Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 30th November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 30 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
A/C 5:50 A 42m+2, C 38m+2
B/D 6:35 B 42m+2, D 38m+2
E/F/G 7:20 28 min + 2 laps

Race Director: Stephen Terracini Contact: Email: slterracbr@gmail.com    Ph  0411 406 911

Marshals: Kieran Butler

Wednesday, 1st December: 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 – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap;
6.40pm – 7.00pm: Graded snowball;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 5th No Race

Unfortunately the scourge of club racing (no, not Swooping Magpies), but lack of Racing Approvals has caught us out again so Sunday’s race has had to be canceled.

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 23rd November

Fine, mild and calm conditions made for a pleasant evening of racing.

To start the evening, 22 D graders rolled together as a bunch. About half way through the race Rico Fitch and Mark Taylor launched an attack and had a reasonable break….but were reeled in. After a few more antics, Mark Taylor was first across the line, followed by Craig O’Neall and then Kevin Newhouse.

There was plenty of action from the 36 guys in B grade, including as early breakaway from Seymour Savell-Boss, Dan Crocker and Peter Young. The break swelled to five or six riders for a period before being reabsorbed by the main bunch. At the halfway point, Joshua Bolton was Bolt-ing away for a solo sprint and stayed out in front alone for several laps. The final sprint saw Simon Priest claim first, Bruce Goodfellow second, Dale Riley third and Joshua Bolton forth.

Next came E, F and G grade. Bernie Crowe rode a consistent pace as he time-trialed to another G grade win.

After the first two laps, the F grade bunch was split in two, with the orange red and fluro trio of Robert Solomons, Miche Hodges and Adrian Breen outshining and outpacing the rest. They crossed the line in that order with Mike Haynes coming in forth.

E grade consisted of eleven riders on ten bikes. Cat Riley did a lot of the work at the front of the bunch in the first half of the race. With half a lap to go the tandem pair upped the pace on the straight with Pat Rooke strategically positioned on their back wheel and the rest in hot pursuit. In the sprint finish, Lindy Hou and Colin Calderwood narrowly beat Pat by about a tire’s width with Mick Donaldson third and Dale Dummett forth.

As the daylight dimmed, A and C grade took to the track with 25 in each bunch. There was action a-plenty from both these grades with numerous attacks and chases. In C grade Steven Terracini pressed out in front with four laps to go. Craig Lindermayer won the sprint with Clinton Porteous second, Andrew Buick third and Tom Stewart Moore forth.

Matt Rizzuto launched a solo attack out of A grade. With six minutes to go and light fading fast, he had company. Line honors went to Gerard Tiffen first, Jeremy Gillman-Wells second and Matthew Corby third.

Rosemary Robinson

Track Racing – 24th November

The track racing session for 24 November was canceled due to rain. The steeply banked velodrome is too dangerous to ride when wet.

Season Point Score after Round 3:
Alison Hale (57), Michael Langdon (53), Ken Birch (50), Tony Beasley (49), John Paul De Sousa (47), James Newhouse (45), Craig Kentwell (45), Phil Coulton (33), Graeme O’Neill (31), Karen Clutson (30), Warwick Wilson (30), Steve Jones (25), Bruce Griffin (24), Ian Drayton (24), Ben Robey (23).

Graeme O’Neill

Club Championship – 28th November

Women’s F3 L to R: Rosemary Robinson, Terry Moore (1st)	M1 winner Tristan Fuge. Tristan will have to wait until 2069 to match Lindsay Graham’s feat of winning the M11 title.
M2 Winner Simon Priest. Track and field fans from the 80s will notice his variation of Florence Giffith-Joyner’s famous ‘one legger’	M4 L to R: Heath Wade, Jeremy Gillman-Wells, Gerard Tiffen
M5 L to R: Christophe Barbaret, Matt Rizzuto, Nathan Spillane	M9 L to R: Alex Sommariva, Mark Taylor (1st).
M10: Des Brown and his new crowns	M11 Champ Lindsay Graham.

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

Change to RMS Race entry

If you are asked via email to help direct or marshal at an upcoming race, your name will also appear on the RMS race calendar followed by a red TBC (To Be Confirmed). You should inform the race committee of your availability, or not, to help out at the event. This is specified in the Club’s Race Officiation Obligations – https://actvets.cc/racing-with-us/marshal-schedule/.

If you enter a race while having an unconfirmed directing or marshalling request, the RMS entry system now will display the message “You are scheduled to help at an upcoming event. Please contact the race committee to confirm your availability.“

Most members are responding to requests in a timely manner. However if we need to keep chasing up people, it is probable that RMS will be changed to stop race entries for members with outstanding requests.

ETC Mentoring

Now that we’re back racing, we would like to provide opportunities for people who have completed ETC Training to undertake their mentoring and complete their qualification. There will be two opportunities before the end of the year:

– 28 November (this weekend) at Tidbinbilla; and
– 19 December at Cotter Reserve.

