ACT Veterans Weekly Bleat, Monday 6th August, 2018

Hello Vets,

In this week’s Bleat;

• Indoor Training
• Racing this Week
• Race Report

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

Ian Morton

Indoor Training

A reminder that the club is still running sessions at the Weston Neighbourhood Hall on Tuesday nights from 6:30 for about 90 minutes. Our master coach, Michael Aisbitt presents a different program every night. We’ve worked our way through drills, sprint efforts and threshold training. Michael is now focussing on VO2 max training. Last week’s VO2 max session made it difficult to walk to the car afterwards, but if you get left behind when the Crits start in around 8 week’s time you’ll only have yourself to blame.

Check previous Bleats or the Facebook Vets site for all required information on these training sessions.

Bruce Griffin

RACING THIS WEEK:

Saturday, 11th August: Dog Trap Rd Murrumbateman Handicap

URGENT: Replacement Marshal required for this Saturday. Please contact Ian McVay imcvay@grapevine.com.au if you can assist.

Where: Turn off Barton Highway at Long Rail Gully Road, or sealed access from Yass River Road.
When: 1:30 pm.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
All grades 3 laps .

Race Director: Steve Dean Contact: Email: steve.dean2004@gmail.com    Ph  0413749652

Marshals: Ben McDuff, David Johnson, Brandie O’Connor, Stjepan Hirsler, vacant.

Upcoming Marshal Roster

Thank you to those who volunteered to help (noted below in black) at the races to September. The nominees (in blue) have been selected based on results from the previous summer race season and the period since they last helped at a race. Please advise your availability or unavailability to the race committee (race.committee@actvets.cc) as soon as possible.

We still need at few of race directors for Summer series races to the end of the year. Crit races are at Stromlo Forest Park on Tuesdays and road races are on Sunday mornings.

* denotes ETC required for ACT races.

Ian McVay
Race Committee

RACE REPORTS:

Lookout Hill Time Trial – M & H Age Standard – 4th August

We had a delayed start to the time trial event last Saturday as there was an accident involving a motorcyclist on Point Hut Crossing ride around 12.15pm – https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/motorcyclist-taken-to-hospital-after-crash-near-gordon-20180804-p4zvj7.html.

Racing got underway at 1.45pm with 17 riders lined up to take on the course which runs basically north – south between Tharwa and the intersection of Point Hut Crossing road and Tidbinbilla Road, a total of approximately 21kms. There was a strong breeze blowing, perhaps 25-30kms/h+ but thankfully it was straight up and down the course so riders either had a strong tail wind or a block headwind. Without the crosswinds we did see riders out with full disc rear wheels and I didn’t hear too many tales of riders being blown around too much. I did hear stories of riders hitting 65km/h on the run towards Tharwa!

At the start line there was plenty of areo helmets and stretched lycra as riders squeezed into tight body suits in an effort to gain the most areo advantage. Owain Tilley definitely took things to the next level with areo overshoes which came well up his calf and would not have looked out of place on Batman.

It’s a little difficult to track progress from the start/finish line as the race moves up and down the road but the riders in full TT setups were definitely setting the pace. Tom Hartley was first person back across the line and there was some wait until the rest of the riders made their way back up Lookout Hill for the second time. Racing between the top three riders was close with 30 seconds separating them on real time, Brendan Byatt registering the fastest time of the day at 31.37, Tom second with 31.53 and Roger ‘the Engine’ Northcote coming third at 32.10. Nick Boylan registered the fastest time of the non areo bike setup riders with an impressive 37.20 beating his nearest non areo competitor Rob Langridge by nearly 40 seconds.

This event is all about age handicap and after Graham had crunched the numbers, Tom Hartley was the winner of the day, beating out Brendan by 2 seconds. Brendan was left rueing a dropped chain on the first lap which surely would have changed the results in his favour.

Thank you to the marshals who assisted on the day, Keith at the Tharwa turn, Bob at the top turn, and Pat, Tony, and Bruce at the finish line. Thanks also to Graham for sorting out registration and crunching out the numbers so that race results were known with 5 minutes of the last rider finishing.There was a lot of additional traffic on the road due to Point Hut Crossing road being closed and it is a testament to the riders and also the marshals that we had an incident free race.

Rohan Verco