$2000 worth of prizes for Gravel and Tar Gran Fondo riders

by James Denholm | Jan 19, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog

At last Sunday’s Bike Manawatu’s ride five of us tested out the Gravel and Tar 70km Gran Fondo course.We all rode with some anxiety before leaving memorial park as the gravel section was an unknown to us.We are pleased to report the gravel section on midland road off valley road Colyton was actually really good as was the section on watershed road.Riding the right lines took a few kms to get used to but we all loved it.The ride back past Hiwinui school via Ashhurst and home on the Tar was fast and fun as well.
Once experienced, the anxiety of gravel is gone and the beautiful country road scenery so close to the city is all we remember.No flat tyres,no fall offs,and bikes only a bit dusty. A cool experience. Thank you club members Steve Harley,Roy Hughes,Chris Pinkney and Ross Rainham. 

Sponsors Bayleys Real Estate and our four City Bike Shops have got together to provide riders in this years Gravel and Tar Gran Fondo 70km ride $500 worth of prizes in four categories.
Ride starts at 1.15pm from Square January 27th for recreational riders.

Mens grade over 19; Bike Barn vouchers to the value of 1st $250 2nd $150 3rd $100
Women grade over19. AvantiPlus vouchers to the value of 1st $250 2nd $150, 3rd $100
Boys under 19; Central Bicycle Studio vouchers to the value of 1st $250 2nd $150 3rd $100
Girls under 19 : Crankit Cycles vouchers to the value of 1st $250 2nd $150 3rd $100

Online registration are best as soon as possible and are easy please.Late entries for the Gran Fondo and Riverpath Challenge open on Saturday morning at 7.30am and close at 9am at Cyclista Cafe on George street.

Check out video www.facebook.com/TeamJVLatbayleys.
The party starts at “Cycling Central” from 7.30am on Saturday the 27th of January which involves closing off George Street from Cyclista Cafe to Moxies Cafe. Green carpet will be laid on the road to cordon off the Cycling Central Festival and the street party will begin.All retailers in George Street are totally enthusiastic towards helping this fun event succeed. All we need is more rider entries for the Gran Fondo and Riverpath Challenge to help boost numbers.

The big stage setup on George street will be ready to introduce the Pro riders and team at 11.45am before they make their way to the start line at 1pm outside I SITE on the Palmerston North square.Followed by the start of the Gran Fondo ride at 1.15pm and The River Path Challenge at 1.30pm

Lead by the police and six international race commissaires (referees) the UCI Gravel and Tar pro Race will travel up through Ashhurst the beautiful Pohingina Valley showcasing the Manawatu region to the world followed by media and film crew capturing drone and film footage.

The 131km race is expected to finish at Memorial Park at 4.15pm and the official prize presentation starts at 4.45pm on Stage at Cycling Central in George street where we are hoping the cycling vibe of a European Cycling Village event can be felt in Palmy.The more friends you can bring along the better.

27th January day activities time line;
Where; “Cycling Central” -George Street
7am to 9am: Late entries for 70km Gran Fondo and 30km Riverpath Challenge
9.45am : Retro Ride Start
9.45am Ongoing entertainment (Musicians) on Stage for the day.
11.45am; Introducing the UCI Pro Team Managers and Pro race Teams on stage.
1pm: Start of UCI Gravel and Tar 131km Race from I Site on the square.
1.15pm: Start of Gravel and Tar Gran Fondo 70km ride.
1.30pm: Start of Gravel and Tar River Path Challenge 30km ride
3pm: Riverpath Challenge Finish-Memorial Park
3.30pm; Gran Fondo Finish-Memorial Park
4.15pm; UCI Pro Race Finish-Memorial Park
4.45pm; UCI Pro Race Prize Giving -on stage Cycling Central -George street
5pm: Riverpath Challenge Prize Giving-on stage Cycling Central -George street
5.30pm; Gran Fondo Prize Giving- on stage Cycling Central-George street.
6pm-9pm; On going Entertainment along with Interviews
7.30pm; Cycling Film Festival – Globe Theatre.

Checking out the amazing results of events our club riders have been involved in is great to follow.

Alex West & Robert Stannard pictured racing in 2017

NZ Elite Road Nationals-Napier January 5th to 7th. www.eliteroadnationals.nz
Hub Tour of Hawkes Bay results- January 12th to 14th. www.ramblers.co.nz
The New Zealand Cycle Classic-Wairarapa- January 16th to 21st. www.roadcycling.co.nz

Wednesday Cyclists “Loving It”

Every single Wednesday morning all year round a hardy group of Bike Manawatu members are carrying on the long term tradition of our Wednesday Cyclists group.The group leaves at 6.30am opposite the BP service station on Fitzherbert to tick the legs over and complete a 90km fun ride broken up with a coffee and banter in Feilding. Anyone can join in on the fun and the return time is approximately 10.30am.
A great group of loyal people and characters who have become friends that have to put up with plenty of jib along the way from the more forward characters in the group.We mention no names….

