Capital Region Masters Cycling Club

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  From the Desk of the President

•  From the Race Committee

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the President

Thank you again to our outgoing President Seymour Savell-Boss, Vice President Ian McVay, Secretary Russell Marston and Treasurer Kirsti McVay. All of them have done a great job in getting us through the last few years with so many changes and challenges to our racing program and its required support.

At our first meeting of the new Committee, a number of the outstanding positions were filled. Your committee for 2022-23 is as follows:
  – President: Kim Malcolm
  – Vice President: David Parker
  – Secretary: Craig Tozer
  – Treasurer: Kevin Woods
  – Membership: Kirsti McVay
  – ACT Events: Dougal Torrance
  – NSW Events: Christopher Short
  – Bleat: Ian Morton
  – Handicapper: Rob Langridge
  – ETCs: Andy Matz

Thank you to all who have volunteered their time for the running of the club for the next 12 months.

While we have 10 committee members there is still room for others to assist, particularly on the Race Committee. Offers for help on the Race Committee are encouraged and welcomed. We will certainly need the continued assistance of members in running our events with Race Directors, Event Traffic Controllers (ETC), Marshalls, Van Drivers, First Aid and numerous other tasks.

Our aim is to get back racing in NSW as soon as is practical and affordable. Our ACT trained ETCs are not recognised for races in NSW and we have been unable to find an affordable way of getting our ACT ETCs training recognised. The only other alternative is to hire ETCs for events in NSW estimated to be a minimum of $2500 for each event we conduct. We will continue to seek a solution to this issue long term. If anyone has any thoughts on overcoming this problem please let us know.

Kim Malcolm
Capital Region Masters Cycling Club President.

From the Race Committee

The RMS has been updated with the ACT races that we have currently secured approval.

We are looking for volunteers to fill the Race Director and Marshal positions so that we can ensure the running of these races.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 1^st March: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 1 Mar 2022 3:50 pm.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 25 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:20 A 35m+2, C 32m+2
B/D 7:10 B 35m+2, D 32m+2

Race Director:  Ben McDuff Contact: Email: benmcduff@gmail.com    Ph  0403 531 354

Marshals: David Buckley

Thursday, 3^rd March: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday 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 paired match races (Omnium Event),
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap race,
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 6^th March – No Scheduled Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 22^nd February

Race 1 – M4, M5, 40 min +2 laps

Tonight the races were faced with a gusting easterly wind and cool conditions. M4 and M5 rolled out as separate bunches.

M5

Jeremy Gillman-Wells quickly went to the front of the bunch and stretched it all out. The brave C graders and one E grader felt the pressure in the first couple of laps.

By halfway 4 strong riders had established a break, Jeremy Gillman-Wells, Steve Crispin, Stephen Blackburn and Christophe Barberet.

Rodney Welch chased in a determined manner, while the second bunch included Seymour Savell-Boss, David Buckley, Ed Logue, Ed Pellegrino, Ben Healy, James Tonkin and Paul McKay

The front 4 gained more time. The side-line spys heard some discussion over workloads in the break, but who would want to become the filling in a Tiffen sandwich. Christophe succumbed to an attack, but did keep his place and rode in 4th. Seymour winning the bunch sprint for 5th.

Very good ride from Ed Louge to stay with his A and B grade company

In the end the break won quite convincingly and the placings were:
1 Jeremy Gillman-Wells
2 Steve Crispin
3 Stephen Blackburn

M4

This was quite a different race, with the major selection happening towards the end. The pace was on at various points and several attacks.

Mark Terracini and Joel Rahman spent time off the front. As the race went on Gerard Tiffen started to show his strength. It became apparent that the race would be decided by who could go with Gerard.

At this point there was quite a bit of complication in the race, with the second bunch from M5 becoming mixed up with M4. Rob yelled instructions to the bunch. Heath came in the next lap to verify the instructions.

Then matters got serious, Tiffen away with hard chasing from Bruce Goodfellow. Paul Scherl and Ben Coarmody joined forces and made the selection Dominic Romano, Gareth Downey and Mark Terracini. Joel Rahman started to wind up the big diesel engine and made it across to the chasers within a few laps.

But it was all over, Gerard Tiffen come in alone to win in the grandest manner.
1 Gerard Tiffen
2 Paul Scherl
3 Ben Carmody

M4: Paul Scherl, Gerard Tiffen, Ben Carmody

M5: Steve Crispin, Jeremy Gillman-Wells, Stephen Blackburn

Race 2 – M1, M2, M3 45 min +2 laps

Tonight the races were faced with a slightly less strong easterly wind and cooling conditions. M1 and M2 and M3 rolled out as one bunch, results for each category.

For about 4 or 5 laps the bunch rolled around with pressure from Dale Riley predominantly.

Andrew Buick, Stephen Terracini and Michael Rowland under pressure and off the back but rode on bravely alone. A small break formed with 30 to go, but it came back together.

