July minutes

Marlborough Mountain Bike Club

Committee Meeting Minutes for 15 July 2015

 

 

1.         Present: Sven Herselman, Aaron Black, Kevin Wilson, Peter Webster, Andrew Benger, Justin Kenward.

 

2.         Apologies: Mondo Kopua, John Pickering. Accepted – proposed: Aaron. Second: Justin.

 

3.             Previous Minutes       June, 17 2015.                        Proposed: Andrew. Second: Aaron

 

4.          Matters Arising: Nil

 

5.         Treasurers Report: Proposed: Kevin.                   Second: Aaron.

 

6.            Membership Update:

           

7.         Correspondence

a. Email dated June 17 from Dale Ashworth RE Endeavour Park AGM minutes

b. Email dated June 18 from Gina Benge RE MTB National Championships – Tender Explenation

 

Outwards

Nil

 

8.         Updates          

           

a.            Publicity: No notice in papers for last Soup n Bun but got 46 people who turned ou.

 

b.            Website: Sven to take over until AGM. Put notice on Facebook to ask people if they want the track builder. Also ask for deputy time keepers.

 

c.            School Liaison: Nil

 

d.            Council Liaison: Robin Dunn wanted to look at Witches Hat track again, but Kevin was away so didn’t happen.

 

e.            MTB Park: Park is looking good. A little work needed.

 

f.             Conders: Kevin move Sven call the guy who alerted the newspaper to the wire across the track and thank him.

 

g.            Funding: Kevin not been able to do another funding application with Mondo yet.

 

h.            Property: Next auction in October – option for selling the track building machine. Also trying to sell on TradMe again. However, could be used for some track building or maintenance on tracks without roots or rocks.

 

i.              Picton: New track going well.

 

j.              Rec Rides: June ride didn’t happen due to misunderstanding. Next on last Sunday in July at Hori Bay. Heaphy Track ride being organised for late Aug, early Sept.

 

k.            Downhill: Trees down on Double Eagle.

 

l.                     Cross Country: Soup n Bun series been fantastic so far. Next venue TBA. Sven, Justin, Peter, Andrew to scope Wither Hills for next venue. Sven and Justin taking the lead on arranging the course.

 

9.         General Business: Sub-committee to meet for Saturday options for next big event. DOC track on near Black Birch 2/3 finished.

Andrew to put notice on Facebook about club clothing.

Ron asked other clubs about what timing programmes they are using in an effort make sure we have a contingency plan for when he is not able to do timing. We need a few deputy time keepers trained, but in the short term we should carry on with the system Ron is using.

When people sign up to an event we use their age on the day.

AGM to be held at Fairweathers on Aug 19 at 7.30pm. Club to provide platters. Rob Kennedy to be asked to do a talk about his rides in Canda.
 

Meeting closed: 8.50pm

Next meeting: AGM on Aug 19

2015 WILKES RM - Soup & Bun #4 - RACE REPORT

Another great turn out for this mornings event despite a nip in the air.  Those who chose to ride to the event for a warm up were thwarted by the sub zero temperatures and a recovery period was welcome before things kicked off.

Peter set a confusing course and despite a recce lap most riders were still head scratching until lap 2.  Time keepers were also confused when riders came through the start/finish area after just 5 minutes having completed just half a lap. So times shown for lap 1 are actually for a lap and a half.

Unfortunately some of the juniors did not come through the start/finish so their times did not get recorded.  Lets hope that they enjoyed the ride despite no time being credited.

The course had one or two gnarly bits and there were a few ungainly dismounts.  The leader hit a branch which turned his bars and threw him off.  Peter H also drew blood on the snoz tumbling down a rocky bit and there were other reports of torn clothing.  Khan broke his chain and was loitering in the pits until he scrounged a joining link and resumed.

So Kiel prevailed with Joel alongside for a lap and a half before falling behind.  Peter H also made the podium in one of his rare appearances at our events.  Susie from Nelson, Alana and Joel’s mum were on the ladies podium and young Mica Drake was impressive riding round with dad and showing some good skills and fitness.

Jason took wee Cody for a blat on the trailer and Anna Dasler was pulled around by Phil also on a trailer.  (Is this a new category we need to cater for ? ?).

Catering was skillfully handled by David Sheard, there were no leftovers, and Kevin assisted with timing. 

All in all a very enjoyable morning and we look forward to seeing everyone back on 9th August, venue TBA.

