IMPORTANT NOTICE:

THIS RACE HAS BEEN DECLARED A PINK APPRECIATION ZONE. Everyone will be asked to consider wearing pink as a way of saying thank you to Mr Pink who does so much for the sport of cycling and in particular Junior Racing. Get your Pink On and have some fun. A little or a lot, it's up to you.

FORMAT:

Cyclocross + Open category racing catering for Men, Women & Kids.

CIRCUIT:

Fields of Joy Cyclocross, Larkin Court, Essendon Fields, Victoria, Australia

GRADES:

• MEN'S CX: A, B & C Grades

• MEN'S OPEN (any bike, any tyres - inc CX bikes)

• WOMEN'S CX: A & B Grades

• WOMEN'S OPEN (any bike, any tyres - inc CX bikes)

• JUNIORS: Balance Bikes + Any bike categories

• Note: CX Grades are for Cyclocross bikes with CX tyres (max 35mm)

RACE SCHEDULE:

• Free Practice 10:30am (80 mins)
  
• CX Mens C (40 mins) / Open Men (30 mins) 12:00pm (Total 40 mins)
  
• CX Mens B 12:50pm (50 mins)
• Premier Class - Balance Bikes 13:50pm (10 mins)
• Non-Balance Bike Juniors + Jnr Presos 14:00pm (30 mins)
• Free Practice (select features only - overlaps junior timeslot) 13:40pm (approx 1 hour)
• CX Women A (40mins) / B + Open Women (30mins) + Young Guns (2 laps) 14:50pm (Total 40 mins)
  
• CX Mens A 15:40pm (60 mins)
• Presentations 16:45pm ( approx 25 mins)

LICENSING:

ALL riders must be licensed for insurance purposes. Cycling Australia (CA) Race Licenses (Gold Licenses), MTBA Competition Licenses and CA 3 Race Licenses are accepted. Additionally, MTBA offer a free 2 month trial offer license which has proven very popular (see http://www.mtba.asn.au/join/). Kids are also required to be licensed and options vary depending on age. Please see MTBA or CA websites for more info.

KIDS RACING:

• Kids can enter on-the-day. Pre-entry is not necessary. Kids are guaranteed a start (note: must be licensed for insurance purposes).

• Balance Bikes and Non-Balance bikes race separately with separate courses. Non-Balance bikes will be graded by Commissaires on the day prior to race start (either by wheel size or age - to be decided based on logistics of administering the finish).

YOUNG GUNS.

Young Guns is a special category allowing older kids with suitable experience to ride the full course during the Women's races (as a guide, say 12yo+ but depends on child). Young Guns can be chaperoned by a parent or other capable rider. Anyone entering Young Guns needs to talk to the Race Director on race day to assess your childs suitability. Spots are limited. Please allow time to have the required conversations. The course is tough and we want kids riding Young Guns to have a positive experience. Feedback on Young Guns has been fantastic but we recognise this category is not for everyone. Young Guns need to be Race Licensed (not Recreational Licenses sorry). Young Guns enter on the day by donation & will be transponder timed.

RACE FEES:

• Adults $25 (includes $5 fundraiser raffle tix for CX Bikes courtesy of Giant South Yarra)
• Kids - by donation (on the day).

• Volunteers - $10

• All Senior Pre-Entries require immediate payment by credit card. LImited on the day entries will be available for cash payment (+$5 surcharge for additional admin)

SUPPORTING MICHAEL BLYTH

Michael Blyth is a young Sunbury resident who was left paralysed after a Mountain Biking accident. He was uninsured at the time, resulting in the costs of his rehabilitation and major adjustments to his life falling upon his family. FOJCX has been raising money for Michael, proudly accumulating $5500 during our 2014 Season. Please help us make a difference with further fundraising in 2015.

FUNDRAISING RAFFLE

Giant South Yarra, our Major Sponsor, makes available some amazing prizes. This year we are raffling the following

• Mens CX bike TCX SLR1 valued at ~$3000
• Womens CX bike Liv Brava SLR2 + product to men's prize equivalent
• A kids bike to value of $500.

All race entries include a $5 fundraiser component and automatic entry to prize draw. We will also be selling tickets. Please help out by buying additional tickets. Bikes will be drawn at the Austalian Cyclocross National Championships.

COURSE:

Each race we mix things up and try to keep the Course fresh. This course is new configuration.

REGISTRATION:

Look for Rego Marquee in Race Village on Race Day. Pick up you race pack with race numbers & transponder etc. To access the course during free practice, all riders must have a Race Number visible and be wearing a helmet.

GETTING THERE:

Address: Larkin Court, Essendon Fields, Melbourne Australia

Essendon Fields is 12km from the Melb CBD in the grounds of Essendon Airport. Follow the signs to Essendon Airport.

From the City, take the Tullamarine Freeway and exit left at Matthews Ave Essendon. Turn Right at lights onto English Street Essendon Fields. Continue straight (English St turns into Wirraway Rd) to first major roundabout on Wirraway Rd. Turn right into Larkin Court. Continue to signs for parking.

FACILITIES:

• Parking: Trackside off Larkin Court (Australian Post car park). Follow signs.
• Toilets: Onsite toilets available. Alternate locations at Shopping Centre and Essendon Airport.
• Water: PLEASE BRING WATER as there is no running water onsite.
• Power: Generator only
• Spectating: Please dress warm. The site is often windy.
• Food: The curry truck and coffee guy are booked. BBQ snags & tuck shop for kids (big & little kids)
  

VOLUNTEERS:

We are vols and rely entirely on the kindness of other vols to run FOJCX. Please consider helping out for a few hours. We will be promoting a separate vol roster in the lead up to the race so request those wishing to help to keep an eye out for the Roster details and list your details there when it's available (available shortly). If you intend volunteering, please claim the reduced entry price when you enter.

SCRATCHING:

Riders can withdraw without penalty up to 12 Noon FRIDAY before the race. You will be automatically refunded if you scratch within the cut-off.

ENTRIES ON THE DAY:

• All Kids enter on the day. Licensing is our only requirement.
• Seniors entering on the day - We offer a limited number of on-the-day entries each race. We definitely want to see people race and will do what we can but the simple fact is that you take a risk of not getting a start (eg say heaps of other people decided to enter on-the-day). Come early if it turns out you decide late you want to race, otherwise enter now.
  

WAITLISTING

You will be advised of your entry status by email after entering. It is possible that you will be waitlisted for your chosen grade if the rider count exceeds our pre-set limits (noting these are quite high for cross and generally not an issue). If you are waitlisted, you are basically waiting for a spot to come available through Scratchings or riders being re-graded. Many waitlisted riders end up riding so don't give up all hope of getting a ride. If you'd rather not wait and want to be removed for the waitlist, please Scratch yourself from the race.

RULES & GUIDELINES:

• GRADING GUIDANCE: http://goo.gl/W0fb5R Something to start with, otherwise email us fieldsofjoycx@gmail.com
• David Morgan's Rulebook: Rule No1: Have fun. Rule No2: If ever in doubt, refer Rule No1.
  

NEED TO CONTACT SOMEONE:

• Email us fieldsofjoycx@gmail.com or
• Message us through Facebook (facebook.com/fojcx)
• If you know us, just ring.