Last Tuesday saw the first crash in one of the MIVA criteriums. Fortunately, only two riders were involved and just one of them came off and was slightly  injured. The riders took it upon themselves to neutralise the race (good thinking guys!) but this incident drew the organiser's attention to some items that need to be addressed. 1) Riders MUST hold their line, especially in corners and when there is a change in the speed of a group.

2) There is a feeling that we don't really need marshals; however, all the corners should be manned as it's only a matter of time until a vehicle wanders onto the course in the wrong direction and causes havoc. At that point you can be sure that the city will close the events down! If we don't get sufficient volunteers for this important role, the club will have to consider the possibility of paying marshals.

3) Lapped riders should be really careful when the bunch passes them. It's good training and skill development to join in with the bunch again but remember, you are not contesting any placings.

4) Don't take needless risks - these events are not the world championships and most participants would like to go to work the next day with no injuries.

By the way, kudos to the women for their riding; they were all safe and showed some real skill.

There will be a clinic before next Tuesday's criterium,so if you are inexperienced or rusty, make sure you are ready to ride at 6.30pm.

MIVA TUESDAY CRITERIUM Boxwood Circuit, ^{June 7th.}.2011

30 laps

Tonight's 30 lap race had a total entry of 19 in three categories,

with 4 women and 1 youth starting with the men. After the

initial 2 neutralised laps, the group stayed together for another

3 laps before the slower riders started to drift off the back.

The first prime was won by Ian Smith from Warren Muir, with

the rest of the bunch hard on their heels. The everything settled

down until just before the halfway point, when Smith and Muir

were joined by Lionel Space and Mike Sevcov to establish a 5

second gap.

By the time the second prime was approaching, the bunch had

reformed and the sprint was won by Muir , with Iain Hay and

Charles Hamer close behind. Despite several abortive break

attempts, the race stayed together for the next 7 laps.

Just after the bell signalled the third prime, Charles Hamer touched

Bryan Rehill's rear wheel and fell heavily. There were no other

casualties but a number of the bunch stopped to check out Hamer's

condition and the prime was voided. Thanks to Chris Cameron

who checked Charles for any breaks or other injuries. A number

of the riders had avoided the crash and soon the pace picked up

again with a reduced group.

The prime was rescheduled with 4 laps left and Warren Muir took

this one too, just edging out Mike Sevcov, who was clearly dis

-appointed. However, Mike did win the gambler's prime with

one lap remaining.

The final sprint was a replay of last week's criterium finish, with

Muir taking top honours from Ian Smith,with a watchful Lionel

Space third and Sevcov rounding out the top four.

In the women's event, Janna Gillick had stayed with the men's

group right up to the crash, when she stopped and then joined in

again a lap down. She still won, with Cheryl Morch, who had been

lapped earlier, a few seconds behind.

Brodie Hay was awarded the youth prize but he would like to see

a few more juniors and cadets come out.

Thanks to Ian Smith for donating $20 towards the prize

There have been requests for evening  road rides in the Nanaimo area. Anyone interested in going out on one of these for a couple of hours or so, please post a comment. If there is sufficient interest, MIVA will follow up. This is a great way to meet new people to ride with and find some of the awesome riding around the Nanaimo region.

The latest shipment of MIVA clothing has just arrived. Prices as follows: ITEM_________________CLUB PRICE__RETAIL PRICE

Jersey.........................................$45..............$59

Bib shorts...................................$55..............$69

Winter jackets............................$85...............$99

Short sleeve Skin suits..............$80..............$95

Summer caps..............................$10..............$12

Gavia Head bands.......................$10..............$12

This clothing is very high quality and an excellent fit. People who have bought are already asking for more. The last shipment almost sold out completely within a couple of weeks!

A group of MIVA members rode the Tsolum River Road Race on Sunday. Rob Bau,

Iain Hay, Kyle Waring and Rob Russell were in the A race. Kyle crashed but got up and finished the event, albeit with a few flesh wounds. Brodie Hay rode in the C event, his first experience in a road race. Great to see the club represented so well!