Results

 

MTB Club Committee Meeting Minutes - June 2015

Marlborough Mountain Bike Club

Committee Meeting Minutes for 17 June 2015

1.         Present: Mondo Kopua, Kevin Wilson, John Pickering, Peter Webster, Chris McKendry, Sven Herselman, Andrew Benger.

 

2.         Apologies: Justin Kenward.

 

  1. Previous Minutes       May, 20 2015. Amendment - amount voted by committee to use for Rotary Lookout track is $5000.                     Proposed: Kevin            Second: John.

     

    4.          Matters Arising: Nil.

     

    5.         Treasurers Report: Proposed: Kevin Second: John.

     

  1. Membership Update: Sven to email membership reminder to all available email addresses on July 1.

               

    7.         Correspondence

    a. Email dated June 3 from Dale Ashworth Re Endeavour Park AGM.

    b. Email dated June 3 from Gina Benge RE Tender invitation for 2016 to 2018 MTB events

    c. Email dated June 10 from Emily Mclean Re Cycle Challenge 2015.

    Letter from Pub Charity confirming grant for Picton Trails – more info from John Pickering.

     

    Outwards

    Nil

     

    8.         Updates         

               

    1. Publicity: Nil

       

    2. Website: Sven to ask Sarnim to take over Website as Andrew continues to have technical problems. Andrew to approach some younger members of the club to see if they would take on the Website and Facebook after AGM in Aug.

       

    3. School Liaison: Nil

       

    4. Council Liaison: Bike Walk Marlborough getting on track. The Wither Hills programme is slowed as council now requires a health and safety plan and insurance to be put in place before work can be done with machinery. Kevin propose club approach a contractor like Simcox to do the work as they would have these set up already. Mondo to see if they would do the work for a discount. The club will supply Greg Leov as a supervisor. Peter has permission from Robin Dunn for a new track in the MTB park. He will cut the line roughly and have a look at it with Robin.

       

    5. MTB Park:  Small amount of pruning to be done. Otherwise in good condition.

       

    6. Conders: Email from Aaron Black to Steve Bezar at MDC - I was out at Conders today, for a couple of hours, with my wife and one of my boys. They were riding their bikes while i was clearing and removing a few trees and old-mans beard from across the track.
      I stopped 2 chaps going through on a couple of XR200's and explained that they are not really allowed in there. They seemed fairly genuine when they said that they found themselves on the 4WD (2 wheel) track that goes through there, but shortly after that the track merges with MTB track and they have no real option but to carry on.
      I notice that the council has put plenty of large concrete blocks with wire ropes joining them together along the base of the stock-bank, where the stock-bank that you drive along to get to Conders meets the flat car park area. This is obviously to stop people (principally on motorbikes again) from popping up the stock-bank and on to the road along the top, potentially in the path of traffic along the top.
      I cant help but think that if the council want to publish Marlborough Mountain Bike brochures and make maps available on the council web site, which includes Conders as a track for the public to go and use, they need to be making their best effort to keep motorized vehicles (be they 4WD's or motorbikes) from going into the area to ensure safety of bike riders.

      As per our conversation on the Conders site, is it possible, please, to get some more of those blocks and the wire rope that ties between them, placed in the various locations where the 4WD tracks enter the Conders area, to see if the potential risk to the public and the potential damage to the track from these vehicles can be reduced.

       

    7. Funding: Pub Charity funding is in. NZ Trail Fund money must be used. John will ask them to hold it for another month though. Submission to council’s long term plan is in and awaiting decision.

       

    8. Property: Kevin checked and charged the walkie talkies. There are half-a-dozen which work very well. There has been interest in the track building machine on TradeMe so decision made to auction it. Decision made to store important paperwork in the container.

       

    9. Picton. Chris has not been able to do work due to family commitments. Trails in good condition otherwise though.

       

    10. Rec Rides: Next end of the month. Justin will be asked to arrange. Possible overnight outing for August ride.

       

    11. Downhill: Nil

       

    12. Cross Country: Soup and Bun events going well. The last had a record 55 attending. Apparently the 3 and 6 hour event is to be held on Aug 23 (not club event). The venue for the next Soup and Bun event to be decided. Feedback from MTB Challenge was to run two different events back to back on a weekend. Need to form a sub-committee to brainstorm. Sven and Peter keen. Will ask Justin as well. Overall the sentiment is the Challenge must be run again, possibly with a kids event and/or endure the day before. Regarding the timing equipment – Ron is using his own kit and programme, which no-one else knows how to use. Ron to investigate a simpler system

