FNN

Friday Night News

Change for next Thursday

We had planned a road race next Thursday, Australia Day, but we’ve decided to cancel. The roads around here are a bit too busy during ‘holidays’ - so we’re doing a bunch ride instead!

Meet at the Botanic Park at 8, ride around the Merinda Way loop, then along Ogilivies Road and Jamo Road out onto the Barwite Loop then to wherever you want - Old Tolmie Road, Whitfield Road or back to Mansfield.

The plan is to be back at the Botanic Park…

Official council Oz Day celebrations start at the Botanic Park from 8:30am with free barbecue breakfast courtesy of Rotary Club and a coffee from Jan Forrest until 10:30. See you there!

First race of 2023

By Mick Pearce

The first road race back after the Xmas break saw numbers down a little, to 14 legends, as there’s a few in Adelaide to watch the Tour Down Under and a few still recovering from a massive downhill MTB event on Mt Buller last weekend.

Those that did race who knew the wind was going to be a nuisance on the return leg after the turnaround at Sawpit Gully Road.

There were six groups - Tony Morris off first solo, not a great course to be on your own but well done on a good ride Tony. Next group was Dave Bock and John Eisner; then Tim Hall and Steve Curnow all keen to get going.

My group was next Rob Skinner, Bruce Halket and Tim Ross; then Steve Duke and Chris Miller were the ‘Block group. The Scratch group of Talia Appleton, Andrew Garret and Juke Lay were looking very confident.

The outward leg, with the roaring southerly was fast but didn’t see many positional changes, except our group dropped Skinner - sorry mate.

At the three quarter distance mark, things started getting interesting. (Seriously, the wind was a shocker but knowing Scratch was catching we just pushed on.) Halket blew a phoopha valve and dropped off just after we caught Hall and Eisner near MacLeods Lane. Then Ross dropped off near the new estates. Then Eisner near Dead Horse Lane.

At the last corner in Mt Battery Road it was just Tim Hall and myself left to battle out up to the finish line at the Showgrounds. Well done to Tim Hall for sprinting past me for the win.

Appleton came from seemingly nowhere to snatch third and fastest time of 39.11. Although she did pay for her effort, stopping shortly after the line to deposit the contents of her tummy by the side of the road, earning herself the first Bakker-Ross Award for 2023.

Then came Miller, Duke, the Seymour boys Garrett and Lay 6th and 7th followed by Ross, Halket (first race back after a long spell, good effort) and Eisner rounded out the top ten. Here are the results.

The rest were very close behind, showing the handicapper, Dave Moore, is doing his job well.

Thanks to the officials, marshals and volunteers for a well-organised, safe race and a really fun night.

The post-mortems began even before we got back to the pub for presentations. Image: Bruce Halket.

Mansfield Tour 4 & 5 March

The Mansfield Tour is just around the corner. As usual, Bruce is pleading for volunteers to make sure the event runs as smoothly as usual. If you were involved in 2022, thanks very much and we’ll put you on the list for the same job in 2023, if that’s ok. Mel Green will confirm it all soon.

There’s a big change this year - a new Time Trial course for Stage 1. Click on the Tour page for more details.

Another change is… polo shirts are coming. They look a bit more professional than t-shirts. And you can turn the collar up to protect your neck from the sun.

All volunteers to the Tour will receive a new cotton club polo, produced by Ventou.

Dirt Crits is back!

Next Tuesday 31 January will be the first night of Dirt Crits of 2023.

It’s a Cross Country night at Rifle Butts MTB Park.

Hello MMBCC members,

I’m reaching out for volunteers to help with the Victorian Enduro Tour @ Highline, 28-29 January 2023.

The event is at Highline MTB Park, off Riflebutts Rd, Mansfield.

 We desperately need help to deliver the event safely with track marshals on the course on Saturday and Sunday.

Track marshaling is simply keeping an eye on the riders as they ride the course, being a touch point for the public, and informing me via radio if riders need any assistance.

You don’t need any special skills, just comfortable shoes, a big hat, and a mobile phone.

Lunch is provided to track marshals and you will be placed in a draw for some awesome prizes!

We have other roles available and signing up for any shift will help us immensely 😊

Please sign up at this link. Your contribution will make a huge difference to your local community!

Thanks in advance, 

Jules Hill, Highline Volunteer Manager. Phone: 0428 030 011

Tour de Trail might be looking for you

The Friends of the Great Victorian Rail Trail are organising the Tour de Trail on Sunday 12 March (Labour Day Long Weekend).

They are looking for a first aider, preferably one who can ride a motorbike to help cover the rail trail more easily. If that’s you, please call Ross Vaughan on 5775 1332.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone.

New MTB jersey

You’ve only got a few days left to order club kit. And now a mountain bike jersey is available!

Click here to visit the Ventou website - don’t forget to email Bruce to get the access code.

Last chance…

The MMBCC round of the Victorian DownHill Series is on at Mt Buller this weekend. And there are 350 entries!

It’s going to be a huge weekend as it’s also part of the National Series and an Australian Team selection race. 

We are still looking for a few more volunteer marshals. If anyone can assist, please email Mel Green. 

And on Saturday, when it’s due to be 38 degrees down here in Mansfield, it’s forecast to be a lovely 24 on the hill. So escape the heat and give us a hand.

Finally…

A couple of notes for roadies:

• The Stoneleigh Road - Merinda Way link has opened. So a safe, new 10km loop is open;

• A reminder that road racing starts again next Thursday; and

• The following week we’re racing on Australia Day this year!

Final update before Xmas

With yet another cancelled Dirt Crits due to rain, the only mtb news this week is…

Call for VDHS volunteers

The annual Mt Buller Downhill is being held on 14 and 15 January 2023. This summer’s race will be an Australian Team selection race, be part of the national series and is the first round of the Victorian Downhill Series. 

We are again looking for volunteer marshals for the event. If anyone can assist, please email Mel Green. 

The event has almost sold out and Australia’s best racers will be in attendance. Hopefully, the weather gods will smile on the event this year.

Team Appleton take a 1-2

By Talia Appleton

After wet and wintry weather, 18 MMBCC cyclists were glad to be greeted with dry roads and the sun shining on Thursday night for the final handicap of the year. Regarded by many as the toughest course on the calendar, the race finished up the gruelling O’Hanlons Road climb, and with a noticeable headwind on Howes Creek Road towards the turnaround it was sure to be a solid night out for all.

