Saturday Juniors vs THE REST Trial of Saturday Morning 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.

As previously advised we were going to look at a different time of day to see if that suited people better. And if we were going to have a morning race why not finish with lunch. What a good idea.

So the plan was hatched, the organising of the course was done, the helpers were sought, the lunch organised, the registrations by email were opened.

And the entries didn’t come in. So despite the poor turn out those that did arrive on time did have a good race.

Originally the riders going to do 57km were going to leave 10minutes ahead of those doing 37km, but as Mark was still doing his warmup all riders left together as one bunch.

As I followed them out from Ashhurst to Raumai only one rider had dropped from the bunch and the 3 juniors were tucked safely in to the back of the bunch working to stick on the blistering pace.

A special thanks to the helpers for the day, Kathy McKnight and Rebecca Denholm who recorded results, Erik D’Arbois and Matt van Wagtendonk who acted as turn marshalls.

The barbeque lunch that was served under the trees in the shade of Raumai reserve was enjoyed by all those that were able to stay. The laugh of the day was when a late rider who shall remain nameless turned up ready to race at 1pm. We were still quitely laughing on the inside when his father and another turned up also ready to race 10 minutes later.

Results

57km

Max Annear-Henderson	1:38:46	1st
Mark Waterland	1:39:34	2nd
Steve Glasgow	1:46:15	3rd

37km
Luuk van Wagtendonk	1:03:16	1st
Chris Denholm	1:04:31	2nd
Megan Blatchford	1:06:19	3rd
Hayden Washington-Smith	1:07:10
James Denholm	1:11:40
Gemma Dudley	1:14:17
Kate Dudley	1:23:01