Post date: Nov 30, 2015 9:34:23 PM
Hello Vets,
In this week's Bleat;
• President's report
• Registration Renewal for 2016
• The Wheels of Justice turn quickly
• From the desk of the handicapper
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton
At the recent club committee meeting, the club's president, Alex O'Shea, thanked the ACTVCC Committee for its hard work in:
- Achieving very good membership numbers - we have just passed the 400 members mark!
- Maintaining a very sound financial position
- conducting a well run and safe racing program involving
- a weekly (Saturday afternoon) road race in winter
- three races per week in summer with weekly (Wednesday afternoon) track program, a popular mid week (Tuesday afternoon) criterium race, in addition to the weekly (Sunday morning) road race.
- avoidance of clashes with other major cycling events and long weekends,
with all races run in conformance with AVCC race rules and local authority and police requirements.
The committee has also achieved: - improved safety for members - all road and criterium races have a qualified sports trainer in attendance - track races have a member qualified in first aid in attendance - use of a portable AED at all road and criterium races - work under way to improve emergency communication from remote locations (we will shortly buy three satellite phones) - sponsorship of first aid training for members - to improve safety on club training rides and before qualified sports trainer arrives at races
It was especial noted that all road races meet or exceed minimum local authority and police safety requirements and protocols for on-road traffic marshalling and due consideration to local residents.
Also noted was the timely ongoing work to update the RMS.
The president would like to encourage ordinary members to think about nominating for committee positions early next year prior to our AGM. New committee members will bring fresh ideas to the fore, share some of the workload, also will continue the good work of the current committee. Think about it!
Cheers,
Alex
2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go to https://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244 or follow the prompts via our website www.actvets.cc. Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on ‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the information.
You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.
It is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days prior to racing. Membership costs are:
A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100
A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85
Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5
Upon renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG. Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.
Please ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.
Barbara Bayliss
Membership Secretary
Apparently the individual who helped himself to some club member's property at the Old Federal Highway race last week was arrested the same day and by Teusday, had been brought before a local court and received a sentence of 18mths with 12mths non-parole for a series of offences. They included the theft from Old Fed. Quick justice on this occasion.
This week we will be trialling a new format where A&C will race together and B&D will race together. We will see if this helps to minimise congestion on the track.
Upgrades for this week;
- Emery Holmick E to D
- Michael Golding E to D
- Greg Collis C to B
- Steve Schwenke C to B
- Michael Foulds D to C
- Gary Waldron D to C
- Rico Fitch E to D
Just a reminder to all riders that they should not change down grades without consulting the handicapper, and in particular, not ride down a grade, destroy the race and win by miles. Once the RMS is fully functional, it will be easier to keep an eye on the 400 members and their grades, but it also requires some honesty in races and not taking advantage of a mis-grade as well as the humility nor to thrash other riders who are a class below you. Some riders win frequently but most of us don't stand on the podium very often so don't steal others' one chance for glory by winning in a lower grade.
Rob Langridge
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
G 5:40 18 min + 1 lap
A/C 6:00 40/30 min + 2 laps
B/D 6:45 35/30 min + 2 laps
E/F 7:20 30 min + 2 laps
Race Director: Stephen Schwenke
Contact: Email: schwenkes@homemail.com.au Ph 0412485729
The nominated marshals for this event are;
• Charles Nicoll,
• Jason Quayle
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 – 6.20pm: 12-lap graded scratch race; 6.20pm – 6.50pm: 200m Fly Time Trial; 6.50pm – 7.10pm: 4-Lap Handicap 7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian Pursuit.
