Sunday update

Junior Dirt Crits - Monday 14 November

What a great night Monday was!
The new format worked beautifully (Kate and I are loving it) and it looked like the kids all had fun. A great big THANK YOU for everyone reading their emails.
We started off with the Sprocket Rockets at 4pm. There was some great riding including a couple of spills. Ben Ross was a little trooper after his tumble, he brushed himself off and kept going, well done!
Chloe Campbell rode beautifully with her confidence brimming leading the crew home in 1st followed by Thomas Day and Josh Taylor.
Mahalia Roche, determined as always, came in 4th but watch out next week, she has a new bike with gears! We might need some armour for her!
The Chain Gang was on the go next at 4:30, most of this crew stuck out four big laps of Bogans Beginnings so it will be great to see how they go next week with their times. We may even start a handicap!
Charlie Hall smashed it when he mastered the ramp on his fourth lap. Taz Leatham also pulled out all the stops this week and finished, stacks and all. Finn Baker hooned through the course and came home 1st followed by Madison Smith and Ethan Nealon.
The Trail Blazers all powered through their bigger loop four times with Kevin Gannon coming in 1st followed by Zac Empey and Max Campbell. Also a great effort by Charlie Dobson who had a mechanical breakdown on his third lap but managed to swap bikes and still finish in 4th. Thanks for lending him your bike Selina!
We are really proud of how all the kids conduct themselves. They look out for each other, aren’t afraid to have a go and are respectful. Great job mums and dads!
Keep in mind the 12th of December will be the Delatite Dash. We may need parents to shuttle bikes and kids as the trailer cannot hold 40 bikes. We will also have another skills night, perhaps at Botanic Park, but we will keep you in the loop when we get the date for that one.
Just quietly we’ve also got a kids Dirt Critters Jersey in the pipeline! (bit excited) Stay tuned for more details on that one…
Don’t forget to bring a drink bottle to keep hydrated as the weather warms up!
See you next Monday.
Cheers,
Clarissa & Kate.

The Coombesberg - Thursday 17 November

In the seventh race of the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club Spring-Summer road series, 25 riders showed up to enjoy the spring sunshine and tackle the 29km course. From the Botanic Park, all riders (minus Darren Bakker who forgot his rear light) headed out the Whitfield road to Sawpit Gully Road, before turning around heading to the finish line positioned atop the famous summit of Coombes 'The Coombesberg' Hill.
Bella Macmunn kicked off proceedings, 22 minutes before the lone Scratch rider in "Juggernaut" Josh Hopwood - who, just quietly, is in pretty good form. With all racers on the road and working hard, the group of Jarrod Appleton, Tom Macmunn and Aaron Peterson merged with the swift riding Bruce Halket, Mauro Brega and Luke Olver somewhere near the tomato farm. This group would later come oh so close to sweet, sweet victory.
Just up the road, Tim Ross, Dave Moore, Anthony Plummer, Damian Grundy and Rob Skinner were plowing through the rest of the field. Grundy was unlucky to have a mechanical and drop out, while the others kept it tight up until Barwite Road.
Meanwhile the juggernaut had caught Dan Purcell who was off Block. Mirroring last week’s race, Purcell then proceeded to stare at the back wheel of Hopwood for the best part of 20kms.
At the base of The Coombesberg and the action end of the race, only Skinner and Ross were left out front, while the merged Brega/Appleton group powered up the hill behind them. Halket hit the hill and halted, while Peterson and Appleton accelerated and left the rest behind.
But in the end, nobody knows The Coombesberg like Tim Ross, who powered to victory just a couple lengths clear of Rob Skinner. Agonisingly close behind, Peterson took third, Appleton fourth, and Gus Muscara rounded out the top five. Janine Appleton had a great ride to place sixth, and win first unplaced female.
The “Juggernaut” had the fastest time overall.
Kudos to all the volunteers who made the race possible. Here are the results.
The Spring-Summer series heads to Howes Creek Road next week. Remember, race entries to John Eisner by 8pm the night before. And Darren, remember your light!
Finally, the entire MMBCC would like to wish Rod Manning a speedy recovery following his cardiac scare last week. Take it easy, mate.

Many thanks to Tony Copland for the photos of this week's road race. They include: 1. The 8-minute group on the way out and Bocky obviously needs to do his laundry; 2. the 6.30 group, Allan Gerrans leads Will MacDonald;
3. the 4-minute group with Damian off the back and Tim showing off his new helmet; 4. Rob Skinner looking stylish; 5. proof that Dan actually did do a turn once Josh caught him; 6. the 8-minute group on the way back;
7. Tim Ross goes to the front; 8. Tom Macmunn leading the chasers; 9. Dan looking a bit shocked that he was sprung following Josh; and 10. Tim leads the top 5 to the finish. 

Club storage shed

With many thanks to David Jagger, Tim Hall, Will MacDonald, Jason Parker, Damian Grundy and Bruce Halket, the club's loan bikes are now safely tucked away inside a shipping container, in town. We'll shortly install hanging racks for the bikes, plus put in the Time Trial start ramp and make space for the race trailer for its winter hibernation.
Thanks for organising the container Dave and thanks to the others for 'the move'.

Winery Ride

Fun day today (Sunday) for a few members of the club over at the GreenEDGE Winery Ride. Many of the team were on the ride and we got the chance to ride with Simon for quite a bit. Plus Bruce's highlight was riding 25 of the last 30km with Paris Roubaix winner Matt Hayman!
Mind you, they make you work hard for a post-ride smoothie!

Next club kit order

If you're interested in some of the new club kit, as shown so resplendently above, please contact Bruce via email. If we can get enough for a new order, we'll get Seight to start one soon.

