good lie down” or “For quick relief from headache and pain - take BEX!”

Autumn Update 1

Another long newsletter for a holiday Monday read…

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

Want to keep up with what’s happening in and around the MMBCC - all the rumours, gossip and goings-on?

For instance, did you know that Alex Green used to be a champion gymnast, specialising in the pommel horse? Apparently he was inspired by WWII prisoner of war movies (not gladiator movies.)

Or did you know that club President Mauro Brega used to be a heavy-handed debt collector for a prominent and wealthy West Australian mining magnate and his family? That was until he had a falling out with the magnate’s daughter over a bag of salt and vinegar chips and a tub of ice cream!

To find out more, join the club’s WhatsApp group by sending an SMS with your name and number to the group Admin, Will Calvert-Jones, on 0400 144 366.

Mansfield Hotel Tour staffing

We’re still a couple of volunteers short for the Tour on 20 and 21 March. Even if you can only spare a few hours, please contact Jason Parker via email to help us out!

Do you love riding mountain bikes in Victoria?

We need your insights. The Victorian Mountain Biking Strategy Survey is live and the deadline has been extended. It was due to close Sunday 7th March but has now been extended to the 21st.

Dirt Crits

Cross Country night at Riflebutts saw normal transmission resumed when Ruby took the A-grade win and Bocky got back on the top step of the podium in B-grade!

That’s an especially well-deserved result for David who’s had a tough couple of seasons with injuries - well done mate! Damian even managed to get himself onto the podium without having to manipulate the handicapping!

Here are the results and thanks to Mel Green for the podium pics.

Next week we’re back to Gravity Enduro, longer-travel bikes and only being timed for the downhill bits. Entry numbers will be down a little due to so many Mansfield families travelling to Maydena in Tasmania for the MTB Nationals. Good luck to all those competing!

MMBCC Q&A

By Bruce Halket

Questions need to be asked and the answers demanded following last Thursday’s handicapped road race for the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club. We present a club quiz on the race. Your questions start… NOW!

Where was the race held?

It started at the Botanic Park and headed north along the Whitfield Road to the turnaround at Sawpit Gully Road. After heading back to town, we turned left onto Barwite Road, then right onto Old Tolmie Road and finished on Graves Road.

How long was the race?

32 kilometres. Normally we use this course twice each summer but the earlier edition had to be truncated due to road works - so this was the longest race of the season.

How many entered the race?

There were only 15 on the start line but it was a quality field. It was started by David Bock as the Limit group and concluded with the Scratch group of Will Calvert-Jones, Chris Miller and Bruce Halket.

Was series points leader Ewyn Carter able to increase his lead?

No. It’s a bit difficult to score points if you don’t turn up! He apparently spent the night at a Writers Festival in a tree house in East Gippsland as guest speaker. Either that or his work for Paton Air Helicopters left him stranded in Traralgon overnight; you choose.

What about Chris Miller, who is coming second in the points?

He was second again, but he’s getting used to it.

What about last week’s winner, Josh Hopwood?

No, he didn’t turn up either; probably busy finishing his 12,000 word thesis discussing the influence of heart rate monitors on performance art in the time of Covid.

Who won?

Bruce Halket ahead of Chris ‘The Bridesmaid’ Miller and Will ‘WhatsApp’ Calvert-Jones.

Who was the ‘Most Valuable Player’?

If such an award was presented it would jointly go to Justin Berry and Mark Calvert-Jones, in 4th and 5th respectively, who only got caught a few hundred metres before the line. Special mention to Calvert-Jones for his first race in four years!

Was it hard?

No, dead easy! (Well… not really.)

Was there much other traffic on the road?

Not much. But the cars we did see were driven by very courteous people who we thank very much for their patience. Thanks as well to all our officials and marshals; without you we couldn’t race at all!

What racing is happening next week?

The club is hosting a Handicap race on the Mt Buller Road, out to Merrijig and back. Entries the usual way via the usual SMS by the usual time.

Can I see the results?

Yes you can, click here.

Are there any photos from the race?

Yes there are… supplied once again by Mansfield’s Kristof Ramon, Tony Copland, below.

Are there any other MMBCC events coming up?

On the weekend of 20 and 21 March the club is going to fill Mansfield with bike riders! There’s the Mansfield Hotel Tour (see the Public Notices section of the Mansfield Courier for details on road closures and expected delays) plus the Highline MTB Festival on the South Blue Range which will be spectacular spectating!

Finally, the answers to the questions we haven’t had time for:

a) Carbon Fibre; b) Dehydration; c) Craig Kelly and Christian Porter are the odd ones out, the others are all mammals; d) Yes, if you hold it up to the morning sun and stand on one foot; e) A small possum-like creature found in the mountains of British Columbia; f) Greed and the failure of economic rationalism; and g) Vaccinations.

Discovering Resilience

The MMBCC’s banker, the Mansfield & District Community Bank, have invited all members to the upcoming Discovering Resilience Presentation on Wednesday 17 March at 6.30pm. This is a FREE online community presentation.

More details below…

Finally…

A good little article about Strade Bianche (a chip off the old Black ’n’ Tan block) which was ridden and won by Dutch riders on Saturday.

The other side of the argument about disc brakes from Rouleur.

End of the month update

A huuuuuge update to get through this week…

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

Yes, the club has a WhatsApp group. If you want to join and find out what’s going on, download the app, then SMS your name and number to the group Admin, Will Calvert-Jones, on 0400 144 366.

