Post date: Mar 19, 2012 8:7:38 AM
Hello Vets, welcome to another issue of The Bleat. In this week’s issue;
· A week of clear weather – at last, a whole week of riding not interrupted by rain. Race reports below.
· Do you have a good idea? – we need some ideas for next year, why? See below.
· This week’s Member Profile looks at club regular, Linda Stals.
Please send me contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton.
Next year marks the 20th Anniversary of the ACT Veterans Cycling Club (21st August to be precise). It also happens to be the Centenary of the ACT.
We are looking for suggestions as to something we could do next year to celebrate the anniversary of the club with a tie in to the Centenary celebrations.
All suggestions gratefully received.
RACING THIS WEEK:
Where: Stromlo Forest Park Circuit.
Sign on: 15 mins before your grade's scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
When: (approximate start and race times): G at 5:45 for 15 min+2; AB at 6:05 for 30 min+2; CD at 6:40 for 25min+2; EF at 7:10 for 20 min+2. NOTE that race times will be reduced in the coming weeks as daylight fades earlier. If the weather is overcast, it is a good idea to time your arrival at the track a little earlier in case start times are brought slightly forward to allow for this.
Event: Stromlo Graded Criteriums
Race Director: Graham Tanton
Contact: grahamtanton@hotmail.com Ph 61610045
Where: Queanbeyan Park
When: Warm up from 5:30 pm; first race at 6:00 pm.
Event: This week will see a continuation of the four event Omnium Championship at the Queanbeyan Track.
Last week’s events were:
1. a standing start one lap sprint event
2. a standing start 4 lap pursuit style endurance event
This week’s events are:
3. a Scratch Race – endurance event
4. a Sprint Derby – sprint event
The track racing season will conclude next week (29 March) with a single scratch race and barbeque. All club members are welcome, particularly participants in this year’s track season. Meat and soft drinks will be provided by the club. Please bring a plate for salads etc and anything else desired..
Contact: track@actvets.cc
As always events can be found on the RMS and more detail at http://www.actvets.cc/track/tracknews
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Time: 8:00 am
Sign-on: At least 15 minutes before scheduled race time. Numbers must be worn on the bottom left of your jersey.
Race Description: Time Trial
Race Director: Mike Spoljaric
Contact:; (02) 6297 6168
Help Needed on Sunday: We will also require some road marshals and at least two others to help at the start/finish. Please advise if you can help.
G Grade:
In a small field, David Gould took the honours from Bruce Jones in a sprint to the line with Helen King coming in third.
C Grade and D Grade
Looks like C and D Grade finally made their peace with the weather Gods. No downpours this week as they took the starting line.
In C Grade Mark Vardy took the 10 points from Steve Hosking and Paul Ledbrook.
In D Grade Peter Harding took the race from Adrian Keogh with Linda Banks coming in third.
E Grade and F Grade:
In good conditions, E Grade set a quick pace with Bradley Sellwood taking the points from Ron Parello and Ian Morton coming in third.
F Grade saw David Dufield take the race with Mick Donaldson in second and Phil Coulton coming in third
A Grade and B Grade:
The nice weather brought a good contingent of A and B grade riders. In A Grade Felix Pirie came in ahead of Steve Jone and Stephen Blackburn.
In B Grade, Chris Millman won ahead of Christophe Barberet and Paul Angelatos..
Many Thanks to Race Director – Peter Prammer
On a sunny but cool and windy morning, 58 riders decided to give the Lookout Hill scratch race a go. The course was different to that advertised with the riders heading from Lookout Hill, turning just before Tharwa and then all the way past Tidbinbilla turning again at the tracking station road intersection to return back to Lookout Hill. The course distance was about 35kms. In A grade David Rae took the win followed by Steve Jones and Christophe Barberet in a fairly even contest. It was much the same in B grade with the win going to Aaron Sedgmen and the minor places to Marc Vroomans and Peter Young. In C grade it was a different story with an emphatic win to Paul Angelatos who should be riding in at least B grade, the other places were filled by Steve Schwenke and Brad Tuohy in a close contest. D grade was another close race with Andrew Hislop taking the win closely followed by Ben Robey and Simon Milnes.
