From Johnston park to Olympic Park

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.

Heather and I are off to London soon ….(not to see the Queen but we will wave if we see her)….but to see our two Bike Manawatu representatives dishing it out to the rest of the world on the Olympic velodrome. How cool is that.

Olympic Cycling It was not that long ago that Simon and Jesse were going hard out on Johnston Park, on a windy Feilding Tuesday night, imaging themselves saluting the judge and the grandstand in some big race somewhere far flung across the world. Through an enormous amount of hard work, great coaching and the support of the cycling community, they are now living and experiencing that dream.

All the best for London guys…you absolutely deserve it.

Who would have thought that a simple summer track racing programme set up by Ian Gray over 10 years ago for the Feilding Cycling Club, after track racing had gone into recess, would result in our two Olympians challenging the best.

For cyclists who love the thrill of going as fast as they can over a relatively short distance, track cycling is the antidote. I know the speed and exhilaration felt by Simon when he was 14 years old after just one session at Johnston Park had him hooked. And then there was the “ real” velodrome at Wanganui.

Simon and Jesse have set a few records on the Johnston Park track, most of which have since been broken. That tells me that we have more future Olympians on the way. The key is to keep these youngsters( and the not so young) in the sport and coming back for more.

The 2012/2013 summer programme will commence sometime around Labour Weekend. A meeting will soon be called to organise this year’s programme. We need your help so that our track cycling programme is set in place and we get to see more Bike Manawatu track cyclists going for it in the near future on the world stage.

Bon voyage

Paul van Velthooven