Victorian Mountain Biking Strategy Survey

Do you love riding mountain bikes in Victoria? We need your insights. The Victorian Mountain Biking Strategy Survey is now live!

You can help build a strategy for more amazing MTB experiences in Victoria by filling in this survey. Common Ground and AusCycling (previously MTBA) are working on the Victorian Mountain Bike Strategy. This strategy will be used to create a prioritisation framework for upcoming projects, understand the market, inform planning and development decisions and identify opportunities and gaps in the current MTB offering. If you’re a part of the mountain biking community, keen off-road rider, or parent of a mountain biker, please take the time to fill in this survey so we can build an informed strategy that will shape mountain bike riding in Victoria for years to come.

Survey closes Sunday 7th March

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro 3

By Dave Empey

Tight racing was the order at the top of table in the third Gravity Enduro held at Rifle Butts Park last Tuesday night. Dan Friday just pipped Ant Bateup by 1 second to take the top spot closely followed by Luke Vivash and a host of younger riders nipping at their heels.

Everyone’s times are slowly coming down; it is obvious that some people are sneaking out for some extra training!

The womens race was closely fought as well, with Ruby Dobson coming out just ahead of Bella Green. Ruby didn’t have it all her own way with Bella taking a stage, but it wasn’t quite enough to take the win.

Great to see so many people racing very competitively .

Big shout out to Steve Curnow who raced the Otway Odyssey last weekend and won his class. Well done Steve!

Here are the results and thanks to Alex Green for the pics.

Mansfield Hotel Tour

With the Baw Baw Classic having to be postponed, the Mansfield Hotel Tour is now round 1 of the Victorian Road Series on 20 and 21 March.

Are you available to help out during the Tour? Contact Jason Parker via email if you have a few hours spare.

New listing on the For Sale pages…

Mavic road shoes - a bargain!

A weekend at Falls Creek

The Falls Creek Regional School MTB Race was held on Friday with some great results from Mansfield kids. Highlights include Ben Ross winning 3/4 Boys, Keeva Morris-Webb winning 3/4 Girls and Ruby Dobson winning 9/10 Girls.

Plus there were heaps of other great results too - here’s a link to the Alpine timing results.

Thanks to all the wonderful parents for making it happen.

The weekend also saw the final two rounds of the Victorian Cross Country Series with Ruby Dobson taking out the Vic Championships Race and the overall series title.

Congratulations to all the Mansfield kids who competed.

Now more than ever, Victorian kids deserve the chance to get outside, join a club and be active.

Applications will open on 1 March 2021 for the opening round of the $21 million Get Active Kids Voucher Program, we’re hoping to make that happen for thousands of eligible kids around the state.

That’s why we need your help to promote the program to ensure it reaches those in need to let them know about the Get Active Kids Voucher Program and encourage eligible families to apply.

The program will support the delivery of up to 100,000 vouchers to support eligible kids get involved in organised sport and recreation activities by providing up to $200 towards the cost of membership and registration fees, sports equipment or uniforms (new or second-hand). 

How does it work?

• The parent, legal guardian, temporary foster or kinship carer of a child can register their children for a voucher towards eligible activities or programs (e.g. for registration, uniforms and new or used equipment costs). For more information about eligible activities or programs visit the Get Active Victoria website – www.getactive.vic.gov.au  

• Eligible applicants are required to pay up front for their chosen activity or program and then complete an application form (with copies of their invoice/s and receipt/s).

• The applicant is reimbursed up to $200 towards eligible costs (subject to eligibility).

•  There are 100,000 vouchers available over the duration of the program.

 Who is eligible to apply?

• The parent, legal guardian, temporary foster or kinship carer of a child who is the holder of a valid Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card with named dependents can apply.

• To be eligible kids need to be 4 to 18 years old and a resident in Victoria.

• If an individual or family is experiencing financial hardship as a result of an unforeseen situation, they may be eligible, without an Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card. This will be assessed on a case by case basis. 

Application timelines

• The Program will be delivered across four Rounds from 1 March 2021 until 17 April 2022.

• The opening round of the program will cover eligible expenses incurred between 1 January 2021 and 11 April 2021. Applications for vouchers in this round open 1 March 2021 and close 11 April 2021.

• The online application portal will open at 10.00am on Monday 1 March 2021.

To find out more view:

• The Program website.

• The Program guidelines.

If you have any additional questions that cannot be answered via the above information, email us.

Hopwood on the Coombesberg

By Ewyn Carter

The road racing season continued for the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club this past Thursday with 15 entries received for the handicap format. Each group contained two riders for a split into seven groups for the evening with the last starting 14'30" minutes behind the first.

Club President Mauro Brega was a welcome return racer from his social soiree with the Jamieson locals whilst on marshal duties the week prior. Unfortunately, he had put on a bit too much upper body strength with his week off the bike and inflated his tyres to bursting pressure on the start line. A late scratching.

Racers began their campaigns from the Botanic Gardens out to Sawpit Gully Road in tricky cross/headwind conditions. Whilst being in a pair is more advantageous than being a lone rider, there wouldn't be much time for recovery between turns. A night possibly for the early markers to link up to stay away in greater numbers?

Di Condie, David Jagger, Steve Curnow and John Musich rode well in the tricky conditions to make the turn at Sawpit Gully Road with a solid five minute advantage to the pairs behind. Meanwhile, Josh Hopwood was teaching Ewyn Carter the meaning of true fitness with the start of one of his trademark individual efforts, chasing alone and dropping Carter on the windswept green summer pastures north of Mansfield. He would pick up the 1'30" minute deficit to Chris Miller and Bruce Halket before the turn and begin his chase with a sniff at the win in trying wind conditions.

