Masters,
In this week’s Bleat;
• Kit Update
• NSW Track Masters Championship
• From the Race Committee
• Rotary Five Peaks Challenge
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports
Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc
Kit Update
Dear Members,
We would like to update you all on the status of the kit order, as we have had some progress and it is getting closer! As you can see from the attached photos, Jimmy has received the sample final product, and has provided minor alterations to the size of the CRMCC logo. But other than that, production is full steam ahead! Indeed great care has been taken to ensure the highest quality product for our members, and we thank Jimmy and MVMNT CLUB for that. The manufacturer has advised that the shipment of kit is expected to be 7th April, after taking into account local public holidays. We thank you dearly for your support and patience during this time and look forward to seeing everyone in brand new Club kit very soon!
David Parker
Vice President, CRMCC
NSW Track Masters Championship
A number of club members headed to Sydney on the weekend for the NSW Track Masters championship and came home with a swag of medals – John Paul de Sousa, Sarah Stephens, Karen Clutson, Kerry Knowler, Lindy Hou and Alison Hale, ably supported by Steve Jones as mentor, coach, holder and giver of post race debriefs of what went wrong! We looked forward to him waiting until we racked the bike and then asking, like in a performance review, “Well how do you think that went?”
Notable mentions go to
- Peta Brill for taking Gold in the Scatch and Points race, and a nail biting finish in the Individual Pursuit final to finish 1/100th of a second behind the winner.
- Kerry Knowler for a mammoth effort for stoking Lindy on the tandem in the para events and backing up for individual and team events, taking gold in the Individual Pursuit.
- Karen Clutson for a huge PB in the flying 200m of 13.458 (A grade beckons next season for sure!) and missing a place in the final after a questionable call by the Commissaire for coming out of the sprint lane when the other ride rode into her.
- Lindy Hou for her golds in the Sprint, Time Trial and Individual Pursuit and for the energetic cheering she did for every event.
- Alison Hale for her gold in the Points race (and minus mentions for turning Steve Jones’ hair gray by giving chase to Kerry’s lead out in the Points that was supposed to draw off her competitors!)
- Sarah Stephens for her gold in the Time Trial and Point race and for her the huge grin when she beat her friend Taryn Dickens (frequent Thursday night spectator) by a narrow margin in the Time Trial.
- John Paul de Sousa for his silver in the Sprint event in his first outing on an indoor velodrome.
Photos
 |  |  |  |  |
| Kerry Knowler | Kerry Knowler & Lindy Hou | Peta Brill | Sarah Stephens | Karen Clutson & Alison Hale |
It was a great weekend, slightly marred by the decision of Auscyling NSW to not allow ACT riders to progress beyond the heats to contest for the medals for the Team Sprint and Team Pursuit events as these were limited to NSW affiliated clubs.
For regular Thursday night trackies, we missed the commentary of Michael Langdon, particularly when Alison and Karen went into the final match sprint bronze medal ride off with one up each.
Alison Hale
From the Race Committee
Coaching
The Race Committee is looking to establish a roster of people prepared to act as coaches/mentors for new members who want to develop their skills.
Could anyone who is interested or who knows anyone who might be interested, please let the Race Committee know (race.committee@actvets.cc)
Race Directors and Marshals
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.
Rotary Five Peaks Challenge
Early bird entries close on 26 March. More details at: www.rotaryrides.org.au
RACING THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, 29th March: Stromlo Criterium
Note: Pre-registration required by 29 Mar 2022 3:50 pm.
No late entries accepted.
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
B/D 20m+2 @5:50
E/F/G 20m+2 @6:15
A/C 20m+2 @6:40
Race Director: Dominic Romano Contact: Email: dominic.romano74@gmail.com Ph 0408 411 362
Marshals: Craig Lindenmayer
Track Racing has concluded for the 2021-22 season
Sunday, 3rd April – No Scheduled Road Race
RACE REPORTS:
SFP Criterium – 22nd March
A perfect night for racing with warm temps and barely a breath of wind. Not conducive to break aways although this didn’t stop a couple trying with two in A grade making a move right from the get go. That two quickly became four who before long were brought back in the space of half a lap. Showing that no one is winding down for the season A grade apparently averaged 44 km/h which was believable given at least one punter was seen in a deep state of zen post race working hard to keep his lunch down! Some joggers seemed determined to prove it’s not just dogs that don’t belong at a bike race by trying to cross in front of a fast finishing Gerard Tiffen, James Meadley, and visitor Nicholas Wilson.
B grade also held a strong pace in fading light with few silly, bold, or daring enough to make serious moves off the front. Some did try to animate the race with Ben McDuff making a very late charge that wasn’t to be. In the end it was a fairly controlled race with a strong finishing Dom Romano powering to a sprint finish and great celebration, Tom Stewart-Moore, and Seymour Saville-Boss showing less committee time equals more training time.
C grade continued on the theme of controlled racing with no notable moves and even fewer willing to put their nose in the (not so present) wind. Tim Mineham and Mark Taylor had reportedly applied ample lashings of chamois cream and were in strong form to tow the bunch around, keeping enough breath in them to encourage other would be roulleurs. Alas, it was not to be and the two soldiers pushed on while Michael Hanbury, the much cheered for Stephen Terracinni, and Graham Tanton timed their run to perfection to take podium spots in the sprint.
D grade was also out late keeping a steady and consistent pace which helped keep Simon the first aider’s heart rate under control in the fading light. No sign of the kangaroos at the top of the track either so it was a fairly civilised affair all round. Bruce Griffin came home first followed by Peter Frew and Kevin Newhouse for third.
