Post date: May 29, 2017 6:6:38 AM
Hello Vets,
In the Bleat this week;
• Cycling Incident
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports
Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc
Ian Morton
While cycling home on the tandem after Saturday's race Lindy and I had a dangerous encounter. We were climbing up out of Coppins Crossing on a steep narrow section when someone in a passing car called out abuse and struck Lindy with something.
Thankfully we were able to keep the tandem upright despite the shock and pain but I was unable to see the offender's number plate as another car was right behind. Lindy was not seriously injured by this assault and we continued home. Meanwhile unbeknown to us, the driver of the car behind the offender who had witnessed the attack took up our cause, followed the offender's vehicle, taking a photo of the car, rego plate and description of the occupants. They the contacted Pedal Power / Capital Cycling and found us by face book. We now know there have been other incidents of abuse toward cyclists on Coppins Crossing recently.
Club members may want to take this into consideration if planning to ride Coppins Crossing; but take heart; there are still kindly strangers out there who will go the extra mile to right a wrong when they see one.
Rosemary Robinson
Where: Gravel Pit, Intersection Old Federal Highway and Shingle Hill Way.
When: 1:30 pm.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Gravel Pit to Lake George and back;
- ABCD 4 laps (48kms)
- EFG 3 laps ( 36Kms)
Race Director: Linda Stals Contact: Email: linda.stals@anu.edu.au Ph 0419283599
Nominated Marshals: Christopher Kon, Seymour Savell-Boss, Phil Anderson, Nicholas Stewart
The nominated marshals for upcoming events are;
- Jun 17 @ Pierces Creek: Ben Morrison, John Lowe
- Jun 24 @ Honeysuckle Creek: Michael Foulds, Chris Nolan, Dale Kleeman (ATC)
- Jul 1 @ Stromlo: David Witteveen
Splendid late Autumn weather for the points race on Saturday afternoon: sunny and clear, with a 10-20kph north-westerly breeze. The turnout was forty three Vets riders plus helpers. The format was a sprint for points every 2 laps, except where I allowed an extra lap to try and keep grades separated.
We started with EFG rolling off. E grade had nine riders, and after a few laps the powerful tandem of Lindy Hou and Rosemary Robinson rode away on the back straight with only John Low for company. John worked well with the tandem, and they stayed away for the rest of the race, with E grade splitting up into single riders behind them. John collected all the first place points from the tandem apart from one. John 19 points, Rosemary & Lindy 13 points, Des Brown third with 5 points. F grade kindly stuck together as a bunch, which greatly assisted us in keeping track of the riders after E grade split up. There was some very close sprinting with Kevin Newhouse, Robert Millar and Lindsay Graham testing the eyes of the judges and collecting most of the points. Kevin won by a single point from Robert, 16 points to 15, with Lindsay third on 12. Graham Hendrie was fourth with 6 points, after taking a couple of places from the fast three with some well-timed sprints. In G-grade Bernie Crowe and Bruce Jones honourably took turns riding into the wind but vigorously contested the sprints. Bernie prevailed by 12 points to 8.
When C & D grade rolled off it did not take long for Jarrod Cook to get away: he won a sprint and just kept going. Claire Aubrey had some support for a while from Anthony Beasley, but eventually had to ride on alone. Jarrod lapped Claire just before the line. Jarrod 22 points, Claire 15, Anthony 11. Rob, Jarrod should perhaps ride in B grade for criteriums as well as road races. In D grade Matthew Hancock was clearly the best sprinter, convincingly winning with 21 points, from a closely matched trio with David Gunther on 13, Daniel Grillo on 12, and Elizabeth Lowe on 10.
Speeds increased noticeable with the temperature dropping and the wind picking up when A and B grade started at 3pm. Seymour Savell-Boss established an early points lead, and Peter Young took out a sprint with a short breakaway. Then Andrew Chamberlain, after not featuring in the first few sprints, broke away and maintained excellent form into the wind for several laps, collecting a few first places. Seymour took off after Andrew, but was not able to bridge, and fell back into the bunch after winning a couple of second places. Matt Corby and Matt Hinchcliffe made a strong move from the bunch on the back straight and worked together to catch Andrew. However, the effort clearly cost them as Andrew was able to win one more crucial sprint after being caught. The two Matts and Andrew stayed away for the rest of the race, with Matt Corby winning most of the remaining sprints. Andrew eventually won by a single point from Matt Corby, 20 points to 19, with Matt Hinchcliffe third on 11. Seymour and Peter both collected 9. In B grade Michael Foulds was clearly the best sprinter, winning with 25 points from Rainer Wilton on 11, Rob Langridge on 9 and Dale Kleeman and Mark Taylor both scored 7.
Points races are considerably more challenging for Race Director and Marshals than ordinary scratch crits. With the aid of Ben Davis, Mark Taylor for two races, and Gerald Van Eyck for one race, I am confident that we accurately judged the sprints, although Ben’s initial adding up needed to be checked! However, it seems I did not adequately communicate when the race was finishing to some grades, with some riders thinking that the last sprint was only another intermediate sprint. My apologies for not making the distinction clearer. This was the first points race I have directed for a few years, and my inexperience showed.
We generally succeeded in keeping the bunches safely apart at sprint time, sometimes by allowing an extra lap for one grade between sprints, but mainly due to the riders being sensible and safe when faster grades were overtaking. Only one of the sprints in the afternoon was spoilt by two grades, E&F, trying to sprint at the same time. Overall, an excellent afternoon of racing, with no crashes and no real close calls despite having dozens of sprints. Thanks to all riders for demonstrating your racing skills and care of each other. Thanks to Ben Davis, Mark Taylor and Gerald Van Ewyk for their assistance on the day, and of course to the indefatigable Graham Hendrie who as usual helped set up, tidy up, and entered the results on RMS after scoring some points on the track.
Roger Northcote
Race Director