Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

•  First Aiders Needed

•  Race Director for 3 Nov

•  Cycling study at the University of Canberra

•  From the Handicapper

•  COVID-19 Restrictions

•  AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

First Aiders Needed

The race on Sunday found us again short of a 1st Aider. If there is no dedicated 1st Aider available i.e. not riding, racing cannot proceed.
It is no great impost to get trained and accredited each 3 years. Details are below.
There have only been 4 members out of over 300 who have taken up this offer, which is quite pathetic.
If I have to stand in as 1st aider again at a race I will not be happy.

Ian McVay

First Aid Course

Dear Members,

Would you know what to do if you were first on the scene of a road accident involving a cyclist? Would you know how to help one of your friends if they had a fall during a ride?

The club has been successful in bidding for an ACT Government Grant for road safety. This allows us to offer members First Aid courses free of charge. We estimate our nearly 300 members cycle more than 180,000km on ACT Roads every year. This makes it quite likely one of us will be first on scene at an accident at some time.

A First Aid course would provide you with a nationally recognised qualification, and would equip you to help others in the event of an emergency. It would also help the club to continue to conduct racing in the ACT. The club uses, and will continue to use, an external contractor to provide first aid support to races, however there are times when this service is unavailable. In order for the club to be able to undertake our scheduled race calendar, the club will, from time to time, ask a first aid qualified member to attend a race.

The committee has experience of a course provider in the ACT that has adapted to COVID-19 restrictions by taking the theory components on-line, and adapting the practical elements in line with social distancing requirements. If there’s interest from members, the Committee will organise a group booking with this provider. Please e-mail committee@actvets.cc if you would like to take up this option.

Otherwise, members may register for the first aid course of their choice, provided that:
1) the course provides a recognised Australian first aid qualification;
2) the cost of the course is less than or equal to $200; and
3) members acknowledge and agree to being placed on a list of first aid providers that, from time to time, will be utilised to provide first aid services to club races.

Contact the committee to ensure that your intended course meets the club’s needs. Following completion of the course, contact the Treasurer at treasurer@actvets.cc to provide a copy of your qualification and organise a reimbursement.

Race Director required for 3 Nov

A replacement Race Director is required for the Criterium on 3rd Nov. Any one able to fill this role, please contact the Race Committee race.committee@actvets.cc

Cycling study at the University of Canberra

I’m Felicity, a third-year PhD candidate in Environmental Physiology at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise. I’m currently recruiting cyclists for my second study, which investigates the effect of variations in relative humidity on thermal and physiology responses during a cycling time trial in the heat.

What we are looking for;
– Trained male cyclists and triathletes (18-55 years)
– Cycling a minimum of 250km per week
– Can reach 5W/Kg during a VO2max test

What we require from you;
– ~3 weeks of testing at UCRISE
– 2 x 2hr familiarisation trials
– 4 x 2hr 30km time trials in varying relative humidity in a hot environment

What we will be measuring;
– Performance – average power output (W), cadence (rpm), speed (kph)
– Thermal response – core and skin temperature, sweat loss
– Cardiorespiratory response – VO2max, heart rate, cardiac output

What we will give you;
– Your VO2max
– A comprehnsive physiological and performance profile

At the end of study completion, participants receive their VO2max and a comprehensive performance and physiology profile. It’s a great chance to fit in extra training sessions and collect data you may not normally be able to collect. It’s also a great chance to see how well you perform in a variety of environments!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Kind Regards,

Felicity

Felicity Bright
BAppSc (Ex&SpSc) (Hons)
University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE)
Bruce | ACT 2617 | Australia
PhD Candidate
Phone: +61 400 413 895
Email: felicity.bright@canberra.edu.au

From the Handicapper

Promotions

Paul Watson C to B
Alison Hale E to D

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

COVID-19 Restrictions

There are legal requirements in place for people returning to the ACT from Victoria and particular places in New South Wales to self-quarantine.

Members who have been to any of these locations in the past 14 days should be complying with ACT Government quarantine restrictions.

Members should stay home if you have been feeling unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has felt unwell in the past 2 weeks.

AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

The National Championships were scheduled to be held in South Australia during January 2021 in conjunction with the Tour Down Under.

Unfortunately, the AVCC have had to cancel the Nationals due to uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of state border restrictions, there is no clarity regarding the ability of members to travel to South Australia in January.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 27th October: Stromlo Criterium

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 20 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:15 A 30m+2, C 25m+2
B/D 6:50 B 30m+2, D 25m+2

Race Director:  Alain Arbaut Contact: Email: arbaut@grapevine.net.au    Ph  0400 493 148

Marshals: Greg Collis

Wednesday, 28th October: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 20-lap graded points race;
6.50pm – 7.20pm: Italian Pursuit.

Sunday, 1st November: Dog Trap Rd – Handicap

Reminder: You can pre-register online on the RMS: https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar or pay cash on the day (no EFTPOS).

Where: Turn off Barton Highway at Long Rail Gully Road, or sealed access from Yass River Road.
When: 9:00 am.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number
Race Description:
Dog Trap Rd – 2 laps.

Race Director:  Ian Preston Contact: Email: dandi@grapevine.com.au    Ph 0407 230 741

Marshals: Shirley-Anne Taylor, Tristan Dimmock, Rodney Welch, Grant Shaw, Kurt Andrews

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 20th October

Beautiful warm spring weather encouraged 122 riders to make up some large fields for Tuesday nights Stromlo Criteriums. Because of the almost windless conditions all fields stayed (mainly) together, despite some good solid efforts to break away by many riders across the grades.