White Ribbon Day

Finally, here's a good cause we should all support, this Friday...

Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap

It’s two years since Alain Guerin was taken from us in an incident on the Buller Road. In Alain’s name, we now hold a memorial race each November to remember our friend and celebrate his life. Last year, on the first anniversary, we had to cancel due to a thunderstorm. So this year it was great to finally put a name on the Alain Guerin Memorial Race trophy… and more than just a little fitting that it was one of Alain’s sons!
Bella Macmunn was first away from Dead Horse Lane. On her own as the Limit group, she was chased by another 30 riders, culminating in Josh Hopwood as the lone Scratch rider, starting 17 minutes later. They would all head out along the Midland Highway, almost to the ‘Link’ before returning to the finish line at the Racecourse front gate.
At about one-quarter distance, a peloton formed when the 1.15 group comprising Laurent Guerin, Mauro Brega, Darren Bakker, Ross Hopkins, James Black and Bruce Halket caught the 1.45 group of Jean-Daniel Guerin, Damon de Angelis and Tom Macmunn.
As this large group plowed its way through the field, the only ones able to hang on were Dave Moore from the 3.30 group and Belinda Cipa from the 4.30 group. Even Hopwood off Scratch and Dan Purcell off Block couldn’t get on the train.
As the leaders accelerated down Carlisle Hill it was the Hometec boys who’s strategy proved strongest. Jean-Daniel kicked at the perfect time and despite the best efforts of Bakker, Halket and Macmunn, Guerin was the clear winner, in a time of 55.30 (corrected to 40.15).
Fourth home was de Angelis ahead of Brega, Hopkins, Moore and Laurent Guerin. The top ten was rounded out, just 20 seconds later, by Josh Hopwood with the fastest time of 38.50. Belinda Cipa finished next and was awarded first unplaced female.
The race was followed by a ride out along the Buller Road to Alain’s ‘ghost bike’ to pay homage… a beautiful sunset made the evening even more special.
Presentations were held at the Delatite ‘clubrooms’ once we all got back and the newly engraved trophy will take its new position on the clubroom wall.
Many, many thanks from the club to all the drivers along the Midland Highway and the Buller Road on Thursday night who showed great patience while being slightly delayed by our groups of bike riders. We really appreciate that Mansfield drivers are so respectful of other road users. On such a poignant evening as Alain’s race, it was a great relief to feel safe on our local roads.
Many thanks also to our officials and volunteers including Jenni, Leonie, Tilly, Margaretanne, Allan, Alex, Gus and Tony amongst others.
Here are the results, which include a current list of the series leaders.
The MMBCC’s Summer Series continues on Thursday 17 November with a Handicap Race along Whitfield Road, starting at the Botanic Park, but finishing on top of the dreaded Coombesberg! Please don’t forget that entries need to be registered via SMS on 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.

Wednesday update

Senior Dirt Crits, Monday 7 November

Fifteen seniors, and one ring in Junior, competed at Dirt Crits in changing weather conditions.
The handicapper and master course setter, Damian, led off the field on his way to completing 4 laps (it seemed like something fishy was up right from the get go).
Ben Grundy kindly kept the race starter under cover with his umbrella as the rain started to fall.
The rest of the field set off to completed between 2 and 4 laps.
The starter was feeling guilty for making Elise Empey and James Griffin wait for so long, as some of the riders had come through after completing their first lap, so set them off early - big mistake!
The majority of riders were heading in a clockwise direction over the course, except for a white shirted rider who was riding clockwise, but on another course!
Dan Friday (Jnr) led the field home in a time of 26.15. Just over a minute later Elise Empey sprinted to the line in 2nd (27.19) and James Griffin took out 3rd place in 27.23 - told you it was a mistake to send those two off early! Here are the results.
Everyone seemed pretty happy with the course and a few were caught out by the short uphill pinch.
We look forward to seeing everyone next Monday night 5:45pm registration for a 6:00pm start - newcomers are welcome.
Great to see so many Juniors at 4:30 too - 41 this week! Look out for updates as with so many kids we might need to look at age group racing. More soon...

Handicap Road Race, Thursday 3 November.

Another large field of cyclists fronted up last Thursday for the new and challenging Howes Creek Variation course. Starting at the Lords Ground, nine groups set off on the 25km handicapped course, turning at the end of McMillan Point Drive and finishing in a tough hillclimb up O’Hanlons Rd.
Rob Skinner, Dave Moore, Tim Ross, Anthony Plummer and Peter Reaburn dug in hard from the start and caught the larger group of Daniel Hall, Allan Gerrans, Will MacDonald, Mel Green, Tim Hall and Jodie Batchelor just before Burnt Creek who in turn had just caught the team of Janine Appleton, John Eisner, Gus Muscara and Ian Conrick. At the pointy end Josh Hopwood, riding alone with a 50 second gap, caught Bruce Halket, Mauro Brega, Darren Bakker and Dan Purcell just neat the turnaround who in turn were chasing Tom MacMunn, Luke Olver, Aaron Peterson and Jarrod Appleton.
Like last week, Anthony and Tim did a heap of strong work helping to keep the big bunch clear of the pursuants. Similarly, Bruce and Jock worked hard to see Dan fresh to jump on to the inevitable Hopwood juggernaut.
The rolling hills saw half the field blow up, drop off or suffer mechanicals and at the final bend there was only Daniel, Rob, Peter, Janine, Allan and John left to contest Halket’s cruel final 400 metres, or so they thought. With a big yell of “GO”, Tom encouraged Luke to start his attack and with a solid effort he surged past everyone to take out a great win over Daniel by “about half a tyre”. Just behind, Josh was also working up the last hill with Dan hot on his wheel looking decidedly under pressure. In a classic hill finish they overtook the rest of the bunch to place third and fourth. Rob, Peter and Janine hung on for the next spots with Jarrod doing well to work up to eighth place. Results here.
Thanks again to our volunteers and the residents of Howes Creek who drove with consideration. A big gathering at the Delatite Hotel followed for presentations and dissection of the race.

