Sutton Super Series – Criterium Round 3 – Saturday 3 June
Upcoming Race – Tonelli Handicap
“Every win is special, and I’m just grateful to be able to achieve this one”, he said, “and it’ll stay in my memories for the rest of my life.” – Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) – winner Giro d’Italia 2023
Sutton Super Series – Criterium Round 3
Round three of the super series will be held this Saturday. Weather will be dry, partly cloudy with the normal breeze blowing. The race will be a points race, which involves sprints on every second lap.Three points will be awarded for first, two for second and one for third with double points on the final sprint. The trick to riding a points race is not to let the leaders get away after the sprint, as that could lead to a race-defining gap. Even if you don’t consider yourself a sprinter, it’s important to get behind a strong rider on the straight so they can drag you along with little effort, then after crossing the line don’t back off but keep pushing on until up with the leaders. Of course, this is also a great time to launch a counter-attack. Riders with no numbers will get zero points so make sure you wear your race number.
Direction clockwise. 13.30 – C/D 40 mins + 1 lap 14.20 – E/F/G – 30 mins + 1 lap 15.00 – A/B – 50 mins + 1 lap
Here’s the point score so far for the top three in each grade. Remember that riders completing in all six races will get a bonus 12 points.
A grade Tiffen, Gerrard 10 Griffiths, Stua 10 Bridge, John 9
B grade Davies, Michael 10 Sowter, Todd 8 Tozer, Craig 8
C grade McLenaghan, Toby 20 (Now B grade) Jolly, Tim 16 Bryant, Krusty 8
D grade Taylor, Mark 20 Hanbury, Mick 14 Taylor, Shirley 12
E grade Morton, Ian 11 Stephens, Sarah 8 Powell, Sue 6
F grade Lowe, Liz 12 Copeland, Chris 8 Calderwood, Col 6
Vacant – Race Director and x 3 ETCs – if you can assist the Club then please email the race.committee@actvets.cc
Format: Uriarra Homestead Uriarra Homestead – Uphill to Short turn before the climb – downhill to top of Uriarra Crossing – back up to Homestead. 3 laps for a handicap. Description: Tonelli Handicap Directions: 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.
“If you brake, you don’t win”. Mario Cipollini – Itallian Former Pro Road Cyclist
Lookout Hill…
Race Report – Lookout Hill (21 May 2023)
A cool breeze blew over Lookout Hill for the Sunday afternoon Graded scratch race event. With a southerly in full effect, it was promising to be a race of 2 halves with a tailwind for half the race and a headwind for the other half. And to be even more generous to the 35 riders who were racing, we added a bonus of an uphill sprint finish to ensure every rider got value for money. Unfortunately the van was not in operation today after a re-fuelling mishap saw it take out the Shell Service Station at Curtin. Nothing like a bit of drama to add to the day.
A Grade First away with a big turnout of 13 riders (The biggest grade), the racing was guaranteed to be fast and hard. Coming past the judge after the half a lap, you could tell that the tail wind was proving to be the express train service that once you were on, it was not going to stop. However after completing the first lap, the pace saw 1 rider dropped. By lap 2, we heard a motorbike from about 4 kms away with reports over the radio it was auditioning for an entry into the Isle of Man race. I figured the rider was just trying to motorpace Steve Crispin who had attacked A grade and was flying past us breaking the sound barrier. Steve had a small break coming back up the hill after lap 2 with A grade stringing out chasing hard. Steve was joined by 3 other riders for the final lap and they built up a race winning lead. With half a lap to go it was anyone’s race and as they entered the bottom of lookout hill the sprint was on with Callum Henshaw winning in the sprint from Tristan Dimmock just 2 seconds back and Steve Crispin a further 3 seconds behind.
B Grade Not a single B grader registered for this event. So they are either burgling lower grades or racing in A and will be spotted by the handicapper
C Grade 8 riders started the race and it was all tea and scones for the first 2 laps as they all stayed together. With 1 lap to go, they had managed to drop 1 rider and it was going to come down to a group sprint on the final lap as they went past us with 1/2 a lap to go for the final leg down to the Point Hunt turn around mostly together. Coming into view, the big engine of Gareth Downey roared into life and managed to take line honors by 3 seconds over Simon Costello with David Dickson just a further 5 seconds away in 3rd.
D Grade The hard men and women of D grade usually take no prisoners on these road races and this was no exception with D grade providing a brutal introduction to a new rider on lap 1 (We do need them to come back for further racing!). After 1/2 a lap, they had dropped 2 riders and after 1 lap, had added another 2 riders to the list. From then on, it was just a smash-a-thon with me trying to keep track of where every D grader was in the race. Gregory Harris had snuck away and built up a lead over 1 minute which proved to be too much for the chasing bunch. Mark Taylor chased in vain for most of the race to earn 2nd place with 3rd place a further 3 mins behind with Peta Brill putting on the after burners up lookout Hill in a 3 way sprint.
