Bike Manawatu Trust House Cycling Series 24.10.21

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.

Masterton put on a stunning day for the 3rd race in the Trusthouse North Island Series. This event was a criterium in the morning followed by a team time trial in the afternoon.

Cat 4 was first away, local riders Mike Thompson and Mike Dunne (riding for Manawatu storage) were 3rd and 4th with their team member Carl Dickason finishing 6th. Georgia Simpson (Palmfeild Motors Bike Manawatu Cat 4 Team) had a gutsy ride putting in a few attacks and finished 7th with team mate Darren Murdie right behind in 8th place.

In Category 3 it was our young riders again showing what they can do – Jackson Fellowes riding for Madison Clothing finished 2nd with Andy Richardson (Bike Manawatu) in 3rd place.

Adam Francis (Bike Manawatu) won the Cat 2 criterium with teammate Wilson Hannan 4th, Caleb Bottcher (WCNI) 5th, Campbell Jamieson (Bike Manawatu) 6th Joe Skerman and Cliff Hughes (WCNI) in 9th and 10th place.

Matthew Jameson who is another young member and riding in Cat 1 as an individual finished in 4th place in a very close finish. Matthew has no team members to support him, and is doing this series solo – all other riders in the Cat 1 Crit had team members to work with – well done Matthew

In the team TT – WCNI had a commanding win, 40 seconds ahead of 2nd place – they are also leading the team points in Cat 4, with Caleb Bottcher still in the leaders jersey. Bike Manawatu were 3rd and are in 2nd place for the team points

In Cat 3 the Madison Cycle Clothing team managed by Kevin Laskey finished in 2nd place, and is 1st equal in the team points. Their rider Jackson Fellowes managed to take the leaders jersey back off his teammate Dave Jackson, and bike Manawatu’s Andy Richardson is in 3rd place – for these 2 young riders to hold place 1 and 3 is pretty exceptional – well done Jackson and Andy

In the Cat 4 team TT, bike Manawatu was 2nd and storage Manawatu 3rd. In the team points storage Manawatu is 2nd and Palmfeilds Bike Manawatu in 3rd place. Darren Murdie is now tied for first place with Chris Sharrott from Kapiti cycling, with Carl Dickason in 2nd place and Toshi Yamauchi in 3rd and mike Thompson 5th.

This was another successful event for our local riders and the competition for not only the team points, but individual points will make things exciting over the final 2 events in the series.

While we incredibly proud of all of our members taking part, we are especially proud of our junior riders in the series – you are doing our club proud with your attitude, your performance and your results. We are also extremely grateful to our team members from out of town who have committed to the series and make the effort to travel for these events