Post date: Mar 17, 2014 11:10:16 AM
Hello Vets,
A late Bleat this week;
· The handicapper’s been hard at work again
· Marshal Roster
· The silver Falcon sedan, rego YFK 51G nutter is at it again
· Racing this Week
· Race Report
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton.
This week's changes are a mixture of promotions based on performance, and others to rectify errors or match people to the grade they are actually riding in. Prior to racing on the road, please check the RMS to make sure your grading matches the one you intend to ride in. Please email me at handicapper@actvets.cc to note discrepancies.
Thanks,
Robert Langridge
As you are aware the club operates with a reliance on its members to contribute to the running of the various races. As such it is expected that each member should attend at least two races a year and assist by acting as a marshal. These duties are not particularly onerous and normally consist of manning a turn point or assisting at the start finish.
Unfortunately not all members have met this commitment in the past couple of years and it keeps falling on the same small number to provide assistance.
As such the Race Committee has decided to instigate a roster of members and assign them a race. Marshals assigned to the further NSW regional races can still request a payment to cover fuel costs if they undertake lead and follow car duties.
This roster will be found on the website under the Referees & Marshals Tab.
If you unable to make the date that you have been rostered the obligation is on you to find a replacement. It is recommended that you look at the roster and make your plans accordingly.
Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Another report of cyclist intimidation from that silver Falcon sedan, rego YFK 51G driver came to me today. Within the email history, the following advice was given by a retired AFP member - thought this was very good, and worth sharing with you (with the request that you follow it yourself if you suffer the same intimidation from this guy):
It is not true that police need hard (photographic) evidence. Witness statements are enough to substantiate a charge especially when there are two of you who witnessed the event. The alleged offender has the right to deny allegations and then it is up to a court to decide. I suggest that you could follow up your complaint again and request traffic police deal with it. It would also be worth pointing out that if a collision does occur in the future that this driver had been previously reported. Insufficient police investigation to prevent further such incidents does not go down well with police management. Failing a positive reaction from police the next step is to make a formal complaint to the AFP Professional Standards and if no action then to the ACT Ombudsman. After all this car has already been reported before and it is only a matter of time before he collides with a cyclist.
Those of you who've already experienced harassment from this driver and have been brushed off by police might consider taking your complain to the AFP Professional Standards or the ACT Ombudsman as advised in the above.
Take care out there,
P.S. We need to get our hands on some of those rear light/camera thingys...
Leigh Furlonger
Where: Stromlo Forrest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
G Grade @ 5.45 - 15min total; E/F Grades @ 6:05 - 20mins + 2 laps; A/B Grades @ 6:30 - 20 mins + 2 laps; C/D Grades @ 6:58 - 20 mins + 2 laps
Race Director: Steve Schwenke
Contact: Email: schwenkes@homemail.com.au Ph 0412485729 or 62829775
Assigned Marshals
The nominated marshal for this event is;
· Juliet FISHER
· Andrew WELSH
Please confirm with the Race Director that you are available. If you unable to make the date that you have been rostered please find a replacement.
Where: Queanbeyan Track
When: 6:00 pm
Details: 3 – 4 short events per session with a mixture of scratch, handicap, sprinting and team events;
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
When: 9:00am
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Criterium Championships
Race Director: Michael Golding
Contact: Email michael.golding@crimecommission.gov.au Ph 0402011986 or 61613526
Assigned Marshals
The nominated marshals for this event are;
· Ed PELLEGRINO
· Lee SHEATHER
· Mark VARDY
· Chris DEAN
Please confirm with the Race Director that you are available. If you unable to make the date that you have been rostered please find a replacement.
On what was one of the calmest nights in recent weeks, the Tuesday night Crits kicked off with the G Grade dash for cash, Lindsay Graham holding out Bruce Jones and Antonia Bolschelarski in what was a evenly contested opener for the nights events.
Up next the A Train and B Grade, both have been demonstrating good form in recent weeks. The B’s managed to keep a close check on the breaks and for the most part finished in a loose bunch sprint, Allan Bontjer taking the points from Mark Taylor and Peter Young. The A’s were a completely different affair with the Paul² show (Scherl and Angelatos) kicking off and went about quickly running the A’s ragged, some cameo performances from the likes of Sean Iffland and Mark Harris putting efforts in to try and close the gap were largely ineffective as the main brunch seem resigned finishing off the back somewhere.