The turn left at Barwite Road moved the stiff westerly wind onto the riders' backs and kept the now leading three of Jagger, Condie and Musich away with the speed differential to the chasing Hopwood and strong Miller being minimised. An interesting equation had occurred; the first two groups had combined and the last to two groups had combined, with the rest stuck in the middle of a time gap sandwich.

With one final right turn onto the Old Tolmie Road; Jagger, Condie and Musich had the crosswind reinstated and the ramping Coombesberg climb to conquer for their chances at victory. Unfortunately for them, Miller had been working well with Hopwood and they closed the gap to catch the leaders just out of the turn. A reduced bunch sprint would be on the cards if those just caught could hold the wheel on the gradients ahead.

Hopwood and Miller continued their pace setting and ultimately dropped their new found group members to contest the win in a match sprint. An interesting match up. Both men share much of the Rouleur pedigree. A consistent all rounder who can ride well over most types of courses with a strong reliable diesel engine, not what you want in a sprint. Nonetheless they boxed on to the end with Hopwood pipping Miller to the win and fastest time. The third close finish for Miller in as many weeks in a sprint. He could be heard proclaiming his desire to improve his finishing speed in the closing weeks of the season to not miss his chance again with the training and diet regime of an Olympic powerlifter. Good luck Chris.

Behind Musich broke away from Condie, Curnow and Jagger to take a well-deserved third place finish. The field continued to finish with a not too distant spread of times on a tricky evening for racing conditions in the cross winds of Mansfield, Holland. Carter went from first to last in a week and received encouragement from tail car driver Alex Green on his solo 27 kilometres in the form of the Rocky Balboa theme and Green showing his age with ABBA's greatest hits.

Thank you to Chief Commissaire Allan Gerrans and Chief Marshal Leonie McGlaughlin and her daughter for their quick thinking and adaptability with limited numbers of volunteers on the night, forcing a reshuffle of plans for a successful evening of racing. Thanks also to Club President Mauro Brega for not heading home after his tyre failure at the start and marshalling the racers at the finish line into a group ride for a safe return to the Mansfield Hotel after the race.

Here are the results and many thanks to Tony Copland for the pics.

Weekend update

Lots to get through this week… by the way, have you subscribed to MMBCC News email yet?

The artist formally known as BikeBuller: Alpenflow Epic

View fullsize

The organisers of the Alpenflow Epic, Rocky Trail Entertainment, are looking for volunteers to help with their new event on the Labour Day long weekend. They’re happy to offer free entry for anyone that wishes to help and race across the event, otherwise general vollies will be looked after with food and merchandise.

Roles they need support with:

Fri 5 March – Rocky trail Academy (school event)
Roving marshall x 1
Race starters x 2 (8.30 to 1.30pm)

Sat 6 March
Pre sweep ride of all Super Flow tracks prior to 9am
Race starters x 2 (8.30 to 4.00pm)
Roving Marshalls x 3
Sweep rider

Sun 7 March
Pre sweep ride of all Super Flow tracks prior to 9am
Race starters x 2 (8.30 to 4.00pm)
Roving marshalls x 3
Sweep rider

Mon 8 March
Pre sweep ride of all Super Flow tracks prior to 9am
Race starters x 2 (8.30 to 1.00pm)
Roving marshalls x 2
Sweep rider

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Jo Parker, the Event Manager, via email or mobile 0424 955 332.

Mansfield Hotel Tour first aid

We need qualified first aiders to help Leonie during the Mansfield Tour… someone with HLTAID011 or HLTAID003 certificates, what used to be called Level 2 First Aid.

You’ll also need to be able to drive your own car.

Is that you?

Or… are you keen to do a First Aid course before the Tour with support from the club?

Here’s the deal… if you volunteer for the Tour and can drive, we’ll pay for your first aid course! You’ll also then be able to help out with first aid for our local road races and Dirt Crits, etc. Here are the upcoming course options:

1. Northeast Training have two dates for between now and the tour - 23 February or 9 March - $155.

2. St John Ambulance have options, including virtual. Courses range from $195 to $245 (virtual) and there are many options for dates.

If you’re interested, please contact Jason. If you’re already working at the Tour and have been allocated a job, we’ll move people around to free you up for first aid.

Dirt Crits is back!

After a week’s lockdown holiday, Dirt Crits is back this week with another Gravity Enduro.

Please make sure you have renewed your membership, as we’ll need to check licences this week. So please print your receipt, or have your membership details on your phone, and have it with you on Tuesday.

No license, no start!

Bakker Plumbing Handicap

By Ewyn Carter and Bruce Halket

A short drive from Mansfield saw the start of the 2021 Bakker Plumbing Handicap. The quaint valley town of Jamieson hosted the club for the out and back course along the Jamieson-Woods Point Road. 14.5 kilometres of rolling incline and 14.5 kilometres of rolling decline. The brainchild of club stalwart and unofficial mayor of Jamieson, Darren Bakker, the race entices participants with prizes and medals on offer at the Jamieson Brewery to conclude the evening.