Where: Cotter Reserve
When: 9:00 am
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Individual Time Trial up Mt McDonald
Race Director: Robert Langridge
Contact: Email langridge@netspeed.com.au Ph: 0450400658
The nominated marshals for this event are;
• ATC: Brendan Byatt
• Marshals: Ashley Sked, Peter Young
The nominated marshals for upcoming events are;
- Dec 8 @ Stromlo: Felicity Toohey, Andrew Boyd
- Dec 13 @ Uriarra: Brad Sellwood,Belinda Wren, Kevin Hennesy Ben Carmody, Doug Mclean, Scott Tozer
- Dec 15 @ Stromlo (Wheel Race): Dan Ashcroft, Stephen Cusack
The Marshal Roster for the remainder of the year has been uploaded on to the club website at;
Tuesday evening saw reasonably pleaseant conditions. There was a bit of cross wind to challenge the bunches. G Grade set off first with visitor Graham Wilson setting a stiff pace which caused G Grade to spread out. Graham proved an easy winner with Heather Sommariva taking second and Paul Robey coming in third.
C and D lined up and set off in their bunches and that's pretty much the way it stayed. No-one seemed to want to launch a challenge. With a view to ensuring the grades didn't come together at the finish, D Grade were given a yellow flag to enable a neutral lap to get separation between the groups. Unfortunately D Grade didn't quite get the hang of a neutral lap so they did another one to get it right. At the end, both grades came down to a bunch sprint at the finish with Greg Collis taking C Grade from Stephen Schwenke and Peter Alexander. Michael Foulds beat out Gary Waldron and Andrew Hall to take the honors in D Grade
E and F Grade followed the same script with both grades staying in their bunches apart from a few riders dropping off the back. Emery Holmik took the final sprint over Michael Golding and Lloyd Bennett in E Grade and Sue Duckett beating Kim Malcolm and Bill Frost to take F Grade.
The crowd were eager for some action in A/B Grade and Dominic "The Dominator" Romano didn't disappoint launching a full on attack from the start. He kept out the front for a good few laps before being reeled back. A couple of groups tried to establish a breakaway but were hauled back before three riders got away. Mark Harris took the race from Stephen Isbel and Paul Scherl. B Grade saw a couple of riders, Christopher Kon and Dougal Torrance making a valiant attempt to break free but were pulled back in by the bunch. In the end, Timothy Palmer took the sprint from Damian Ruse and Peter Young to claim B Grade.
Thanks to Dale Kleeman for his assistance on the line and our First Aider Stu who is a handy Marshal as well as kangaroo wrangler on the bike. Thanks to Graham Hendrie for organising the facilities in Henry's absence.
Ian Morton
Thirteen riders participated in the 25-Nov track session. This attendance was disappointing, given the balmy weather. There was a freshening breeze throughout the racing. Thankfully, predicted extreme winds held off until well after the track session.
The 8-lap A grade scratch race saw the bunch circulating for seven laps at a solid pace. A furious attack from several riders began with the bell lap. Steve Jones took a close sprint win from John-Paul DeSousa and Chris Thompson. The B grade scratch restarted after a touch of wheels and minor crash. The bunch circulated up to the bell lap, then took off. Steve Hirsler snatched a close win from Phil Anderson and Ian Drayton.
The evening’s second event was a 2-lap sprint time trial. A grade times reflected the competitiveness of this grade with all times clustered within a 5% margin. Steve Jones, Ben Robey and the tandem pair of Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou set the fastest times. In B grade the time spread was less than 10% with Linda Stals, Steve Hirsler and Phil Anderson setting the fastest times.
Snowball sprint events followed the sprint time trial. The Snowball race has multiple sprints with sprint points incrementing over successive sprints. The event provides interesting tactics, as sprint results become increasingly valuable as the race progresses. In A grade, Steve Jones took a decisive win by accumulating 14 points. Ben Robey took second points using clever tactics and John-Paul De Sousa followed with a single point deficit to Ben. In B grade Steve Hirsler just piped Phil Anderson for the points win. Ross Scutts took third with sound tactics maximising his effort.