The constant pressure created the right conditions for an attack. The first to go was James Meadley followed by Callum Henshaw. The break went and the gap was maybe 300 metres. At that point Ben Morrison and Mathew Corby decided to attempt the close the break down. They got away from the main bunch and rode to catch the front two in about 5 laps.

The lack of race numbers on backs made this a bit hard to read, but James Meadley made his final attack to win, with Callum Henshaw. Ben Morrison and Mathew Corby sorting out their respective categories. Brad Peppinck just beating Paul Watson for third.

Jason Irwin came in third in M2 after a rear puncture, walking in his bike to claim the bronze medal

M1

1 Callum Henshaw
2 Dale Riley

M2

1 James Meadley
2 David Parker
3 Jason Irwin

M3

1 Ben Morrison
2 Mathew Corby
3 Bradley Peppinck

M1: Cal Henshaw, Dale Riley

M2: Jason Irwin, James Meadley, David Parker

M3: Brad Peppinck, Ben Morrison, Matt Corby

Allan Bontjer

SFP Criterium – 15^th February

W3, W4

Apologies, we had some problems collating the results from the Woman’s race in Part 1 of the Club Championship the previous week. The correct placings were;

W3

1st Alison Hale
2nd Karen Clutson
3rd Elizabeth Lowe

W4

1st Terry Moore
2nd Michelle Hodgetts

Track Racing – 24^th February

The 24 February track racing session was cancelled due to rain.

Omnium Championship Points after Round 2:
Graeme O’Neill (10), Michael Langdon (8), Tony Beasley (6), James Newhouse (6), Kerry Knowler (5), Lindy Hou (5), Frank O’Sullivan, (4), Alison Hale (3), Tim Jolly (3).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (201), Tony Beasley (195), Craig Kentwell (170), James Newhouse (160), Michael Langdon (158), Ken Birch (119), Graeme O’Neill (109), John Paul De Sousa (99), Bruce Griffin (97), Kerry Knowler (93), Karen Clutson (84), Phil Coulton (75), Wayne Benham (68), Warwick Wilson (62), Ben Davis (58).

Graeme O’Neill

Age Standard Time Trial – 27^th February

The previous few rainy days must have frightened away some riders , as only ten eager souls did signs up. They were right to be optimistic as we had a beautiful clear sky with a bit of wind.

The marshalling team was there early to set up the course as a lot of signs had to be erected. Once the timing was sorted, everyone got ready to start the TT.

The two E Grade riders went first, followed by the other grades with 30 seconds intervals, or one minute if a rider dns or was late – Where were the F.G.C grader? None showed up…soft!!

We had some blistering pace with three riders under 3o minutes for 18 kms course and which include some climbing.

Anthony Murfett with a time of 26 m 12 s was the fastest on the road followed by Jason Irvin 28m.04s and Chris Short 29m33s (As it is age standardised, the final results would be different).

I would like to thanks the marshalling team:
  – Kim Malcolm for his expertise with the timing device
  – Ben Healy and Andrew Matz
  – Gavin Stephens to have offer to drive the van
  – And Simon Whitehead the first aid officer

Special thanks to Graham Hendrie who is still the wizard for the age standard, Kim called Graham with the results and within few minutes the adjusted time was available.

Alain Arbaut

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  From the Race Committee

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

The RMS has been updated with the ACT races that we have currently secured approval. The Committee is still working on NSW events.

We are looking for volunteers to fill the Race Director and Marshal positions so that we can ensure the running of these races.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 22nd February: Stromlo Criterium – Club Championship

Note: Tomorrow’s Crit is only for men age groups M1 (30-34) thru M5 (50-54)

Note: Pre-registration required by 22 Feb 2022 3:50 pm.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
M4 (45-49)/M5 (50-54) @5:50 40 min
M1 (30-34)/ M2 (35-39)/M3 (40-44) @6:40 45 min
*Age Classification is the Age that you turn on your birthday in 2022, e.g. a rider who turns 40 in December 2022 is classed as M3 (40-44) or W2 (40-49) for all events during 2022.

Race Director:  Allan Bontjer Contact: Email: allan@allanbontjer.net    Ph  0422 808 035

Marshals: Rosemary Robinson

Thursday, 24th February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday 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 paired match races (Omnium Event),
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap race,
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 27th February – Tharwa – Age Standard Time Trial

Note: Pre-registration required by 26 Feb 2022 6:00 pm.

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

Where: Start near Cuppacumbalong Homestead entry. Parking in Tharwa village or picnic area adjacent western end of Tharwa Bridge.
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
From carpark near bridge to Apollo Rd and return.

Race Director:  tba Contact: Email: tba    Ph  tba

Marshals: tba

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 15th February

Race 1 – M8, M9, M10 and M11, 30 min +2 laps.

The age groups rolled out as separate bunches, and we had the pleasure of seeing some very aggressive and varied racing.

