If there is sufficient interest, there will be a women's event at each of MIVA Tuesday evening criteriums. For all you ladies, this is a great way to improve your group riding and to develop pace line and draft6ing skills that can be used in any group rides - competitive or recreational.

Saturday, April 30 the Comox Valley Cycle Club kicks off the Comox Cup Race Series with the Dove Creek Road Race. Riders will compete on the varying terrain of the 16.5km loop around Dove Creek, Courtenay that includes hills, false flats, and a tough finish to allow a worthy winner.Registration opens at 10am and is on Burns Road (Just off of Dove Creek Road). Cost is $20 for adult, $10 for junior riders. A/B/C categories are on offer. 16.5km per lap. A-5 laps (85km), B-4 Laps (68km), C-3 laps (51km) Races start at 11am sharp from the Burns Road, with the finish at the Wildwood Entrance along Piercy Road. Riders who want to be included in the Comox Cup Race Series need to join the Comox Valley Cycle Club ($15). Race numbers do not cost anything (replacement numbers do though). Yellow line rule is in effect, all riders must be licensed! For more information please see http://comoxvalleycycleclub.blogspot.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=207349105960224

MIVA club president, Peter McC. went to Java Expressions Saturday morning just to see who turned up for the 'regular' ride. First Andrew Paderowski from Parksville showed and then A great surprise for Peter! Andrew Iler? of the Midweek Club in Mississauga rolled in. He was staying with family off Departure Bay Road and had come out to join in the ride. (Peter was founder of the Midweek CC ). Craig Dick,who isn't a club member and was just going to get a coffee, then showed up and, after a brief conversation, agreed to show the others some of the local roads as they were not familiar with the  Nanaimo area. Well - last week one rider, this week three. Let's hope there is a geometric increase and that nine show up next week, twenty-seven the following week, and so on!

Miva's regular Saturday club run meets at Java Expressions 9Bowen and Northfield at 9am and heads South to Chemainus. Those who turn up can decide whether to go through Cedar via Duke point Highway, to use Nanaimo Mines Road, or to just head straight down Highway 1. This is a recreational;\l run, so anyone who feels feisty can do extra loops via Yellow Point or Timberland.

A chilly , but sunny evening saw 16 riders contest the first of MIVA's

2011 time trial series. We were flattered when noted triathlete,

Emile de Rosnay and Peter Stevenson came up from Victoria,

placing first and second, and Charles Hamer rode from Parksville

(hope he got back before dark).

13 year old Brodie Hay, riding his first ever 15km on his new Kona,

did a creditable time for the distance and shows much promise for the

future.

In the women's category only 10 seconds separated the top two, with

Charlene Hay from Parksville just over a minute behind them.

5 new members joined up tonight, bringing MIVA's total membership

To 47 – not bad for a new club in a small town.

Thanks to Iain Hay for holding and to Benoit Detering for marshaling the turn.

Next week, the Tuesday criteriums start on the Boxwood circuit and

there will be a 20km time trial on Thursday. The following week we will

return to the regular schedule.