The track session closed with a very exciting, all-in, Italian pursuit. As Team 1 was anchored by Steve Jones, Team 2 recognised that they needed to establish an early lead and hang on. James Meredith set the tone for team 2 with a frantic first lap. The remaining Team 2 members gave their all to initially increase, then hold, a margin. In mid race Team 1 suffered a minor set back as Ross Scutts struggled, courageously, to hold on. With two laps to go, it appeared that Team 2 had sufficient margin to win. However, the tandem pair of Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou accelerated with Steve Jones urging them on. The final lap with Steve Jones paired against Ben Robey was exciting. Ben held off a fast closing Steve to take the win for Team 2 by less than half a wheel. The track session closed on a high, as the pursuit event was the best of track racing and a credit to both teams.
Major place getters were as follows:
10-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Steve Jones, John-Paul DeSousa, Chris Thompson; (B Grade) Steve Hirsler, Phil Anderson, Ian Drayton.
2-Lap Sprint Time Trial: (A Grade) Steve Jones (54.05s), Ben Robey (55.46s) Kerry Knowler & Lindy Hou tandem (55.65s); (B Grade) Steve Hirsler (58.70s), Linda Stals (59.59s), Phil Anderson (60.97s).
Snowball Sprint: (A Grade) Steve Jones (14 points), Ben Robey (6 points), John-Paul DeSousa (5 points); (B Grade) Steve Hirsler (11 points), Phil Anderson (10 points), Ross Scutts (7 points).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Ben Robey, John-Paul DeSousa, Craig Kentwell, Phil Anderson, James Meredith, Ian Drayton).
Graeme O'Neill
It was perfect riding/racing conditions on Saturday morning but only 30 competitors turned out for the Dairy Flat points races. E/F/G grades started at 8am and rode for 30 minutes plus a final sprint lap. For A/B grades it was 50 minutes plus a sprint lap while foe C/D grades it was 40 minutes and a final lap. It is also a handicap event which can make for some really good racing or for one-sided competition if the Director gets the time handicap wrong! Each race consisted of a number of intermediate sprints unknown to the riders as well as the final sprint and in each race points were given to placegetters.
A combined E/F/G grade raced first with a total of only 8 competitors, with Bernie Crowe being the only brave G grader. Bernie won the first intermediate sprint on the second lap but was then caught by the 4 riders from F grade. James Meredith won the second intermediate with Lindsay Graham and Barbara Bayliss. E grade caught the leaders with a couple of laps to go but in the next prime three F graders, Peter Lafferty, Lindsay Graham and James Meredith managed to share the points. In the final sprint the E Graders Des Brown and Graham Hendrie filled the first two places, followed by Peter Lafferty, Barbara Bayliss and Robert Mackey.
Overall, James Meredith was able to amass enough points from the intermediate sprints to come first, followed by Peter Lafferty and Des Brown.
A/B grades contested the next race with A Grade having 7 riders and B grade 6. The Director gave A grade a handicap that as it turned out was too big to overcome. In the chase to catch B Grade, the A Grade bunch splintered after a few laps with Paul Scherl and Rohan Verco (minus a race number) riding at a cracking pace. Both riders put in a huge effort to try to catch B Grade. And they came oh so close after 50+ minutes of very hard riding!
There were 4 intermediate sprints in the race with Peter Young winning every one and David Wilson finishing second in three of them. Steve Schwenke and Sue Powell were also in the mix. In the final sprint, the fast finishing Rob Diamond rode past Dave Wilson and Peter Young. Steve Schwenke and Sue Powell came fourth and fifth respectively. Overall in the race the two strongest B grade riders, Peter Young and Dave Wilson took out first and second place with 15 and 11 points respectively. Rob Diamond with 5 points came third on a count-back from Steve Schwenke while Sue Powell finished fifth.