First away were A and C grades. Among the 20 starters in A grade, the powerful Team Tiffen were out in force, facing off against Team Quon for the usual summer series grudge match. The other very strong riders in this grade were also out to show that they were not going to get pushed around, and so a series of powerful attacks kept the pace high throughout. In the end though, despite a very strong late attack by Lewis Cressy it all came down to a final sprint. Coming around the final bend it looked to be Gerard Tiffen about to continue his winning ways of late, but no, absolutely flying down the outside came Ben Morrison to take the win for Team Quon. Gerard held on to second, with Steve Crispin taking a good third place.

C grade had a strong field of 20 starters, and the pace was kept high all the way. There were many attacks, but nothing really stuck and so it too came down to a bunch sprint. This was taken out by Paul Watson from a resurgent Steve Jones, with James Tonkin coming home in third.

The biggest fields of the night were up next with B grade (31 starters) and D grade (31 starters) rolling to the line. With such strong fields the DS’s for all riders were undoubtedly yelling into their race radios to keep up the front. As such, both grades were hustling along at quite a pace, with B grade apparently averaging 41.5 km/h for their 28 minutes plus two laps. There was thankfully only one passing of D grade by B in the duration of the race, and with such large fields it shames me to say that the Race Director could not watch. But no, the skill levels of all riders were much greater than anticipated by the cowardly race director, and the passing maneuver was completed successfully. After all that, and despite a late attack by Terry Moore, D grade was decided by a bunch sprint, with the victory taken by Josh Quilliam from David Rowe and David Buckley in third.

B grade proceeded at a fast pace, but as the race director can attest after a weekend of chasing these riders around the countryside of Gunning, this is a grade that is very difficult to escape from. As it proved here; with (you guessed it) a bunch sprint taken out by Sean Ifland, who found the terrain of Stromlo Forest Park much more to his liking than the wilds of Gunning, from Simon Priest and Matthew Dunstall.

The final round of races were E, F and G grades. E grade went on their own, with F and G grades combined. These were, without doubt, the race director’s favorite grades. All races were ridden in a quick and orderly manner until the light became too feeble to be able to see properly, and then all grades were contested in FIERCE sprint finishes. The speed may have been lower than A grade, but the determination to win was easily just as high. E grade was taken by Alison Hale from Penelope Anderson, with Philip Anderson in third. F grade was Mike Hayes (hey I remember riding against you in A grade Hayesy!) from Chris Copeland and Robert Miller. G grade was won by the evergreen Michael Spoljaric (who distinguished himself by keeping up with F grade the handicapper should note) from Bernie Crowe.

Mark Harris

Track Racing – 21st October

Wednesday’s 21 October was the second track racing session for the 2020-21 season. Conditions were almost ideal for racing. It was cool with an initial breeze that dissipated over the evening. Attendance was quite good with 16 riders, 8 in A grade and 8 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started at a brisk pace that deterred attacks until mid-race. Ben Robey, Tony Beasley, Steve Hirsler, Wayne Benham and Warwick Wilson took turns at the front. On lap 5 John Paul De Sousa accelerated with Steve Jones, Hamish Anderson and Wayne Benham in hot pursuit. After a short while, Warwick Wilson also jumped out to join the lead bunch. The lead bunch soon had a 50m gap on the field. Warwick was dropped as the lead bunch accelerated into the final lap. The bunch strung out slightly on the bell lap with Steve Jones taking a good win from John Paul DeSousa and Hamish Anderson.

In the B Grade scratch race, riders swapped the lead in an orderly fashion for the first four laps. On Lap 5 James Newhouse upped the pace. As the bell lap approached Ken Birch attacked, pursued by Ian Drayton and Bruce Griffin. The trio soon gapped the field and headed into a 3-up sprint. Ian Drayton took a close sprint win from Bruce Griffin and Ken Birch.

The evening’s second event was a 2-lap handicap. The A and B grade fields were mixed into two races. It seemed that, overall, B grade riders had a slight advantage on handicap and took all the podium places. In Race 1, James Newhouse took the win from Phil Anderson and Ian Drayton. In race 2, Phil Coulton took a close fought win from Ken Birch and Graeme O’Neill.

The track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit. This was an extremely competitive event. Both teams rode flawlessly. Team 2 established an initial lead that looked decisive around mid-race. However, Team 1 held steady and pegged back most of the lead over the latter half of the race. When Steve Jones took over for Team 1’s final lap he seemed likely to make up Team 2’s slight lead. However, Team 2’s anchor rider John Paul De Sousa kept up a hot pace and held out Steve by a narrow margin (around half a wheel). It was a good race to watch.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Steve Jones, John Paul De Sousa, Hamish Anderson. (B Grade) Ian Drayton, Bruce Griffin, Ken Birch.
2-Lap Handicap: (Race 1 A&B Grade) James Newhouse, Phil Anderson, Ian Drayton. (Race 2 A&B Grade) Phil Coulton, Ken Birch, Graeme O’Neill.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Tony Beasley, Hamish Anderson, Warwick Wilson, John Paul De Sousa, Phil Coulton, James Newhouse, Alison Hale, Phil Anderson).

Season Point Score Update:
Steve Jones (30), Phil Coulton (30), James Newhouse (29), Bruce Griffin (28), Phil Anderson (28), Hamish Anderson (27), John Paul De Sousa (26), Warwick Wilson (23), Ken Birch (22).

Graeme O’Neill

Corin Time Trial – 25th October

Most can be forgiven for thinking this weeks road race would be cancelled noting the wild weather on Saturday. However Sunday proved to have enough of a reprieve to allow racing to proceed, and 13 riders took on the challenging climb up Corin. Conditions were ‘less than ideal’, with a swirling wind and light rain, but protection could be found on the climb, and most riders warmed up quickly. Some might even say the racing was ‘hot’.

