- Crit Season 2026/27
- Track Racing
- Do it for Penny
- Lead Bikes wanted for Run Canberra
- Crits Race Report
- Track Racing Report
- Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here
Crit Season 2026/27 – Round 004 Tuesday 27th October 2026
Round 004 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
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 29 OCTOBER, 5.30 PM
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 SS time trial.
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 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.
Regards,
Graeme O’Neill
Do It for Penny
On Tuesday 18/8/26 Simon Porombka lost his daughter Penny to suicide. In Pennys honour and to raise awareness, connectivity as well as suicide prevention with our young people Simon has created an event on the 1st of November at Burrito Bar Tuggeranong. Details below.
Join us on Sunday 1 November for a free community event hosted by Penny’s dad, celebrating Penny, the things she loved, and the importance of community connection.
You don’t need to have known Penny to come along. Bring the family, connect with us, enjoy the animals and activities, and help us turn the day purple for Penny.
Do It for Penny T-shirts and hoodies will also be available to order on the day.
The event is free, but please register so we can keep track of numbers.
All event details are available through the link.
Hope to see you all there. Link below for both the Podcast and the Event registration to be able to know how many will be attending.
Please also watch the podcast Simon and Against the Odds founder Craig Glover created about such a tragic situation. The podcast is roughly 26 minutes long and we’ll worth the watch.
Podcast link
Register link
There will also be a social ride in the near future which will be announced once the details are sorted so keep an eye out.
Lead Bikes wanted for Run Canberra
Michelle reached out from the Sole Motive Team.
The Canberra Times Run Canberra, is fast approaching on Sunday 1st November (previously known as The Canberra Times Fun Run), and we’re looking for Lead Bike volunteers to help make the event a success.
For Run Canberra we require 3 lead bikes. below outlining the Lead Bike positions, along with their respective start times and estimated finish times.
Below is a screen shot outlining the Lead Bike positions, along with their respective start times and estimated finish times.
** Please note: the Lead Bike position for the HM Female, 10km Male, Tail HM & 5km Female has already been secured.
Lead Bike riders need to be confident and competent cyclists who can safely lead the runners for their designated event and communicate their position to our team via radio.
As a thank you for volunteering at our Sole Motive events, we offer the following benefits:
- A 20% Sole Motive in-store discount code
- An entry code to a future Sole Motive event, valued at up to $80
T&Cs apply.
If any members are interested, they can register using the volunteer sign-up link below:
https://sole-motive.rosterfy.co/invite/volunteersignup
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything please don’t hesitate to reach out to either James Anderson or myself,.
Thanks so much for considering this opportunity and for helping us spread the word amongst your club members. We really appreciate the support of the cycling community and look forward to hearing from you!
Michelle Keogh
Race Report Crits Round 003
Near-perfect conditions greeted the riders for Round 3 of the CRMCC Summer Series
Criterium. First off the line was B Grade, which saw a reduced field due to the early start
time. After a brief but heartfelt moment of Quon bromance on the start line, including
Dominator’s hot tip to remove Ed’s flappy vest and heavy bar light before the race, the
bunch rolled away and got straight into racing.
In true Dominator fashion, Ed attacked around the top corner and created an early
breakaway with Julian Dohna on his tail. His cries of “Dominator!” echoed across the track
and were well received by the man himself. Kim Pedersen, probably feeling slightly
frustrated that she didn’t make the early break, was in hot pursuit, dragging the bunch
behind her. Now, the time limit for this race was 28 minutes, and I reckon the bunch was
strung out, full gas and single file for 24 of those 28 minutes. Due to a mechanical on the
way in, one man who loves a strung-out bunch, Krusty Bryant, could only watch from the
sidelines thinking about what could have been. Lenny Pooley, just out for a training ride,
was a constant driver on the front of the bunch, along with Hughesy, who was trying to get
home for dinner duties and bath time with the family. The bunch eventually let up for half
the straight, at which point Chalks had a dig off the front, keen to show off his new pink bike
and shiny-shoes combo, which gives off strong children’s birthday cake energy. Chalks was
brought back in and the pace kept high by the likes of Mark Harris, Paul Scherl and Rowan
McMurray. All together on the bell lap, and then, out of the left-hander, having not seen a
puff of wind all race, came James Watt with a commanding sprint the length of the straight
to take his maiden B Grade win. Well done, Watty!
