Roosters Brewery 200km Enduro Race

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.

8 Manawatu cyclists travelled to the sunny Hawke’s Bay over the long weekend to complete in the Roosters Brewery 200km Enduro race – this is the first time this particular event has been run.
Jeremy Rowe and Darren Murdie rode the race as individuals and had great results with Jeremy finishing 2nd in a time of 5 hours 53 minutes, 44.5 seconds – only 00.0.1 second off the winning time of 5 hours 53 minutes, 44.4 seconds and Darren finished in 4th place in a time of 6 hours 17 minutes and 1 second. The remainder of the group – Rob Ryan, Allen Harris, Derek Harris, Fraser Kitt, Michelle Turner and Janette Flipp rode as a group and used the event as training for the Lake Taupo 320km enduro race (2 Laps of the lake), which they are riding with Heath Reynolds, Tim Mackey, Huw Morgan-Jones and Aaron Kearns, with the support of Wayne Fage and Derek McNabb in memory their dear friend, cycling buddy and Bike Manawatu member Glenn Thorby (Fizz) who passed away on March 17 this year.

For those that didn’t have the privilege of knowing Glenn, here’s a little bit of background about him –

Glenn was diagnosed with Melanoma in late 2016/early 2017 -he had surgery in March 2017, and had made a great recovery, returning to riding and competing in the 2017 Tour De Manawatu. However, Glenn was extremely disappointed just a week or so out from Taupo last year, that he would be unable to compete, but Glenn, always looking at the positives decided that 2018 was to be his year, as the event fell on his birthday – 24 November. After his untimely passing, his much loved BBC team mates hatched a plan to ride 2 laps in his memory.

October 19 -26 is Melanoma Awareness week with the theme ‘get spotted’. As cyclists, we spend a lot of time out exposed to the sun’s harmful rays, so please, this summer, take the time to get to know your body and spot any changes and most importantly – have them checked.