The first race in Mid Island Velo Association's 2011 series saw just thirteen riders show up as there were a number of other events on in Victoria and the lower mainland,The first race was a beginners one, with most of the experienced riders tagging along in the pre-race clinic to offer advice about tactics and safety.

Once the race started, the three entrants stayed together for a couple of laps, with Brodie Hay and then Colleen Wtorek making the pace and Sylvie Milman from Gabriola just managing to remain in contact. Shortly afterwards, the lead duo pulled away from Milman and she then rode alone to finish a respectable third at just a minute down.

In the final sprint, Wtorek proved to be the stronger rider and held off Hay for the win. As numbers were small, the two experienced categories were combined and the group started at a good pace and stayed together for the first four laps. Then the expert group led by Martin Macharek,opened up a gap and only O2's Simon Ciceri from the intermediate group was able to stay with them.

Malcolm Faulkner and Gary Croome of the intermediates were finally lapped with nine laps to go and by the end of the race were dropped again. Meanwhile, Ciceri was having a hard time staying with the experts but managed to hang on until the finish.

The lead group, composed of MIVA's Ray Wagner and Ian Smith, Dave Shishkoff and Martin Macharek from Organic Athlete, and Independent Derek Brain, kept up the pace and the lead alternated among them with no successful breakaways. They were still together entering the final lap and at the line, it was Brain winning comfortably from Smith, with Wagner third.

Thanks to our volunteers for ensuring a safe and well-set-out circ

uit and to Doug Merrick for commissairing and Kit McCaffery for doing registration

The next series criterium is on Sunday. April 10th. Most of the Comox CC riders promise to be there and we should have considerably more riders than this week.

Canbicuba runs a number of bicycle tours and has a really good reputation for quality accommodation and interesting routes. They also help out a school cycling club in Las Tunas. For more information about their last tour and the plans for this year go here.

Mid Island Velo Association is pleased to announce that it has secured the services of Aunley Arumar, the renowned Bosnian cycling coach who is presently working with the Dubai Cycling Association. Mr. Arumar has three months to fulfill his contractual obligations to Dubai and then is moving with his family to Nanaimo.  Aunley's specialty is track cycling, so his presence here  will provide a terrific catalyst to the club's efforts to have the city adapt the old Caledonia Park running track into a banked velodrome.  More details to come. For a recent picture of Mr. Arumar leaving the Dubai CA headquarters, go here.

The great looking, beautifully-made Kallisto Sport clothing has now arrived. All orders have been sorted and are ready to go. They can be picked up from 1935 Valley Oak Drive most evenings. Any not picked up by next Wednesday may be collected from Oak Bay Bikes. We have extra jerseys, bib shorts and jackets for sale as follows:

Jerseys ($45): 5 x XL, 5 x L, 4 x S, 2 x XS

Bib shorts ($55): 5 x XL, 6 x L, 4 x M, 3 x S, 2 x XS

Jackets ($85): 2 x XL, 3 x L, 1 x M, 2 x S

Get them NOW as the price will increase for the next order!

This is going to be a great event. Organizer, Peter McCaffery, was over on Gabriola Island Wednesday to ride and meet with a local cycling group, some of whom will be riding in the event and others who will be volunteering their time.

The Gabriola Sounder, local paper is publicising the stage race and alerting residents to the presence of "fast moving" cyclists on May 21st.

It also looks as though there may be a kids' race in the morning and a safety clinic at the local elementary school.

All signs indicate that this event will become an annual one on the BCMCA schedule and that all stages of next year's race will be held on Gabriola