Post date: Nov 09, 2013 1:52:18 AM
Hello Vets,
In this week’s Bleat;
· Recollections of ACT Vets Racing
· Old Federal Highway attacker pleads guilty
· The new handicapper gets down to work
· Changes to Events
· Upcoming Events
· Racing this Week
· Race Reports
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton.
As part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations, we are looking for stories, photos, any recollections from the last 20 years of racing in the ACT Vets. Please send the highlights, the lowlights, the interesting and quirky to me at TheBleat@actvets.cc
The individual who was harassing cyclists on the Old Federal Highway earlier this year has pleaded guilty in court;
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-04/man-pleads-guilty-to-attacking-cyclists/5068528
Hopefully this will curb his behaviour towards the cycling community.
New handicapper Robert Langridge has got straight down to work and cast his discerning gaze across the performance of club members.
Below is a list of riders who have been graded for the first time, regraded or graded so that their grade matches the grade they are actually riding in. Please check the RMS before your next race to confirm your new grade.
Due to some clashes, we will have to make some changes to the following events;
SFP booked on the Tuesday so we will reschedule to Monday 11th.
The Tour de Femme is a women’s-only twenty four kilometer ride that doubles as both a race and a participation event. Full details at http://www.canberracyclingclub.org.au/women/tour-de-femme/
· Sat 18th Road Race - Graded at The Range Willunga
· Mon 20th Time Trial - 5 yr age div – Woodchester to Langhorne Creek return
· Wed 22nd Hill Climb – 6 kms - 5 yr age div – bike track Mt Barker Rd Glen Osmond
· Thurs 23rd Criterium – Graded – Victoria Park Criterium track Adelaide city
Registration including an early-bird incentive will be on the www.savca.org.au website soon.
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; E/F Grade@ 6:07 - 19min + 2 laps; A/B Grade@ 6:34 - 30min + 2 laps; C/D Grade@ 7:10 - 23min + 2 laps
Race Director: Ian Shaw
Contact: Email: ihshaw@gotalk.net.au Ph 0401794987 or 62538661
Crit Marshals and Helpers needed
Ian will need a couple of helpers 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: 3 – 4 short events per session with a mixture of scratch, handicap, sprinting and team events;
No race this weekend.
Reminder that next week’s Crit is on Monday night.
Last Tuesday 95 riders came out to play crits on a windy and coolish afternoon. The G graders kicked off and managed to keep it together for all but the final lap as shorty Meredith put on a withering breakaway reminiscent of a Thursday track sprint and got the chocolates from Sue Beaton with Mr Jones filling the final podium spot.
A and B graders up next with the B’s somewhat relieved to be playing with themselves for the evening and the A Train has been quite brutal in setting race tempo, both the A’s and B’s were circulating and a fair pace early on and midway through race schedule a small crack appeared with four A’s breaking away, Dave the trusty timekeeper managed to keep everyone’s attention on the countdown clock moving from 1S to 1H and finally 1E, its lucky no-one realized that 1E had meant the race had started again. Trevor Rix headed the breakaway seemingly forever and chewing up the calories by the lap out front right up until the last 600 with Ian Downing exploding up the back straight, only Glen Columbine and Ben Camody able to go with Ian and finished in that order. The B’s showing better group manners played the safety in numbers with the wind allowing El Presidente to break out and give it a solid hit down the home straight and in doing so cleared the field with Paul Frankcom and Al Bontjer getting the minor places.
Next up were C and Delta Force, once again pre-race briefings underway and for some reason Dave reaches in a wonders “what’s that button do” on the loudhailer. Much to everyone’s surprise it was an air raid siren and almost impossible to turn off. C and D away and 15 minutes of coaxing to get Henry out of the bunker, Mike and Terry doing the best to assure Henry that the Messerschmitt’s had indeed passed by safely. C was a race amongst the usual suspects, with Dale Kleeman, Bryan Holloway and Chris Kon taking the spots and doing a really bad job of hiding from the handicapper. Delta force mixed it up quite a bit and some new faces made their way to the podium with Sean Smith, Chris Simpson and Gareth Millar getting the honours for Delta.
Last group away were the E’s and F Troop, racing as a single bunch due to lack of numbers in F, all away and finally a eureka moment with Dave remembering 42 years of Sesame Street and correctly rendered the number 4 on the timing board, the mixed bunch contested quite fiercely in the conditions that were slowly improving at the end of the night allowing for several breaks off the front, all ultimately rolled up quickly by a pursing bunch not keen on giving up easy metres. Tony Henry took the prize from a fast finishing Jon Barnes and Andrew Welsh. Julianne Quaine getting the honours in a reduced F grade field.
