by Vaughan Hunt | Aug 11, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
Bike Manawatu is excited about the calendar that has been set and is available on the Website.
Between now and Christmas there are 17 Road Race events for you to try your hand (and legs) at.
The first Road Race is Sunday 19th at Akers Road, run with BMSC, flat track, catering for all ages and Genders. More details with Pre registration on the website and Facebook next week. September brings us to a new 10km course at Taonui, Traffic Management plans are being submitted and will be published as soon as we have clearance.
Multiple laps depending on grades for all of our Road courses, with grades nominated by yourself, based on Average speed.
October sees us back at Kairanga for a quick fire ITT series on Wednesday nights as well as the Feilding Festival and Race 4 at Halcombe.
November welcomes back the Criterium series on Tuesday nights at Manfeild and Race 5 at Cheltenham.
December winds up with Races 6 and 7 at Pahiatua and Pohangina. Our races start off on Flat courses and work into the more challenging as the season rolls on.
Track season starting October
Track racing starts with Bike fits and orientation in October.
There are multiple have a go days where you can ride your road bike in timed events to get the hang of velodrome racing.
A reinvigorated Track team has a great calendar pencilled in and we are looking forward to a great summer of track racing.
With the Masters games at Whanganui early in 2019 it’s a great opportunity to race Road and Track against people of your own ages and abilities. Catering for everyone.
I’ve had a few comments about us banging on about racing…Well, guilty as charged.
We are here to cater for everyone. For every person that just wants to be left to ride socially there may be 2 people asking us when the race calendar is going to be out.
It’s all about inclusion and comradery
Photographic evidence.
BM are always getting comments about group rides, most of them positive from the participants, some negative from other road users.
I was sent this photo from a mate of mine following a group down Campbells line.
Here’s the deal, At first glance I thought, Holy S… that doesn’t look good. I could recognise just about everyone in shot.
But having a closer look everyone is riding absolutely fine. There seems there are 2 riders rolling back from their turn at the front and everyone
else is 2 abreast.
My point is this, most of the time it looks worse than it is. This however is how we are judged…we are viewed not from directly behind but on an angle, so we appear to be riding 3 or 4 wide.
Food for thought everyone, think about how we are seen, not how we think we look.
Ride safe, Ride hard
by Vaughan Hunt | Jul 6, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
Due to a date clash with Trusthouse series we have decided to bring the date for the Feilding Festival forward one day to Saturday 13th October starting at 2.00pm.
This wouldn’t have been possible with out the help and support of one of our awesome sponsors, Derek McNabb and his family at Rosebowl Bakery in their fantastic new premises on Kimbolton Road.
We are all but confirmed all the nuts and bolts of it, but mark this on your calendar.
Feilding Festival of Cycling
Saturday 13th October 2.00pm start.
Registrations will be on the website next week along with all the details.
(more…)
by Vaughan Hunt | Jun 22, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
It’s been great to have the opportunity for our “older” members to go racing with Manawatu Schools Cycling.(BMSC)
This is the second year that BMSC has invited BM members to come along and have a go, and the feedback has been terrific.
We had an ITT at the challenging Colyton course a few weeks ago and last weekend there was a Team Time Trial at Kairanga. There was a number of seniors that formed teams and competed for, what was for some ,their first TTT . Plenty of banter before, during and after the event with smiles all round.
This Sunday there is another TTT at Rongotea with the last one a week later. These TTT’s are a core element in Schools cycling so this time of the year the kids get hammered with them…..Sign up on the Facebook post before Saturday 12.00 and next week there will be more details on the new website.
BM Chairman Mike Craine and his loyal group of parents and local school teachers run a fantastic series of events over terms 2 and 3 all building up to CNZ Schools Championships.
CNZ Schools run the North Island Championships around the Lake Karapiro area in the first weekend of the July school holidays, so in two weeks time students from years 7-13 migrate to the Cambridge district for this annual event.
Then New Zealand Championships are historically held in Horowhenua and Manawatu but, this year, they are being held in Canterbury.
Schools cycling is the breeding ground for all kids to grasp the enjoyment and benefits that cycling has to offer. Many parents have taken up cycling as a direct result of their offspring doing schools cycling and everlasting friendships have been formed…such is the great activity we participate in
by Vaughan Hunt | Jun 8, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
With winter well and truly upon us, what better way to get the blood flowing than to get some racing in on a Sunday morning.
Bike Manawatu Schools Cycling runs racing events most Sundays during school terms and this year there’s been a positive response to the invitation for all BM members to race with the up and coming youth of our area.