First M8 rolled away and locked into a very tight bunch. While there were plenty of attacks, with Brian Peak and David Rowe leading the charge, none got very far or lasted more than a lap. The pace was high and saw the bunch whittle down from 9 to 7 at the end for an extremely tight sprint, which saw Eoin Rothery take 1st, Brian Peak 2nd and Bruce McMillan 3rd.

Next, the M9 saw Mark Taylor attack hard on lap 1 taking Alex and Rico with him. These three stayed away for the rest of the race before Mark won in a decisive sprint finish.

M10 saw one of the most impressive rides of the night. Des Brown showed his exceptional form establishing a sizable break within the first lap, and going on to lap his M10 competition and take 1st. Dennis Puniard and Michael Spoljaric worked well together before sprinting for 2nd with Dennis taking it out.

Finally Bernard Crowe, rode a relentless pace for the 30 mins + 2 laps flying the flag for the M11 category inspiring all present. Chapeau Bernie 1st!

Chapeau Bernie 1st! M8: Eoin Rothery, Brian Peak, Bruce McMillan M9: Mark K Taylor, Alex Sommariva, Rico Fitch M10: Des Brown, Dennis Puniard, Mijo (michael) Spoljaric M11: Bernard Crowe Race 2 – Women’s all ages, 30 min +2 laps.Women’s startWith 15 riders and perfect weather, the handful of spectators present were going to be treated to a thrilling battle in the women’s age criterium championships. It was great to see such a big turnout. The race didn’t attract anyone in the W1 starters, so it was expected that the W2s of Peta Brill, Vanessa Judge and new member Marnie Rose would be the major protagonists. Last year, Vanessa put on a Filippo Ganna-esque performance to ride everyone off her wheel in the last few laps to take victory. This year we were again expecting Terry Moore to put in a few attacks to thin out the field, while Liz Lowe and Alison Hale would be using their excellent positioning skills and sprint to be right up there in the action.This year’s race was different. The bunch rode a high pace for the full 30 mins with the few attacks which managed to gap the field not gaining more than a couple of bike lengths before being neutralised. The inevitable sprint finish was fast and saw Peta Brill show her superb sprinting form to lead a tight bunch home.W2, 1st Peta Brill, 2nd Marnie Rose and Vanessa Judge 3rd. W3 1st Alison Hale, 2nd Pat Rooke, 3rd Cat Riley. W4 1st Terry Moore and W5 1st Gai Monahan. W2: Peta Brill, Marnie Rose, Vanessa Judge W3: Alison Hale, Pat Rooke, Cat Riley W4: Terry Moore, Michelle Hodgetts M5: Gai Monahan Race 3 – M6 and M7, 35 min +2 laps.The M6 race was a highly aggressive race among a strong field. Darren Blackhurst firing the first shot with the first of his solo break away attempts , had the field chasing and strung out with a couple of riders dropped early and committing to time trial mode for the duration. At about the 20 min mark Chris Short created excitement attacking hard with Conan Liu and Michael Langdon shadowing, but not driving and happy to wait for the bunch kick. After the bunch chased back on to the leading 3 and Darren tried his luck for the 3rd time before the bunch settled in for a cracking last 2 laps. The bell lap saw Conan attack uncharacteristically early ultimately leading out the sprint from long range and being overtaken by Chris 1st and Michael 2nd in a photo finish. Chapeau to regular C graders Warwick Wilson 4th and Matthew Hardy 5th who were right there in the bunch, putting in very impressive rides.While M7 was the biggest field of the night, the race saw Mark Harris attack from the gun, setting a pace so high that only David McCook, Michael Foulds and Dale Kleeman could follow. Once the gap established the pace of this group stayed impressively high, and working together well until around the 20 min mark when Mark started turning the screws despatching his companions 1 by 1, but not before they had not only lapped the rest of the M7 field but also caught and passed M6. The race had solo riders crossing the line Mark 1st, David 2nd and Dale 3rd after which it was another couple of solo riders before the M7 bunch arrived mostly together for a vigorous bunch sprint. M6: Christopher Short, Michael Langdon, Conan Liu M7: Mark Harris, David McCook, Dale Kleeman I’d like to thank Marc Harris and Seymour Savell-Boss for Marshalling, and also Rob Langridge for being master of ceremonies, awarding medals to our champions in all our age groups. Matt Hinchliffe Track Racing – 17th FebruaryThe evening weather for the season’s 10th track racing session was near perfect. It was fine and sunny. The temperature was comfortable and the wind was light. Attendance was quite poor for the conditions, with 13 riders, 8 in A grade and 5 in B grade. Frank O’Sullivan lined up in B grade for his first track outing.The 8-lap A grade scratch race had several attacks. It started at tempo pace with Ben Davis doing the first lap before handing on to James Newhouse. Lead outs by Tony Beasley, Craig Kentwell and Michael Langdon followed. Michael raised the pace. However, this stung Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou