Cycle Club Event Report Sunday 3rd March 2013
A very windy morning greeted the riders at the Berthong Road start of Sunday morning’s club event. In all 18 riders mate it in what were some of the toughest conditions ever contested. Regular handicapper Rees was away so it was up to the ‘Fox” Manning to decide the gaps for the groups. This left the backmarkers decidedly nervous as the Fox tends to favour the limit markers in the handicapping (they even ordered coffees knowing there would be a long wait until they started!)
That said Steve Green started the clock ticking off limit, with Phil Davies and P. Lott off the 2 minute mark. Anthony Dean and Rod ‘Rocket’ Holder left two minutes later off quite a generous handicap. The fittest man in the club Al ‘Burglar’ Baker and Scott McLeod formed their bunch 1 minute behind this.
At this stage the block and scratch group’s coffees arrived (along with the double-shot Chai Mocha for Hines) and they were able to finish them before block headed off at 8minutes and 30 seconds. Block consisted of Dave Jarvis, Hamish Nott, Ken Clark and James Baldry. The red-hot scratch group consisted of Young riders Lefty Goodman, Shaun Williams, Peter Telford and Coota riders Mark Ward, Frank Stephens and Steve Hines.
The wind buffeted all groups on the way out and things began to splinter up front with groups separating and other groups forming, mostly the ‘groups’ consisted of Al Baker and one other rider! Behind scratch were being driven by Steve ‘Mocha’ Hines and the trio from Young and were closing on the block bunch who were still together. These groups combined and passed some tired riders on the way in but the wind and some surging were hampering their efforts to catch Holder and Baker up front.
In the finish Rocket and the Burglar were able to work out who was going to cross the line first and Baker took the honours after virtually riding solo throughout the whole trip. No doubt a stiffer handicap will be awarded next week! Holder took second with the super strong Mocha-fuelled Hines just being pipped by a boarding house scrape of butter for third in the sprint for fastest time. Pete Telford who rode 39minutes for the trip took the honours – extraordinary considering the conditions. Shaun Williams took 5th in his comeback to club racing this week.
A reminder to all that the Stock Fair is on the 16th March and that entries for the Southern Division Championships in Breadalbane in April close with the Cootamundra Club Secretary on the 23rd March.