Palmfeild’s Series and what next
What a better way to start the year than the quick fire Palmfeild’s road race series.
November 2021 was very frustrating with rain and high winds , as is reasonably normal with late spring/ early summer. Many thanks to Rob Ryan for supporting the series again and with numbers consistently in the 50’s it’s proving to be popular with riders across all grades.
All the results are on our refreshed Website…thank you Vaughan..under Road Race results
Even though the courses are straight forward we do have challenges with traffic and parking.
Both courses required extra Temporary speed restrictions for the Road traffic which certainly made our finish areas less stressful. At Akers road we are required to keep off the grass area before the school. All easily done with cones and tape etc but it is time consuming and puts pressure on our volunteer base. All that said, to see the numbers turning up to race and the quality of those races , it’s all worthwhile.
We are very grateful to all the volunteers who put their had up every week. Helen Mumby, Marty Baker, Mike Craine, Jo Coxon are all habitual candidates, Dean Wade, Damian Mulcahy, Mark Evans and many more have all done their part. Colin Anderson was even spotted sweeping the road before the last Akers Road event. We always need more , especially with Timing and First Aid competent so please contact the club if you are able to help out.
We are privileged to have Kirsty Kaihau who pops along and takes some wonderful photos for us. It’s truly appreciated Kirsty.
So now we have a break till March 8th, Woolworths cup. This is a 32 km Handicap race starting in Makino Road. With the evenings getting shorter we will have to be on our game with start times etc. It’s a fantastic course, and we will require more volunteers than the last 4 races so please, contact Keryn or Tim.
This is the second time this summer that we have run a Trophy race during the week. It’s going to be awesome. Please enter with plenty of time, admin is next level as well.
Hillclimb Champs on March 13th…busy day for the Trackies with our Track Carnival later that day
To finish off the Daylight saving , and March, we have the 3 x ITT series in Kairanga.
With the cancellations of K2 and Taupo the CNP Round the mountain race on April 3rd is an ideal opportunity to get out of town for a weekend. Taranaki are part of our Cycling Hub and this Race has great history. The following weekend we host West Coast North Island ITT and Road Race champs which is a good warm up for anyone heading to Hokitika for Age Group Nationals.
I mentioned the Trackies before. Weather has dealt “us” a dud hand and there has been plenty of cancellations and postponements. Before and after Xmas we have had some cracking meetings at the Johnston park Velodrome in Feilding. Masters grades are going great guns and there’s some real talent coming through. It’s a great atmosphere racing at the velodrome, lots of fun.
Any blurb wouldn’t be complete without a word or 2 on Covid. We are in challenging times.
As riders we need to do our part. Hygiene while racing in a bunch, ie clearing our noses etc, and being considerate to other riders has never been so important. Lets all do our part…the end is in sight
As always , huge thanks to all our sponsors and supporters. Our great racing is only achievable by the continued support of all our valuable Sponsors.
Keep safe and well