Please contact the Race Committee if you would like to take this opportunity.

Ian McVay
Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Ben Neal C to B
Chris Reis E to D

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 23rd November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 23 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 40m+2, D 35m+2
E/F/G 6:35 28 min + 2 laps
A/C 7:10 A 40m+2, C 35m+2

Race Director: Rosemary Robinson Contact: Email: rosemaryr2@iinet.net.au    Ph  0417 898 917

Marshals: Eoin Rothery

Wednesday, 24th November: 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 – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap;
6.40pm – 7.00pm: Graded snowball;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 28th November: Club Championship

Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 27/11/2021 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Intersection of Tidbinbilla Reserve Rd and Paddy’s River Road approx 14 km from Point Hut Crossing.
Parking: Off the road on either side of Paddy’s River Road. For road safety reasons, please DO NOT park on the corners of the intersection. Road traffic can be busy and dangerous, especially around the times we are finishing..
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
TNR to Power Lines, to top of Pierces Creek and return to TNR for one lap. 40km 1 lap, 30km 1/2 lap to Pierces Creek.
Men 1-4 (30 – 48yrs) do 48km. Rest do 30km.

Race Director:  Michael Fawke Contact: Email: twizzled801@gmail.com    Ph  0414 685 464

Marshals: Andrew Matz ETC, Ben Neal, Mick Donaldson ETC, Van driver – Robert Langridge

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 16th November

It was a chill wind blowing through SFP this past Tuesday. The grandstand and course looked desolate with just the odd runner, dog walker and bike rider meandering about. But as the time crept past 5.30 ACT Capital Region Master cyclists swarmed in ready for another evening of exhilaration and glory that is Tuesday night crits.

EFG grades were up first and after briefing the race director they rolled out in an orderly fashion. G grade was settled early when Gai took advantage of Bernie’s reluctance to pedal on the downhill and scooted off for a solo effort. E and F settled into their orderly processions for the race. Only 527 was seen fading off after 14 mins. F was a bunch sprint won by Robert Solomon followed 2 laps later by E’s bunch sprint with Chris Reis taking the glory.

A and C rolled out with A grade boss Gerard Tiffen volunteering to take a lap out at the start to go scare some roos. A and C were steady for about 5 mins but then A grade started to see a flurry of feints. But it was not until A grade passed C grade 11 minutes into the race that the hopes and dreams of the back end of A grade were dashed (cmon handicapper grading is not a one way ticket and they (I) shouldn’t have to beg to go down). They split into 3 groups with Team Tiffen well represented in front group and shortly some normally reliable A grade animators (Terra, Christophe, Mr Payne) were gone and would not see the front again. It then settled down to 2 groups working nicely, little Daniel Lekhac had a dig off the front with 10 to go as he knew big GT pretty much would monster the sprint. He was brought back and then the front group sprinted in the shadow of Gerard Tiffen as he basked in glory for another evening.

After getting overtaken by A grade C grade decided to stomp on pedals and get strung out for a little while. The effect was exacerbated by some newcomer ‘accidently’ latching onto some dropped A graders which made his breakaway effort seem effortless. A few C’s starting to slide out the back at this stage eg Greg Mitchell. Of course it came back to a big bunch sprint in C with Ben Neal spinning in the saddle like a junior on restricted gears to take the win over Dominator who tried to twist his bike into a pretzel with a grinding 40rpm display of muscularity.

B and D were last away with the wind and temperature rapidly dropping. There was some animation in B grade from some green jersey riders and it looked like Joshua Bolton wearing the number of the beast 666, was going to send B grade to hell with a late promising solo effort. But nay it was just another B grade bunchie with Jeremy Schieb taking a convincing win. D grade rolled around yelled at each other for a bit, got confused with a dropped Mark Harradine being mistaken for one of their own but steadied the ship for a bunch sprint with Lance Purdon giving his fully doped Trek Madone the glory it deserves.

Heath Chester

Track Racing – 17th November

Wednesday 17 November saw the third track racing session for the 2021-22 season. For a change, the weather was settled. It was fine and cool with a brisk headwind in the back straight. Attendance was satisfactory with 14 riders, 9 in A grade and 5 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Tony Beasley leading out at a good clip. Over the first 6 laps Michael Langdon, Craig Kentwell, James Newhouse, John Paul De Sousa, Warwick Wilson, Steve Jones and Ben Davis took turns at the front, with the pace holding a good tempo. On lap 7, Tony Beasley rotated to the front and upped the pace. The pack reacted immediately. By the final bend on lap 7, the whole pack was splayed up the banking poised for a final sprint lap. Michael Langdon attacked first with Craig Kentwell in hot pursuit. John Paul De Sousa and Steve Jones were a little late to react. However, they were soon at full pace and overhauled Craig Kentwell in the back straight. Michael Langdon held out to take the win. John Paul and Steve Jones contested the placings with John Paul just pipping Steve for second place. Steve Jones was third with Craig Kentwell holding on for fourth and top points in the A2 group.

