Tour de Brisbane

The Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane was held recently and showcases Brisbane as an international cycling destination for anyone on a bike, from elite riders to weekend warriors, and families. The event is headlined by the UCI Gran Fondo World Series which is part of the internationally sanctioned series held all over the world.

The Tour de Brisbane is designed to bring the community together on two wheels to share some of the city’s iconic landmarks. The unique, closed road, inner-city course is offered over five distances and attracts participants of all abilities from all over Australia, Asia, and Europe.

The Tour de Brisbane Gran Fondo 110kms starts in the heart of Brisbane at Gregory Terrace and the Brisbane Showgrounds, and begins with a loop through the city, crossing the Brisbane River. The first part of the race goes south out of the city which is totally flat on major roads, before heading for the main difficulty of the race, Mount Coot-Tha, with a 2km climb at 9% with only 16kms before the finish.

Josh Hopwood from MMBCC made the trek north to Brisbane to test his form after a great summer of training and racing in other events. The Tour de Brisbane is a qualifying event for the World Amateur Championships to be held later this year in Italy. The focus for Hopwood would be to qualify for the World Championships and represent Australia. Everything was on track until Qantas lost his bike bag and it was pretty much impossible to get any information out of Qantas. As the time ticked by, its was now less than 10 hours until the start of the race. We did hear a few rumours that Hopwood was now enjoying his time in Brisbane with his wife and knocking back a few gins until hotel reception called with good news, “your bike has arrived”.

The mad rush had begun to build his bike and get to the start line for a 6.30am start. Generally, a warmup is key to any race, however with over 160 other racers, it would be a balancing act to get a warmup and get to the start line and be within the first few rows. The start was hectic, with traffic furniture and tight bends for riders to negotiate, this would ease off once the race got out on open roads. Many attacks would go off the front without any luck, the peloton was setting everything up for the climb of Mount Coot-Tha. Hopwood was riding a smart race, being near the front to avoid crashes and to jump on any attacks that might occur.

After 95kms of racing, the real race was about to kick off, the race started climbing Mount Coot-Tha and it was only the strong riders pushing to the front. Lucky for Hopwood, he was used to riding in the hills as he made the front group of 6 climbing Mount Coot-Tha where the racing was hot, one rider got off the front and ended up staying away to win the race, for the rest it was a sprint to the finish line. The last 500m was mainly downhill with a little kicker to the finish line, Hopwood came across the line in 5th place missing 2nd by 1 second. After a crazy 24hrs it was a fantastic achievement by Hopwood and now the big question would remain, would the stars align to race in Italy in September.

We look forward to part 2 of the Tour de Brisbane with Talia Appleton's race report!!

The Sawpit Gully Showdown - The Colt

There was movement at the Botanical Park for the word had passed around that the colt from Buttercup Lane was back in town. He had joined the Melbourne A-Grade riders and worth 300 watts. So all the Cracks had gathered to the fray. 

With Dan ‘The Colt’ Purcell lining up to show the club how it’s done in the big smoke, the best of the club wanted to be in the mix for the Sawpit Gully Showdown. Josh ‘Legs and Lungs’ Hopwood fresh from last weekends Mansfield Tour even traded in his marshalling duties to be a part of the now legendary Colt lead-out train and record breaking ride.

Again near perfect race conditions met the gathering field on Thursday with another still magic autumn evening. The Sawpit Gully Showdown kicked off with welcoming back Tony Morris to join David ‘Bockie’ Bock with 15.30m head start. Followed by Dave Jagger and Craig ‘The Beacon’ Wilson with a 3min handicap. John Findlay and Ian Conrick had a 1.30min gap to fill before Steve Curnow and Janine ‘She’s Apples’ Appleton headed out with another 3.00min margin to chase. Rob Skinner and Mike Pearce had agreed to work together in the handicap with the Club Crack Sprinters Darren ‘Cannon Ball’ Bakker, Tim Ross and Steve ‘The Cobbler’ Duke rolling out next.

Second last off was the famous Wolf Pack of Dave ‘Eats Gravel’ Moore, Steve ‘Everyone knows Brownie’ Brown, Chris ‘I just had Baby’ Miller and club legend Bruce ‘The Don’ Halket. While the Wolf Pack waited and sniffed the air with their 14.30min deficit they queried The Don’s selection of steel stead for the ride which mirrored a German tank in that it was a 1980’s Pinnarello frame which he kept in the back paddock for years. “Geez mate, I hope that thing can ride ok”. “She’ll be right” said The Don, “It’s of Italian bloodlines and back in the 90’s I upgraded her from a 5 speed to a 7 speed!”. Okey Dokes said the Wolf Pack with raised eyebrows and a nod but it’s gunna take a lot to hold off the Scratch team tonight. Last off was the line was champion-bred Josh ‘Legs and Lungs’ Hopwood and the big show in town of Dan ‘The Colt’ Purcell. Rumour had it that The Colt was getting married on the weekend and was using the race as part of his final weight shred for the wedding suit.

Brownie lead out the Wolf Pack with his usual selfless huge initial turn and taking on the first long hill. This set up a cracking pace as we took on the rolling climbs north on Mansfield- Whitfield Rd. I don’t think we were far past Barwite Rd before the Scratch crew were upon us. The Colt and Hopwood were grinding at a phenomenal speed as the Wolf Pack joined and tried to hang on. At this point ‘The Don’ Halket was questioning his selection of the Italian stead as he was running out of gears at such a high pace. Brownie was in great form but had burnt a few too many matches early on. Moore was holding his own putting in big turns on the front and before we knew it, we were at the turnaround point near Sawpit Gully. Thanks as always to the safety marshals making the local traffic aware of our presence.

The mob had still managed to stay away out front as the Scratch crew took the speed up another notch on the descent from the turnaround point. Looking at the speedo we were well into the mid to high 40s with Hopwood and The Colt Purcell keeping the speed, instructions and wattage high. We had sighted the mob on the flats and were at full gallop to bridge the gap sharing time on the front to our lungs capacity. Maintaining the high pace we noted that much of the mid handicap group had formed into a larger mob of 8-10 rides including Bakker, Duke, Ross, Skinner and Pearce. With momentum on our side the Scratch crew past them at full whack with only a few managing to jump on the freight train.

As the rolling hills back to town returned to view we knew that there was still 3-6 race horses up the road. We managed to catch Curnow, Findlay and Conrick with Janine ‘She’s Apples’ doing the work on the front.

The handicapper had done another fantastic job because as we crested the last of the rollers we sighted Blockie, Jagger and Craig ‘The Beacon’ Wilson on the final descent and we only just caught him before the final turn into Mt Battery Road.

We knew it was going to be a high-speed sprint to the end at which point The Colt sniffed the finish line and prepared to launch. With ‘Legs and Lungs’ Hopwood setting up the lead-out train and with Miller on his wheel, The Colt Purcell jumped with 150m to go and galloped past the final two to take the win with a crack of his stockwhip overhead. Miller second and Josh stoically third with Wilson and Jagger again holding off the rest of the field with 4th and 5th respectively. The remainder of the mob coming home in a full lather with the uphill finish line exhausting the last of their energy. Given Hopwood’s negotiated exchange of marshalling duties to assist The Colts masterly lead-out train he generously gave his race points to Bockie with a respectful nod.

The Colt was delighted with his win and was confident he had shed any final kg’s for the wedding suit – hope the wedding was a blast mate!

All riders rolled back into town to our favourite water hole The Mansfield Hotel where Steve ‘Everyone knows Brownie’ Brown hosted the club for drinks and dining – all welcome as always.

Huge thanks to all the volunteers and marshals keeping us safe out on the Mansfield roads.

MMBCC News Sunday 20th March

Howes Creek Ramble

The scene for the Howes Creek Rd Ramble was set in near perfect conditions on a still autumn evening with barley a breath of wind to bother the gathering field of riders. A few easy laps of the Lords Reserve oval got the legs pumping before kick-off with Dave Bock rolling out with a 14.30min head start.

Craig Wilson dressed in his brightest red jersey (The Red Beacon) was off next riding solo followed up by the hairy legged Tim Hall, Alex Green and John Findlay. Steve Curnow and Janine ‘She’s Apples’ Appleton took off representing the female contingent of the field. Rob Skinner and Mike Pearce had their work cut out for them with a 3.15min gap to chase down before the clubs Crack Sprint Squad of Ant Bateup and Darren Bakker fired up their engines. Finally, with a sizable 14.30min deficit the Scratch squad rolled out, fortunately the Wolf Pack was back for first time in many races with Dave Moore, Steven Brown, Bruce ‘The Don’ Halket and Chris Miller.

