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News Flash - Tandem racing to be held in Nelson during the Nelson Cycle Festival.
8th to 17th October 2010. First race on Friday night... Book your stoker (or captain) and your week's holiday now!
Watch this space...
SERIOUS FUN RACE -
TANDEM CLASSIC
Dear Tandeminiums.
Big news for 2010!! The CONTINENTAL TYRES TANDEM CLASSIC SERIOUS FUN RACE is to remain in Nelson this year. But wait, there’s more! The date is also moving to October to be a part of the NELSON BIKE FESTIVAL - October the 8th, 9th & 10th to be exact.
This Bike Festival takes in two weekends with our event being in the first. There are a number of other events/races that we all can do during the week after the Tandem Classic. There will be Road, MTB & BMX events on that will cater for the racers and the social riders. www.nelsoncyclefest.co.nz
For the Tandem Classic the classes remain the same and the scoring also remains unchanged with the points system as opposed to time based difference. The event will start on Friday evening with a criterium around the Cathedral at the top of Trafalgar St. There will be separate races for the solos as well in the various categories.
Saturday we’ll have the 13km, down the valley, time trial followed by the flat 50-ishkm road race in the afternoon. (This is the race that I ended up calling fortytwelve last year as my estimation of the distance proved to just a tiny-wee bit out!)
Sunday, we’ll head over the Neudorf Hill for the climbers amongst us and do a 65km race. That afternoon we’ll retire for the Prize Giving, Serious Lie Telling with no Pomp or Ceremony at all.
It is BIG welcome back to CONTINENTAL TYRES again this year. These are very worthy tyres and without boring you with the technical data just know that they are very puncture resistant, give a very lively feel on the road – unlike a lot of puncture resistant tyres which ride like leaden blocks - and yet they are still very fast tyres. Just last month Kevin Jerome told me that he considered the pair of 28c Conti Gatorskins that he put on his and Carol’s tandem felt as fast as an opposition brand’s 23c that they had been riding on. Kevin told me this without me prompting him for info as I didn’t even know they were running the Gatorskins. If you want excellent tyres then I strongly recommend the Gatorskins as they have proven themselves to me on both the tandem and the triple.
2009 TANDEM CLASSIC SERIOUS FUN winners – Nick Batt (Stoker) & Dean Rainbow (Captain).
Please also remember to remind other Tandem riders that this event is for everyone, irrespective of abilities. I hear so often “I might do that next year, I just have to train up for it”. Bollocks! I say. Tell them training is cheating so therefore just ride your tandems and then come have some SERIOUIS FUN with like-minded people. Sure, some of the pairings are competitive with an eye on the result but most of us are there for the ride and the company that this event throws up every year. (Frankly, if it wasn’t for the company that you all create I wouldn’t run the event every year!)
And with the Bike Festival being on at the same time there is the opportunity to stay on in Nelson and take part in more riding/racing if you wish. There is a road ride every day with both social pace and faster pace options. These rides leave from different areas so there will be a good variation of rides during the week. If the track-cycling is available after the rugby world cup upgrades to Trafalgar Park there will be that option during the week as well. (The upgrades to the rugby field and stands have been done at the expense of the track unfortunately, so we don’t know for sure what condition it will be in come October). On Sunday the 17th there is Te Raparaha’s Revenge which is about 80km, Nelson to Havelock finishing up with a moderate climb up the Mahikapawa Lookout (I think that’s what it’s called) on the Queen Charlotte Drive. There will be a separate start and category for us tandem riders.
So there’s a lot to do in Nelson over those two weekends. You can also bring your MTB, BMX and track bikes and have a ball on them too!
Also coming to play with our event this year are www.thedarlingwines.com Bart Arnst has done the Rainbow Rage a number of times and decided to talk to me about being involved in my events. We talked and he liked the concept of the Tandem Classic as well and I liked the feel of his and his business partner’s organic wines so there’ll be some super salubrious wines available for us. Go to the link and check them out.
When staying in Nelson contact the TAHUNA BEACH HOLIDAY PARK and they will look after you for your Tandem Classic.
Ring 0800 500501 or - tahuna@tahunabeach.co.nz- and quote the booking reference ‘TANDEM CLASSIC’. Then you’ll get a 10% discount on their already good rates. They have arranged secure storage for the tandems when you’re not using them too. There are a variety of options to stay in.