       

      9.         General Business: New kids track next to Rifle Range is almost complete. Looking good and 2/3 gravelled.
       

      Meeting closed: 8.50pm

      Next meeting: July 15

SOUP & BUN 2015 - Sunday June 14th @ Landsdowne Forest, Wairau Valley

Ron Milbanke reports -

The secret is out – mountain biking is on the up.  Despite the lack of information on the website and the late decision to go ahead with this event, 55 riders squirreled out the details and made it to the start line.  And who can blame them ?   It was a perfect mild, still winter morning at one of Marlborough’s many idyllic scenic locations with the fantails and friendly cows welcoming us.

The morning started early for Kiel who chose to ride out to the event, and then home again afterwards.  My odometer recorded 80 Km for the return journey so with the four laps added to that, he would have been deservedly relaxing by late afternoon.  

Peter and Justin set three courses and riders could mix and match to satisfy their needs.  Seven guns managed to complete four of the longer laps which included a couple of climbs, the second of which was variously described as “brutal” “tough” “and even “awesome” by one of the tougher ladies.  Everyone enjoyed the resulting long smooth downhill, specially after familiarisation increased confidence on laps 2, 3 and 4.  There was an interesting mix of ages among these seven guns with three under 15’s, and a rep from Vet 1, Vet 2,  Vet 3 and Vet 4.  Sarnim was suffering from lack of Kms and struggled to win by only 8 minutes.  (Thankful for small mercies comes to mind.)  Joel continued his good form to finish second with a resurgent Ken still showing his class in a rare appearance.  George was fourth and impressed with his climbing abilities, and Kiel eased off in the later laps obviously contemplating the exciting long straight ride home.  It was a glorious day though and being on a bike anywhere was all you could ask for.

A huge number of the younger set came along with a couple of trailers exposing the wee ones to what we have to offer.  Mums and dads accompanied their charges on the varying tracks and all enjoyed the yummy soup afterwards.  It was interesting to see a young 9 year old lady, who only a year ago would kick and scream as she reluctantly rode round Conders Bend, when today she did not want to stop and was one of the last to hand in her race number.  Persistent parenting or the new bike or maybe a combination of both, but the smile at the end said heaps.

So another great day and we are grateful to the owners of Lansdowne Forest and the farmer for the use of their facilities.  Thanks also to Peter and Justin for setting out the courses and to the ladies looking after the soup and the children.  Next ride in the series is scheduled for July 12th at Meadowbank.  Any changes will be notified, if not on the website then on the club’s Facebook page.  Hope to see you all there.

Results

 

WILKES RM - SOUP & BUN SERIES 2015 - #2 at 'The Pyramid' Waihopai Valley - Ron Milbanke reporting

Someone once told me that they found it frustrating trying to explain to a couch potato, the exhilarating experience of a mountain bike ride.  Today would have been one such frustrating day.  With the weather refusing to make way for autumn or winter, and a location of great tranquility, 52 riders would have gone home inwardly grinning from ear to ear and with a sense of complete satisfaction and possibly exhaustion.

Kevin and Peter set two courses.  The first was to challenge the grown ups and had some tricky forestry tracks with drop offs, climbs and pine cones and was approximately 3 Km in length.  Alternatively the shorter 1 Km track was more suited to the younger rider.  The attached lap times cannot differentiate which course each rider took, some did a mixture of short and long laps.  Some of the parents shared escort duties taking turns with their charges and then unleashing for solo laps.  Jason was a prime example of this doing a couple of the shorter laps towing a trailer then screaming around the longer lap solo.

The first four riders on the lap time sheet were all on the longer course and a new name, Josh Foster, was impressive completing 7 laps before collapsing in a heap in the pits.  Josh was in the Open Men category and was followed home, with six laps under their belt, by old timer Robert and young bucks Joel and Zahkhan. 

Bruce, Kris, Tony and Connor were also on the long lap with Connor’s bike just a single speed and NO suspension.  It was a mighty effort getting up the finishing rise in a big gear.  Some of the wee ones also put in some good climbing efforts, their bikes not quite as sophisticated as the grown up counterparts.  Young Riley was one to stand out completing 4 laps at a very tender age with Mica, Finn and Angus riding hard also.

Kevin was responsible for the soup which disappeared in short time, and the teenage boys did a great job demolishing the supply of buns.

