Category: Challenge

The OzHPV Challenge is a 2 day open-design multi-race cycling event with races designed to determine the best overall vehicles and rider.

Scoring method and Prizes (Human Power only)

There will be Men’s, Women’s, Junior (under 15) and Senior (over 50) Divisions of the Challenge. In each race, riders score 1 point for 1st place, 2 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd etc. Riders with lowest overall points will be division winners, and Women’s, Junior and Senior’s scores will be separated from other scores for results calculations. If riders miss a race they will score one point more than the person placing last in the race. Riders’ highest race scores will be eliminated, so with  8 races overall, the best 7 results count. As a guide, Pedal prix cars could run faired on the Saturday, unfaired on the Sunday.

Certificates to be awarded to the first 3 places in each event winners and there is a trophy to keep for overall senior / open / junior and women’s winners.

Electric Bikes

A trophy will be awarded for “Best Electric Bike” but this may not be based on performances in races. Electric assist vehicles (some human power input required) with up to 250W of additional power are welcome to compete in races but will be ineligible for race scoring, race certificates and other trophies.

Silvester Football Oval / Budget Accommodation

Coleraine’s Silvester Oval will be used for Sunday races and budget accommodation for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Some cooking facilities are available.

Raffles and Giveaways

Due to generous donations of goods and time, we are offering raffle tickets for major prizes of restored bicycles and recumbents. Anyone who enters (electric or human powered ) or books accommodation is automatically entered in the draw. Free, new bicycle parts (derailleurs, cassettes, pedals etc.) will also be available for paying challenge participants.

Saturday Courses

Coleraine Street Course Map – Approx 1 km with full road closures

Hill Climb Map: Approx 500m with part or full road closures

Proposed Full Event Schedule

October 30: Arrival

5pm Silvester oval open for arrivals and overnight accommodation

October 31: Track Day starting at Coleraine Information Centre, Pilleau Street

9:30- 10 am Registration, receive numbers and transponders.

Race 1: 10:30 am Time trial, timed full lap of street course

Race 2: 11:30am 1 hour road race on street course

Race 3: 12:40pm Timed Go to Whoa, Standing start from Mcconnochie/ Roberts, U turn at  Mcconnochie / Read, come to a complete stop within a 3m box at Mcconnochie / Young St

Race 4: 1:40pm Hill Climb: Timed climb of Golf Course Road  

2:40pm Presentation of first day certificates and Raffle prizes, Silvester Oval 

3:30pm Social ride starting Winter St bridge near Silvester oval: A ride of approximately 2 hours starting on Coleraine Cavendish Road. Left turn at Douglas Road. Follow Douglas Road to Coleraine / Balmoral Road and turn left. Continue until the Glenelg Highway. Turn left and return to Coleraine. Note: Douglas Road has a short steep section, you may need to walk your bike.

7pm Pub gathering with optional dinner.

November 1: Racing at Silvester St Oval

Race 5: 10am Shopping Race: Collect and drop off luggage and shopping around a defined course

Race 6: 10:40am Roll down: Start near the stadium and roll down without pedalling. Results are based on who rolls furthest

Race 7: 11:20am Dual slalom: 2 riders negotiate a series of cones on separate tracks with times determining position

Race 8: 12:20 pm 30 minute Off road circuit race. Full Anticlockwise laps of the Silvester St Oval.

1:30pm Presentations, Silvester Oval. End of Challenge Competition

3:00 pm Social ride starting Winter St bridge near Silvester oval to Zig Zag road with details to be confirmed

November 2: 9am checkout from football oval. Cavendish or Merino Social Ride with details to be confirmed

Trophy labels and completed a set of trophies for the OzHPV Challenge to be held in Coleraine in October / November.

These trophies will be ready months in advance of the Challenge!
The labels were ordered and received on the same day!

Thanks to excellent service from Southern Cross Trophies.

Looking forward to these being handed out in November.

Regards Steve Nurse.

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• M5 Speedliner
• Peugeot Mixte
• Cruzbike Sigma LWB
• Roulandt recumbent LWB
• TW Bents SWB
• Optima Stinger Lowracer

M5 Speedliner
– Value approx. $600

By Damien Harkin from Huff July-August 2002

We bought this bike from De Ligfiets in Gent, Belgium in 1999.

Although it’s a classic M5 model, the frame was built by Speedliner.
I think this was an outsourcing experiment that M5 later abandoned, and this bike was more or less a ‘runout special’.

