Regional News for January 10, 2003Edited by Jeff Jones Australian and Oceania MTB ChampionshipsThe 2003 Australian and Oceania Mountain Bike Championships will be held at Mount Beauty from February 19-23. At this stage, entries have been received from all states of Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Mount Beauty is the riders favourite competition venue, having received the 'Australian mountain bike event of the year’ award seven years in a row. The Championships will feature events in four disciplines: Downhill, Four X, Cross Country, and Trials. ProgramWednesday, February 19 1300 - 1600 Cross country course open Thursday, February 20 1200 - 1600 Cross country course open Friday, , February 21 1000 - 1400 Cross country practice Saturday, , February 22, Cross Country Championships 0800 - 1200 Masters and Junior age classes Sunday, , February 23 0800 - 1000 Downhill practice (groups A & B) Perry Stone finishes round Oz tripNearly two months after he left to ride around Australia, Canadian ultra endurance cyclist Perry Stone has arrived in Rockhampton, Queensland, at the end of his 14,187 kilometre journey. Stone, who holds the supported around Australia record of just over 41 days, finished his unsupported ride in a time of 57 days, 9 hours and 10 minutes, an average of 247.2 km per day. He may well be the first person to have successfully attempted such a feat, and certainly now holds the unsupported around Australia record. Throughout the journey, which was interrupted by several days near the start when his bike broke, Perry has dragged a 20 kg trailer behind him, battling headwinds, extreme heat, dehydration, unfriendly road trains and physical and mental exhaustion to complete his ride. As well as being a personal challenge, Perry was helping to raise money for the victims of the Bali terrorist bombing. Online donations can be made to the Red Cross by clicking here. Johnson & Johnson battle for Tasmania Rider-of-the-SeasonBy Rod Morris With just two carnivals remaining, Burnie rider Michael Johnson and his Launceston namesake, Ryan Johnson are involved in a tense battle for the second annual Cycling Tasmania Rider of the Season award for the 2002-03 summer. Based on a 5-3-2-1 basis from all handicap finals and scratch races at carnivals stretching from the PCCCT meet at West Park in early November to the season St Helens Carnival on January 18, the two Johnsons are well clear of their nearest challengers. Michael Johnson currently has 45 points and leads Ryan Johnson by just 2 points. Both are competing at this Saturday's Mersey Valley - Devonport Cycling Club Carnival at the Latrobe ground and will be out to impress. The inaugural award in 2001-02 was won by American Jame Carney, who this season is presently fifth on 19 points. Defending champion in the female category, Belinda Goss is currently third but will miss this weekend's Carnival because of her commitments to the Bay Cycling Criterium series in Melbourne. The leader is ace NSW rider Rochelle Gilmore, who made a hit and run mission throughout the Telstra Country Wide Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals, where she amassed 26 points. Kirby Piscioneri on 18 points is her main danger, but she too will miss this weekend's action because of the Sydney Youth Festival. Cycling Tasmania has also introduced a junior category and Launceston's Will Robinson is a runaway leader on 54 points. After dominating the Junior 2 category for two years, Robinson has now moved up in age group to the Junior 1 - or Under 17 - section and immediately won the scratch race at last week's Hobart Carnival. Robinson currently holds a 16 point lead over Matthew Bonham, winner of the J1 Launceston Wheel and Alex Holden, winner of the J2 Hobart Wheel. Current leadersMen Mersey Valley - Devonport Cycling Club CarnivalBy Rod Morris Backmen are unlikely to hold too many aces when it comes to finding the winning card in this Saturday's Forestry Tasmania Mersey Valley Wheelrace at Latrobe. The penultimate multi-sport carnival for the 2002-03 summer, will be hosted by the Mersey Valley - Devonport Cycling Club. Nathan Clarke of Latrobe is the sole scratchman entered for the carnival, although he should receive solid support from the tightly marked Gareth Atkins (20 m), Daniel Cutting (40 m) and Grant Young (70 m), while there is now expectation that consistent American Mike Tillman may be a late inclusion in the Forestry Tasmania MVDCC Wheelrace. At this stage there are 29 senior male entries, but indications are strong that there will be a number of late entries. In Hobart last weekend 16 late entries were accepted, forcing carnival organisers to create a new heat for both the Hobart Wheelrace and Lightning Handicap. Defending champion of the Mersey Valley Wheel is Hobart's Jason Johnson, who is another expected late entry. The MVDCC will create Tasmanian cycling history by including a full programme of events for female riders of open, Junior 1 and Junior 2 age groups. The girls will be treated to a wheelrace, lightning handicap, scratch race and derby heats and final. Although the younger girls will be on restricted gearing, junior track handicapper Nigel Cunningham will adjust their marks accordingly to ensure events go smoothly and all girls are given an equal opportunity of winning. The male riders will also be offered the same amount of events, while there will also be a full range of races for male and female athletes, including 100 m maiden, 100 m handicap final, 400 m handicap and 1600 m handicap. Saturday's MVDCC carnival will start at 11 a.m. with gates opening at 9.30 a.m. MVDCC Carnival programme, feature events 11.45 a.m. Maiden 100 m final Previous Mersey Valley Wheel winners1999 Aaron Brown (160 m) 2000 Dwayne Crawford (120 m) 2001 Jarrod Burr (160 m) 2002 Jason Johnson (140 m)
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