Huge thanks to Chris & Julie Dawkins for the use of his property and to our sponsors WILKS RM.

Lap times attached.

IMG_4053_1_Eugan Stark.JPG

RIDE REPORT - Sunday April 26th - 'Stirling Brook' & 'The Waterfall' - Kevin Wilson reporting

Matagouri Strikes Back

A team of thirteen set off on the rec ride from the yard at “Stirling Brook” on a warm but gray Sunday morning. After a short ride up the gorge, the group crossed the boundary into “The Waterfall” where the inevitable question was “Which way?” to which the usual answer was given “Up!” We chugged away at the climb gaining over 500m to top the watershed ridge along the Haldon Range. Cool (literally) and breezy 360 degree views were obtained taking in Mt Benmore, the Flaxborne Valley, Blairich, north to Port Underwood and Lake Grassmere.

At a re-group after a downhill section we waited and we waited for the two ‘fat boys’ to turn up. The message was that Phil had a puncture. Seems a punctured fat tractor tyre takes gallons of glue, a truck load of compressed air and a long time to fix. Off we go again on the challenging but fun downhill. My turn for a puncture. Embarrassment - no tube in my back pack. Eugan provided the tube and away we went. A thick patch of low matagouri had tracks through it but Alana managed to get a piece of 4*2 stuck in her calf and my back tyre was flatter than flat again about a kilometer from the cars.

It was not a big ride by distance.  We had been only just over 13k but it was a great work out on a new piece of country with a good group of people. Thanks to the Watson and Waddy families for access.

PS. Eugan’s tube had six holes in it. Moral of story – be more careful negotiating matagouri.

John Pickering also found he had a flat tire later in the day. The tube also several holes.

The “Der Keevun” moment.  I’m taking the back wheel off at home to fix the second puncture and spy the tool bag under the seat of the bike. It was put there specifically to carry the spare tube and tools and contained same. So I had a tube all along!!!!

Kevin Wilson

27 April 2015

SOUP & BUN #1 2015 - Valiant Vineyard, Awatere Valley -Race report from Ron Milbanke

There was over sixty years separating the ages of our youngest and oldest competitors for this mornings ride and with 51 bikes lined up on the start line it was a heartening sight for the organisers.  It was a truly family affair with mums dads and 22 juniors taking to the track with James Hill claiming the youngest category at just 5 years old.  There were another 12 riders under the age of 12 so if this continues we can see a bright future for our sport.  Great to welcome lots of new faces and we hope that everyone had fun and keen to return for the next ride.  There were a couple of trailers too with Jason and Keith towing toddlers and sewing the mountain bike seed early in life.

It was a Marlborough autumn day out of the box and Peter set a challenging course with some awesome vistas to reward the riders at the top of a tough wee climb among the vines.  There was also a rocky descent to test the mettle and skills and everyone got there one way or another.  The course was such that the riders were well spread out and at the end of lap 1 Aaron had forged a 37 second lead over young Joel.  Robert was best part of a minute further back with Zahkhan and Connor close behind.  As the laps progressed the gaps widened and after lap three the debate was on as to whether a fourth should be attempted.  Seven riders accepted the fourth lap challenge and will no doubt feel satisfied with their days work, as they should. 

Other notable efforts put in by Maggie and Abby, three laps and Jim having been on escort duty for one lap took the fat tyres round for two more.  With 51 riders out there it was easy to miss other good efforts, so we hope that there were rewards enough for those not mentioned.

Thanks to chef Justin for the soup and Stephen for access to the property.

Lap times

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RACE REPORT - Thursday March 26th

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.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=19a8b9f2bc&view=att&th=14c582083d814825&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw

RACE REPORT - Thursday March 19th

An earlier start time caught a few off guard and there was a last minute rush to get everyone on the start line in time for the gun.  With daylight beginning to fail, it is necessary to get these rides underway earlier which is not always convenient but out of our control.  We should get two more Thursdays in before daylight saving ends at Easter weekend.  So next week it is rumoured that we will be back at the MTB park followed a week later by an Easter egg hunt at Conders Bend on Thursday 2nd April.

 

More new young faces joined us last evening and this seems to be a trend nationwide, the sport is gaining in popularity.  Justin was given the task of setting the two courses but ran out of hardware and this caused a navigational complication.  At the end of lap one Sarnim had a trail of lost souls following him at a leisurely pace.  There were about eight riders so recording race numbers was impossible, some of the riders turned about before reaching the start/finish area.  Consequently lap 1 times are fictitious in some instances.  As riders found the correct tracks and race speed the times for lap 2 onwards are more realistic.