Murray & Adele Sparks winners of the SOCIAL FUN CLASS 2009.
Apparently, according to the rumours doing the rounds, that is to say do you believe everything you hear, this is what Kevin and Carol have on the way for the Tandem Classic. IF it is true then they’ll have some SERIOUS FUN on that, won’t they? (But then, do we believe all the rumours?) Either way, it is one swift looking unit. Full carbon everything and what isn’t carbon is made of unobtanium and priced at about a gazillion dollars. (Running on the Conti tyres of course!) Ahh, rumours, rumours, rumours!!!!
So there you go, heaps of reasons not to stay home doing the lawns as you’ll miss too much fun! Come play at our place and share in the fun that is the CONTINENTAL TYRES Tandem Classic - Serious Fun Race, 2010.
Keep doing together, Mike da Bike.(Gane)
Phone -03 5475677, 021 2010919.
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Serious Fun Tandem Classic Nelson ‘09
Well what a weekend of serious fun was had as promised by Mike Gane the organiser.
Friday
Friday night the weather held and we all raced our 6 laps of Trafalgar Park. Chris & Bob decided not to defend their standing title as Chris was quite unwell. This only increased the uncertainty as to who might take out the title over the weekend. There were a few surprises on the track and Mike had to decide who was going in each group, basing his decision on times and rider knowledge.
Saturday
Saturday morning’s 13km time trial down the Moutere Highway was preceded by a warm up ride from the finish area at Community Road up to the start line at Upper Moutere. This was good fun and a total social ride. Gary my stoker took a few pics on board the bike of our fellow tandem riders along the way.
The results were similar to the track with one or two wee surprises. Greg & Marion had a puncture which was a bit of a hitch, but it looks like the commissar adjusted for this in the results.
It was time for lunch now and Hot Mamas Cafe in Motueka was visited by some riders for lunch, our team was hosted at Gary’s place.
At 1.00pm we were all assembled near the airport for our race up the Motueka River, over the Baton Bridge and then back down the West Bank over the Bluffs Bridge back onto Highway 60 and down to the finish near the airport. Mike decided to change a few of the teams into opposite categories because of their performance.
Now there were some changes in the placing and a few of the serious racers began to show their road racing and climbing skills. One notable event was the dropping of their timing chain by Tristan & Anja. The other guns slowed to let them fix it and get back onto the front which was very sporting. This was a lucky break for some teams as 4 or 5 had got away including Denis & Frith. It wasn’t long and we were dropped by the leaders again into a group of 4.
Photos - David Letsche - info@cyclingphotos.co.nz
This turned out to be a 52km event and in my opinion the best tandem circuit in the area. The social riders enjoyed the picturesque scenery and low amount of road traffic on this course. Our local riding enthusiast and camera buff David Letsche took some brilliant photos around the course which are on my website.
Sunday
Sunday dawned a little fresh, I was glad of my ¾ Shorts, arm warmers and vest. We all assembled at the Motueka Airport area again and at 9.00am we were off up the inland highway turning at Price’s corner heading for our hardest test Neudorf Hill. We not so fast riders were really rung out clinging onto the leaders as they sped up to Prices. This was the boy’s tactics I found out later. There were some KOM points at stake here and some good team climbing skills shone through. Tristan & Anja were first up the hill closely followed by Vaughan & Mitchell. Gary & I were lucky enough to pick back up 3 tandems with our downhill skills after Neudorf Hill and with our local knowledge of the course. We had a good 4 way tussle down the valley until Rob & Vicki dropped their timing chain and on the last wee climb Denis & Frith and Craig & Sue pulled away.
Vaughan & Mitchell took the sprint from Tristan & Anja to win the race. There were many other sprint finishes for the minor placing and everyone finished with smiles on their faces even if somewhat tired.
After the wheels cooled down participants went over to the Stoke Fire Station for nibbles and serious lie telling. There were a couple of trophies presented and some lucky people won Continental tyres. Even this was serious fun with prizes being separated between stokers and captains to keep it interesting.
If you are reading this and didn’t attend then you now know what you missed!!
Do you think we could organise between us another event similar to this so we had two tandem races a year?
Keep your eye out for the next social tandem ride in Blenheim I will let you know.
Thanks again to Mike G and his team for organising the races and Felix and Dave for the great pics.
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Thanks to the team in Blenheim for hosting a great tandem ride.