The B Grade scratch race began at a good tempo and was quite orderly for five laps with all riders taking turns at the front. On lap 6 the pace kicked up and the pack began to string out in pursuit. The final two laps were quite torrid. Alison Hale and Ken Birch contested the win with Alison proving the stronger. Ken took second place while Phil Coulton had a good ride into third spot.

The next event was 2-lap, all-in handicap where 12 riders from A & B grades competed. Graeme O’Neill led out from limit. By 1.5 laps, the trailing riders streamed past limit for a fast finish. This race was very satisfying for the handicapper, as the bulk of the field finished as a bunch. Alison Hale was having a good night and confirmed her good form with a win. Alison was followed closely by Ken Birch and James Newhouse, who both had good rides for second and third respectively.

The next events were graded mystery races. In these events the finish (bell) lap is determined at random once the race has started. As it turned out, the A grade race was 6 laps and the B grade race 5 laps. In A grade, Rowan McMurray attacked at an opportune time and quickly gained a 5m lead going into the bell lap. John Paul De Sousa took up an immediate pursuit. However, Rowan was able to hold off John Paul for the win. John Paul took second place just holding out a fast-finishing Steve Jones in third. The B grade race was all together when the bell lap was called. The one lap sprint saw Alison Hale outpace Ken Birch and Phil Coulton in that order.

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. Both teams performed well and rode in disciplined fashion. On paper, it looked like Team 1 would establish an early lead, with Team 2 having the power to run down Team 1 in the final laps. In practice, things were a little different. Phil Coulton got Team 1 off to a scorching start and the early riders built a handy lead, as expected. As the latter part of the race unfolded, Team 2 were pegging back the lead and looked set for a close finish. However, John Paul De Sousa and Rowan McMurray put in very solid turns for the final 2 laps, conceding little pace to Steve Jones and Michael Langdon for Team 2. The result was a comfortable win to Team 1.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Phil Coulton.
2-Lap Handicap: Alison Hale, Ken Birch, James Newhouse.
Mystery Races: (A1 Grade) Rowan McMurray, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Phil Coulton.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Ben Davis, Rowan McMurray, Alison Hale, John Paul De Sousa, Warwick Wilson, Craig Kentwell, Phil Coulton).

Season Point Score after Round 3:
Alison Hale (57), Michael Langdon (53), Ken Birch (50), Tony Beasley (49), John Paul De Sousa (47), James Newhouse (45), Craig Kentwell (45), Phil Coulton (33), Graeme O’Neill (31), Karen Clutson (30), Warwick Wilson (30), Steve Jones (25), Bruce Griffin (24), Ian Drayton (24), Ben Robey (23).

Graeme O’Neill

Uriarra Homestead – Graded Handicap – 21st November

With wet roads and the forecast of rain, only eighteen hardy riders turned up for today’s road race at Uriarra Homestead.

A grade stayed together for two laps before Gerard Tiffin put the power down to split the group and make a break during the final half lap. The win was easily taken by Gerard Tiffin with a long-range sprint for second and third between Christophe Barbaret and Matt Rizzuto, with Christophe holding on for second place.

B grade was the largest category with seven riders rolling out together. By the end of the first lap continued pressure had split the group to a lead bunch of four riders who stayed together until the final push up from Uriarra where Tristan Fuge and Simon Priest broke away with Tristan Fuge taking a strong win. There was a reasonable gap to third Paul Watson and fourth Daniel Crocker.

C grade mainly held together well throughout the whole race with the places only decided on the final sprint with John Paul De Sousa taking first, followed by Ian Preston and Clinton Porteous .

The final group to roll out was D grade with three riders who again stayed together for the full 2 1/2 laps until the final sprint, which was won by Mark Taylor, followed by Mark Taylor taking out second position.

Good racing by all, with the weather gods being on the side of the riders with the race finishing before the light rain rolled in.

Cheers,

Cat Riley

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Paul Watson B to A
Wayne Pettett B to A
Conan Liu B to A
Allan Bontjer D to C

Passing

Reminder: Currently, we are enjoying large turnouts for the crit races. This is great but does mean that there’s an added element of danger when large bunches are passing each other. The passing bunch must call out early which side of the course the other bunch should be on. The bunch being passed should single out as much as possible and ease off the pace a little. Once all the riders have passed, the leaders of the bunch being passed should only pick up the pace once the last rider is at least five back lengths ahead or ensure they are on the other side of the track and aren’t being sucked along. The leaders or anyone else should not try to gain advantage from the faster bunch.