There were no time trial machines, no aero helmets, and not a disc wheel in sight, but there were plenty of light frames and light riders. A grade was won by Brad Peppinck. B grade won by Rowan Walker (with the fastest time of the day – 36:51), Michael Fawke took second and Al Raitt third only 1 second further back. Michael Carr was slowed by a few extra grams in his arm warmers, while Owain Tilley forgot his long socks. C grade was won by Rodney Welch, followed by Peter Balint, then Wayne Donchi. No D graders. E grade won by Penelope Anderson. Full results can be found in the RMS.

A big thank you to Graham for driving the van, registrations, timing and results. Thanks also to Mike Hayes for signage and to Ian McVay for sacrificing his race (again) to be the designated first aider. We really need to have more first aid options in the club, and the race committee needs interested people to get involved. We rely very much on a small group, and they are not always available week in week out.

Thanks again to all involved, and for making a great event in difficult conditions.

Peter Young
Race Referee

Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

•  Do Not Reply

•  Race Numbers

•  From the Handicapper

•  COVID-19 Restrictions

•  AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton

Do Not Reply

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Race Numbers

If you have recently rejoined the club after a period of absence (ie five years or less) your old race number should continue to be used. If you no longer have your race number, please contact membership@actvets.cc to receive a new one.

Kirsti

From the Handicapper

Peter McLennan Gunning Two-Day Tour

Thanks to Ben Davis, Graham Hendrie and all the other volunteers for another great Gunning tour. C grade was very eventful with controversy, loose bottles, stray tool kits, slipping seat posts, mechanicals, cramps, a blow-out and some very challenging racing. The wind mainly blew up and down the course which meant sitting in was easy at times but breaking away would have been very difficult (not that I tried). On day one the majority of the bunch stayed together, as there were enough fresh legs to nullify the attacks, but on day two it was carnage.

Trying to make up for time lost the day before, Ed Logue (cramp-gate) and Carmine Spagnoletti (seat post-gate) relentlessly attacked in the second half of stage two until it was just them duking it out, with a trail of destruction left behind. Ed won in the end, finishing just behind B grade. Time gained on stage two by Ed and Carmine was not enough to counter Luke Healy’s speedy TT, which put him ahead of those who hadn’t had any major time losses to take the GC. The 25-second time gap between Luke and silver medallist Brian Peak was only slightly more than the age gap between the two of them, as Brian is somewhat older having first raced with the club in 1994! Great effort Brian.

Promotions

From the week before
Seymour Savell-Boss C to B
Adam Strickland D to C

This week;
Criterium grade;
Paul Hollings B to A
Luke Healy C to B
Simon Porombka C to B
James Tonkin D to C
Lance Purdon D to C

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

COVID-19 Restrictions

There are legal requirements in place for people returning to the ACT from Victoria and particular places in New South Wales to self-quarantine.

Members who have been to any of these locations in the past 14 days should be complying with ACT Government quarantine restrictions.

Members should stay home if you have been feeling unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has felt unwell in the past 2 weeks.

AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

The National Championships were scheduled to be held in South Australia during January 2021 in conjunction with the Tour Down Under.

Unfortunately, the AVCC have had to cancel the Nationals due to uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of state border restrictions, there is no clarity regarding the ability of members to travel to South Australia in January.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 20th October: Stromlo Criterium

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: Mark Harris Contact: Email: mharris1960@gmail.com    Ph  0413 131 733

Marshals: Liam O’Dea

Wednesday, 21th October: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 2-Lap Handicap;
6.50pm – 7.20pm: Italian Pursuit.

Sunday, 25th October: Corin Time Trial – Uphill

Where: Start of course is at the intersection of Tidbinbilla Rd and the Corin Dam Rd. Finish is approx 12km up the Corin Dam Rd at entry to the old Square Rock car park, near the gate.
When: 9:00 am.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number
Race Description:
Average 4.1% Climb to Square Rock car park.

Race Director: Peter Young Contact: Email: peteryoung131@gmail.com    Ph 0414 806 934

Marshals: Mike Hayes

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 13th October

Near perfect conditions accompanied the second week of the Summer Crit Seasons which brought out large numbers of riders in all grades. Notwithstanding an accident involving member Lyndsay Graham in the EFG Grade race who we all hope recovers from his injuries and gets back on the bike as soon as possible, a competitive evening of racing was enjoyed by all.

B & D grades contained the most numbers of riders and as such managed to keep in tight groups for the majority of their races. As mentioned, the E/F/G race included an unfortunate accident which meant the race needed to be finished up about 3/4 of the way through.

A grade was an interesting race with rider Gerard Tiffen, forming a one man break away in the very early laps of the race and managing to maintain and even increase his solo lead right to the end, C Grade broke up into a few distinct bunches about half way through the race and remained that way until its completion. All races were complete by around 7:20PM.

David Witham

Track Racing – 14th October

Wednesday’s track racing session was the first for the 2020-21 season. Conditions were good for racing. It was warm with a fresh breeze creating a headwind in the back straight. Attendance was encouraging with 20 riders, 12 in A grade and 8 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started in an orderly fashion with Hamish Anderson, Dougal Torrance, Steve Jones, and John Paul DeSousa rotating into the lead over the first four laps. Dougal Torrance put in an attack on Lap 5 with Dave Mullens pursuing. They managed a modest gap over the field before being caught on Lap 6. Shortly after this, Kerry Knowler took the lead and upped the pace a notch. Warwick Wilson attacked but only gained about 10 metres on the bunch before being closed down. As the bunch barrelled into the bell lap, Alex Millet attacked from high on the banking. Alec poured on the pace and soon had Steve Jones and Dougal Torrance in pursuit with the bunch stringing out under the pressure. Alec crossed the line for a good win ahead of Steve Jones and Dougal Torrance. The win was a good swansong for Alec, who will soon be departing to WA and will be a loss to the Vets track racing scene.