The first group moved off the line to start the contest for the silverware; John Eisner, Tony Morris and Dave Jagger. (Kudos to Jagger for using gaffer tape to ‘repair’ his cycling shoes after they fell apart before the start!) The last began 15.5 minutes later, Josh Hopwood on his own. Regular subscribers to this print would be aware of the pedigree of the last to leave. If you don't subscribe, Hopwood was capable of steamrolling all before him for the biscuits. Nonetheless, the participants in all groups were enthusiastic with their chances because the course winds its way through Kevington … plenty of bends to hide from those chasing.

The danger group was Bruce Halket, Ewyn Carter, Dave Moore, Chris Miller and the returning William Calvert-Jones. With the numerical supremacy of the night and an experienced number of race days combined, if they rallied together consistently and collaboratively, then the race would be close.

At the turn, club president and marshal Mauro Brega was making friends with some locals whilst directing each group safely and efficiently, multitasking 1.0.1. The handicap was accurate with minimal catches between groups and a good spread on the road leading into the still difficult descent back to Jamieson.

The danger group had a sniff though.

Lockdown version 3.0 was over in Melbourne and the returning hordes of campers staking their claims along the Jamieson-Woodspoint Road were treated to some live sport in real time definition. Race sponsor Bakker, Jarrod Appleton and previous week's champion Tom MacMunn were swept up by the danger group to make eight. Justin Berry and reigning club champion Janine Appleton were next to form 10!

A formidable pace line resulted and was driving to collect the rest. Meanwhile Hopwood was on a good day, recording some impressive individual numbers behind in contention still for the win, but still chasing alone. 

The final catch of the danger group snowball occurred two kilometres from the technical uphill-downhill chute finish and all riders were still in with a chance. Hopwood losing some ground, still alone. But the race wasn't over.

With one kilometre remaining the impetus of the leading pack, "knowing" Hopwood wouldn't make the catch, reduced its collaborative speed. Riders began to shuffle and stir on their saddles knowing a large bunch sprint finish would decide the Bakker Plumbing Champion of 2021. The large club member crowd that had formed in Jamieson was mulling. The unofficial mayor himself was in with a shot in his own race.

Halket pulled a big turn to the bottom of the final climb and dropped J-rod off with 500 metres to go. Appleton flicked through knowing the finish was too far a stretch to sprint with 400 metres remaining and put Carter onto the front trying to dull the sprinters legs, forcing him to pedal.

The uphill part of the finish began at speed with Carter breaking out and Bakker next inline for the roll over win on the downhill chute. But with heavy legs and a high heart rate his dream was shot and Chris Miller was all of a sudden in with a chance at 50 metres to go. With Carter fading, hampered by his safety-pinned skinsuit, the finish line came just a little too quickly for Miller. Finishing order: Carter, Miller, Bakker.

The festivities continued at the Jamieson Brewery with the local crowd being drawn into the presentations for the evening. All in attendance exclaimed their fascination with the way the race played out from a pacing perspective and exclaimed their general delight at the course itself.

Darren is passionate about Jamieson and its terrific to be a part of his love for this space. His organisation of trophies and sponsorship for the race is quite special and really makes the night worth the short trip out after the working day. The club once again thanks Darren for his enthusiasm on this now traditional summers evening. Again thanks also to the many volunteers (no them, no us) Jamieson Brewery for their hospitality and regular club sponsor the Mansfield Hotel for their continued support.

Here are the results and the point scores.

Finally…

Here’s one for the road bike luddites. (Don’t worry, the other side of the argument will be published soon.)

Lockdown unlocked!

Restrictions ease - sport and hospitality open again

The stage 4 restrictions have been eased meaning we can race again.

Entries are now open for Thursday night’s Bakker Plumbing Handicap in Jamieson. Due to the later than usual start, the Commissaire has asked that everyone check your tail light to make sure it’s charged and working properly.

Dinner and presentation (of prizemoney and trophies courtesy of Bakker Plumbing) is planned for afterwards at the Jamieson Brewery. Entries and/or dinner bookings (just so we have an estimate of numbers) to John via SMS on 0428 503 437 by 8pm tonight.

The end of lockdown also means next week’s Dirt Critters and Gravity Enduro at Riflebutts are on too!

Lockdown weekend news

Recent MTB results

Some great results from last weekend by MMBCC mountain bikers. The Green's and Empey's raced at round one of the Victorian Enduro Tour at Falls Creek on the weekend of 6-7 Feb 2021.

Friday night turned it on with over 100mm of rain, making Saturday practice a festival of mud.

The format included a Saturday "urban" race section, mixing up natural trails with slick concrete, sealed roads and a nice little rock garden between the buildings.

Sunday was clear and sunny and allowed things to dry out and get faster through the day. The course included four stages from the top of the resort all the way down to the entrance gate, followed by a two-hour climb back to the top. It made for a great day on the bike with plenty of podium finishes for Mansfield riders.

Selina Green - 2nd U15 Women (in her first enduro)
Zac Empey - 24th U17 Men
Bella Green - 1st U17 Women
Elise Empey - 2nd Elite Women
Alex Green - 25th Masters Men (not last)
Dave Empey - 5th Super Masters Men

Sam Mosley travelled to Mt Baw Baw for the State DH Champs. After a really wet and muddy weekend, he came away with a well-deserved 11th in the highly competitive Under 17 Men.

Congratulations to all!

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro

Lots of riders last Tuesday at Riflebutts MTB Park for another Gravity Enduro.

There were some seriously impressive times with Ant Bateup taking the win in the Men ahead of Stu Clark and Zac Empey (who kept Sam Mosley off the podium by just one second.)

Women was won by Ruby Dobson ahead of Maddie Smith and Bella Green.