Taking laps out

Riders can take a lap out if experiencing a puncture or a mechanical. They must report to the race director their intentions. It’s the rider’s responsibility to source a spare wheel or to seek mechanical assistance. The race director will not have a power tool to remove thru axles.

Getting dropped

Riders dropped through lack of horsepower must not rejoin the race a lap down in the middle of the bunch or compete in the final sprint. Furthermore, they cannot assist riders who are less than a lap down to rejoin the bunch.

CRMs out and about

AusCycling NSW RR and TT champs at Gunning We all know Gunning can dish up atrocious conditions. Remember that freezing handicap in July 2019 when the wind chill was below zero? Then there was the gale blowing during last year’s Peter McLennan Gunning Tour. Last weekend for the NSW champs was even worse with rain to add to the gale-force winds and freezing temperatures. Quotes from the riders included being ‘drenched’, ‘unable to change gears because of frozen hands’ and ‘stinging rain and squalls’. It was a fantastic effort by all given the conditions, and special mention goes to Michael Payne who took out the M6 title with a 30-second margin to spare. Selected results follow.

TT
Vanessa Judge 3rd W3
Brendan Byatt 2nd M5
Stephen Blackburn 7th M5
Owain Tilley 2nd M8

RR
Vanessa Judge 5th W3
Terry Moore 3rd W7
Michael Payne 1st M6
Chris Short 5th M6
Keith Harris 15th M6
Stephen Blackburn 2nd M5
Paul Hollings 11th M5
Nathan Spillane 16th M5
Peter Zygadlo 28th M5
Mark Harris 3rd M7
Ian Preston 16th M7
Bruce McMillan 4th M8
Brian Peak 8th M8
Tony Beasley 12th M8
Des Brown 3rd M10
Ben Morrison 4th M3
Nick Stewart 8th M3
Marc Vroomans 15th M4

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 16th November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 16 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 20 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:25 A 38m+2, C 33m+2
B/D 7:05 B 38m+2, D 33m+2

Race Director: Heath Chester Contact: Email: heathtracy@iinet.net.au    Ph  0419 162 193

Marshals: Iain Johnstone

Wednesday, 17th November: 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 – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap;
6.40pm – 7.00pm: Graded mystery race;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 21st November: Club Championship

Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 20/11/2021 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Assemble at Uriarra Rd / Brindabella Rd, T-Junction. From North Canberra slightly faster Coppins crossing & right onto Uriarra Road. From Sth Canberra follow Cotter Road down to bridge crossing, turn right onto Brindabella Road.
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
Two laps of Uriarra Homestead – top of Uriarra Crossing – Condor Creek – Homestead.
M1-4 (30-49) do extra 1/2 lap to top of Uriarra Crossing.

Race Director:  Cat Riley Contact: Email: catjriley@gmail.com    Ph  0448 692 989

Marshals: Robert Miller ETC, Ed Logue ETC, Andrew Matz ETC, Stuart Roesler, Van driver – Robert Langridge

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 9th November

Crit racing is popular. There were over 140 riders on Tuesday and 43 starters in B grade. Amazing numbers and perfect racing conditions.

A Grade: Team Tiffen must have had a plan as they were applying early pressure and pushing the pace. Jeremy Gillman-Wells and Gerald Tiffen were the second attackers and got a small break off the front. The bunch pulled them back slowly. Another Tiffen Team attack, followed by yet another attack by Jeremy with 24 minutes to go. Newbie James Meadley put in a valiant attack towards the end but in the sprint it was Ben Morrison followed by Jeremy Gillman-Wells and Gerard Tiffen. A fast and exciting race.

C Grade: Damien Copeland was the first to get off the front before being hauled back. The Dominator led a spirited charge mid race and stayed off the front solo for a couple of laps. Ian Preston dragged the peloton up to Dominic. I heard his wife yelling “get off the front Ian”. In the sprint it was Ben Neal followed by Dominic Romano and David Buckley.

B Grade: A huge group of more than 40 riders fronted for B grade. Apparently the rubber band effect at the rear was enormous. Seymour Savell-Boss wasn’t too stressed, he was on the front down the main straight chatting his head off. At 20 minutes to go a group of 4 got away and established a 50m gap before it came back together for the sprint. Paul Watson prevailed over Wayne Pettett and Conan Liu.

D Grade: Mark Taylor was again active in the early attacks. Rob Langridge was his accomplice for a couple also. The tandem made a slow start but by mid race was starting to dictate the pace. Mark Taylor wasn’t finished yet and made two further attacks to be the most combative for the day. Rob Langridge also got into the act and time trialled off the front with 15 minutes to go. Mark Taylor this time with Anthony Dick established a 100m gap before it was closed down. John Ross had a dig with 10 to go followed by surges from the evergreen Dave Hennessy and Michael Larkin. In the sprint, Al Bontjer used his track prowess for the win followed by Thomas Stewart-Moore and Alex Sommariva. I heard a report that D grade averaged 39.6kmh which is wickedly fast for the grade.