E Grade Ashley Sked was the lone rider for E grade so decided to ride with D grade and for most of the race, he raced on his lonesome to record a respectable time.
F Grade 2 riders in F grade with Liz Low taking on Chris Copeland. By the first lap, Liz was determined to hammer out the 3 lap race as a solo TT and built up a commanding lead for the rest of the race to take the win by 3 mins over Chris.
Thanks to the marshals Iain Johnstone and Russel Marston who had to not only figure out the myriad of signs to deploy at each of the turn points, but also had to run surveillance on the cars and motorbikes who use this course as a race track on weekends. Their intelligence back to us at the finish line helped us to keep the race safe. Mark Moerman helped me back at the finish line recording the riders as they finished and Simon Whitehead who provided 1st aid which thankfully was not required on the day. Also our ever present handicapper Rob Langridge who kept a close eye on who will earn a promotion or demotion and brought all the equipment for the race in the back of his car.
Members are asked to please check the Race Management System – link here There are race Marhsal positions to fill on 17, 24 and 25 June and July races also– if you can assist the Club then please email the race.committee@actvets.cc
RACING – Next Race
Saturday 3 June, 1.30pm – Sutton Super Series – Graded Scratch
Direction clockwise. 13.30 – C/D 40 mins + 1 lap 14.20 – E/F/G – 30 mins + 1 lap 15.00 – A/B – 50 mins + 1 lap
“Please ensure you wear your race number. As having numbers on, helps the… Race Director”. Race Director – CRMCC Valued Volunteer
From the Presidents Desk
To all members. It is time for us as a club to move forward in our cycling experience as we celebrate 30 years since the founding of our club. At the 20th anniversary in 2013, we had 450 members. I thank the current 250 members for your support and efforts in keeping us going through much change and challenges of recent years. While there are many things listed below, they are simply the requirements members have indicated would assist with their cycling in the club. Of course, this is not necessarily the full or comprehensive list. As a volunteer club we seek assistance from its members. Please consider your ability to help in any of these areas and please let us know.
What’s been achieved and where we are at:
1.We are trialling a new program of road racing without NSW for 2023.
a. Sunday winter road races are in the calendar at one a month for at least 6 races. This is being trialled between April and September inclusive to see how participation goes. Our next Sunday event is 21 May at Lookout Hill and future events are on 25/6, 16/7, 13/8 & 3/9.
b. The new 6-race Super Series at SDTC has been well attended with 75 club members racing at least once in just 2 events.
c. A Mini Tour will be trialled- 2 events in one day on 3rd September. This is also Father’s Day – to give everyone a heads up.
d. Generally, open road races entries are well up compared to the last couple of years.
e. Feedback to the committee on the road program, or suggestions for new road courses is appreciated. Planning for the 2024 program will commence in August this year.
2. All trophy & medal races are back on the race program e.g. Tonelli H’cap 17/6, Cole Family Secret H’cap 8/7 and Age based Road Championship 16/9 all at Uriarra, M&H Age Standard Time Trial 12/8 at Lookout Hill and Iron Mike 19/8 outside SFP.
3. There is support and mentoring available to those who wish it from either Mark Taylor or Matt Hinchcliffe.
4. We have spent time on the bicycle group or at BAG meetings to advocate our requirements. Also liaison with Stromlo & Arboretum plus We Ride group about improvements to SFP for a 12Km closed circuit and extension to the crit track etc. At this stage there is still no funding available and we will be paying to park at SFP once the car park has been upgraded over winter.
5. We continue to be a member of the AVCC (Australian Veterans Cycling Council). This has meant our fees remain low as our insurance costs have been very competitive. At present we are the cheapest club to race on the road in the country as we pass on no other fees to members.
6. We have been working our way through and responding to many of the suggestions made in the membership survey of 2019.
Immediate Priorities for the Club:
1. We remain a volunteer club that relies on all its members contributing their time to help us our achieve our goals and run our race program. Our primary purpose is racing for those 30 years and over and to do that we need to service our membership and increase our participation rates particularly at Road Races and Track (velodrome).