Here are the results.

There’s a rumour going around that Ruby Dobson is camera shy - but it seems she just had more training to do so missed the podium shot.

Thanks to Alex Green and Cam Dobson for the pics.

Unfortunately, with stage 4 restrictions in place, Dirt Crits on Tuesday 16 February is cancelled.

Black ’n’ Tan the best!

By Tom MacMunn

The Black and Tan is the best race on the MMBCC calendar. Apparently inspired by beer, the route (and name) was dreamt up by the fiendish club cycling tragic and word nerd - Bruce Halket. It combines the bitumen sections Buller, Graves, Barwite and Whitfield Roads (black) with two gravel sectors along Scullys Lane and Mt Battery Road (tan). Riding a road bike on gravel roads might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it makes for unpredictable and exciting racing.

Thursday night saw groups of ones and twos riding into a nasty cross/head wind out the Buller Road being chased by a strong three-man Scratch group. Darren Bakker’s race ended prematurely with a flat tyre thanks to the Scully’s Lane gravel. Anthony Plummer pushed on without his partner, caught Tom MacMunn and powered the pair towards the second gravel sector. Tim Hall was able to jump on and join the group but Dave Bock was caught on a tricky climb and could only watch them blow past.

Back down the road the Scratch group was being driven by the power of Ewyn Carter and the gap was steadily closing.

Anthony and Tom hit the gravel of Mt Battery Road with a little breathing space over the remains of the Scratch group. Bruce Halket and Dave Moore were riding well together and had the leading pair in sight. A quick look over the shoulder just before the last pinch on Mt Battery Road and Tom realised that he had to go for it if he wanted to get to the gravel descent with a lead. He opened up a gap down the hill and swung onto Graves Road with a tailwind. The win was his. Anthony pushed through for second and Bruce powered on for third. All three of them finished within 30 seconds.

The Black and Tan is hands down the best road race route in Mansfield. The fact that we had more volunteers than entrants may point to the fact that not all MMBCC members agree with me but I’ll be spending the rest of the season wishing there were more gravel sections to race my bike on.

Here are the results and many thanks to both Jenni Sparnon and Tony Copland for the photos.

Should the stage 4 restrictions be lifted as scheduled, next Thursday is the Bakker Plumbing Handicap in Jamieson, one of the MMBCC’s headline races of the year. There’ll be some serious prize money presented at dinner afterwards too!

Weekend Update

Nationals Silver

Congratulations to Josh Hopwood who won silver at the National Championships Gran Fondo Individual Time Trial in Ballarat on Wednesday.

Great work Josh. Here are the results, including 7th out of 39 in the Road Race on Saturday afternoon!

Good luck too in next weekend’s Melbourne to Warrnambool.

First Dirt Crits of 2021

Tuesday saw the first Dirt Crits of 2021, held on a fiendishly tricky short course on the lower slopes of Riflebutts Reserve ... 10 laps for 11 starters.

Ruby Dobson started strongly and rode away from everyone, comfortably taking the win in A-grade.

Kudos to Archie O’Brien for a great ride for 5th overall and the win in B’grade. Kudos also for Charlies Hall and Dobson for great rides.

Finally, kudos to Alex Green for his quick reflexes in being able to avoid Bruce’s left elbow.

Here are the results and thanks to Alex Green for selflessly choosing to take photos instead of racing!

Next week is a Gravity Enduro.

Hopwood cleans up

By Ewyn Carter

Thursday 4 February welcomed riders at the Lord's Cricket Oval with warm and windy conditions feeding through the valley from the North. Once again a traditional Handicap race was allotted, with the course turning left onto Howes Creek Road, out to the intersection of Cummins Road for a u-turn and finishing between Malcolm Street and Maroondah Highway, 25km in length.

Di Condie began proceedings with a 12 minute handicap. As she was a lone rider, there would be no respite for the return leg into the headwind and she would need her best pacing for the night to stay away from the six staggered groups behind, of 13 riders. Would she wait for them or would she forge on alone?

The second bunch to leave contained Tim Hall, Craig Wilson, Andrew Clarke and Steve Curnow at 5'30" minutes behind. With some horsepower leaving not long after them, an opportunity for the middle pack riders to link up on the tailwind out leg and contest a win clear of the chasing riders was apparent.  

The returning Joshua Hopwood would be last to leave, also solo, but with a big torque engine and placing second at the recent Australian Nationals in the age group individual time trial the cat was very much amongst the pigeons. Josh would require a pacing strategy reducing his time gap by 28.8 seconds per kilometre for a win.

By the time all groups had made their way onto the tailwind out leg along Howes Creek Road it had become apparent that the evening would produce some fantastic individual efforts and some very fast course records also. Justin Berry and returning 2020 club champion Janine Appleton both put in sterling performances, with an average speed of 37.2 km/h, placing them both in high positions overall on the all time list for that particular segment. Justin should be congratulated on his progression through this season. With consistent training and a positive attitude to his fitness, results are being produced. Well done Justin. 

Meanwhile a virtual club rivalry was reaching its climax behind. Josh had scorched his bicycle tyres into the bitumen of Howes Creek Road and a new standard for excellence was becoming apparent. Ex-Mansfield lad Dan Purcell in 2017 set an eye watering time of 18'51" for the 13.58 km section of course that was considered unbreakable by some. With Dan turning his attention to circuit criterium racing in Melbourne, and doing extremely well one might add winning top category A Grade events against some of the countries best racers, Josh was motivated to return the balance of country vs metropolitan order back to its rightful place. And he did. His time of 18'25" at an average speed of 44.3 km/h was simply astonishing and the question remained; could he continue this pace to the end and take the overall course record that had stood since 2012?