Massed Start: 68 riders of B and D Grades

E Grade: The bunch stayed together for the majority of the race with the exception of Howard Moffat who unusually was ejected off the back after being squeezed in a corner, but circulated at a good clip by himself. Chris Reis won the sprint followed by Dale Dummett and Geoff Ellacott.

F Grade: The bunch let birthday girl Sue Frost led the first few laps, so thoughtful. Lee Hopson, making a welcome return to racing was encouraged by the race director to put his nose into the wind, which he did obligingly. The small bunch circulated well in the good conditions, before Colin Calderwood mercilessly robbed the birthday treat from Sue Frost followed by Lindsay Graham.

G Grade: Gai Monahan was the sole G grader and maintained a solid pace and time trialled around the course to victory.

Thanks to marshal Ross Heazlewood and committee member Andy Matz for their assistance.

Bruce Griffin

Track Racing – 10th November

Wednesday 10 November saw the second track racing session for the 2021-22 season. The weather prediction for the evening was 90% probability of rain. However, the weather radar suggested that the rain system might skirt Canberra. The optimists attended what turned out to be a reasonable evening of racing. Just one race event was disrupted by a brief, rain shower. Attendance was good for the conditions with 14 riders, 8 in A grade and 6 in B grade. A grade numbers were bolstered by the promotion of James Newhouse into A grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Michael Langdon leading out at a comfortable pace. Over the first 6 laps Ian Drayton, Tony Beasley, John Paul De Sousa, James Newhouse, Steve Jones and Wayne Benham took turns at the front, with the pace increasing as the laps ticked off. Lap 7 began with the group bunched up as they entered the front straight from the high banking. Craig Kentwell emerged from the bunch and put in a solid attack with 2 laps to go. Michael Langdon immediately pursued with a small lead group in tow. A lap later Michael reined in Craig and went on for a comfortable win. From the pursuing group, John Paul De Sousa and Steve Jones also managed to overtake Craig in the final lap, going on to second and third placings in that order. Craig held on for fourth place.

The B Grade scratch race began at a good tempo and was ticking over nicely for 4 laps when suddenly hit by a brief, rain squall. The race officials made a sound, rapid decision to ring the final lap bell as lap 5 commenced. It took a moment for riders to grasp what had happened. Then the whole bunch transitioned to a mad sprint over the final lap. It was a race against both riders and a rapidly wetting track. Ken Birch emerged as the strongest and took a good win. He was followed by the strong B grade female contingent with Karen Clutson taking second place and Alison Hale pursuing for third place. Racing then ceased for around 15 minutes while the track dried out.

In the uncertain weather conditions, the race organisers elected to run the Italian Pursuit next, in lieu of the scheduled 200m flying lap time trials. The pursuit attracted two teams of 6 riders and was a cracker. Both teams started well and rode in disciplined fashion. Team 1 had a minor problem holding wheels around mid-race. However, they managed to hold a good pace, retaining a small lead over Team 2. As the final laps approached, Tony Beasley and Michael Langdon managed to claw back most of the deficit for Team 2. This gave Michael Langdon an even chance when matched against Steve Jones for the final lap. Both Michael and Steve put in scorching laps leading to an exciting, close win (less than half a wheel width) by Michael, for Team 2.

The weather conditions were improving by the conclusion of the Italian Pursuit, so the decision was taken to run the 200-metre fly event. Not all riders lined up for this event. However, the ten riders who participated had exciting runs and put in respectable times for the conditions. Michael Langdon put in the best A grade time at 13.49 seconds. Alison Hale took the B grade honours with an excellent 14.88 seconds. Other rider’s times are as listed in the results below.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Ken Birch, Karen Clutson, Alison Hale.
200 metre Fly Time Trail: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon (13.49s), Wayne Benham (13.98s). (A2 Grade) Tony Beasley (14.69s), Ian Drayton (14.84s), James Newhouse (15.14s). (B Grade) Alison Hale (14.88s), Bruce Griffin (15.34s), Ken Birch (15.65s)
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Michael Langdon, Tony Beasley, Ken Birch, Alison Hale, James Newhouse, Graeme O’Neill).

Season Point Score after Round 2:
Michael Langdon (38), Tony Beasley (36), Alison Hale (32), James Newhouse (31), Karen Clutson (30), Ken Birch (30), John Paul De Sousa (29), Craig Kentwell (29), Ian Drayton (24), Bruce Griffin (24), Graeme O’Neill (22), Warwick Wilson (18), Phil Coulton (17), Mark Vroomans (14), Wayne Benham (14).

Graeme O’Neill

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

Stromlo Car Park

The main car park at Stromlo is closed for sealing.