Bike Manawatu “Happy Hour”

by James Denholm | Nov 23, 2017 | Board Chair's Blog

When: Friday 1st December
Where: Lonestar on the Square
Time: from 5.30pm
End of the year celebrations are important and to catch up with your cycling buddies for the drink is what our “Bike Manawatu Happy Hour” is all about. This club initiative enjoys a small group of regulars who take advantage of this once a month. We would love to see more members. The merrier makes for a better time for everyone. Supporting the atmosphere of a club sponsors with a Bar/Restaurant is giving back. We’d love to see you Friday the 1st of December.

The Pilgrimage of Taupo Cycle Challenge

I hope the training is complete, the bike is serviced, the accommodation is booked and the head space is saying “Taupo hear I come”. The pilgrimage of riders and supporters descending on the Taupo Cycle Challenge year after year is phenomenal. Road and Mountain bike enthusiasts putting themselves to the test for the experience or maybe a better time than last year. We congratulate you all and wish our Bike Manawatu Club members a safe and successful ride.
Taupo will be a buzz before, during and after the events so be sure to enjoy yourselves, whatever the outcome.
Sadly I will not be able to partake this year as I will be attending the funeral of a local family friend. However I will be thinking of you all and wish you all the very best for a great weekend.

Oceania Track Championships -Cambridge

Sweet club success has been a highlight for our rising stars at the Oceania Track Championships in Cambridge this week.
Michaela Drummond was on the New Zealand women’s team that won the 4000m team pursuit beating Australia by 14 seconds which is huge. Campbell Stewart continued with his individual brilliance finishing second in the men’s 30km points race behind Josh Harrison of South Africa. Jordan Castle was part of the NZ sprint team that finished second behind the top NZ Olympic and Commonwealth team of Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins. Young Angus Claasen was in the under 19 team that finished second in the men’s sprint team behind Australia.
Brilliant and proud results for our riders, their families, coaches and supporter. Congratulations from all Bike Manawatu members. ALso on the night of this publishing we have seen Jordan Castle take an amazing victory in the elite mens keirin as well as an epic finale from Campbell Stewart & Tom Sexton taking out the elite mens madison. Awesome results.
Check out full results on Cycling New Zealand website

Joel Yates wins Abel Tasman Challenge 2017

Newly elevated elite cyclist Joel Yates has won this years 155km Abel Tasman Challenge in 3.53.56.Last year Olympic Games rowing champion Hamish Bond won the event. Well done to Joel, his support team and family. A great result after a very good Tour of Southland.

Sutton Cup Handicap Results

Overall a small field braved blustery conditions over the 41km Halcombe circuit to contest this years Sutton Cup. This is a long standing club event and we thank and congratulate those riders who rode the race. For lots of roadies, racing is where it’s at and the club put on club races for our members to challenge yourself, to improve and enjoy the camaraderie of cycling people. We want to encourage all club members, all ages and abilities to come to the next club road race the Woolworths Cup. Running such events takes a lots of resources , planning and volunteers for the club and it would be more value for everyone having more people ride these events.
Sutton Cup Results
1st Sam Gardner 1.13.03 (scratch),2nd Ethan Craine 1.13.06 (scratch)3rd Ian Eagles ST(scratch) 4th Dra,s Caldwell 1.13.46 (limit) 5th Chenuka Rajapaske 1.14.35 (limit)6th Joe Caldwell ST ( limit) 7th Pete Thomas 1.16.36 (limit)8th Nigel Doyle 1.18.18 (break) 9th Toshi 1.18.21 (break)10th Lizzy Stannard 1.18.22 ( break)11th Phil Devlin ST. ( break)12th Jack Pronk 1.21.37 (scratch)13th Aiden Jones ST (scratch) 14th Tom Stannard ST ( scratch)

Check out bike manawatu Facebook for more information.

Club Kairanga Time Trail 8 Race Series

When: Wednesday’s
Where; At Horizons yard on Kairanga-Bunnythorpe road.
Registrations from ;5.45pm and will close of at 6.15pm.
Start Times from : 6.30pm:
On Wednesdays the Club Kairanga Time Trail 8 week series is attracting great numbers to ride the flat 12Km country time trail course to record points for the series or just have a good hit out for fitness and training for other events.
Trying to better your time and improve your fitness, strength,speed and bike handling skills gives our riders massive reward which most come to try and achieve.Stepping outside of your comfort zone is proving rewarding for those who are trying these new events.

For you to volunteer your help at any club event is appreciated by the club and fellow riders. The club put out a mayday call and asked if Time Trail riders over 18 years old would put there name forward to Organiser Mike Craine ( register with secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz) to go on a volunteer rosters list that would require you to stand down for one time trial week only to help out for one night.For you being on the rosters and helping out for the one night you will receive 2 points towards the series.We hope you see that as fair and a great way of giving back to club events by sharing the work load which the club really appreciates. We thank those people who willingly put their name forward to help which takes pressure off those few people who volunteer week after week.
The popular Kairanga time trial has always been well supported and is always run by a small group of dedicated club members who simply are unable to sustain this year after year. Your help is really valued and its never to late to put your name forward.
Checkout results on Bikemanawatu Facebook or by clicking here 

Manfeild Criterium- Last Night.

