SAVE THE DATE – The Manfeild 6 Hour Cycle Challenge 2023

by Bike Manawatu | Dec 2, 2022 | Notices

Bike Manawatu is proud to be supporting our local Arohanui Hospice.
This is a great opportunity to grab your mates, create a workplace team and get training to fundraise for a fantastic cause, all while getting fit and having a great time!

Sunday 14th May 2023
Once the fundraising link (Givealittle is all set up – entries will go live)

The Manfeild 6 hour race combines a fun community atmosphere with a significant sporting challenge -see: https://bikemanawatu.co.nz/manfeild6hour/ This event will best suit solo riders or teams of reasonably experienced cyclists.

To maximise the riders’ enjoyment on the day, some training and preparation is strongly recommended.
We recommend all bikes are serviced prior to the event and the brakes and gears are all working smoothly.
Unfortunately mountain bikes and e-bikes are not permitted for this event this year.
An approved cycling helmet must be worn at all times while riding in the event, and we recommend other necessary cycling equipment and clothing such padded shorts, gloves, glasses and a water bottle etc.

The Manfeild 6 Hour Cycle Challenge is a simple formula… Ride as many complete laps of the Manfeild racing circuit as you can in 6 hours. Although some riders complete this challenge solo (or riding in pairs) for most teams this race involves a group of four riders each taking turns (i.e. tagging in and out, with just a single rider on the track at any one time) to ride as many complete laps as they can in the 6 hour time period. This competitive event is a great opportunity for fit healthy athletes from other cycling (i.e. triathlon, cyclo-cross and mountain biking) and other sporting disciplines to test themselves at cycling, in a friendly environment and the wide open spaces of the Manfeild track (no vehicles).

Each team sets their own ride strategy – only one person from each team is allowed on the track at a time. A timing transponder is passed from one team member to the next like a baton in a relay race. It is essential that riders maintain their hydration and re-fuel through-out the race with suitable drink and foods to replace the energy they are burning-off on the track. Sunscreen is also recommended and in the event of cold, wet or windy conditions (this never occurs in the glorious Manawatu…) a variety of clothing layers is important. Teams will often ‘set up camp’ with a gazebo to provide shelter and chairs and a chilly-bin and hot food etc to provide a bit of a comfort stop for team-members when not taking their turn on the bike.

The field of competitors will encompass: a number of elite riders who will competing seriously and racing at high speeds, community-based recreational level riders just having a fun-active day out, through to teams of junior cyclists from the Manawatu Schools cycling programme. These young cyclist will have been training hard and have been taught road cycling skills and bunch riding etiquette.

The categories are:
$65.00 – Solo – Male / Female,
$140.00 – Adult Team – Male / Female / Mixed,
$100.00 – Schools Team – Year 7 & 8 Boys / Girls / Mixed,
$100.00 – Schools Team – Year 9 & 10 Boys / Girls, and
$100.00 – Schools Team – Year 11 – 13 Boys / Girls.

The number of riders and the mix of ages and abilities participating in the Manfeild 6 hours challenge and the resulting variation in speed, experience and bike handling skills makes the event’s a real spectacle an enjoyable event for all.

A race briefing will be offered to all competitors, before racing starts and the event will be managed (especially the transition zone where teams swap over riders) by a group of experienced volunteers.

Whilst it is expected that competition will be fierce and the racing will be fast, this is primarily a fun community orientated event and all riders will be asked to keep an eye out and take care of each other out on the track – especially as fatigue sets in later on in the day.
The basic rules of cycle racing are simple: keep left and obey the road rules (even on the track), holding a steady line (not swerving around), respect other riders, keep a watchful eye around you and communicate your intentions to the other cyclists in the peloton. Although accidents are rare, unfortunately sometimes incidents do occur. In this event we will have qualified first aid personnel on-site to offer the necessary care.

When the racing is on, this is a spectacular event and it is awe inspiring to see the effort riders put in as they whizz down the home straight.
The Manfeild 6 hour challenge is a great day out and spectators and supporters are all welcome to come and cheer their riders on.
Manfeild will have their catering cart available selling a range of food and drinks at the venue.
We want to publicise the event widely and make people feel welcome – so as to increase the spectators on the day – and help with on-site fundraising for hospice.
Cycling is a safe, healthy and fun form of sustainable transport.

Bike Manawatu is committed to promoting the benefits of cycling as a part of our community’s transport strategy and to grow the sport of cycling as a great way of staying fit and healthy, meeting great people and keeping your competitive spirit alive and kicking.

After COVID forced cancellations in past years Bike Manawatu is committed to growing this keynote event on the regional cycling calendar and sharing the benefits by supporting the fundraising efforts of the great team at Arohanui Hospice.

For more information, any queries, or if your business would like to become a Bike Manawatu sponsor to help grow this event please contact secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz  or to register online https://bikemanawatu.co.nz/manfeild6hour

Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge 2022

by Bike Manawatu | Nov 28, 2022 | Notices

Saturday saw the running of the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge for the first time since 2019.
It was great to see so many Bike Manawatu members and supporters there.
It was a tough day with cold, windy and sometimes wet conditions. Reduced numbers in the 99 Bikes Round The Lake also make things difficult as there were very few bunches and the majority of riders were in groups of 2-3 riders.