The groups ahead were mostly spared Josh's cycling lesson and had stayed away for the u-turn at Cummins Road. They began their march back into the headwind, still in good positions. Di had forged on alone to still be leading with 11 kilometres remaining. Janine and Justin had collected Tim, Craig, Andrew and Steve ahead to form a strong bunch that potentially could ride away, while the faster groups behind were marshalling together to also still be in with a chance.

But the power and consistency of Josh was too good. He swept all before him on the way to a commanding victory. His pace setting had continued consistently on the return with the groups he picked up tucking in on his wheel to form a large line of riders driven by one engine. Some punchy climbs and false flats that went skyward put a lot of riders into the red and by the finish Josh had two hangers on for morale to miss the course record by a mere 4 seconds! A fantastic individual performance and the gold standard of the district was on display. Josh mixes a busy young family life with his development position in DELWP and Forest Fire Management Victoria duties over summer to consistently train and set challenging cycling goals. We wish him well for the upcoming National Road Race in his category and the world's second oldest and longest race the Melbourne to Warrnambool at 267 km.

Once again thank you to the club volunteers who produced the evenings racing and the Howes Creek community for their patience and cooperation in allowing us to use the roads safely and efficiently. The general fitness level of the club is at an extremely high standard and it is encouraging to see members' hard work paying off come race day. The results may have stopped for some, but not through lack of enthusiasm as the base of your fitness pyramids are there. I would encourage each rider to reflect on their weaknesses and really target those in the coming weeks leading into the last races of the season for a strong finish.

Here are the results and thanks to Tony Copland for the pics.

Next week it’s Black ‘n’ Tan time! Time to spend the week contemplating tyre choices. Entries to John via SMS by 8pm Wednesday please…

Finally…

A family-friendly event on the rail trail, the week after the Mansfield Hotel Tour.

End of the month news

Dirt Crits is back!

This coming Tuesday 2 February, senior Dirt Crits is back!

See you at Riflebutts MTB Park at 5.30 for a 6pm start.

(Lots of Gravity Enduro racing this season! Keep up to date by subscribing to the newsletter. And while you’re doing that on the Homepage, check the MMBCC Events calendar!)

A big, wet, fast sprint

By Ewyn Carter

Wet roads and humidity greeted the 15 starters for the out and back course from Botanic Park to Sawpit Gully Road on Thursday night with a traditional staggered time handicap.

Each group contained evenly matched riders, all with strong fitness levels for the mid season. With the return of members from a good training block in the Adelaide Hills the week prior, a winner was hard to predict. The final time gap of 13.5 minutes over 25.5 kilometres for the last group (Chris Miller, Bruce Halket and Will Calvert-Jones) seemed achievable. This “scratch” group needed to take 32 seconds back per kilometre at a speed difference of 10.0 km/h, for a shot at the win.

(After a long, long, loooong, hiatus… welcome back to MMBCC racing to Dave Anderson!)

The leg out to Sawpit Gully Road saw each group maintain a consistent pace. The long straight roads provided clear vision for each rider to see the group ahead of them. The proverbial carrots on a stick.

By the halfway point, the pacing was consistent and all groups had a visible time gap as they crossed paths on opposite sides of the road. The race was well on its way to being a grandstand finish.

With a fast downhill return trip, 12km to run, the group of Mauro "Jock" Brega, Darren Bakker and the returning Jarrod Appleton put in a strong turn of speed to ever so slightly increase their advantage on the chasers behind. They began to pick off the groups ahead, setting themselves up for a real shot at the line on their own.

Meanwhile, the Scratch group were on song themselves mowing down groups and singles in their path, linking up with some extras, and forming a strong chase to surprisingly crack the paceline of Brega, Bakker and Appleton. Catching with 5km to go.           

The diesel engine, Tim Ross, has been posting good numbers not only in the accounting practice but on the weekly morning rides making a welcome racing return with the ride of the evening. He and sprinter Anthony Plummer pushed their advantage consistently for the majority of the race and were only caught at the Barwite Road intersection by the large Scratch "snowball" that had formed behind. 2km to run and the race had come together.

The pace quickened on the final downhill rollers to the Botanic Park finish line. Those caught, formed up on the stronger riders' wheels to contest the finish in oily conditions. Halket pushed the pace hard up a smaller incline 1km out with the aim to disrupt the heart rates and minds of the fast finishers, but they hung on. With a few more surges and swarms in between, the group of 8 began the sprint at 57.0 km/h. Anthony, starting a fraction early 400 metres from the line, unwittingly provided a springboard for those behind to use his slipstream to their advantage. With 200 metres to go and a slight tail-cross from the left shoulder, the afterburners were lit and the riders accelerated. The speed topped out at 66.0 km/h and the final podium Ewyn Carter on the top step ahead of Chris Miller (Fastest time) and Will Calvert-Jones. Mauro Brega and Darren Bakker dead heated in fourth. Here are the results.

Congratulations to all competitors on a hard fought race held in excellent spirits considering the conditions.

On behalf of the riders we would like to thank the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club for organsing both the road and mountain bike local racing each week. Additionally all the club volunteers who roster to produce the events, particularly David Jagger installing a marquee cover this week for the entries table in monsoonal conditions. 