 

So Sarnim led the way just as he had done at club champs on the weekend.  Don’t know if the same intensity was there but he did enough to fend off a well performed young Ethan joining us for the first time.  Joel slotted into third spot after his great results from the National Secondary Schools Champs in Auckland last weekend.  Joel was second in the under 16 age group and so continues to fly the clubs flag at a very high level.

 

Tristan, Zahkhan and Keith also completed four of the longer laps in the allocated 50 minutes.  

 

Newcomers and brothers Adam and Andrew Bidwell and Jed Washer were happy after two laps, and Ethan’s sisters Katie and Sophie Batt managed five laps of the shorter course.  Lap times attached.

 

All in all a great way to round off the day and we hope to see another good turnout next week at the earlier time of 6 pm registration for a 6:30 race start.

 

For those of you with limitless energy and very deep pockets you may be interested in www.thepioneer.co.nz  This is a week long stage race from Christchurch to Queenstown and looks as though it should cater for the extreme fraternity.   

2015 CLUB XC CHAMPS Report - Sunday March 15th

And the Winners were…………..

….the 46 people who took part in the Marlborough Mountain Bike Club Championships held at Endeavour Park and Victoria Domain, Picton on Sunday 15th March 2015. Hughey provided a glorious autumn day for the event.

John Pickering, Peter Webster and the team of helpers set up a challenging ‘long’ course with several climbs requiring use of technical skills as well and lungs and legs. Sarnim Dean blasted away from the start. He increased his lead each lap aided by a very proficient pit crew changing drink bottles at pace and shouting “Go faster Dad”. His overall time was just over I hr 19min. Mitchell Mol chased hard but made no impression. Glen Marfell and Justin Kennard had a long hard sprint for the line with Glen in front by a nose for third followed by both doing a Hollywood collapse on the ground. Susan van der Poel thought the course was harder than an iron man, or should that be iron woman. Alana Mcluckie and Kathryn Richards fought it out for the Vet Woman’s title with Kathryn’s secret practice not enough to hold Alana out.

But the day really belonged to the juniors. Owen Bradly and Cam Clemitt battled it out on the short course for two laps before Owen drew away. Both completed four laps in just either side of an hours riding. Cullum Sheard (6) completed two laps of the intermediate with Mother. Asha Claridge did three but with a navigational issue. Does the GPS need to be on the handle bars and not in the back pack Tristan?

Khan Beamsley (16) ground out four laps of the long course with Bailey McKay (15) completing two and Mitchell Blake a very creditable one lap.

The ‘mature’ guys also had some great duels. Luke Macann just held out Keil Boyton in the V2s and Bruce Hillis couldn’t quite run down Ron van Velzen in the V3s. John Pickering had an unchallenged victory in the V4s after Robert Kennedy withdrew after the first lap.

Hard luck story of the day goes to George Kennington who had a tangle with a small ferocious local after a good first lap. He sought some medical advice before carrying on for a couple more disrupted laps.

The after match at Le Café was well supported ending a great mountain bike outing. Thanks to Le Café for the use of the back room and Marlborough District Council for the use of the parks.


Kevin Wilson
Lap Times

RACE REPORT - Taylor River Rumble - Thursday February 26th

From Ron -

The course for this evenings ride took in the newly formed tracks along the upper river reserve.  Single tracks and river beds have been transformed into wide 4WD tracks and new gravel sucked away at tyres making progress hard work.  Other parts of the track were rough with big stones rattling the bodies of those without full suspension, or fat tyres a la Justin.  The course crossed the river several times and took in the top of the Taylor Dam track, and started and finished at the picturesque transfer station.  The length of each lap was measured at just short of 10 Km.

Another good turnout of junior riders and a welcome return to Asha.  This tiny 8 year old lady rode the longest time of the evening and took in 2 full laps, a great effort and a big smile at the end.

Not smiling were Joel or Bruce, a broken chain and a flatty spoiling their evening.  Bruce ran a good part of his lap but was not keen to run a second despite his prowess in this form of transport.  Meanwhile Kiel was churning out some good lap times and young Zahkhan not that far behind.  Multi sport specialist Sam was closely followed by Brendon, these four completing three grueling laps.  Justin chose not to take his fat tyres on a third circuit, the bike built for comfort rather than speed and a big engine required to drive those wheels.  Matt showed some speed on lap 1 but with his back recovery in mind he buttoned off for lap 2.