Cup weekend update

Be careful on the road this weekend!

Seeing as it's a holiday weekend, you need to remember that some drivers have their brain in neutral when away from home, as the driver of YUA-835 proves in this image. The image above is a still from a video Josh Hopwood shot - here's the link to the video on Facebook - on his Fly12 headlight/camera. The red lines are added by the camera and show very clearly that the driver gets too close.
If you see this Nissan driver... steer clear!
Speaking of road riding this weekend, there'll be a road ride leaving the Botanic Park at 8am on Cup Day as long as the weather plays along. And a reminder that there are no Dirt Crits this week.

Senior Dirt Crits Race 3 - 24 October 2016

It was amazing to arrive for the Senior event and see many smiling faces at the Junior event, and many of them brand new faces.
An Irish Handicap was on the agenda for this week’s senior event at Dirt Crits. Jason had the timing down to the second as a bit of a trial. Ollie MacDonald led off the field followed by Adam Baker 23 seconds later. Will MacDonald rode off on 1min with Warwick Bottrall a further minute back. Damian Grundy, feigning lack of fitness, started off with Anthony Plummer on 2mins 25sec. on 2mins 59 was Ethan Lee, Jem Davies and Alex Green. Bruce Halket left the line at 5mins 54sec, a mere 3 seconds ahead of Matty Empey and Charlie Jones. David Bock was off at 6mins 3 sec and Dan Friday (Snr) a further 32 seconds back. Brett Steven rode off at the 7mins 22sec mark and Mike Davies at the 7mins 36sec mark. Bella Green, James Griffin and Dan Friday all left on 8 mins.
It was great to see the race coming together, particularly on the last lap as the rabbits tried to stay away from the foxes! There were a few mechanicals and incidents which slowed down Anthony Plummer, Ethan Lee and Charlie Jones.
Of the 2 lappers, James Griffin was 1st in 20.08, Bella Green 2nd in 28.51 and Dan Friday (Jnr) rounded out the top 3 in 30.54
Damian Grundy came across the line first with the 3 or more lappers, followed closely by David Bock and Mike Davies rounded out the top 3.
There was a technical issue with the timer, so if you can see any errors with the timing or places, let me know and I’ll adjust the results - click here for results.
There’ll be a break over the Melbourne Cup long weekend and racing will resume on Monday 7th November.
Cheers, Jason.

All Terrain Cycles - GreenEDGE Winery Ride

In the first of a series of recreational road rides that All Terrain Cycles is getting involved in this summer, the ATC bus will be heading to Nagambie for the Orica-BikeExchange Winery Ride on Sunday 20 November. Cost is $10. There are 12 seats available and a trailer to take all the bikes.
Here's the link to enter the ride.
Call 5775 2724 or email All Terrain Cycles to book your place on the bus; first in - best dressed.
(Tour of Jamieson is the following weekend. More details soon.)

Handicap Road Race, Thursday 27 Oct

A big field of cyclists assembled for the 25km Whitfield road handicap last Thursday night. First off were Di Condie and Tony Morris followed closely by Craig Wilson, Kieren Payne, Rod Manning and Janine Appleton. Next was the big bunch of Ian Conrick, Jodie Batchelor, David Jagger, David Bock, John Eisner, Tim Hall and Steve Curnow. Mel Green, Allan Gerrans, Gus Muscara and Jason Parker followed with Christine Hopkins and Will MacDonald chasing them. Arron Peterson, Dave Moore, Luke Olver, Jarrod Appleton and Anthony Plummer were off the two and a half minute mark with Dan Purcell, Bruce Halket, Mauro Brega and Darren Bakker off block. With a minute handicap, Josh Hopwood was the sole Scratch rider. Kody Appleton and Bella MacMunn started at the 20km mark.
Still early in the season, some found the pressure was on from the start. Out the front Di and Tony were riding smoothly and it took until Long Lane for them to be caught by the chasing groups despite a timing anomaly.
With three groups merging at the Broken River, Allan Gerrans and Tim Hall did most of the legwork out the front with most of the rest of the bunch struggling to keep up and stay organised. Similarly the heat was on at the faster end with Block managing to eventually catch Jarrod, Luke and Aaron. Josh almost caught Block but was unfortunately held up at the turnaround.
Meanwhile, Tim and Allan continued to form a fast turning bunch on the return trip leaving casualties on the way. Mel, Craig, Jodie, Ian, Janine, Dave J, Rod, Kody and John kept up despite two tiger snake encounters. Bella hung in until the Barwite hill claimed her and Craig.
With two Ks to go Tim boldly rode off the front and it looked for some time that no-one was going to challenge until the bunch sorted itself at Dead Horse Lane and chased him down.
In a fast sprint finish, Jodie Batchelor got up closely over Janine Appleton with Allan Gerrans a wheel back in third. David, Mel, Rod, Tim and John made up the rest of the finishing group with Dan Purcell and the rest of the scratchish bunch just twenty seconds behind.
Josh recorded the fastest time at 39’21”. Presentations, rehydration and race dissection continued at the Delatite Hotel thereafter.
Thanks again to our crew of volunteers and marshals. Results here.
Next week is the new and challenging course on Howes Creek Road (and there have already been quite a few members spotted doing secret Ks inspecting it!) Entries must be in by 8pm Wednesday.