Brownie the big diesel led the Scratch crew out at a blistering pace as the rest of the Wolf Pack fought for who would have the great man’s wheel for the rolling turns. After the first roll Bruce ‘The Don’ was heard to muffle at speed something like “%#$@ that’s fast!!”. Before we knew it, we were approaching the Howes Creek Rd intersection and had to ease off the pace to safely navigate the corner. Thanks to the safety marshals for advising the local traffic of our presence.

The Wolf Pack were motoring along nicely remembering to look up and admire the great views of the lake and magic glowing sunset. Our spiritual leader for the night with Dave Moore celebrating is heritage roots of Irelands St Patricks Day (17th March) by sporting a suitable very Irish green flying jersey. He must have been channelling his ancestral spirits as he continued to put in huge turns on the front.

Before we knew it, we were at the turn around point a Cummins Rd and had sighted the field. Bakker and Bateup quickly joined the bunch and made some great turns on the front and we tackled the challenging hills of the return. Skinner and Pearce joined the growing group and it bridged the gap to Currnow and ‘She’s Apples’ who were holding a great pace. The large group stayed together well supporting each other during the final hilly half while merging with Findlay, Green and Hall.

For some reason I thought that we had caught all riders with 2kms to go and I could relax however out there on the distant horizon, up the road, was the great Red Beacon of Craig Wilson who was riding in outstanding form and had managed to hold off the entire field during the race. With the few remaining rolling hills to go it took all the nous of the Wolf Pack and or spiritual leader Moore to hunt down the Red Beacon. It was only on the final hill with a lead out and direct instructions from Bruce ‘The Don’ to hold his wheel as he led me onto the final climb. It slung shot me on to the hill and digging deep I managed to hold the high tempo and to just catch the Red Beacon Wilson on the crest before maintaining to the momentum to the finishing line and taking my first win of the season.

All members congratulated each other on a great race and slowly rolled back our spiritual gathering place of The Mansfield Hotel for a celebratory Irish Guinness – “Sláinte!!”

Thanks again to the fantastic work of the Commissaires, marshals and volunteers for this week’s race.   

MMBCC News Sunday 13th March

Skinner Too Strong

With the long weekend on the horizon and some of the big guns on marshalling duties, this Thursday’s night race had a reduced starting field of 15 riders, all seemingly a little anxious about wind conditions on the Barwite Loop course.

With David Bock off limit at 11.30 followed 3 minutes later by Craig Wilson at 8.30, they battled the Coombesberg hill and the wind as lone riders. The group of Tim Hall, Alex Green, Wayne Arazny and Ian Conrick where next off at 6.30 followed by Michael Pearce, Belinda Cipa and myself (Rob Skinner) at 3.30.

By the end of Graves Road Belinda was struggling with the early pace set by Mike Pearce and up ahead we could see Alex Green losing contact with his group. The Coomsberg’s Hill was making it hard for Mike on his vintage 3 speed steel bike, so I pressed on, in an attempt to catch the group ahead before the top of the hill. Too scared to look back to see where the Block group of Tim Ross, Darren Bakker, Matt Hoskin and Steve Duke were, having started 2 minutes after us and not even thinking about the scratch group of Steve Brown and Bruce Halket starting a further 1.30 minutes later.

Over the hill there was no letting up with riders hitting the Barwite Road corner at high speeds and having to work hard to keep on the right side of the white lines. Matt Hoskin found himself hitting the gravel and onto the grass before recovering and getting back into the race.

Having worked with Tim Hall for half of Barwite Road, we got our first glimpses of Willo in the distance, so it was time to kick it up a notch having Willo in my sights, catching him not long before Mansfield –Whitfield Road.

Turning into the Mansfield- Whitfield Road I had a sneaky look over the shoulder expecting to see groups closing in, but to my surprise I couldn’t see anyone and thought that maybe I’m in with a chance here. That thought quickly changed as the uphill of Whitfield Road and the head wind hit me hard. Once over the slight rise in the road I had a bit of respite and could see the lone, lonely figure of Bocky up ahead, having ridden the whole race by himself, I asked myself did I have a chance to catch him without being caught myself?

Heading down towards Mt Battery Road all I could think about was how weeks earlier I was sure Janine and I were to battle it out for first place only to get swamped by the scratch group before Mt Battery Road, however this time I was onto Mt Battery Road with only Bocky in front with 400 metres to go.

Once again the handicapper had done a brilliant job. I edged pass Bocky only to be rapidly slowing toward the finish line managing to hang on for my second win of the season, finishing seconds in front of the fast finishing Bruce Halket, Steve Duke and David Bock 4th. 50 seconds was all that separated the top 10 riders. Mike Pearce finish 5th on his 3 speed vintage steel bike ahead of Brown, Hoskin, Ross, Willo and Tim Hall, rounding out the top 10.

Bruce Halket took out the fastest time of 32.37 minutes and Tony Copland was presented with a Mansfield Hotel voucher for his fantastic photos throughout the season.

Thanks again to the Commissaires, marshals and volunteers for this week’s race.      

MMBCC News Sunday 6th March 2022

Maydena Downhill National Titles 2022

7 competitors from the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club attended the National Downhill titles on the weekend of the 20th of February.  With the club seeing some outstanding results.

The course at Maydena is steep and challenging in several spots finishing very large jumps more than 40 feet.  With a total 0f 349 competitors in the field it was very competitive in all classes.  The U/15 and U/17 classes combined alone was almost bigger than the entire XCO field so a result in this class would be outstanding. 

Results:

Matt Empey 20th Elite Men (74 competitors)

Elise Empey 1st U/19 Women

Bella Green 5th U/19 Women

Sam Mosley 12th U/17 Men

Zac Empey 33rd U/17 Men

Selina Green 2nd U/15 Women

Mt Baw Baw VDHS Downhill Results

Another sold out race for the Downhill series ensured all classes were incredibly competitive. Baw Baw didn’t disappoint. Rain and greasy conditions were the order of the day for Saturday practice. Despite the conditions everyone agreed the track was running well.

The weather conditions improved for Sunday and the track dried, and the times fell in both qualification runs, and race runs. The Mansfield crowd performing very well and certainly punching above their weight with four podiums out of the six competitors from the club.

Matt Empey’s run was the standout from the Mansfield crew with a very competitive run in Elite men, putting him on the podium for the first time.

The U/17 men’s class had 80 competitors, which makes Sam Mosley’s run an outstanding achievement as he had a huge off in practice and was a little shaken to say the least. Well done Sam.

Zac Empey raced well for 23rd with 10 competitors being within 4 seconds of each other.  So not far off the top ten.

Bella Green finally climbed onto the top step with an excellent run in Elite women. Bella has been constantly improving this season and the result is well deserved.

Selina Green raced well for third in U/15 women.

Crash of the weekend went to Elise Empey. With a spectacular cartwheel at speed at the bottom of the feared Jeep track. She brought the huge crowd to its knees with her high-speed antics. The result being a dislocated shoulder, concussion and a set of destroyed forks.

Well done everyone.

Bella Green 1st Elite Women

Elise Empey DNF

Matt Empey 4th Elite Men

Sam Mosley 3rd U/17 Men

Zac Empey 23rd U/17 Men

Selina Green 3rd U/15 Women

Cipa Prevails - Two Strong

A stellar group of 17 riders gathered at 6pm on 3rd March for the start of the scheduled Thursday night handicap road race – a 26klm out and back course on the Mansfield-Whitfield Road. With Chief Marshall Darren Bakker officiating and Mel Green on stop watch, David Bock took off on Limit, followed 5 minutes later by the 5 man group of John (strong heart now) Eisner, David (“I don’t get endorphins from exercise”) Jagger, Alex (selective efforts Irene) Green, Craig (“I hate getting dropped”) Wilson, Wayne (“I don’t want to miss my group’s start time ever again”) Arazny, and John (“I’d like to train harder”) Findlay. The female duo of Janine Appleton and Belinda Cipa followed 1 minute later. Mike Pearce and Tom MacMunn paired to follow 3min:30sec later ahead of Steve Duke and Tim Ross by 1 min:30sec. Steve Brown, David Moore and Bruce Halket were next to depart and formed a feisty Block group. Josh (last week’s Juggernaut) Hopwood and Chris (maybe time for another fastest time) Miller had to cool their jets for a further 1min:30 sec to give everyone the chance to cross the finish line first.

Once rolling, Belinda and Janine powered out to catch the bunch of 5 just before the Barwite Road intersection. By and from the turnaround at Sawpit Gully this large group worked smoothly together before eventually dropping a few and passing David Bock as the road straightened out near Bridge Creek.