In the B Grade scratch race, the first four laps were at a steady, comfortable pace. On lap 5 the pace increased considerably. However, the bunch stuck together rotating lead riders in an orderly fashion. Phil Anderson and Bruce Griffin took off with about 1.5 laps to go. The pack began to stream out as back riders accelerated to close down gaps. With three quarters of a lap to go, the bunch was starting to consolidate before a final attack which saw Phil Anderson take a narrow win from Bruce Griffin. Phil Coulton followed with a creditable third place finish.

The evening’s second event was a 1-lap time trial from a standing start. This is a flat chat event where a high initial acceleration is critical. On average, times were slightly down on last year, likely due to the headwind in the back straight remaining quite fresh. Hamish Anderson set the A grade benchmark at 27.35 seconds which was better than his time last year. The second and third best times were very close to each other with Alex Millett on 28.90 seconds and Steve Jones on 29.20 seconds. Six A grade riders rode under 30 seconds, which was quite impressive, given the conditions.

Steve Hirsler rode just outside 30 seconds (30.07s) to set the best time for B grade. This was an impressive time for B grade. Bruce Griffin (31.50s) and Ken Birch (31.65s) took second and third placing with very good efforts. Six B grade riders were under 32.5 seconds, which was a good overall performance.

The track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit with 9 riders per team. This was a great race with teams swapping the lead as racing progressed and a very close finish. Team 1 had a somewhat chaotic start as the lead rider did not hear the start whistle. The situation was rescued by Phil Coulton who started off the team and soon restored order to their paceline. The misstep gave Team 2 an initial advantage which they held over six laps by flawless riding. Dave Mullens put in a great turn for Team 1 on lap seven, wiping out the team’s deficit and providing a small lead that was consolidated by Steve Jones on the next lap. Rowan McMurray and Alec Millet closed out the event for Teams 1 and 2 respectively. Alec rode a blistering final lap but could not quite overcome Team 1’s lead. Rowan held a solid pace to take the win by around 4 metres in a close fought event.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Alec Millet, Steve Jones, Dougal Torrance. (B Grade) Phil Anderson, Bruce Griffin, Phil Coulton.
1-Lap Standing Start Time trial: (A Grade) Hamish Anderson (27.35s), Alec Millett (28.90s), Steve Jones (29.20s). (B Grade) Steve Hirsler (30.07s), Bruce Griffin (31.50s), Ken Birch (31.65s).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Steve Jones, Dave Mullens, Tony Beasley, Warwick Wilson, John Paul De Sousa, Rowan McMurray, Phil Coulton, Graeme O’Neill, James Newhouse).

Season Point Score Update:
Alec Millett (17), Steve Jones (17), Bruce Griffin (16), Phil Coulton (15), Hamish Anderson (14), Dougal Torrance, Phil Anderson, Steve Hirsler (13), James Newhouse (12), John Paul De Sousa (11).

Graeme O’Neill

Gunning 2 Day – 17/18th October

Day 1

The gunning two-day event is steeped in tradition, in stories of victory and missed opportunities. Of magpies, brown snakes, echidnas and flocks of sheep. In howling winds, rain and crumbling roads, riders of all abilities battled it out to claim victory in their grades. The names of Hall, Gardiner, Dunn and Gilbert were feared bushrangers of the area in the 1860’s. Over the weekend, names like Hollings, Healy & Brown were the names most feared in the area for their ability to strike.

Saturday morning saw a cool gentle breeze rolling over the hills of Gunning. With some overnight rain and the sun peeking through the clouds, conditions were close to perfect for the start of the 100km road race for A,B,C & D. Bernie Crowe was first away with A grade in pursuit. Could A grade match the power of Bernie on the Cullerin climb? Gerard Tiffen took the intermediate sprint points just ahead of Brendan Byatt. Coming into view for the completion of the first lap, Team Tiffen had splintered the group into a lead group of 4 riders with a 5 min gap to another 3 riders. Had they gone out too hard too early was the talk of the town as they turned, threw water bottles and collected new ones.

On the final lap, it was to be a 3 man show with team Tiffen piling the pain onto Paul Hollings who didn’t crack over the final lap. The sprint finish at Gunning is one of the toughest. With a very long finishing straight into an uphill drag, timing is everything. Go too early, and the legs will quickly turn into bricks as the hill just keeps on going. For A grade Gerard Tiffen was able to punch out the watts and win the sprint ahead of Paul Hollings and Jeremy Gillman-Wells in a time of 2hrs 34mins.

Meanwhile a big group of 17 x B graders were not too far behind. With several early attacks nullified, B were content to roll along, enjoy the scenery and battle it out at the intermediate sprints and finish line. By now the wind had picked up and was rumbling in from the north west giving the riders a slight tail wind on the return leg. And the sprint finish for B was super impressive with 15 riders all bunched together, straining every last bit of energy out of their legs. On the line, you could have thrown a blanket over 10 or so riders with Bruce Goodspeed narrowly edging out Peter Zygadio and Rowan Walker.

C Grade started with 16 riders and mostly stayed together over the opening lap. But controversy ensued with an attack inside the neutral turn point with several riders getting dropped as a result. Just like the neutral feeding zones in the Tour De France, they are neutral for a reason which is to make it safe for riders to take on extra water and turn safely. The rest of the road race for C grade was uneventful with 9 riders staying together. On the finish line Andrew Osborne took line honors ahead of Rodney Welch and the ever present Stephen Schwenke.

