From Track to Road

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.

This is an exciting time of the year for cycling. As I write this our best U19 and Elite track riders are doing their thing up at Cambridge against the rest of the best in NZ. I wish I was there watching… Meanwhile the first Pro Tour race, the Tour Down Under has been run and won (not surprisingly by an Aussie), and after the cascade of Middle East and Southern Hemisphere Tours, the European Spring Classics get underway.

Meanwhile, back here in Palmerston North, as the track racing calendar enters the home straight, road racing starts to get underway again. We have already started the Wed Night TT series, and with the fantastic weather we’ve been having, times are fast. Robert Stannard notable broke the course record by a relatively large margin last week. Now, to get the record you’ll have to be able to ride the 12 km course faster than 14:51.

On the 27th of Feb we are starting a series of races which will have an attractive prize pool. More information to come, but they are now in the Calendar. However, we can only do these if there are people to help. So, only those people who assist during one of the races will be able to collect their prize money. More details on that to come, including what the prize money schedule will be. So, we are looking for people who will be willing to be the race organiser on the following dates:
Race Series #1 Kermesse 27 Feb
Race Series #2 2 up TT (handicapped) 5th March
Race Series #3 Graded Handicap RR, 12 March
Race Series #4 Handicap RR, 19 March
Race Series #5 Graded Road Race, 2 April
Please get in contact with Steve Stannard if you can help 021809597.
Once we have a race manager for each, we’ll be asking for around 3-5 others to help marshalling and entries etc. and you may get tapped on the shoulder.
Stay tuned.

Anyhow, while the weather is good, I’ll be on my bicycle as much as possible. Hope to see you out there on the road enjoying the Summer warmth as well!

Cheers, Steve.