Happy New Year CRMCCers,
For this week’s Bleat –

  • Membership renewal
  • Next Crit Race – Tues 7 Jan from 5.50pm
  • Narrabundah Track Racing – Thurs 9 Jan, 5.30pm
  • Christmas Wheelrace report for 17 Dec – Robert Langridge
  • Notice of CRMCC Annual General Meeting on Mon 10 Feb 2025
  • Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here

Membership renewal for 2025

The national membership fee has risen from $120 to $125 to meet rising insurance costs. Our local committee discussed that the club component would be lowered from $20 to $10 to offset this increase for a total of $135 for the 2025 membership. Please note though, that in 2025 you will pay about $5 in transaction fees, not to the AVCC, so all up, it is roughly the same membership price as 2024. Please keep a look out here for the 2025 Hello Club portal announcement
https://capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au/membership/.
Please allow a couple of days between renewing your membership in Hello Club, and when you can register for races in the RMS calendar, due to manual processes involved in the back end, and knowing that the Membership Office is not staffed 24/7.

Conan – CRMCC President / Membership Officer

Summer evening criterium series – Tuesday 7 January

Race director Mick Hanbury, marshal Greg Mitchell, first Ryan Fawke
Bell for the final lap.
Direction anti-clockwise

GradesTimeRace Duration [sunset 2023]
A/C17:50A 45mins + 2 laps, C 40m + 2L
B/D18:40B 45mins + 2 laps, D 40m + 2L
E/F/G19:3030mins + 2 L


Race registration cut-off is Tuesday 7th January at 12.50pm. 
Cost is $10 for a single race.
You need to register by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021185

Late registration will be assessed by race.committee@crmcc.org.au and if allowed, a late fee of an extra $10 will be applied.
If you are unregistered and show up to the event, you must convince a committee member (not the Race Director) of your club member financial status for insurance purposes, before being allowed to participate.

*****The club will be implementing some extra checks to ensure that everyone on the crit track is a financial member before the race.*****

You must wear your CRMCC assigned number to race. No number on the day, no race.

Switch race entry:
In the event of rain or another event, the members who have paid $10 to enter and decide to not race, those riders have to send an email to committee@crmcc.org.au before their race starts, where they would like to transfer their $10 with their name and race number, and the date to which they want the credit transferred.
Such requests via Facebook will be ignored.

Narrabundah Track Racing

Track racing resumes for 2025 on Thursday 9 January.
The Program for Thursday is as follows:
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.
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Spare Track Bikes
We have several spare track bikes if you wish to try track racing.

Note that you will need to either be a financial member, or have a trial membership to participate. Please see https://capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au/membership/.

Please bring your own pedals. You may need to pump up tyres (we will have a pump available) and adjust saddle / bar position. You will need to check over the bike for safety purposes. Although we will assist as far as practical, equipment safety and providing tools for fitting / adjustments is your responsibility.

Attendance
Please register your attendance at https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021918 , where each race costs $10.
New or returning members who wish to ease their way into track racing may do the just the warm-up and
single, timed event (1-lap TT) at nil cost for the session. Just show up at the Narrabundah track by
5.30pm.

Graeme O’Neill

Christmas Wheelrace report – 17 December 2024 – Rob Langridge

E grade

With the unfortunate dwindling numbers in E grade, it was only Bruce Griffin, Jan Koehler and Chris Copeland rolling around. Bruce dropped off the pace around halfway and Jan rolled Chris in the last lap.

D grade

After dropping a few riders early on, the rest of D grade were happy to take a leisurely approach, perhaps saving their legs for the final. In the charge for the line Eddie Humeniuk, in his debut victory, took line honours from Kevin Newhouse and Elizabeth Lowe.

C grade

The race began with a mechanical by Mike ‘lap out’ Hanbury. Once back in the field he pushed the pace along frequently. The major break of the race was by visitor Josh Quilliam who for a while looked as though he’d power on to the finish, and this was especially so when joined by Grant Johnston. Their handy lead vanished in the closing laps, allowing for a mad sprint taken out by Ben Davis, followed by Ian Mongan and Lance Purdon.

