July 2008 Update
Hi all
Its now July and only 3 months until
our Tuesday night rides and Thursday night races recommence!!
Safety Notice from Tauranga City
Council
TCC has issued a safety notice to
cyclists - road works mean that it is now recommended that cyclists
avoid the following stretches of road:
1. The Harbour Bridge heading towards
The Mount - the shoulder from the end of the bridge to the Marina
entrance is closed, meaning there is nowhere to ride safely out of the
live car lane. They recommend using the footpath when heading in that
direction. Easiest way is to go along Cliff Rd and up onto the
overbridge footpath there. The road is still OK when heading from The
Mount towards Tauranga.
2. Takitimu Drive between Chapel St
and Elizabeth St. Again, the shoulders have been closed here and one
lane heading out of town has been closed. So really dangerous for
bikes, especially with the merging traffic. Recommended route to avoid
this is via Cameron Rd. You can drop down to the expressway off
Elizabeth St. Or go via Otumoetai.
North Island Schools Championships
Several of our members are taking
part in the NI Schools Champs in Ngaruawahia this weekend. In the Team
Time Trial, the team of Daniel Finucane, Lucas Finucane, Hayden
Moorhouse and Andrew Drummond have been putting in some solid training
and stand a good chance against some very experienced teams from
Auckland. All the best from the Club for a great ride, guys.
Sunday Rides
Last weeks Sunday ride turned into a
bit of a hammer session for some reason. As a result, a number of
riders got dropped and it turned our usual pleasant ride into a
gruelling race.
There are already plenty of
opportunities in the ride to push the pace a bit, but the core part of
the ride is supposed to be a bit social and to allow newcomers to gain
confidence in riding in a bunch.
So to recap, the drill is:
1. Through the hills after the
Welcome Bay School to the end of Welcome Bay Rd - ride at your own pace.
2. Regroup at the end of Welcome Bay
Rd
3. Comfortable pace along SH2, Bell
Rd, Parton Rd, Papamoa Beach Rd
4. Single file on Oceanbeach Rd -
still at a comfortable pace
5. Faster pace on Marine Parade, with
the end of the pace period being the first speed hump at Banks Ave
6. Easy cruise through the Main Beach
area / Pilot Bay
7. Stop at Salisbury Ave information
centre.
Race Results - Joyce Rd 28th June 2008
Not a bad turnout considering the
bitterly cold conditions on the tough Joyce Rd circuit. We were very
lucky with the rain - it stopped shortly before we started and then
rolled back in just as we all headed home. The Open and Under 17 riders
did 3 laps (33km), with the Under 15's doing 2 laps.
Everyone started together, but the
steep Joyce Rd climb back up to Pyes Pa Road quickly split the field.
The hill was made even less pleasant that normal, thanks to the dead
possum at the top that was attracting the interest of a hawk. A slight
tail wind up Pyes Pa Rd was a bonus, with the same wind quickly cooling
everyone off on the descent back down Joyce Rd. The winner was Mark
Crowther, despite his arriving at the race start with only seconds to
spare.
Thanks again to the two Brians for
standing out in the cold to take the times and set out the road signs
for us.
1st - Mark Crowther 57:28
2nd - Richard Coffey 58:30
3rd - Nigel Giles 1:02:10
Lucas Finucane 1:02:13 (U17)
Hayden Moorhouse 1:02:19 (U17)
Daniel Finucane 1:05:55 (U17)
Andrew Drummond 1:07:43 (U17)
Gavin Searle 1:07:59
Steve Crowther 1:10:51
Mark Ireland 1:11:41
Keith Thompson 1:11:41
Allan Giles 1:11:54
Under 15
Ari Finucane 50:39
Erica Moorhouse 51:00
And a reminder that the next Winter
Series race is on Saturday 12th July,
Regards
Mark Ireland
Tauranga Road Cycling Club