Sunday evening news

Congratulations to Daniel Friday who today finished third overall in Veterans at the Victorian Enduro Series race at Barjarg. Well done Dan!
Read on for updates on local mtb and road racing plus more...

Mountain Biking updates

Senior Dirt Crits Race 1 - 10 October 2016
After Dirt Crits was cancelled last week this was the first race of the season, according to the race organisers. Anthony, Adam and a few others may disagree...
A mass start was the format for the first of two races for the evening, the aim being to complete one lap in the fastest time possible. Matt Empey was first over the line, closely followed by Dan Friday and then there was a small distance back to Anthony Plummer.
In the second one lap race the riders were sent according to the reverse of their finishing order from Race 1. Ollie MacDonald led off the field and Matt Empey was the last to leave.
Ollie MacDonald was first over the line in 6:55 followed by his dad 14 seconds later. Jem Davies finished in 7:11 with Brett Stevens 4 seconds later. Dave Bock finished a second ahead of a fast finishing Bruce Halket in 7:20. There was a gap to Mike Davies and Anthony Plummer was 8 seconds further back. Dan Friday was a second slower than Anthony and 14 seconds faster than Matt Empey. Adam Baker wheelied down half the finishing straight and was overtaken by Matt near the finish line.
So, first place was Ollie MacDonald in 6:55, Will MacDonald second in 7:09 and Jem Davies 3rd in 7:11.
Results here.

Senior Dirt Crits Race 2 - 17 October 2016
Damian Grundy organised a handicap event for this week’s Dirt Crits. It was a mass start with riders completing one, two or three laps. Course selection was excellent with some climbing, flat sections and also a descent down Rubbish Run.
Junior riders: Elise Empey, James Griffin and Dan Friday made up the one lappers and it was a tight finish will Elise finishing in 7mins 56sec, holding off James by 1 second with Dan Friday another second back.
Mike Davies, David Bock, Brett Stevens and Mike Fischer completed two laps with a few riders opting for three laps instead. Mike led home the field in 15 minutes, with Brett 2nd in 15.09 (even though he looked like he’d dressed for success) and Dave a little further back in 16.06. Mike Fischer wasn’t familiar with the track therefore explored a few other tracks during the race.
With Matty Empey not competing, it was going to be a tough ask to challenge Daniel Friday (Snr). Dan finished ahead of the 3 lappers in 17.56 with Bruce Halket 13sec back in 18.09. There was a gap back to Jem Davies 20.27 with Anthony ‘the legs’ Plummer coming home in fourth place on his single speed. Warwick Bottrall, a newcomer to the club, rolled Jason Parker by 8 seconds, finishing in 21.06. Adam ‘spinner’ Baker was a bit over a minute behind Jason with David Jagger rounding out the field 13 seconds adrift of Adam.
Results here.
Tomorrow, the majority of the field will be completing an Irish Handicap based on their times over the first few races. However the majority will be riding an extra lap during the race.

Individual Time Trial, Chapel Hill Road, Thursday 20 October

When the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club hosts an Individual Time Trial, the article in the Courier usually goes on and on about how it’s the “Race of Truth” meaning that there’s nowhere to hide, that a TT gives a true indication of a rider’s strength and fitness. However, after last week’s article written by Ian Conrick, it seems the club is adopting a new moniker; the “Race of a Load of Old Cobblers!”
Resplendent in all sorts of aero gear, Josh Hopwood put everyone to the sword, again, in a time of 15 minutes and 17 seconds for the 11km along Chapel Hill Road out to Three Chains Road and back. But it wasn’t fast enough for the overall win.
“Mr Arms Aloft” for the evening went to Jarrod Appleton in a corrected time of 14.02; either side of him on the Delatite Hotel podium was Allan “Prize money” Gerrans, in 14.14 and Tim “6am” Hall in 14.33.
The rest of the top ten points-scoring positions went to Steve “I’m new to this” Curnow (14.57), Aaron “I never get time to train” Peterson (15.02), Ian “Honest as the day is long” Conrick (15.08), Josh “Skinsuit & disc wheel” Hopwood (15.17) Craig “Home ground advantage” Wilson (15.21), Bruce “Thank god there’s no skinsuit” Halket (15.37) and Jodie “Where’s my disc wheel?” Batchelor (15.39) who took out First Unplaced Female.
Special mention to Luke "I'm fairly new to this" Olver and Alex "Doughnut" Green who chose an interesting night to make a comeback to racing; and to Kieren "I'm really new to this" Payne who chose the ITT to make his racing debut! He must be mad.
Many thanks to our officials and volunteers: Di, Mauro, Dave, John and Tony. Many thanks also to the Boorolite CFA members for letting us use their shed as a marshaling area; a donation is on the way as a more substantial thank you.
The MMBCC’s Summer Series continues on Thursday 27 October with a Handicap Race along Whitfield Road, starting at the Botanic Park; entries via SMS to John on 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.
Full results can be found here.

The Fastest Ways to Improve Your Climbing

David Heatley of Cycling Inform has recently had an article published on the Bicycling Australia website. It's definitely worth a read - here's the link.