Like a bunch of frenzied road runners being chased by lean, mean and savvy predators, Belinda and Janine with John Findlay, Alex Green and Wayne Arazny dug deep to hold their lead for as long as possible. With the left-hand corner onto Mt Battery Road in sight, the effort and end were almost near.

Expecting to hear the Juggernaut’s carbon rims whistling from behind, Belinda took heart from a cheery roadside shout of encouragement as she made the turn, just as a calf muscle wanted to congeal into concrete and the finish line still an agonisingly long 300metre sprint away.

With great camaraderie, Belinda took line honours from Janine in 2nd place and a strong ride by John Findlay earned him a podium finish in 3rd place.  Steve Brown was applauded for 4th place and Tom MacMunn 5th. Bruce Halket, Mike Pearce, Steve Duke, and Josh (still a Juggernaut with fastest time) Hopwood and Chris Miller rounding out the top ten placements.

At the finish, all agreed, in breathless, heaving silence, that it was a great race and a strong effort by all to finish.

Many thanks to the race Committee members, Commissaires, Marshalls, Volunteers and Supporters for running the race so smoothly and to Tony Copland for his wonderful photography. Post-race, the Committee thanked Mansfield Hotel for their sponsorship and for welcomed all for dinner and refreshments afterward.

If you think you are too old, too young, too slow, too fast, not social enough, or just too plain curious, think again. Be brave and contact the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club via their website to see what fun you can have with others on or around two wheels.

Three very exciting community events are on this month in Mansfield which showcase cycling in all its forms.

• Check out the Tour de Trail on Sunday 13th March;

• The Club’s marquee Mansfield Hotel Tour powered by Orcoda, a 3-stage road cycling event on the 19th and 20th March which will see Victorian Road Cycling Teams as well as Men’s and Women’s A, B and C grade riders challenge themselves on Graves Road, Mt. Buller Road and the majestic climb that is Mt. Buller; and

• On the 24th- 27th of March check out the incredible mountain biking skills and action on display at the Highline MTB Festival.

MMBCC News Sunday 27th February

The Juggernaut Dominates

The last few weeks of racing have been some of the best this season, with racers coming into good form as summer starts to slip away. The MMBCC were back on course 9 for a handicap race with 18 riders setting off in stormy conditions. You could feel the nervous tension in the air, one would have thought it was because of the storms rolling past Mansfield but in reality, I think it was more to do with the windy conditions that riders would be facing. Did someone say strong headwinds for the Coombesberg?

On the start list, there were some strong groups, but they would have to ride smart and as a team if they were going to hold off the Scratch and Block. First off, the line was David Bock 13.30, then Ian Conrick, David Jagger, Craig Wilson, John Finlay, and Wayne Arazny at 8.45; and then Belinda Cipa and Janine Appleton off 7.00; and then Rob Skinner and Mike Pearce 4.00; then Tom MacMunn, Darren Bakker, Steve Duke and Matt Hoskin 2.30; then the block group of Steve Brown, Dave Moore, and Liam Delaney 0.45 and finally Josh “Juggernaut” Hopwood of scratch.

Riders would enjoy a great tailwind off the start line to the turnaround and it was Belinda Cipa, Janine Appleton, and Josh Hopwood that would make the most of it. After the turnaround riders were greeted with a cross headwind and it didn’t stop there, it continued well into making the left turn into Barwite road. The race was well in its groove and riders would need to work together to have any chance for the win.

At the head of the race, Belinda Cipa and Janine Appleton had been caught by the fast-moving group of Ian Conrick, David Jagger, Craig Wilson, John Finlay, and Wayne Arazny. This was looking like the winning group for sure.

Meanwhile, Josh “Juggernaut” Hopwood was causing all sorts of damage to Block and bridging from group to group. Liam Delaney tried to go with an attack from Josh Hopwood but fell mercy to the crosshead wind and dropped back to his group. Riders were starting to make their way to the hardest part of the course “the Coombesberg” and to make it more interesting, mother nature was dishing out a brutal headwind.

Josh Hopwood could now see the small but strong group going over the Coombesberg and he would need to continue his charge over the hills to catch the front group. The leaders of Belinda Cipa, David Jagger, Wayne Arazny, John Finlay, and Janine Appleton were holding off Josh Hopwood until the last 1.5kms where he flew past them and onto his first win of the season, Janine Appleton came in second then Belinda Cipa in third.

Thank you to the officials and volunteers for an awesome race and to the Mansfield Hotel for their generous sponsorship. Thanks to Tony Copland for sharing his race photos.

Dirt Crits

Dirt Crits roll off again on Tuesday 1 March. In other news, we look forward to the race summary from Dave Impey and Alex Green from the huge efforts of all the MMBCC riders that took part in the Nationals.

MMBCC News Saturday 19th February

Winners are grinners

By Michael Pearce

All agreed the Bakker Plumbing Handicap at Jamieson is probably the best race of the season, on the best course. It starts with a relaxing drive out to Jamieson as race preparation, then a hard, fun race followed by dinner at the Jamieson Brewery.

With a full moon rising, enthusiastic officials, (thank you) and a handicap system that is getting closer to perfect every race… off we went!

Rob Skinner and I waited for three groups to go off before us: John Eisner was off Limit at 13.00; then John Findlay, Dave Jagger and Craig Wilson off 11.30; and then Steve Curnow, Belinda Cipa, her daughter Katie Cipa and Wayne Arazny off 9.00.

Wayne missed his start time and suffered trying to get back on.

Rob and I decided to race on at the half way mark and not ‘sit up’ and wait for the in form ‘awesome foursome’ of the 3.30 group, Ant Bateup, Tom MacMunn, Darren Bakker and Jarrod Appleton, who were gaining on us quickly.

It’s a bit hard to tell… but he doesn’t seem to be grinning in this pic!

Catching the front markers we knew we had a chance to hold off the looming faster riders.

The Block group of Craig Oliver, Steve Duke, Matt Hoskin, Dave Moore and Bruce Halket were caught by two thirds of Scratch ((Chris Miller and Belinda’s son-in-law Shane Marshall had just dropped Steve Brown) a little before half way. However, only Moore and Halket were able to stay with them after the turnaround.

“It was two locomotives, a few carriages and a caboose,” Wil said about the ride after the turnaround.

Rob Skinner the winner and grinner, Katie and Belinda displayed good race tactics to get 2nd and 3rd, myself 4th. Rob’s time was 58.48, an actual ride time of 50.48.

Halket got home for fifth ahead of Bateup, Miller, Appleton and Marshall. Darren Bakker, race sponsor and club spiritual guru, rounded out the top ten.

Despite a fatigue and beer-induced error at presentations, which gave fastest time to Shane Marshall, fastest time was actually ridden by Chris Miller - 45.04.

Next week’s race is from the Botanic Park, turning at Long Lane and finishing on Graves Road - see you there!

Here are the results.

Dirt Crits

After last week’s last minute cancellation, Dirt Crits will be back this coming week.

It’s a Cross Country night… watch out for Ruby! (We hear she’s quick…)

Eastern Grand Prix for Women

Eastern Cycling Club are hosting their Eastern GP (for Women only) at Casey Fields on Saturday 5 March. It’s a 3-race format with grades from A to E.

More info and entries (by Fri 4 Mar) here.

MTB Nats at Maydena

The MTB Nationals culminate this weekend with the finals of XCO on Saturday plus Downhill and XCC on Sunday. Good luck to all the MMBCCers racing.

Follow the results here.

MMBCC News Sunday 13th February

Eisner in Red Hot form

A larger field of nineteen riders rolled up for the weekly Thursday race in near-perfect, albeit slightly windy, conditions.

First off was John Eisner followed four minutes later by Alex Green, Dave Jagger, John Findlay and Ian Conrick. Further back in groups of three or four were Tim Hall, Rob Skinner, Janine Appleton, Tom MacMunn, Darren Bakker, Tim Ross, Ant Bateup, Steve Duke, Dave Moore, Damon Ginns, Matt Hoskin, Steve Brown, Chris Miller and finally Josh Hopwood chasing the whole field with a thirty second deficit.

Eisner enjoyed a solo ride until being caught by the following group heading up the Coombsberg whereupon a bit of cat and mousing ensued. Findlay was riding well and  had two bursts off the front but never got far enough off to make a clean break. In the final kilometer, Eisner took the downwind gutter and thanks to Conrick’s boxing was able to outsprint Dave Jagger with John Findlay taking out third.

