HMBA XC Race Results – Singleton – 21/10/18

An early call was made on Thursday afternoon this week to move the XC race to Singleton. Awaba was quite wet in parts and the expected rain for the weekend helped make the decision. After the sunshine and heat of Friday and Saturday we were beginning to wonder if this was the right call – that was until the Saturday night storm and we felt vindicated.

51 riders made the trek to Singleton for the HMBA XC Race today. Saturday night’s storm didn’t cause any issues with the course, but rather left it tacky and perfect – no dust, no mud and plenty of grip. We had a big turnout of young riders filling up the field and they all enjoyed being out on the big track! It was also nice to welcome some new members to the club, and we hope you enjoyed your race and will keep coming back.

A Grade Mitch showed the audience at the jump how to dismount his bike over the handlebars but jumped back up to still win A grade. Also in A grade, Lawrence had a mechanical that saw him put his bike away and take out his spare bike and complete his 5 laps – unfortunately he didn’t take his number plate with him and therefore we don’t have any results for him.

It was good to see our XC Coordinator Dean out racing for a change. And he didn’t do too bad for an old bloke with a top five finish. Speaking of old…our oldest member was out there today and apparently discovered the gap jump on the A line unexpectedly. Good to see the years of experience carried him over without incident – well done Kevin! I must also mention that Kevin was racing with his son Rod and granddaughter Lilli in the same race – not many people can say that.

Thanks to Clint for organising the new number plates today. The new plates are generally colour matched to grades and having the same number on the front as the timing chip on the back will make it easier for registration in the future. Don’t forget to bring your plate to each race!

https://my1.raceresult.com/109670/results?lang=en#0_5B2D98

HMBA joins “Break the Boundary”

HMBA is now a Club Member of Break the Boundary Inc.
Break the Boundary Inc. (BTB) is an Australian charity and benevolent institution which helps people with a disability lead a healthy and happy life by breaking physical, mental and social boundaries. Adaptive Mountain Biking (aMTB) is used as a tool to access the outdoors and provide opportunities to engage with the greater community.

As the sport and recreation continues to expand, so too does the demand for ‘whole of community’ services. The BTB ethos “Tools – Terrain – Attitude” embodies the spirit of the Charity’s objectives and encourages us to find accessible, comfortable and safe environments to deliver outdoor services to the public.

Mountain biking encompasses a wide diversity of styles which also translate to aMTB. Adaptive MTB maintains a respect for the spaces in which non-disabled riders recreate. BTB and HMBA aim to instil the attitude of mutual respect while pursuing fully inclusive initiatives that integrate both people with and without disabilities.

Over the last 5 years, Break the Boundary has gone from strength to strength, delivering a range of community demo days, school clinics and the award-winning 3-day aMTB Adventure Camps. One of the recent accomplishments is the publication of the Australian Adaptive MTB Guidelines, supported by the Queensland government and delivered through Mountain Bike Australia. HMBA has adopted these guidelines and refers to them in the construction of new Cross Country and downhill adaptive trails.

The success of the Charity wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration with Australian mountain biking clubs, associations, collectives, local governments and state departments. HMBA are excited to be part of this growing community and look forward to the establishment and expansion of our local aMTB trails at Awaba MTB Park. The completion of additional trails will provide the first-ever, fully-accessible space in NSW for people with disabilities and their families to take part in a range of mountain biking social, sporting and community events.

We believe that opportunities like this truly enhance the quality of life for those disadvantaged and HMBA Club members are invited to join Break the Boundary to show support and to further investigate this awesome initiative. Please visit the Break the Boundary website and sign up. www.breaktheboundary.com

www.breaktheboundary.com

So where to now with the $450k Grant?

Well now that the dust has settled from the big announcement (a $450k grant for Awaba MTB Park if you are only just waking up from your winter hibernation) we are sure that there are plenty of questions out there about what we will be building and when it will all be done. Rest assured that our volunteer Committee are now hard at work sorting out all the details and this will be communicated to all the eager Club members and riders out there as soon as possible. In fact we are hoping that we can provide a bit more detail of how this project will unfold in early November.

