The Lead out: December 2025

It’s always a busy time of year, and with so many events happening, it can be hard to keep up! First, a huge congratulations to Genevieve Jordan, Sarah Gigante, and Luke Plapp (team award) for their AusCycling Athlete of the Year honors. Our Brunswick teams have also shone brightly at recent events, with Brunswick finishing 3rd overall in the Blackline Track series and 4th at AJTS with Omer Kirmizi taking 3rd in the U17 category, well done to everyone who represented the club.

A special shout-out to Quinn Rothenbuehler, who delivered an outstanding performance to claim the senior women’s crown at the 88th Melbourne Cup on Wheels, one of the most prestigious events on the track calendar. Congratulations also to Ralph Hopkins, who showed great determination to take home the U11/13 category win. And we can’t overlook Sam Hudson, whose incredible act of sportsmanship deserves recognition - after finishing second in the men’s elite division at MCOW, Sam generously donated his prize money back to the club to help fund the AJTS team’s trip to Perth. This kind of selflessness truly embodies the spirit of our community, thank you, Sam!

After another successful Apple Crumble Gravel Crit, we want to thank all the riders who braved the incredibly wet and challenging conditions. The relentless rain turned the course into a true test of skill and endurance, but it only added to the excitement and made the event even more memorable! A huge thank you also goes to our amazing volunteers, whose hard work kept everything running smoothly, a special mention to David Park and all the photographers who braved the weather to capture the suffering, and to our fantastic supporters, Knog, Pedla, and Wondercross for helping make the day possible. Planning is already underway for the third edition in early February, so stay tuned on our socials for details.

If you’d like to get involved in running Apple Crumble or any other club event, whether it’s Tuesday night racing, Junior Clinic, Aces, or even bringing a new idea, please reach out; we’re always happy to welcome extra hands. Speaking of help, we’ll be holding a working bee on January 17th, where we’ll be cleaning bikes, fixing bar tape, doing a stock-take, and tackling all those little jobs that keep things running smoothly. Volunteers are very much needed, so if you can spare some time, we’d love to see you there!

And finally, after months of talk, Cam’s last Moto session is set for December 18. He didn’t want us to mention it, but sorry Cam, we couldn't help ourselves.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year!

Ride Safe,

Ben