into action on the tandem and they were soon leading out. Then Ben Davis put in a burst causing the pack to string out. Ben held a high pace until the bell lap when Michael Langdon accelerated into the lead, pursued by Tony Beasley and Craig Kentwell. These three riders crossed the line in that order, with Ben Davis hanging on for fourth place. It was a good effort by all A graders.The B Grade scratch race started in with Karen Clutson leading out. Alison Hale then took a one lap lead-out. She hung high on the banking after turning over the lead to Graeme O’Neill. However, Alison decided it was too early for an attack and allowed an orderly change over to Frank O’Sullivan, Phil Coulton and Karen Clutson. The change overs brought Alison to the front for the penultimate lap. Graeme O’Neill stood out of the saddle and attacked as the bell lap approached. However, this was like poking a hornet’s nest. Immediately, Alison Hale and Karen Clutson blasted out from the pack and Frank O’Sullivan rounded Graeme in hot pursuit of the pair. Alison proved too strong for Karen. She opened a gap in the back straight and powered home for the win. Karen Clutson pushed hard and held on the second place from Frank O’Sullivan in third place.The evening’s second event was a 1-lap, standing start time trial that counted as the second event of a 4-event, Omnium Championship. The times were competitive with Michael Langdon setting the benchmark at 27.96 seconds. Michael was the only A1 rider competing. However, the A2 group set excellent times with three riders under 30 seconds, namely Tim Jolly (28.78s), Ben Davis (29.79s) and Craig Kentwell (29.97s). In B Grade, new rider Frank O’Sullivan set a great time of 29.98 seconds for a win. Karen Clutson (31.09s) and Alison Hale (31.48s) picked up second and third placings with quick rides.The evenings third event was a 4-lap handicap with A & B grades combined. This is a hard race, so it was good to see 11 of the 14 riders lining up for another dose of punishment. Graeme O’Neill led out at limit. However, within one lap both Alison Hale and Karen Clutson blasted past Graeme. Karen probably over cooked the early lap, as she faded towards the end. Alison also faded slightly, but hung on for fourth. For a change, it was a feast for back markers, with Craig Kentwell taking the win from the scratch rider Michael Langdon. Tony Beasley put in a great effort for third placing.The track session closed with the usual, all-in, Italian pursuit. This event ended up with 2 teams of only 4 riders. Team 1 thought they had good prospects, as they were more experienced and hoped to profit from the best teamwork. Things were looking up for them, initially, as they made a good start and their second rider Alison Hale soon gained a small advantage over Team 2. Team 1 retained a slight lead as the race progressed and the anchor riders took over. However, Team 1’s lead was not sufficient. Team 2’s anchor rider Craig Kentwell scorched around the final lap, turning around the small deficit for a close win (less than half a bike length). It was good, exciting racing by both teams.Major place getters were as follows: 8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon. (A2 Grade) Tony Beasley, Craig Kentwell, Ben Davis. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Karen Clutson, Frank O’Sullivan. 1-Lap SS TT: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon (27.96s). (A2 Grade) Tim Jolly (28.78s), Ben Davis (29.79s), Craig Kentwell (29.97s). (B Grade) Frank O’Sullivan (29.98s), Karen Clutson (31.09s) Alison Hale (31.48s). Combined 4-lap Handicap: Craig Kentwell, Michael Langdon, Tony Beasley. Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Craig Kentwell, Tim Jolly, Frank O’Sullivan, Phil Coulton).Omnium Championship Points after Round 2: Graeme O’Neill (10), Michael Langdon (8), Tony Beasley (6), James Newhouse (6), Kerry Knowler (5), Lindy Hou (5), Frank O’Sullivan, (4), Alison Hale (3), Tim Jolly (3).Season Point Score Update: Alison Hale (201), Tony Beasley (195), Craig Kentwell (170), James Newhouse (160), Michael Langdon (158), Ken Birch (119), Graeme O’Neill (109), John Paul De Sousa (99), Bruce Griffin (97), Kerry Knowler (93), Karen Clutson (84), Phil Coulton (75), Wayne Benham (68), Warwick Wilson (62), Ben Davis (58). Graeme O’Neill Unsubscribe from the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club (ACT) mailing list. ReplyForward

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  Annual General Meeting

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

Annual General Meeting

The Club held the Annual General Meeting tonight.

The following positions were voted on;
 – President – no nominations
 – Vice President – no nominations
 – Secretary – Craig Tozer
 – Treasurer – no nominations

General Committee
 – Dougal Torrence, Christopher Short, Kevin Woods, Andy Matz, Kim Malcolm, Ian Morton, Rob Langridge (Handicapper)

From the Race Committee

The RMS has been updated with the ACT races that we have currently secured approval. The Committee is still working on NSW events.