First away was Tony Morris, followed by three groups of three riders. The block group consisted of Steve Brown, Talia Appleton and Ruby Dobson, with Josh Hopwood hot on their heels going off Scratch. Brown set off at a blistering pace down Malcolm Street while Dobson and Appleton kept grinning at each other, knowing we were in for a tough race. Our group was working nicely and it wasn't long before the group of Steve Duke, Jarrod Appleton and Dave Moore came into sight in the distance. However, Dobson had a seatpost malfunction and was forced to abandon Appleton and Brown, leaving only the two to chase.

Rolling long turns, Appleton and Brown made the catch before the turnaround, with only Duke and Moore able to stay with the pace. Brown pulled a massive turn to drag Appleton to the base of the climb, motoring past stragglers on the fast tail-wind section. As the four of us hit the base of the climb, all riders were in view - many of whom were already halfway up the climb. One of these was Janine Appleton, who had broken away with Tim Hall. Janine had too large a lead over all of the chasers, taking the win in emphatic fashion.

Mick Pearce paced his climb well, finishing in third. Dave Moore and Steve Duke rounded out the top five.

After a stellar solo effort, Hopwood finished the night with the well deserved fastest time of 37 minutes and 13 seconds.

Thanks to the commissarie and volunteers for another fabulous night of racing to round out the 2022 season.

Following the race, the riders and club members enjoyed a Christmas dinner and celebrations at the Mansfield Hotel.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for his race images and here are the results.

The top ten in the Road Race Summer Series points scores so far…

Ryder Chadd 84, Janine Appleton 65, Craig Wilson 58, Mick Pearce 47, Micala Jacobs 46, Rob Skinner 38, Steve Brown 37, Steve Duke 36, Andrew Garrett 30, Bella Green 28.

Merry Christmas

That’s it for MMBCC News for 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all…

SAU 11 December

Sunday Arvo Update

Invitation to all MMBCC members - Xmas break-up

The committee of the MMBCC would like to invite all members to our annual Christmas party to be held this Thursday 15 December from 7.30pm at the Mansfield Hotel. 

The club is providing a couple of platters of nibbles for starters with a small tab on the bar. Everyone is encouraged to order something from the delicious menu to support our amazing long term sponsors, The Mansfield Hotel. Once again we would like to formally acknowledge the support from Lesa and Steve Brown over 2022, with meal vouchers at every road race, a venue to reflect on the drama's of the race or "could have beens" and catch up with familiar faces, whether racing or not. The Mansfield Hotel is also a major sponsor of the Mansfield Hotel Tour, which is planned again for 2023 on 4 and 5 March.

It would be especially wonderful to see some more mountain bikers there, so the club is paying for any Under 18 mountain biker's meal (must be a member - see Janine before ordering).

RSVP by 9pm on Tuesday 13 December to Janine via email.   

So come along for a feed and a drink and we’ll raise a glass to celebrate the start of our mid-season hiatus.

Matt gets revenge

By Dave Empey

Back to Gravity Enduro this week and a change of trails. This week’s course was a little more technical than the previous tracks but everyone raced well.

Racing was certainly tight across the entire field with less than one and a half minutes separating the entire field and just 13 seconds separating the top five.  Matthew Empey got revenge for last week’s drubbing by Nathan Dabbs in the XC, with Sam Mosley, Archie Smith, and Zac Empey hot on their heels. 

Here are the results.

Next will be the last race before the Xmas break and, as most have requested from Santa, it will be another Gravity Enduro.

Club kit open for orders

Ventou club kit is now available. Here is the link you need - email Bruce for the code to get access.

For those that ride off-road more often than on- there is a Ventou-designed mtb jersey coming soon. (As soon as the design is finalised, we’ll publish it here.)

Sales close online at the end of the year with delivery expected about mid-February.

Ian Conrick. Some say he’s a good lookin’ rooster. Here at MMBCC Towers, we think he looked good like this in 2007 but now it’s looking a bit too retro. Time to update the club kit Ian. (John, Dave - you blokes too!)

Don’t forget the ’S’

By Bruce Halket

The MMBCC’s first foray out to Jamieson this season was a ripper! Thirteen entrants made the trip south for 28km of quiet, undulating road to Sailor Bill’s Creek and back on Thursday 8 December.

First away was Micala ‘Don’t forget the S’ Jacobs and Tony Morris off Limit, 18 minutes ahead of Scratch. The conversation club of Dave Jagger and John Eisner followed at 10.30, with Steve Curnow going solo off seven minutes; next was Janine Appleton, Bella Green and Craig Wilson off 5.30; Rob Skinner and Mick Pearce off 2 minutes and Scratch saw Steve Brown, Steve Duke and Dave Moore start last.

First hiccup of the night was Bella Green who only realised just before the start that she didn’t have a tail light on. By the time she got back to the car and installed it, Janine and Wil had already started and Bella had to ride alone. She was caught not long after the fast-starting pair of Skinner and Pearce and these three were looking good during the southbound leg till Bella got dropped.

Appleton and Wilson caught Curnow before the turn and hunted down Jagger and Eisner not long after.

In the meantime, the Scratchies were steadily making ground on those ahead and Green even managed to hang on to them for a while near Sailor Bill’s Creek.

But Limit just kept plugging away and maintained a healthy lead throughout.

Coming to the finish line, opposite Sappers Track in Jamieson, Jacobs powered away from Morris to take an emphatic win, ensuring we won’t spell her surname wrong again. A mere 30 seconds later, Steve Brown stormed across the line to take third in the fastest time of 48.02.

The top ten was rounded out by Duke, Pearce, Appleton, Moore, Skinner, Wilson and Jagger.

Many thanks to Mel, Charlie and Darren for marshalling and to the Jamieson Brewery for the meal and presentations - until the power went out.

No photos this week as Tony was away and Bruce wasn’t organised enough to take any. Here are the results.

Next week’s final race of 2023 is around the Barwite Loop and is followed by the MMBCC Xmas Break-up at the Mansfield Hotel. All members are invited to celebrate the start of our mid-season hiatus; a break to either work on some fitness and skill before the second half of the season or to burn off the calories from Xmas.

