Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

• Call for ATC’s for last 2 road races in 2017
• From the Desk of the Handicapper
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports

Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc

Ian Morton

Call for ATC’s for last 2 road races in 2017

Uriarra 12/11

3 x ATC’s required

Mt MacDonald TT- 3rd December

2 x ATC’s required.

A lot of the ATC’s who re-certified in the last few months will be aware of the mentor sign-off to be completed before you can renew your licence. We will have a mentor available at both of these road races, so it is a great opportunity to complete the renewal process for your ATC licence. And all ATC’s are now eligible for a $50 payment for volunteering at each race. If you are available, please let me know bdavis@internode.on.net.

Ben Davis

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 17th October: Stromlo Criterium

Note: The new Race Fee of $10 per event is in effect.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
A/C 5:50 A 28m+2, C 25m+2
B/D 6:25 B 28m+2, D 25m+2
E/F/G 6:55 20 min + 2 laps

Race Director:  Ben Davis
Contact: Email: bdavis@internode.on.net    Ph  +61416014629

Wednesday, 18th October: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 9-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 7.00pm: 1 Lap SS Time Trial;
7.00pm – 7.10pm: Italian Pursuit.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo – 10th October

Vets are welcoming the return of crit racing with another strong turn out on a glorious Tuesday evening. Nearly 100 riders turned up setting the scene for some exciting racing.

A Grade was a thrilling event with attacks almost from the opening laps, and continuing right through to the race finish. Ben Morrison was prominent in the breakaways and although being eventually rounded up prevailed in the sprint to take a very deserved victory. Matt Hincliffe and Marc Vroomans also rode strongly to round out the podium.

There were plenty of attacks in B grade also, with Heath Chester and Richard Hedley setting the early pace. But it was Bryan Holloway who prevailed, taking the chequered flag with Rainer Wilton and Chester taking the minor placings.

C graders closely marked each other and the race ended in a strong bunch finish, with Conan Liu taking out a convincing win over visitor Anthony Evans and Shane Robinson in third.

D grade also largely stayed together though the pace was on early. Luke Healy took a well deserved victory with Allan Bontjer second and Timothy Green third.

In E grade it was Frank O’Sullivan saluting the judges with Bruce Griffin and Tony Sheehan taking the minor placings. F grade was a win to Kevin Newhouse, with Dennis Puniard and Leanne Tennant also on the podium. Bernie Crowe rode solidly to take out G grade.

Thanks very much to marshals Andrew Chamberlain and Ben Davis for their help ensure a smooth running event.

Mick Donaldson
Race Referee

Narrabundah Track Racing – 11th October

The first Track Racing session for the 2017-18 season saw twenty one competitors eager to resume racing at the Bundadome. The event attracted three new riders (Hamish Anderson, Dan Gamper, Paul Kennedy), in addition to a bunch of regulars from last season. The weather was balmy, with a fresh breeze that slowly dissipated as racing progressed.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race was led out by Dougal Torrance. The bunch settled to a good tempo until around lap 4 when John Paul De Sousa took the front, then quickly relinquished it. No breaks were established. However, as the bell lap approached it was clear that the bunch was getting toey. Riders were splayed across the track, ready to accelerate. Ed Garnett took the initiative and accelerated into the bell lap with Paul Kennedy and Steve Jones in pursuit. Ultimately Paul Kennedy took the win over Steve Jones by a small margin. Ed Garnett held on for a creditable third place.

The B Grade scratch race followed a conservative script. The bunch held together at a good tempo with one or two riders dropping off the pace. All the action was delayed until the final acceleration though the bell lap. Phil Anderson proved too strong for the field and took a comfortable win from Ross Scutts. Phil Coulton was in good form to take third place.

The evening’s second event was a 2-lap handicap. At this early stage in the season, handicapping is a challenge. Nevertheless it was good to see Ed Garnett and Phil Anderson make the best of their handicaps to win in A and B grades, respectively. Ben Robey and Dougal Torrance took second and third places in A grade. Ross Scutts and Phil Coulton took the equivalent places in B grade.

The track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit with 9 riders per team. As usual, this was a fascinating event. Team 2 made a good start. Team 1 soon made a tactical error that left Phil Coulton struggling in the breeze for 4 laps, giving Team 2 what seemed a winning margin. However, the four anchor riders for Team 1 (John Paul DeSousa, Ed Garnett, Ben Robey and Steve Jones) were not about to concede. Each rider put in a great effort, in turn, so that Steve Jones was in a competitive position by the final lap. Steve did not disappoint, setting a blistering pace to overhaul Pal Kennedy by a few metres at the line. The gutsy effort was enough to make race officials overlook a minor transgression and award Team 1 the win.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Paul Kennedy, Steve Jones, Ed Garnett. (B Grade) Hamish Anderson, Steve Dean, Phil Coulton.
2-Lap Handicap: (A Grade) Ed Garnett, Ben Robey, Dougal Torrance. (B Grade) Phil Anderson, Ross Scutts, Phil Coulton.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Dougal Torrance, Ben Robey, Ed Garnett, John Paul DeSousa, Steve Jones, Sue Powell, Hamish Anderson, Dan Gamper, Phil Coulton).

Season Point Score Update:
Ed Garnett (18), Phil Coulton (16), Hamish Anderson (16). Phil Anderson (14), Steve Jones (14), Ben Robey (14), Dougal Torrance (14).

Graeme O’Neill

ACT Veterans – Follow Up Bleat – 16th Oct

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Grading Changes

Conan Liu C to B
Luke Healy D to C after winning on club debut
Kevin Newhouse F to E

Just a reminder for those self-grading, please contact me at handicapper@actvets.cc to be regraded (don’t need a tale of woe) or ride in your designated grade.

Gunning

Well done to all those who competed at Gunning on the weekend. Conditions were not bad for spring, and many personal and competitive battles were undertaken over the two days. The A/B race had 18 riders, allowing for the following roles to be played:
Duracell bunny–was in every attack and chased down every break until a failure to recharge had catastrophic results.
Peloton policeman–sat on the front for ages just for fun of it.
GC men–jockeyed for positions at every sprint.
Domestiques–played supporting roles for other reasons than getting a share of the prize money.
Attackers–were too far down on GC to count but made everyone suffer once in while.
Survivors–weren’t seen near the front but hung on until the end!
Me and my shadow: The A graders who duked it out for the last 20m of each sprint.

Rob Langridge