We are looking for volunteers to fill the Race Director and Marshal positions so that we can ensure the running of these races.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 15^th February: Stromlo Criterium – Club Championship

Note: Tomorrow’s Crit is only for age groups M6 (55-59) thru M10 (75+) and Women.
Riders in M1 (30-34) thru M5 (50-54) will race next week

Note: Pre-registration required by 15 Feb 2022 3:50 pm.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
M8 (65-69)/M9 (70-74)/M10 (75-80)/M11 (80-) @5:50 30 min
Women (All ages)** @6:30 30 min
M6 (55-59)/M7 (60-64) @7:10 35 min
*Age Classification is the Age that you turn on your birthday in 2022, e.g. a rider who turns 40 in December 2022 is classed as M3 (40-44) or W2 (40-49) for all events during 2022.
**While all Women will start together, results will be recorded for 10 year ages groups (30-39, 40-49, etc).

Race Director:  Matt Hinchcliffe Contact: Email: hinchymatt1@gmail.com    Ph  0423 476 341

Marshals: Marc Harris

Thursday, 17^th February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice,
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race,
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 1 lap standing start TT (Omnium Event),
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 4-lap handicap race,
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 20^th February: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 8^st February

E, F & G Grades – E, F, and G grades started the nights racing with a group of 9 riders staying together most of the race. There were a few attempted breaks, but it came down to an exciting bunch sprinter with Shirley-Anne Taylor the first across the line in E grade followed by Linda Stals, and Simon Milnes. Ross Heazlewood finished first in F grade and Gai Monahan was the sole rider in G Grade.

E 1st Shirley-Anne Taylor, 2nd Linda Stals, 3rd Simon Milnes
F 1st Ross Heazlewood, 2nd Dennis Puniard 3rd Michael Spoljaric
G 1st Gai Monahan

A Grade – A grade went out hard and a group of 5 soon made a break with Gerard Tiffen, Ben Morrison, Matt Rizzuto, James Meadley, Daniel Lekhac working together to keep the bunch at bay with Gerard Tiffen winning the race followed by Ben Morrison and Matt Rizzuto. Marc Vroomans was the first over the line in the chasing bunch taking 6th place.

1st Gerard Tiffen, 2nd Ben Morrison 3rd Matt Rizzuto

C Grade – C grade was the biggest group of the night with 26 riders. The group stayed together for most of the ride with several attempted breaks mid race including one by Dominic Romano. In the sprint at the end Adam Strickland finishing first followed by Andrew Buick and Nicholas Jeffries. 1st Adam Strickland, 2nd Andrew Buick, 3rd Nicholas Jeffries

B Grade – B grade went out first but soon faced heavy rain with the threat of lighting circling the suburbs around Stromlo. Darren Blackhurst did a lot of work early as the bunch negotiated the poor conditions and the threat of Kangaroos late in the race. Sixteen riders finished the race with Michael Langdon coming first in a sprint followed by David McCook and Peter Young coming third.

1st Michael Langdon, 2nd David McCook 3rd Peter Young

D Grade – D grade went out next with the rain and threat of nearby lighting leading to several riders dropping out early. The remain 7 riders worked together to finish safely with David Rowe finishing first followed by Terry Danaher and Peter Frew

1st David Rowe, 2nd Terry Danaher, 3rd Peter Frew

Paul McKay

Track Racing – 10^th February

The evening weather for the season’s 9th track racing session was warm with rain threatening. The wind was light. Fortunately, the predicted evening rain amounted to only a few drops that barely impeded the race program. Attendance was slightly down, with 14 riders, 9 in A grade and 5 in B grade. Tim Jolly lined up in B grade for his first track outing with the club.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race was eventful. It started at an easy pace with Michael Langdon doing the first lap before handing on to Craig Kentwell. Craig must have felt good, as he did two laps leading out at a good tempo. Next lap, Steve Jones and Tony Beasley surged off the front. They were soon pegged back by James Newhouse and Wayne Benham. On lap 7 Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou attacked on their tandem. Michael Langdon pursued and quickly streamed past the tandem, gaining a 20 metre lead by the penultimate lap. This lap saw Wayne Benham was pursuing hard and in second spot by the bell lap. As the bell lap progressed, Steve Jones surged out of the pack in pursuit of Wayne. Michael Langdon was cruising to a comfortable victory with Wayne Benham and Steve Jones locked in a battle for second place. Steve drew ahead about 5 metres from the line to take second spot with Wayne in third. Craig Kentwell hauled in next, to be best of the A2 group.

The B Grade scratch race started in an orderly fashion and progressed through five rider changes at one lap intervals. Bruce Griffin led over lap 6 and decided to hold position as the penultimate lap commenced. When the pack reached the back straight on lap 7, Bruce surged off the front in a good tactical move. The second rider could not pursue and this gave Bruce vital seconds to build a lead before the pack responded. Alison Hale and Karen Clutson were soon pursuing Bruce with Tim Jolly also showing pace from the rear of the pack. Eventually, Alison reeled in Bruce to take the win. However, Bruce held on for second spot before a fast closing Karen Clutson, who came in third.

