Hello CRMCCers,
For this week’s Bleat –
- Crits check-in system at SFP
- Next Crit Race – Tues 4 Feb from 5.50pm
- Narrabundah Track Racing – Thurs 6 Feb, 5.30pm
- Crits race report for 28 Jan – Stephen Terracini
- Track race report for 30 Jan – Graeme O’Neill
- Handicapper’s hammer – Rob Langridge
- Notice of CRMCC Annual General Meeting on Mon 10 Feb 2025
- Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here
Crits check-in system at SFP
Effective from Tuesday 4 February, we are implementing a criterium check-in system at SFP, so that registered riders can place a tick mark in front of their name on a registered rider start list to indicate they have arrived at the SFP track.
- This registered rider start list will be placed on a clipboard, next to the fence, adjacent to the timing board. It will be retrieved and used by the RD to speed up the efficiency of the entry chute rollout.
- These ‘checked-in riders’ will then be called to roll on to the track one-by-one in ascending numerical race order, like ‘priority boarding’. You can help make the process more efficient by assembling behind the race number ahead of you in your grade.
- During the entry-chute rollout, your race number will be checked against the registered rider list.
- If you arrive after entry chute roll-out, and prior to the start of the race, you will need to verbally check-in with either the RD or marshal during the safety briefing.
- Unregistered riders will not be permitted to race.
- Riders without a valid race number will not be permitted to race.
- Registered riders arriving late to the track may be permitted to race subject to the RD’s discretion.
- Your cooperation to help implement this step, means that only financial members who have registered for the race are competing on the SFP track, and that our insurance coverage is not compromised
- Committee members will be on hand to help provide guidance.
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Additionally, EFG grades will now always start at 5:50pm, and the other four grades will alternate between the middle and late time slots.
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Club criterium championships 18 February 2025
We are still finalising the program as we are hosting all age groups for women and men on the same night, as opposed to spreading across two nights in past years.
To assist with planning for the expected numbers for the race and each age group, we have cleared all of the auto-registration entries of those who purchased the crit pass from the start lists.
To compete in the Club Crit Championships you will need to register for the race here https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021191 before the usual Tuesday deadline of 12:50pm.
If you have already purchased the crit pass, you will just need to enter your race number, and you will be added to the start list.
Conan
CRMCC President
Summer evening criterium series – Week 16 – Tuesday 4 February
Race director Michael Golding, marshal Paul McKay, first aid Ryan Fawke
Bell for the final lap.
Direction anti-clockwise
Race registration cut-off is Tuesday 4th February at 12.50pm.
Cost is $10 for those without a 2024/25 season’s pass.
You need to register by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021189
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.
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.
C grade with the smoke from the Victorian bushfires on Tues, 28 Jan 25. Pic courtesy of Ian Hutchings
Narrabundah Track Racing
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 – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap.
6.40pm – 7.00pm: 8-lap win and out.
7.00pm – 7.20pm: 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.
Graeme O’Neill
Crits race report – 28 January – Stephen Terracini
A-Grade
The A grade race at Stromlo Track started with a bang as Tristan Dimmock launched an aggressive attack right from the gun. Jason Irwin was quick to respond, keenly chasing but unable to bridge the gap. The peloton, determined not to let any early breakaways succeed, strung out into a single file and reeled Tristan back in after a gruelling 10-minute individual time trial effort.
Once Tristan was caught, the counterattacks began. Matt Darling made a bold move, but the bunch, brought him back swiftly. The atmosphere was charged with energy, and the riders were vocal, yelling echoing through the pack.
Sensing an opportunity, Kris McCreath decided to push the pace, causing the peloton to stretch out into a single file once again. This increased tempo started to show its effects, with a few riders dropping wheels and struggling to keep up. However, McCreath’s effort was short-lived as he was pulled back into the bunch.
