Big Turn Outs for Bike Manawatu Events

Despite the current ‘cost of living challenges’ facing all community events, Bike Manawatu is 100% committed to ensuring the 51st year of the Novice Tour – once again provides a safe, fun, competitive cycle racing event.

We will adopt a high-quality assured approach in implementing the Local Roading Authority’s/Cycling New Zealand’s ‘Safe Traffic Management System’ (STMS) standards which ensure best practices and rider and spectator safety.

If the level of community funding secured is not sufficient to contract in external road management service providers with the ability to stop/go traffic, the Novice Tour will proceed on a ‘local club racing’ model, whereby our team of trained/experienced road marshals will, where necessary, pause racing in order to give way to traffic and ensure rider safety.

Although funding external road management services with the ability to stop/go traffic is ideal, if this is not feasible – we are confident that the event’s ‘Safe Traffic Management System’ (STMS) will provide a competitive, fair, enjoyable and importantly safe racing environment.

Irrespective of which model of traffic management/racing is finalised, as with all CNZ/Bike Manawatu events, normal road rules will apply and a full rider briefing confirming the event rules will be provided to all riders prior to the start of each race.

Big Turn Outs for Bike Manawatu Events

The spring racing bug has been caught by many riders over October and this is continuing in to what is a busy November.
The ITT’s at Kairanga have attracted numbers in the high 30’s , early 40’s on most nights. The seasonal spring wind puts up the normal challenges, with us “lucky enough” to have a 180 degree shift from one week to the other.
Points are awarded for competing and bettering your PB for the month. Torban Foote and Chris Harris look set to fight this out till the end of the 6 date series.
Both riders are new to competing at this level and both are seeing a steady improvement in their race times.
Thanks to all the volunteers and Timing crew that make the nights run efficiently.

We have a break from ITT’s over November while the Points races are on at Manfeild on every Tuesday this month.
Around 80 riders competed in 4 grades on the opening night in near perfect (well for Manawatu) conditions.
The biggest reward that we can have as a club is seeing an increase in numbers and this year we has seen a massive increase of families competing.
The Foote’s, Richardson’s, Coxon’s, Tunnicliffe’s are some of these families that parents and kids are on bikes competing. This carries over to Track racing.

Track season has started with great numbers across all grades, Masters Male and Female included.
So popular was the “have a go” days, that we ran out of bikes to rent out for the season and had to get more in from our WCNI clubs.
Once again there are riders young and older that are giving this discipline a go for the first time.

Road racing has seen the running of the Sutton Cup at Halcombe with good numbers 30 plus.
Feilding Festival of Cycling is on this weekend, The weather looks favourable for us with showers Saturday and Sunday afternoon so we should escape those.

The Great and Sad News.

Base Solutions Racing are competing in the Tour Of Southland for the first time this year.
The Brain child of Mike Groube and John Stewart, Base Solutions Racing has gathered a group of Elites together to take on what is considered to be the toughest race in the country.
You can follow them on Facebook HERE. Campbell Stewart had his time in U23 and Yellow jerseys early in the event with the team working well for him. We wish them all the best for the rest of the
week.

With all the positives that we have, and there are plenty, It’s with great sadness that we learnt of Peter Jenkins passing as a result of a cycling accident.
Peter was a great bloke, and awesome competitor and proud WCNI and Levin Cycling Club representative. Condolences to his family and friends….Bloody Sad and Tragic.
There is a Service for Peter at the Levin Domain on Saturday.
Please be careful out there, Respect each other, respect other road users.

Tim