But for now we need everyone to be patient and enjoy the Park as it currently is – we even fixed up the worn-out old Murderhorn for you just to keep you excited about what lays in store.
And before everyone gets carried away with their own personal game of “Fantasy Bike Park Build” here are a few important things to consider about this grant:
– the project will be completed in stages – we will not be given all of the money up front but will need to achieve specific milestones along the way to receive “progress payments” to allow us to achieve the full vision
– we will be engaging professional contractors to assist with key components of the project but will still be needing a huge volunteer input to allow us to develop all of the proposed trails, which you might be glad to hear are predominantly “gravity” focussed with plenty of “flow”
– there will be a massive improvement in accessibility to allow more members of the broader community to access the trail network – this means further refinement of the access roads and Carparks, installation of shade shelters, tables and other amenities, and increased signage, as well as trails for junior development and Adaptive MTBs
– above all this project will open up a load of options for further future expansion of the Park – the Road Gap Rd that many of you have already assisted with clearing will provide multiple high access points for other descending trails
– on the flip side this project is not about chewing up every single cent to build just one machine-built flow trail with 6′ berms and massive tabletops – this is about building a more diverse park that is in line with the current trends of MTB’ing, provides a broad range of offroad experiences to an ever increasing crowd base and fits within the beauty of the natural environment we have at Awaba.
It is our intention to keep everyone regularly informed of our progress with this project – stay tuned for some exciting updates within the next few weeks.

Trail Building Day – Sunday 7th October

AWABA MTB PARK TRAIL BUILD DAY

WHEN: Sunday morning – 7th October at 7:30am.

WHERE: Meet in the carpark at Awaba.

WHAT: Whilst it might not be strictly a yellow brick road, the proposed trail activities today will allow all riders to take a safe journey to a place of much happiness!

If we get enough Volunteers we will also continue to push through with the Road Gap Rd as part of the gravity trail development project.

WHO: Everyone is welcome!

WHAT TO BRING:

Sturdy footwear and suitable clothing and gloves.

Water to drink.

Sun Screen

Digging tools – metal rakes and McLeods are the best options if you have them

Friends and family equipped with all of the above!

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/495099400971866/

Media Release from Forestry Corporation of NSW

Forward planning proves a winner for Hunter Mountain Bike Association

Forestry Corporation of NSW congratulates the Hunter Mountain Bike Association on their successful grant application to develop the Awaba Mountain Bike Park in Olney State Forest.

This week’s announcement by Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper will see the association receive Stronger Country Community funding of $450,000 – a win for the club and broader Hunter community.

Forestry Corporation has worked closely with the association to support the current development and future planning of the site over the past decade, said Forestry Corporation’s Partnerships Leader Mike Hill.

“This funding will see the association deliver great recreational benefits through their State forest site and we are excited to be working with them,” Mr Hill said.

“The Awaba Mountain Bike Park is a fantastic example of how Forestry Corporation is working with the community to deliver fantastic community assets in our beautiful State forests.”

Hunter Mountain Bike Association Secretary, Andrew Hardy, said the announcement is the result of a great working partnership between the association, Forestry Corporation and Lake Macquarie Council.

“We’ve enjoyed a positive relationship with Forestry Corporation in the establishment and development to date of Awaba Park,” Mr Hardy said.

“We worked with Mike to develop a ten-year plan of management for the site, and this formed the basis for much of the Stronger Country Communities grant application.

“Lake Macquarie Council played a pivotal role in helping us finalise and submit the application to the Department of Premier and Cabinet.”

The grant will accelerate the association’s progress on the plan of management.

“This funding has made it possible to build the new trails in 12 months, fast tracking the process and providing this free resource to the community.”

The Stronger Country Communities Fund was established by the NSW Government to help deliver local infrastructure projects to regional communities. The objective of the fund is to provide the kind of infrastructure that improves the lives of local residents.