Immediately after, Ben Morrison (Moshy and Steve Crispin (Crispy) seized the moment, launching a coordinated attack with Matt Rizzuto (Rizzo) jumping across to join them. With just 15 minutes remaining, this breakaway looked serious and had the potential to shake up the race. Could this be a night where Crispy brings home the bacon? The break looked menacing, but the bunch was having none of it and chased hard to bring them back.
There was no time to rest as McCreath went again, with Matt Darling and Rizzo back in the action. This move looked dangerous; however, with four minutes to go, they were all back together. Yet again, another counterattack came, this time by rider Stuart Griffiths with Rizzo not letting go. However, the bunch brought them back with now only two laps to go. Team Tiffen got to the front to control the race, setting up for a bunch sprint to the finish. In the final dash, Stuart took the win, Gerard Tiffen (GT) coming in second and Moshy rounding out the podium for third.
C Grade
The C grade race kicked off with a blistering pace, thanks to Lance Purdon who pushed hard from the start. This early effort caused the bunch to string out into a single file, setting the tone for a fast and challenging race.
Lance Purdon was clearly fired up and ready for action, even taking a moment to signal to race officials to get out of the way of the race countdown timer. Clearly this obstruction was messing with his calculations for this next attack. Mark Vardy wanted to get amongst the action and took off with 12 minutes to go. Although he seemed to prefer some company, frequently looking back in hope of someone jumping across. Ed Logue made the move to join him, but the bunch wasn’t letting this one stick. They brought the breakaway back together with seven minutes to go, and it stayed that way until the final lap. With one lap to go, the pace really ramped up as three riders put down the hammer. In the end, Lance’s calculations worked and came in first, followed by Andrew Matz and third place Wesley Pendlebury, capping off an intense and exciting race.
B grade
There were no niceties at the start of the B grade race as it was on as soon as the countdown timer hit zero. Nathan Rickerby and Krusty Bryant displayed their crit form by putting the power down, with Rickerby hell-bent on making this race hard. The bunch stretched out, and it seemed the rubber band had broken with Nathan, Leonard Pooley, and Alex Gorringe moving off the front. After a few more minutes, two others joined them. The race was now split in two, with five riders off the front and a similar number chasing about 150 metres back. The race was soon split into six groups, each fighting to stay in contention. With 14 minutes to go, the two front groups merged, staying together until eight minutes remaining when Nathan attacked again, this time with Leonard joining him. Lewis Cressy took charge of the chasing bunch, nearly single-handedly bringing back the break. B grade was now strung out from one end of the crit track to the other, a clear sign of a tough race. The final bunch sprint resulted in Paul Connor crossing in first, second place to Paul Scherl and in third Leonard Pooley, capping off an intense and fragmented race.
D Grade
In the past few weeks, Marty Boyd has been a constant presence at the front of the D grade races. However, this week saw a shift, with Marty hanging back and David Johnson setting the early pace. David maintained his lead for a few laps until Kevin Newhouse made a strong move, causing David to fall behind. Despite this, David chased hard, staying just off the back and refusing to give up. Marty Boyd soon returned to his usual strategy of leading from the front. At one point, he took advantage of a crosswind brought by a change in weather to put the race in the gutter. The D grade bunch was headed for a bunch sprint, with no one willing to give an inch. As expected, Marty led the pack for the final two laps. Elizabeth Lowe claimed first place, followed by Eddie Humeniuk in second, just ahead of Kevin Newhouse. The race had it all: scorching heat with no wind, a cooling crosswind, and plenty of action from the riders.
Thanks to Ian Hutchings for the pics from last week’s crits – (Post 1 A&C) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AzJs453oS/, (Post 2 A&C) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HJyxpjrkq/, (Post 3 A&C) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12FiBKfrQxz/, (Post 4 B&D) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15mAbHEcXt/ and (Post 5 B&D) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15ncWiRLpv/
Ian also provided video of A grade finish – https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1KKNUKBBqB/
Narrabundah track racing report – Thursday 30 January – Graeme O’Neill
Thursday 30 January saw the thirteenth track racing session for 2024-25. Conditions at the Bundadome were cool, overcast, with a brisk wind across the track providing a headwind in turn 1 and the back straight. Attendance, though only eight riders, was an improvement on recent sessions.
