• Crit Season 2026/27
  • Track Racing
  • Race Report Crits Round 001
  • National Ride2Work Day 14 October
  • Sutton Super Series update
  • Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here

Crit Season 2026/27 – Round 002 Tuesday 13th October 2026

Second race tomorrow evening at Stromlo Forest Park! See you out there! Pricing information below for those who still need to sort that out. Any questions, contact the Committee committee@crmcc.org.au

With the Criterium Season almost upon us it has been timely for the Committee to review several aspects of the club’s financial operations including the Criterium Season race entry fee, criterium season pass, and the volunteer credits. 

The committee has done this review noting that we are in a reasonably sound financial position, however we want to ensure the club can confidently operate with a financial buffer that can accommodate any financial risks that may come to fruition, as well as invest in infrastructure and operational improvements that can add value to member’s experience.

The changes below come at a time where we’re seeing increased costs to the club, including venue, first aid, and the investment in training to help with self sufficiency for the club.

Criterium Entry

This will be the third season where the season pass will be offered, with take up in previous years being quite strong. The strength of take up, along with the significant discount to a full season’s potential fees, has contributed to diluting the club’s revenue, necessitating the following changes.

The 2026/27 season pricing structure will be as follows:

  • Single race entry – $12 per race
  • Season Criterium Pass covering all standard Stromlo Criteriums – $156

These rates continue to represent very good value for money with 25 races planned for the season.

Volunteer Credits

The club’s ongoing success continues to rely on volunteers – without volunteers we can’t organise or run races.

By way of background, the club has used a financial incentive for members who volunteer for a number of years.  The previous process was to offer a honorarium, which was generally not taken up by all volunteers, and therefore did not create a significant financial burden on the club. 

Last year the club switched from offering the honorarium for volunteers to a race credits system which was automatically applied to members to use against any upcoming race entry fees.  The system provided a token reward for the volunteer’s time in helping run races.  In the first year operating the cost of this system has impacted the running costs of the club by more 50% more than the previous honorarium system ($2,000 in 2025 to $3,100 in 2026).  This is largely due to a concentration of members volunteering who then are able to offset their race fees through credits.  The key statistic on this issue is that only 60% of members who raced in the last 12 months have volunteered in that time.

The club will continue the race credits for the foreseeable future, however the amount per role will be adjusted. 1 credit will equal one standard race entry.

  • For open road races, Race Directors, ETCs and van drivers will receive 4 credits each, and marshals 1 credit.
  • For closed circuit races at SDTC, SFP, or Dairy Flat Road, Race Directors will receive 2 credits, van drivers (where required) will receive 4 credits, and marshals 1 credit.

Clubs like ours cannot operate successfully without the help of volunteers, and we encourage all members to meet the minimum volunteer commitment of 1 race per year to maintain your membership status in good standing. We are not unique in the challenges of getting volunteers in our sport, but as a committee we hope that the spirit of volunteerism can help the club thrive into the future.

NARRABUNDAH TRACK RACING – THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER, 5.30 PM

The season’s first track racing session is scheduled for this Thursday.
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 – 7.00pm: 2-lap-SS Time trial.
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
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?5021932
Each race will cost $10, or purchase the season track pass at $80. The season track pass is good
value as there are normally around 17 race sessions per season.

Regards,
Graeme O’Neill

Race Report Crits Round 001

Cool and fairly calm conditions met riders for round one of the Crit season. It’s easy to forget the social aspect of our crits, but it was great to see so many faces after a 6 month hiatus.

D and E grade were first to set off, and D Grade wasted no time in getting the racing ball moving. While Martin Boyd worked hard on the front early, it was down to Jon Chowns to put the boot in with the first attack. This set off a chain of attacks that saw the peleton working hard to neutralise any advantage. There were definitely people keen on a bunch finish. Rob Langridge was next to launch, but nature wasn’t on his side, and kangaroos thwarted his progress shortly after. In the last 6 minutes of the race, Alan Bontjer sank the boot on the back straight, but was brought back by the start/finish line. Then Rob launched another attack in the final and held a small gap through to the final corner, where he was swamped by the charging bunch. In the end, Roger Wheatley took the W, with Alan Bontjer and Timothy Moore making up the final podium places.

