Thursday 6 September - For information of Club members and other interested parties:

I am writing to all mountainbike/cycling/bmx clubs from Cairns to Mackay to inform you all of an awareness ride happening in Townsville on September 30, 2007. The ride is in support of Vicki Porter who is the victim of a hit and run accident in Townsville in July this year.

The ride is aimed at raising awareness and also in support of Vicki. Could you please pass this message on to any members that may be in Townsville over that weekend as it is during the school holidays. It is open to all riders and we are trying to get as many people out on their bikes as possible.

For more information please see the website www.helpvicki.org

Regards
Ranetta Eastment
Ride Organiser.

Sunday 26 August - (Updated) The 17th running of the RRR Classic was held today in perfect weather, with Wes Reibel taking out the big trophy. Full results (including Social) are now available on the RRR page (not the Results page) and photos are also up. And still no-one has ever won the Paluma Push and the RRR Classic in the same year...

Now we have a break until DH3 in roughly a month. Why such a long break? The organisers need a rest.

Monday 20 August - Lap times are now available for the Pump 'n Pedals Herberton 8 Hour (on the H8H page) and all results are now final.

Please see the Race Notes page for info from Normie about the RRR...

Monday 20 August - Provisional results for the 8 Hour now available on the H8H page.

Sunday 19 August - Another great Herberton 8 Hour! Photos available now, results along ASAP!

Friday 17 August - Herberton 8 Hour Update - Weather

(Deleted - irrelevant now...)

Friday 10 August - Herberton 8 Hour update:

Herberton 8 Hour Update – Camping and Catering

Don’t forget that camping is available at the 2007 Herberton 8 Hour. The Tepon Equestrian Park (where the H8H is based outside Herberton) is well set up for campers with plenty of space, clean amenities and hot showers - all at a small fee of $2 per person to a maximum of $10 per car. The Herberton Horse Sports Association runs a well stocked canteen and will have spaghetti, curry and rice, burgers, pies and sausage rolls as well as tea, coffee, soft drinks and other refreshments on sale Saturday night. The canteen will also operate all Sunday with breakfast, morning and afternoon teas, lunch and drinks on sale. For more information contact one of the committee members below.

The park will be open from around midday Saturday. Please be aware that this park is designated a GLASS FREE ZONE. This is due to the possibility that broken glass can cause major injury to a horse.

H8H Race Committee
Luke McDonald 40336729 or 0428415531
Dean Boyce 40911783 or 0408187432
David Prete 40913838 or 0418878391

Thursday 9 August - Information added to the RRR Classic page.

Monday 6 August - Normie has supplied a short helmetcam movie on the H8H - you'll find it on the Herberton 8 Hour page. It's in wmv format so download it (it's around 6MB) and run it from your computer.

Thursday 2 August - Some additional info on Herberton from Dean Boyce:

- The social day planned for Sunday 5^th will start at 10.00AM at the equestrian park and all the full course will be available to ride, with the exception of the airstrip.

 - For all spectators at the 8 hour race, there will be a free bus travelling most of the day to various sections of the course. Now you don’t have to hang around the finish area all day and can get out and have a look at the course, take some photos or cheer on riders. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you out there, the bus will even come back and pick you up and take you back to the finish.

Tuesday 31 July - Probably shouldn't have done this, but there's another story by Frank Falappi  on the Stories page. Parents, keep your children blindfolded when they read it (and this is the clean version!)

Monday 30 July - Series points for the Downhill category are now available on the Results page.

Sunday 29 July - Woohoo! Smithfield rules! DH2 run and won at Smithfield today, the new timing gear worked perfectly, some great racing and no serious injuries. What more could you want? Photos available now, results available from the Results page.

Some notes on today's event from Normie:

Thanks for all for making this another great event, especially all our volunteers and transport as these races don't happen otherwise. Also great to see a lot of new riders coming out to tackle what is a challenging downhill course and while a few people struggled in the rock garden, everyone still had a smile on their face at the finish.

The new timing system worked as we expected and gave us results straight after the event, which was excellent from a timekeepers point of view. Check out the results attached and some notes below:

• Jennifer North was our solo female entrant for the day and she posted a credible 3:06.24. Well done Jennifer.

• Plenty of new riders today in the Junior field, hope you all had fun and the next race isn't until September, but I'm sure everyone is keen to improve. We will be using the same track again, maybe even starting from a little further up the hill if we can get it cleared.

• Big props to AJ Hackett Bungy (our neighbours) for donating some prizes for our Expert, Under 19 and Sport categories with a Bungy Jump for first place and Minjin Swing for second. For those of you riding out at Smithfield, pop up to the bungy site, they have an awesome setup as well as plenty of beverages, toilets and hey you might even want to throw yourself of the tower. Just let them know you are a local and a member of the Cairns Mountain Bike Club for special deals.