The first Criterium for the year was held at Linton camp on Sunday 27th May. The day started of damp but with no rain during the morning some great racing was seen by all in attendance..of which there was 79 riders and dozens of spectators.
Huge thanks must go to Linton Camp, the patient Golfers and the Café staff. It truly is a great venue and many parents enjoyed a coffee in the café while the races were passing metres away.
Madi Hartley-Brown took out the A grade 30 minute race from Thomas Stannard and Ethan Craine. The B grade 25 minute race saw a great mix of youth over experience with Senior (took a while to decide on that title) riders Lincoln Jones and Dean Wade pushing the predominately BHS field hard. There was no shortage of attacks of the front and in the end Ben Orr took it out from Ben Irvine and Ewan Cousins won the sprint over Lincoln Jones…bit soft Lincoln. Phil Devlin , Paul Cooper and other BM members were all in the mix during the race where tactics and endurance all played their part. The red faces at the end showed the level of competition, nothing else.
C grade race was the biggest field taken out by PNINS Josh Mulcahy with a great sprint to the line. Dima Luitenko was second with Bella Ives from PNGHS third. With 35 riders and a great mix of genders you never knew which way to look. 7 different schools represented and more BM seniors in the mix made a great spectacle. D grade was taken out by Harrison Craw with his brother Ta following closely, nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry. Tom McInnes chased them home in third in what was once again a large mix in size and speed and grace.
An awesome event and a venue that was are very lucky to have access to.
Last Sunday June 3rd was the first ITT for the winter. Heading away from our normal Rongotea or Kairanga flat tracks this event started at Colyton Hall and was an Out and Back on the so called “road to nowhere”
You don’t get a lot tougher than this. 16 kms with hills, false flats and head wind on the way home.
88 riders took the start with once again a great mix of size and experience. The school riders were required to run restricted gearing (Roll out) that they use in competition.(see below)
PNBHS teacher and cycling coach Winston Briggs won the day with a 23.47 from Boys High Students Adam Martin 24.16 and Jack Pronk 24.42 and Jamie Dennis 25.04.
Nigel Doyle was the next best of the BM senior riders with a very respectable 9th 26.10 with our very own BM board member blowing off the cobwebs with 16th overall and 27.49.
Great to see Paul Cole, Bruce Powell, Megan Blatchford-Peck, Jessica Hamilton, Paul Cooper, Deb Cuff and other BM members taking on the challenge
For those who don’t know Juniors ( Under 16 )is restricted for Team Time trials to 6.61 and Senior (over 16) are 7.0 metres.
In road racing under 15 is 6.61, under 17 is 7.0 and under 19 is 7.93 metres… welcome to schools cycling!!!!
The reason these roll out exist is to encourage the youths to run and be able to race a high cadence, which in their growing years looks after their joints and muscles as well as fostering good technique…anyway enough of the detail but give it some thought when you see the results and speeds the youth ride at.
Next up is Akers Road , registration at Linton Country School, this Sunday..Check the facebook page for details. Four grades, flat track but that’s all we can guarantee……could be windy..bring it on.
Thanks all of our Traffic Management , timing, marshalls and other helpers. Thanks also to Austin Smith from Colyton School and Katy Marsh from Linton country school for having bathroom facilities available to us to use
by Vaughan Hunt | May 18, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
You’ve seen it advertised and now it’s just around the corner…Sunday 20th of May.
The 6 Hour has eclipsed 10 years of running and is one of the highlights of the Bike Manawatu calendar. Riders from as far a field as Auckland are travelling to Feilding to take part in to what is for many people their first opportunity to ride a long distance as a bunch ride.At the WCNI road race series last Sunday it was humbling to hear all the riders that had registered and excited about competing in this classic event.
One of the great aspects of the 6 hour is the numerous different facets that is undertaken on the day. From the Male and Female solo divisions to the workplace and “social” team divisions. Some in each category very competitive, others just the achievement of completing the 6 hour challenge.
Without doubt the largest group would be from PNINS. 8 teams of kids and 4 teams of parents…what an outstanding turnout. Many of the year 7 and 8 kids are very green to cycling but in the last few month under the guidance of Tane Humphrey, Steph Harris and their team of parents all the riders are improving out of sight. It will be a tough day for some so when you see them slugging it out, please give them all the encouragement they deserve.
(more…)
by Vaughan Hunt | May 11, 2018 | Board Chair's Blog
Get those entries in for the annual Bike Manawatu 6 hour to be held at Manfeild next Sunday 20th May.
For many year Mike and Christine Christie have run this event and they have left us with a great foundation to carry on with. We owe them a great amount of gratitude for all they have done for Bike Manawatu.
