Bike Manawatu is excited about the calendar that has been set and is available on the Website.
Between now and Christmas there are 17 Road Race events for you to try your hand (and legs) at.
The first Road Race is Sunday 19th at Akers Road, run with BMSC, flat track, catering for all ages and Genders. More details with Pre registration on the website and Facebook next week. September brings us to a new 10km course at Taonui, Traffic Management plans are being submitted and will be published as soon as we have clearance.
Multiple laps depending on grades for all of our Road courses, with grades nominated by yourself, based on Average speed.
October sees us back at Kairanga for a quick fire ITT series on Wednesday nights as well as the Feilding Festival and Race 4 at Halcombe.
November welcomes back the Criterium series on Tuesday nights at Manfeild and Race 5 at Cheltenham.
December winds up with Races 6 and 7 at Pahiatua and Pohangina. Our races start off on Flat courses and work into the more challenging as the season rolls on.
Track season starting October
Track racing starts with Bike fits and orientation in October.
There are multiple have a go days where you can ride your road bike in timed events to get the hang of velodrome racing.
A reinvigorated Track team has a great calendar pencilled in and we are looking forward to a great summer of track racing.
With the Masters games at Whanganui early in 2019 it's a great opportunity to race Road and Track against people of your own ages and abilities. Catering for everyone.
I've had a few comments about us banging on about racing...Well, guilty as charged.
We are here to cater for everyone. For every person that just wants to be left to ride socially there may be 2 people asking us when the race calendar is going to be out.
It's all about inclusion and comradery
Photographic evidence.
BM are always getting comments about group rides, most of them positive from the participants, some negative from other road users.
I was sent this photo from a mate of mine following a group down Campbells line.
Here's the deal, At first glance I thought, Holy S... that doesn't look good. I could recognise just about everyone in shot.
But having a closer look everyone is riding absolutely fine. There seems there are 2 riders rolling back from their turn at the front and everyone
else is 2 abreast.
My point is this, most of the time it looks worse than it is. This however is how we are judged...we are viewed not from directly behind but on an angle, so we appear to be riding 3 or 4 wide.
Food for thought everyone, think about how we are seen, not how we think we look.
Ride safe, Ride hard
Due to a date clash with Trusthouse series we have decided to bring the date for the Feilding Festival forward one day to Saturday 13th October starting at 2.00pm.
This wouldn’t have been possible with out the help and support of one of our awesome sponsors, Derek McNabb and his family at Rosebowl Bakery in their fantastic new premises on Kimbolton Road.
We are all but confirmed all the nuts and bolts of it, but mark this on your calendar.
Feilding Festival of Cycling
Saturday 13th October 2.00pm start.
Registrations will be on the website next week along with all the details.
With winter well and truly upon us, what better way to get the blood flowing than to get some racing in on a Sunday morning.
Bike Manawatu Schools Cycling runs racing events most Sundays during school terms and this year there’s been a positive response to the invitation for all BM members to race with the up and coming youth of our area.
The first Criterium for the year was held at Linton camp on Sunday 27th May. The day started of damp but with no rain during the morning some great racing was seen by all in attendance..of which there was 79 riders and dozens of spectators.
Huge thanks must go to Linton Camp, the patient Golfers and the Café staff. It truly is a great venue and many parents enjoyed a coffee in the café while the races were passing metres away.
Madi Hartley-Brown took out the A grade 30 minute race from Thomas Stannard and Ethan Craine. The B grade 25 minute race saw a great mix of youth over experience with Senior (took a while to decide on that title) riders Lincoln Jones and Dean Wade pushing the predominately BHS field hard. There was no shortage of attacks of the front and in the end Ben Orr took it out from Ben Irvine and Ewan Cousins won the sprint over Lincoln Jones…bit soft Lincoln. Phil Devlin , Paul Cooper and other BM members were all in the mix during the race where tactics and endurance all played their part. The red faces at the end showed the level of competition, nothing else.
C grade race was the biggest field taken out by PNINS Josh Mulcahy with a great sprint to the line. Dima Luitenko was second with Bella Ives from PNGHS third. With 35 riders and a great mix of genders you never knew which way to look. 7 different schools represented and more BM seniors in the mix made a great spectacle. D grade was taken out by Harrison Craw with his brother Ta following closely, nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry. Tom McInnes chased them home in third in what was once again a large mix in size and speed and grace.