In D grade it was all tea and scones at the turn point. By now the weather was turning feral. Rain was starting to fall and the wind was switching around to a Southerly. The return leg into a strong head wind was going to be the real tester. It was at this point that Des Brown decided that the best way to beat the wind and rain was to make it back to the car before the weather closed in. By the finish line, Des had opened up a huge 2 min time gap on Tony Beasley and a 6 min gap on Sally Thompson. It was the sort of performance that would generally warrant a trip to the toilets with a glass jar. But alas as we didn’t have a port-a-loo at the ready, we just had to take Des’s word for it that he has been training hard and this was the result of many km’s in his legs.

E grade started with 9 riders and with them doing 1 lap (50km’s), it was going to be fast and furious. David Gunther stopped on the Cullerin range to take some scenic photos which ruled him out of contention for overall honors. But on the line again, it was a hard fought sprint with Rico Fitch, Alex Sommariva and Lance Purdon all battling it out up the final drag. Rico 1st with Alex and Lance 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Day 2

Sunday delivered the goods again in terms of wind and slightly overcast conditions. The wind was blowing from the southwest which made the outbound leg from Breadalbane to Gunning difficult but the return leg super fun with a strong tail wind.

Half the A graders decided that hill climb championships or a good Sunday morning sleep in were the better options as we ended up with only 3 A graders. Full credit to Damien Lonergan who on the Saturday was a DNF due to a flat tyre, but still decided to come out and ride with A grade on the Sunday.

In A grade, Paul Hollings had an almost unassailable lead of 8mins over Brendan Byatt. Would this be enough? or was Brendan going to attack early and claw back some of that time? At the intermediate spring all 3 riders were bang on the line with Damien just edging out Brendan with Paul marking the group. The return leg from Gunning to Breadalbane was super quick. With a strong tail wind, they covered the 50kms in a very quick 1hr 16 mins and on the line it was Brendan Byatt who managed to out sprint Paul Hollings and Damien on the line.

B grade again was together for the entire 50kms. Again they made it very difficult for the multiple sets of eyes on the line to see who won in the sprint. After deliberation, Mark Harris re-discovered his sprinting legs and took out the sprint just ahead of Peter Zygadio and Tim Brown.

C grade started the 50kms road race with 12 riders and there were a front group intent on inflicting pain. Ed Logue decided that sprinting is easier when there is only one other to sprint against and won in a time of 1hr 18 just ahead of Carmine Spagnoletti. Both times would have beaten all of the B graders! 3rd place in the 50km road race went to Brian Peak.

D grade trembled at the prospect of having to contain the Des Brown Phenomenon. Was he going to have an off day and give up some of his time or would the entire D grade have to combine to combat his tactical prowess? The result was a mass sprint finish, this time with Tony Beasley exacting some revenge with a narrow win over Alain Arbaut and Sally Thompson in 3rd.

E grade were together at the intermediate sprint, but something must have happened on the return climb over the Cullerin range as a group of 3 riders managed to sneak away. At the finish line it was Rico Fitch 20 odd seconds ahead of Terry Moore with Lance Purdon in 3rd. This group had over a 1 min gap on the chase group of E.

Coming into the crowning glory event the 5km Individual Time Trial, there was pleas for the Time Trial to start 5kms up the road with the finish to be in Breadalbane. But what fun would a Time Trial be with a roaring tail wind? Race Director’s like to ensure you get your entry fee’s worth by racing into a head wind as much as possible!

Heading into the TT, it was super close in several grades. Paul Hollings barring a mechanical had the A grade event sown up. But B & C were closer affairs with 13 riders in B within 40 seconds of overall victory. With a strong head wind, anything could happen!

In A grade, Paul Hollings blitzed the 5kms in a time of 8mins 8 seconds
B grade it was Rowan Walker who covered the 5km in 8min 32 secs edging out Tim Brown 10 seconds back and Bean Healy a further 4 seconds adrift.
C Grade it was Andrew Osborne in a time of 8min 33 secs with Luke Healy 2nd and JP De Sousa in 3rd.
In D grade, Michael Reppion showed a clean pair of heels to win in a time of 9.27 ahead of Sally Thompson in 9.47 and Tony Beasley in 10.03
E grade it was the Lance Purdon show breaking the 10min barrier in a time of 9.52 ahead of Rico in 10.13 and Terry Moore in 11.01

As we gathered around the Breadalbane community Hall awaiting the final results, the tension in the room was electric. Rumours swirled that the time gaps were very very close. Graham Hendrie was copying and pasting Excel and cross computing numbers like John Nash from “A Beautiful Mind” to get the results in order. A hush of silence fell over the crowd:

A Grade- Paul Hollings 1st Overall, ahead of Brendan Byatt

B Grade- Rowan Walker had moved from 6th place overall before the TT to claim victory just 7 seconds ahead of Tim Brown with Ben Healy just 17 seconds behind Rowan. The split between 3rd and 4th place came down to 4/100th of a second! Incredible racing.

C Grade- Luke Healy overcame a final TT deficit to claim overall victory just 25 seconds ahead of Brian Peak. Ed Logue, oh so close just 4 second behind in 3rd place.

D Grade- Des Brown protected his time buffer from Day 1 to win with Anthony Beasley 1.45 behind and Sally Thompson 5.45 behind.

E Grade- Again close racing with Rico hanging on by 27 seconds over Lance Purdon in 2nd and Terry Moore taking 3rd place.