In a nod to Dave Moore’s handicapping, the rest of the field pretty much had a same time finish leaving the marshals to review the video footage to determine the minor placings. Fastest was Josh Hopwood and Best effort went to Steve Duke.

Thanks to Tony Copland for sharing his race photos and to the helpers – great job thank you and a note of thanks to Michael O’Keefe , Rod Warren, and the Cardiac team at RMH!!

Please note this week’s race the “Bakker Handicap” in Jamieson, the Club has a booking from 7:45 pm. A request from the Brewery is you must order soon as you get there. Thanks.

Upcoming Events

Women’s Hanging Rock Handicap
After a one year hiatus, the famous Hanging Rock Handicap is back in 2022, and better than ever, thanks to our generous sponsors Topbike Tours (http://www.topbike.com.au), Pedla (thepedla.com) and generously supported by VicHealth and Hawthorn Cycling Club. Join Australia’s biggest and best women’s road race event!

A few members did this event in 2020 and there were over 100 women, yes that’s right over 100 women racing!!

65km women-only road race, handicap format, based at the picturesque Hanging Rock Reserve, a little over 2 hours from Mansfield.

We’ll have the same beautiful Hanging Rock backdrop for registration and post-race celebrations, coffee cart, catering, and more.

Females only, 15yrs+

Licences - new!

Keen to race but you dont have licences??? Well AusCycling have a free 4-week trial licence available to anyone via this link - https://auscycling.tidyhq.com/public/membership_levels/4a938f38233d

More information via EntryBoss.

Racing News

The Tour of Gippsland is off to a great start today with Talia Appleton taking 3rd place in the U19 women’s stage 1, with 2 more stages to come. Great effort!! You can find the live results here.

Tour of Gippsland - Stage 1 podium. L-R Isabelle CARNES (QLD), Bronte STEWART (NSW), Talia APPLETON (VIC)

Spare a thought for the race behind the race, the logistical nightmare, massive shout-out to all the support crews that pull it all together for race day. Here you can see the Appleton’s loaded up heading for Gippsland and the Dobson’s cruising off to Tasmania. Good luck to all the MMBCC members racing this week and the crews taking on the 2022 AusCyling Mountain National Championships at Maydena park in Tasmania. Results can be found here during the week.

MMBCC News Sunday 6th February

A Nice Night for Nicknames

By Dario Cipollini (Mario’s chubby little brother)

A perfect temperature and windy conditions greeted the 13 racers on the start line at Lords Ground.

First off was John Eisner all by himself at 14.30, he was in for a hard ride but was looking fit. Next was Ian Conrick and David Jagger at 10.30 followed by Micheal Pearce and Steve Curnow at 7.30. Next was Team Smooth: Steve Duke, Ant Bateup, Tim Ross and Darren Bakker at 4 minutes. Then the next to go was team Power of Chris Miller, Bruce Halket, Steve Brown and Dave Moore at 3.30. The lonely Scratch rider was Josh ‘the Freak’ Hopwood. 

This is what scratch rider Josh ‘the Freak Hopwood looks like riding solo.

All riders were doing it tough into the head wind on the way out, especially Eisner, who was doing a great job staying out in front of the other groups until after the turn around. 

Meanwhile Team Smooth were motoring along; they caught Curnow and Pearce just before the turnaround and could see Jagger and Ian ‘the Hitman’ Conrick just behind Eisner who’d already rounded the corner. 

After the turn for home Team Smooth lit it up with the tail wind but could see Team Power with all their riders and Josh had nearly bridged to them. Team Power sent Steve ‘the Beast’ Brown to the front to engage warp speed to try and bridge the gap to Team Smooth. 

Meanwhile Team Smooth had picked up the rest of the field and were leading the race; Mick ‘the Hardman’ Pearce was still hanging in and swapping a few turns on his home track. 

Team Smooth powering their way towards the finish line.

Team Power had been caught by Josh and were starting to think they could feature in the finish. Could Team Smooth hold off the rampaging chasers? 

Five hundred metres the finish Team Smooth were still by themselves. That’s when Tim ‘the Tank Engine’ Ross went to the front and kicked in the turbo with the others barely hanging on to his wheel.

With 200m to go Ant ‘the Young Bull’ Bateup went to the front and wound it up even more, overtaking Tim with Darren ‘Fat Boy’ Bakker and Steve ‘Speedy Gonzales’ Duke in tow. 

With a hundred to go Bakker kicked but couldn’t gap the Young Bull; it was a drag race side by side with Bakker winning by the slimmest of margins. They were followed by Duke and Ross. 

Miller and Hopwood came in just 7 seconds behind followed closely by the rest of the riders. 

Thank you to the officials and volunteers for an awesome race and to the Mansfield Hotel for their generous sponsorship. Thanks to Tony Copland for sharing his viewpoint from his camera lens.

Next week we’re racing on Whitfield Road, turning around at Long Lane and finishing on Graves Road - a ‘fun’ course which will give everyone a chance - even those without a nickname. 

Dirt Crits Returns

Dirt Crits will start again this Tuesday 8th Feb, and it will be an event from the pain cave. Let’s see what we can devise for the first race back. Let’s see who has been doing sneaky kilometers over the break.

Upcoming Events
We have a large contingent of competitors travelling to Maydena, Tasmania for the Auscycling Mountain Bike National Championships commencing on the 14th of February.  The week-long event will take place at Maydena Bike Park north of Hobart.  It will be the largest number of competitors from MMBCC ever to attend a national title event.  Our strong team of riders includes:

Ruby Dobson – XCO, XCC

Bella Green – Downhill

Selina Green – Downhill

Sam Mosley – Downhill

Zac Empey – Downhill

Elise Empey – Downhill

Matt Empey – Downhill

It is exciting for the club, and I can’t wait to see how they all perform. 

Victorian State Championships - XCO

The Victorian State Championship (XCO) was announced Tuesday last week with a long run into the Saturday race for training and preparation! While it was tacked onto an existing Vic Championship Series event it was not one that the Dobsons intended to get to…. the race was located at the Red Hill MTB Park in Dormana on the Mornington Peninsula and supported by the Red Hill Riders Club.

Beautiful morning and a fantastic course with a long climb from the start straight into a flowing single-track course with a mix of technical (rooty) and constructed single track culminating in a rough, rocky descent. Course length for U19s through to Masters AB was a bit over 7 km with a lap time between 25 and 35 minutes depending on what vitamins you take.

Limited field of women starting in Ruby’s wave. She was one of two U19s with another 7 Elites on the field. Ruby had a great start, hit the climb in front, and kept going from there. She had widened the lead by the time she got to the top of the descent.

I recall this bit of the track from our recce lap earlier in the day. There is a huge difference in your descent experience based on the line you pick. This is a particular issue as the turn into this section is fast with a barbed wire fence on your left and a paved section of track with an abrupt drop off. Tricky.

Ruby hit the corner running hot, took the line along the fence and the worst hit of the drop and came off the side of the bike. The small red battery that operates the rear derailleur objected to the situation and decided to disappear into the scrub.

Ten minutes later…. The battery reappears and Ruby’s back on her bike. Longest first lap ever and an insurmountable gap to make up on the Elites. This wasn’t helped by ongoing changing issues (bent hanger), but she still managed good lap times.

Not the race that Ruby planned for but nevertheless still first over the line for U19 and valuable lessons learnt before Maydena. Also, no stitches… yay!

MMBCC News Sunday 30th January

Road Race

By Michael Pearce.
Five kilometres east of Mansfield is Graves Road, a peaceful, quiet road, perfect for testing 14 riders on a hilly TT course in a warm 27 degrees. Commissionaires calm, marshals scurrying off to their important spots on the course (no time to wave and say thanks tonight sorry) another great job from you all.
The ITT is perfect for showing who’s strongest and fittest.

A generous handicap for me, must be my old bike and lacking deep-dish, fancy carbon wheels gave me the win. Steve Curnow 2nd, Bruce Halket 3rd, Ant Bateup 4th, Conner Rate 5th and fastest. Conner’s handicap was severe because of his impressive stationary bike warm up and a deluxe, fast Giant TT bike.

Kudos to Ruby Dobson who found time in a busy training schedule to ride a fast time and smile at the finish line. Best dressed went to Ian Conrick… because at least he was fully dressed this time!
We are always welcomed back into town at the Mansfield Hotel for a meal, cold drinks and the nights placings. Thanks to all the other riders for a great turn out, good bunch, great club!

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the photos and our race officials, without you we have no racing!!