Recommend riding to crit tomorrow or turning up early.

Do not park inconsiderately along the road, as we need to remain on good terms with park management.

Race 28 Nov relocated to Tidbinbilla

Due to the bridge at Naas not being completed and the poor road condition south of the visitors’ centre, the race on the 28th is relocated to Tidbinbilla.

See RMS for details.

Ian McVay
Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

On-line registrations and handicaps

There were a few frantic emails on Tuesday afternoon but in the end everyone who wanted to race was able to. Please get your grade requests in early to handicapper@actvets.cc to avoid disappointment.

Racing

The races were fast and furious with good numbers for all grades. The grades will start to sort themselves out with promotions and demotions over the next few weeks. Some riders found their form lacking and were quickly off the back while others were pushing the pace and causing gaps through the bunches. There was plenty of exciting racing to enjoy from the peanut gallery.

Promotions

Vanessa Judge D to C
Jeremy Schieb C to B

CRMs out and about

This weekend AusCycling NSW will be holding its TT and RR champs at Gunning. The forecast for the area is rain and winds up to 50km/h—so pretty normal for that course.

Best of luck to: Marc Vroomans, Anthony Beasley, Michael Carr, Stephen Blackburn, Vanessa Judge, Brendan Byatt, Peter Zygadlo, Paul Hollings, Nick Stewart, Chris Short, Michael Payne, Daniel Lekhac, Des Brown, Owain Tilly, Callum Henshaw, Terry Moore, Mark Harris, Brian Peak, Nathan Spillane and Keith Harris our Newcastle-based member.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 9th November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 9 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
A/C 5:50 A 38m+2, C 33m+2
B/D 6:35 B 38m+2, D 33m+2
E/F/G 7:15 25 min + 2 laps

Race Director:  Bruce Griffin Contact: Email: griffy996@gmail.com    Ph  0402 000 619

Marshals: Ross Heazlewood

Wednesday, 10th November: 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 – 7.00pm: 200m fly;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 14th November

No Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 2nd November

Tuesday was the perfect afternoon for some post lockdown crit racing and we had 110 riders sign up.

B Grade saw Ben Healy and Joshua Bolton get off the front for about 10 minutes before they were joined by four others. The bunch chased them down and it was all back together with 20 minutes to go. Josh got off the front again and was joined by Daniel Crocker, they lasted around 5 mins before the bunch brought them back with 11 minutes to go. The bunch splintered a bit over the next 5 minutes before it all came back together for a bunch sprint. Dale Riley took the win ahead of Conan Liu and Andrew Cullens.

D Grade stayed together for the first 10 minutes before Vanessa Judge and Mark Taylor got away from the bunch. Their gap grew to about half of the back straight before a third rider bridged and they extended their gap. The leaders rode a very strong race to hold off the bunch for the majority of the race. Vanessa was solo as she passed the 2 laps to go board and held her gap for an impressive win. Al Bontjer finished with a strong sprint for a clear second place followed by Craig O’Neall in third.

E grade stayed together for much of the race but there were some solid turns from multiple riders. At 7 minutes to go Chris Reis put in a big effort and got away from the group. The move caused a split, but it was all back together after a lap. Cat Riley went all out in the last lap and managed to take the win with a decent gap as she crossed the line. Second was Chris Reis ahead of Geoff Ellacott.

F and G grade rolled out together and it stayed that way until the bunch sprint. There were some long turns from Robert Miller and Dennis Puniard throughout the race but it was Robert who won the sprint. Susan Frost came in second ahead of David Witteveen.

C Grade saw the familiar Quon kit shoot off the front from the very start. DOMinator was out in the wind solo for several laps before the bunch brought him back. Shortly after, fellow Quonner Ed Pellegrino was seen riding the front for multiple laps. With about 16 minutes to go Ben Neal put in a monster turn that caused a split of 8 riders to establish. The bunch was chasing hard for the next few laps but the leaders were working really well together and the gap grew. Jeremy Schieb’s sprint was too strong and he took the win ahead of Ed Pellegrino and Dale Kleeman.

A Grade started much like C grade. The blue Quon kit of Mark Terracini flew off the front from the gun. A lap or two later Tiffen rider Nicholas Stewart bridged the gap to join Mark. In the bunch Tiffen and Quon controlled the bunch marking moves from the rest of A grade. Cristophe Barberet managed to get off the front for a while but fell short of bridging the gap to the two leaders. The lead grew to the length of the back straight with 14 minutes to go and grew further after that. The bunch started to share the chase a bit more, but it wasn’t bringing the leaders back. Mat Corby attacked and caused a split. A group of four, including Gerard Tiffen, Stephen Blackburn, Mat Corby and Jeremy Gillman Wells formed behind the two leaders. They chased hard and brought the lead back to roughly half of the front straight but they ran out of time. Kudos to Mark and Nicholas who rode flat out from start to finish. Mark was able to take out the sprint finish ahead of Nicholas. Gerard won the sprint for third.