The 8-lap A grade scratch race had a field of five starters. The race commenced with Hamish Anderson leading out at a good tempo. It was an orderly progression until lap 5 when Conan Liu rolled to the front and raised the pace to a good clip. Alison Hale took over on lap 6 and continued the pace. By lap 7 the riders were in tactical mode, splayed up the banking and ready to launch. The attack commenced on the entry to the bell lap with Conan Liu, Wayne Benham and John Paul De Sousa launching out in that order. There was a small adjustment over the final lap with Conan Liu first , John Paul De Sousa second and Alison Hale third.
The 8-lap B grade scratch race had a field of three starters. As usual, the race was orderly with Ian Drayton, Graeme O’Neill and Ken Birch doing one lap turns on the front. Ian Drayton rolled to the front on lap 6 and slowly cranked up the pace lap by lap. Graeme and Ken stuck to Ian’s tail like limpets for laps 6 and 7. At the start of the bell lap Ian opened a gap on Graeme and surged around the final lap for the win. Graeme held on as best he could. Ken Birch surged past in the back straight to take second, leaving Graeme in third place.
The evening’s second event was a 1-lap, standing start, time trial. As usual Hamish Anderson had the best time at 28.72 seconds. John Paul De Sousa (29.78s), Wayne Benham (30.28s) and Conan Liu (31.95) also put in good times in A grade.
B grade times were Ian Drayton (32.03s), Ken Birch (34.50s), Graeme O’Neill (36.23s).
The evenings third event was a 2-lap, combined (A and B Grade) handicap. Ian Drayton took the lead early and put in a great effort for the win. Wayne Benham started well back and also excelled to take second. Hamish Anderson shared the same handicap as Wayne and managed a close third place.
The final event for the evening was the usual Italian Pursuit. The event had teams of four riders that looked quite even on paper. Both teams put in sound, disciplined pursuits with the Team 2 gaining the upper hand by a margin less than four metres.
Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa. (A2 Grade) Alison Hale, Hamish Anderson,
(B Grade) Ian Drayton, Ken Birch, Graeme O’Neill.
1-lap SS TT: (A1 Grade) John Paul De Sousa (29.78s) Wayne Benham (30.28s), Conan Liu (31.95s)
(A2 Grade) Hamish Anderson (28.72s), Alison Hale (34.06s) (B grade) Ian Drayton (32.03s), Ken Birch (34.50s), Graeme O’Neill (36.23s),
2-lap handicap: (A and B Grades) Ian Drayton, Wayne Benham, Hamish Anderson, Ken Birch, Alison Hale.
Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Conan Liu, Hamish. Anderson Ian Drayton. Ken Birch).
Season Point Score:
Hamish Anderson (244), Conan Liu (196), Graeme O’Neill (185), Phil Coulton (172), Ian Drayton (172), Craig Kentwell (149), Steve Jones (124), Sarah Stephens (101), Wayne Benham (100), John Paul De Sousa (89), Alison Hale (82), Ben Davis (78), Ken Birch (72), Warwick Wilson (67), Dave Buckley (16), Paul Connor (16).
Handicapper’s hammer
Upgrades:
Lance Purdon C to B
Liz Lowe D to C
Eddie Humenuik D to C
Rob Langridge
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 Club Secretary (secretary@crmcc.or.au).
If you have specific questions about vacant committee roles and responsibilities, please contact president@crmcc.org.au .
Upcoming races needing volunteers
2025
16 Feb 2025 – Dairy Road criterium
First aid
2 Mar 2025 – Smiths/Naas Rd handicap
Race director, 2 ETCs
11 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
16 Mar 2025 – Dairy Road criterium – points race
Race director, van driver, first aid
5 Apr 2025 – Sutton Road Training Centre kermesse
Race director, marshal, van driver, first aid
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.