The E grade race was the closest of the day with Daniel Partridge taking the win from David Gunther both on the same time, closely followed by Rosemary Robinson. F grade managed to have a close race for first and second which was taken by Barbara Bayliss and Dennis Puniard, Bob Egan was a distant third. In G grade there were just the two riders and David Gould took the win from Bernie Crowe.
Thanks go to our race director Peter Klein, and marshals Mark Gillett, Peter Wallbrink, Michael Fawke and James Meredith. Also a big thank you to Graham Hendrie who drove the ACT Vets van to the event and setup. .
Our next member profile looks at club regular, Linda Stals;
How long have you been a member of ACT Vets?
I first joined the ACT Vets in 2006.
What is your favourite course in the ACT Vets racing calendar and why?
I do not have a favourite course in the sense there is no particular course I look forward to racing.
I find all of the courses challenging. I always get nervous irrespective of where the race is and I can always find an aspect of any course to complain about.
In terms of just riding a course, my favourite is Uriarra. I find it particularly peaceful and it will be a shame when the housing starts to build up in the area.
What do you like about track cycling?
There are two main reasons why I like track cycling. Firstly, I enjoy sprinting. Before starting a sprint I always think about who has really annoyed me that day. I then use that aggression to get me around the track, and when I finish I feel nice and calm. Very therapeutic. The other reason I like track cycling is because it is the most social form of racing the Vets has on its calendar. With the road races and crits we only have a chance for a short chat before and after the race; with the track we get to cheer the other riders on, watch some racing ourselves and, most importantly, have an opportunity to pick on Anton.
What Grade did you start in with the Vets?
I started as a G grade rider, and stayed there for a number of years. What I consider to be one of the best aspects of the club is that you can be a rider of just about any ability and still feel like you belong.
How long have you been cycling?
I have been riding for about 30 years. It was my main form of transportation as a teenager. It was also my form of transportation when I lived in Europe. But, I did not take up riding as a sport until about 12 years ago.
What got you interested in cycling?
I initially started cycling as a means of transportation. What has kept me riding is the sense of freedom that comes with being on the bike. There are no computers, no emails, no complaining work colleges etc. None of the usual daily worries can catch you while you are on the bike.
What was your most memorable ride?
My most memorable ride is the Between the Waters Bike Tour in Chesapeake (USA). It was my first big organised bike ride. It was largely flat and not particularly challenging, but very well organised. I would like to go back and do it again someday.
What is/was your favourite bike?
I do not have a favourite bike. I have three babies and they are all special. Each bike is for a different type of racing, I just use whichever one is appropriate for the race.
Where do you work?
I am a lecturer in the Mathematics Department at the ANU.
How do you find the time to train?
I have difficulty finding time to train. I usually have my holidays around December when I do as much bike riding as I can. This time of the year my training goal is not to lose the fitness I built up during the holidays. Inevitably, I end up watching it slip away.
Do you have a special training regime?
Other than the Vet races, the only training I have is an hour on a wind-trainer in the evening. I have some DVDs which have helped to develop my riding technique. They are better than nothing, but a poor substitute to actually being on the road.
I also do some weights and resistance training 2-3 times a week.
What does your family think of your cycling?
My family supports my riding, but they don't understand why anyone would want to do it in the first place. It is a bit of a source of amusement to them.
An interesting fact about yourself;
I spent six years holding various Postdoctoral Research Fellow positions overseas. I spent one year in Germany, one year in England and three years in the USA. I was also a Visiting Scientist at ICASE NASA Langley.
See our website for list of future events and allocated race directors. http://rms.actvets.cc/
Please notify James Jordan (handicapper@actvets.cc) if you are unable to meet your obligations or provide a substitute director in your absence. If you are unable to direct for any reason please try to make alternative arrangements by swapping with other allocated Directors. If you cannot make a swap please give us at least a week's notice so we can call for a replacement in a timely fashion.
Graham Tanton (20/3/12)
Mike Spoljaric (25/3/12)
Terry Moore (27/3/12)
Bill Frost (31/3/12) – Gunning 2 Day
Eryn Tompos (3/4/12)
Kelvin Alley (14/4/12)
Greg Burghardt (21/4/12)
Chris Daly (28/4/12)