Congratulations for today's winners and these results will go to points for the club championship series with 2 races to go.

Tuesday 24 July - Check out the Race Notes section for all the info on DH2 at SMITHFIELD this Saturday/Sunday. We're back...

Sunday 22 July - Looking forward to this weekend's 'Return to Smithfield' downhill? The committee sure is... Don't forget we need plenty of people to help run a successful downhill, so bring friends. More on this from Mal later in the week... Keep an eye open here for the full round details from Normie.

There will be a Social Ride at Herberton on 5th August. Meet at the Tepon Equestrian Park at 10.00am. Dean assures us that most of the H8H track will be rideable, and that the only questionable area is through private property so please don't ride where you're not supposed to be. This is your chance to get a good look at the track before the race...

Mackay Club advise that if you are planning on entering the State Downhill Championships, your entry with full payment must be received by 31st July to go into the draw for a 2 day pass for 2 people for 2 days at Thredbo over the 2007/2008 season.

Wednesday 11 July - Some notes from your Race Director:

Downhill Working Bee – Saturday 14/07, 2.00PM. This working bee is needed in preparation for the downhill on Sunday 29/07 at Smithfield.

Date: Saturday 14/07

Time: 2.00PM

Location: Meet at the trailhead on McGregor Road, please do not drive into the site.

What needs to be done:

• The lower half of the downhill course from the rock garden down.

• The access road, some clearing and maintenance.

• The finish area and the container (brushcutting and clearing the finish straight)

If you have any tools such as mattocks, shovels and rakes, please bring these along.

A decision on the line through the rock garden will be made on the weekend. If there is still any remaining work to be done, we will run another working bee on Saturday 28/07.

Unfortunately the Mountain X track needs some serious repairs and we remain hopeful to run an event in 2007. At this stage we are looking at the possibility of another All Mountain Challenge, or something similar in the short course downhill sprint format. The Mountain X scheduled for the 28/07 will not go ahead.

On a brighter note, congratulations to Tracey Hannah for her big win in the Austrian round of the World Cup!

Sunday 8th July - Results and progressive points are now available for XC3 and XC Series on the Results page. Don't forget that XC4 isn't until early October, but don't lose heart - you've got the Paluma Push, the Herberton 8 Hour and the RRR between now and then, so you shouldn't get fat and flabby!

Speaking of the 8 Hour... The 2006 info has now been cleared, and the entry form, poster and location map for 2007 are now available. It's over there on the left. Press the button, you know you want to freeze to death and wear yourself out all in one day!

Saturday 7th July - Great weather for XC3 today, photos are available now in the usual place. Keep your eyes open for notification about working bees at Smithfield for the Downhill and MTX courses - if we can possibly run both there on the weekend of 28/29 July, we will, but we can't do it without your help.

Tuesday 26 June - Race Notes page updated with details of the next round of the Club XC Series.

A notice to all users of the Smithfield Trails: Please do not create new trails or attempt to modify existing lines around the area. Over the last 2 weeks we have noticed a few new sections (mostly diversions or short cuts) to the existing trails appearing. All trails built in the Smithfield area must go through an approval process and if you have an idea for new trails or changes, please get in touch with the club committee and let us know.

It is important we respect the agreement we have to use this area, and it doesn’t mean we are not able to modify our existing trails or put in new ones, but it must be planned and approved before we can commence any work. Trail maintenance of the area is still encouraged and if you have some spare time, please get in touch with us to find out what areas need some mowing, clearing or minor repairs. We will also be running more regular working bees, so if you enjoy riding the trails, come out and lend a hand.

Thanks

The Club Committee

Wednesday 20 June - On the Calendar page you will find a link to the Mackay Club's website which now has entry forms available and full information on the State DH Title on the weekend of August 19. Marcia says there is also a competition running for the first 100 entrants - one of them is going to win a SRAM XO Deraillieur. So if you're a downhiller planning to compete at Mackay (instead of being at Herberton for the 8 Hour...), nip over to the Mackay website and sign up.

Tuesday 19 June - Okay, so you're at El Arish and the conditions are far from ideal. Not only do you have to contend with slippery mud, but all the tree roots have grown bigger since you were last here (or so it seems). Then everything comes undone, and it's not until you scrape yourself off the ground and get back on the bike that you realise that Jack Bryde got you on video and isn't afraid to share it around... Parents please note - this clip should probably have a PG rating due to some of the four-letter words clearly audible! (WMV format - right-click, select "Save As..." and download to your computer, play it with Windows Media Player).

Sunday 17 June - A wild and woolly Downhill at El Arish today! Wyn finally gets the goods on Miles with a storming second run... Photos available here, results on the results page.

