Greetings All
It must be a busy time of year judging by this evening’s turnout, and the earlier start time inconveniences a few. Juniors Zahkhan and Bailey joined us straight after finishing a training ride with the college. They are off to the Tasman champs this coming Wednesday so we wish then good luck for that.
Sven also has the Graperide lined up for Saturday followed by Justin’s big ride on Sunday. Good luck.
We had a pleasantly warm evening and Justin set out a shorter course with a killer short climb towards the end of the lap. The ten riders set off in semi-relaxed mode and at the end of lap one there was nothing separating the first four of Sven, Justin, Zahkhan and Tristan. The intensity stepped up and Zahkhan took control with Justin on his fat tyres ahead of Tristan. Sven found the wee climb a little challenging and settled back in fourth. By lap four the fat tyres were proving less than streamlined and Tristan was closing on Justin. The pass came on lap five and the chase for the lead was on. Most riders had had enough after six laps but the two leaders were focused and on lap eight Tristan had caught Zahkhan. The final stretch saw Zahkhan out-climb Tristan for victory and a big confidence booster for Wednesday.
The younger riders were also having fun with Josh being guided by dad and Tyler by mum. Asha found her own way around the course with a few tweaks to suit her strengths. She put in a solid 50 minutes.
Next week we will be having our last Thursday ride with daylight saving ending on Easter Sunday. There will be a treasure hunt at Conders Bend where I believe the Easter Bunny will be laying a trail. No registration or timing for this, just turn up at around 6:30 and we will go from there.
A word of caution for those using Conders Bend, one of our regulars has reported wire being placed across the tracks at a height intended to inconvenience riders. Needless to say we are keen to find the lame brain responsible so any help will be appreciated.
Finally on a very sad note, we offer sincere condolences to Mark Smith’s family. Mark was the manager of the Wither Hills Farm Park and was a good friend of the club. He was always very cooperative and sympathetic to the club’s needs, as well as being a friendly laid back character. He will be missed.