Next week will see the MMBCC head to course 10 on the fast Howes Creek - Cummins road return. To make sure races start on time, you must enter by 8pm on the Wednesday before the race or you won’t get a start! Entries will be taken on Team App – click ‘Store’ then click the race you want to enter, click add to cart, click your cart (top right) then checkout and pay.

Dirt Crits

If you're looking for some dirt action, racing returns Tuesday 8th February.

Eastern Cycling Club

Well done to Steve Duke 5th and Dave Moore 1st for taking on the most famous crit course in Melbourne yesterday, hosted by Eastern Cycling Club. Surely the MMBCC handicapper has Dave and Steve on their radar.
If your looking for some additional racing head to EntryBoss and look for Eastern Cycling, Northern Cycling, and Northern Combine as they often have racing around Seymour, Yarra Glen, Broadford, and Avenel.

First local races of '22 plus lots of other stuff...

victorian downhill series

By Dave Empey

The first round of the VDHS series was held by MMBCC last weekend, and it did not disappoint.  Perfect weather a sold-out event and great racing across all classes.  Carnage was the order of the day on both Saturday and Sunday.  Many riders and equipment falling foul of the rough and demanding trail.  Returned local rider Matthew Empey succumbing to the trail with a flat tyre in his race run.  The medical team of Graham Slaney and Shannon Rademaker had earnt a beer by Sunday night.

Racing was tight across all classes with less than a second separating many of the podium positions in the Elite categories.  Some excellent local results were had:

Selena Green 2nd U/15 women

Sam Mosley 9th U/17 men (80 in class)

Zac Empey 23rd U/17 men (trail bike) 

Bella Green 3rd Elite women

Elise Empey 1st Elite women

Many thanks go out to our army of volunteers, who without we would not be able to run this event.  Covid also has presented the event with a special set of challenges which were met and overcome by the organizing committee.

First road race of 2022

By Allan Gerrans and Bruce Halket.

The first MMBCC road race of 2022 on Thursday 20 January was greeted by 17 enthusiastic entrants. Awaiting them from the Botanic Park was 25km out to Sawpit Gully Road and back and then the little kick up Mt Battery Road to the Showgrounds.

On a warm evening we gave a very warm welcome to first time racers with the MMBCC, John Findlay and Geoff Maguire.

First away was former handicapper John Eisner, who no longer gets an armchair ride, as the lone Limit rider on 14 minutes; then came Findlay, Alex Green and Ian Conrick at 9.30; Steve Curnow, Tim Hall, Janine Appleton and Rob Skinner at 6.30; Tim Ross and Darren Bakker at 4.00; the Chopping Block group was made up of Ant Bateup, Jarrod Appleton and Maguire at 2.00; and Scratch were last - Chris Miller, handicapper Dave Moore, Steve Duke and Bruce Halket.

All groups started strongly into the wind - of note was Eisner who showed exceptional intestinal fortitude to ride alone into the wind and he was still ahead at the turnaround.

The 6.30 group of Skinner, Janine Appleton, Hall and Curnow were looking particularly good - partly explained by Skinner’s youthful clean-shaven face.

Conrick had started to struggle by the Broken River and by the tomato farm he’d been detached from the Green-Findlay train. Hall was the next detachment near Tabletop Road but help was on the way.

Meanwhile, the Scratch group was flying! Reigning club champ Miller was taking monstrous turns on the front and block were caught on the descent after the turnaround.

Bakker and Ross rode tremendously together. They’re the joint namesakes of a certain unofficial club award but there was no hint of regurgitation, only concentration. Hall tagged onto these two from the turnaround through to the Broken River on the way back but couldn’t maintain their pace.

After Long Lane Moore went to the front and lifted the speed from 40 km/h to 50! It was a huge turn which made up heaps of ground on Bakker and Ross. Like a shooting star, he burnt brightly, even fiercely but then fizzled out… and dropped off the back.

Curnow, Green and Findlay were caught near Barwite Road leaving only Janine Appleton and Skinner with a chance to hold off the rampaging Miller. Appleton and Skinner, the remains of the 6.30 group, still looked likely on the outskirts of town.

More power on the front from Bateup, Ross, Halket and Miller saw gaps opening in the peloton. A big effort from Bakker closed one of those gaps, with Green dragging Maguire onto the back too.

At Redgum Court, Skinner was startled when, seemingly from nowhere, Scratch came past heading downhill to the final corner.

Miller, Maguire, Bakker, Bateup and Ross rounded the corner into Mt Batter Road together and headed up the hill with Halket and Maguire trailing by about 10 metres. But the uphill finish straight slowed the leaders just enough to let Halket sneak past to take the win. Miller held on for second ahead of Bateup and Maguire. They were followed by Bakker, Skinner, Ross, Janine Appleton, Curnow and Findlay rounded out the top ten in his first race in thirty years! That meant Halket also rode fastest time of 39.45.

Many thanks to the recuperating Allan Gerrans, Mel Green, Mick Pearce, Justin Berry and Alistair and Ben Ross for officiating.

Next week will see the MMBCC host its only Individual Time Trial of the season, with an out-and-back course on Graves Road. Entries via the Team App by 8pm Wednesday.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the pics (below) and here are the results.

The GOAT x MMBCC

The newest and greatest 4-day mtb stage race is hitting your local trails Feb 24 - 27 and we want you out there showing the out-of-towners how it’s done.

Enter before midnight Jan 27 and you’ll get $40 off your 4-day entry by using the code “GOAT-MMBCC’’ at the checkout - be quick though, the code is only valid for 50 uses!

What’s in store you ask?

• 4 epic stages based out of Yackandandah, Mt Beauty & Bright (twice!)

• 136.5km total distance covered 

• 3,340m total vert climbed

• 3 different race categories to choose from (XC, Gravity & E-Bike)

• Endless cold beers & good vibes waiting for you back at the race village

Don’t miss the chance to flex your hometown advantage and save some cash while you’re at it.  

Visit the GOAT website for more details and to enter using the discount code.

update on the Mansfield Hotel Tour powered by Orcoda

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you should know that our Tour is coming up - 19 & 20 March - that’s less than two months away!

If you have a look at the event page, you’ll see the Ventou jersey designs have been published… plus there’s an extra jersey this year!

Things are coming together nicely - we just need you. Please keep that weekend free. We’ll be calling/texting you soon about staffing for the weekend.

The GOAT Volunteer team – Registrations are open!

New in 2022 The GOAT offers passionate mountain bike riders great courses with race categories to suit everyone – all set in the beautiful high country of Victoria.  

24 – 27 February will see Bright come alive with enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels as they descend on the High Country for some of the best trail riding they’ve ever experienced.

As well as receiving a GOAT truckers cap this will be a great fundraising opportunity for your local MTB club. We will be offering a $50 donation for every shift filled.

Volunteers are integral to the success of great events and we promise you a memorable experience when you join The GOAT volunteer team.  Stunning countryside, incredible trails and great company.  The GOAT village will be buzzing in your down time with endless entertainment, delicious food and the opportunity to relax amongst kindred spirits.  

SIGN UP TODAY using this link.

Australia Road National Championships

The Australia Road National Championships were held recently in Ballarat where the best cyclists in the country take on Buninyong and surrounding areas in the battle for the Green and Gold National Champions jersey. The 5-day event would cover criterium, road race, and time trial events across Para athletes, U19, U23 Elites, and Masters disciplines. This year’s event would also include the 2021 Masters National Championships that were scheduled to be in the Gold Coast were postponed several times last year because of COVID.

The Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club had 4 key riders chasing their dreams of Green and Gold in Ballarat, Talia Appleton, Rudy Dobson, Dan Purcell, and Josh Hopwood.

Time Trial
The Time Trial was the first event to kick off the Championships on the iconic Federation University Mount Helen campus time trial. The course features a technical start and finish along with several short, but tough hills for competitors to contend with over 18.8kms. Riders have the opportunity to find their rhythm along Gear Ave and Yankee Flat Rd, however, the Fisken Rd descent and roads through Federation University will be sure to push the riders’ technical abilities to the limit. Hopwood finished 7th and Appleton in her new outfit of 99 Bikes Women’s Academy finished 6th.

Hopwood about to tackle the technical section down Fisken Road.

Appleton setting herself up to make the turn.

Criterium
If you’re new to cycling then Criterium events are the best place to start, they are jam packed with action, thrills, and spills. The crit circuit took place in the heart of Ballarat CBD on the famous Sturt St which features a tough uphill drag on a hot dog circuit. The nature of the course sees only the strongest rider taking line honours. Dobson in her first ever criterium race for Roxsolt LIV SRAM managed a strong 9th place. In hot form Purcell who recently won the Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits was going to be a marked favourite of many. Purcell rode a smart and tactical race, saving his energy for the final. Unfortunately, Purcell would come undone by an AusCycling official who failed to inform the riders of a number change to a rider that took the win. Purcell secured the silver medal and should be very proud of his achievement.