The evening’s second event was a 200 Fly, a timed sprint over 200m from a flying start. Power and flying start technique are the keys to this event. A-grade times were very competitive with the first three being Michael Langdon (13.14s), Steve Jones (13.33s) and Wayne Benham (13.72s). Best of the A2 Group was the Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou tandem (13.68s). B-grade times were also quite competitive with the first three being Tim Jolly (14.00s), Karen Clutson (14.41s) and Alison Hale (14.88s). The fastest rider (Michael Langdon) averaged 54.8 km/hr over the timed section. The 200 Fly was the first event of a 4 event Omnium Championship for 2021-22.

The evenings third event was a 2-lap handicap with A & B grades combined. This was a closely contested race. Initially Bruce Griffin powered out, passing the limit rider in less than half a lap. Bruce managed to hold a good pace, but it was not enough to hold out James Newhouse who is hard to hold back in handicap events. The first two places were James Newhouse and Bruce Griffin. The limit rider Graeme O’Neill just managed to hold out Tony Beasley for third placing.

The track session closed with the usual, all-in, Italian pursuit. This event ended up with 2 teams of 5 riders. On paper, it looked like Team 2 would be stronger. However, the wild card was Tim Jolly on Team 2 who was having his first Italian Pursuit race. Team 2 decided to place Tim as first rider. You could not argue with this, as a safety measure. However, this decision likely meant that the team 2 rider sequence was sub-optimal. In the event, Team 1 rode flawlessly, while Team 2 were slightly off form, sufficient to give Team 1 a comfortable win and highlight the importance of team strategy for this event.

Major place getters for Wednesday were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, Steve Jones, Wayne Benham. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou tandem, Ben Davis. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Bruce Griffin, Karen Clutson.
200m Fly: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon (13.14s), Steve Jones (13.33s), Wayne Benham (13.72s). (A2 Grade) Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou tandem (13.68s), Craig Kentwell (14.05s), Tony Beasley (14.30s) (B Grade) Tim Jolly (14.00s), Karen Clutson (14.41s) Alison Hale (14.88s).
Combined 2-lap Handicap: James New house, Bruce Griffin, Graeme O’Neill.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Michael Langdon, Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, Karen Clutson, Graeme O’Neill).

Omnium Championship Points after Round 1:
Graeme O’Neill (5), Tony Beasley (4), Michael Langdon (3), James Newhouse (2), Wayne Benham, (1).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (188), Tony Beasley (181), James Newhouse (148), Craig Kentwell (148), Michael Langdon (144), Ken Birch (119), John Paul De Sousa (99), Graeme O’Neill (98), Bruce Griffin (97), Kerry Knowler (88), Karen Clutson (75), Wayne Benham (68), Phil Coulton (64), Warwick Wilson (62), Rowan McMurray (53).

Graeme O’Neill

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  From the Desk of the President

•  2022 Annual General Meeting

•  Chris Short assistance

•  From the Race Committee

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the President

New Cycling Gear

I am very pleased to provide the link to the Club Kit Portal https://mvmnt.club/collections/crmcc. To access, please use the passcode CRMCC22

When you open the portal, you’ll note there are three kit options all available in men’s and women’s specific cut.
  1. ECO – 87% recycled material.
  2.AEROLITE – aero kit (if you see me racing tomorrow, it’s the fit I wear in size medium).
  3. CLUB CLASSIX – which is relaxed fit version.

You can also purchase socks, and an aerosuit [the full tilt] version.

Jimmy has also provided some other jerseys and if you use the club specific discount code of MVMNT25 you can receive 25% off the purchase price.

Please allow 6 weeks for delivery from time of ordering.

I think it would be awesome, once members have purchased the new kit for the club to organise a photo opportunity in a couple of months showing off the new kit.

So please check out the kit, make a purchase and get out and about in the kit to show off to the rest of the cycling world that CRMCC is here!

Final Thanks

As this is my final message as CRMCC President, I wanted to thank you all for your support, and specifically to all the members of the committee that keep the club running. We have done some fantastic work over the last couple of years, which I’ve mentioned before.

Thanks everyone.

Of course, it is not too late for members to volunteer for the committee, we would also welcome more female representation on the committee, with Kirsti stepping down after several years on the committee. Supporting female participation was one of the key findings from the club’s evaluation last year. If you’re interested and would like to discuss, please email me (president@actvets.cc). Alternatively I’ll be opening up the office tomorrow at crits and would love to have a chat with anyone interested in joining.

Seymour Savell-Boss
Capital Region Masters Cycling Club President.

2022 Annual General Meeting – Held in a COVID Safe Environment

The AGM for 2022 will be held on Monday 14th February 2022 at 7:00pm in the Loft Meeting Room at the Raiders Club Weston.

Those attending the AGM will be required to wear a mask.

NOTE: Any Apologies should be advised to the secretary (secretary@actvets.cc).

