Post date: Oct 12, 2015 9:10:45 PM
Hello Vets,
In the Bleat this week;
• Start of the Summer Racing Season
• Vets out and about
• Brisbane Blast
• Canberra Buy Cycle
• Register for Fitz's Challenge in 2015
• Racing this Week
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton
The 2015/16 Summer Racing season kicks off this week.
Crit season is here!
Welcome warm weather riders. We may have only got about 30 riders coming to races in July when you were all at home watching the TDF, but now I'm sure there will be a few more rolling up tomorrow.
Please note: Due to limited daylight, there will be a revised format for the first week with an early start for A/B and G Grade combining with E/F. Next week will revert to the standard format.
Volunteering is vital to keep the races going so make sure you come when it's your turn to marshal. The race committee is seeking new race referees for both the crit and road seasons. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc to learn more.
Some things to remember:
Sign on by the designated time; if you miss the race briefing you can't race.
Pay the $5 entry fee.
Ride sensibly, and within your limits. There's no prize money so don't bother with risky moves for the sake of a few positions. If you do make contact with other riders, don't panic, brake or swerve suddenly; relax and focus on staying upright.
Listen to the race briefing.
Call out hazards, kangaroos, riders from other grades.
Call out when passing another bunch.
Yellow flag is neutral; red flag is race over. Maintain distance of breakaways during the neutral section period when the yellow flag is out.
Race referee may extend your race to ensure grades don't merge during the last lap. Listen for instructions and look for the laps remaining sign boards.
Don't abuse the officials at the end because you sprinted for victory one lap too early in the confusion!
Regards,
Rob Langridge
The track practice session on 7 October brought out most of last year’s riders plus some new faces. The track is in great condition, so we should have a great racing season. If you have a track bike gathering dust or have considered trying this form of racing for the first time, please give it a go. The racing is varied and informal. You don’t need to be fast to have fun.
Cost is $8.00 for the night. See you there!!!
Regards,
Graeme O'Neill
Having not had club race for two weeks, many Vets attended the ACT road championships held by Cycling ACT on Saturday at Thira.
Steve Crispin continued with his fine form finishing second in the elite race. Jeremy Gillman-Wells was fourth and Steve Isbel was 5th! From the masters 3 onwards it was Vets dominating all the races. Peter Marshall won the masters 3 followed by Marc Vroomans; Steve Blackburn, Brendan Byatt and Ashley Carruthers took out the masters 4 trifecta. Chris Short pipped Paul Welsh on the line to take out the masters 5 with Bruce Goodspeed coming in third. Dave Wilson took out the 6s, and John Vaughan the 7s. http://www.canberracyclingclub.org.au/events/act-road-race-championships/.
Al Bontjer and I may have been defeated by the six times over the Mt Tennent saddle during the race, but were aided in our recovery with a Mt Tennent Pale Ale! http://www.pactbeer.com.au/.
Four vets made the long trek to Murwillumbah in northern NSW last month for the masters nationals. Jesse Graham got 5th in the masters 2 TT. Brendan Byatt was very pleased with 10th in the masters 4 TT and 15th and in the bunch in the RR. Tony "Sluggo" O'Connor and I found the RR a bit demanding, but backed up the next day to finish strongly in the masters 5 criterium. The 1400m course was an exciting two squares joined by a roundabout amounting to seven, 90 degree corners per lap. http://www.cycling.org.au/Events/Calendar/Event-Details/2015-cycling-australia-masters-road-national-championships .
We have Blast off! We are excited to announce that the Brisbane Blast powered by Subaru is returning to the South Bank circuit on Sunday, 15 November 2015.
Full details at http://www.brisbaneblast.com.au/.
CANBERRA BUYCYCLE is an initiative of the Rotary Club of Canberra. It is an exciting new bicycle market, where you can sell and buy pre-loved bicycles for a great price. CANBERRA BUYCYCLE also presents you with the opportunity to sell or donate bikes that are probably cluttering up your garage and to turn those unwanted bikes into cash or even upgrade to another. All you have to do is drop your bike(s) off on the Saturday and it will be up for sale on Sunday 18 October.
Details can be found HERE.
Fitz's Challenge - Canberra’s long distance cycling event – will be held on Sunday 25 October 2015 to provide participants the chance to choose their challenge from one of five course distances while also raising much needed funds for The Kids’ Cancer Project.
The five course distances on offer in Fitz’s Challenge are:
• 50 km Tidbinbilla Challenge
• 105 km Tharwa Challenge
• 165 km Fitz's Classic
• 210 km Fitz's Epic
• 255 km Fitz's Extreme
Registrations for the event are now open.
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
*** Note the early start time ***
A/B 5:50 20 min + 2 laps
C/D 6:25 20 min + 2 laps
E/F/G 6:50 20 min + 2 laps
Race Director: Michael Golding
Contact: Email: mickgiltrap@hotmail.com Ph 0402011986
The nominated marshals for this event are;
• Anthony Beasley
• Mark Taylor
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.
The Program for Wednesday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.30pm: 6-lap graded scratch race;
6.30pm – 7.00pm: 2-Lap Time Trial (standing start);
7.00pm – 7.30pm: Italian Pursuit.
The nominated marshals for upcoming events are;
- Oct 20 @ Stromlo: David Morgan, Ross Robinson
- Oct 27 @ Stromlo: Angie Wren, Steven Jones
- Nov 01 @ Dairy Rd: Andrew Balzanelli, Mark Gillett, Brad White
- Nov 03 @ Stromlo: Lindsay Graham, Daniel Grillo
The Marshal Roster for the remainder of the year has been uploaded on to the club website at;