Josh and Tyler found a short cut on lap 2 but still managed a solid ride.

Thanks to Peter for sorting out the track.  Next week’s ride will be at Picton, 6:30 registration for a 7:00 start.  We will be checking out the course to be used for club champs on 15th March.

Last nights lap times attached. 

 

RACE REPORT - Thursday Feb 19th @ MTB Park

From Ron;

Hi there

I have acquired your details from the mountain bike club members list.  Until the club website reaches full efficiency in producing reports and results I have proposed that reports and lap times be sent directly to club members.

If you do not wish to receive this info on a regular basis please REPLY to this email and I will delete you from the list.

Last evening’s event saw a couple of new faces racing around the dusty trails, so welcome aboard to Sean and Leo.  Sean comes from a roady background but has seen the light and donned the fat tyres.

We also continued the upsurge in junior riders and had plenty of the younger set represented.  Was good to see the successful riders from the Coppermine getting rid of the lactic acid and performing well here.

The J 11’s and J 9’s were offered a shorter lap and most chose to ride this, some with parental guidance.  Then there were those who did the big lap followed by the short lap, so confusing the lap times.  Not to worry though, as long as everyone had fun and those serious riders can see how they faired on the attached lap times.  Mikey Luff put in a good effort to ride the BIG lap.  Megan and Pat both had breathing problems triggered by the very dusty tracks.  We need to do the rain dance very soon.

Kiel still had plenty in reserve after his success at Coppermine and screamed out of the blocks.  Justin had his serious face on and riding his single speed machine managed to cling on to Kiel’s wheel for four hectic laps.  The lap times showed that the timer’s arthritic hand was too slow to press two buttons in time to truly represent the closeness of this battle, there was no more than a second separating the two at any point in the race.

Sean was next best after a slowish start getting used to the unfamiliar track and passing Joel, Zahkhan and Tristan in his progress to third.  Tristan was having trouble keeping his chain on and had to un-jam it three times.  Five riders managed to complete four big laps including the big climb up to Skyline, so a good workout in warm dry conditions.  There was thunder and lightening threatening as the evening wound up but unfortunately just a tease as far as the rain went.

Thanks to Peter for setting the course, NEXT WEEK we will be at a different venue just west of the recycling centre on the river bank, so hope to see you all there.  Should be a reasonably flat course.

 

Lap times attached. 

Attachments area

RACE REPORT - Thursday Feb 12th @ Condors Bend MTB Track

It is a busy time for mountain bikers at present.  The Coppermine is a popular ride scheduled for Saturday and with the DoC ride at the Branch River on the same day it seems all categories are catered for.

21 riders donned race numbers at Conders Bend with a few extra helpers also riding making for a fun evening.  Sorry to hear that our new recruit Asha couldn’t make it after a nasty accident during the week.  Hopefully she is on the mend and will be joining us again soon.

Dad Tristan was in fine form after riding to the event and putting in three sub 15 minute laps, he also rode home.  This was part of his preparation for the Coppermine.  Others were taking it easy in preparation for the same event.

Brendon flew out of the blocks and was quickest on the first two laps with Tristan within striking distance.  Joel was a little further back in third followed by a group of six riders having a great scrap.  Justin was just in front of Jim with wily old fox Robert plotting his attack just ahead of Sharn and the juniors Zahkhan and Bailey.  Jason Peterson Clark was struggling with a noisy binding front brake and called it a day after one lap.  Young Cody chased the field into the first block on his wee wooden motorbike with mum Rachel trying to keep up on foot.  He completed a lap of the first block in not too bad a time.

Great to see so many juniors enjoying the ride with Tyler, Josh and Mikey being joined by Georgia who seemed to be handicapped by mum holding her back.  Georgia was keen for another lap, mum not so much.

On the third lap Tristan made a break to take over the lead and Robert also found some clear track to take over third place from Joel.  Justin was in cruise mode in fifth spot with Jim riding well just behind.

We ended up with an impressive 8 riders completing four laps, a good effort on a nice warm evening.

Next week we are back at the MTB park and looking forward to big numbers turning out for that.

