Sunday Update

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro 30/11/21

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

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

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

MMBCC Club kit

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

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

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

Rapid Ascent.
Dear Mansfield Mountain Cyclists

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

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

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

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

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

·         97km and 49km rides

·         Time-out zones; no traffic!

The Redback – 18 - 21 August 2022

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

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

·         Easy race logistics, and flowing single tracks

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

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

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

Thank you for your support!

From the Rapid Ascent team

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

Road Race Season Charges Off

 Steve Brown leading the way in the finial few kilometres  

Windy Howes Creek Road Race

By Allan Gerrans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for results

Season opens for some

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

First Dirt Crits of the season

By Dave Empey

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the results. See you next week.

First road race that wasn’t

By Bruce Halket

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We're back baby!

Dirt Crits is back!

by Dave Empey

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

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

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

So is Dirt Critters!

by Kate Empey

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

Road Racing is back too!

By the Road Racing Committee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So remember:

1. Enter by 8pm Wednesday;

2. Bring your race number;

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

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

5. Friendly race attitude.

See you there.  

MMBCC’s new ‘pro’ racers

Elise Empey and Matthew Empey

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

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

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

Ruby Dobson 

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

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

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

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

Talia Appleton

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

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

Talia is Vic Road Race Champion!

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

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

Here are the results.

Great result Talia - congratulations!

End of September Update

Road Racing Update

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

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

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

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

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

MTB Dirt Crits Update

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

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

More news here as soon as we know…

Recreational Ride Update

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

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

Paris-Roubaix this weekend

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

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

And… there’s rain forecast! Woohoo!

Subscribe to the News

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

Monday Update

AGM wrap-up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Website administrator and promotion:
Josh Hopwood.

Membership contact:
Clarissa Leatham.

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

Rider Development Grants

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

Upcoming Events

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

Preston Mountain Classic, Strath Creek - 10 Oct 2021.

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

Amy’s Gran Fondo - 23-24 Oct 2021.

AGM RSVP Update

Update due to Covid Hospitality Restrictions…

We need an RSVP for EVERYBODY!

Please SMS Kate on 0438 098 594 if you’re coming to the AGM. And you need to let her know whether you’re coming for dinner or not too.

Sorry about the change. But we need to be fair to the Hotel - they only have a total maximum of 100 places available on Wednesday night. So they need to know how many other patrons they’re allowed.

So… a reminder - if you’re coming to the AGM on Wednesday night, please let Kate know as soon as you read this. No RSVP - no AGM for you!

AGM Dinner RSVP

Are you coming to the AGM on Wednesday?

Yes… this coming Wednesday. It’s at the Mansfield Hotel at 7pm.

If you’re coming for dinner, can you please SMS Kate with numbers for dinner on 0438 098 594. We need to let the Hotel know how many will be eating.

If you’re just coming to the meeting and not eating, there’s no need to RSVP and we’ll see you at 7.

Mid-August Update

MMBCC AGM next week

With the recent easing of pandemic restrictions for regional Victoria, the MMBCC AGM is still planned for Wednesday 18 August at 7pm at the Mansfield Hotel.

If anything changes again, we’ll let you know here. (Make sure you’ve subscribed to the email newsletter so you find out straight away!)

On the night we need vote on members of the Executive Committee - in particular, we need a new President and a new Treasurer. Both Mauro Brega and Judi Duke have decided not to stand for nomination again. We also need to find some other committee members, chat about road racing, Dirt Crits, Junior Development, the Mansfield Tour, the Buller round of the Vic Downhill Series, Recreational Rides and hand out some Rider Development Grants.

Please have a think about what YOU can bring to the club; how YOU can help.

See you there!

GREAT NEWS FOR THE MMBCC - Community Bank Mansfield & District announce milestone Community Impact Program investment of $93,146

The Community Bank Mansfield & District have just announced their 2021 Community Impact Program funding recipients, investing a whopping $93,146 into the community.

Each year since establishment in 2007, the Community Bank Mansfield & District has invested in the community through an annual sponsorship program, funding over 90 different community groups, clubs and not-for-profit organisations, supporting an array of local projects, initiatives and events.

