Some woke with groggy heads and some never even got to sleep. But on New Years morning on the Gold Coast, a diverse range of the people and organizations came together to kick off 2010 in fine form.
The 2010 New Years Day Criterium was put on by local cyling club the Gold Coast Goldstars (www.goldstarscyclingclub.com.au). The event featured everything from the Junior development races to the main event – the Daniel Bennett Cat 1 Memorial Race which often features preeminent local riders like Robbie McEwen (who’s this year down at the Bay Crits).
Daniel Bennett was a local rider who emigrated from South Africa when he was 16. He was an extremely promising U23 rider who rode with a professional European team for a half season in 2005 and a full season in 2006. Unfortunately his life was cut short and his full potential would never be realised.
You can read more about his story at the fund’s website: www.danielbennettfund.com
The fund works on developing other local talent and giving them the opportunity to harness their ambition and compete against the best. The fund offers scholarships to support the travel, accommodation and other costs involved in competing in events around Australia.
Supporting the event was In2Cycles who have a local store. (www.In2Cycles.com.au) Some of the Primes were store vouchers and they support a few local riders as well.
The name sponsor of the event was Bendigo Bank. The event benefits greatly from the financial support of Bendigo Bank (www.bendigobank.com.au) and particularly from the drive of Gold Coast Regional Manager, Martin Banfield – an avid supporter and regular entrant.
“Sport and recreation is a big part of the local lifestyle here, and Bendigo Bank is proud to be a part of it. It’s great to see so many people getting involved in both recreational and competitive cycling”
This desire to be a valuable part of the community is shared by the friends and relatives of the greater community. These kinds of events are always supported by a cast of volunteers who generously devote time and money to supporting their community. Without them there would be no registrars, no neutral service, no water bottle distributors and no wild supporters cheering you on. And this happens not just on New Years Day, but every weekend and in thousands of communities across the country.
So on the Gold Coast, with the support of local charities, businesses and volunteers 2010 started in great fashion and this momentum will be carried through every weekend for the rest of it. No doubt you’ll enjoy a similar community-style cycling culture in your town.
We encourage you to get behind your local cycling community too. And we wish you and your bike all the best for the coming year!