Lewis Cressy

Track Racing – 3rd November

With track racing delayed by Covid restrictions, Wednesday 3 November saw the first track racing session for the 2021-22 season. Weather conditions were good for racing. It was overcast but warm, with a slight breeze creating a headwind in the back straight. Attendance was encouraging with 18 riders, 9 in A grade and 9 in B grade. This season saw the introduction of a split A grade with A1 and A2 groupings. The intent is that both groups will be integrated for racing. However, results and track points will be separately calculated, for scratch events. This arrangement should provide better point scoring opportunities for a group of riders that might otherwise be disadvantaged by their grading.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started at a steady pace with Ben Robey leading out. The first race likely encouraged a bit of conservatism among the riders as the first 6 laps saw an orderly paceline with Tony Beasley, Ian Drayton, Mark Vroomans, Ben Davis and Craig Kentwell taking turns at the front. The pace varied a little over the initial six laps. On lap 7, John Paul De Sousa rotated into the lead and began to hot up the pace. This soon established a lead group of 4 riders with Michael Langdon, Warwick Wilson, and Mark Vroomans pursuing John Paul. John Paul looks like the current form rider in A grade as he dominated over the final lap for a clear win. Michael Langdon pursued for second place and Warwick Wilson, from the A2 group, took a very creditable third place.

The B Grade scratch race was stirred up quite early as James Newhouse took off like a scalded cat. The paceline scrambled to stay in touch, with Graeme O’Neill and Pat Rooke initially gapped off the back. James held a solid pace for the initial laps. The pace then began to yoyo as different rider took over in what developed as a quite tactical contest. The paceline consolidated for the final two laps, but the respite was short lived as the lead riders accelerated into the closing laps. The female contingent showed great form with Alison Hale outsprinting Karen Clutson for the win. Colin Calderwood took a creditable third placing with James Newhouse relegated to fourth, likely having expended energy too early.

The evening’s second event was a 2-lap, standing start, time trial. This is a hard event requiring a high initial acceleration and just the right, solid pacing for an optimum result. In A grade, John Paul De Sousa confirmed his good form by posting the winning time of 53.72 seconds. Michael Langdon was a close second at 53.98 seconds. Mark Vroomans, who is reacquainting himself with track riding, posted the third best time at 54.28 seconds. James Newhouse posted the stand out time in B grade with 57.05 seconds. Karen Clutson took second spot at 58.12 seconds and confirmed that she will be a contender in B grade. Bruce Griffin posted an excellent 58.85 seconds for third placing.

The track session closed with the usual, all-in, Italian pursuit. The teams were quite large at 8 riders each, requiring a big effort from the later riders. Both teams had good starts and held good form through the event. Team 1 began to assert itself in the latter part of the pursuit and looked good for the win. Craig Kentwell and Warwick Wilson put in good later turns for team 2. However, Team 1 with John Paul De Sousa and Michael Langdon seemed likely to have the stronger closing group. Team 2’s Mark Vroomans commenced the final lap with a 20m deficit. Mark put in a big effort and initially pegged back several metres. However, the gap was just too big to overcome, so that Team 1 cruised in for a comfortable victory.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) John Paul De Sousa, Michael Langdon, Mark Vroomans. (A2 Grade) Warwick Wilson, Tony Beasley, Craig Kentwell. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Karen Clutson, Colin Calderwood.
2-Lap SS Time Trail: (A1 Grade) John Paul De Sousa (53.72s), Michael Langdon (53.98s), Mark Vroomans (54.28s). (A2 Grade) Warwick Wilson (56.20s), Tony Beasley (59.42s), Craig Kentwell (58.62s). (B Grade) James Newhouse (57.05s), Karen Clutson (58.12s) Bruce Griffin (58.85s).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (John Paul De Sousa, Ken Birch, Michael Langdon, Tony Beasley, Ben Robey, Colin Calderwood, Karen Clutson, Graeme O’Neill).

Season Point Score after Round 1:
John Paul De Sousa (20), Warwick Wilson (18), Tony Beasley (18), Karen Clutson (18), Michael Langdon (18), James Newhouse (15), Alison Hale (14), Craig Kentwell (14), Mark Vroomans (14), Colin Calderwood (13), Ben Robey (13), Ian Drayton (12), Ken Birch (12), Bruce Griffin (11).

Graeme O’Neill

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Report

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

With the resumption of racing this weekend;

1. ALL Road and Crit races will require entry via RMS. No ‘on the day‘ entries will be accepted. If a member enters and cannot race, they can notify the race committee prior to the event and have their entry moved to a later race. No refunds.
2. We require a replacement race director for the Club Champs at Uriarra on 21 Nov (if we don’t get a volunteer, a director may be nominated).