Next up was A Grade, with the race threatening to be even smaller than the number of
riders in attendance due to several riders forgetting to sign on. The pace started rather
relaxed, perhaps in anticipation of fireworks later in the race. Obviously, this pace wasn’t in
Dan Lekhac’s race plan as he rode off the front and quickly put a sizeable gap into the bunch.
Ross Goggin put down some rubber up the main straight. Unfortunately for him, it was latex
from a sizeable hole in his rear tyre, ending his night prematurely. Joining Dan off the front
was Toby Stewart and, when they put the C Grade bunch between themselves and the rest
of the riders, things started to look interesting. They eventually got reeled in and, fresh off a
weekend of celebrations, Glen Goggin threw his hat in the ring and went away up the main
straight. Never one to just participate in a race, Dan went off the front again, this time taking
Marc Williams with him, and the two put a sizeable gap into the field with only a few
minutes to go. Then, with two laps to go, Marc unveiled his race plan which, unfortunately
for Dan, didn’t involve him, and he rode away and never looked back. Marc crossed the line
well ahead of a solo Toby Stewart, with Moshy taking the bunch sprint ahead of Pothole and
a returning to form Crispy, Dan Lekhac earning the unofficial Most Combative award for the
night.
C Grade started the same way it has since time immemorial, with Dominator going off the
front in the first few laps. The rest of the bunch was happy to sit back and wait for his
return, which seemed to take a bit longer than usual, probably because he has been secretly
training ahead of the 2026 Festive 500. The likes of Scott Bird and Todd Gregory kept the
bunch in check while they lapped around at a solid pace in perfect conditions. Coming
through the last corner, the crowd, including a trimmed down Grant Johnston, did a double
take as Dominator opened up his sprint from first wheel and was only narrowly pipped on
the line by a charging Kurt Andrews, with James Bennett, Andrew Remely and Dean Chidgey
rounding out the podium.
D and E Grade were last to race. Just before they rolled away, the wind stopped completely
and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees, turning good conditions into borderline
cycling nirvana. John Stockman, obviously looking to get promoted a few grades so he could
mix it with his son-in-law, was on or off the front for the entire race. Once Stocky was
brought back, Jonathon Chowns thought he’d have a bit of alone time off the front and see if
anyone wanted to come along. With two laps to go, the bunch was all together. Not long
after, John Astridge and Ben Harding went off the front and were never brought back, with
John going on to win the sprint by half a bike length, with Brian Peak, Jonathon CHChowns
and Elizabeth Lowe completing the top five riders.
After some discussion on what their actual race time should be (somewhere between 15
and 20 minutes was decided), E Grade rolled away as the smallest bunch of the night and
seemed to be the most cohesive and well-behaved, lapping together for most of their race.
When the two-laps-to-go board came out, it was greeted with little more than a polite nod
from what remained of the bunch. With half a lap to go and some additional speed down the
back straight, the bunch blew to pieces, with Robert Solomon proving too strong ahead of
Ian Morton and Jan Koehler.
Thanks to Michael Fawke, Greg Mitchell and all others for your help last night, and to all
racers: make sure you do your fair share of volunteer shifts.
Aaron Thomson – Race Director
Track Racing Report 22 October 2026
Thursday 22 October saw the second track racing session for the 2026-27 season. The weather was warm with a brisk wind and threatening rain. Fortunately, we completed a full session with only minor sprinkles. Attendance (9 riders) was encouraging.
The session races and place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) John Paul De Sousa, Alison Hale, Sarah Stephens. (B Grade) Phil Coulton, Ken Birch, Graeme O’Neill.
200m Flying Start TT: (A1 Grade) John Paul De Sousa (13.81s), (A2 Grade) Sarah Stephens (14.12s), Chris Chant (14.52s), Alison Hale (14.76s). (B Grade) Phil Coulton (15.87s), Ken Birch (16.39s), Graeme O’Neill (17.29s).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Sarah Stephens, Alison Hale, Ben Davis, Ken Birch).
Season Point Score:
Sarah Stephens (39), Ken Birch (38), Alison Hale (38), Phil Coulton (35), Graeme O’Neill (29), Chris Chant (26), Ben Davis (24), John Paul De Sousa (19), James Newhouse (17), David Wilkinson (16), Frank O’Sullivan (15).
The following audio files are Michael Langdon’s commentary on the scratch races and 4-lap Italian Pursuit.
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
