Hello Vets,

In this week’s Bleat;

• Fence for Stromlo Criterium Track
• From the desk of the handicapper
• Final Event Traffic Controller course for 2018
• Racing this Week

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

Ian Morton

Fence for Stromlo Criterium Track

The committee has begun work on getting a kangaroo exclusion fence installed around the criterium track at Stromlo. The process will involve persuading the ACT Government to do the planning and installation and will require negotiation with other track users, primarily the Cycling ACT clubs. Given the increasing numbers of kangaroos and reduced feed at Stromlo, the risk of collisions due to kangaroos crossing the track is likely to be higher this year. Accidents have already occurred resulting in significant injuries to riders.

Can members please support this effort by, if possible, lobbying other riders, the media and government representatives. Kim Malcolm (d.kimmalcolm@icloud.com) has taken the lead on this issue.

Follow Up Bleat – 3rd September

Vets,

And a reminder that the regular Tuesday night Indoor Training is still on

From the desk of the handicapper

Iron Mike handicaps and important information for A graders intending to ride;

This week’s Iron Mike handicap will be held on the traditional out and back course from near the water tank on Uriarra Rd to the end of the bitumen and back. The previous two-lap course was used to reduced the number of traffic marshals required but thanks to Ian McVey’s tireless efforts of rounding up marshals, we can race on the old, albeit shorter course 50km course, again. Saturday is forecast to be warm with light winds and, hopefully, will break the cycle of “shitty Saturdays” of wind/rain/zero wind chill or a combination of all three. Because it’s a new course, the handicaps might end in a boilover with one grade winning easily but I will do my best to aim for the majority of grade leaders in the top 10. For the A graders, there will be an A1 and A2 group. I’ve nominated Crispin, Hartley, Brice and Byatt as the A1s, and rest of A grade in A2. A graders planning to ride should check the RMS to make sure I’ve got this correct, and send in changes/suggestions to handicapper@actvets.cc. I won’t be there to make last-minute changes, as I’ll be on day two of this year’s Pyrenees tour with Patrick McNamara and tour leader Peter Southgate.

Also, if you’ve ridden during the winter, make sure you thank Ian McVey for organising such a packed race programme over the winter.

Rob Langridge

Last Chance – Final Event Traffic Controller course for 2018

This is the last week to enrol for the Event Traffic Controller course on Saturday 8th Sept.

We currently only have about 25 ETCs from a club of over 300 members. Members need to share the burden of helping to run races. Having enough traffic controllers available in the club is critical to our ability to run races in the ACT and it is likely we will need to have ETCs for NSW races in the future. ETCs are eligible for reimbursement of $100 for marshalling at ACT road races.

Course details are available on Cycling ACT’s web site http://www.act.cycling.org.au/Road/News/2018-cycling-event-traffic-controllers-course-dates-confirmed. Members previously accredited as ATCs will need to do the updated training course to get ETC accreditation. Please register for a place on the course ASAP as numbers are limited.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

RACING THIS WEEK:

Saturday, 8st September: Stromlo Forest Park Handicap – The Iron Mike

Where: The race registration, start and finish will be at at Stromlo Forest Park Western Carpark off Uriarra Road. This is about 2.5km along Uriarra Road from the Stromlo Forest Park entrance.
When: 12:30 pm.
Note the earlier start time.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Iron Mike Classic Race Iron Mike – race start and finish on Uriarra Road, race goes all the way to end of bitumen and return to finish line on Uriarra Road Park Stromlo Forest Park Western Car Park.
NOTE: riders are not to attack on the descents onto Uriarra crossing on either the outward or return legs. We have previously had a rider exit into the river and don’t want this repeated.

Race Director: Ian Morton Contact: Email: mortoni@optusnet.com.au    Ph  0411112007

Marshals: Elizabeth Lowe, Robert Morris, Richard Gorrell, Andrew Murrell.

Upcoming Marshal Roster

Thank you to those who volunteered to help (noted below in black) at the races to September. The nominees (in blue) have been selected based on results from the previous summer race season and the period since they last helped at a race. Please advise your availability or unavailability to the race committee (race.committee@actvets.cc) as soon as possible.

We still need at few of race directors for Summer series races to the end of the year. Crit races are at Stromlo Forest Park on Tuesdays and road races are on Sunday mornings.

* denotes ETC required for ACT races.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

RACE REPORT:

Uriarra Homestead Club Championships – 1st September

The Club championship was held on Saturday the 2nd of September with a turn out of 42 riders across 10 age group grades. With a slight breeze racing was underway at 1330 with M1-M5 completing two laps of the course. Small bunches formed quickly giving the riders some respite from the increasing wind on the southbound section of the course, and a tailwind northbound towards Urriara crossing.

At the completion of two laps it was Steve Crispin that crossed the line first winning the M3 category followed by the M2 pair of Mick Brice and Ben Carmody. Next through the chute were Paul Scherl and Cristophe Barberet placing 2nd and 3rd in M3. The solo M1 rider, Tim Brown crossed the line to claim the honours in his grade. Cristopher Short, Brendan Byatt battled all the way to the line with Christopher taking the line honours with Sean Ifland bringing it home for third in M4. In M5 there was a three way battle for the win. Keith Harris won by a narrow margin from Robert Langridge with michael Foulds a further 10 seconds back in 3rd. M6, M7 and the ladies completed one and half laps of the course with David dickson taking out 1st ahead of Owain Tiley and Michael Carr in M6 while Mark Taylor as the sole M7 rider sprinting in for the win.

The ladies made a pact to stay together until the first turn. Kristi McVay crossed first for the win in W3 with Sue Powell and Rosemary Robinson in a heated battle for 2nd and 3rd. W4 was a closely contested affair between Jan Doehler and Penelope Anderson with Jan taking the win by 1 second over Penelope while W5 sole rider Mary Lovett crossed the line a short time later.

Shane Warburton

Photos