Rennie Benedict from Winnipeg sent in a wonderful example of radical bike handling. Danny McKenzie is one of the best trials and freestyle riders in the UK and did a gonzo ride from Edinburgh to Skye and back, taking along a camera crew to record his exploits. For an entertaining seven minutes, go here.

MIVA's Directeur Sportif Feminin, Janna Gillick, has put together a great winter schedule for the indoor trainer workouts. These training sessions are intended to provide cyclists with a weekly cycling workout during thewinter. In order to create an enjoyable and social atmosphere, MIVA has rented a good-sized school gymnasium and has purchased a really great projector plus, the club has also rented a LOUD PA system to do justice to the awesome sound tracks on the videos and help get participants into "the zone".

Each week, either a training video or a cycling-themed movie will be shown on the 8 metre screen. All Sufferfest nights include a formal workout and the other sessions include an informal workout or riders can do their own favourite hour of power. These training sessions are intended to provide cyclists with a weekly cycling workout during the winter. In order to create an enjoyable and social atmosphere, MIVA has rented a school gymnasium and has purchased a projector. Each week, either a training video or a cyclingthemed movie will be shown on the big screen. All Sufferfest nights include a formal workout and the other sessions include an informal workout. Doors open at 7:30PM for set-up. The Sufferfest videos will start at 7:45PM, longer videos will start earlier. Each session will conclude shortly after 9PM, depending on video length. Location: Pleasant Valley Elementary School, 6201 Dunbar Rd (enter via west gym door)

SCHEDULE:

5-Jan The Sufferfest "A Dark Place" 60 min. 12-Jan "What it Takes" A camera crew follows four elite triathletes, including Peter Reid, to show “what it takes” to compete at that level. 2006   97 min. 19-Jan The Sufferfest "Revolver" 60 min. 26-Jan " Overcoming" A documentary about Bjarne Riis and Team CSC. 2005,  105 min. 2-Feb The Sufferfest "The Hunted"  60 min. 9-Feb "American Flyers" A cheesy cycling classic with Kevin Costner and a cameo by Eddy Merkx 1985,  113 min. 16-Feb The Sufferfest "Angels",  60 min. 23-Feb "Klunkerz",  Must-see - on the birth of mountain biking. 2006,  83 min. Two Thumbs up! 1-Mar The Sufferfest "Downward Spiral",  60 min. 8-Mar " Chasing Legends",  Road - Team  HTC-Columbia,  2009,  93 min. 15-Mar The Sufferfest To be Determined 60 min. (This is a GOOD one!) 22-Mar "Breaking Away" A great cycling-themed drama 1979, 101 min. 29-Mar The Sufferfest To Be Determined (another awesome hour of pain!) 5-Apr "A Sunday in Hell"  Paris-Roubaix Pub Night at Longwood to follow, 1976, 111 min.

Cost: $5 per session to cover facility rental. Non-members are welcome but are encouraged to join. What to Bring: Bike, trainer, riser, towel, water, mat and heart rate monitor (optional).

Whether you are a cyclist or triathlete you can train and work with an Olympic coach and Olympic athletes. Find out what you need to know about how to build your foundation and fitness for the 2011 - 2012 season and how our Olympians and Pro-tour riders build their endurance during the off-season.

The Pacific Cycling Centre runs camps all through the fall, winter, and spring. A very popular training option in Victoria, these camps are frequented by our top athletes such as Erinne Willock and Max Plaxton. If you are looking for a great weekend of training alongside top athletes, please come join us this season.

Pacific Cycling Centre’s Pre-Season Training Camp will run from March 21 - 25, 2012. Whether you are a cyclist or triathlete, this is a unique opportunity to tune up your racing techniques and skills for the 2012 season, and to train and work with an Olympic coach and Olympic athletes. Limited registrations will be available. Further information here.

This Thursday, the MIVA bike trainer clinics resume. Venue: Pleasant Valley School, time: 7.30pm set-up, 8.00-9.00pm Suffer big time, 9.00-9.30pm cool down and pack up. Cost: $5

MIVA NEW YEAR'S DAY 16KM TIME TRIAL Duke Point Highway, Nanaimo

Things didn't look too good at 5.00am on New Year's morning as a light snowfall was settling on the ground but by sign-on time for MIVA's first time trial of 2012 the temperature had risen a few degrees and the roads were clearing. Seven stalwart souls showed up to start the siteen kilometre time trial – the first and perhaps the only race to be held on the Duke Point Highway. Normally, there is an abundance of ferry traffic on this road, both leaving and arriving on Vancouver Island, as ferries draw up to the Duke Point terminal every two hours on a daily basis but last week, the Coastal Inspiration, one of BC Ferries' super C ships, the largest double-ended ferries in the world, crashed into the loading ramp at Duke Point, causing severe damage to both the ship and the dock. This has resulted in the terminal being closed until further notice, probably for several months.

Race organiser Peter McCaffery was quick to seize the opportunity to run a time trial on the beautifully -paved Duke Point Highway which stretches just over nine kilometres from south of Nanaimo to the ferry terminal. Several runs were made on the road, picking out good locations for start, turn-around and finish. Seeing as this first event was on New Year's Day and that one or more of the participants would posibly be recovering from too- enthusiastic New Year's Eve celebrations, it was decided to finish the time trial before the beginning of the tough one kilometre hill at the start of the highway.

All the starters really liked the course but did find it even tougher than MIVA's regular one on the Nanaimo River Road as there were stiff climbs both out and coming back from the turn. Rob Russell showed his good conditioning by beating ex-hockey player Warren Muir, who has been taking degree courses in Calgary since September, by almost one and a quarter minutes. Iain Hay was third, a further two minutes down and was followed in by Kristy Mighton, a further minute and forty-one seconds down.

Full results here