An awesome event and a venue that was are very lucky to have access to.
Last Sunday June 3rd was the first ITT for the winter. Heading away from our normal Rongotea or Kairanga flat tracks this event started at Colyton Hall and was an Out and Back on the so called “road to nowhere”
You don’t get a lot tougher than this. 16 kms with hills, false flats and head wind on the way home.
88 riders took the start with once again a great mix of size and experience. The school riders were required to run restricted gearing (Roll out) that they use in competition.(see below)
PNBHS teacher and cycling coach Winston Briggs won the day with a 23.47 from Boys High Students Adam Martin 24.16 and Jack Pronk 24.42 and Jamie Dennis 25.04.
Nigel Doyle was the next best of the BM senior riders with a very respectable 9th 26.10 with our very own BM board member blowing off the cobwebs with 16th overall and 27.49.
Great to see Paul Cole, Bruce Powell, Megan Blatchford-Peck, Jessica Hamilton, Paul Cooper, Deb Cuff and other BM members taking on the challenge
For those who don’t know Juniors ( Under 16 )is restricted for Team Time trials to 6.61 and Senior (over 16) are 7.0 metres.
In road racing under 15 is 6.61, under 17 is 7.0 and under 19 is 7.93 metres… welcome to schools cycling!!!!
The reason these roll out exist is to encourage the youths to run and be able to race a high cadence, which in their growing years looks after their joints and muscles as well as fostering good technique…anyway enough of the detail but give it some thought when you see the results and speeds the youth ride at.
Next up is Akers Road , registration at Linton Country School, this Sunday..Check the facebook page for details. Four grades, flat track but that’s all we can guarantee……could be windy..bring it on.
Thanks all of our Traffic Management , timing, marshalls and other helpers. Thanks also to Austin Smith from Colyton School and Katy Marsh from Linton country school for having bathroom facilities available to us to use
It’s been great to have the opportunity for our “older” members to go racing with Manawatu Schools Cycling.(BMSC)
This is the second year that BMSC has invited BM members to come along and have a go, and the feedback has been terrific.
We had an ITT at the challenging Colyton course a few weeks ago and last weekend there was a Team Time Trial at Kairanga. There was a number of seniors that formed teams and competed for, what was for some ,their first TTT . Plenty of banter before, during and after the event with smiles all round.
This Sunday there is another TTT at Rongotea with the last one a week later. These TTT’s are a core element in Schools cycling so this time of the year the kids get hammered with them…..Sign up on the Facebook post before Saturday 12.00 and next week there will be more details on the new website.
BM Chairman Mike Craine and his loyal group of parents and local school teachers run a fantastic series of events over terms 2 and 3 all building up to CNZ Schools Championships.
CNZ Schools run the North Island Championships around the Lake Karapiro area in the first weekend of the July school holidays, so in two weeks time students from years 7-13 migrate to the Cambridge district for this annual event.
Then New Zealand Championships are historically held in Horowhenua and Manawatu but, this year, they are being held in Canterbury.
Schools cycling is the breeding ground for all kids to grasp the enjoyment and benefits that cycling has to offer. Many parents have taken up cycling as a direct result of their offspring doing schools cycling and everlasting friendships have been formed…such is the great activity we participate in
You’ve seen it advertised and now it’s just around the corner…Sunday 20th of May.
The 6 Hour has eclipsed 10 years of running and is one of the highlights of the Bike Manawatu calendar. Riders from as far a field as Auckland are travelling to Feilding to take part in to what is for many people their first opportunity to ride a long distance as a bunch ride.At the WCNI road race series last Sunday it was humbling to hear all the riders that had registered and excited about competing in this classic event.
One of the great aspects of the 6 hour is the numerous different facets that is undertaken on the day. From the Male and Female solo divisions to the workplace and “social” team divisions. Some in each category very competitive, others just the achievement of completing the 6 hour challenge.
Without doubt the largest group would be from PNINS. 8 teams of kids and 4 teams of parents…what an outstanding turnout. Many of the year 7 and 8 kids are very green to cycling but in the last few month under the guidance of Tane Humphrey, Steph Harris and their team of parents all the riders are improving out of sight. It will be a tough day for some so when you see them slugging it out, please give them all the encouragement they deserve.