Framework for “Return to Play in a COVID-safe Environment”

This Framework details how cycling events will be delivered by the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club (formerly ACT Veterans Cycling Club) to meet the recommendations of Canberra’s Recovery Plan. Phase C (from 29 October 2021), proposed restrictions Sport & Recreation Organised Sporting Activities allows for groups of no more than 150 participants in an outdoor space. Refer to the ACT Government Return to Play in a Covid-Safe Environment at https://www.sport.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1662966/PICC0149-Return-To-Sport-Framework.pdf.

Phase C Arrangements

• On the day of the event, the race Director will be responsible for ensuring that participants follow these guidelines. Where a participant fails to comply they will be asked to leave the event.
• All members have an obligation to assist with reducing the COVID-19 risk by complying with these requirements to protect themselves, other members and the club, and the broader community. Where members or officials deliberately fail to comply (e.g. Attend while symptomatic/refuse to follow a direction) the committee will consider disciplinary action.
• Any rider who is feeling unwell should not participate. If a rider experiences symptoms such as fever, cough, headache, sore throat, and tiredness, they should stay at home. Consult a doctor if symptoms persist. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Symptom Checker is available at https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/symptom-checker/tool/basic-details.
• Race Officials will maintain 1.5 m separation and hygiene standards during event setup, running and shutdown. When handling equipment such as signs and radios, Officials are to maintain hygiene by cleaning, wearing gloves and/or regular hand cleaning.
• The Club will organise first aid at each event provided by either a professional organisation or by a Club member with a current first aid certificate.
• Riders and spectators are to maintain a distance of 1.5 m from other participants while at the event, except in emergency situations (e.g. assisting an injured rider).
• Hand hygiene is imperative and hand sanitiser will be available at the event.
• No physical contact. Participants are to refrain from shaking hands, pats on the back, etc. Any rider observed or reported for spitting or expelling ‘nasal secretions’ will be disqualified from the race.
• Post-race refreshments (Road Race) will be provided. Members should bring their own coffee mug.
• If any rider feels unwell in the two weeks following the race, they must advise the Race Committee who will follow up with health authorities. The Rider Management System is used to record event attendees and has their contact details. Track racing officials will maintain a record of riders attending races.
• Use the Check in CBR app at locations with a Covid-19 QR Scan Code.

Ian McVay
Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

AusCycling ACT road champs

CRM members with AusCycling licences flexed their muscles on the hilly Lookout Hill to Tidbinbilla course on Sunday. Given the sudden appearance of a road championship race after a long break, the thought of going head to head with Canberra’s best mountain goats probably discouraged a few entrants and had them putting away their credit cards and closing down Entry Boss to avoid a panic attack. But for those keen on riding the NSW masters champs at Gunning in a fortnight’s time, it was a great chance to test out the legs.

For the few who attended there were medals galore, the highlight being Emma Padovan taking out the women’s elite event!

Other winners were: M1 Cal Henshaw
M3 Ben Morrison
M4 Steve Crispin
M5 Paul Hollings
M6 Chris Short
M7 Mark Harris
M8 Brian Peak
M9 Mark Taylor
W7 Terry Moore
W8 Lyn Vasudeva

Crit night re-grading

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, the crit season kicks off tomorrow evening. Well done to all those who’ve requested a regrading prior to the recommencement of hostilities. With online entry the only option, it will be even more obvious when riders race in the incorrect grade. Please check your grade in RMS, and ensure you enter in the correct race. Also, please don’t leave your requests until 1700 tomorrow, as I may find it difficult to respond.

Rob Langridge
Club Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 2nd November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 2 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 35m+2, D 30m+2
E/F/G 6:25 22 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:55 A 35m+2, C 30m+2

Race Director:  Lewis Cressy Contact: Email: lewyjess@gmail.com    Ph  0402 219 918

Marshals: Wayne Pettett

Wednesday, 3rd November: 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 – 7.00pm: 2-lap standing start time trial;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 7th November

No Race

RACE REPORTS:

Uriarra homestead 41km time trial – 31st October

Following zero racing since August, Canberra cyclists were treated to two TTsand one RR for the weekend. The CRM offering was the ever popular 41km TT on the flatish Uriarra course. Even the chance to have a freebie, failed to draw the hordes, but, nonetheless, those who came were treated to perfect conditions. Many thanks to club President Semour Savell-Boss for organising the van and managing to break out of the Stromlo compound on time, traffic controllers Andy Matz and Ed Jolliffe and to time keeper Adam Strickland. The ever reliable Simon was there to provide first aid and thankfully he wasn’t required.

As for the race, Brendan Byatt was the fastest averaging around 40km/h. Some riders came with all the Batman paraphernalia, while others took a less aero approach but no doubt loved the experience. See the RMS for the results.

Rob Langridge