Its an elegant cruiser, with steel frame, 20/26 inch wheels, above seat steering, rear suspension. The front wheel has radial spokes.

Some pretty curves are formed by the typical M5 banana swingarm and the chromed carry rack.

Front and rear derailleurs are worked by GripShifters and give a range of 29-113 gear inches.

It weighs 17kg. It has very narrow chromed steel rims, and tasty red V-brakes.

This bike has a pogo problem. Climbing hills was really laughable because the suspension is soft and the chain-pull was really lifting the rear suspension at each stroke. I removed the idler wheel under the seat to bring the chainline closer to the swingarm pivot but then the chain started banging against the brake pivot on the swingarm.

I’ve now put the chain into a plastic irrigation tube that runs from right near the rear cluster all the way to the front chain rings. This tube still touches the brake pivot but the chain runs quietly inside. Maybe the chain will wear through this tube in time but plastic tube is very cheap.

The bike is extremely comfortable, and very stable at low speeds. I don’t like the feel of it at higher speeds. Mainly the rear suspension is too soft – hitting big bumps at speed can really upset the bike. But Sarah loves it as it is so I have no intention of ‘improving’ it.

Restorer’s notes by Stephen Nurse May 2026

By 2026, this bike had fallen into disrepair, and it was kindly donated by the Harkin family to benefit OzHPV.

The seat was loose, the gearshift cracked, the tyres cracked and she generally needed maintenance.

The rims Damien mentioned are by Delfi and the V-brakes are by Saccon.

Gear and brake actuators are now Shimano and she has new handlebar grips.

The seat has been remounted with padding from inner tubes and the bike is cleaned up and ready to go.

Included with the bike is a spare front wheel.
It was hard to fit tyres to the Delfi rims and the rear wheel is  standard 26” MTB size.

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Peugeot Mixte Bike – Geelong Red
– Approximate Value $350

This bike was purchased in Geelong as part of a bulk lot and super large jigsaw puzzle of Peugeot bikes and parts.

She has been thoroughly cleaned, serviced and the brake levers, drivetrain, wheels and tyres updated and replaced.

She now has 700c aluminium wheels and gravel bike tyres.

The single front ring gear range is  34 to 107” compared to the original 2 ring transmission with 39 to 99”.  So the gearing is now wider range and with only one shifter, also easier to use.

Weight with the load carrying milk crate is about 15kg, the milk crate can be removed in about a minute, and all of the front load carrying is bolt-on, bolt off, and the crate and cushion can be used as a picnic chair.

There are 2 blog posts related to this bike and its load carrying:

• https://modularbikes.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-peugeot-project.html
• https://modularbikes.blogspot.com/2026/03/load-carrying-on-watsonia.html

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 – Coleraine – 31st Oct – 1st Nov 2026
(Melbourne cup long weekend) (TBC ASAP)

The OzHPV Challenge is a 2 day open-design multi-event cycling designed to determine the best overall vehicles and riders.
Steve Nurse got the idea of holding a Challenge in Coleraine came after visiting his Aunt’s old home there in November 2025. It was very quiet on that Melbourne Cup long weekend and it seemed like it could be livened up. The local football club at Silvester Oval looked like a great venue for budget accommodation and some races.

Steve has put together a great summary of work done so far on his blogspot:

Modular Bikes: Coleraine Recce Trip

Prize Giveaways!

To attract riders to the Challenge we are offering a pool of prizes available to anyone who enters the event as a competitor.

Major prizes will be drawn on the Saturday afternoon of the event with a limit of one major prize per person.

Prizes come from sponsors, and OzHPV members and their network.

Bikes and recumbents have been donated, then worked on, serviced and restored, all as part of our effort to promote the Challenge.

• Challenge Schedule
• Challenge 2026 Trophies
• Challenge Prizes
• 2026 Annual Challenge
• Challenge 2025 – Gosford

This year’s Challenge may have a slightly different format from past events.

Staff at Macquarie University in Sydney has proposed running short course speed challenge at the Gosford velodrome later this year under the OzHPV banner.

This event would be open to competitors utilising either faired or unfaired trikes that are challenging records that would have average speeds that would be safe for the banking at this location.

The challenge has always aimed to test riders and human powered vehicles in a broad range of events to work out the best overall and races have included time trials, 1 hour circuit races, off road races, criterium races, twin slalom and shopping race with the overall winners the best in the whole range of events.

In keeping with this philosophy the short course speed challenge could replace the traditional speed events with the practicality tests next day.

Feedback on this concept is welcome from all interested parties.

Please let us know if you are interested.