Thanks to Mike McGurgen, Terry Danaher and Dave Clarke for marshalling and of course Henry Beaverstock for keeping everyone under control.
Thanks to Steve Dean for Race Refereeing.
Report from E Grade
The race this evening was to be 16 min + 2 laps, anti-clockwise around the circuit. This meant that it was going to be a downhill sprint, into a brisk wind. There was a good turnout of 20 riders in E grade, with a couple of F grade riders along for the ride as well. Whilst there were a few well known faces from weekend races, there were a few that I recognised but at least half the field I was unfamiliar with. There was at least 4 who were new riders going by the TBA for grading next to their names in the results.
I haven’t been able to get away for mid week racing on a regular basis for years so perhaps some of the riders I didn’t know are opposite to me and can only come out mid week but not at weekends.
I was a little apprehensive but I was looking forward to the chance to actually finish a race in E grade with the bunch.
The race got underway at a steady enough speed, but it wasn’t long before a bloke I think I recognised, but was wearing a visitor number (704) broke away on about the second lap. Some of the keener riders started to mount a chase however I suggested that if he was that antisocial to ride on his own then we should let him. This helped take the sting out of the race for the next 8 minutes or so until he finally succumbed to the conditions, which were much better for those of us sharing the load in the bunch. After that there were a couple of surges, but there were no serious attacks.
With a lap and a half to go 704 broke away again on the way up the hill. At the top of the hill he had built up a gap, which started to open pretty rapidly when no-one wanted to do any work into the wind with just over a lap to go. I wasn’t particularly keen to play that game so I put on a bit of pace and even opened a gap on the field with one other for company. He seemed keen to come through for a turn and for a moment I thought we would make a real go of it as we caught the breakaway. However we didn’t manage to get to the downwind leg with a gap, which would have been the first target. However the bunch was now pretty well strung out.
I got to the top of the finish straight in third wheel but the two riders in front were tiring and would get washed away. The rush was launched from the back and four riders came past me pretty quickly, I tried to accelerate with them but it was not enough although I was closing in on one of them at the end. I was pretty happy with 5th in the end, I haven’t been in a bunch sprint for a while. I got into good position, but didn’t have the legs when I needed them.
Notes to the Handicapper:
Tony the winner always rode strongly and looked very comfortable. E grade for now but needs to be on the radar.
Andrew in third at least had the decency to look like he was under pressure at times. E grade seems to be a good Criterium grade.
John in sixth rode a good race, will improve with more experience in E grade.
704 didn’t ride a tactically good race, but was strong. He’s on my radar at least.
Thanks to Cameron Ermert for the report.
Cameron’s rear wheel vision available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUb-5GRWz1M
Track results can be found at;
http://www.actvets.cc/track/tracknews
I set out to Old Federal Highway in what was perfect weather for a bike ride. When checking the course I met Ian who was putting the signs up, We both agreed, with some confidence, that it was perfect weather for a bike ride. While waiting for the van to arrive James and I both discussed how it was indeed perfect weather for a bike ride. Something somewhere went wrong, as demonstrated by the severe weather warning that I heard on the radio on my home. The wind was an absolute shocker resulting in a large number of DNFs and very unhappy faces as riders turned for the second loop to Tulip Farm.
There is not much to report in terms of the race as the wind split most of the grades very quickly. The only grades that stayed together were C and F grades, otherwise the race consisted of a long stream of small groups of riders. The winner, Steve Crispin, road an impressive ride in the wind on his own for most of the race. Despite the terrible conditions, there are no incidents to report and I did not hear of anyone making use of the lounge on the side of the road, which must have been so tempting.
I would like to thank all the marshals for their help. I would also like to thank them for letting me know about their offers to marshals well in advance of the race. From a director's point of view, it is such a relief to know that you will have that support available on race day. The marshals are Henry Beaverstock, James Meredith, Pat Rooke, Kevin Hennessy, James Cruden, Cameron Ermert, Marc Vroomans, Mark Skimmings, Sean Ifland and Dale Kleeman. Also thanks to Ian for putting the signs out and to Graham for driving the van and uploading the results.
Thanks to Linda Stals for Race Refereeing.