To find out more about Awaba Mountain Bike Park, visit www.hmba.asn.au

$450,000 grant for Awaba Mountain Bike Park

Just in case you have missed all the local press and social medial today, here is the official Media Release from Greg Piper MP (Member for Lake Macquarie) relating to the funding grant that HMBA have been awarded for the Awaba Mountain Bike Park – a massive $450,000 to go toward the following projects:

  • Improvements to the access road, car park and event hub.
  • Four completely new trails, including a gravity trails expansion, Adaptive Cycling trails for riders with disabilities, Junior DH trails and Flow DH trails.
  • The building of seats and rest points at trail junctions.
  • Improved bollard signage replacing arrows for trail grades and routes.

Community projects to share in $3.5m funding haul

More than $3.5 million in funding will breathe new life into local sporting and community projects, Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper has announced today.

Funding secured from the State Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund will finance 10 projects in the Lake Macquarie City Council area.

Of significant note, $450,000 has been secured by Hunter Mountain Bike Club to significantly expand and improve the Awaba Mountain Bike Park.

More than $600,000 will fund a new children’s playground and improvements to Bernie Goodwin Memorial Park at Morisset, while $620,000 will extend the Morisset Peninsula cycleway at Brightwaters.

Walters Park at Speers Point, the home of Lake Macquarie Rugby Club, will receive $231,000 for field lighting, and more than $680,000 will be provided to Lake Macquarie City Council to build better shade structures, seating and barbecue areas at local swimming centres.

“This is great news for Lake Macquarie communities,” Mr Piper said. “I’m particularly pleased that we’ve received funds to extend the cycleway at Brightwaters, and the money for Awaba Mountain Bike Park will make the park one of the best in the country. It’s already attracting loads of mountain bike enthusiasts from Sydney and other areas so it’s becoming a bigger and bigger tourist drawcard.

“I’m really happy that we’ve been able to get so many of these projects funded. I congratulate the groups involved and Lake Macquarie City Council on their applications, and thank the State Government for these funding commitments.”

Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the grants will help the council move forward with a number of exciting infrastructure projects.

“They include the construction of a world-class mountain biking trail at Awaba, a new shared pathway, public art installations and improvements to four Lake Macquarie swim centres,” Cr Fraser said.

“These projects continue to promote an active lifestyle and enhance our vibrant Lake Macquarie community.

“This is a successful example of how funding projects in partnership with different levels of government can bring significant benefits to the community, generate local jobs and drive economic growth,” she said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the roll out of the second round of projects takes Stronger Country Communities funding to $300m.

“I congratulate Greg Piper and Lake Macquarie City Council and look forward to the local sports and community facility improvements that will make the region an even more attractive place to work and raise a family,” Mr Barilaro said.

“The $300 million Stronger Country Communities Fund is part of the NSW Government’s $1.6 billion Regional Growth Fund that is employing local tradies, putting local suppliers to work and providing the right environment to operate regional businesses,” he said.

For more information on SCCF, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/strongercountrycommunities.

HMBA XC Race Results – Dungog 3hr 23/09/18

Glorious weather and a ripper of a track were on offer today for all 51 riders that made the trip to Dungog for our rescheduled 3 hour race.

The climbs were steady but not steep – the rocks were plentiful and yellow – the riders were tired but happy – a massive thanks must go out to Allen Shrimpton and his Crew from MTB Dungog for maintaining this excellent facility and putting their local knowledge to use to design a race course that was genuinely fun.

And as always, thanks to Dean for track set-up (ably assisted by Tony Jumps Edwards?) and Preso Clint for timing, and Bronwyn (and her driver) for responding to the injured rider (a heavy fall on the shoulder down “The Snake” but most likely no fracture – except to the carbon handlebars – that will “bite” the wallet!).

We have attached a selection of images from today that show some riders getting into the spirit of the track – a full gallery will be put up in another post.

Full race results here (any queries – email presidenthmba@gmail.com):

https://my3.raceresult.com/108104/results?lang=en#1_7F7323