Incredibly close racing in many grades and well done to all riders!

My special thanks goes to Graham Hendrie who as always never fails with the van duties, time keeping and everything else.
Simon the sports med who ensures that medical help is at the ready in case we ever need it. Thankfully we didn’t need it over the weekend.
Jan Koehler who was a marshal on both days helping to capture rider numbers in the finish chute
The McVay’s in Ian & Kristi who do so much behind the scenes in making Gunning a great event.

My Saturday marshals in Dougal who captured the intermediate sprint points, Ben Carmody who drove the lead car, Brian Vernon who assisted on the finish line, Michael Hanbury who drove the trail car and Greg Mitchell who managed to safely control I think the 1 or 2 cars that passed through Breadalbane at the far turn point My Sunday marshals, Seymour who drove the lead car, Paul “Stitches” Robey who drove the trail car, Ben Robey who controlled the turn point at Gunning, Kevin Newhouse who controlled the short turn point in Breadalbane and helped at the finish line afterwards and Filipe Lopes Reis who got a white knuckle ride in my Audi as we took off to capture the intermediate sprint primes.

Ben Davis
Race Referee

Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

•  Gunning 2 Day

•  Race support needed

•  From the desk of the President

•  From the Handicapper

•  COVID-19 Restrictions

•  AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton

Gunning 2 Day

Gunning 2020 two-day race is on 17 & 18 October. Race format will be the same as last year with racing starting from 10:00am on both days. Riders must race on Saturday to be eligible to race on Sunday. This year we will use RMS for pre-entry and payments. Any members who cannot pay by credit should contact the race committee.

To enter, go the Calendar page https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar. Click the ‘Details’ button for the race on 17/10/2020 at Gunning. Put in your race number and then hit the Enter button. If you are financial, credit card details fields will display. Enter your details and you should receive a transaction reference code (Note this down if you want to. The transaction will appear on your statement as SQ *ACT VETERANS CYCLI Kambah AUS). You name should appear in the Entries List.

Entry for this year is only $20.00!

Race support needed

The club is extremely lucky to have Graham Hendrie looking after, and bringing out to races, our race van. Graham also manages the timing and results recording and uploading into RMS. This operates like a pro rider, very smooth looking but a lot of hard work going on.

Graham is looking to take a break from marshal duties, so we need to start looking at transitioning some of the tasks that he does to other people. This could be a member of the club, a family member or someone who has spare time and an interest in cycling. If you are interested in helping out, or know someone who would be, please get in touch with the race Committee.

Remember, it’s up to everyone in the club to help ensure we continue to have a viable ongoing race program.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

From the desk of the President

Good evening everyone, and welcome back to Criterium season – it’s been a long time coming, and I hope everyone enjoys the racing challenges over the next few months.

Having spent a long time off the bike this year, my racing has deteriorated, which saw me in C grade for a couple of races.

Criteriums are my preferred type of racing to compete in, and I stupidly committed a faux pas last week when I crossed the line in C grade in first place – something we have all been warned against doing when racing in a grade than our usual one. At the time of the incident I realised my error and apologised to the C graders near me. Our Grading expert Rob Langridge has also since pulled me up on my poor form, and rightly so. Thankfully my result has subsequently been scratched.

While making a rash decision in the moment may not be intended to annoy fellow racers, we can all appreciate and understand that it’s not fair to other racers in the grade to take a win while racing in a lower grade, or to make Rob’s function as the club’s handicapper more complicated.

I sincerely apologise to the racers in C Grade and hope that my poor decision-making and racing last week doesn’t inspire others that find themselves in similar situations!

Good luck to everyone coming out tomorrow for what should be another great evening’s racing.

Best Regards

Seymour Savell-Boss #25
ACT Vets Cycling Club President

From the Handicapper

Vets out and about

It hasn’t been much of a year for Vets to get out and about but on the weekend a few members gathered in Singleton for the NSW masters’ road championships. Participation from ACT riders was lower than other years probably because of the uncertainty regarding restrictions on traveling to sporting events in NSW but also due to general bushfire/smoke/COVID long-term training upheaval. Brendan Byatt M5 and Owain Tilley M7 both finished an agonising 4th in their respective TT events. Bruce Goodspeed M6 was 10th in the M6 road race. The course probably wasn’t tough enough for a rider like Bruce and he had to be content with finishing in the bunch which contained the vast majority of starters. Owain finished 19th in the M7 RR. There were no starters for the criterium. Well done to all!.

Gunning this weekend

I hope everyone is featuring trips to Gunning and Breadalbane in their weekend plans. As mentioned last week, this is your one chance to ride for GC glory in the season. With Gunning being Gunning and the weather forecast to be unsettled, make sure you pack every item of cold weather/rain gear you have so you are ready for every possible weather contingency. Hope to see you there.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

COVID-19 Restrictions

There are legal requirements in place for people returning to the ACT from Victoria and particular places in New South Wales to self-quarantine.

Members who have been to any of these locations in the past 14 days should be complying with ACT Government quarantine restrictions.

Members should stay home if you have been feeling unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has felt unwell in the past 2 weeks.

AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

The National Championships were scheduled to be held in South Australia during January 2021 in conjunction with the Tour Down Under.

Unfortunately, the AVCC have had to cancel the Nationals due to uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of state border restrictions, there is no clarity regarding the ability of members to travel to South Australia in January.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 13th October: Stromlo Criterium

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 25m+2, D 22m+2
E/F/G 6:20 E/F/G 20 m + 2 laps
A/C 6:45 A 25m+2, C 22m+2

Race Director: David Witham Contact: Email: david.witham@act.gov.au    Ph  0448 812 162

Marshals: Corey Beatson

Wednesday, 14th October: Track Racing

Regrettably, last Wednesday’s track practice session was washed out. However, the season’s first track racing session remains scheduled for this Wednesday.