ZOOM attendance

For those who can’t attend in person, the following ZOOM meeting has been setup;

https://zoom.us/j/94894269430?pwd=RVBXK1M1ZFFtMHR6cjJzNkcvVmxrQT09

When you join the meeting, your audio will be automatically muted and you will not have the option to UnMute. If you wish to ask a question or make a comment please do one of the following;

1. Raise your hand

Click on the Reactions Button at the bottom of the screen then click Raise Hand

The ZOOM moderator will enable you to UnMute your microphone;

2. Via Chat

Click on the Chat Button at the bottom of the screen

Select my name from the dropdown list;

Type your question or comment and it will be passed to me.

Thinking of Joining the Committee

You’d be very welcome. Talk to a current committee member to find out more and submit a nomination form (DOWLOAD) 7 days prior to the AGM (which is today) on the 14th February 2022.

The following positions are being vacated this year so we are looking for members to step in and fill these roles;
– President
– Vice-President
– Treasurer/Membership
– Secretary.
New office holders will be supported by experienced members of the Committee.

Thanks to those who have already nominated for Committee positions.

Russell Marston
Secretary Capital Region Masters Cycling Club
secretary@actvets.cc

Chris Short assistance

Chris Short is seeking some assistance in preparing street level race map images with something like OpenStreetMap.

If you have some knowledge of this or other GIS tools, please contact him at chrisd.short@icloud.com or 0421 586 228.

From the Race Committee

It is important to ensure all members who race are properly registered so that we can enure that we have Insurance coverage. Could all members who intend to race please ensure they are fully registered well in advance and ensure they have entered the online race enrolement in advance of the cutoff.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Ross Goggin B to A
David Parker B to A
Elizabeth Lowe D to C
Terry Danaher E to D

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 8^st February: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 8 Feb 2022 3:50 pm.

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

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 28 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:25 A 40m+2, C 35m+2
B/D 7:20 B 40m+2, D 35m+2

Race Director:  Paul McKay Contact: Email: mckayfamily1993@gmail.com    Ph  0418 244 077

Marshals: Chris Reis

Thursday, 10^th February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 200m-fly (flying start TT – Omnium Event);
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap race;
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 13^th February: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 1^st February

A and C grades were up first and enjoyed the best of the conditions of the night, overcast but still and dry.

A grade was marked by consistent attacks, with Gerard Tiffen, Christope and Daniel Crocker trying their luck early on. They were able to get a gap on the bunch, but with a few in the pack taking responsibility for chasing, including Matt Corby and Ben Carmody, the early breakaway broke up. Christope’s companions were absorbed by the pack and he was then joined by Dale Riley. The pace to stay ahead of the bunch was high and with 22 minutes remaining Christope was left out the front solo. Gerard Tiffen attacked the bunch, crossed the gap and made it across to Christophe with 17 minutes remaining. They rode together for several laps but with 11 minutes remaining GT dropped Christophe and settled into a solo time trial to the finish. Mat Corby jumped across to Christope but they weren’t able to make an impact on GT’s lead. GT took the win solo by the length of the straight, with Mat Corby second and Nick Stewart third.

C grade was surprised (or not?) by an attack by The DOMinator on the first lap. Dom was able to build a small lead but was inevitably caught by the bunch after a couple of laps. Rod Welch picked up the pace but the bunch didn’t let him get away. After a few laps of recovery, Dom had another rush of blood and attacked again, with some help from Ian Preston, but the bunch was back together within a couple of minutes. Several other riders tested the bunch but none were able to make attacks stick. There was a coming together at the left hand corner at the top of the straight, with a couple of riders needed to take to the grass for a little extra racing room, but thankfully all remained upright. The DOMinator, having rested in the bunch for a bit, tried yet another attack with 15 minutes remaining, and was joined by Rod Welch. The bunch closed in again after a couple of laps, and was all together for the final few laps. Paul Clare took the win in the bunch sprint, followed by Eoin Rothery just edging out The DOMinator.

B and D grades were up next, with rain starting just as riders were called to the start line. Gentle rain continued through the race but there was not enough to cause any trouble. After the start, the timing crew realised that there was an inconsistency with advertised race start times and durations, and adjustments were made on the fly to shorten the race.

B grade was quite a civilised affair for the first third of the race, perhaps the drizzle discouraged riders from leaving the warmth of the pack. The pace started to lift about 10 minutes into the race, but nobody really managed to break free. With about 15 minutes remaining, Peter Merrick put in a strong attack and strung out the bunch, but was unable to cause a break. The bunch stayed together for the remainder of the race with Ross Goggin taking the win, followed closely by Dave McCook and Michael Langdon.

D grade also had a fairly calm start. With 30 minutes remaining, Jon Chowns put in a strong attack and got a small gap, but was chased down within a lap. Greg Mitchell also tried his luck but was not able to get away. The pack was pretty much together until the 2 lap board was shown and the pace lifted and strung out the bunch. Elizabeth Lowe managed to pip the bunch for the win, with Steve Harrison second and David Hennessy third.