On the Couch with Simon Gerrans and Mathew Hayman

We are back On the Couch in 2016 with a very special guest and it would be great if you could join us.
This year we are honoured to have 2016 Paris-Roubaix champion Mathew Hayman join myself On the Couch. Matt Keenan will be interviewing the two of us in a relaxed format over dinner and drinks at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, 16 November 2016.
The night will provide an in-depth insight into Mat’s victory in Paris-Roubaix and his professional career which spans 17 years, the highs and lows of my season and an opportunity to support brain cancer research.
Our goal is to raise in excess of $20,000 for Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer and help fight this disease which kills more people under 40 than any other cancer and kills more children in Australia than any other disease.
We have some fantastic auction items up for grabs including signed leaders jerseys from all three Grand Tours in 2016. What an opportunity to purchase these individually or try to get the set! Auction items include:
- 2016 Giro d’Italia maglia rosa signed by Esteban Chaves
- 2016 Tour de France maillot jaune signed by Peter Sagan
- 2016 Vuelta Espana maillot rojo signed by overall winner Nairo Quintana
- 2017 Tour Down Under experience with thanks to ORICA-BikeExchange
To be redirected to the official booking website please click here.
I hope to see you at Kooyong,
Simon Gerrans.

Finally... don't forget to sign up to this newsletter by email!

Monday morning update

On the Couch with Simon Gerrans and Mathew Hayman

We are back On the Couch in 2016 with a very special guest and it would be great if you could join us.
This year we are honoured to have 2016 Paris-Roubaix champion Mathew Hayman join myself On the Couch. Matt Keenan will be interviewing the two of us in a relaxed format over dinner and drinks at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, 16 November 2016.
The night will provide an in-depth insight into Mat’s victory in Paris-Roubaix and his professional career which spans 17 years, the highs and lows of my season and an opportunity to support brain cancer research.
Our goal is to raise in excess of $20,000 for Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer and help fight this disease which kills more people under 40 than any other cancer and kills more children in Australia than any other disease.
We have some fantastic auction items up for grabs including signed leaders jerseys from all three Grand Tours in 2016. What an opportunity to purchase these individually or try to get the set! Auction items include:
- 2016 Giro d’Italia maglia rosa signed by Esteban Chaves
- 2016 Tour de France maillot jaune signed by Peter Sagan
- 2016 Vuelta Espana maillot rojo signed by overall winner Nairo Quintana
- 2017 Tour Down Under experience with thanks to ORICA-BikeExchange
To be redirected to the official booking website please click here.
I hope to see you at Kooyong,
Simon Gerrans.

Dirt Crits info

Dirt Crits will run for Seniors from Monday 3rd October and Juniors from Monday 10th October until Monday 12th December (Delatite Dash Christmas breakup), excepting Monday 31st October (due to the Melbourne Cup).
Dirt Crits are weather dependent and may be cancelled prior to, on the day of the event or during the event.
MTBA membership pricing and information has now been updated on the Join Now page.
And don't forget Dirt Crits tonight!

Winery Ride

Back onto things ‘GreenEDGE’ for a moment, don’t forget the Winery Ride from Mitchelton Winery in Nagambie on Sunday 20 November. It’s a beauty!
And if you go to the FAQs page you can see a photo of Deb Cook at last year’s ride.

Handicap Race Thursday 6 Oct

First road race for the season was held Thursday... it was good to blow the cobwebs out after winter!
First time entrant Bella Macmunn was a first-up winner from Limit. Well done Bella! Anthony Plummer, Allan Gerrans, John Eisner and Chris Taylor rounded out the top five.
Kudos to Dan Purcell who rode fastest time even though he had to ride most of the outward leg alone, into the wind, after Tom Macmunn threw a fetlock.
Results here.

Road race reminder

Just a reminder that road racing for season 2016/2017 starts tonight. Hopefully you've already entered with John on 0428 503 437. No entry, no race.
Most importantly... please remember that you need a constant-beam tail light fixed to your seat post or seat stay or you definitely WON'T get a start! Also, if you already have your light, make sure it's re-charged or it has new batteries... it needs to be visible from 200 metres!
See you this evening at the Mansfield Botanic Park at 5.30; then back at the Delatite Hotel afterwards for presentations.

End of the month news

Dirt Crits start Monday

The 2016/2017 Dirt Crits season gets underway for Adults this coming Monday 3 October.
Registration will open at 5.30 with racing starting at 6.00pm. First up it’s a Reverse Time Trial format race… whatever that is!
Kids Dirt Crits start the following week, Monday 10 October.
The full calendar will be published on the website soon.
Please make sure your MTBA membership is valid. The Join Now page has all the membership information you need (some of the pricing information might need updating but we promise we’ll get to it soon) so have a read and renew your membership before it expires.

New number plates

With thanks to All Terrain Cycles and Bike Buller, we have new number plates for Dirt Crits this season. Please take good care of them!

Road racing starts this Thursday 6 October

Just a reminder that road racing starts this coming week with a Handicap Race along the Whitfield Road to Sawpit Gully Road and back. Registration will be open at the Botanic Park at 5.30 with racing starting at 6pm.
Please remember that you’ll need to enter by 8pm Wednesday with our Handicapper, John Eisner, via SMS on 0428 503 437. No entry, no race.
(Apparently there is no truth to the rumour that calling in to see John at the pharmacy this week, complaining of various maladies and contagious diseases, will make the slightest bit of different to your handicap.)
Please also remember that you need to have a valid Cycling Australia RACE membership of the MMBCC to enter. Details can be found here.
We're always after volunteers too! If you have some spare time and would like to be involved, we'd love to see you.

Bunch rides change time

With the calendar changing to October tomorrow, it's time to change the weekend road rides. They'll now all start at 8am from the Botanic Park.
If you're thinking of coming racing, we recommend starting with a few bunch rides first.

Finally...

Go Doggies!

Midweek news - we want you!

