Getting back racing

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.

Before anything else, the Bike Manawatu community acknowledge the passing of John Lithgow earlier this week. Colin Anderson, Garry Buys and Chris James were kind enough to jot down a few words about John with his family’s blessing which Vaughan has published. He will be greatly missed.

So we’ve had a bit of a break with racing. A lot was due to a cluttered calendar and not being able to get dates settled. We also had a changing of the guard in our own admin, schools cycling to get underway, and the very successful BM, Hospice 6 hour.

The board has been working on Sub committees to spread the workload across all admin areas. There’s areas of Finance, Events, Track, Cycling NZ liaising, Community, Schools, Sunday recreational rides, Future focus groups that all have their own needs and target points. A bit of a rethink with our courses for racing, what is relevant racing for our members, and also rides that the club can put on that are not racing. More of that to come.

We are joining in with Schools cycling on June 25 for a Team Time Trial. Schools always have a push at TTT’s at this time of the year and it feeds us into a trend of what racing is coming up later in the year both locally and other series close to us. North Island series is team based this year with the time based on the 4th rider across the line. We will reach out to our neighbouring clubs, WCNI and others, to reignite a club series. All this needs buy in from riders and volunteers to work.

We’ll have more information for you next Friday. In the meantime get your Teams together, in whatever grade you feel, stand by for details on the TTT and other racing coming up.