Due to the timing issue, E, F and G grades started slightly behind schedule. The track had dried out but the wind had picked up.

E grade stuck together for the first 10 minutes of racing, but then Terry Danaher and another (#?sorry) split the bunch. Geoff Ellacott chased and managed to bring the field back together. With 12 minutes to go, Bob Miller had managed to get off the front, but he wasn’t away long. Geoff Ellacott had another dig in the final few laps but wasn’t able to hold the bunch off and they were all back together for the final two laps. Terry Danaher took the win, with Paul McKay second and Geoff third.

F grade was animated by Michael Spoljaric putting in the first attack and getting a gap on the others. He was joined by Adrian Breen with 16 minutes remaining, and they rode together for a couple of laps, before Michael dropped off. After several laps off the front by himself, Adrian was caught by Michael, with the group coming back together in the final few laps. Adrain Breen took the win, with Ross Heazlewood second and Michael third.

Gai Monahan represented G grade solo, circulating consistently strongly, untroubled by the goings-on in the other grades.

Ed Pellegrino

Track Racing – 3^rd February

The ninth track racing session for the 2021-22 season ran on Thursday, 3 February. The weather was cool and overcast with no rain during the session. The wind was strong, with a head wind in the front straight. Sixteen riders participated, 10 in A grade and 6 in B grade.

The 10-lap, A grade scratch race started with Dougal Torrance leading out and quickly motoring off the front, pursued and soon caught by Tony Beasley and Craig Kentwell. On lap 3, Michael Langdon rolled to the front and took off, establishing a 20m lead for one lap, before backing off. After solid turns by Craig Kentwell, James Newhouse, Wayne Benham, Tony Beasley and Steve Jones, Michael Langdon attacked again, this time getting a 30m gap by the entry to the bell lap. Craig Kentwell and Steve Jones pursued relentlessly but could make no inroad into Michael’s lead. The finish order was Michael Langdon, Craig Kentwell, Steve Jones, a particularly creditable performance by Craig Kentwell from the A2 group. Worth mentioning from this race was a gutsy performance by Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou on their tandem. The pair got off to a slow start and hung 15-20 metres off the pack for the entire race. However, they did not give up pursuing and even managed a sprint at the end, to avoid the wooden spoon – a fine example of commitment from both riders!

The B Grade scratch race was led out by Alison Hale at a solid pace. The race ran smoothly for four laps with turns from Sarah Stephens, Karen Clutson, Ken Birch, Bruce Griffin and Graeme O’Neill. The pace began to hot up on lap five when suddenly there was a touch of wheels and Ken Birch hit the deck, solidly. Bruce Griffin swerved instantly and just managed to skirt the fallen rider, likely also saving the pursuing rider from a fall. The race was abandoned, so that Ken could receive first aid treatment. He was soon on his feet, a little shaky and worse for wear. Normally crashes are quite rare at track. We all wish Ken a speedy recovery and hope his injuries are no worse than bruising and abrasions.

When Ken’s treatment was completed, riders lined up for a 1-lap flying start, time trial. This was an exhilarating event commencing with a plunge down the banking for a flying start and then a short, flat chat effort. Overall, the times were quite close with most of the field under 26 seconds. The honours were taken by Michael Langdon (22.23s) in A1 grade, Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou (23.47s) in A2 grade and Karen Clutson (24.88s) in B Grade.

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit with combined A and B grade riders. There were five riders per team and both teams had good, disciplined rides. However, Team 2 got off to a fantastic start, with blistering turns by Bruce Griffin and Karen Clutson. After that, it was all over. The rest of team 2’s riders just kept winding up the pace, leaving team 1 in their dust.

Results correction from 27 January;
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones, Michael Langdon, Wayne Benham.

Major place getters for 3 February were as follows:
10-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, Steve Jones, Dougal Torrance. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Ben Davis, Tony Beasley. (B Grade) Race abandoned.
1-Lap Flying Start, Time Trial: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon (22.23s), Steve Jones (23.37s), Dougal Torrance (24.01s). (A2 Grade) Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou tandem (23.47s), Craig Kentwell (23.92s), Tony Beasley & James Newhouse (tied at 25.50s). (B Grade) Karen Clutson (24.88s), Alison Hale (25.31s), Sarah Stephens (25.37s).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Wayne Benham, Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, Bruce Griffin, Karen Clutson).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (171), Tony Beasley (164), James Newhouse (132), Craig Kentwell (129), Michael Langdon (124), Ken Birch (119), Steve Jones (110), John Paul De Sousa (99), Graeme O’Neill (83), Bruce Griffin (82), Kerry Knowler (74), Phil Coulton (64), Warwick Wilson (62), Karen Clutson (58), Rowan McMurray (53), Wayne Benham (52).

Graeme O’Neill