The annual sponsorship program has sought to be responsive to community needs, sponsoring projects and activities that offer clear public benefit to our community, contributing to development in community welfare, environmental, health, education and arts and cultural areas, right across the Mansfield Shire.

In 2021, The Community Bank Mansfield & District extended on this commitment with the introduction of their new Community Impact Strategy - underpinned by the commitment to investing in the growth of a resilient, sustainable, and thriving Mansfield & District community.

Renaming the annual sponsorship program, The Community Impact Program, the 2021 community investment was guided by the Community Impact Strategy - aiming to be nimble enough to meet the most pressing community needs in the short term, whilst addressing broader long term community projects. The strategy is founded around 5 Key Impact Pillars; Leadership, Opportunity & Innovation, Wellbeing, Collaboration & Connect, and Liveability.

Applications opened in April 2021, and the response to the program was overwhelming with over $480,000 worth of community funding requests received. Projects emphasising community connection and health and wellbeing presented a strong theme, with initiatives to impact across the region from Mansfield to Merton, Jamieson to Peppin Point and Merrijig.

Announcing a total investment of $93,146.83 to be shared amongst 12 different community groups, clubs and not-for-profit organisations, the Community Bank Mansfield & District is thrilled to be able to provide this much needed community investment.

Chairman of the Board David Mayne explains…“Community banking is based on a ‘profit-with-purpose’ model, which means profits are reinvested back into the community that has generated them. It is thanks to the Mansfield & District community that bank with us, that enables us to provide this sponsorship.”

The 2021 Community Impact Program recipients and project are…

• Mansfield Adult Continuing Education (MACE Inc.) - Mansfield Community Connection Project

• Delatite Cricket Club Inc - Practice Net upgrade

• Country Women's Association of Victoria Inc Mansfield Branch - Community Inclusion and Facade Transformation

• WiNE Network Incorporated - Mandy McCracken - Life: A Giant Social Experiment

• Merton Recreation and Memorial Hall Reserves Inc - Basketball and Netball Ball Play Upgrade

• Mansfield District Hospital - Secret Agents Society

• 1st Mansfield Girl Guides - Camp Together - Annual Guiding Event

• The Man From Snowy River 40th Anniversary - Wake the Echoes

• Mansfield Living with Parkinson's Support Group - Wellbeing in Parkinson’s Disease Sufferers and their Carers

• Mansfield Mount Buller Cycling Club - Mansfield Pump Track

• Peppin Hub Incorporated - The Peppin Hub Community Centre

• Mansfield District Soccer Club – Fundraising BBQ upgrade

• Mansfield Health and Fitness – Come and Tri

• VIC State Emergency Service Mansfield Unit – Rescue Equipment Purchase

Further details for each project will be announced in the weeks to come on the Community Bank Mansfield & District Facebook page.

Olympic Games update

The John Coates Mansplaining and Covid Transmission Festival officially begins with the opening ceremony tonight - coverage on Channel 7.

Cycling at the Games starts with the Men’s Road Race tomorrow and continues right through the games until the last session of the Track Cycling on Sunday 8 August. In between those two is the rest of the road cycling, XC mountain biking, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle. Here’s a rundown on Cycling at the Games, thanks to Cycling Tips.

And good luck to Mansfield’s Hayley Wilson in the skateboarding!

When’s the MMBCC AGM?

Good question! It’s currently planned to be held on Wednesday 18 August 2021 at 7pm at the Mansfield Hotel.

However, with lockdowns playing havoc with planning for anything (see below re: Sea Otter), it might have to be held partly online or be postponed. But at the moment, it’s still planned for Wednesday 18 August. If anything changes, we’ll let you know here. (Make sure you’ve subscribed to the email newsletter so you find out straight away!)

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

Speaking of the Rider Development Grants…

With thanks to the Australian Communities Foundation, the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club is accepting applications for Rider Development Grants for 2021-22 - but only for one more week. 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.

Hurry! Applications are due by the end of this month.

For sale - an oldie but a goodie

Keep in mind, the headline is about the bike, not the current owner - Specialized Hardrock mtb for sale.

