Happy Hour – 31st March
Track Chit Chat March 2017
IMPORTANT NOTICE – CHANGE OF DATE
Due to our special end of season meeting date clashing with the CHB Junior Tour on Sat/Sun 25 & 26 March, we have decided to change the date of our closing meeting to 3:00PM SUNDAY 2ND APRIL.
This is to be a special meeting to close the season and $300 of prizemoney will be put up for riders to win on 2 April. It has been a very windy and often wet for the track season, so we hope to make up for it on closing day. There will be a special race for rookie riders with prizemoney of $40 and also the scratch races for the club championships will be run, plus the 500m Time Trial Championships for U19 and senior riders.
REMEMBER ALL RIDER TO RETURN NUMBERS AND HIRE BIKES ON 2ND APRIL.
Drummond and Stewart Make Elite World Champs Team
A couple of teenagers have been added to an experienced New Zealand squad of 16 for next months World Track Cycling Championships in Hong Kong and they are our very own Michaela Drummond and Campbell Stewart from BikeManawatu.
Article from Radio New Zealand…
The focus will be on the current world champion men’s team sprint in their quest for back-to-back rainbow jerseys in what would be their third in four years.
Eighteen-year-old Michaela Drummond, a silver medallist at last year’s junior world championships, has been selected in the women’s endurance squad.
Drummond won the national elite women’s omnium title.
Invercargill’s Nick Kergozou and Palmerston North teenager Campbell Stewart have been selected in a six-strong men’s endurance squad.
Kergozou competed at last year’s world championships in London, while Stewart, 18, has won four world junior championship gold medals.
Cycling New Zealand head coach Dayle Cheatley said “we have a good number of our Rio Olympians back again but we are also excited with the healthy injection of youth into the squads who, along with others who impressed at the age championships, will be pressing our more experienced riders towards Tokyo 2020 and beyond. “
“We are excited about the likes of Michaela Drummond and Campbell Stewart. We won’t be putting them under too much pressure but allowing them the opportunity to experience a world championship environment. They are both outstanding prospects but it does take time to transition from junior to elite ranks.”
The sprint squad is led by the world champion trio of Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster, with Zac Williams, while Natasha Hansen is the only female sprinter.
The women’s endurance squad comprises the Rio quartet of Racquel Sheath, Jaime Nielsen, Lauren Ellis and Rushlee Buchanan, who performed with distinction in Rio, with Drummond the newcomer.
The men’s endurance squad has Rio riders Piet Bulling, Aaron Gate, Regan Gough and Dylan Kennett, with the addition of Kergozou and Stewart.
They will prepare in Cambridge before leaving for Hong Kong early next month.
It is the first time the world championships have been staged in Asia since 1990, when New Zealand earned its first ever women’s world championship title after Karen Holliday won the Points Race.
Cycling NZ Select Emily Shearman and Libby Arbuckle for Junior Worlds
A proud and big congratulations go out to Emily Shearman her second time and Libby Arbuckle for being selected for the UCI Junior Track Championships to be held in China. Both young ladies have worked hard and performed well at key events to gain selection and along with their families, coaches and support teams Bike Manawatu congratulate you and wish you well for China. Local young Bike Manawatu talent once again on the world stage we should all be proud of.
Bike Manawatu Masters and Schools Racing
The upcoming Saturday race calendars for Bike Manawatu has been posted for the lead up to the club Champs on the 22 April. The proposed race for this Saturday the 18th of March has been cancelled due to many riders competing in Cambridge this weekend. Check out the new Saturday and Sunday race calendar for all ages and grades.
It is our intent that all masters or school riders at any level can race together over either a short or longer distance on the Saturday or Sunday for the benefit of everyone wanting to try out racing.
Head of School Cycling Mike Craine and his schools organising committee have welcomed masters riders to race on the Sunday morning Manawatu schools calendar at no charge this season.
Together Bike Manawatu members and our growing Schools cycling numbers enjoyed a successful Manfeild Criterium race series late last year where young and old enjoyed safe competitive racing side by side with everyone riding in their appropriate grades and loved it.
Our BM Saturday Race program can cater for this also and collaborating with Schools with their well organised Sunday race calendar we hope will give members the chance to try new events as we develop stronger ties between all cycling people in the Manawatu.
The benefit of racing is huge to everyone who cycles and for all social riders starting at the shorter 20km races distance is a great place to start. Check out the schools calendar and show up on a Sunday morning at the advertised start time. You will love it.
Bike Manawatu volunteer Roster needing your Help.
To conduct our Bike Manawatu Saturday races we require people to put your name on a roster list to help put on a rotational basis only. Generally five or six people per events is required. Just email us and your name will go in the hat and we can set up a roster so that our race events can grow. Riders who put themselves as helpers mean you might miss one of the races which we hope is a small price to pay for having such race events. Please let us know if you are happy to go on the roster for our upcoming events. Thank you to the few people who have put their name forward. We are hoping more will join the roster to make this club initiative easier for race organisers and racing.
secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz
Schools and Masters at Track Nationals
Watch for a busy track calendar for many Bike Manawatu members as schools and masters are full on competing at the National Age Group Champs at Cambridge at the moment.
Fresh off the track news as we write this newsletter is well known and respected Bike Manawatu rider Megan Blatchford-Peck has set a new New Zealand record for her master woman’s age group in the 500m time trial and took out the gold medal by winning. As NZ title holder, we must congratulate Megan on a fantastic result.
Along with many other Bike Manawatu masters and schools riders set to contest their respective specialist events keep an eye out on results online.
Bike Manawatu Happy Hour
When: 31 March
Where; Lonestar on the Square
Time: 5.30pm onwards
Last month unfortunately was a quiet affair at out happy hour so please take the opportunity to make an effort and join your fellow cycling members for some quality time together.
Bike Manawatu AGM
All members are invited to this years Bike Manawatu AGM which involves acknowledgements and prizes as well as the clubs year ending report and overview.
When; 11 April
Where; Marist Club Rooms
Time; from 6pm
Bush Cycle Tour – Final Draw