Summer Edition - Finally it's Summer!!!

Dirt Crits

By David Empey

First XC in a while and we had dry tracks and fast racing with Nathan Dabbs taking the win in A grade ahead of Matthew Empey and Ryder Chadd. The pace and track were bit much for some who resorted to attempting to jump because it was getting a little tough at the pointy end. A spoon full of concrete is needed by some of our junior men.

B Grade was a hard-fought affair with the newly revitalised and trash talking mayor of Jamieson taking the win. Might be stepping up into A grade next week. Bax was closely followed by two young guns in Tom and Asher.

It was great to see some new faces at the race and numbers have been strong along with the competition. Next week is another Gravity Enduro so those soft little juniors won’t have to raise much of a sweat or push through a pain barrier.

Click here for the results.

Road Race

By Ryder Chadd

The first day of summer and what a great afternoon it was, with a beautiful temperature and a debatable easterly wind, great conditions for racing and the Rob Curtis memorial. Some of the faster riders stating the wind was certainly more challenging than what riders up the front were saying, especially towards the end heading over the last couple hills into town with the setting sun getting into the riders vision. 

Riders Andrew Garrett and Steve Brown were sent off scratch 18 minutes behind the limit riders, finishing 8th and 11th. Andrew getting the fastest time overall on the 30km Whitfield Road course. 

The block riders made up of Ryder Chadd, Steve Duke and Dave Moore started at 15 minutes and 30 seconds. Until about the last 7km when Andrew and Steve caught up. 

Michael Pearce and Darren Bakker started at 12 minutes and 30 seconds, Michael being able to catch the group ahead of Janine Appleton and Justin Berry, but Janine was able to edge Michael out at the end finishing 5th and 6th. Justin finishing 15th and Darren in 18th. 

The 8-minute group of Craig Wilson, Bella Green and Steve Curnow had a strong ride until they spread out through the course with Craig pulling away from Bella and Steve being behind them. In the end Craig was the first to cross the finish line with Bella finishing third being overtaken in the sprint by Ryder Chadd trying to get out of the job of the weekly write up, with Steve finishing in 17th.

The second group was made up of Ian Conrick, Dave Jagger and John Eisner having a strong ride throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately, John had to stop with a DNF after a spoke snapped in one of his wheels, so it left Ian and Dave to continue without him. Going up the hill toward the showgrounds Ian and Bella had a good fight until Bella pulled away so Ian was left for third until Ryder flew past, leaving him for fourth. Dave Jagger cruising in for 12th. 

That left the limit riders that started off first, with Dave Bock, Micala Jacobs, Tony Morris, and Selina Green. Their effort was strong in the first half until the turnaround point when the faster riders put the hammer down splitting everyone up. Dave Bock finished in 10th, Micala in 13th, Tony just behind Micala in 14th and Selina in 16th.

Click here for the results. Many thanks to Tony Copland for the great images. Have you ever wondered how Tony captures such great photos? Check him out from last year’s Jamieson handicap road race, which is this week’s road race, entries via entryboss.

Tour of Bright

Keep an eye out for the ToB report coming out this week.

It’s MMBCC Ventou Club kit time again!

If you need/want more club kit (especially the winter jacket - it's great!) please get in contact so we can gauge interest in getting the online portal open again. So far there are two jerseys, a jacket, and a pair of knicks wanted. But we need to get to 10 pieces.

If you’re interested, please let Bruce know via email.

Stop Press - Talia’s Tasmanian Tour

Talia APPLETON WINS J19 NRS…

In the Stage 1 road race, Talia crashed with 10km to go; a crash in the peloton sent her off the road into a ditch and over the bars. With only minor grazes she chased back to the bunch. It diminished her punch for the finale, a 3km climb. But she was able to hold onto the leading group finishing 13th on the same time as the winner.

The Stage 2 road race was 78km long with 1900m of climbing. It was a very tough race of attrition and while the winner skipped away to win by over 5 minutes, Talia was next over the line in second.

Stage 3 was the Crit which Talia won for J19 and was 6th overall.

So Talia finished 2nd J19 overall at the Tour of Tasmania; but, more importantly, this gives her enough points to be crowned the winner overall of the J19 National Road Series!! Here are the results.

Congratulations Talia - brilliant result!

End-of-Nov News

No Dirt Crits this week with the state of Rifle Butts Reserve and more rain forcing another cancellation. But DC7 will be on next week (fingers crossed) with the next Gravity Enduro.

In the meantime, here’s what else has been happening…

Buzz on Buller Road

By Mick Pearce

A buzz and a bit of chaos at the start of this week’s race. The choice was “Vote at the early polling booth or go ride the bike fast with 16 others” - it was an easy decision for me! 

Apart from a few tetchy traffic marshals at the polling booth, it was a perfect night for racing on the out and back 25 km course on the Mt Buller Road, with a finish a few hundred metres after turning left up the Jamieson Road.

Our group, Darren Bakker, Tim Ross, Rob Skinner, Ryder Chadd and myself rode well but a bit of ‘surging’ with the nervousness of the  faster guys catching was on our minds. 

We lost Tim and Darren before the turn but managed to catch the group ahead of us; Janine Appleton and then John Eisner managing to hang on for the ride back to town.

Block splintered before the turnaround with Chris Miller trying to get to our group without Steve Brown or Dave Moore. It never quite worked.

The Scratch group of Josh Hopwood and Andrew Garret rounded up the remnants of Block one by one and set off after us.

Rob got a gap heading into the final turn and it was Ryder who closed the gap. 

I knew he’d have a strong sprint, so I started my sprint much earlier than logic suggested, just to try to surprise Ryder. But Ryder got the well-deserved win in a strong sprint. I hung on for second just ahead of a fast finishing Rob Skinner, Janine and John. 

A very fast finishing Andy Garrett was next in fifth and fastest in 43.59. Then came Chris Miller, Josh Hopwood, Steve Brown and Tim Ross completed the top ten.

Handicapper Dave Moore again proved his legend status plus the marshals, commissaire and other aficionados who helped to make a safe fun race, did a wonderful job too!

As usual, many thanks to Tony Copland for the great images and here are the results.