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 7.00pm: 1-SS Time Trial;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian Pursuit.

Gunning 2 Day

Saturday, 17th October: Day 1

Where: Day 1 races start and finish at summit of hill about 1.5 km NE of Gunning. Park off the road at top of hill adjacent start finish.
When: 10:00 am.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
ABCD do two laps for 100k.
EFG do 1 lap for 50k.
All races start from 10:00 onward. You MUST register buy 9:45.
Time bonuses for the 2 kom primes are 5,2,1 sec. Time bonuses for the finish are 13,7,3 sec.

Sunday, 18th October: Day 2

Where: Drive to Gunning, then Cullerin Road to Breadalbane, or, Federal Highway to Collector then Breadalbane Road to Breadalbane, or, Federal Highway – Hume Highway – Cullerin Road. Park at the Community Hall.
When: 10:00 am.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Breadalbane – short turn – Gunning return ~ 50km
Followed by 5km TT (no aero equipment permitted)
All races start from 10:00 onward. You MUST register buy 9:45.
Time bonuses for the kom prime are 5,2,1 sec. Time bonuses for the finish are 7,4,2 sec

RACE REPORTS:

Stromolo Criterium – 6th October

The first of the 2020 Summer Criterium series proceeded uneventfully despite the weather forecast looking grim all day.

E a grade christened the season, followed by F and G grade, with the sole G grader, Bernie Crowe opting for the company of F grade, at least for a while. E grade’s 6 starters traded places for 20 minutes, and duly lined up for a sprint involving all, with the wily Alex Sommivara edging out Alison Hale and Penelope Ardern. One of the 4 F graders had to miss a place on the podium, but Dennis Puniard followed by Pat Rooke and Edward Joliffe made sure it wasn’t going to be them, and Bernie Crowe made no mistake in G grade.

A and C grade were next away, with healthy fields of 9 and 11 respectively.

A grade showed some hard racing with Tristan Dimmock in particular putting the hurt on up the home straight. Brad Peppinck put in a move around 11 minutes and held the bunch off for a few laps, but inevitably it all came together and Ben Morrison won the gallop, ahead of a still frisky Brad Peppinck and Tristan Dimmock.

C grade included the tandem of Ben Healy and John Burton who showed willing on the downhills, but saw the elastic stretch and eventually break on the uphill straight. Newcomer Adam Davey was inevitably “allowed” to spend considerable time at the front of the bunch. The finish ended with Seymour Savell-Boss timing his appearance at the front to the right moment, edging out Mick Hanbury and Adam Davey.

Finally B and D grade set off amid light sprinkles of rain, and fading light.

B grade’s 13 starters saw some early action from Michael Foulds and Peter Young, and later including Ed Logue and Dale Riley, but again, nothing stuck and the bunch regrouped with 3 to go, and Al Raitt coming in ahead of Bruce Goodfellow and Ed Logue.

D grade had a dozen riders. Adam Strickland stretched the legs after 7 minutes, with John Stockman looking to spoil the party. The attack stuck until near the end, and the bunch took the bell together. The finale saw Adam Strickland with enough juice left to take the win, and possibly farewell D grade, ahead of Lance Purdon and Ian Morton.

Thanks are due to marshall Aaron Thomson and First Aid Officer Simon Whitehead, as well as Ian McVay for valuable guidance.

Kevin Woods
Race Referee

Hello Vets,

Welcome to the start of the 2020/21 Summer Racing Season. In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Treasurer

•  From the Handicapper

•  COVID-19 Restrictions

•  AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

•  Racing this Week

Ian Morton

From the Race Committee

Gunning Entries Open

Gunning 2020 two-day race is on 17 & 18 October. Race format will be the same as last year with racing starting from 10:00am on both days. Riders must race on Saturday to be eligible to race on Sunday. This year we will use RMS for pre-entry and payments. Any members who cannot pay by credit should contact the race committee.

To enter, go the Calendar page https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar. Click the ‘Details’ button for the race on 17/10/2020 at Gunning. Put in your race number and then hit the Enter button. If you are financial, credit card details fields will display. Enter your details and you should receive a transaction reference code (Note this down if you want to. The transaction will appear on your statement as SQ *ACT VETERANS CYCLI Kambah AUS). You name should appear in the Entries List.

Entry for this year is only $20.00!

Race support needed

The club is extremely lucky to have Graham Hendrie looking after, and bringing out to races, our race van. Graham also manages the timing and results recording and uploading into RMS. This operates like a pro rider, very smooth looking but a lot of hard work going on.

Graham is looking to take a break from marshal duties, so we need to start looking at transitioning some of the tasks that he does to other people. This could be a member of the club, a family member or someone who has spare time and an interest in cycling. If you are interested in helping out, or know someone who would be, please get in touch with the race Committee.

Remember, it’s up to everyone in the club to help ensure we continue to have a viable ongoing race program.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

From the Treasurer

Cashless Option

With the resumption of Tuesday night crits, the cashless option will be available for members to pay race fees. Cash payment will also be available though members are requested to bring the correct amount to minimise handling of change.

Reduced Membership 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020

The AVCC has approved a reduction in membership fees for the period 1 October 2020 to 31 December 2020. The reduced fee is $60 and is available to both new members and non-financial members who wish to renew their membership for the last three months of the year.

The SportsTG membership portal has now been updated with the new membership fee for the remainder of 2020 (“Q4 Special Reduced Membership 2020”).