We want you - defibrillator training

The club's new defibrillator arrives this week.
It includes a couple of hours of training from St John's so we can use it safely. This will be at the Delatite Hotel from 1pm to 3pm this Saturday 17 September.
We need club members to come along and do the training so we can take delivery of our new defib unit. Please send Paul Fletcher an email and join the list.

Road race calendar updated

The calendar for the first half of the Summer Road Series is now available here.
It includes a brand new course on Howes Creek Road, another race out at Jamieson and the duty roster. In particular, a quick shout out to David Jagger, Kieren Payne, Tom MacMunn, Dave Moore and Rod Manning who are rostered on to one of the first two races. And to Tony Copland, John Eisner, Bruce Halket and Di Condie who are the Commissaires for the first two races.
Please have a good look through and check to see when you're on duty. If you're not there,  let Bruce know and he'll include you next time. If you are rostered on but you're not available, this page contains the info you need (scroll down to Race Duty.)
Racing starts on Thursday 6 October.
(If you have a 12-month 2016 road race membership, it's still valid until 31 December.)
Work has also started on the 2017 calendar which will include a Sunday morning series (which won't be part of the usual summer series, but a separate 'climbers' series) plus the Black 'n' Tan as a stand-alone event, also on a Sunday morning. More details as soon as we get the permits.

We want you - Junior Development

The club is after someone to look after development of our junior members. We currently have a strong Junior Dirt Crits scene but want to help kids develop beyond this. We envisage skills clinics for both mtb and road, travel to some other races, perhaps even some track racing.
It's really up to you.
Please contact club President Craig 'Wil' Wilson to discuss.

We want you - Women's Riding

The club is also after someone to help encourage more women to participate in MMBCC events. We want more women to ride, race... just get involved. Cycling Victoria have a plethora of resources to help the club but we'd like someone dedicated to the cause.
Can you help?
Please contact club President Craig 'Wil' Wilson to discuss.

Bunch ride times

As Daylight Savings will begin again shortly, so Saturday and Sunday morning road bunch rides will change too. As of Saturday 1 October, weekend bunch rides will start at 8am.

One more thing...

If you're only getting this via the club Facebook page, you can receive the newsletter direct if you subscribe via MailChimp. Just fill in your info on the right of the home page, underneath our 'the social club with a cycling problem' logo.

Finally...

A little light reading here, here and here.

Sunday news

Club kit orders close shortly

The club kit is for sale again... NOW!
Seight's My Team Shop will be open for MMBCC members to purchase kit until Sunday 4 September. Here is the link you need to go to the My Team Shop page.
Then you need to email Bruce and he'll send you the password with some instructions. Orders will be extended to this coming Tuesday... then THAT'S IT till next year.

Defibrillator training

The club will receive its new defibrillator later this month. It comes with a couple of hours of training from St John's so we can use it safely.
Training will be at the Delatite Hotel from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday 17 September.
We need club members to come along and do the training so we can take delivery of our new defib unit. Please send Paul Fletcher an email and let him know you'll be there!

Off The Bike - next Sunday 11 September 6pm

It's on again... OFF THE BIKE Beyond Blue fundraiser night at the Social Bandit Brewery to talk bikes, watch the MTB world Championships LIVE on the big screen whilst drinking beer, eating pizza and donating money to a good cause.
You know... it's OK to talk.

Racing starts soon... how's your training going?

It's early September... only a month or so till we start racing again; both on- and off-road.
Keep an eye out for newsletters coming up shortly with details of where and when racing kicks off. There'll also be details on duty rosters and officiating.
PLUS... we need to get a few more road Commissaires qualified. It's easier than ever to get qualified now, as the MMBCC has our own Commissaire Assessor in the club - Jodie Batchelor - who has offered to do your assessment here. (Usually you need to travel to another race somewhere else!)
All you need to do is download the workbook, complete the written work, then the club can help you get assessed. Please contact Bruce for details.
A reminder too that weekend bunch rides that currently start at 9am will change back to 8am in October.

Membership renewals

The upcoming race season also means that for many of you, it's time to renew your club membership.
If you're a road member, renewals for 2017 will be available from 1 October. Here's the link you need.
If you're an MTBA member, you need to make sure your rolling, 12-month membership is current for summer - here's the link you need.
Please make sure you nominate Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club as your club when you renew online.

Club kit sales available again!

What great looking kit!

The club kit is for sale again. After the first order was delivered last week, we've had a heap of questions about when it will open again. The answer is... NOW!

Seight's My Team Shop will be open for MMBCC members to purchase kit until Sunday 4 September. Here is the link you need to go to the My Team Shop page.

Then you need to email Bruce and he'll send you the password with some instructions. Then you too can look as good as the handsome young chaps in the photo above! (By the way, they both rode to good results in Sunday's Sam Miranda Ned Kelly Road Race in the new kit and said it was extremely comfy!)

Don't get caught out...

AGM reminder

Don't get caught out... like the 6am bunch did a couple of weeks ago when it rained a little more than anyone expected and the ford on Graves Road called for a detour!

Don't forget that the MMBCC Annual General Meeting is this Wednesday night at the Delatite Hotel. Come along for dinner at 6pm; the meeting starts at 7pm.
We'll be after MTB and road committees, junior development, women's rides, executive committee members and more... plus presentations by Hayden Fletcher and Kian Lerch-MacKinnon.

Club kit should arrive tomorrow

If you've ordered some of the new club kit from Seight, it might be worth calling in to All Terrain Cycles on Tuesday to collect your's. It will all be delivered in one package but will be labelled for each order placed. (If you ordered direct dispatch, you should have received your kit at your place today.) If you can't get to ATC, we'll try to bring it along to the Delatite for the AGM.