Next week’s race is the Rob Curtis Memorial, starting at the Botanic Park, out along the Whitfield Road but going an extra km or so to turnaround at Rob and Sue’s place, then back to town and finishing at the Showgrounds. Entries via Entry Boss by 8pm Wednesday. Not 8.30. And definitely not Thursday morning!

Rob Curtis Memorial Handicap

As mentioned above, next week’s race is the Rob Curtis Memorial Handicap. For those who didn’t know him, Robert Curtis was a quiet, confident and talented athlete. He loved the outdoors and was an early trailblazer in Multisport/Adventure racing in the 1990s and 2000s. 

Rob and his partner Sue lived at Bridge Creek, commuting to Melbourne for work and he spent the rest of the time cross country skiing, hiking, kayaking and cycling around the Mansfield area.

He was a member of the Mt Stirling Ski Patrol and enjoyed racing with the MMBCC on weekends or supporting others in their bike skill development.

Nicknamed “The Colombian” by locals, he excelled in the hills, with a touch of speed on challenging climbs a la Nairo Quintana. He’d roll down the hill towards town on a Saturday morning to join the bunch ride, chat for a bit along the flat, then dance on the pedals and disappear once the road tipped upwards!

In early 2018, Robert was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and passed away later that year. His partner Sue lives at Bridge Creek, the turn-around spot for this year’s memorial ride.

Mid-November News

Here is an update of all things MMBCC this week…

GE2 - Sibling Rivalry

By Dave Empey

It was a cold and windy night to race on Tuesday 15 November; the only saving grace was the wind kept the mosquitoes at bay!

The second gravity enduro for the year was held at Rifle Butts. The course designers had done a great job with track marking so there were no extra kilometres for Ruby this week and no sibling argy bargy mid race.

It was, however, the Big Battle of the Siblings for the Empey, Hall, Dobson and Baker families.

The tracks were all wet from the weekend rain but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Racing was tighter than the week before but the top two positions didn’t change - Matt Empey taking the win with Sam Mosley 10 seconds behind.

Ant Bateup climbed the ladder and took third followed by Elijah McGuigan and Archie Smith rounding out the top five.

Here are the results.

The mayor of Jamieson was conspicuous by his absence. Hopefully he will return next week for the XC.

Howes Creek Handicap

By Micala Jacobs

Nice weather, school coming to an end and the opportunity to catch up with old mates were all conducive to a bit of a different field of racers this week. The clear sky was a bit of a red herring for the Southerly headwind that all the riders had to contend with for the first half of the race before the turnaround. A high light, for me anyway, was the greater number of women riders taking part this week. Instead of the usual 2 we had 7 on the start list. 

Riders Chris Miller and Ruby Dobson were sent off Scratch, 16 and a half minutes behind the limit riders. Both were able to finish inside the top 10 (8th and 10th respectively). Chris captured the fastest time of the evening, a 23km course out Howes Creek Road to Cummins Road turn off and back, with 36 mins 54 seconds.

Of the Block group riders, (sent off just before Scratch) Michael Pearce, Rob Skinner, Tim Ross, and Ryder Chadd at 15 minutes, the only one to make it into the top 10 at the finish was Ryder by staying with Miller and Dobson in the final few kilometres.

The group at 11 minutes, Janine Appleton, Justin Berry, Belinda Cipa were not quite strong enough to catch the 9-minute group of Elise Empey, Bella Green, Tim Hall and Craig Wilson (2nd 3rd 4th and 5th respectively). 

The 6-minute group - Alex Green, Dave Jagger, John Eisner, Ian Conrick proved valuable to bring Selina Green home safely in her first competitive road cycling race. Conrick the only rider of this group to hold on for a top 10 finish, placing 7th.

This just left the limit riders, Micala Jacobs and Steve Plummer, who apparently came up to 'see some old mates and have a ride'. Steve pushed (and pulled) Micala almost all the way to the finish line for her first win of the season. She was most appreciative. Plummer was also able to hold on for 6th place.

A big thank you to our volunteer marshals and commissaries and for Mansfield for donations and hosting presentations. Also, thanks to the vehicles who encountered our racers on Howes Creek Road, your patience and passing space is most appreciated.

Next week's race will be on Mt Buller Road; online entries open on Monday morning and close Wednesday night at 8pm - go to www.mmbc.org.au for more details.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the pics and here are the detailed results.

Sunday News

L to R: Laurent Guerin; Josh Hopwood, 1st; Coral Guerin; Steve Brown, 3rd; Lulu Guerin; Andrew Garrett, 3rd.

Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap

By Josh Hopwood

A windy and stormy night, likely to suit the stronger riders, greeted 18 entrants at the Botanic Park last Thursday night.

The Alain Guerin Memorial is to remember our friend who was taken from us in 2014 due to a driver’s inattention. It’s one of three MMBCC ‘Monument’ events (the other two being the Rob Curtis Memorial on 1 December and the Bakker Plumbing Handicap on 16 February, which, thankfully, is NOT a memorial race.)

Communication and local knowledge would be key to all riders, given the state of the roads. Thanks to the local road crews for filling in some of the worst of the pot holes.

Near the Sawpit Gully turnaround groups started to form as the rain threatened; Ian Conrick, John Eisner, Alex Green and Dave Jagger had almost caught Micala Jacobs (who’d started alone off Limit) and accelerated; next came Janine Appleton, Steve Curnow, Allan Gerrans and Tim Hall who’d dropped last week’s ITT winner, Craig Wilson, and looked strong; a really strong group formed next with the Block group of Dave Moore, Steve Brown and Steve Duke joining up with the group ahead, Ryder Chadd, Tim Ross and Darren Bakker.

The heavens opened during the southbound Whitfield Road leg and Scratch started making really strong progress, being able to see all the groups lined up the road.

The turn left into Barwite Road and subsequent crosswinds was pivotal - it wasn’t long until the race was all together again, with Brown, Garrett and Hopwood putting the hammer down before the dreaded Coombesberg.

Race tactics started to come into play, as no one wanted to drive the pace up the hill. Garrett and Hopwood lifted the tempo dropping others off their wheels. Brown and Chadd were the only riders able to hang on, temporarily, until they too popped.

Descending off the Coombesberg Garrett and Hopwood topped out at 75kmh before making the right hand turn into Graves Road. Here Hopwood’s local knowledge gave him an advantage and he opened up a decent gap on Garrett. But with 3km to go Hopwood had two options - to go for the win solo, Time Trial style, or wait for his fellow Scratch rider. He chose the latter and the two joined forces again.