E,F and G had the lowest numbers with 6, 5 and 2 in each grade respectively. This in theory should make tracking the race easier for the race director but these grades showed the highest attrition rates with riders scattered all around the course. E grade largely stayed together with it being one for the ladies with Linda Stals and Michelle Hodgetts bringing home first and second and Mick Donaldson in third. Ken Birch, Susan Frost, and Ross Heazlewood the victors in F, and in G after some late race sharking and sideways looks reminiscent of a track sprint it was Andre Swenson taking the win ahead of Bernard Crowe.
Special thanks to Gai Monahan for marshalling, Simon Whitehead for being 1st aider at the ready, and Andy Matz as the committee rep with the keys.
Craig Tozer
Track Racing Season 2021-22
The 2021-22 Track Racing Season concluded on Wednesday 24 March with a team race, trophy presentation and drinks to celebrate another successful season. The track season was challenging, with around 6 race sessions lost due to Covid restrictions and rain. However, the level of enjoyment was as high as ever. We were fortunate that the presentation event went ahead in fine weather after rain threatened all day.
A total of 32 riders participated in one or more of the 21-22 track racing sessions. Since the transfer of our track program to the Bundadome venue in 2014, a total of 77 riders from the club have participated in Track racing. Attendance was slightly down on last year, with 12 – 18 riders being the norm. This season, A grade was split into two levels (A1 and A2) for results and championship points. This change has opened up the Track Championship to more riders.
There were 14 evening track sessions with around 50 races over the season. The season provided a variety of race formats including scratch races, handicaps, pursuits, match races, points races and sprint time trials. All races contributed to an overall Track Championship. This year Alison Hale took out the Track Championship. It has been good to see several riders in contention for the championship in recent years. Alison is a most deserving winner as she attended every track session and proved to be the strongest rider in B grade. It was great to see several new faces this year and some returning trackies from years past. We had a very strong and successful female contingent including Karen Clutson, Sarah Stephens, Alison Hale, Pat Rooke, Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou. It was good to see the A2 grade riders well up in the Championship point scores. Tony Beasley took out second place in the Track Championship with Craig Kentwell taking third place. Both of these riders had strong seasons and were consistently competitive.
Regrettably. this track season was not injury free. Ken Birch had a fall at full pace, due to a clipped wheel. Ken suffered bad abrasions and bruising. In the last eight years, we have had only six accidents at track, with mostly minor injuries. Despite the speed, close quarters racing and lack of brakes, track racing is consistently the safest race discipline offered by the club.
The standard of riding was high and most of the regular riders improved considerably over the season. As usual, it was difficult to select the most improved rider. However, this season’s award for most improved rider went to Karen Clutson from B grade. Karen has been super competitive in B grade and developed into a very worthy rival for Alison Hale.
The track season included a handicap Wheel Race just after Christmas, with the trophy taken by Steve Jones, using great tactical nous. Steve was off bike touring at the presentation date, so his medal and trophy were kindly accepted by his partner Kerry Knowler. Kerry is a track regular and exceptionally strong rider who can usually be relied upon to enliven the A grade events with suicidal attacks.
Towards the end of the season, we ran a four-event Omnium Championship. The results for this event are decided by “the algorithm” which attempts to equalise the chances of all track participants, regardless of grading. This year Michael Langdon took out the Omnium Championship. It was great that Michael returned as a regular rider this season. His lively presence had been missed.
21-22 Track Medal Winners
(L to R: Craig Kentwell & Tony Beasley: Bronze & Silver medallists for the Track Championship, Kerry Knowler: Accepted Xmas Wheel Race Trophy for Steve Jones, Alison Hale: Overall Track Champion, Karen Clutson: Most Improved Track Rider, Michael Langdon: Omnium Champion).
This summary would not be complete without acknowledging and thanking all the parties who contributed to the track season. In particular, Phil Coulton and the club committee arranged track bookings and provided general support for the track racing discipline. Ian Morton published reports and results in The Bleat. Kim Malcolm organised all the winner’s medals. Kirsty McVeigh took care of the finances that support track racing. Simon Whitehead provided regular sports medicine support. Thanks also to those who assisted in myriad ways over the season and particularly to the track riders who invariably displayed the best competitive spirit and camaraderie. As usual, trackies were great company over the season.
Graeme O’Neill
21-22 Track Season Results
Christmas Wheel Race Results (1st – 5th):
Steve Jones, Tony Beasley, Alison Hale, Craig Kentwell, Warwick Wilson
Season’s Most Improved Track Rider
Karen Clutson
Final Omnium Championship Points:
Michael Langdon (16), James Newhouse (13), Graeme O’Neill (13), Frank O’Sullivan (12), Tony Beasley (11), Tim Jolly (8), Karen Clutson (7), Alison Hale (6), Kerry Knowler (5), Lindy Hou (5), Terry Danaher (5).
Final 21/22 Track Championship Point Scores:
Alison Hale (239), Tony Beasley (226), Craig Kentwell (204), James Newhouse (197), Michael Langdon (191), Graeme O’Neill (133), Steve Jones (128), Karen Clutson (123), Ken Birch (119), John Paul De Sousa (116), Bruce Griffin (97), Kerry Knowler (93), Phil Coulton (85), Wayne Benham (68), Tim Jolly (65), Warwick Wilson (62), Ben Davis (58).
