Our vice president, Tony Winter, will be leaving us shortly to take up new employment in Victoria. Tony has done a lot for the club so far and his presence on our committee will be sorely missed. However, this presents an opportunity for an interested, hardworking individual to become part of our small group and to have an impact on MIVA's development as one of the top clubs in BC. If you are interested in becoming a committee member, please submit your name to pakamac@gmail.co before April 6th. If you have any questions, please let us know and one of the committee can address your concerns.

If you are looking for good routes and circuits for training or just recreation, go here. The site will show routes created by others and it will enable you to create your own favourite routes for others to use. Unlike Advanced Google Maps Distance Calculator, you can indicate a few points on the road and the program automatically adjusts your line to fit the road.

Phil Birrer is organizing a ride from Nanaimo to Comox this Sunday 20 March 2011. He will be leaving Nanaimo around 7am in order to get to the Comox half marathon for 11am. If you are interested in joining, please respond to this post.

Pre-season, for many years, there takes place an epic ride from Toronto Zoo to the shores of Lake Simcoe - about 75km. Some of the route is on paved roads, but the majority of the course is along old rail beds, disused trails and the occasional ditch.  The Hell of the North was started by the father of Pro Tour super domestique, Michael Barry and was traditionally held on the same day as the Paris Roubaix. A number of different clubs  have organised this tough, off-road challenge over the years and in the early part of the present millennium, the Midweek Club kept the ball rolling. For the past few years, Toronto's La Bicicletta club has done a fine job of continuing the tradition.By the way, the "winner" of this "non-competitive" ride is presented with a trophy made from one of the actual cobbles from the Hell of the North lanes of the Paris Roubaix, hence the name. Here is a video of last year's event, courtesy of Ed Veal.

MIVA is pleased to announce a series of 3 Sunday afternoon criteriums on our great, closed 1.1 kilometer circuit in Nanaimo on April 3^rd, 10^th, and 17^th. Each Sunday, there will be 3 ability-based races of 45 minutes duration, If there are sufficient under - eighteen riders, there will also be a special event for them.

The first event will start at 12pm and composition for each race will depend on the numbers and range of ability of competitors.

Registration will open at 11.15am at the La-Z-Boy warehouse on Tulsa Street. Entry fee for each race will be $5 MIVA members and $7 for non-members that have valid insurance from Cycling BC.

MIVA's Thursday evening time trial series will start on April 14^th. With a 15 kilometer time trial on Nanaimo River Road. The Tuesday criterium series will begin a week later on the Boxwood circuit. Entry fees for all events will be $5 for MIVA members and $7 for non members.

For further information contact pakamac@gmail.com.