Sea Otter postponed

The bleedin’ pandemic has meant Sea Otter Australia, originally planned for Canberra in October, is now postponed till 2022. Here are the details.

Sunday update

Talia Appleton wins Eildon Junior Tour

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

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

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

Congratulations Talia.

Ruby Dobson leads Vic CX Series

Many thanks to Mark Geary for the pic.

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

The next round is at Beechworth on 18 July.

MMBCC at ECC

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

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

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

Well done all!

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

AGM reminder

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

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

Grant reminder

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

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

Hurry! Applications are due by the end of July.

Finally…

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

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

End of Financial Year news

Annual General Meeting

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

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

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

Rider Development Grant

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

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

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

The deadline for grant applications is Saturday 31 July 2021.

Krush Grassroots Scholarship

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

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

Long weekend update

Elise Empey named in Australian MTB World Championships team

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

Trail Towns on SBS

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

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

The first episode on Canberra went to air last Saturday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presentation Night

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

Dirt Crits

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

Road Racing

Chris Miller needed help from Mauro to lift the trophy!

Women’s Road Racing

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

Alain Guerin Memorial Crossover

The usual suspects.

Australian Cycling Champions 130 years of bicycle racing

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

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

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

Presentation night RSVP reminder

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

Proper End of Summer Update

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

Melburn Roobaix is back!

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

The Giro d’Italia starts this weekend!

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

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

Upcoming events

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

Monday night update

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

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

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

End of the month News

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

Dirt Critters (Junior Dirt Crits)

by Kate Stonnill

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

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

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

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

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

Dirt Crits

By Dave Empey (Ghost written by Kate)

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

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

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

A wet and windy race.

By Tim Hall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Chris Miller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MMBCC well represented at National Downhill MTB Championships in Tasmania

By Kate Stonnill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations to all riders from MMBCC.

2021 Mansfield Hotel Tour

By Bruce Halket

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks again for your support.

Sunday arvo update

News from the Nationals

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

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

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

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

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

And Maddie Smith won Bronze in the Under 17 Women.

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

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

Dirt Critters

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

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

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

Many thanks to Nicole Ross.

Dirt Crits

By Damian Grundy

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

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

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

Young Charlie Hall was second and Luke Vivash was third.

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

Road Race

By Dave Moore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you next week for next weeks race.

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

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

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

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

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

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

Finally…

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

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

Autumn Update 1

Another long newsletter for a holiday Monday read…

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

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

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

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

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

Mansfield Hotel Tour staffing

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

Do you love riding mountain bikes in Victoria?

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

Dirt Crits

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

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

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

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

MMBCC Q&A

By Bruce Halket

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

Where was the race held?

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

How long was the race?

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

How many entered the race?

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

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

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

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

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

What about last week’s winner, Josh Hopwood?

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

Who won?

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

Who was the ‘Most Valuable Player’?

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

Was it hard?

No, dead easy! (Well… not really.)

Was there much other traffic on the road?

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

What racing is happening next week?

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

Can I see the results?

Yes you can, click here.

Are there any photos from the race?

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

Are there any other MMBCC events coming up?

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

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

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

Discovering Resilience

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

More details below…

Finally…

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

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

End of the month update

A huuuuuge update to get through this week…

Join the MMBCC WhatsApp group

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

Victorian Mountain Biking Strategy Survey

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

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

Survey closes Sunday 7th March

Dirt Crits Gravity Enduro 3

By Dave Empey

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

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

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

Great to see so many people racing very competitively .

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

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

Mansfield Hotel Tour

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

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

New listing on the For Sale pages…

Mavic road shoes - a bargain!

A weekend at Falls Creek

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

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

Thanks to all the wonderful parents for making it happen.

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

Congratulations to all the Mansfield kids who competed.

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

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

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

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

How does it work?

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

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

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

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

 Who is eligible to apply?

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

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

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

Application timelines

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

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

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

To find out more view:

• The Program website.

• The Program guidelines.

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

Hopwood on the Coombesberg

By Ewyn Carter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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