E grade, by comparison, was a far more steady but attritional affair. The bunch held together for around half the race time before riders fell off the back steadily. For the last half of the race, Rico Fitch, David Johnston, Ian Morton and Howard Galloway chopped turns consistently to keep the pursuers – now in one’s and two’s – at bay. In the final, Howard Galloway held off charges from both David Johnston and Ian Morton, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

A large B Grade were keen to get things going, with Jason Chalkler attacking on the first lap, taking Kim Pederson, Kris Johnston and Rowan McMurray with him. The chase broke into smaller groups straight away, with Nathan Spillane and Andrew Murrell joining forces and tracking the lead riders down by lap 3. The group looked strong and, to my eye, stood a very good chance of staying away. They held a good gap over the peleton for a number of laps before being brought back into the fold by the chase, which only served to fire up a few attacks, most notably by Josh Quilliam, who held his margin solo for the best part of a lap. Not much more leeway was given, and it seemed everyone was content to allow a bunch kick. That is until Jason Chalker launched again with 3 laps remaining. Sensing the urgency, the bunch pulled him back with enough time to prepare for the final sprint, and in the end, Andrew Murrell took the win ahead of Ed Pellegrino in 2nd and Kris Johsnton in 3rd.  

Next were A Grade and, as expected, it didn’t take long for the first attacks to take place. Also as expected, it was Jason Irwin who optimistically went off the front. His optimism and enthusiam were rewarded a few laps later after Stu Griffiths launched an attack the only Ben Morrison could respond to. While there were other attacks, riders were too fresh to allow a gap, but by the time Stu launched, motivation and reserves were lower. Stu and Moshie wasted no time in tracking down Jason, and swapped turns consistently increasing their lead progressively over their pursuers. While the remaining bunches worked hard together, they just lacked the firepower of the front group, and the gap grew until the final few laps – likely triggered by Jason attacking the front group with minutes remaining to the timer running down. With 2 laps to go, the pursuers were within 10 seconds, but the pace picked back up leaving a rolling sprint being won by Ben, with Stu and Jason rounding out the final positions.

In C grade, a large group hit the track with broadly shared aggression. Steve Lind was first to kick it off, but was tightly marked and he could not stay away. David Buckley launched next, and was brought back within a lap. The bunch was happy to take a lap or two to recover between attacks, but that was all that was allowed by Steve Lind, who launched again and held a narrow lead for the best part of a lap. Victor Bournard launched late, but was not allowed much leeway. At this point, some half hearted attacks were launched, but separation was not allowed. It was coming down to a sprint. On the line, Mark Cantrill took the bikkies, with David Buckley rewarded for his efforts with 2nd place, followed by Marek Bilski in 3rd.

Big thanks to those that made racing possible – particularly with the thankless task of marshalling the kangaroos. Credit there goes to Michael Fawke, who diligently cut a lonely figure at the top of the track keeping eyes out to assist the riders. Thanks also to Ian Hutchings, Ryan Fawke and Dan Lekhac for their assistance keeping the night flowing smoothly.

Steve Crispin – Race Director

photos thanks to Ian Hutchings

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HAv7R8q9t

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jnja3Bcim

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KYY17VZ7n

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19KB2bsMUK

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19mH4TweFi

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DjR7wT3zC

National Ride2Work Day

https://events.humanitix.com/ride2work-cbr

Pedal Power ACT National Ride2Work Day returns on Wednesday 14 October 2026, bringing together thousands of Australians choosing a healthier and more active way to commute. Whether you ride regularly or have been looking for a reason to give it a go, this is your chance to swap four wheels for two!

Sutton Super Series update

You may have noticed our final round of the Sutton Super Series is no longer listed on the calendar. It was scheduled for October, however, after we raised some concerns about the potholes and reflectors around the back of the course, the CEO of Sutton Road Training Centre wants to inspect the course himself and make an assessment on the suitability for cycling events to take place there. The CEO is currently away, so the assessment won’t happen until October. Once we get feedback as to whether we can race there again in the near future, we will let you know. Ideally, they will rectify the hazards or allow us to mark the hazards appropriately. In the short-term, our final round of the series is postponed until further notice.

Upcoming races needing volunteers

Please self-register as a volunteer, where you can put your name down against those roles marked ‘Vacant’ in this Google spreadsheet. We will follow-up and confirm your volunteering with an email from committee@crmcc.org.au
Thank you to those members who have offered their services to fill roles so our races can run. https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar

CRMCC Committee

President – David Parker

Vice President – Dave Buckley

Secretary – Michael Fawke

Treasurer – Mark Vardy

Handicapper – Rob Langridge

E-mail committee@crmcc.org.au