Lap times

 

RACE REPORT - February 5th @ MTB Park

Race Report for Thursday 5 February 2015

The turnout for the hot Thursday night ride was a down on recent weeks but the enthusiasm was there – well for most. Tristan, Gavin and Sven battled it out over five laps. Tristan managed to consistently complete his laps just a bit quicker than Gavin who was just that bit quicker than Sven. Matt Mitchell plugged away getting slightly quicker with each lap. Justin’s tractor overheated again and Jason found it a bit difficult to ride with just one pedal clip after other one fell off.

Khan (JM) turned in a steady run to complete five laps and Liv Bishop just held out her father, Jut, even after his two quicker mid-race laps.  

Ride of the night is given to Asha Claridge (Very Junior Women) who chugged away doing three laps of the shorter course (we think!).

The one armed bandit (Andrew Benger) and Kevin Wilson did the timing and Peter Webster set the course.

 

 

 

SPORT RIDE REPORT - SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1st - BLUFF STATION

Coverham and Back

It could have been a sports ride to hell and back had the temperature on the day matched the previous few days.

But after a hot start, it clouded over and the breeze came up making for pleasant riding conditions.

Five set out from The Bluff Station Homestead, Kekerengu Valley on Sunday morning. The easy first 800m changed suddenly into a steady but relentless up.

Justin’s tractor motor soon over-heated, remedied by taking out the thermostat. A four plus k climb provided great views of the coast and then provided a great view of Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku.

Three landform saddles latter, the well surfaced road turned into a good downhill. Sven unsuccessfully tried his hand as a heading dog on some cattle that persisted travelling on the road instead of taking to the scrub. After 18k we arrived at the Coverham house and yards where Zac replenished his water bottle and Justin chatted up a bird. Good progress was made on the homeward  journey with the round trip of 36k taking just over four hours. Interesting landscapes to be seen and a good ride – no pushing the bike required. Thanks to the Murray family for access.

The next sports ride is the Bikefit Challenge on Sunday 1 March 2015.

 

Picton race report

Two options were on offer for this evening’s ride.  For the dedicated mountain biker who wanted a real test, the longer course had it all, it was long tough and at times technical.  Add to this the temperature, the cacophony of cicadas and obstructive manuka trees, it was easy to appreciate the blood sweat and tears the dedicated few had endured.  Yes there was blood, the trees do not yield and ripped clothing added to the spectacle of a tough ride.

For those not quite ready for that challenge, a shorter option was available and a dozen riders set out on the “pink” course.  There were seven juniors and a couple of parents in the mix and most went for the fifty minutes without stopping.  Jimmy and Mikey Luff made up for the disappointment of last week and gave their new bikes a good workout.  Mum Megan was also enjoying a good hard ride along with Abby Emma and Donna representing the ladies.  Geoff Blake was showing his kids around before unleashing for a couple of free laps.  Asha was back after  a week away at camp.  Her enthusiasm has not dwindled nor her smile.

A third category created itself on the night with four riders opting for the big lap initially, but then were attracted to the shorter option to spin down.  Sure as hell confuses onlookers and time keepers but as long as they are having fun we have succeeded in our objective.

Thanks to Peter Sven and Justin for setting up the courses and to Jim for helping retrieve the arrows.   An enjoyable night all round.  More next week, venue TBA,  just wish it would rain and make all option available.

Lap times

PICTON RACE REPORT - Thursday January 29th

Two options were on offer for this evening’s ride.  For the dedicated mountain biker who wanted a real test, the longer course had it all, it was long tough and at times technical.  Add to this the temperature, the cacophony of cicadas and obstructive manuka trees, it was easy to appreciate the blood sweat and tears the dedicated few had endured.  Yes there was blood, the trees do not yield and ripped clothing added to the spectacle of a tough ride.

For those not quite ready for that challenge, a shorter option was available and a dozen riders set out on the “pink” course.  There were seven juniors and a couple of parents in the mix and most went for the fifty minutes without stopping.  Jimmy and Mikey Luff made up for the disappointment of last week and gave their new bikes a good workout.  Mum Megan was also enjoying a good hard ride along with Abby Emma and Donna representing the ladies.  Geoff Blake was showing his kids around before unleashing for a couple of free laps.  Asha was back after  a week away at camp.  Her enthusiasm has not dwindled nor her smile.

A third category created itself on the night with four riders opting for the big lap initially, but then were attracted to the shorter option to spin down.  Sure as hell confuses onlookers and time keepers but as long as they are having fun we have succeeded in our objective.

