MIVA BOXWOOD CRITERIUM, JULY 24TH. 2012 52 Minutes plus 5 Laps

Another fine evening but only ten showed for tonight's Boxwood criterium. We have had a total of thirty-six riders contest one or more of the races so the small field was disappointing. However, a wise? man from the east showed the rest how it's done. Ian Scott, a masters' 1 rider from Toronto is visiting Victoria on holiday  and he came up to Nanaimo to see what our criteriums were like. He is used to the Midweek Club criteriums with eighty plus starters, so he must have been surprised at our field of just 10.

After two laps Scott simply rode away from the pack and proceeded to take time out of the rest every lap, winning all the intermediate sprints in the process. The pack just weren’t organised and every time someone took a long- too long- pull, the next in line didn't take up the action. A good pace line could have eaten into Scott's advantage but it wasn't to be.

After thirteen laps, CVCC's ray Wagner soloed off the front of the pack and actually held Scott to twenty seconds but no-one else joined him and by lap sixteen he was back in the pack, whacked.

By lap twenty-four, Ian Scott had a minute on the bunch and showed no signs of flagging, two laps later taking fifteen seconds. On lap thirty the fast-moving Torontonian lapped the field and as it was the bell for the final prime, we expected a hard-contested sprint but when the riders came around into the finishing straight, Scott had taken another twelve seconds and took the prime alone.

With just five laps left, the lethargic bunch watched our visitor continue to ride away and at the line, it was Ian Scott finishing a lap and twenty seconds up. The sprint for second was just taken by Iain Hay from Ray Wagner and John Lam. The rest rolled in with the same time except for Matt Allardyce who had been lapped quite early in the race but who had managed to hang onto the pack once they caught him.

Tip for tomorrows Cedar ride: spend some time practising some serious pace line riding and apply it to the next criterium.

The BC Masters Cycling Association and Sidney Velo Club are organising this year's Ken Paskin Memorial Time trial. It is 40 kilometres and will be held on a Lake Cowichan course in August. Riders must be at least 30 years old to enter. Full details here

We are about to put in another clothing order. Every time we do this, we ask for any specific orders with cash and get little response so we have to guess on quantities and sizes. To make sure that you are not disappointed, please let us know by Friday what you need. Remember, winter is coming. For full details of all MIVA clothing, go to our web site, click on "Membership" and then on the clothing list.

Mid Island Velo Association has a goal of developing young riders.  Cycling BC has organised number of programmes aimed at helping youth cyclists get to the next level of competition.  MIVA junior Brodie Hay attended the Axel Merckx youth camp this weekend, finished 4th in the TT on Friday night, 4th in the miss and out track race on Saturday night, and was 3rd overall in the sprint omnium on Sunday. It was a weekend comprised of coaching clinics and racing at night. This was a great experience. If there are other young riders who may be interested, there is another camp in Penticton in August.

Next year, the Boxwood circuit used for the MIVA criteriums will almost certainly be too busy for the club to obtain a permit, so the club B.O.D has been discussing possible replacement courses for the future. A couple of the MIVA executive have recently spec.'d out a new criterium circuit. It's quite short (600 meters) but it's beautifully paved, on private land, and completely closed so there are NO CONES!. In the next couple of weeks there is a possibility of putting a couple of the MIVA Tuesday events there.  The location will be announced once permission has been obtained from the owner for its use and insurance arranged. The club is also negotiating with the city of Nanaimo for asphalting of some gravel trail sections in Beban Park to complete a paved  one kilometer circuit. This would be a multi use course for cycling, running, wheelchairsports, Segways, in-line skating etc. so the city is looking seriously at the club's proposal.