Finally, thank you to the local community for allowing the club to use the roads we race on and the cycling conscious motorists who provide a safe environment for us to ride.

Thanks again to Tony Copland for the pics.

Delatite River Trail closed for repairs.

The Delatite River Trail will be having the damaged bridges repaired soon. It’ll be closed all day from Monday 8 February through to Friday 12 February.

Physical barriers will be in place and all trail users are asked to respect the closures while works are undertaken.

Pro roadie snippets

Trek Segafredo have become the first pro road team to pay the same base salary to both their Women’s and Men’s teams. Chapeau! It’s the best thing to happen to Trek in the pro peloton since they gave Lance the flick! (And in case you were wondering… the Mansfield Tour pays equal prizemoney to Men and Women.)

EF Education-Nippo released their new team kit for 2021. Although pink wouldn’t be our choice at MMBCC Towers, it at least shows some panache and will stand out in the pro peloton. And by comparison, shows once again how boring the GreenEDGE kit is!

Finally…

In the market for a new mountain bike? Pink Bike says these are the 7 things all new mountain bikes should have.

Fake News Update

Andrew Clark makes it to the line ahead of the 498 others. Donald Trump can’t actually be seen in this photo but he really was standing just next to Steve Brown, on the right. Image: Tony Copland.

End of an inaccurate era

By Bruce Covfefe

To celebrate the end of the Trump Presidency, we present all altogether inaccurate account of Thursday night’s road race in Mansfield.

The Donald arrived in Mansfield on Thursday afternoon to avoid watching the Biden Inauguration and to witness the first Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club road race of 2021 on the Whitfield Road. With road works on Graves Road and parts of Old Tolmie Road, the course was shortened from the expected 132km to 28km. The thousands of enthusiastic onlookers were not happy.

There were 499 entrants! Notable locals included John Eisner and Andrew Clark off Limit; new dad Anthony Plummer and Nathan Pelling off 6 minutes; Tom Macmunn and Steve Duke off 4 minutes; and the Scratch group was made up of Dave Moore, Bruce Halket and Chris Miller. The other 490 riders were scattered in various groups on the start list. It was the largest start list ever seen in Washington!

Despite the generous handicap, Limit was severely hampered when Eisner punctured a kilometre in, leaving Clark to ride the remaining 127 kilometres alone. Sad.

Further back, Pelling and Plummer were flying! Macmunn and Duke were riding really well too until Duke dropped his bundle at Bridge Creek, had to turn around and pick it all up, leaving Macmunn to wait for Scratch.

The Donald was impressed. He was quoted as saying “What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening” and “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”.

Scratch caught Macmunn after the turnaround at Sawpit Gully Road and set about rounding up the rest of the field and caught all but a few of the hundreds of riders ahead of them. But they were fake news.

In the end, Clark build an unassailable lead (a bit like a big, beautiful wall) taking the win ahead of the hundreds of others, in a time of 57:34. Pelling crossed for second ahead of Plummer, with Miller fourth and fastest in a time of 44:28. Just outside the top ten were some other also-rans: Merckx, Armstrong, Hinault, Froome, Wiggins, Bernal, Indurain, Bartoli and Evans.

The Donald said “It’s like, you’ll go, ‘Clark, Pelling, Plummer, Miller, Halket.’ So they say, ‘Could you repeat that?’ So I said, ‘Yeah.’ So it’s, ‘Clark, Pelling, Plummer, Miller, Halket.’ OK, that’s very good. If you get it in order, you get extra points.”

The extra points went to the nine local entrants who all scored a bonus 4000 points each, just for entering, to have Clark leading the championship easily from previous leader, Craig Wilson, on 29 points in tenth.

Presentations were held afterwards at the Mansfield Hotel, although for some reason The Donald wanted to hold them at Four Seasons Total Landscaping.

Many thanks to all our officials and volunteers and, of course, The Donald. He said it was the greatest bike race ever, after the Tour de Trump.

Many thanks to the Graham Watson of Mansfield, Tony Copland, for the images and here are the results.

Next week’s race will be again be held on the Whitfield Road; entries to The Handicapper by 8pm Wednesday.

Club kit is available for one more week

Use this link to place your order. Email Bruce to get the access code.

Standard delivery is to All Terrain Cycles or you can choose to have it delivered to your place with a small extra charge.

Road race course update

Thursday night’s road race is going ahead, with a slight change…

There are road works on Old Tolmie Road and Graves Road. To avoid the new sections of bitumen and keep everyone safe, the Commissaire has decided to shorten the race by approximately 4km.

It’ll be on the same course but instead of finishing on Graves Road, it’ll now finish on Old Tolmie Road (somewhere near Soldiers Road, before the road works.)

You’ve got till 8pm to enter via SMS on 0428 503 437.

Mid-month update

Elise hitting the second road gap. PIc: Dan Friday.

VDHS a success!

By Dave Empey

MMBCC ran the first downhill event in Victoria in almost a year on the weekend.

It was a welcome return to racing for all the athletes, but it was not without its challenges. The weather played its usual unpredictable self with 10 cm of fresh snow and temperatures in the minus’s for Saturday practice but race day was a totally different affair with the track ready to race on Sunday.

Local riders were well represented and performed extremely well with Shannon Rademaker coming second in a very competitive Veteren’s men’s class, Sam Mosley finishing fifth in U/17 men’s closely followed by Zac Empey in 13th. The big result of the day was Elise Empey winning Elite women with Maddison Smith coming 3rd and Bella Green coming in 4th.

