CRIT COMMITTEE! If you can help MIVA plan/setup/run the Crits this season please email us at miva.president@gmail.com

The Boxwood Route is a go.

First crit is Tuesday April 12th, until end of July. 16 in total. MIVA really needs a committed group to continue the success that many have built over the years. Peter will be assisting the first few races to train whoever can become the new timer/official

The Crit group just needs to meet once before the season to review responsibilities, tasks, and gear. Thank you to Peter McCaffery, Sean de Pol, and Iain Hay for offering help to date....but we need more!

The MIVA gear is finishing production this week, meaning it should be here in a couple weeks!

The days are getting longer and its almost time to ditch the leg warmers for good.  It's time to start thinking about adding miles and building speed.  It's also time to start thinking about riding in a group.  The Crits and time trials will be underway before you know it.  Not to mention all the great racing happening in Victoria and on the mainland.  To help get ready for it and offer a little extra incentive to get out and hit the roads we're trying something a little bit different.

For the month of March, we will have an open challenge on this segment https://www.strava.com/segments/11430823?filter=overall  Up for grabs are three $50 gift cards.

The idea behind this challenge is to get you out on your bikes pushing each other, working together and getting better. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut over the winter. Logging hundreds of hours on the trainer or riding alone in the dark. So hit up our Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/midislandveloassociation/ and find a couple other suckers friends to hit the road with.

The rules

1. Mixed teams of 3 riders (1male/2female or 2male/1female)

2. All three riders must be paid club members – Join here https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=55941&owner=0

3. All three riders must ride the segment together (Johnny can't ride it on his way to work with Susie and sally riding it in the evening the next day)

4. Rides must be uploaded onto strava and public so I can check and compile the times.

5. Must email me palleus@hotmail.com with the names of the three riders and date/time of your attempt and if possible a link to all three rides on strava to save me hunting them down

6. Team time will be based on the time of the slowest rider.  (It won't help if you drop your two friends and sprint away for the KOM leaving them to struggle in the wind)

7. Challenge will run for the month of March and riders can attempt it as many times as they like with as many other riders as they like.

Some things to think about with this challenge are: Pacing, it’s a little over ten kilometers. If you go out too hard, you’ll be dying at the end of it. Keep a steady pace and finish strong. Watch the gap between riders, the closer you are to the wheel in front of you the less energy you’re going to use to maintain the pace. How long is each rider going to pull? Taking a longer turn at the front will give the other riders more time to recover, but if you pull too long and too hard, you might not be able to hang on and get dropped off the back.

Good luck and ride safe.

The MIVA gear order has been submitted and should be delivered mid-March. Thank you all for your huge support of the club, in the 6 years MIVA has been around there has never been an order as large as this one! Thank you to Gio at Gio Creative for the many hours of design work, and to Jason Hare for working as the liason with ChampSys. We'll be opening up the store again in the spring for those who missed out and for those who need a few extra items.

Mid Island Velo Association Announces 2016 Schedule

Mid Island Velo Association (MIVA) is in its sixth year of operation and has seen its numbers swell to over one hundred riders ranging in age from 10 to 75. Club President, Corey Friesen, states: “Our club is rather diverse so we are proud to offer a wide variety of events catering to beginners, elites and everyone in between. 2016 is going to be a great year!”

Monday night beginner rides, presented by Kiyo Salon and Day Spa, will begin on April 11th. These rides are led by an experienced cyclist and are intended for riders who are familiar with road biking, but who are new to riding in a group. This ride would be especially beneficial for individuals who have aspirations of someday participating in a triathlon or gran fondo.

The MIVA Spins at the Swet Haus have been a sell out for most of the winter and will continue until March 16th. Don't miss this opportunity to get yourself ready for race season, or for general cycling fitness.

The Coal City Cycles Criterium Series will start April 12, 2016 and will continue every Tuesday evening until the end of July. Races will be held on the usual Boxwood circuit. In order to encourage new riders, a clinic will be held on April 12 prior to the race. The clinic is intended to introduce riders to the criterium race and provide tips on how to excel at this fast-paced racing format. A women-only option will be available.

Wednesday night advanced rides are intended for more experienced riders who want to increase their fitness level in a group environment. In other words, riders ought to be prepared to push the pace on Nanaimo’s many climbs. Wednesday night rides are scheduled for 6:30PM at Rock City Cycles. There will be two groups, an intermediate (24-28km/hr pace) and an advanced (28km/hr avg+) group.

The Rock City Cycles time trial series begins on April 14, 2016.This is MIVA’s longest standing series, having been first held in 2008. The individual time trial event is unique because it provides cyclists and triathletes of all levels the opportunity to compete against the clock. With as many as six chances to race the same distance on the same course, riders will be motivated as they track their improvement over the season. The start is located on Nanaimo River Road, 500m west of the intersection with South Forks Road. The series includes 16 races ranging in distance from 15km to 40km. The series starts on April 14, 2016 at 6:30PM and will run until July 28, 2016.

After record turnout in 2015, the Arrowsmith Bikes Hill climb series will return in early August. As usual, this fun event will be held in time trial format and feature some of the more grueling climbs in and around Nanaimo. There will also be one mass start event.

In preparation for Cross on the Rock, the club is investigating options for a weekly cyclocross clinics. More information will be provided when available. A possible mid summer Diver Lake Cross Race is also in the early planning stage.

Points in the Criterium, Time Trial and Hill Climb events will be tallied throughout the season and trophies, handmade by Glaros Studios, will be presented to all category winners in Senior Male, Senior Female, Youth Male and Youth Female at the season wrap-up event in November.

Other special events include our fourth annual 50km/100km Spring Challenge Ride scheduled for April 16, 2016. We’re also introducing a new challenge, the “5 Hill Climbs in 1 Day” Ride on May 7, 2016. This event will conclude at White Sails Brewing. MIVA will be playing an active part in the Ride for Life (May 28, 2016), which is an exciting new cycling event in support of the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation. The crowd-favourite Mt Washington Climb will be offered on June 4, 2016.

New members are always welcome. www.bikeracing.ca for membership forms and up-to-date event information.

MIVA would like to thank the following businesses for their ongoing support:

Arrowsmith Bikes

Birrer Sangret LLP

Coal City Cycles

Glaros Studios

Gio Creative

Kiyo Salon and Day Spa

Pacific Rim Bicycles

Pure Chiropractic

Robert Cameron Law

Rock City Cycles

Swet Haus

White Sails Brewing