From Normie: Round 1 of the DH series for 2007 kicked off with a bit of drama thanks to the El Arish weather and, you guessed it, rain. Surprisingly the rain held off until the end of the event (just) and we had transport for the entire day although the course was shortened slightly due to the muddy conditions. Numbers were down a little, not in attendance as there were as many bikes in the parking area during the race as those racing. It was difficult today and congrats goes to all those riders who took on the course. There certainly were plenty of crashes and slide outs, especially on the lower off camber sections. In the racing, Adrian Dawson took the win for Under 19’s, with a time that would have placed him 4^th in Expert men. Wyn Masters won Expert men, just over 3 seconds ahead of track local Miles Mead. Check out the results for all the places.

An update on Sean Willmot who dislocated his shoulder during practice, and we are happy to report his shoulder is back in place and he is resting at home. Hopefully we will see Sean back out again on the bike soon. Look after yourself now.

The next downhill event is scheduled for the 29^th July and at this stage we are hopeful of getting the first race back at Smithfield for this event. Stay tuned to website for more updates and plans for further working bees on this and the Mountain X course.

Sunday 17 June - Message from Normie at 0725:

El Arish DH Race is on, but will be delayed by an hour and bring your mud tyres if you've got them. Current weather doesn't look too promising, but it isn't currently raining. Transport to the top is very difficult as the road is very slippery, and at this point will only be to about half way unless we get some sun.

At this stage, the race is ON.

Wednesday June 6 - Mackay Club advise that their website is up and running at www.mackaymountainbikeclub.com and you can now check out the information on the Qld Downhill Championships. Also Marcia advises that their DH event this weekend is definitely ON!

 Sunday June 3 - Due to the poor turnout for the working bee at El Arish today, MTX1 set down for Saturday June 16 has been cancelled. Instead there will be a working bee to get the DH track up to scratch for DH1 on Sunday June 17. If insufficient people turn up for the working bee on the 16th, DH1 will also be cancelled.

Please note that this is a cancellation, not a postponement - MTX1 won't happen. Many thanks to the three people who made the effort to get to El Arish and make a start on the work today...

Saturday June 2 - Photos from today's XC Round 2 are now available in the usual place. Results are on the Results page, as are the current series standings.

Tuesday May 29 - Results of the 2007 Cropthorn / Pump 'n Pedals AMC Series now posted on the Results page. (Correct Series Points file now uploaded...)

Don't forget to check the Race Notes page for information about this weekend's XC2 and working bee.

Sunday May 27 09:50am - Today's AMC is still on... In fact, we've finished it and the photos are now available, the results will be along soon. Wyn Masters was the overall winner, also setting the fastest times.

Sunday May 20 - All Mountain Challenge Round 1 results are now posted on the Results page...

The points tally and final results are now available for the Pony Express and XC1. Normie has sworn he will never, ever try to run both races at the same time again!

Sunday May 13 - Photos for the All Mountain Challenge have been posted, results as soon as I get them.

Some changes to the XC/PE results posted. Please remember that all posted results are provisional for at least 24 hours following the time of posting! The committee has approved the purchase of a timing system, which we hope will be up and running as soon as possible, which will help alleviate problems with results. It's going to be bloody expensive, so if anyone wants to make a donation towards the purchase, feel free to do so as any donations will be added to the expenditure approved, not subtracted from it. In other words, if you donate a couple of hundred dollars, that gets added on to what we have budgeted to spend. Hopefully, the days of Normie, Barbara and co timing races with an egg-timer and an hourglass are about to come to an end!

NOTE: There is a calendar change! MTX1 will be held on Saturday afternoon, 16th June, followed by DH1 on Sunday 17th June. Check the Race Notes page for more details!

The next month is action packed for anyone in the racing scene and if you are following the XC and DH series in North Queensland there is 4 weeks of back to back racing coming up. Check the calendar for details. To prepare the El Arish track for Round 1 of the Cairns series, there will be a working bee at El Arish on Sunday 3rd June, starting at 9.00AM. Bring your bikes as there will be some riding afterwards.

Sunday May 13 - Results for XC1 and PE2 are now available on the Results page.

Saturday May 12 - Well, the weather was perfect and the track just had a few minor puddles in it by the time everyone was ready to race. Photos are available now, results will be along soon...

Friday May 11 - On the left you will see a new button - 'Race Notes'. This is where you will find any information about upcoming races, either via the Race Director or relayed through the webmaster. Always look there first. There is some new info for tomorrow's race, and also for Sunday.

Friday 4 May - Everything you need to know about the next Pony Xpress and XC Round 1 is now on the Calendar page, just below the calendar itself. Also further information on the AMC rounds.

On the right of this page, you'll find a link to the AMC poster in pdf format. The AMC Series is sponsored by and

Wednesday 2 May - Our raving roving reporter is back... There's another story from Struan here.