Road Race
One would say this is the main event, the Road Race. The Buninyong circuit includes a tough Mount Buninyong climb each lap and a technical section through the Federation University. The local girls of Appleton and Dobson would be flying the flag for the club, although racing in different teams. The race started off in foggy and wet conditions and stayed that way for most of the race. This circuit is known for making riders blow up and lose contact with the leading bunch. On the second last lap, Dobson was looking good in the leading bunch on the steeper section of the climb, but it was Appleton losing contact with 350 meters to go until the top of the climb. There were mixed emotions with the huge Club supporters that were roadside, we had one rider in the leading group and then the other starting to fade.

It was on the last lap that 6 riders started to appear out of the foggy conditions and Appleton had made a brilliant come back. We had Appleton and Dobson in the final 6 riders going over the top of the climb. Dobson made multiple attacks through the technical sections within the last 4kms but couldn’t get away. The race was all set up for the final sprint. With 200 metres to go it was Stewart who made the jump first and it was full gas to the line, Marr took the win with Appleton right in the mix finishing 5th and Dobson 4 seconds behind in 6th. What a fantastic achievement by Appleton and Dobson in their first Championship race.

Appleton and Dobson saving energy in the bunch.

The weather had cleared, and it was very a warm and humid start to Hopwood’s road race. Over 40 riders took to the start line in what would be a frantic start from the gun. The pace was extremely high on the first lap trying to drop the weaker riders, this is where a good warm up is key to starting well. At the top of the first climb more than 20 riders had been dropped to the sheer pace. Hopwood was in a good position in the leading group, it was all about getting into race rhythm and saving energy where possible. Being a short race of 60kms this race would be full on with attacks nonstop until the finish line. With 2 laps remaining, Hopwood was starting to feel the fatigue in the legs and was dropping off the pace, somehow he managed to recover and get back onto the leading group of 15 riders with 1 lap to go.

Hopwood in 5th wheel at the start of his race.

Throughout the race multiple riders would attack and try to ride away but the bunch would shut everything down, it was about surviving the final climb and follow any attacks through the technical section of Federation University. Going under the 1km to go banner with only 10 riders left, again solo attacks couldn’t get away, it was coming down to the final sprint. At 150 meters the sprint was launched with riders going full gas, Hopwood had a great lead out and just missed the podium taking 4th place.     

This was another great result from our club members who were chasing the Green and Gold in Ballarat. A huge thank you goes out to all the club supporters that were there helping our riders, well done.

Fat bloke, red suit, white beard, big sack; the 'it must be nearly Xmas' News Update

Dirt Crits

A Gravity Enduro night with a difference last week. There was the usual couple of timed downhill runs but also a timed climb… with no set course! - just a start line and a finish line, riders were allowed to take any route they wanted to the top.

All three timed runs were combined for a total time, which saw Ruby’s climbing speed just fast enough to edge out Ant’s superior descending.

Here are the results. Many thanks to Mel, Cam and Alex for officiating.

Finally racing for Xmas

By Michael Pearce, Bill Jones & Bruce Halket. Mick starts us off:

On a lovely warm evening the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club were finally able to put a race on without thunder, lightning and heavy rain intervening - 25 degrees and only a slight breeze, no help or hindrance to anyone around the Barwite Loop. While there were only 14 entrants, we were very excited to be racing again after three weeks of cancellations; five groups with nine minutes between the Limit group of debutant Bill Jones, Wil Wilson, Dave Jagger and Ian Conrick and the Scratch group of Talia Appleton, Dave Moore and Bruce Halket.

Steve Curnow and I rode well together, swapping some good turns but lost time having a drink and relaxed a bit as we could see the lads in front just near the Mt Battery Rd junction. A good pace got us passing Dave Jagger and Wil Wilson on “that damn hill” (The Coombesberg) with Bill and Ian in our sights.

By Bill Jones

Leaving as the first group out of the gates we were off, four of us (Dave Jagger, Ian Conrick, Craig Wilson and me) with good plans of being first across the line. Our pace was fast and for a short time we were doing well.

Then someone decided to throw some hills in the way! That didn’t bode well for half of our group.

While Ian and I were slogging our way up the Coombesberg we tried to discuss those plans. We were meant to regroup at the top of the hill but once up there, the other half of our group had two riders hot on their tails. At that point Ian and I decided to break off and pick up the pace.

By Bruce Halket

Scratch started strongly and we felt we were making a little ground on the Block group of Steve Duke, Ant Bateup, Matt Hoskin and Jarrod Appleton. That was until the Barwite Road, then the chase faltered into the wind.

Back to Bill…

As we turned the corner on to the Barwite Road, we faced a decent head wind. We knew we had our work cut out for us and put our heads down. Just as I thought we were doing well, I heard Steve and Michael coming up quick.

As Michael, Steve and I picked up the pace Ian eventually fell off the back. The three of us road exceptionally well together and as we approached the last ascent at the Highlands entrance, we looked over our shoulders and nobody was in sight! At that moment the three of us thought the race was between us.

We set a good pace down the hill with Michael and I taking turns. As we came around the final corner the race was on. I pulled in front of Michael who was quick to jump on my wheel. I knew I had to push for all I had if I wanted to keep him behind me. As I slowly watched his shadow drop off, I knew I was going to be the lucky one to be first across the line. With legs of jelly, I felt I raced for all I could and left nothing on the track.

Thank you, Dave, for the friendly handicap I’m sure I won’t have to worry about seeing another win for a long time to come.

Finally, back to Mick:

Steve held on for third ahead of the fast-finishing Block group Ant, Jarrod, Matt and Steve. Janine held on for eighth (and first unplaced female) ahead of Ian with Talia rounding out the top ten. As far as anyone can remember, it’s the first time a female has ridden Fastest Time in one of our Handicap Races - congratulations Talia!

Bill and Mick were effusive in their thanks to the handicapper for being a bit ‘soft’ on them; handicapping is a difficult job and Dave Moore is proving very adept. Many thanks also to Commissaire Eisner and all the marshals for providing a safe, fun race.

After a cruisey ride back to the Clubhouse we enjoyed a great meal for our annual Xmas break up. Many thanks to all the team at the Mansfield Hotel and to Mansfield Shire Council and the Victorian State Government’s Community Recovery and Resilience Funding for helping the MMBCC pay for the evening.

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

Xmas/New Year break

Unofficial road rides will continue over the Xmas/New Year break; early morning rides at 6am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Plus there’ll likely be a few riders turn up at the Botanic Park most days at 8am, not just weekends.

A reminder that IF the forecast max temperature for Seymour (there isn’t an official BoM forecast for Mansfield) is for 35 or more for one of the weekend rides, that day’s ride will start at 7am. Check the SunSmart widget on the bottom left hand corner of the Home page.

Road racing will resume on Thursday 20 January with a handicap race on the Whitfield Road. Dirt Crits will resume once school goes back, probably in the first week of February.

Tour advertising

As mentioned last week, a campaign advertising the 2022 Mansfield Hotel Tour p/b Orcoda has begun. You can find our ad on page 31 of the current issue of Cyclist Aus/NZ Magazine as well as on different pages of Cycling Tips.

Monday Update - Seeing is believing...

Bloody weather!

That’s the third race cancellation due to wet weather. Enough! 

This week will see the final races of 2021 - a Gravity Enduro at Riflebutts MTB Park on Tuesday and the Xmas Handicap around the Barwite Loop on Thursday.

As an incentive to get along for a pedal, or to help out organising the race, the club invites all members to the Mansfield Hotel (the Clubhouse) for dinner - more details below.

Our shout!

The club will pay for dinner. The club was lucky enough to be granted funding to help us all get together and we’ve decided to use it now. 

All members are invited to a Xmas Dinner at the Mansfield Hotel. If you’re racing Dirt Crits on Tuesday, the Xmas Handicap on Thursday, or volunteering to help out at either, we’d like to invite you all to dinner at the Clubhouse from about 7.30 pm - after the road race finishes on Thursday.

See you there!

This event is supported by Mansfield Shire Council and the Victorian State Government’s Community Recovery and Resilience Funding.

Mansfield Hotel Tour powered by Orcoda.

