Grade Race Halcombe Results

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.

It had to come to an end – that is the run of fine weather that we have had for club races over the past long period of time. I think if I remember rightly the last time that it rained at a club race was in July last year at Ashhurst. And I really shouldn’t complain as I barely got wet. The was a light shower that went over while we were still at registration and everyone was able to huddle under the big tree at Halcombe school and keep out of the rain.

There were 2 courses on offer – a long and a short course and depending on which grade you were in depended on whether you did 1 or 2 laps of the long course or the short course. This was another week where the adult riders out numbered the under 19 riders dramatically. In fact there were only 4 under 19 riders.

A special thanks to Angela Rainham, Steph Dench, Lee Yates and Brendan Wildbore who were marshalls out on the course and also to Carol Roberts and Michael McKnight who looked after the start and finish.

It was great to see new riders coming along to the series, some that have raced before but not with Bike Manawatu and some that have never raced. And it is really admirable when you have a new person racing in B grade who gets a puncture on the 2nd lap, fixes it and carries on to the finish line in the right direction and didn’t take the short option back to Halcombe. Well done Kevin.

With the next race starting at Colyton there will be a 5 minute split between A and B grade to avoid the B graders splitting not far from the startline as they tried to keep up with the A graders. And some of the new riders will be put in to their correct grades now that we have seen their racing ability.

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