Thanks to Peter Sven and Justin for setting up the courses and to Jim for helping retrieve the arrows.   An enjoyable night all round.  More next week, venue TBA,  just wish it would rain and make all option available

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THE BIG EASY - Kevin Wilson reporting from the scene of the punishment

The Big Weekend

I kidded Andrew Benger and Eugen Stark that it would be a good idea to go to Wanaka for the weekend of 24/25 January and compete in the “Big Easy”. It was a good idea and a great trip was had. We overnighted in Christchurch on Thursday, took the scenic route to Geraldine and then to Wanaka on Friday.

The event was 49k cross country ride, mostly on four wheel drive tracks, starting at 1520m asl at the Cadrona Snow Farm and finishing in Albert Town. The route headed east from the Snow farm climbing to 1915 m asl (or 6,280 feet in the old language) and just under the top of Mt Pisa (1963 masl). I had about 300m of pushing the bike to get to this point as motor ran lean on rarefied atmosphere and wanted to stall on the loose and rough surface. The route then veered north along the top of the Pisa Range.

The first of the quite rough ‘downs’ followed by another ‘up’ with another 200m of pushing the bike. To say it was all downhill from here (about the 19k mark) would be to lie. There were some more sharp ‘ups’ but they generally got shorter.  Short sections of the ‘down’ were ‘interesting’ to say the least. The last 12 ks from the McKay Station yards (behind Luggate) to Albert Town was a mix of gravel road, paddock and a little single track completed in 30oC plus heat.

For the record, an Under 19, Paul Wright was first in 2hrs 5 min and 2 minutes ahead of the first Open Man (35-49). Five of the first 10 places went to Under 19 Males. Testosterone cutting in I think. Andrew clocked up 3hrs 6 min to be 60th overall, Eugen got a puncture early on and was 113th in 3 hrs 54. I made in 4 hours on my clock but officially 4 hrs 2 min to be 125 out of 144. Achieved several objects (or nearly): home in 4 hours, no damage to man or new machine, had some great photograghs, was not last like the last big cross country race I did, and was not completed wasted although the orange light was blinking. Did have to re-hydrate with a couple of the sponsors fine products and we were forced to have another refuelling stop in Wanaka on the ride around the lake back to our accommodation.

Drove home Sunday via Hokitika reaching Blenheim just after 7pm. A great ride and scenery in near perfect weather and a ‘big’ weekend.

Kevin Wilson

RACE REPORT - Condors Bend MTB Track - Thursday January 22nd

An array of different machinery fronted the start line for this evening’s ride, with Dylan on his CX bike and Jason Harris on a tractor tyred bike, quite a contrast.  Jason had ridden to the venue on this fat thing as did Justin and Sven.

Jason and Justin also rode home after the event so we are obviously not catering for their needs.  Sven took the attractive option and accepted a ride from Kathryn.

Another unusual bike was Jason Peterson Clark’s which had an attachment on the rear with a wee passenger who could not quite manage to rotate his pedals.  Its only a matter of time before he will be contributing to the effort and then he will be demanding the front seat.  Big brother Joel and mum Rachel were also among the starters.

Geoff and Jamie Blake were another family team and the unfortunate Luff family had to be dragged away screaming when Jim was called in to work just as the start gun was about to go off.  Jim had to go fix the boiler to prevent it from becoming Blenheim’s first space shuttle.  Jamey and Mikey were so keen to try their new bikes and left with very long faces.  Jim didn’t look that pleased either.  Next time guys, next time.

Also keeping it in the family were Glen and Nathan Vile, with dad Glen too good for an out of form Nathan.  Must be the trappings of university life preventing the dedication to training.

As usual the start at Conders is important and Justin made the most of the open track with a scorching first lap of 14:13.  Joel was next just ahead of the tight trio of Gavin Tristan and Kris.  Tristan was frustrated by the lack of overtaking opportunities and it wasn’t until lap 3 that he managed to make a break. 

Justin completed four impressive laps at the front of the field before pedaling away home into the sunset.  Tristan finished second with Gavin and Kris keeping close company right until the end.  Joel slipped back to fifth spot with the fatigue from his Wellington effort beginning to take affect.  Bailey and Zahkhan were also joined at the hip for three laps until Zahkhan decided enough was enough after lap three.  Bailey went on the complete the fourth lap.

Our three ladies all completed three laps with Rachel getting lost on lap 1.  It had been a while since she lapped Conders.

All round a very enjoyable night and with Picton on the menu for next week we look forward to more big numbers. 

Lap Times

A pair of glasses were left behind so if they belong to you give Ron a ring on 027 3552484.