B grade

Racers started aggressively, running straight into the back of a plodding grade. Mutterings from the peanut gallery about starting the grades too close together, proved to be unfounded once A grade got into gear but never caught B grade. Krusty Bryant took a solo flier, staying away for a few laps. At the bell Kim Pedersen, Paul Connor either Matt Pooley or Luke Philps had a clear gap over the chasing bunch and held them off for the next lap, with Paul Connor snatching his first Stromlo victory since winning an A grade points race in 2016. Second was Kim Pedersen in her best crit result to date and third was Paul Scherl.

A grade

The race started with a long procession A and B for the first few laps. First off the front was Andrew Forster, followed by Mark Harris and Marc Vroomans showing the younger riders a textbook example of opportunistic attacking. Mark was fresh off his fantastic 4th place in Carts’ Christmas B grade crit the previous Wednesday. Although Mark described it as a ‘fluke,’ he attempted to bridge to a three-rider group on the bell and although he never made it across, thanks to some great blocking by son, Greg, on the back straight and through Collarbone Corner, Mark was able to hang on for a clear 4th.

Anyway back race at hand. Next to spend a few laps on the front was Tristan Dimmock but to no avail. Stuart Griffiths took out the sprint from Gerard Tiffen and Jeremy Gillman-Wells.

Wheelrace

E grade comprising only Jan Koehler and Bruce Griffin were given an extra 25 seconds to account for their lack of numbers and performed the tradition of completing their first lap before A grade had even started. Jan maintained a steady pace and for a moment appeared to have an unassailable lead.

Behind Jan D grade were floundering somewhat. at one point on the home straight the crowd was treated to the spectacle of Kevin Newhouse 30m ahead of the rest of D grade and searching for where they had gone. C grade were riding well in a tight bunch but it was B grade that were taking smooth turns and sticking close together.

At the bell B, C and D had merge with Jan losing contact. Down the back straight for the last time, the best of C grade hung on bravely with B graders Paul Connor, Kim Pedersen, Matt Pooley, Paul Scherl and Luke Philps maintaining a furious pace, thereby preventing A grade, now reduced to three riders from catching up. This group stayed together in the final straight and it was Matt winning the sprint from Luke, although it could have been the other way around as I can’t tell them apart, while C grader Lance Purdon snuck in for third.

Rob Langridge – race director

2024 Christmas Wheelrace podium – 2nd Luke Philps, 1st Matt Pooley, 3rd Lance Purdon

Photos from the Christmas Wheelrace courtesy of Ian Hutchings – https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18efo19xAu/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15yYfbqB7N/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18YWEoSnH3/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KEKEj4r7L/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15bR1mCxoQ/ and https://www.facebook.com/share/p/159jJs4SF4/ .

Reels on Facebook from the event here – https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17qQQSkMTi/ and https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1F7BuZzh9e/.

Video from the event – https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1XMB1n3skJ/ .

Notice of CRMCC Annual General Meeting – Monday 10 February 2025 at 7pm (via Google Meet)

The 2025 AGM for the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club will be held on Monday 10th February at 7:00pm via Google Meet:

https://meet.google.com/qnx-uion-ace?hs=224

All CRMCC Members are invited to attend and encouraged to consider joining the committee. There will be multiple vacant positions declared open.

In contrast to previous years, we will not be offering an in-person AGM; if the online mode of attendance is a problem for you, please contact the committee via email (committee@crmcc.or.au).

The Committee membership nomination form is at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tt7NK_6jAoJRclpWUiMxWRqO1aaT_5pH

Please direct any questions about membership to the Membership Officer – membership@crmcc.org.au.

If you have specific questions about vacant committee roles and responsibilities, please contact president@crmcc.org.au .


Upcoming races needing volunteers

21 Jan 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

4 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

11 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

25 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

11 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

18 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

25 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director

Please contact race.committee@crmcc.org.au if you can fill any of these roles for the club. Also look at the dates in the 2025 calendar where you could help the club. https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar

Thank you to those members who have offered their services to fill roles so our races are run.