Post date: Nov 13, 2012 12:3:31 AM
Hello Vets,
In this issue of The Bleat;
· Racing this Week
· Race Reports
· Update on Paul Miller - from Jeff Culnane
· Track Season 2012-13
· Request for help – for a disabled rider
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton.
Where: Stromlo Forrest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description: G Grade@ 5:45 - 13min + 2 laps; C/D Grade@ 6:07 - 24min + 2 laps; E/F Grade@ 6:39 - 20min + 2 laps; A/B Grade@ 7:07 - 31min + 2 laps
Race Director: Peter Klein
Contact: Email: pklein12@tpg.com.au Ph 6292 6592
Reminder
All racing is now $5 per event. Please ensure you have the correct fees.
Crit Marshals and Helpers needed
Helpers will be needed on the night. If you are racing you can still get there early or stay after your race to help out.
Important Information: Late Arrivals
It is a condition of our Insurance that all riders receive a referee’s briefing before the commencement of racing to ensure that they are aware of racing conditions.
All riders need to ensure that they arrive in sufficient time to sign-on and be briefed before the commencement of racing.
Where: Queanbeyan Track
When: 6:00 pm
Details: Warm up from 5:30 first race at 6pm. Scratch races, two lap handicap, derny races and Italian pursuits. Road and track bikes welcome
Where: Lookout Hill, Tidbinbilla Rd
When: 8:00 am
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description: Start Lookout Hill - Pt Hut - Apollo Rd - Pt Hut - finish Lookout Hill
Race Director: Michael Fawke
Contact: Email: mjfawke@internode.on.net 6223 2291
Help Needed on Saturday: Michael will need 4 Marshals and helpers at the finish line to run the race. Please contact him before the weekend if you can assist.
A points race on Melbourne Cup day marked a change in criterium racing for the Vets, expanding from its clockwise and anticlockwise scratch race format. I don't have the results to describe the final sprints but here are a few observations. First up was G grade and Bruce Jones toyed with his opposition by beating them in the sprint then letting them regather, then beating them again. Rad Leovic backed up well after his epic weekend in the Triple Tri.
F grade stayed together for most of the race. Most notable was the comment from the peloton of "bugger" at the sound of the whistle on one occasion. Towards the end Barbara Bayliss and one other were in a break with the bell sounding but couldn't hold it to the end and were swamped by the sprinters.
E grade started aggressively with attacks from Aaron Rockey and Pat Rooke, but then sanity prevailed and they regathered after each of the sprints. With two laps to go Pat attacked again, but as the bell sounded she was facing a Fukushima-style meltdown, with the rest of E graders bearing down on her.
D were very orderly and regrouped after each sprint, with Richard Hedley taking out the points title.
Phil Walker was in all the action in C grade but didn't come away with many points. First he was chased down by Bianca Mauch and Catherine Kelaher. A second break by Phil also was chased down. With two to go, Jonathan Chowns thought he'd charge off for the five points, with Linda Banks in pursuit. This tactic failed Pat style, but left the race open for Catherine to win easily in the sprint, and perhaps a step up to B grade.
B grade surprisingly started with a Jason Parkes attack, sending spectators to their record books to see when this last occurred. Paul Welsh spent most of the race in front on his own but not when it mattered as Aaron Sedgmen was winning all the sprints.
Melbourne Cup day this year was one for the bookies, but in A grade the odds-on favourite was Mark Harris. As current NSW champion and Australian bronze medallist, Mark was destined to show his hand during the race. After the first sprint, Mark Gillett, Antony Bishop, Robert Bleeker and Sean Ifland got away, but were soon chased down by the Fawkeswagon, Michael Fawke. Halfway through Harris emerged and took a new lean Nick Boylan with him to nab the rest of the points. John Forrest tried to bridge the gap towards the end, staying clear from the bunch for third.
Thanks to Henry and Greg Rooke for helping out, and to Owain Tilley, Allan Bontjer, Alex O'Shea for being great place spotters.
Thanks to Robert Langridge for race refereeing.
The weather was prefect for track and for sitting on the prefect lawn of Queanbeyan Oval. Only 15 riders turned this week with usual fast boys obviously needing a rest from the fast pace of last week.
We started with a 10 lap scratch warmup for the Roadies which saw Ben Robey and newcomer Gary Waldron battle for the win with Gary winning. And for the Trackies the 12 lap scratch (thanks Anton) both grades combined with B grader Brad Sellwood winning – I think a re-grade might be in order.
Next was the season points event – a 1 Lap Time Trial. This required all riders to start holding the fence, then after a 5 second count down, ride as fast as they can to the finish line. The fastest rider wins. Roadies had to choose which gear combination they would use before starting; they could not change once started. Again newcomer Gary proved to be the winner with a time of 36.60 seconds. A Grade Trackies set the fastest time of the night of 35.40 – both Anton Wurzer and Jim Davey getting the same time. The B Grade saw another newbie Aaron Rockey win with a time of 35.88. Full results for the TT are in the RMS.
The next event was a 10 lap handicap – the Roadies had Ben and Gary off scratch, Adrian off 200m and Phil and Mike off 400m. Ben won closely followed by Phil. The combined Trackies had Anton, Eddie, Jim and Brad off scratch, Aaron off 200m, Linda, Pat, Steve and Ottmar off 400m. Steve won and Linda was 2nd.
Due to the days getting longer we were able to get one more race, a 8 lap scratch, for 6 keen trackies. The pace was steady with everyone taking turn on the front except Pat, who just hung for dear life. Anton just beat Eddie on the line.
Full results for all events can be found on the Track Racing page on the website.
Thanks for Graeme O’Neill and Greg Rooke for refereeing. Pat and Phil were the nominated First Aiders.
Paul was a long-term member of our club and regular racer on the road, in the crits, and on the track at Queanbeyan. Three weeks ago while riding his bike, he was hit by a car at a roundabout in Wanniassa and was critically injured. He suffered head trauma and fractures to the pelvis and damage around the neck. It was into the second week before he came out of a coma and he had pneumonia and limited use of the left hand. He had a tracheotomy tube inserted a few days ago.
I visited him today in the Intensive Care Unit at The Canberra Hospital. I am pleased to say his cognitive skills are good but he cannot yet speak and he gives the thumbs up signal to indicate agreement/acknowledgement. He also used his fingers to indicate a circle when I told him I had just completed my ninth successive Round the Bay ride, and he seemed animated at my comments reminiscing about our team pursuit endeavours at Dunc Gray velodrome.
Paul works at Qantas and he was in the team that brought back the then new Boeing 737-800 from Seattle for Prime Minister Howard. Club members who raced with Paul will remember him as a delightful and sincere bloke. I know that you will wish him an enduring recovery – it will be a long road back, though I think. His partner Sharon may be contacted on 0412 186 278.
John Armstrong is assisting a young man (Matthew Kallir-Prece) who has a number of disabilities to get better at riding his bike. One of the stumbling blocks for Matthew is his ability to discern which lever to push when changing gears – using shimano STI levers. John believes that if he were to get him onto Campagnolo levers, where he will need to use his thumb for a harder gear and his fingers for an easier gear, then he will be better able to change gears for himself.
As a result, John is chasing some Campagnolo gearing – and as there are 100 Vets that have got this gear on an old bike or even got this gear stashed away somewhere! He will require the complete drivetrain – levers, cluster, wheel and derailier.
If anyone could spare so old gear, please contact John at armstron@iinet.net.au