Now for the main event, Delta Force on the track and ready to rumble and as it would turn out the unofficial C Grade World Criterium Championship. Delta was exceptionally well behaved coving several breaks and putting quite a bit of time into the C grade compadres. New rider Jeff Gough finally managing to give Delta the slip with 4 laps remaining and doing a pretty good job of holding out Jim McLean and Seymour Savell-Boss making a well deserved podium appearance. The C’s seemed to be all over the place during the evening and on several occasions were in a position to be overtaken by Delta, finally with 5 minutes to go, reality hit and the gas went on, and with that brains got tucked away somewhere safe and out come some ridiculous behaviour. Having heard the riders brief over 100 times and given it a few, there is specific reference each time to “hold your line” there is an emerging trend specifically in C that it is ok to half wheel your mate, steal their line and force them into a dangerous position with other riders, the dirt, in corners as well as on straights. Let’s be perfectly clear it isn’t OK and the practice, if it continues will see someone hurt. While Tim Palmer, Duane Toohey and Scott Tozer took the points on this occasion and were deserving in doing so, I wonder how it would have played out had 15 bikes behind them not tried to fit in a space made for 5 and of all places for this happen on the home straight nearly 10 metres wide. WITH RESPECT TO MY FELLOW C GRADE CRIT RIDERS, PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU ARE A DANGER TO YOURSELVES AND TO THE RIDERS AROUND YOU!
With the world championships drawing to a spectacular close for another week, the E Grade and the ever reliable F Troop races returned myself and Henry to the Halcyon of good old fashioned honest, crit racing, where style means as much as the result and with that Steve Stolk took home the honours in E from Michael Golding and Phil Anderson in what was the closest finish of the night as all 16 riders were still in the mix for a share of the podium at the final 50m. Our Dear friends in F troop showed they still have what it takes, almost putting E to the sword by closing to within 100m at one point, before settling down, Mick Donaldson got the points in a final sprint from Pat Rooke by the barest of margins with Tanya Vanderputt holding off Barbara Bayliss.
Thanks to Henry Beaverstock, James Meredith and Peter Fisher-Wiggins for their more than helpful support as Marshalls over the evening and also the first aid guy who went within a whisker of getting busy.
Thanks to Steve Dean for Race Directing (and providing a stern lecture on racing behaviour).
You can find season point scores at http://www.actvets.cc/track/tracknews
Despite the damp conditions an excellent field of 76 riders greeted the starter on Sunday morning. Bunch finishes were the order of the day with the punishing uphill finish wiping the smile of most competitors. In A grade Steve Crispin continues his good form with a winning surge to the line, covering the 42 kilometres in 1:08:43 giving an average speed of 36.7 kilometres an hour. Charles Nicoll and Tom Hartley also rode strongly to fill out the podium.
B grade hosted the finish of the day, with Damien Pollard and Ben Toyne fighting it out in a ding-dong battle to the finish. Damien grabbed the win in the shadows of the post from Ben while Peter Young was a whisker away in third.
C grade was another close battle, with Michael Reppion taking the honours from Paul Morgan and Alain Arbaut. Kervin Hennessy took out D grade while Elizabeth Da Silva took a strong second place and Phillip Walker rounding out the podium. There was another big field of 18 riders for the popular E grade, with Sean Fleming, Phil Coulton and Ian Albrey making the podium after another hotly contested finish.
In F grade Mary Lovett showed great strength to hold off a hard-charging Graham Hendrie with Des Brown third. And in G grade, James Meredith christened his beautiful new Ciocci with a win from Bruce Jones and Leon Horsnell.
Many thanks to Marshalls Henry Thomson, Andrew Tully and Mark Langman, who bravely manned the intersection clad in his riding gear and cleats. And of course, Henry Beaverstock, Graham Hendrie and James Meredith were the usual unsung heroes behind the scenes.
Thanks for Mick Donaldson for Race Refereeing