2. NSW Racing – we can only race in NSW by hiring Traffic Controllers and a Race Referee/Director or equivalent due to the difference in qualification requirements in the ACT and Nationally. As the country moves to more a professional approach in road management of traffic, it is becoming prohibitively expensive to continue to hire people for events in NSW. Until we can work out a strategy to make racing affordable, we will limit our number of NSW events. At present it costs us about $2000 to run a race depending upon what course etc. We would need a minimum of 100 or more participants to keep race fees to around $25. At present we only get around 30-40 in many road races depending upon the weather meaning race fees higher than $50 if we were to cover costs.
3. 30th Anniversary Celebrations – this year we are seeking help to plan and propose how we celebrate 30 years of cycling. This could involve a combination of a social event, a ride and cake after plus any other suggestions. Please contact myself or the committee if you are able to assist.
4. Van Co-ordination required to assist with checking out van occasionally, keeping an eye on maintenance schedule and assisting new Van drivers thru the steps required. This could be a number of people to help here. If you feel you can please let us know.
5. Rides Co-ordination – for occasional training, non-competitive and social rides to support new comers, novices and other members seeking a more social aspect to our race program. This will cover a range of ability levels and could involve coffee after. This can be more than one person in fact a few to lighten the load.
6. Committee structure to help the club executive in running and administering the club e.g. a recent call was made in the Bleat for members to form a group to look into the future and improve the club. Only one volunteer so far. It would be good to have a number of people.
7. A how to and tips & hints segment in the Bleat on a regular basis (fortnightly or monthly). Requires someone with ability to co-ordinate in their busy schedule time to assist others. This could simply be a link to relevant information on the internet with suggestions on techniques, nutrition, mechanical advice and racing strategies etc.
8. Arrange seminars or coaching sessions from experienced cyclists e.g. could be an online meeting. Needs someone to find a topic, chase a presenter maybe once every 6-8 weeks, schedule a meeting, invite members and other trimmings associated with these seminars.
9. Communications Co-ordination/Co-ordinator. To develop and implement a strategic approach to club communications through platforms available to us and our members. We already have some of this and would like a review and co-ordinated strategy to get the best for our members e.g. The Bleat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, website etc. and use these platforms to advertise to increase membership.
Further Priorities for the club going forward:
1. Brand development of CRMCC – more than just club kit.
2. Buddy system for riders seeking support.
3. Assistance for members needing a lift to races/events.
4. More descriptions about events – profiles, laps etc
5. Exemption from marshalling & substitute with other ways to help support the club.
6. Future training & support in marshalling, race directing/refereeing and traffic control.
7. Seeking a more diverse group on the clubs executive committee.
8. Develop a volunteer strategy – recognise and support our volunteers.
9. Develop a membership strategy – growth, engagement and support.
11. Operational strategy to grow the cycling experience for our members.
12. Induction information for new members and a novice program.
If you are interested in finding out more on any of these matters or are able to assist in any way please contact someone on the executive you know directly or email the committee committee@actvets.cc or president@actvets.cc
Kim Malcolm – President CRMCC
RACING – Lookout Hill Graded Scratch
Sunday 21 May , 1.30pm – Lookout Hill – Graded Scratch
Format: Lookout Hill 3.5 km toward Tharwa, U turn, 5km toward Point Hut, U turn to Lookout Hill. 4 laps. The Classic lookout-hilltop finish! Directions: Observation lookout on Tidbinbilla Road about 2.5 km towards Tharwa from Point Hut / Tidbinbilla Rd intersection (or about 4.5 km from Tharwa village).
Race Officials needed: Director x 1, ETC x 1 – please email the race.committee@actvets.cc
Race Report – Sutton Super Series
From the Director’s chair of SDTC – 13 May. No F Grade race due to only one rider being registered. F Grade was absorbed into E Grade
E Grade 1st 281 Sarah Stephens 2nd 282 Russell Marston 3rd 287 Elizabeth Lowe (F Grade) 4th 86 Ashley Sked 5th 278 Ian Morton 6th 339 Linda Stals DSN 124 Cat Riley
E Grade had 30 minutes plus One lap. We had one non-starter, Cat Riley, due to a scare with a non-cycle friendly driver on the way to the race. The race began in the Anti-Clockwise direction just for a change. Early on, Linda Stals found the pace and/or the course too hot, and was the first to pop off the back of the bunch. E Grade motored along for a good while before losing Ian Morton with 10 minutes still to go. On the last lap Sarah Stephens attacked and gained a good gap on the bunch. Coming into the finish, Sarah held her gap and came across the line first. The bunch sprint was won Russell Marston, closely followed by F Grader, Elizabeth Lowe and Ashley Sked. Bringing up the rear was Ian Morton and Linda Stals who persisted and finished on the tough course.