In the C/D grade race the 3 C grade riders were given 1 minute 40 handicap on the 6 D graders. One C Grader, Wayne Shipley rode very strongly and was able to catch the D grade bunch around half way into the 40+ minute race. However, the first of the three intermediate sprints was contested by D grade with Alistair Nitz winning comfortably from Phil Anderson and Jon Chowns. For the remaining two primes Alistair Nitz showed how strong a rider he was on the day finishing in front of Wayne Shipley and Jon Anderson. Also, in the final sprint, the first three places were filled by the same riders and in the same order. David Johnson and Jon Chowns took out fourth and fifth places.
With a dominant display, Alistair Nitz amassed 14 points to take first place overall, followed by a gallant Wayne Shipley who had a great race in scoring 7 points. Phil Anderson took third place with David Johnson and Jon Chowns fourth and fifth, respectively
Thanks to the Marshalls Dougal Torrance (also our 1st Aid Officer on the day) and Aaron Sedgmen who was the only member to respond to the email asking for a volunteer marshall, and both of whom filled in for the two ‘rostered’ marshalls. Thanks also to Graham Hendrie who manned the van and set up for the races and also to the other race competitors who helped out in various ways on the day.
Ian Shaw
Having listened to lots of cyclists talk over the years it seems that all the good ones have at least half a dozen reasons each week why they won’t, (or didn’t) do well this week. It also seems that these excuses may or may not be true, or may or may not have any significant impact.
So first things first here is my list.
Overtrained: This week I had covered 30% more distance than usual by race day.
Undertrained: Since I had only done 130km the above seems unlikely.
Hungover: Well maybe not quite, but yesterday wasn’t an alcohol-free day.
Not well rested: Being a princess I need my beauty sleep.
Other activities: Not-telling, but reputed to be bad for athletic performance.
Mechanical: I don’t have the latest go-fast equipment to race on.
Other Mechanical: My low profile tubular rims are not stiff enough, causing the rear wheel to rub against the brakes when subjected to my awesome power.
Anyway I was feeling ok for the race but I wasn’t jumping out of my skin. This was to be my solo debut in A grade, after a managing to hang on to them on the tandem for 25 minutes on Tuesday night. Hot dog crits are always a tough initiation due to the constant accelerations out of the corners. These constant applications of power really show up the difference between those who can, and those who are only pretending/kidding themselves.
The format of a handicapped points race was familiar enough. The lower grade gets a start and can squabble amongst themselves for the early points, meanwhile the higher grade is forced to do a team time-trial to get themselves into contention before they can even consider any tactics. Just as in a handicap, teamwork is the key, and there is no point being in the bunch if you can’t contribute. However the result is going to be heavily influenced by how the bunches can compare to the task that is set for them.
As with all attempts at handicapping there are too many variables to count, not least of all being those who turn up, and how well they work together. For this format it comes down to the judgment of the Race Director, who may not have any experience of handicapping. What I do know of handicapping is that there is always someone who is going to feel like they’ve been given an unfair mark. I’ve been to plenty of these races in the past where the higher grades have caught the rabbits less than 1/3rd of the way into the race, and the rabbits have complained that they had no chance to sprint against, or even hang onto the faster riders as they came past. This time was not to be one of those days. Instead we were given a difficult task and the pace was high from the outset. I was under pressure from the start, I persevered for a while hoping that I would come good, but it was not to be. There was no sense in just riding around by myself, so I dropped back and latched onto the back of the B grade bunch.
Now I suppose that being a points race, I could have tried to retrieve some of my 20 point penalty for being lapped by contesting the intermediate sprints. However given the fact that I had virtually no chance of improving my position it didn’t seem reasonable to interfere with the others race. Mind you I did get bored with just sitting on the back and not contributing. So I sat up and waited for the A grade bunch to lap me. The A grade bunch had shelled other riders along the way and looked like they could use some support. However despite my enormous contribution it was B grade who took all the points.
I hope to be working on a few more excuses for next time.
Unfortunately that won’t be during the week due to other commitments for me, which also rules John out as well since no-one else has offered to pilot him. So the next outing for us is our favourite TT up Mt McDonald (or Macdonald depending on your source).
Cheers,
Cameron Ermert (382)