However, this gave Brown a chance to bridge back to the leading group too. With 1km to go, it was set for a three-up sprint, with Brown stuck on the front.

Hopwood kicked things off and sprinted to victory, in the fastest time of 50.55, with Garrett in tow. Brown was happy to settle for third and waive the responsibility of writing this article.

Hopwood was thrilled to finally win this race after 8 years of trying. In doing so, he became the first local to etch his name on the trophy. “I remember that tragic day as if it was yesterday. The thing I remember most was riding past Alain earlier that same day, saying good morning and his smile lit up the sky! I’ll never forget that,” he remarked post race.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the pics and to Mel, Rob, Judi, John, Tony and Bruce for officiating and marshalling. Here are the results.

Next week it’s Howes Creek Road, likely with an amended start again due to road works.

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro

By Dave Empey

It was the first Gravity Enduro of the year and some good weather assisted with the player comfort level.

It was a huge turnout 27 racers in all with some very tight times at the pointy end of the field.

There was some sibling argy bargy between course one and two. All ended well with everyone starting course two. A few of the competitors took a wrong turn on course one and rode significantly further than they had to. (Ruby needed some extra kms)

Great to see the mayor of Jamieson back on the right bike and riding well, just tailing in behind all those young guns.

At the end of the race, it was Matt Empey a clear winner by 11 secs from Sam Mosley with Archie Smith, Ant Bateup and Zac Empey rounding out the top five.

Here are the results.

Early November Update

One at a time on Chapel Hill Road

By David Jagger

With no Dirt Crits or Dirt Critters due to a holiday for a horse race, all the emphasis this week turned to the Individual Time Trial on Thursday.

The day was overcast and a bit gloomy but all the competitors were thankful that the rain had finally taken a break. The 14km time trial along Chapel Hill road was nice and clean from all the rain and there was only a slight breeze.

Micala Jacobs was supposed to be the first down the road but due to navigational difficulties (going to the wrong starting location) she and her son Ryder had to wait until the end of the start list. Steve Curnow was the first out of the blocks and was never seriously challenged from the next two riders of David Jagger and John Eisner. Craig Wilson came fitted out in his time trial gear and was out to make an impression. Ian Conrick lost sight of Craig but was able to hold off Allan Gerrans as he dropped a chain searching for an elusive easier gear. Janine Appleton tried to catch Allan but after twenty seven minutes of racing was a few seconds off. Darren Bakker, Steve Duke and Dave Moore all came in breathless having given it their all and proving that the handicapper doesn’t have any favourites.

Ruby Dobson was out to have a crack at her first road race in years and due to last week’s cancellation, her first outing was a short race (for her) and the third fastest time with Steve Brown just a few seconds quicker. The race belonged to Andrew Garrett comfortably keeping the local riders in check taking out fastest time.

The overall handicap placings went to Craig Wilson, David Jagger and Ryder Chadd, proving that each week you never know who will have a good day and it’s always worth racing.

Thanks to the officials, helpers and commissaire for making the race possible.

Next Thursday is the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap, starting at the Botanic Park. This is one of the club’s highlights of the summer; hopefully the weather will play nicely this time.

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

Next week’s road race

As Dave mentioned above, next week is the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap.

For those of you who never met Alain, he was an always-cheerful and optimistic Frenchman who met a beautiful Australian and followed her home to start a family on the other side of the world. And in recent years, he and Coral retired to Goughs Bay and he become regular MMBCC racer. He was one of the fittest 72 year olds you’d ever meet; a keen skier and cyclist.

Late in 2014 after visiting a friend who worked at Timbertop, he was riding home to Mansfield along the Buller Road when a van driver’s inattentiveness killed our friend.

About a week or so later, the whole town (or so it seemed) turned out on bikes for a Ride of Solidarity, along with Alain’s family. (Here is a link to some of the photos taken that night.) The ‘ghost bike’ out on the Buller Road was also erected in Alain’s honour.

It’s an unfortunate but timely reminder about how important road safety is for all road users. After Thursday’s race, if it’s light and safe enough, we’ll ride out to pay our respects. It’s not compulsory but if you feel safe enough, we’d love you to join us before we head back to the Mansfield Hotel for presentations.

Talia joins Team BridgeLane

Congratulations to Talia Appleton who has signed to ride with Team BridgeLane for 2023. The team has consistently been the most successful Men’s NRS team for a long time but 2023 will be the first year of a Women’s team.

“Super excited and grateful to be joining Team BridgeLane next year! I’m looking forward to getting more racing experience in a team environment and learning from other riders” Talia said.

Warburton trails

160km of mountain bike trails have finally been given the go-ahead at Warburton. Hopefully, World Trail will be able to start work soon and some of the trails will be rideable next summer.

However, if World Trail’s original advice had been heeded, some of them could have been built years ago. The contentious trails that World Trail had recommended against were the same ones which have been refused in this decision.

So it’s good but it could have been better.

Highline Update

Mansfield Coffee Roasters’ Gravity Enduro


Hosted at Highline

The final round of the Victorian Enduro Tour for 2022 is fast approaching and will be held on the weekend of 5-6 November.
 Spaces are still available for the Kid's Enduro Race - ages 8-12 years.
 Register today.  

This is the perfect opportunity to ride at this private bike park and explore the trail network.
 There will be five fun courses on offer, all with their own flavour and style of riding.


Registration for general categories is full, however there are plenty of opportunities to join the action as either a spectator or volunteer. You can't beat the high energy and positive vibes of a mountain biking event!


We are currently recruiting volunteers and need your help!
 As a valued Highline volunteer, you will receive one entry into the VOLUNTEER PRIZE DRAW for every 4-hour shift completed.

1st PRIZE:
 Private 3 hour skills session with Gravity Oz. Valued at $275. 
 


2nd PRIZE:
 eMTN bike hire at Mt Buller for one day. Valued at $160. 
 


3rd PRIZE:
 Guaranteed entry for the Gravity race at Highline Mountain Bike Festival in March 2023. Valued at $150.
 
 

Your assistance is greatly appreciated and makes this type of event possible. Click here to to register as a volunteer.