When; Tuesday 29th November
Gates open: 5.30pm Registrations close at 6pm
Start Time: 6pm.This is a popular and safe off road graded event for all ages.Its never to late to try this contagious fun ride. The feedback is riders love it.
Over 100 riders registered for the first of the four race points series. Sprint laps are signalled by the whistle and the final lap by the bell. Points will be awarded to the first four in each sprint.

6pm- D and B Grade
D Grade 25 minutes plus 1 lap
B Grade 35 minutes plus.1 lap

6.45pm C and A Grade
C Grade 30 minutes plus 1 lap
A Grade 45 Minutes plus 1 lap

Watching and supporting your cycling buddies and catching up together is part of the fun.Its all over by 7.30 too.
Once again another great club event and one where volunteers to register riders or call the four four placing over the line are needed.Contact race Organiser Mike Craine secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz
Check out points on Facebookbikemanawatu or here

WCNI Track Carnival

Check out results on BikeManawatu Facebook
There were 18 exciting races to watch.

Manawatu -The Novice Tour

When : 9th and 10th of December
Two days and four stages:44 years of history and bringing most of the best young riders in New Zealand to the Manawatu to compete in this iconic four stage tour over two days.This is a tough tour and brilliant spectacle Manawatu are proud of.Some of New Zealand’s former and current stars have ridden this tour and speak highly of how important the Manawatu Novice Tour was in their development.

Manawatu Festival of Cycling -January 27th.

1) UCI 130km Manawatu Gravel and Tar Classic-International teams.
2) The 70km Gran Fondo- All ages and abilities
3) The 30km Riverpath Challenge- All ages and abilities.

Enter now at gravelandtar.com

Being awarded a UCI (1.2 level) International race is a big deal for New Zealand and the Manawatu.The Manawatu Gravel and Tar Classic has been running for two years and to get UCI accreditation has been described in rugby terms like holding a Super 15 Rugby final here in the Manawatu year after year.Its that big.
Bike Manawatu are hoping our members and the community will embrace and support the beginning of something special for our region which involves an even bigger focus of people entering the Gravel and Tar 70k Gran Fondo and 30k for all ages and abilities.

The 130km UCI International race along with the recreational rides will set the stage for us to build year after year on creating our own “Manawatu Weekend Festival of Cycling” for everyone in the region and beyond.
Bike Manawatu’s concept of a summer weekend ” Manawatu Festival of Cycling” on the 27th and 28th of January at the end of the school Holidays every year will be good for all cycling age groups and abilities.Consider how the Lake Taupo Challenge got started all those years ago and where it is today.
On Sunday 28th of January our good friends the Manawatu a Mountain Biking Club are hoping to support our weekend “Manawatu Festival of Cycling” which will allow cyclists to ride the Gran Fondo on Saturday the 27th and then ride the Mountain Bike event on Sunday 28th.How good would that be.
On the 27th of January 2018 cycling fans in mid winter over in Europe will be glued to their computers and TV to see who is going to win our tough Manawatu Gravel and Tar 125k Classic and get UCI points.
Still to be finalised-The club are looking to create a festival atmosphere in George Street before and after the three rides where registrations will likely take place at Cyclista Cafe in George
street.Neutralise starts from the square at a respectable 1pm start time we hope will capture a crowd atmosphere to give the event a Kiwi/European Vibe.
The finish line will be at Memorial Park with the usual UCI finish line structures and hoardings we see on TV at International races across the world.A nice way for all of the Gran Fondo 70k and 30k Riverpath Challenge riders to finish.

We welcome Bike Manawatu Memberships

Bike Manawatu welcomes all new members and value all of our current members who turn out week after week to ride a bike.Our annual memberships cost of only $45 for adults ,youths under 19 years old at $25 and family memberships with three or more at only $80 represent great value compared to most other sports.
What is important to know is that your club membership covers public liability insurance which is a valuable benefit. With over 300 Bike Manawatu organised rides per year and loads of great people and friendships you make, what could be better for bike enthusiasts than joining our club.
With your membership contribution we hope you try out as many local events as possible.
Equally we extend a request for more members to help out with our annual calendar of club events during at events from time to time.
Standing down riding an event every now to help out would help provide an even spread of helpers versus the small few who put there hand up regularly.
Contact Keryn our club secretary on secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz to find out how easy it is to get your membership started or renewed or to be on our list of volunteers to call on every now and then.

Other Notices:

A massive thanks to Phil Rydder for donating a pair of shoes and cleats for Mohammad.

To top it off Pat Edwards has lent Mohammad a road bike so he is now all set to enjoy the awesome cycling roads we have in our region.

Thanks to everyone who has assisted in welcoming Mohammad to the Bike Manawatu community.