Nowa Nowa received almost half an inch of rain on Saturday night yet the track remained in great condition, there was one solitary puddle to be avoided in 8km of track. Conditions varied from tacky to start to just plain old hard & fast after 3 hours of riders. Testament to the obvious track making skills of Mountain Bike Track Services. Well done, boys.

Sleepy old Nowa Nowa was probably still asleep as 29 riders & entourage descending on Nowa Nowa. Except of course Mike at Mingling Waters, opening his café early to offer riders some pre-ride nourishment and also staying open after the race for a snack & coffee on the way home. Thanks Mike. One gets the feeling – particularly with the Melbourne Cup weekend festival of cycling – that Nowa Nowa is serious about being a Mountain Bike destination.

Racing got underway on time, just. The cool, no, freezing East Gippsland air perhaps creating a sleepy atmosphere amongst the riders. That changed quickly however with Brad Fisher wearing race plate number 1 completing the 8km loop in just over 22 minutes with Tim Boote 30 seconds back followed by 2009 club champion Ashley Higman in third. Things didn’t change all day with Brad extending his lead slightly each lap and finished the day as the only rider on 8 laps. Tim remained strong all day finishing ahead of Ashley. Matthew Franke, Doug Simpson, Judd Boeker & David Moss all completed 7 laps for the day.

The solo women’s category was just that with the usual ladies contingent all competing in the pairs division. Jenny Simpson rode well all day to complete 6 laps. Jenny & Doug Simpson chose against a Lysterfield Park mud-fest and opted for a weekend in Nowa Nowa. Nice work.

The pairs competition was where the real rivalry was to be found. Hard core adventure racers Sharon & Deeanna Blegg teamed up, alongside brothers Bruce & Stuart Derham with training partner to the Blegg sisters Belinda Ryan and partner Anthony Veale (fresh from altitude training in Nepal) also having a crack. Caroline Farrell and Jason Haas were in the mix all day. First timers Wayne & Natalie O’Connor rode at a far more sensible pace all day, hope you enjoyed it.

Although Bruce tried hard all day to wreck his little brother’s bike, sensibility prevailed with the brothers keeping the sisters at bay, just, with Caroline & Jason in third.

Good day had by all. Next race is the McMillan Partners Blores Hill checkpoint race on 25th July.

• Click here to view the full race results.