It was a big challenge to put together an event in 3 weeks. A new cycling governing body, Covid, border restrictions and the weather. Great credit must be given to Ben Annear from the Resort Management Board at Mt Buller for taking up the challenge because without his help the event would have been a challenge to run. Also many thanks to the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club members who volunteered their time and who braved the atrocious conditions on Saturday.

(Plus a huge thank you to the Empeys and Greens for all their hard work - congratulations on a great weekend! - Ed.)

Thanks to Markus_kessler_photography for the podium pics and to Kate Stonnill for the others.

Results - amazing time considering the conditions and this is for over 3km of downhill.

Elite Men
1. Dean Lucas 3:01.45
2. Jackson Frew 3:07.16
3. Jackson White 3:16.81

Women
1. Elise Empey 3:45:35
2. Maddison Smith 4:12.19
3. Jessica Sheridan 4:18.46

Vets
1. Mitchell Bull 3:32.51
2. Shannon Rademaker 3:38.06

Club kit is now available!

Use this link to place your order. Email Bruce to get the access code.

Standard delivery is to All Terrain Cycles or you can choose to have it delivered to your place with a small extra charge.

Mansfield Tour about to be launched.

Just so you know, the Mansfield Hotel Tour will be held on the weekend of 20 and 21 March.

This is a sneak peak of the new event logo. More details on the race soon.

Racing is back!

Road racing is starting up again this coming Thursday with a handicap on the Whitfield Road. Entries to John Eisner via SMS on 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.

Dirt Crits will start soon too… more news soon.

To keep up to date, make sure you subscribe to the MMBCC News on the homepage.

Finally…

An interview with MMBCC Life Member Simon Gerrans.

Happy New Year!

Mt Buller Downhill - calling for MMBCC volunteers

MMBCC are again running the Mt Buller downhill this year, so we are seeking volunteers to help out. This is a considerable opportunity for the club to raise some funds.

Event Date: 16 & 17 January 2021

Location: Mt Buller

Roles: We require at least 15 marshals to support the event each day and have a variety of roles ranging from course marshalling, car parking and general support.

To offer your support / time or for further information please email Mel Green or call her on 0400 066 855.

Road racing

Alex Green is currently having a great time (not) trying to organise our permits for re-starting road racing later this month, on Thursday 21 January. In the meantime, the duty roster had has a few changes made to it. Please have a look through here or here to see when you’re rostered on.

Another club kit reminder

It looks like we have enough members interested in new kit, which has been updated by Ventou to include the AusCycling logo. If you want some, please contact Bruce.

New kit for GreenEDGE

As mentioned late last year, GreenEDGE have changed sponsors, bike and name. The new Bianchi bikes look great, they’re now called Team Bike Exchange and the new kit is… underwhelming. Yawn!

Pre-Xmas Update

Have you subscribed yet?

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro

The first of the regular monthly Gravity Enduro nights was held at Riflebutts on Tuesday 15 December, the last Dirt Crits before the Xmas break. Gravity nights are for those who aren’t built for climbing to get revenge on those who aren’t into descending. Three courses were set with each racer required to post a time for each and the totals of all three deciding the result.

It was very tight at the pointy end of the Men with Stu Clark just getting the win by just 6 seconds from Ant Bateup.

Dan Friday was also in the hunt but he was beaten with the ‘bad luck stick’ and broke his saddle and chain on Course 3.

A different weapon was used on Sam Mosley; he got fastest time on Course 2 but was struck by the ‘navigational issues virus’ on Course 3, took a wrong turn and didn’t get an overall result.

The ‘navigational issues virus’ was obviously quite contagious; Elise Empey won on Courses 1 and 2 but she also took a wrong turn on Course 3, handing the win in Women’s Class to Ruby Dobson.

Here the results.

The next Dirt Crits for Seniors will be on Tue 2 Feb with the next Junior Dirt Critters slated for the following week, Tue 9 Feb.

Uphill with a tail wind

by Steve Curnow

The Rob Curtis Memorial Time Trial was held last Thursday with a tail wind, warm weather and with 20 riders participating. Darren Bakker was worried about being late for the start so he pushed hard to get to the start at Sawpit Gully turn-off - only to be told that we were to have a late start due to Cameron, the trailer man being somewhere between Shepparton and Merton. Mauro Brega came to the rescue and we got off to a flying start.

Steve Curnow, who won the time trial, shared the secret of his success: the new lightweight titanium hip and a double shot of coffee before the race. Everyone should have one (coffee, that is!)

Will Calvert Jones turned up in a flapping white t-shirt and was taken to task over it at speech time at the Mansfield Hotel. Apparently Will was hoping for rain and winning the wet t-shirt competition, but it didn’t rain.

It was great to have Steve Brown at the Christmas break-up putting up a brave front. We are also thinking of Judi Duke and wishing her well.

Back to the time trial. It is a real gut bust. Good on everyone who participated. First place went to Steve Curnow, who was passed by only one rider. Second place went to James Dunn with the fastest time overall. Well done. Third was Rod Manning, fourth Ewyn Carter and fifth Chris Miller.

Thanks to the Mansfield Hotel for having us at end of the year gathering. A good evening was had by all. Also a big thank you to all the marshals for making it all happen on the night.

Here are the results.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 21 January for the next race of the series, from the Botanic Park out to Sawpit Gully Road, then around to Graves Road.

And bunch rides every day at 8am from the Botanic Park over the Xmas period (unless it’s forecast to be really hot, then it’s 7am).

Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year to all!