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The Johannesburg Mountain Bike Club, or JMBC, was conceived in 1989 and has celebrated its
nineteenth birthday and continues to celebrate the fun art of riding a bike in the dirt.
With a membership base of around one hundred, the JMBC is possibly one of the
largest social mountain bike clubs in Africa. The club organizes social rides on most weekends of the
year, catering for the majority of members by providing rides that are grouped for a range of
fitness and skill levels.
Volunteer mountain bike enthusiasts organize and run the club and the
rides and more helpers are always welcome.
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2008 JMBC Logwood Classic
Keep September the 14th free for the Annual JMBC Logwood Classic. Click HERE for more info
2008 JMBC Tour de Jozi
Once again, thanks to Don, it was a resounding success!! Everyone had fun, very few mechanicals and only a couple of injuries (get well soon guys).
Check out the ride reports on the message board.
Listen Up! We've Changed our ride names...
The JMBC ride names have changed in order to:
Update and modernize them
Make them more descriptive than the old names (which have become somewhat meaningless over the years)
The new names embody both the ethos of mountain biking, and the wild spirit of the continent on which we ride!
DOMESTICATED (Previously Family) - Shorter, easier rides aimed primarily at beginners in the sport, and at families with young riders.
UNTAMED (Previously Wild) - Mid distance rides, usually containing some technical sections, aimed at those who have been riding a while
and who are comfortable and proficient on their mountain bikes.
FERAL (Previously Eco) - Longer rides, oftentimes fairly technical as well, aimed at experienced and fit riders who can take on the challenge
and survive! Popular with those training for long distance or stage events. Definitely not for beginners.
Bare in mind that the different speed groups within each ride category still apply as before:
Green: average 10kph, wait for the slowest rider (usually no Green groups on Feral rides)
Yellow: average 13kph
Red: average 15kph
Blue: average 18kph (Usually no blue group on Domesticated rides)
BRING YOUR BIKE, BRING YOURSELF AND COME AND PLAY...
JMBC 19th Annual General Meeting
The 19th Annual General Meeting of the club took place Sunday 2nd March at Teaspoon & Tankard – following a good ride around the Logwood/Lanseria area.
An interesting ride also - given the exceptionally long grass and thick undergrowth following all the rain we have had in recent months.
I couldn't get over the difference between now and September last year when the Logwood Classic was held, the countryside was quite barren then
whereas now it reminded me of that "Livingston/Rolux Magnum" ad!
Always interesting riding in such conditions, you are never too sure what dangers lie concealed in the dense undergrowth!
Fortunately everyone survived intact and all returned to T&T in time for the commencement of the AGM at 11am.
We had a pleasing turnout of around 30 people – a big thanks to all those who attended. Any club IS its members and it's always encouraging when
members take the time and effort to turn up to show an interest in club affairs, to provide criticism (hopefully constructive!), and valuable input.
The main items arising at the AGM were the following:
The club continues to be a visible, proud and vibrant entity on the Gauteng mtb scene;
Our new-look cycling tops and recent t-shirts are outstanding and have greatly improved and consolidated JMBC's image and 'brand';
Financially JMBC continues to be in a strong position and as such is able to maintain an independent identity without the need to align to any particular sponsor;
JMBC is fortunate to have not only a competent and active committee who freely give of their time for the benefit of club rides and affairs, but also a core of dedicated members who likewise give of their time and expertise to assist with club events such as the Logwood Classic, skills clinics, ride leaders and sweeps, reconnaissance of new ride routes, etc.
Licensing within the cycling community, particularly the mountainbiking community, continues to be a contentious issue and the detail of the licensing mechanism itself is far from finalized - however your committee believes that in the longer term licensing is here to stay, that it will provide benefits to the sport as a whole, and that consequently JMBC as a club should support and be part of the initiatives currently underway by both the national and provincial cycling bodies;
To this end JMBC is an affiliated club, and a portion of each members annual membership fee is paid across to CGC;
The annual club race being the Logwood Classic continues to be a strong favourite amongst Gauteng mountainbikers - entries reached record levels in 2007 and JMBC continues to be in the fortunate position to not only cover all costs of the event, but in fact to make a sizable profit which in accordance with our policy is donated to the Logwood Village;
Our two annual 'epic' rides, the Tour-de-Jozi and the Dam-to-Dam, continue to grow in appeal amongst not only our own membership base, but also members of other clubs who are welcome to join in these rides;
The 2007 committee as well as members present gave special thanks to the outgoing Chairman Abri Smit, who took over the position at a difficult time for the club, and who provided valuable input and guidance which has been very much appreciated over the past two years;
Thanks was also given to Fritz van der Merwe who did an excellent job in coordinating the Family rides for the major part of the 2007 year;
the 2008 committee was nominated and elected as follows:
- Chairman: Keith Bingë
- Treasurer: John Cullen
- Logwood Classic Race Director: Melanie Hirse
- Special Projects Director: Melody Maddocks
- Webmaster: Adam Caine
- Chief Ride Coordinator: Don Buchanan
- ECO ride coordinator: Gregg Schneeberger
- WILD ride coordinator: [to be advised]
- FAMILY ride coordinator: Clinton van Winkel
On behalf of the incoming 2008 committee I thank you all for the trust placed in us to take the club forward into the new year – we will exercise
our best endeavors to grow JMBC, to keep your club at the forefront of the Gauteng mtb scene, and to provide safe, varied, interesting and most
importantly FUN weekly rides for mountainbikers of all ages and abilities.
Thank you,
Keith Bingë
Shenk's Farewell
Unfortunately, the end of 2007 saw us bidding farewell to Erich, Ursula and Stephan Schenk. Switzerland has reclaimed one of the clubs
favourite and hardworking families. All of us will wholeheartedly miss them, however they have graciously left us with a goodbye message
and their contact details (listed under the Contact link);
Dear MTB Colleagues,
With this we wish to express our sincere thanks to all of you, for the JMBC Cycle Shirt we have been given.
We will be remembering you guys each occasion when we will be climbing one of the many mountains in Switzerland and the hart rate goes to its limit and the Shirt is drenched in sweat or soaked from the rain.
In our toughs you are always in memory, such a great bunch of People you are.
Please keep the spirits up especially in savor for times when it is not to easy going.
With this we like to extent to all of you our Invitation to visit, to stay with us when you will be travelling to this part of the World.
Best wishes to all of you now and the future
Merry Christmas and a happy new year
Kind Regards
JMBC Spruit Clean up
The club recently held the first (of many) trail maintenance days during which we cleanup and
maintain our allocated section of the Braamfontein Spruit.
Thanks to Melody for all her organisation and for all who came along to help on the day.
Check out pictures of the day in our Gallery!!
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