Wet weekend news

News on all three of our weekly events below…

Dirt Critters

Tim gives the ‘troups’ a pre-ride briefing. Probably no accident that Luke’s new bike gets in the pic too!

An unexpectedly large group of twenty four primary schoolers turned up for the second week of Dirt Critters on Tuesday night.

Explore Rifle Butts was the theme for the day. An older group led by Luke ventured to the top taking in the entire XC Loop plus some other runs.

The younger group led by Tim did a couple of laps of Bogans Beginnings before braving the bridge to finish with Critters.

Dirt Critters exists for primary school age kids to build confidence and skills on their bikes in a fun environment.

This coming week is a Skills Night at Rifle Butts Reserve. Call Luke on 0455 604 785 for more details.

Dirt Crits

Another big night of ‘handicap’ Cross Country racing at Rifle Butts with 20 entrants for the Zac Empey designed XC course.

Even though there weren’t as may laps required as last week under the tutelage of his sadistic father, Zac still required most riders to do 7 or 8 laps, with the ‘honour’ of hardest handicap going to Ruby Dobson who was set 9 laps.

The jury is still out on whether it was pure coincidence that the winner was Zac’s older brother Matthew.

2nd went to this week’s Most Improved, Elijah McGuigan. Ant Bateup, Archie Smith and Ryder Chadd completed the podium.

Here are the results.

Many thanks to Mel and Zac for officiating and to Elijah for the entertainment of landing so badly on the jumps afterwards!

Ryder does it again!

By Janine Appleton

Low wind and low 20's made for perfect conditions for the start of our second race. To minimise danger, our Commissionaire, Bruce Halket, forwarded our start line past the Owen's Creek bridge, dropping 1.5km off the course, a marginal reduction to the original 25km handicapped race. With two riders from Seymour, Andrew Garrett and Jake Lay in Scratch and Block, the locals were keen to show our visitors a good time with friendly bunch racing.

Due to my solo ride in the first race, finishing 10 minutes behind the leader, I was fortunate to start in the largest group of the night, with four others: Jason Parker, Justin Berry, Ryder Chadd and Craig Wilson, two minutes behind Ian Conrick and John Eisner and seven minutes behind Micala Jacobs. My priority was to keep Ryder safe, reinforcing good group riding skills such as bike positioning and communicating when there are cars behind/in front or road dangers.  

At the turn around at Cummins Road, our group were leading the race and our chances were promising with about two minutes lead on the group of Darren Bakker, Michael Pearce and Ant Bateup, with the last two bunches another minute or two further behind.  The approaching rolling hills always have the effect of sorting out the group with heart rates climbing and legs weakening. I knew the adolescent legs of Ryder had a higher muscle mass than mine and he had been at the back of the group for the final 3km. The more unknown was what did Jason and Justin had left.  

When Ryder stood up and accelerated over 10 pedal strokes with 300 metres to go, all I could do is get into his slipstream and stay tucked while at my full speed. Jason, Justin and Craig were close behind in 3rd, 4th and 5th with Steve Brown leading the next group including Jake Lay, Ant Bateup, and Steve Duke 45 seconds behind. Josh Hopwood inched out Andrew Garrett for the fastest time.

Many thanks to our volunteers for marshaling on corners to stop riders, lead and tail cars, and at start/finish lines. Our highest priority is to make our events safe for our participants and other road users, choosing courses that then need to be approved for a permit by Victoria Police, Vic Roads, and our local council.

Results can be found here.

Every week, we should also be thanking all the other road users in Mansfield for their patience and courteous behaviour when encountering any cyclist out on the road, a single cyclist or a group of two or more on any day. We thank you for giving us 1.5 metres on roads in excess of 60 km/hr when passing. We thank you for slowing down for a few hundred metres until it is safe to pass. We thank you for looking out for us at intersections. We ride for our physical and mental health, being members of the Mansfield community - we could be your tradie, your child's primary school teacher, your pharmacist, or your firefighter.   

If you think you would like to do a bit more cycling, would like to know a bit more about the club that is “the social club with a cycling problem" or want to give racing a go with a free 4-week trial membership, please send an email to mmbcc.info@gmail.com

Mid-October update

Dan, Darren and the Pope.

By Dave Empey

The first Dirt Crits for the 22/23 season was held last Tuesday night with a big crowd of newcomers. It was a 12-lap, first-past-the-post race which made it easy to see who had been riding over winter and who’s been putting in the ‘hard’ work on the couch. 

The race started off with Elise Empey taking most of the field on the wrong track. However, after she stopped and consulted Google Maps, this was soon rectified.

Dan Friday took line honours in 44.53. In typical Dan Friday fashion, he complained about not having ridden much lately and promptly rode away from everyone else. 

Second went to Archie Smith in an impressive ride; all the more impressive considering he complains about riding uphill and still hasn’t mastered clipping into his pedals without holding onto a tree!

Third place went to last week’s road race winner, Ryder Chadd, the most versatile MMBCC racer of the (one week old) season so far. In contrast to Archie, Ryder can clip into his pedals but complains about riding downhill.

It was great to see so many new faces and a very competitive race. Here are the results.

Recent Dirt Crits stalwart Darren Bakker was missed - maybe he just didn’t get the memo. Or maybe it was like that time Hawthorn won the flag three years in a row and he was found three days later at the Lost Dogs Home with with his arms around an Irish Wolf Hound and a vacant stare in his eyes. Hopefully, we’ll find out what happened at next Tuesday’s XC race at Rifle Butts.

Dirt Critters also started last Tuesday with about a dozen Primary School aged kids having a great time improving their bike skills. To join in and more details call Luke on 0455 604 785.

Finally, the Thursday night road race was cancelled in the morning due to the forecast of heavy rain. Hopefully next week’s race on Howes Creek Road can go ahead and that the compulsory mask, snorkel and flippers won’t an aerodynamic hindrance. Entries via Entry Boss.

For up-to-date information on race status, join the club’s WhatsApp group. (And we’re still using Team App for messages too.) You’ll find out all sorts of interesting stuff on riding, racing and club members. For instance, did you know former club President Craig Wilson once met the Pope? It was when John Paul II visited the US in 1993. Wil was lost on his way to a KKK convention and he asked the nearest bloke in a white robe for directions. Wil offered him a beer as a thank you but JP declined, he only drank red.