With all our previous sponsors back on-board, plus a brand new sponsor (many thanks to Orcoda, who organise transport on Mt Buller over winter) we’ve revamped the event logo, completely re-designed the event jerseys, updated the website, booked advertising in Australian Cyclist magazine and on www.cyclingtips.com over the Xmas/New Year period, printed 2,000 flyers and submitted all the applications for traffic permits! It’s been a little busy lately.

(Some of you might even remember the headline we’re using from the Holden High Country Cycle Challenge days… it’s no coincidence!)

So… now we need to get MMBCC members involved. If you can, please keep Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March free to help us run the Tour.

All indications are that the 2022 Tour will be the biggest and best yet.

Club Kit

Ventou club kit is still available but closing soon. All the kit has been updated since the last run and is great quality. Here’s the link. Email Bruce for the access code. A reminder that it closes on Wednesday.

Sunday Update

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro 30/11/21

The inaugural Highline Gravity Enduro was held last night in perfect conditions. The race started with a rather long climb from Rifle Butts Park to the top of South Blue Range (not so long for Ruby but very long for the always ready Alex Green) The first stage was held on the downhill track to the mid-way point, with Ant Bateup and Elise Empey posting the same time to take line honours.

Stage 2 was held on a new trail and credit must be given to Sam Mosley and Zac Empey for building what was a rather challenging course with lots of steep sections and off camber corners. Line honours went to the trail builder Sam Mosley closely followed by Zac and Elise Empey, again on the same time. 

Special mention:  It was great to see Darren Bakker who is very new to mountain biking complete what was a challenging course. Well done to the Mayor of Jamieson. Next week we have another event from the pain cave at Rifle Butts. Stay tuned. Click here for results.

MMBCC Club kit

Ventou will open the online portal for club kit in the next few days.

It will close at midnight Wednesday 15 December so we can get the gear back as early as possible in the new year.

If you need/want more club kit (especially the winter jacket - it's great!) here is the link. Contact Bruce via email for the password to place your order.

Rapid Ascent.
Dear Mansfield Mountain Cyclists

Now that events are back up and pumping, Rapid Ascent is pleased to invite you and your fellow mountain bikers to some of Australia’s biggest and most prestigious mountain biking events in 2022! Let’s make up for all the cancelled MTB races over the past 2 years – it’s time to set our 2-wheel goals!

Otway Odyssey, presented by Focus – 26 - 27 February 2022

·         100km | 50km |30km marathons; Odyssey Angels (women’s only)

·         Race the ‘original’ 100km course from Apollo Bay to Forrest VIC

Great Otway Gravel Grind, presented by Focus – 27 February 2022

·         97km and 49km rides

·         Time-out zones; no traffic!

The Redback – 18 - 21 August 2022

·         4 days, 6 stages mountain bike race in Australia’s red centre

·         Plan your mid-winter holiday in the Outback with your mates!

·         Easy race logistics, and flowing single tracks

·         CLUB COMPETITION: WIN $1000 CASH for the most ‘average’ club! Details HERE

It’d be great if you could please distribute the enclosed electronic Odyssey, Gravel Grind and Redback event flyers through your network? We’ll be posting some flyers to you shortly; we’d love it if you could share these around too!

BONUS, we’ll give you a FREE ENTRY* to a race of your choice, as a way of motivation and thank you for spreading the word to club members!

Thank you for your support!

From the Rapid Ascent team

info@rapidascent.com.au  |  www.RapidAscent.com.au  |  03 5261 5511

Road Race Season Charges Off

 Steve Brown leading the way in the finial few kilometres  

Windy Howes Creek Road Race

By Allan Gerrans

The first race for this summer after a delayed start due to COVID restriction and subsequent delays in obtaining race permits. It was going to be a hectic race with the new handicapper and Mother Nature providing fantastic tailwinds and shocking headwinds.

Dave Moore has taken the role of handicapper from John Eisner, and had the difficult task of ranking the riders, without any preseason form guide, it’s hard to know who has been in hibernation during COVID and who’s been sneaking out and training!

John Eisner was the sole limit rider, whilst he had a 5 min start, he was faced with riding alone into the wind.

The next group of Janine Appleton, Alex Green, and Dave Jagger took off strongly in pursuit of Eisner, and they were followed a minute later by Rob Skinner, Andy Setchell, and Allan Gerrans.

Whilst the Skinner group could see the others ahead, it was not until they neared the turnaround at Cummins Rd, that the catch was made.

Setchell had been dropped before catching the Appleton group but was able to catch them again, whilst the others waited for Appleton after she decided to take a detour along Cummins rd.

Eisner was still out in front, but now struggling into the headwind, he was caught soon after passing Campagnolos Rd.

As the now front group, of 6 riders approached the Lakeside Caravan Park, everyone knew the next 3 short sharp hills can make or break your race!

Gerrans went to the front over the first hill and subsequently split the group leaving Setchell and Jagger behind, and then Green made a tactical decision to wait with the others.

Gerrans and Appleton worked together over the next 2 hills with Skinner in tow. Once over the last hill, Skinner sacrificed himself to keep the pace up on the long descent and then had nothing left when the road headed up again.

Appleton and Gerrans were side by side as they passed the Malcom St corner, with the finish in sight Gerrans dropped into Appleton slipstream and sprinted passed her to take the win.

Click here for results

Season opens for some

Talia on podium in Glenrowan last week, after winning the Victorian Junior Road Championships for Under 17 Women.

First Dirt Crits of the season

By Dave Empey

It was a welcome return to racing with the inaugural Covid Kilos Cup being held and 23 starters taking to the track. The course was brutal as many needed to work off their excess covid weight. It claimed quite a few riders through crashes, mechanicals and withdrawals.

It was Ruby Dobson who ended up out front with a blistering 26.57 for the three-lap course. 

There was a tight tussle for places 2, 3 and 4, with Mark Raymond just securing second one second ahead of Ant Bateup closely followed by Bruce Halket another 1 second back. 

It was great to see Damian Grundy back in the saddle and taking 5th place. 

Crash of the night goes to Zac Empey with his over-the-bar’s effort. 

Effort of the night goes to Alex Green for both racing and performing sweep duties.

Here are the results. See you next week.

First road race that wasn’t

By Bruce Halket

Our first road race was meant to be the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap last Thursday. But due to the incompetence of Regional Roads Victoria, we didn’t receive our permit in time.

That’s two years in a row we haven’t been able to race in honour of Alain.

But just so you know, the original permit application went it to both Victoria Police and RRV in July. Local traffic police refused to give us a permit for our first few races because we were 5 days short of being 3 months in advance of the first race. We found this extremely disappointing… but those are the rules, so we had to suck it up.

However, that same timeline shows that RRV had the application over 4 months ahead of last week’s race. And they still couldn’t get it done!

Thankfully, the RRV permit for next week has now arrived.

During last week’s Exec Meeting, we discussed the alternatives should the permit not arrive in time, including a social ride out to Alain’s bike. This wasn’t communicated very well on the day and we apologise to all members for not making this clearer, earlier. Especially to those that don’t live or work close to town and had to travel. Sometimes the silly little things like life and work get in the way of the really important things… like bike racing.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for taking a few pics of the ride out to the bike, to Wil Wilson for saying a few words and to Coral and her family for coming along.

The Team App entries all seemed to work well and the trial will continue. If you didn’t enter via Team App, we ask that you do so for next week.

If you DID enter last week via Team App, your entry (and $5 entry fee) will automatically go towards next week’s race. If you can’t make next week, make sure you let Dave know on 0459 020 966 and your $5 credit will carry forward to the following week.

We're back baby!

Dirt Crits is back!

by Dave Empey

We’ll make a start this Tuesday 9 November at Riflebutts. Adults start at 6.00pm.

Get ready for a bruising XC course… time to remove the excess Covid pounds.

As we sort out the race schedule for the next few months, we’ll publish details in the Events Calendar.

So is Dirt Critters!

by Kate Empey

We have decided to return to the old format as not many kids have responded to our email so far. It will probably grow again but with current numbers we will just run all kids together at 4:30pm, this coming Tuesday 9 November. 

Road Racing is back too!

By the Road Racing Committee

It’s been a bit of a wait but road racing will start again this Thursday 11 November 2021. The first race will be the Alain Guerin Memorial, starting at Botanic Park from 5.30pm, for a 6pm start. Course 6 - Whitfield Road - Sawpit Gully - Graves Road finish. The race route is on our website if you aren't familiar, use this link and click on number 6.

A review of the road racing program took place over the winter to remove gravel races, reduce the number of steep climbs (no more Campagnolo hill finishes!) and generally make it more inclusive for as many riders as possible. The plan was to slowly increase length with a full season program, but with the cancellation of the first 5 races, it just so happens we are starting with a longer course.