D Grade 1st 78 Mark K Taylor 2nd 465 Gregory Harris 3rd 424 Michael Hanbury 4th 135 Terry Moore 5th 231 Anthony Beasley 6th 182 Nick Boylan 7th 84 Allan Bontjer 8th 202 Shirley-Anne Taylor
D Grade had 40 minutes plus One lap; although, the race director mistakenly said 50 minutes plus One, to which he was quickly corrected by the concerned bunch. The bunch rode well together and only managed to drop Allan Bontjer and Shirley-Anne Taylor over the course of the race, with both riders riding stubbornly hard until the finish. Mark Taylor won the sprint from Gregory Harris and Michael Hanbury, with Terry Moore, Anthony Beasley and Nick Boylan close behind. Allan and Shirley-Anne both finished strongly, getting a great workout from their efforts today.
C Grade 1st 702 Matthew Pooley (Visitor) 2nd 378 Tobias McLenaghan 3rd 143 Timothy Jolly 4th 533 Krusty Bryant 5th 237 Roslyn Hurt 6th 136 Nathan Monck 7th 534 Ian Preston 8th 336 David Buckley 9th 256 Aaron Thomson (A Grade) 10th 423 Gavin Stephens 11th 409 Andrew Remely 12th 168 Stuart Roesler 13th 204 Luke Philps 14th 667 Dale Kleeman DNF 501 Ed Logue DNF 386 Nicholas Jeffries (did not report in, not seen in finishing chute) DNF 503 Peter Merrick (did not report in, not seen in finishing chute)
C Grade with the largest bunch, also had 40 minutes plus One lap for their race. With a bigger bunch the pace was quick from the start. Their appeared to be a number of attacks to try and get away, with the bunch stringing out and then coming back together. Eventually, two of the My Ride team riders were able to break free from the bunch. They continued to increase their lead throughout the race. With the main bunch splintering with riders dropping off. Eventually, with our two leaders out front, a main bunch chasing, and the dropped riders forming a second chasing bunch. Whether due to the strength of the two leaders, who increased a huge lead by the end, or whether the strength of the My Ride team numbers in the bunch prevented any real chance of closure. Nevertheless, all riders showed great determination in pushing through until the end. The two leaders, Tobias McLenaghan and Matthew Pooley (our Visitor), came to the line well clear of the chasing bunch, with Matthew winning the sprint. From the main bunch, Timothy Jolly won the sprint from Krusty Bryant and Roslyn Hurt. With Nathan Monck, Ian Preston, David Buckley and Aaron Thomson finishing just behind them. In the second bunch, we had Gavin Stephens win the bunch sprint from Andrew Remely, Stuart Roesler and Luke Philps. Dale Kleeman well off the back and riding by himself for much of the race, still finished strong.
B Grade 1st 356 Michael Davies 2nd 685 Todd Sowter 3rd 619 Craig Tozer 4th 132 Andrew Murrell 5th 589 Daniel Crocker 6th 304 Ross Goggin 7th 109 Alana Forster DNF 67 Conan Liu (Mechanical)
B Grade had 50 minutes plus One lap for their race. A smaller bunch for B Grade, but still managed to maintain a good pace throughout the race. With the only casualty of the pace being Alana Forster who dropped off early in the race. One mishap, with Conan Liu suffering an unfortunate mechanical and unable to continue. Alana continued bravely, turning the race into a time trial to the finish. With one lap to go, the bunch was still together, and despite all efforts remained this way until they rounded the last corner. Michael Davies took out the sprint with Todd Sowter and Craig Tozer taking the minor placings. Andrew Murrell, Daniel Crocker and Ross Goggin were not far behind.
A Grade 1st 19 Stuart Griffiths 2nd 43 Michael Tolhurst 3rd 462 Sebastian Mueller 4th 71 Trent Smyth 5th 445 John Bridge 6th 510 Marc Vroomans (B Grade) 7th 257 Daniel Lekhac 8th 15 Stephen Blackburn 9th 273 Nathan Spillane 10th 382 Jason Irwin 11th 240 Rowan McMurray 12th 2 David Parker DNF 574 Dimitar Dojcinoski (Puncture)
A Grade with a strong turnout, had 50 minutes plus One lap. Marc Vroomans from B Grade decided to ride with the A bunch today. The pace of the A Grade field clearly quick, and they were soon closing in on the B Grade bunch. A Grade also had their casualties with a few riders popping off earlier than they would have wanted. Kudos to all who persevered through to the finish. Unfortunately, Dimitar Dojcinoski suffered a puncture in the pot hole through the causeway crossing. In the end, Stuart Griffiths was too strong for the bunch, with Michael Tolhurst and Sebastian Mueller coming in 2nd and 3rd places. Trent Smyth, John Bridge, Marc Vroomans, Daniel Lekhac, Stephen Blackburn, and Nathan Spillane finishing in that order. Off the back, but still strong rides from Jason Irwin, Rowan McMurray, and David Parker.