A Perfect Introduction

After the usual Winter hiatus from racing, allowing Mother Nature to give Mansfield many millimetres of rain, Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club held its first club race of the season on Thursday evening. 

Conditions were perfect with the rain holding out all day allowing the roads to be safe and dry. A light NE breeze gave the riders just enough of a headwind for the first half of the race on the Mansfield-Whitfield Road to sort out who’d been doing their pre-season training and who’d been in a good paddock. 

With entries opening up from Monday to Wednesday for racing Thursday, not knowing if if it was going to be wet or dry, numbers were modest, made up mostly of weathered die-hards and one new comer. 

The 15 riders for the evening were sent out in the staggered format of the handicap - sent out at 16, 14, 8, 4 minutes and Scratch. First to go was Tony Morris at 16 minutes. The first bunch made up by John Eisner, David Jagger, Micala Jacobs and Ryder Chadd turned out to be the perfect introduction to Road Racing that anyone could ask for, with John taking Ryder under his wing with tips and hints to keep him and his fellow riders safe and fast to the turnaround before sending Ryder in his way. Micala and David were dropped to complete their ‘timed social ride’ without incident. 

Craig Wilson, Ian Conrick and Jason Parker made up the next group, sent out at 8 minutes. Darren Bakker, Mick Pearce, Janine Appleton and Rob Skinner followed not so closely at 4 minutes and the final 3 fastest riders, Steve Brown, Steve Duke and Dave Moore were off Scratch. 

The field did their time into the headwind out to the turn-around point at Sawpit Gully Road with groups starting to catch up to others around the 3/4 mark of about 18kms. 

You know the handicapper has done a decent job when the majority of the field finishes within a few minutes of each other. The exception was Ryder who finished well clear. A gaggle of riders then finished within 3 minutes of each other with Bakker (2nd) and Skinner (3rd) rounding out the podium. Fastest for the evening was Steve Duke at 42m49sec. 

In a change of club communication policy, from now on second place each week will be given the ‘honour’ of writing the week’s race round up. But as Ryder won so easily, the policy change was postponed for a week as a ‘reward’.

As always, a big thank you to our volunteer marshals and commissaires and to the Mansfield Hotel for donations and hosting presentations.

Here are the results.

Next week’s race will be around the Barwite Loop; online entries open on Monday morning and close Wednesday night - go to www.mmbcc.org.au for more details.

Dirt Crits is back this week!

The first night of Dirt Crits will be this coming Tuesday 11 October. It starts with XC racing at Rifle Butts MTB Park at 6pm - get there a bit early so we can start on time.

The full 2022/2023 Dirt Crits schedule is on the Events Calendar now.

Dirt Critters is back too!

Want your primary school kids to develop bike skills and confidence in an informal setting?

It all starts this coming Tuesday at Rifle Butts MTB Park, kicking off at 4.30pm, with Tim Ross and Luke Vivash - plus a few guest instructors from time to time. There will be a mix of skills development, timed rides, a couple of rides at other venues and plenty of ‘just riding for fun’.

There is NO COST to attend each week - the only requirement is that all riders must have an AusCycling membership. Click here to go to the Join Now page and follow the AusCycling links. An AusCycling membership is valid for 12 months and costs $60 for 7yo and under; $85 for 8 to 12yo. For those who haven’t previously had a membership, a free, four-week ‘come and try’ membership is available. It will run for about 45 minutes each week until mid-December (and then again in term 1 next year.)

The schedule for term 4 is on the Events Calendar now.

Contact dirtcrits@gmail.com or call Luke on 0455 604 785 for more information.

Missing numbers

We seem to be missing a lot of our road race numbers. Got a road race number at home? Could you return it please?

Rrrrrrrracing!

It’s that time of year again!

Daylight Savings starts this weekend, it’s getting a little warmer, the magpies have been swooping for weeks, all the permits are in place, the training has been done (hopefully!) aaaand… the Summer Road Race Series will start this coming Thursday 6 October.

Yes… you read that right - road racing starts this coming week!

The first race will be a handicap on course 5 - from the Botanic Park out along Whitfield Road, turning around at Sawpit Gully Road, back towards town and finishing up at the Showgrounds.

In case you weren’t at the AGM, there are a few small changes for entering road races.

Entries

ALL entries will now be done through Entry Boss. It’s the system used by most Victorian clubs and should make life much easier for you to enter; and for our Handicapper, Dave Moore. (We’re no longer using the Team App for entries like we used last summer. More on Team App soon…)

Each week entries open on Monday morning and close at 8pm on Wednesday.

Calendar

The Summer Road Race Series calendar is on the website now. Yep, the whole lot.

- There’s an Event Calendar entry on the website for each race, with a link on the Home page; and

- There’s an Entry Boss listing for each race under Mansfield Mt Buller CC.

Duty Roster

The roster for Marshals and Commissaires for each and every race is also published. Each Entry Boss page has the roster for that race. The Events Calendar entry for each race also has the roster. Plus there’s a separate page with the whole season’s roster.

Please check to see when you’re rostered on.

For info on what’s required for duty, have a read of the Road Racing Info page.

Latest News

The change from Team App means we’ll no longer publish the club newsletter on there either.

The most direct way to find out club news is by subscribing to a direct email on the right hand side of the website Home page. Otherwise, we’ll also publish a link for each newsletter on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp which will take you to the website too.

Hopefully you can find the most convenient one for you.

Dirt Crits

The first night of Dirt Crits will be Tuesday 11 October.

We should have a full calendar next week so keep an eye out for details shortly. We’ll also have news on Dirt Critters then too.

Finally…

A good little article about Elise, Ruby, Talia and the MMBCC on the AusCycling website.

Reminder...

2022 AGM this Wednesday

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held this coming Wednesday 14 September, in the function room at the Mansfield Hotel.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7pm.

But due to other events on the same evening, we’ve already been heard from a few people who’ll be a bit later than that. So it’ll start as soon as sensible.

Bookings are available for dinner from 6pm but you have to book! RSVP via email to Bruce today.

Spring has Sprung!

Awesome Results at MTB Worlds

Some sensational results at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France a few weeks ago.