Don't worry if you aren't race fit - none of us are - so dust off your number and join us from 5.30pm Thursday evening. It’s handicapped and the more that enter, the larger the groups that start together.

Handicapping duties this year will be taken over by Dave Moore - so be nice to Dave from now on. (Well… nicer than normal, anyway.) Dave will be forming the groups, usually with 3-5 riders in each group and on nights with over 20 riders, we have 4-5 groups.  

If you’re still not sure, have a read of the Road Racing Info page. (Regular racers might also have a read, just to refresh your memory, especially the section near the bottom of the page.)

We have to thank two new members, Rachel Delaney and Liam Delaney for the introduction of a new way of club communication.  It is called TEAM APP and is accessible through your smartphone, or you can access it on your tablet/computer or get notifications via email. Here is the link to Team App. It will provide a platform to enter races, communicate immediately with all MMBCC Team App subscribers, have latest newsletters, link to our website and Facebook, calendar of events both Racing and Ride - with Mountain Bike, Gravel,  Race and Social Rides and be a platform to promote our sponsors. It should be a one stop shop - rather than us relying on the website, Facebook or WhatsApp. 

To enter the race, we highly recommend you be fully vaccinated (or be under 16 yrs or have a valid medical exemption form) and you need a current RACE license with AusCycling (it’s easy to download your race licence onto your Apple or Android phone). If you don't have a current race license, please use this link for AusCycling.

If you want to come down and support our race or volunteer, we’d prefer you bring along your vaccination certificate (or exemption).

In keeping with our COVID Safe Plan, you need to check in with your smartphone with our unique QR CODE - located on the club trailer. This is mandatory.  

The weather looks like it is going to be kind to us for Thursday evening. Remember to bring along your race number from last year and charge up your red tail light (that needs to be on for the duration of the race). If you didn't race last year - we will provide a number for this year.

Entries need to be completed by 8pm Wednesday 10 Nov. If you have set up TEAM APP - you can enter via that - or for the rest of this year, we’re happy to accept entries via TEXT to Dave Moore on 0459 020 966. From January all entries will be managed through the app - so we recommend you download it and get used it as soon as you can. 

After the race, we are heading off to our sponsors, The Mansfield Hotel for dinner. Everyone is welcome, whether you raced or not (but you do have to be fully vaccinated though).

So remember:

1. Enter by 8pm Wednesday;

2. Bring your race number;

3. Smartphone for your membership ‘card’, Vaccination certificate and QR code check-in;

4. Constant-beam tail light, not flashing; and

5. Friendly race attitude.

See you there.  

MMBCC’s new ‘pro’ racers

Elise Empey and Matthew Empey

Matthew and Elise have been signed to an Australian based UCI downhill racing team - Colab Racing. This means they will race next years UCI World Cup Season. There are four members of the team, all young Australians: 

Cassie Voysey – Elite Women
Matthew Empey – Elite Men
Taj Pollard – U/19 Men
Elise Empey – U/19 Women

Team sponsors include Maxxis, Krush, Fox and Fox global.

Ruby Dobson 

Ruby has entered into a contract with the Roxsolt Liv SRAM team for the remainder of 2021 and 2022.

Roxsolt was founded in 2013 as a UCI continental women’s team and has grown to be successful in road, cyclecross and mountain bike disciplines domestically and in the USA.

Ruby is the team’s first junior rider and along with fancy bikes and new kit she has been warmly welcomed by a great group of women. While her focus will continue to be XCO MTB she is committed to competing in the 2022 Cycolcross season and larger road events. 

You can keep track of Roxsolt news on Facebook and Instagram (@roxsoltlivsram).

Talia Appleton

Talia has been invited to ride for a new, young, women's team that is being formed by Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club and sponsored by 99 Bikes.

The team plans to do nine races next year; six in Victoria and three interstate. This is an exciting opportunity for Talia to dip her toe into the world of team-based road racing.

Talia is Vic Road Race Champion!

As a prelude to the club re-commencing racing, Talia Appleton traveled to Glenrowan on Saturday and WON the Victorian Junior Road Championships for Under 17 Women.

Talia and two others got away from the main bunch on the first of three laps. She powered ahead in the last few hundred metres finishing a length clear.

Here are the results.

Great result Talia - congratulations!

End of September Update

Road Racing Update

As we head toward Summer racing season we have hit a few roadblocks.

First, we have not received permission from VicPol to restart summer road racing season until 11 November 2021. The first 5 races - four races in October and 4 November - have not been approved.  The reason for this delay is that VicPol are now strictly adhering to a minimum three months lead-in time for all events, regardless of size and complexity.

The second challenge we face is COVID. Current restrictions on community sport do allow training, but do not allow competition. Even if permits were in place we would not be able to race under these conditions. We will wait and see when the latest COVID restriction might change.

In more positive news we are shifting our entry system to EntryBoss. This is the single race entry system that AusCycling and most clubs are now using. When we do restart racing just log on, enter, pay your entry fee and away we go! All the system will be set up in the next week or so and links sent out to all.

Road racing will start 11 November 2021 and in the meantime good riding.

MTB Dirt Crits Update

At this stage we are looking to tentatively start Dirt Crits early in November.  Obviously, this will be dependant on our current state of lockdown/restrictions. 

If we are able to start, there will be a mix of XC and enduro events. But until we know more and there is a clear path out of the current situation everything is a tentative plan.

More news here as soon as we know…

Recreational Ride Update

The MMBCC Social Ride planned for this coming Sunday is postponed. With covid restrictions limiting the amount of people we can get together, plus the forecast for this Sunday isn’t looking great, the Recreational Sub-Committee has decided to postpone.

We’ll announce a new date as soon as possible.

Paris-Roubaix this weekend

Due to covid restrictions (again) the best race of the pro peloton was postponed from April to this coming weekend. Plus this year there’s a Women’s race for the first time!

Both races will be live on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand - the Women’s on Saturday from 10.30pm and the Men’s on Sunday from 9.00pm.

And… there’s rain forecast! Woohoo!

Subscribe to the News

Please subscribe to the MMBCC News (on the right hand side of the Home Page) so you can keep up to date with all the upcoming race season news.

Monday Update

AGM wrap-up

Many thanks to the approximately 40 members who attended the MMBCC AGM at the Mansfield Hotel last Wednesday. (Many thanks to Lesa and Steve for hosting us.)

On behalf of all of you, a huge thank you to our outgoing President, Mauro Brega, Treasurer, Judi Duke, and Recreation Ride Coordinator, Leonie McLaughlin, for all their hard work for the last 12 months or so.

Here is a rundown on the new committees who will ‘run’ the MMBCC for the next year. Please give them all the support they need and feel free to help out whenever they ask for it!

Office Bearers
President: Dave Empey.
Vice President: Bruce Halket.
Secretary: Cam Dobson.
Treasurer: Janine Appleton.

Junior Rider Representative:
Shared role - Talia Appleton, Ruby Dobson, Elise Empey.

Road Race Sub-committee:
Alex Green (Chair), Janine Appleton, John Eisner, Dave Moore, Dave Jagger, Darren Bakker.

MTB Sub-committee:
Kate Empey (Chair), Dave Empey, Clarissa Leatham, Alex Green, Melanie Green.

Mansfield Tour Sub-committee:
Bruce Halket (Director), Alex green, Dave Jagger, Rachel Delaney, Dave Moore, Jarrod Appleton, Leonie McLaughlin, Tilly Wilson, Cameron Dobson. (Jason Parker has chosen not to continue - thanks for all your work Jason!)

Mt Buller VDHS Sub-committee:
Dave Empey (Director), Alex Green, Shannon Rademaker, Mel Green, Kate Empey, Cameron Dobson.

Website administrator and promotion:
Josh Hopwood.

Membership contact:
Clarissa Leatham.

If you’d like to see the Minutes from the meeting, they’re available to download here from the Documents page, where you’ll find all the Minutes to recent meetings, plus our newly adopted Constitution and Code of Conduct.

Rider Development Grants

With many thanks to Chris Miller and the Australian Communities Foundation, congratulations to Talia Appleton, Ruby Dobson and Elise Empey who were all successful in applying for a 2021 Rider Development Grant. Each will receive $3333 to help with the costs involved in training and competing for the next 12 months.

Upcoming Events

MMBCC Recreational Ride - see the image at the top of the page for details.

Preston Mountain Classic, Strath Creek - 10 Oct 2021.

Gravity Enduro National Championships, Red Hill - 23-24 Oct 2021.

Amy’s Gran Fondo - 23-24 Oct 2021.