The regular ride meets at Java Expressions, Bowen and Northfield, at 9am every Saturday. If you wish to goon the ride tomorrow, be there before 9am. Ride goes, rain or shine.
The recent MIVA Masters' stage race was run as an ability-based event. Usually, the BCMCA runs it's races as age-based events. Our experiment worked very well as there were riders from 5 different age groups, including a woman, in the top eight places. Thus the ability-based route seems to be a good way to go in the future. Cycling BC, the Alberta Bicycle Association and the Ontario Cycling Association are all running many of their events as ability-based ones, with the opportunity for riders to move to higher or lower categories, based upon results.
However, there are complaints coming from some of the BCMCA members about moving away from the traditional age-based grouping.
we would like our readers to comment on this, citing their reasons for going ability-based or age-based. It should be noted that the main concerns were from riders who finished at the rear end of the field in last weeks stage race.
It was pouring in Nanaimo when we set out to set up the course for tonight's 15km time trial and we fully expected there to be only John Hannon in attendance. Sure enough, when we arrived at the registration point, there was John putting on his train gear. But the skies had cleared and, by the time registration closed, there were 12 signed up to start, not including John, who was still suffering the after-effects of a knee injury. It turned out to be quite a fast evening – a little on the cool side with very little wind. And several riders did a personal best for the distance. Mystery man PDA was the fiorst of the faster riders to finish with a 23' 30”and this stood as fastest time until Ian Smith arrived, posting 23'20”. This proved to be the winning time as newcomer Fred Hodgson missed out by only 19 seconds.
In the women's event, HCTC's Janna Gillick won comfortably in 25' 53” and posted 6th. Fastest time overall.
Next week's time trial will be a 20km one. And the Boxwood criteriums will return next Tuesday.
Lots of MIVA info. and comments on Facebook. Go here to connect.
There will be no criterium on the Boxwood course this Tuesday but there WILL be a 15km time trial on Thursday.