Defibrillator training

The club will receive its new defibrillator next month. It comes with a couple of hours of training from St John's so we can use it safely.
Training will be at the Delatite from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday 17 September.
We need club members to come along and do the training so we can take delivery of our new defib unit. We'll have a sign-up sheet at the AGM. Of if you can't make it to the AGM, please send Paul Fletcher an email and let him know you'll be there!

MMBCC Annual General Meeting 2016

Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club invites everyone to its 2016 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 17 August at the Delatite Hotel, High St, Mansfield.

Dinner from 6pm, meeting to start at 7pm.

Make a contribution! Nominate someone, or yourself, to get involved and have your say in the running of the club.

Come along and hear from Hayden Fletcher and Kian Lerch-Mackinnon about their recent World Championship exploits.

News reminder - Friday 15 July

RAPHA WOMEN’S 100

Ride all or part of the Rapha Women’s 100 this coming Sunday!
The weather looks perfect, so the ride will commence at 9am at the Mansfield Botanic Park... and we keep going until we have reached our goal. This is not limited to women; men are welcome to join us! Let Jodie know if you’re participating, or even just curious, so she can let you know the details.

MMBCC BUNCH RIDES

For July, August and September the weekend 'fast' bunch ride is leaving the Botanic Park at 9am. We'll change back to 8am in October (or if it's warm in September!)

Sunday News - 10 July

Off the Bike

Riding bikes keeps us fit and healthy and is great way to manage depression and anxiety. But what’s more important is talking about it. This event night is about socialising ‘Off the Bike’ in the name of mental health awareness amongst men in association with Beyond Blue Foundation.
The Social Bandit Brewery is putting on a special Beyond Blue Charity beer. All it will cost you is a donation per pot as you enjoy a delicious pizza. Watch Stage 10 of the Tour de France “LIVE’ on the big screen.
Silent auctions on the night.
Hosted by Shannon Rademaker (ATC Owner) will talk about his story. We hope to you many of you there.

RAPHA WOMEN’S 100

Ride all or part of the Rapha Women’s 100 on 17 July!
Depending on the weather the ride will be outside or indoors at Cycling-Inform’s indoor training studio, or a combination of both.
Riding will commence at 9am and we keep going until we have reached our goal. This is not limited to women; men are welcome to join us! Let Jodie know if you’re participating, or even just curious, so she can let you know the details.

MMBCC BUNCH RIDES

This was posted on the MMBCC Facebook page recently, so it must be true... Heard a rumour that for July, August and September the weekend 'fast' bunch ride is leaving the Botanic Park at 9am. Apparently the 'slow' bunch will still leave at 8; but you'll have to ask someone 'slow' at 8am to confirm that! (Or should you ask someone slowly at 8am? Not sure.)

Friday News - 24 June

What's Hayden Fletcher been up to lately?

Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club's BMX racer Hayden Fletcher has just returned from a 10-week international tour, starting with his first ever World Cup Super Cross event in Argentina where he competed against some of the fastest bmx racers on the planet.
With the Rio Olympic games just months away riders were desperate to score points for their right to represent their country at the Games. Hayden is 1 year too young for this year's Olympics, so this race was more an experience-gaining exercise as the 17 year old looks towards the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Hayden then flew to Illinois in the USA to spend the next 8 weeks training and racing the USABMX National Series with his USA sponsor Ssquared Bicycles. From 5 USABMX Nationals competed, Hayden made 3 finals, with a podium finished in Colorado. The 17 year old then travelled to Colombia for the 2016 UCI World Championships; the track was described by Hayden as scary, fast and fun.
In time trials, 23rd fastest wasn't quite where he wanted to be, but was happy to be in one piece, as this track was eating up some others.
In racing Hayden had qualified 3rd fastest of the riders for his heats, racing the same 7 riders over 3 motos Hayden had a disastrous 1st moto being cut off by another rider on the super technical 2nd straight and finished 6th. With a 5th place in the 2nd moto, Hayden needed to win the last moto to qualify for the finals, the Howqua Inlet teen put his heart and soul into it, but came an agonising 2nd to miss the finals by 1 point. Although gutted to miss out he held his head high and is already back into training for the local racing scene that starts again in August.
Hayden is also starting his bmx coaching accreditation, something that is close to his heart, helping young and older people wanting to get into the sport of BMX racing. Hayden is also super keen to see the BMX track plans for the town come to fruition, after reading the Courier and seeing the $450,000 funds raised for the skate park on his return and after waiting some 8 years, Hayden wants to know what he can do to help raise the $250,000 needed for a National standard BMX track in town.

 

This just in from Cycling Victoria...

Vote Early So You Don't Miss Out On The Life Cycle 55+ Mansfield

Saturday July 2nd, 2016 - Ride Departs at 11 am from the Mansfield Visitor/Information Centre, in Mansfield
Join Life Cycle 55+ when we ride the remarkable Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail, at 11 am, on Saturday July 2, and take in all the splendours that Victoria’s High Country graciously bestows.  
The ride leaves the Mansfield Visitor/Information Centre at 11 am, with parking available at the Visitor/Information Centre. Life Cycle 55+ Ride Leaders will take you on a 40 km ride, stopping in Maindample, on the way to the Bonnie Doon Hotel for lunch. Lunch will be provided to all riders, with vegetarian options for those who prefer a vegetarian lunch. 
Enjoy dining on the banks of beautiful Lake Eildon, before hopping back on your bike and enjoying the ride back to Mansfield. 
The cost to register is $75.  You can register HERE
More information here.
Cycling Victoria’s Life Cycle 55+ program considers this event to be rather special and one that shouldn’t be missed. In fact, we at Cycling Victoria would quietly like to point out that you might like to use the Adventure Ride in Mansfield as the impetus to participate in early voting to enable you to stay away from the polls on Election Day!
Come for a great ride instead and get rolling with the Life Cycle 55+ Adventure Ride in Mansfield.

