South Canterbury Mountain Bike ClubChocolate Fish Race – Winter Series Race 1 – Sunday 27th May 2012
Hi everyone,
We will kick off our Choc Fish Series next weekend! Again I am sorry for the late notice, but I am working out of town with limited access to emails which makes it much harder to organise things.
There will be a total of 5 races, on the 4th Sunday of each month, starting this month and leading up to the first races of the next summer season so people have an incentive to keep race fit over the winter! Points will be awarded for each race, and your 3 best races count towards your final score. This means you only have to complete 3 races to be eligible, or you can do all 5 and your best 3 results will count.
This competition is open to South Canterbury (SCMTBC), Mid Canterbury (MCMTBC), and North Otago (MBNO) club members to try and encourage some inter and intra club competition. Non-club members are welcome to take part in the races (so invite your friends!), but they will not be eligible for placings in the series. Remember that these races are not a serious affair and are supposed to be fun! Don't be put off if you are not a speed demon (I aren't). Kids are welcome too.
The first race will be in Centennial Park, Timaru on Sunday 27th May above the lake carpark to test run part of the Masters Games course. Lookout for the "MTB Race" sign on the road. The following races will be held in Raincliff, Oamaru, Waimate, and Ashburton (all going to plan - not necessarily in this order). Keep tabs on our events agenda and Choc Fish page for updates.
Because we are trying to encourage people to travel between regions for these races, we will run the races a little longer, probably 45mins. After the race, we will do a little club ride to explore the other tracks in the area. This means that you can come along and watch the race if you want (you might get a job though :) ), and then join in afterwards for a casual ride.
Choc Fish Mtb Race - Winter Series Race 1
Sunday 27th May 2012
Meeting at 9:30am to sign in (Look out for the MTB sign on road side).
Location:- Centennial Park, Timaru. Meeting above the lake carpark, look out for the MTB sign.
Race Starts at 10am....45min race
Entry is $2, and all participants receive a Chocolate Fish!
See you all there!
For more information contact Cam at c.dunnage@xtra.co.nz
May 1, 2012
Chocolate Fish Race Results 29-04-2012
A great turnout for the Choc Fish Race today. Really encouraging to see 5 younger riders taking part. Thanks to those that come in from out of town for the race. The track was pretty demanding, and conditions were hot, dry, and dusty, with a bit of a nor-wester breeze. We ran the race a few minutes longer than the usual 30 this time, as a trial for the series. We had a technical glitch with the timing program we were trying, so some of the laptimes are interpolated and are not accurate, however the positions are correct (I hope).
| Place/Kids | Number | Name | Laps | Time |
| 1. | 221 | Cam Dunnage | 7 | 0:38:38 |
| 2. | 213 | Blair Selfe | 7 | |
| 3. | 206 | Trev Prattley | 7 | |
| 4. | 208 | Milan & Lucy Brodina | 7 | |
| 5. | 207 | Carl Vaugh | 7 | |
| 6. | 215 | Paul Walker | 7 | |
| 7. | 201 | Donal Foster | 7 | |
| 8. | 225 | Malcolm Coates | 7 | |
| 9. | 212 | Glen Sullivan | 6 | |
| 10. | 205 | Dave Hanson | 6 | |
| 11. | 226 | Matt McCookweir | 6 | |
| 12. | 204 | Simon Philips | 6 | |
| 13. / 1. | 209 | Tas Selfe *** | 5 | |
| 14. / 2. | 202 | Cameron Prattley *** | 5 | |
| 15. | 223 | Grant Shortus | 4 | |
| 16. | 211 | Chris Henderson | 4 | |
| 17. / 3. | 214 | Ben Sullivan *** | 3 | |
| 18. / 4. | 216 | Evander Selfe *** | 3 | |
| 19. / 5. | 210 | Sam Sullivan *** | 3 |
April 22, 2012
Club Ride – Waimate White Horse – Sunday 6th May 2012
Hi everyone,
Here are confirmed details for a club ride at Waimate.
Where:
White Horse trails, starting from the carpark at the end of Point Bush Road, Waimate.
When:
Sunday 6th May
Meet:
Timaru - Opposite the Salt Water Creek Cafe on SH1 just before you cross the bridge out of town at 8:30am to carpool.
Waimate - Whitehorse Trail Head carpark at the end of Point Bush Road at approx 9:15am
Contact:
Matthew Milne - 027 412 4665
Dave Hanson - 027 243 8528
The route will take us from the bottom of the hill starting with a nasty pinch up the original single-track. Once at the top, we will explore the repaired tracks and the new tracks and make a few loops. I imagine us doing several runs up and down the hill too.
Ride time will be approximately 2hrs depending on how much you like climbing the hill!
Afterwards, we could stop in Waimate for a coffee or lunch before heading home.
See you there!
Chocolate Fish Race – Winter Series Warmup – Sunday 29th April 2012
Sunday 29th April 2012
Meeting at 9:30am to sign in (Look out for the MTB sign on road side).
Location:- Centennial Park, Timaru. Meeting above the lake carpark, look out for the MTB sign.
Race Starts at 10am....30min race (possibility of 45min race depending on popular opinion).
Entry is $2, and all participants receive a Chocolate Fish!