Kirsti McVay
Treasurer

From the Handicapper

Amazingly, the winter season has come to end without additional interruptions from COVID-19 and the real battle for those who race during winter was, as always, the weather! I will not forget the other weekend at Breadalbane for a while. We had some great turn-outs on the sunny days and there were plenty of exciting races.

As we move into the criterium season, I ask that riders choosing to ride down a grade from where they left off last year, do so without seeking to thrash those in the lower grade or seek a victory before returning to the higher grade. The victory you steal may be someone else’s own chance for well-deserved glory.

The Peter McLennan Gunning Two-Day Tour is coming soon, I hope many of you are considering riding. It’s a great race and also a fantastic social event, as there are many hours to get to know your competitors on and off the road. It’s the one chance to ride for general classification so pacing yourself, nutrition, rest, good tactics and making alliances are important to get a good result. If you haven’t raced over the winter, and are considering entering please think carefully about the grade you will start in. Please consult me if you have any doubts. Most years we have at least one rider who comes out of nowhere to solo his way to victory, only to disappear for the rest of the season. Let’s avoid this in 2020.

The rain may wash out tomorrow’s crit but I’m sure you are all keen to test your legs at Stromlo soon. I’m looking forward to it.

RIDER WARNING!!!

Summary: Relaid parts of the cycle paths now have a drop from the path to the grass/dirt next to the path. Exercise extreme caution if riding off and then back on the path. Make sure to lift your front wheel as you go back on.

Recently, a number of shared paths (or cycle paths) have been resealed around Canberra, which for some sections is the first proper maintenance since they were laid in the early 80s!. There are examples in Holder, Kambah, and more recently, West Basin to Glenloch Interchange. The paths have been repaired by laying another layer of bitumen on top of the existing surface. This has resulted in a smooth, fast surface but also about a 30mm drop from the path to the dirt/grass next to the path.

Previously, it was possible to ride on and off the path without consideration of the changes in surfaces. In the old days of poor bike lights and no centre line, it was a frequent occurrence to find yourself in the rough on a dark night, but there were no problems getting back on. Unfortunately, one Vets member has misjudged the transition from path to grass and back again with disastrous results. Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to Ed Pelligrino. Also be wary of drains and manholes as some have a smooth transition while others are more like a pothole.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

COVID-19 Restrictions

There are legal requirements in place for people returning to the ACT from Victoria and particular places in New South Wales to self-quarantine.

Members who have been to any of these locations in the past 14 days should be complying with ACT Government quarantine restrictions.

Members should stay home if you have been feeling unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has felt unwell in the past 2 weeks.

Product Recall

Advance Traders (Australia) Pty Ltd – Sugek CS-M3007 7-speed Cassette fitted to Norco Storm 4 and 5 Bicycles MY2021

The Sugek CS-M3007 7-Speed Cassette installed on certain model year 2021 Norco Storm 4 and Storm 5 bicycles may cause the chain to skip unexpectedly, under extreme pedalling loads when using the 11 tooth cog.

For full details go to: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/advance-traders-australia-pty-ltd-sugek-cs-m3007-7-speed-cassette-fitted-to-norco-storm-4-and-5-bicycles-my2021

AVCC 2021 Nationals – CANCELLED

The National Championships were scheduled to be held in South Australia during January 2021 in conjunction with the Tour Down Under.

Unfortunately, the AVCC have had to cancel the Nationals due to uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of state border restrictions, there is no clarity regarding the ability of members to travel to South Australia in January.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 6th October: Stromlo Criterium

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
E/F/G 20m + 2 @ 5:50
A/C 20m + 2 @ 6:15
B/D 20m + 2 @ 6:40

Race Director: Kevin Woods Contact: Email: krwoods56@gmail.com    Ph  0412 622 299

Marshals: Aaron Thomson

Wednesday, 7th October: Track Practice Session

The track racing season will kick off with a Practice Session starting at 6.00pm on Wednesday 7 October. There will be no racing. All interested riders are invited – particularly new riders and track novices. It is a great opportunity to give track a try!

Please note that Narrabundah Track is a high-banked, oval track suitable only for conventional fixed gear track bikes with a high bottom bracket. We are unable to accommodate road bikes on this track.

Note:
+ Narrabundah track is located off Goyder Street in Narrabundah;
+ We welcome riders to try a high-banked track for the first time;
+ New riders can get practical advice on gearing, bunch riding & track etiquette;
+ Interested riders can try out a track bike (bring your own pedals and shoes);
+ Experienced riders can tune up the machinery & motor;
+ All riders can express their preference for events & races;
+ The practice session will be around 1hr 30 mins starting at 6.00pm;
+ There is no formal structure to the practice. We can assist with introductory training, if requested;
+ You can do your own thing, if you prefer.

A few basics on track etiquette for the practice session:
+ Use the designated track positions for cruising, tempo or fast pacing;
(The faster you ride the higher you should be positioned on track. Overtake outside other riders);
+ Hold your line – don’t make changes of speed or position unless you are clear of other riders;
+ Be very careful if you are crossing or moving on / off the track;
(It is your responsibility not to impede other riders in this situation);
+ Start from the fence and be aware of riders approaching;
+ It is best to wear clear or light tinted goggles;
(the shaded portions of track have very low visibility with regular sunnies);
+ All riders will need to be cautious, as there will be novice riders at the practice session.

Regular track racing will start on Wednesday 14 October.

Last year we had a small, dedicated track group with a total of 31 riders participating over the season. However, why should they have all the fun. If you have thought about it, come and give it a try. We would like at least ten more regulars.

Sunday, 11th October: No scheduled race

The next road race event will be the Gunning 2 Day on 17/18 October.