Club kit order extended

Don't forget, if you need to try on some Seight kit to get the sizing right for your new club kit, the samples are now at All Terrain Cycles.
Orders have been extended a final time to Sunday 26 June and here's the link on the Seight website. Send an email to Bruce for the password.

2016/17 Rider Development Grant

The MMBCC RDG provides financial assistance for talented club members aged 25 and under. It's designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.
Please click here to download a copy of the Guidelines for 2016/17.
Applications must reach us before Tuesday 12 July. Details of where to send the application are in the PDF.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM at The Produce Store in August.

All Terrain Cycles EOFY Sale

Shannon has a sale starting tomorrow - Saturday 25 June. Massive End of Financial Sale at both Mansfield and Bright Stores. Huge savings! 20%-40% OFF all bikes, clothing, equipment and more. SALE ENDS 30 June.

Friday News

Club Kit Update

Seight Clothing size samples have arrived and are now at All Terrain Cycles; call in and try some on.
If you’d like to purchase, email Bruce for the password. Here’s the link to the MMBCC page on the Seight Custom Clothing website.
The deadline for ordering has now been extended to Friday 24 June - just to give you a few more days to get into ATC and try some on if you need to.

Winter Solstice Ride

Celebrate that fact that the days are only going to start getting longer from now on - TUESDAY 21 JUNE - Inaugural Annual Winter Solstice Ride and Breakfast.
- Meet outside the Mansfield Hotel at 6am for a ride around the Barwite Loop;
- Breakfast from 6:45am at Mansfield Coffee Merchant (partners and kids very welcome to come down for the breakfast); and
- If it’s cold we ride; if it’s wet... just turn up for breakfast!
Even if you can’t bring yourself to ride that early in the morning, come and join us for breakfast.

Cycling and the 2016 election

Australia's national, state and territory bicycle organisations have called for the next Australian government to invest $10 per person nationally to provide the infrastructure needed to create a better environment for everyday cycling in this country. Together we have released a simple position statement that clearly sets out the challenges and benefits addressed by this investment. Read more about it and download the position statement/info graphic here.
You can also find a good explanation on the Bicycle NSW website but it doesn't seem to be on the Bicycle Victoria site...

Half yearly road memberships

Up to 7 months for the price of 6! Cycling Australia is currently offering discounted Race memberships!
Race members who renew this month will effectively be receiving up to SEVEN MONTHS worth of racing and insurance cover for the PRICE OF SIX. Renew online here and you’ll receive your new membership card and gain your range of benefits through to 31 December 2016.
Current Ride members who have ever been tempted to dip a toe into the waters of competitive cycling might also want to take advantage of the half yearly discounts on Race memberships. To investigate further, please call our friendly Membership Team on 03 9998 6810.

2016/17 Rider Development Grant

The Grant provides financial assistance for talented MMBCC cyclists aged 25 and under. It's designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.
Please click here to download a copy of the Guidelines for the 2016/17 MMBCC Rider Development Grant.
Applications to reach us before Tuesday 12 early July. Details of where to send the application are in the PDF.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM at The Produce Store in August.

Mid June update

2016/17 Rider Development Grant

The Grant provides financial assistance for talented MMBCC cyclists aged 25 and under. It's designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.
Please click here to download a copy of the Guidelines for the 2016/17 MMBCC Rider Development Grant.
Applications to reach us before Tuesday 12 early July. Details of where to send the application are in the PDF.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM at The Produce Store in August.

Club kit order still open - size samples

After an address mix-up with the Seight size samples, in which they came to Mansfield but then got sent back to Sydney, wtf?!, they're due to arrive Wednesday 15 June. Call into All Terrain Cycles in the afternoon if you'd like to try some on. If this isn't giving you enough time to make a decision, we can extend the sale window.
There's been an update on the casquette design too.

Kian's new website

Kian has started his own website so you can track what he's up to while racing over in Europe in the lead-up to the World Championships. Have a look here.

Riding in winter

Finally, here's a good article on Cycling Tips on what to wear to be seen on the road in winter. Worth a read.

Last thing...

If you haven't already, please subscribe to the club updates via email. It's on the Home page, on the right.

Club Kit order NOW OPEN!

How to order club kit...

To start with, use this link to email Bruce to request the link and password. He'll reply to you with the information and instructions you need.
Click on the link in the email (or copy & paste into your web browser) and put in the password. This will take you to the MMBCC clothing page; just follow the instructions in the email.
You have until Tuesday 21 June to place your order. Once orders close, kit will be delivered 6 - 8 weeks later.
See you on the bike… looking sharp!

Kian leaves today

Good luck to Kian Lerch-MacKinnon who jets off to Europe today with his coach Damian Grundy to tackle a couple of races in the lead-up to the World Championships. (Apparently there'll be an interview on WIN News tonight at 7pm.)
Good luck lads!

Heartbreak for Hayden

Really bad luck for Hayden Fletcher at the BMX World Championships in Colombia last weekend... he missed out on a finals berth by 1 point.
ONE POINT!
Bugger.

Hayden Fletcher World's begins this weekend

Hayden Fletcher starts his World Championship campaign in Medellin, Colombia this Saturday night.
It appears there's only coverage of the finals over the weekend, not any of the motos... which is fairly ordinary. Anyway, here's the link you'll need.
The UCI Competition Guide says finals will start just before 3 in the afternoon local (Colombian) time; so that's should be 6am Monday here.