This race is going to be a shakedown race before we launch a Chocolate Fish Race Winter Series, involving SCMTBC, MCMTBC, and MBNO clubs. Each race in the series will count for points, with one result getting dropped, so you can have a bad day, or miss a race altogther. The calendar and venues have not been finalised yet, but we hope to use Centennial Park, Waimate, Raincliff, Ashburton and Oamaru tracks. The intention of this is to create a little friendly inter and intra club rivalry and keep people active and involved in the club over the winter, leading up to the summer season. It will still be a casual affair, so don't be put off if you are not into the racing scene - it is all about involvement and fun!
See you all there!
For more information contact Cam at c.dunnage@xtra.co.nz
March 21, 2012
Club Ride – Raincliff Forest – Sunday 1st April 2012
Hi everyone,
Here are confirmed details for a club ride at Raincliff Forest next Sunday (1st April), to check out some of the new tracks that Wally has been working on! Wally has built about 1km of new track on the hill, and another 1km on the flat through the trees near the carpark. We will also be scoping a course for a Choc Fish event we hope to hold here soon. We would also like to invite riders from MCMTBC and MBNO to come along. There is a Google Map which will help with directions on the SCMTBC website.
Where:
Raincliff Forest (click here for map)
When:
Sunday 1st April
Meet:
Timaru - SBS Events Centre carpark on Morgans Road at 8:30am to carpool.
Raincliff Forest - eta at the Raincliff forest carpark is approximately 9:15.
Contact:
Matthew Milne - 027 412 4665
Kelvin Fox - 022 050 0360
The route will take us around all of the old and new tracks in the Raincliff Forest area, probably several times because they are so much fun!
Ride time will be approximately 2hours I guess. We could stop at Pleasant Point on the way back for lunch or coffee.
Remember there is no cell phone reception at the carpark. Bring a first-aid kit, water, and a bite to eat.
See you there!
March 11, 2012
Chocolate Fish Race Results 11-03-2012
The first Choc Fish Race for the year got underway this weekend on a fast and flowing course. A small amount of rain on Saturday night helped to keep some of the dust down in places which made for good racing conditions. It was good to see a couple of guys had made the effort to travel from out of town for this race.
14 keen racers completed as many laps as they could in 30mins.
| Place | Number | Name | Laps | Time | |
| 1. | Kelvin Fox | Timaru | 9 | 31:15 | |
| 2. | Bradley Chandler | Timaru | 9 | ||
| 3. | Stix | Timaru | 9 | ||
| 4. | Trevor Prattley | Geraldine | 9 | ||
| 5. | Paul Walker | Timaru | 8 | ||
| 6. | Laurie Chandler | Timaru | 8 | ||
| 7. | Clinton Hall | Timaru | 8 | ||
| 8. | Dave Hanson | Waimate | 8 | ||
| 9. | Matthew Milne | Timaru | 8 | ||
| 10. | Martin Badham | Ashburton | 8 | ||
| 11. | Matt McCook-Weir | Timaru | 8 | ||
| 12. | Simon Phillips | Timaru | 7 | ||
| 13. | Grant Palmer | Timaru | 7 | ||
| 14. | Jim Bartlett | Timaru | 6 |
Next Choc Fish Race will be held on Sun 29 April. See you all next time.
Events coming up locally:
Sun 18 March - Geraldine Bike Challenge
Sun 25 March - Geraldine Blue Mountain Gorge Challenge
Sun 1 April - Club Ride (Details to be posted)
Sun 29 April - Choc Fish Race (Details to be posted)
March 7, 2012
Oamaru DH POSTPONED
March 2, 2012
Chocolate Fish Race – Sunday 11th March 2012
Sunday 11th March 2012
Meeting at 9:30am to sign in (Look out for the mtb sign on road side).
Location:- Centennial Park, Timaru. Meeting towards the BMX track end, look out for the MTB sign.
Race Starts at 10am....30min race
Entry is $2, and all participants receive a Chocolate Fish!
See you all there!
For more information contact Kelvin at foxymtb@hotmail.com
February 15, 2012
Club Ride – Craigieburn – Sunday 26th Feb 2012
Here are confirmed details for another club ride at Craigieburn, plus Hog's Back if feeling fit (both are most excellent tracks).
Where:
Craigieburn, Castle Hill Village
When:
Sunday 26th Feb 2012
Meet:
Timaru - Events Centre on Morgans Road at 8:00am, departing 8:15am. Bring some lunch.
Contact:
Darren Gelson, 021 234 8955
The Craigieburn route will take us up the Craigieburn ski field access road to the base of the lifts. To start is a long slog up the road, granny ring most of the way. Look up to the left as you go under the shingle screes, and you may spot the single track way above you cutting back across. Once you hit the lifts, it is time for some sweet single track back to Lyndon Saddle, crossing some big steep shingle screes. Parts of the track are narrow and very tricky to ride. Most of the track from the ski field back to Lyndon saddle is downish, but their is a pinch back up to the saddle. At Lyndon Saddle, the aggressive riders can carry their bikes up Helicopter Hill and ride back down it.
Leaving Lyndon saddle, turn right and ride "The Luge" all the way back down to the Broken River ski field access road. The Luge all tends down hill and is rooty and bumpy and very fun.
Back to the car and off to Castle Hill village for the "Hog's Back" if legs allow. This is a purpose built MTB track built by locals. Less technically demanding than Craigieburn, but open, fast, flowy, and awesome fun (at least riding it downhill anyway).
Ride time for the whole day could be approximately 3-4hrs at a guess, depending on ability.
As always when in the outdoors, carry suitable clothing in case the weather changes. Make sure you have plenty of water and some real food to chew on.
If you are allergic to wasps, make sure you carry what you need, as there will be lots at this time of year.
See you there!