In the Cross Country, Australia finished 14th in the Team Relay with Ruby Dobson riding the Junior Women lap. Ruby then finished an impressive 50th in the Junior Women XCO.

In the Downhill, Elise Empey finished an awesome 6th place in Junior Women Downhill.

Results can be found here.

On behalf of the whole club we’d like to say we’re really proud of the girls and the supportive efforts of both Team Empey and Team Dobson.

Congratulations to one and all!

2022 Annual General Meeting

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 14 September, in the function room at the Mansfield Hotel. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

Are there any changes you want the club to make?

Is there something not being done that you think should be done?

Is there something we’re doing you think we shouldn’t?

Want to get involved in the one of the sub-committees - road racing, mountain biking, recreational/social?

This is your chance to have your say and get involved!

We’ll also be announcing the recipients of the Rider Development Grants for this year.

Bookings are available for dinner from 6pm but an RSVP is required. You can do this via email to Bruce by Sunday 11 September.

2023 Mansfield Tour

It’s not confirmed yet but it looks likely the Tour will move to an earlier weekend in March 2023. Please make a note in your diary for the weekend of 4 & 5 March 2023, as we’ll be allocating your jobs for the weekend before you know it.

In the meantime, with many thanks to Kody Appleton, here’s a link to view a brilliant little video he’s put together at the 2022 Mansfield Hotel Tour p/b Orcoda to help us promote the 2023 Tour. Enjoy!

2022 AGM and RDG

2022 Annual General Meeting

The MMBCC Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 14 September, in the function room at the Mansfield Hotel. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

Are there any changes you want the club to make?

Is there something not being done that you think should be done?

Is there something we’re doing you think we shouldn’t?

This is your chance to have your say and get involved!

Bookings are available for dinner from 6pm but an RSVP is required. You can do this via email to Bruce by Sunday 11 September.

2022-2023 Rider Development Grants

With thanks to the Australian Communities Foundation, the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club is accepting applications for Rider Development Grants for 2022-23. The Grants are designed to encourage and support the development of young riders, 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.

Applications are due by the end of August.

Upcoming Events

Mud Wars - Sat 13 & Sun 14 Aug, Beechworth. CX double-header.

Ronde van Taminick - Sun 14 Aug, Glenrowan. Organised by Carnegie Caulfield CC and AusCycling Vic, rather than Wangaratta CC.

Gravelista - Sun 4 Sep, Beechworth. Part of the UCI Gravel World Series

Amy’s Gran Fondo - Sun 11 Sep, Lorne. Has a gravel version on Saturday too!

Dirty Warrny - Sat 5 Nov, Geelong or Forrest to Warrnambool.

Winners are grinners!

Janine, Ant and Bruce - grinning!

Summer Presentations were held last Thursday at the Mansfield Hotel and here are the results:

Summer Road Racing Series

Bruce with Club President and Master of Ceremonies, Dave Empey.

Bruce Halket took the win ahead of last year’s winner Chris Miller, with Rob Skinner in third.

Many thanks to Dave Moore for a great job doing the handicapping and to the road committee (Janine Appleton, Alex Green, Dave Jagger, Dave Moore and John Eisner) for a terrific race calendar and loads o’ fun!

Below are the full points scores.

Women’s Road Racing Trophy

Janine Appleton was the highest placed woman over the Summer Road Series, ahead of the Cipa girls, Belinda and daughter Katie.

Dirt Crits

Ant Bateup was the most consistent in both Cross Country and Gravity races to take the overall win ahead of Luke Vivash and Zac Empey.

Many thanks to Dave and Kate, Alex and Mel and Clarissa for all their work. Plus thanks to Damian for filling in when he could.

Alain Guerin Memorial Crossover Trophy

Second placed Darren Bakker and winner, Ant Bateup, with the Alain Guerin Memorial Crossover Trophy.

In a hard-fought battle, Ant also took the Crossover Trophy ahead of Darren Bakker and Steve Curnow.

Coming up…

Here are the Entry Boss links to Eastern, Northern and Shepparton Cycling Clubs, which are still racing over winter.

The Vic CX Series is on too.

Amy’s Gran Fondo is coming up on 11 September.

Plus, there’s some road race around France coming up soon. The RIDE Media Tour Guide is at the newsagents now and Velogames tipping will be on too!

MMBCC June News

There’s been lots happening on two wheels for Aussies lately… Jai Hindley of Bora-Hansgrohe has won the Giro, Bec Henderson has won the first three rounds of the MTB World Cup, summertime Mansfield resident Grace Brown is in the Leader’s jersey at the Women’s Tour in Britain, Ruby Dobson is racing the Vic CX Series at Mt Beauty and Matt Empey is racing the World Cup DH in Leogang, Austria this weekend!

Read on for more from the MMBCC…

Image © Eurosport 2022

Presentation Night

Presentation of trophies from last summers’ series will be held this coming Thursday 16 June at the Mansfield Hotel. We’ll be crowning winners of Road Racing, Women’s Road Racing, Dirt Crits and the Crossover trophy. Dinner from 6.30 with presentations from about 7pm.

For dinner reservations, SMS Bruce on 0419 533 120 with number of diners by 5pm Wednesday.

We’ll also mention what we’re currently planning for next summer for road racing (similar calendar to this past summer but we’ve requested fewer cancellations due to thunderstorms in Spring), Dirt Crits (probably a few more Gravity races in the calendar), a possible new date for the 2023 Mansfield Tour and we might chat about a separate road gravel series in Autumn 2023.

2022 AGM

Keep an eye on the MMBCC News for details of the upcoming Annual General Meeting. This will be your chance to have your say on what you’d like to see the club doing.

Rider Development Grant

As in 2021, the MMBCC will be handing out the Rider Development Grant again in 2022 at the AGM. Keep an eye out for details soon on when applications open.

Mountain bike for sale

Steve Morgan is selling his Specialised Stumpjumper FSR Expert. This is a great bike!

And now for something completely different…

As Mansfield’s roads seem to get busier, here’s some interesting thoughts what can be done about traffic congestion, news on three-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond, current Lotto-Soudal pro Harry Sweeney asking for road-racing advice plus Pink Bike Friday Fails.

STOP PRESS

Matt Empey has qualified 121st (out of 184) for Sunday’s World Cup DH final - with no chain, after breaking a derailleur hanger and not being able to find a replacement!!