This is a truly great event that can be approached on many different levels. There are trophies for Solo Men and a new Trophy for Solo Woman with entries at this stage numbering 20 and 7 respectively.
The Jocelyn Goodwin Memorial Trophy is one that is close to a lot of Bike Manawatu members hearts that is awarded to first female team across the line. Other trophies for fastest lap and First team across the line are always fiercely competed for.
One of the high lights though is the amount of families that join in as a family unit just to give it a go, also the dozens of school teams from Year 7 upwards that have come together through the Bike Manawatu School Cycling programme and give road cycling a crack under the very safe and controlled conditions that Manfeild provides. The team work and encouragement that this event nurtures rapidly improves the youths confidence in Road Cycling and they leave the event a better rider than when they arrived that morning.
The organising group need some volunteers to help out during the day and any one with a spare hour or so would be welcome. Our big shout out is for timing.. Bike Manawatu has it’s own timing system that we aim to have up and running at most road events from now on. The problem is personal to run the system. This year Gavin from Trident Wheeltime in the Hawkes bay is running the timing for us on the day, Gavin is available to run through the timing system with anyone who sees themselves as having the passion for cycling, maybe not to race though, who would like to become part of a network of members to run our Timing System. We have a Van that is set up for a base at events, all we need is a group of people to have a Roster to do events. I’ve been told it’s straight forward.
We also require people to pass the Timing tags from Rider to Rider at change over and we have a BBQ that we will be having a sausage sizzle on.. Anyone that can help please contact Tim Lloyd on 0274 964411 or octaneautomotive@xtra.co.nz.
Cycling NP Mountain Classic
Cycling New Plymouth held the famous Round the Mountain Classic last weekend which is one of the longest standing races held in the country dating back to 1911.
Held as a Handicap event with riders starting at different start times it comes down to who crosses the line first 120kms later. Bike Manawatu was well represented in the 57 who started the event with our own Local Legend Colin Anderson coming home 2ndwith an average speed of 32.4 kph.
I talked about the word Passion last week and how it gets thrown around a lot, but no other word but “legend” describes Colin, at 70 years young he’s unreal . Toshi Yamauchi was 4th and Phil Devlin 5th. The handicapper were a bit mean on Glen Kirk who started over half and hour after his club mates and fell short even with an average of just under 40kph..great effort Glen.
Let Us Know…
With so many great cycling events going round all over the countryside and beyond it’s difficult to keep tabs on all your achievements.
If you do a solo expedition or meet up with other BM members at a race out of town please email secretary@bikemanawatu.co.nz with your results so we can let others know.
We aren’t mind readers, and want to give accurate results, good and not so, so our other members can celebrate, commiserate and “pump your tyres up” if needed.
Bike Manawatu Schools Cycling.
Last Sunday May 6th was the first race of the year for BM Schools held on the Akers Road loop. A-D grades turned up on a dry but increasingly windy morning based at Linton Country School. With the A grades averaging 39.7 kph we should be in for some great racing with our Youth Development side of Bike Manawatu. Thanks to the adult riders that rode with the lower grades offering advice and support. It truly is inspiring to see the fast and vast improvement in all of our school cyclists.
Once the 6 hour is out of the way BM Schools Racing will be open to BM Members to race as well, Dates and events will be out in a few weeks.
WCNI.
A couple of events coming up. This Sunday is the latest round of the WCNI Road champs. After our awesome turn out at Halcombe , Bike Manawatu is leading the championship..How good is that.!!!!
Details are on a link further down the page.
Next Month June 10th Levin Cycling is hosting the Individual Time Trial Champs at Ohau Hall, Muhunoa West Road. More details to come but any info email nickspark@xtra.co.nz or lisaandrichard@slingshot.co.nz
That Old Chestnut.Riding Etiquette
We love getting mail at Bike Manawatu, even the ones that “may” have nothing to do with us.
We do field a few emails commenting on groups of riders riding 3 abreast or even more. Some supply photos, which is even more alarming when you can see that the photo was taken by the person driving the car.
Not wanting to open a Hornets nest on this but our plea is always the same. Never forget that we the cyclist will come off worse when we come into contact with a car, everyone look around in the group that you are in and if the formation is too wide say something.
Take it on yourself if the margin is too narrow to say and signal “single file”. We don’t get a lot of mail with how great the Hundreds of Cyclists ride daily around our areas roads, we only hear about the few that are maybe a bit careless.
Please ride safe and consider everyone around you.
Done for another week
Ride Safe
Tim