David Wilkinson – Race Director
Sutton Super Series – Points Score
Here’s the point score after two rounds. Please check your results carefully and provide any feedback to handicapper@actvets.cc. Please do this now while memories are fresh as it will be very difficult to change quirky results from April if you wait until the last round in September. After two rounds, the number of riders still in the running for the 12-point bonus for competing in all rounds has dropped dramatically!
Promotions for Sutton Super Series Races Toby McLenaghan C to B Mick Hanbury D to C Aaron Thompson C to B
“I’m not really focusing on the time gaps. I just wanted to try to win the stage and in the end we won it, so mission one accomplished.” Remco Evenepoel, Team Soudal–Quick-Step
RACING – Sutton Super Series
Saturday 13 May , 1.30pm – Sutton Driver Training – Graded Scratch
Direction is anticlockwise this week. Start times: 13.30 – E/F/G – 30 mins + 1 lap 14.10 – A/B – 50 mins + 1 lap 15.10 C/D – 40 mins + 1 lap Cutoff registration Friday 12 May, 9.30pm
Race Officials needed: Director x 1, Marshal x 1 and the Van driver
Don’t miss round two of the Sutton Super Series at the Sutton Road Training Centre this Saturday. Forecast is for 17 degrees and light winds, so there’s no excuse for not having a go on the club’s most exciting race venue. Remember that riders who finish in all six races receive a bonus 12 points, with the final race attracting double points. Lavish prizes await the top three point scorers in each grade!
Here are the top point scorers for each grade after round One: A Tiffen Gerard 10 Henshaw Callum 8 Bridge John A 6 B Dojcinoski Dimitar 6 (Now A) 34 Butler Kieran 4 619 Tozer Craig 2 Subject to confirmation. C McLenaghan Tobias 10 Jolly Timothy 8 Blackhurst Darren 6 D Taylor Mark K 10 Hanbury Michael 8 Dick Anthony 6 E Taylor Shirley-Anne 10 (Now D) Morton Ian 8 Powell Sue 6 F Lowe Elizabeth 10 Copeland Chris 8 Calderwood Colin 6
Rob Langridge – Race committee
Upcoming Sunday Races:
Lookout Hill – Graded Scratch – Sunday 21 May 2023
This is the second of six races to be held on a Sunday @ 1.30pm during the CRMCC winter season – so that those who have commitments on a Saturday get a chance to have a race on the Sunday.
“There will be a lot of complaining that today was too hard, but the winners never complain”. Phill Liggett – Cycling Journalist
RACING – Next Race
Saturday 13 May , 1.30pm – Sutton Driver Training – Graded Scratch
Note – will be Reverse direction @ Sutton.
Cutoff registration Friday 12 May, 9.30pm
Race Officials needed: Director x 1, Marshal x 1 and the Van driver
RACE REPORTS:
Lookout Hill – Graded Scratch – Saturday 29 April 2023
Numbers were a little low but the racing was still exciting with a drizzly sprint finish for all grades. The forecast rain put most of the regulars off. To those of you who did race; you are a bad arse!
In most grades there were just enough riders to create dynamic racing. The exception was B grade. Craig Lindenmayer decided a two-up race was not for him. He made a determined start and bridged a 30 second starting gap to join the A grade bunch. Alana Forster, the 2nd B grader, took a more sensible approach to the start, eventually joining up with C grade for her own solid session.
The A graders hit the climb on the second lap with plenty of pace in effort to off load any passengers. There was lashing of suffering as dropped riders chewed the stem to rejoin the bunch. The group did reform and things appeared to settle down for the rest of the race and with a bunch sprint finish.
The five C graders set off at a steady pace. John Paul De Sousa forgot his water bottle. On the first lap he’s calling out to the Race Director to get a bottle ready for him when he comes past on the next lap. Our first aid, Simon Whitehead, decided riding without water was a “medical issue” and managed to find John a bottle. Note for riders; the Race Director is not your soigneur! By the final lap the punchy climb had taken a toll with two riders off the back. This left the leading riders to grind out a three-up bunch sprint.
The four D-grade riders rode a great race with plenty of smooth pedaling form on show. Eventually the long grinding false flat and the climb worked its magic. The group managed to wear Allan Bontjer down to finish in another three-up bunch sprint.
Thank you to our Race Volunteers – Elizabeth Lowe, Howard Moffat, Tom Stewart-Moore, and Simon Whitehead (First Aid).
Capital Region Masters Cycling Club 