Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Congratulations to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Well done to our local government, Cr Vivien Griffiin, SCC, the head of the integrated transport systems portfolio and the team at TravelSmart for being a winner at the Bicycling Achievement Awards held by the Cycling Promotion Fund. These awards highlight cycling achievements throughout the community and the role it plays in supporting active living across all ages.
The Sunshine Coast Council won the Local Government Award for 'Special Initiative to Encourage and Promote Cycling'. Their vision is to be Australia's most sustainable region. We currently have 800kms of bikeways and over 13,000 hectares of parks and bushland. The council has committed $20 Million over the next 5 years for cycling infrastructure. Another initiative by the council has been the creation of a cycling reference group with representatives from state agencies, bicycle user groups and council staff which helps to set priorities for future cycling infrastructure improvements, education and encouragement programs and cycling policy direction for the region as a whole (CPF,2010, 2009 award winners, The Australian Bicycling Achievement awards website).
The winners above with Jo Cairns (TravelSmart Noosa)  in the front second to the right.

This is a great achievement by our community members and fellow cyclists, let's show our support and get on our bikes and have some fun.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The 6 hour Goldrush Weekend

What a great weekend, everyone had a blast.
The weather was fine, if a little chilly on Saturday night, I'm sure it got below 5 degrees that night!!!!. The temperature did not bother the competitors for the night dirt dash... it was a action packed racing format. As the field was slowly culled to leave the final seven racers to compete for line honours.... in the elite division it was Aiden Lefmann first and Andy Fellows hot on his tail. It was great to watch.

When Sunday rolled around, everyone was keen to race, the weather was cool but dry ... perfect riding conditions. Everyone liked the course, some parts were really technical and challenging but it just made for better camp fire stories that night. The hill climbs and tight switchbacks were tough but it made the last 2-3 kms of downhill and sweeping corners awesome. The final stretch (named "Big Ring Fling") was perfect for that sprint home just flick it the big ring and let it rip. We had a great turn out from the Sunshine Coast, The Noosa Trailblazers and  The Bushrangers MTB clubs. Check here for all the juicy results.
After making the rounds and chatting to people, it seems the weekend was a great success and it was a perfect way to spend a long weekend.
See you there next year.
Mel

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Mt Perry Gold Rush 6 hour- June Long Weekend

Well, its only a week away now..... six hours of pain, sweat and lots and lots of fun.  Greg and Mel Long from Cognition are taking the girls and heading north for the weekend. Greg is going solo and Mel is taking it a little easier in a 3 person team with Cam and Paula (some Trailblazers buddies). Tara and Keely are keen to take their bikes though just going on a camping trip is pretty exciting!!. Word on the street or should I say the track is ... there is plenty of local Sunshine coast riders heading north for some great fun, lots of Noosa Trailblazers as well as other Cognition's customers. It will be a busy time in the shop this week with everyone gearing up for the race. The word is ... the competition between mates and fellow trailblazers is high... but really it's all about having a great time with your friends.

So the township of  Mt Perry is located 100kms west of Bundaberg and Wolca Reserve (the actual venue of the race) is 6 kms north of Mt Perry. There is an area for camping which includes hot showers (ohh ahhh), flushing toilets (nice!), wood BBQs and most importantly, drinking water. There is also tank water for washing your faithful companion (ah that's your bike!!) so don't forget a bucket.
 
The weekend will be full of challenges. First the race itself, just check out the race profile, then the campers will be subject to early sunsets (due to the reserve being located in a valley), early frost and minimum temperatures ranging from 0 to 5 degrees. So if the race doesn't make to you tough the temperatures will!!!!!! The course is 11kms long with 245metres of ascent.... oh my gosh..... Last year the record for the faster lap was 27 minutes and 58 seconds who's up to beat that, I will certainly congratulate anyone who can beat that!!!!!.
 
Well good luck to everyone who has entered, and for those for haven't there is always next year... entries have now closed and organisers are not accepting any late entries as the race has reached maximum capacity with 300 riders prepared to take on the challenge of Mt Perry. If you would like to check out more go to Grindin Gear - 6hr Mt Perry Gold Rush.
See you there,
Mel

Jack's latest Update

Well the KWT Maxxis Sunshine Series is heating up with round 2 being run on the 30th May.  Local Trailblazers have notched up some impressive results in both rounds.  Course conditions at Illinbah could only be described as very ugly after much rain in the Gold Coast hinterland on the Saturday.  Stand out rides included Rodger Pogson Manning, 1st u19, Declan Wharton 2nd u 17 ( 3 laps in 63 mins) WOW! 
Jack Jude and Nathan King both raced in the under 15's and came 1st and 3rd respectively.  Other brave Trailblazers who tackled the mud were Lestar Manning, John King, Richard and Nicholas Dodds, Ki and Ron Hendrickson, Seb and Emil Vejby, Jesse Hill and Ethan Kelly.  A total of 14 riders is a testament to the success of our local Club and the Saturday morning rides.  Well done Boys. Next round is at Mt Cotton on the 20th  June, but hopefully we will see you at Mount Perry next weekend.
Jack

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