ACT Veterans Weekly Bleat, Monday 14th May, 2018

Hello Vets,

In this week’s Bleat;

• 2019 Race Program
• Event Traffic Controller courses for 2018
• Racing this Week
• Race Report

Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc

Ian Morton

2019 Race Program

The race committee is now working on the race program for 2019. At this stage, it will be based on the race program we have used for this year. We need to finalise the race program soon so we can seek the required approvals and ensure that all approvals are in place for the start of next year.

If you would like to provide input to the 2019 race program, please send an email to race.committee@actvets.cc or talk to a member of the race committee.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

Event Traffic Controller courses for 2018

We only had a couple of members attend the last training course, which was very disappointing. Having enough controllers available in the club is critical to our ability to run races in the ACT and it is likely we will need to have ETCs for NSW races in the future. ETCs are eligible for reimbursement of $100 for marshalling at ACT road races.

The next course for Event Traffic Controllers is on 8 September. Details are available on Cycling ACT’s web site http://www.act.cycling.org.au/Road/News/2018-cycling-event-traffic-controllers-course-dates-confirmed

Members previously accredited as ATCs will need to do the updated training course to get ETC accreditation. Having enough controllers available in the club is critical to our ability to run races in the ACT and it is likely we will need to have ETCs for NSW races in the future. Please register for a place on one of the courses ASAP as numbers are limited.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

RACING THIS WEEK:

Saturday, 19th May: Dog Trap Rd – Secret Handicap – Cole Family Trophy

Where: Intersection of Dog Trap Road and Longrail Gully Rd, north of Murrumbateman (dirt road) or south from Yass (sealed road).
When: 1:30 pm.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
Dog Trap Rd – 2 laps

Race Director: Mark Taylor Contact: Email: markandanita4u@bigpond.com    Ph  0408884984

Marshals: Daniel Grillo, Peter Klein, Donald de Smet, Rainer Wilton

Upcoming Marshal Roster

Please check the following table of allocated officials to end of June. If you are unavailable on your allocated date, please arrange to organise a swap with another rider and advise the race committee (race.committee@actvets.cc).

* denotes ETC required for ACT races.

I am now asking for directors and marshals to help at the following races from July to September. If you haven’t helped at a race in the past year, this is your opportunity. Otherwise the race committee will resume selecting members based on last year’s race attendances.

ETCs: We need to fill 8 spots in the marshal list below. Can we please have some nominations to fill these? Note: as of 30 April 2018, ETCs will be reimbursed $100 per race.

RACE REPORTS:

Graded Scratch – Smiths Road to Apollo Road – 12th May

As I left Belconnen the roads were wet, the was a cold wind gusting, and intermittent drizzle. I wondered how many would brave weather to take on a few laps over Mt Tennent. As I headed south the weather cleared and the roads became drier, unfortunately the wind did not ease, and it was a bit of battle getting all the required signage out, so much so, that one sign was lost – presumed blown away on Apollo Rd.

The Strong South Westerly wind meant heading out past the Namadgi Visitor centre, up over Mt Tennent and out to Apollo Rd was always going to be a challenge, but the return trip promised to highly rewarding. It was day of negative splits, with the second half of the lap being faster than the first, and the second and third laps of the race being faster than the 1st – at least that was the case for the 4 grades A-D doing 3 laps.

A Grade

The strongest field in several weeks lined up with 8 starters. At the end of lap 1 which took around 35 minutes, all 8 riders were still together. For Lap 2 the pace had increased, and a quick glance of my analogue wrist watch had a rough time of 30 minutes for the lap. The bunch had been neatly and evenly split in half, with Todd, Christophe, Peter and Simon taking a 30 second lead into the final lap.

On the charge up Mt Tennent from the north for the final time Christophe and Peter Taylor went clear and worked together until the return and final climb from the south where Christophe made his winning move, leaving Peter to chase him home in second with Todd in 3rd place and Simon in 4th a mere 49 seconds behind Christophe.

The chasing 4 kept together through the final lap and made it a super-fast (downhill with a tail wind) bunch sprint for 5th place, around 2 and a half minutes behind the winning time. Seymour managing to get just a little more speed out of his 53 x 11 gear than Matt in the final push for the line, with David Dickson and Roger Northcote not too far behind.

B&C Grade

B grade with 3 riders were combined with the 4 riders in C grade on the start line. There was talk on the start line of a “Gentlemen’s agreement” to keep the bunch together for the first two laps, which appeared to be the case after lap one which took around 39 minutes. However, by the second lap which took around 35 minutes, the attacks had started, and Nick Boylan had opened a 30 second lead at turn around and start of the 3rd and final lap.

The 6 chasers worked hard to reel Nick back in, there were reports of a few attacks but nothing sticking on the way to the finish line, which saw Peter Young go clear to win B grade and finish with a small gap over the rest of the mixed B & C grade bunch. Sorting out the finish order by grade saw the minor B grade placings go to Patrick McNamara and Nick respectively, whilst C grade was won by Alain, closely followed by Warwick with Mark Taylor in 3rd.

D Grade

The 4 riders in D grade completed the 1st lap in around the same time as the combined B & C grade bunch at 39 minutes and appeared to remain all together working against the relentless south westerly until the final lap. Michael Hanbury crossed the line first, with Des Brown, and Simon Milnes taking out 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Brian Peak, the 4th D grade rider crossing the line a mere 1 minute 20 seconds behind Michael.

E&F Grade

E grade also with only 3 riders was combined with F grade on line, in the hope that the larger bunch would help everyone in the fight against the strong headwind, at least for the initial portion of the 1st lap.

The 3 E graders complete the 1st lap strung out, but still all just insight of one another, with Stjepan rounding the U-turn ahead of Kirsti. Kirsti must have had a great second lap as she reversed the order for finish line and turned the near 30 second deficit she had at the end of lap 1 into a nearly 60 second winning margin over Stjepan, with Warren in 3rd place.

F grade contained the tandem, and it was always going to be a difficult task to compete against John Barlow and Anthony Beasley on this course with the wind conditions such a critical factor. By the end of the first of two laps they had built up a considerable gap over the rest of the grade. They even had time at the turn around to let us know that Robert Solomon (the only DNF on the day) had suffered a mechanical and was walking back. Ian Morton rounded the U-turn to start the second lap in 2nd place, with Edward Joliffe not too far behind, however this order was reversed by end of the second lap with Edward and Ian crossing the finishing line 2 minutes and 10 minutes respectively behind the tandem.

Thanks to the riders – The race was without incident except for reports of some verbal abuse from a passing motorist.

Special thanks to;

• Our traffic controllers at the turns – Tony Weir at the far end of the course (Apollo Rd) and David Dukes.
• Tom our first Aider – who fortunately wasn’t called upon.
• Alex Sommariva in the finish chute, helping with signage and collecting our DNF rider.
• Graham Hendrie – for driving the van out, setting-up, taking entries, timing and all the other things we take for granted each race!

Paul Scherl