Some notable results from our members were Ethan Craine finishing in 9th place in the 160km Round the Lake race, Jessie Coxon was the first female over the line in the 55km length of the lake race, but due to timing finished in 2nd place, 2 seconds behind the winner. Tim Lloyd finished 8th male in the same event
Colin Anderson and Stuart Doidge both rode in the 2 lap Enduro event – the largest on offer this year.

In the Mountain bike events, Caleb Botcher was 1st and Joe Skerman 3rd in the 85km Huka Challenge, while his wife Kym Skerman was 5th female in the same event, Tyler Mumby was 2nd in the 60km Huka Steamer. Jonty Skerman was 3rd in the 30 km Huka Teaser.

Another success was Gavin York completing his goal of cycling round Taupo to fundraise for the Alzheimers Society.

Well done on completing your first lap and for your fundraising efforts – if anyone would like to contribute, here is the link https://laketaupocyclechallenge22.grassrootz.com/alzheimers-manawatu/gavin-s-lake-taupo-challenge?tab=updates&fbclid=IwAR2x2QX3Y5RLiyFaj7p-9nbpAzH_JdbGKLSCI4EYXBsIIcue5QEG2jydJ_M&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Congratulations to all to competed on Saturday
https://www.cyclechallenge.com/results

rbt

Up & Coming Events for week ending 25th November 2022

by Bike Manawatu | Nov 21, 2022 | Notices

Up & Coming Events for week ending 25th November 2022

Saturday 26^th November
Taupo Cycle Challenge

Sunday 27^th November
Bike Manawatu Track Racing 1:00pm – 4:00pm – Feilding

Tuesday 29^th November
A1 Loops

Wednesday 30^th November
Bike Manawtau Track Training 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Sunday 4^th December
Trust House Teams Series 5
Combined Clubs Meet – Wellington vs WCNI 1-4pm Levin (Facebook Event Link)

Tuesday 6^th December
Akers Road Race – Linton

Wednesday 7^th December
Bike Manawtau Track Training 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Sunday 11^th December
Bike Manawatu Track Racing 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Wednesday 14^th December
Bike Manawtau Track Training 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Saturday 17^th December
Bike Manawatu Track Racing Christmas Meeting 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Trust House Race 2 Debrief – 2022

by Bike Manawatu | Nov 21, 2022 | Notices

Yesterday saw the running of Race 2 in the North Island Trusthouse Series.
If you’ve been following my updates, you may be thinking ‘shouldn’t this be Race 4?’ – Race 2 was postponed, but all references on the website and results still call this Race 2.

Some fields were a little smaller for this race, as a lot of people didn’t have this date in their calendars when planning their race season, so they were either busy or resting up before Taupo on Saturday.One of the fields really affected by this was CAT2, with only 13 riders. WCNI again were dominant in this category with Joe Skerman 2nd, Glenn Kirk 4th, Josh Mulcahy 7th, Sam Wade 8th and Charlie Studd 9th. Sam retained the leaders jersey, Josh is sitting in 4th place and Wiremu Kaihau in 5th place overall.
They also took maximum team points, and with 22 points separating them from their nearest rival they retain their lead and will finish first in team points for the series.

CAT3
2 mechanicals affected the Bike Manawatu JT Coaching team, reducing their numbers to support the GC riders, but Chris Harris was able to position himself to finish in 3rd place with enough points to secure the leaders jersey. Andy Richardson finished in 12th place and Carl Dickason in 15th place. Bike Manawatu JT Coaching finished 3rd in the team points and with the difference between them and the nearest rival, they look assured of a 3rd place finish.
On the overall leaderboard, as well as Chris being in 1st place, Carl Dickason, Andy Richardson and James Buchanan are 12th, 13th and 15th respectively.

CAT4
was for the most part, an uneventful race. After losing some riders in the 1st lap, the majority of the riders stayed together in one bunch. Around 10kms from the finish, a Tararua Builders rider broke off the front and the bunch didn’t respond. On the descent of the penultimate climb, with some being more confident descenders, the bunch really spread out, and some riders were dropped. The remaining riders in the bunch climbed the final climb, and from there the race was on , and there was an attempt to catch the rider that got away. They caught him, but in a photo finish between 1st and 2nd, he just edged our Dan MacKay to nab 1st place. Other notable results were Graham Hall, Patrick Johnstone and Logan Mulcahy from Palmfeilds Bike Manawatu finishing 8th, 10th and 13th respectively. Toshi Yamauchi and Mike Thompson from Storage Manawatu finished 9th and 14th. The palmfeilds team picked up 10 points in the teams points, keeping them in 2nd place and with the difference between 2nd place and third place it looks like we should finish the series in 2nd place. Only 2 points separates Pedal Project (18 points) and Storage Manawatu on 16 points, if Storage Manawatu have another strong finish, we could see all 4 Manawatu teams finish in the top 3 for all categories.

The final race on December 4 is shaping up to be an exciting one, trying to protect the leaders jerseys in CAT2 and CAT3. Well done to all our riders, we appreciate your commitment to representing our region in this series.

Full results are available here https://www.webscorer.com/race?pid=1&raceid=298407

Photo Credit – Trust House Race Director & Team