Dear Members,
2020 was a special kind of crazy.
I was very fortunate to be nominated and voted in as ACT Veterans Cycling Club President for 2020, and almost immediately the crazy kicked (honestly, it was just coincidence!). I hope I have served you well, and that things have presented as calm and organised and with a bit of fun.
The Committee
Before I continue, I want to acknowledge the team that does an amazing job for us all.
| Position | Name(s) |
| Vice president | Ian McVay |
| Club secretary | Russell Marston |
| Treasurer & membership | Kirsti McVay |
| Welfare officer & Handicapper | Rob Langridge |
| General committee | Ian Morton, Kim Malcolm, Russell Marston, Andy Matz & Dougal Torrance |
| Race secretary | Phill Coulton |
| Race committee | Ian McVay, Phill Coulton, Rob Langridge (Handicapper) & Russell Marston |
| Results & point score | Graham Hendrie |
| Track racing | Graeme O’Neill |
| The Bleat | Ian Morton |
These people are basically on call for club related duties 24/7 365. Together, with all the race officials, first aider(s) and supporters, they have organised and run 52 days racing in 2020. Considering the fires, smoke, other weather events and covid-19 it is has been an amazing job and deserves far more praise than a few lines in an email, so I hope you will join me in thanking them for their dedication when you see them at a race.
So much goes on behind the scenes, whether it is developing electronic sign on/pre-pay, seeking urgent race approvals/changes, organizing first aid courses, dealing with the AVCC, compiling club documents, managing finances and memberships, the Bleat, dealing with the change of grade requests and the trophy management just to name a few functions. It is such a broad spectrum of duties and somehow works.
So much has been achieved and I know Ian McVay is busily working through the racing program for 2021, so if you have capacity to Race Direct, Marshal or otherwise help out, let him know.
A special thank you for Graham Hendrie
Graham, the almost ever present at weekend races, signing us in, driving the van, organising refreshments, making sure the correct signs are available depending on the race location, uploading all the race results to RMS and many other things.
It was an easy choice for me as President to award Graham with Club Person of 2020, especially as he is stepping down in this role next year. Thank you Graham.
Jan Koehler accepting the Club Person presentation on behalf of Graham.
By the numbers
Now these are my unofficial figures, based upon a quick trawl through the results sheets.
We had a potential of 65 race days, 13 were missed due to weather/covid-19, meaning that 52 went ahead.
This meant there were potentially 312 winners and/or 900+ podiums places.
I want to also say a thank you to the 249 members, ex-members and ACT regional cyclists for taking time to complete the survey last month. It was a fantastic response and I’m sure Erin Barry will be beavering away working through all the responses.
We are still looking for some people to offer to take on the roles that Graham Hendrie has managed for years, so please contact the committee if you feel you can give some time/energy to this great club.
With the AGM coming up on 15 February 2020, you have some time to think about supporting the club and join the committee, you’d be very welcome as there is always something to do.And don’t forget to sign up for 2021 season, you will need to have signed up before your first race in 2021 (it only takes a few minutes so do it when you get a chance!).
As we take a short break for the festive season, we wish everyone a safe and happy time and I hope that Santa is kind and drops off shiny carbon items to you all.
Warm Regards
Seymour Savell-Boss,
President,
ACT Veterans Cycling Club.
The 500 Club
Congratulations to the following club members who achieved 500+ events for the Club;
 |  |  |
| Name | Races |
| Bruce Jones | 840 |
| Nick Boylan | 812 |
| Graham Hendrie | 798 |
| Allan Bontjer | 691 |
| Alex Sommariva | 639 |
| Donald de SMET | 635 |
| Mike Hayes | 612 |
| Ian Morton | 601 |
| Simon Milnes | 583 |
| Robert Langridge | 552 |
| Mark K Taylor | 536 |
| Chris Nolan | 509 |
Season Medal Presentations
Women Rosemary Robinson:2020 Winter Season Winner | Mens Steve Crispin:2019/20 Summer Season Winner, 2020 Winter Season Winner | Ian Morton: 2019/20 Summer Season 3rd, 2020 Winter Season 3rd |
Greetings from Rory Sutherland
Hello to everyone. Just a short note from Europe where I just ended my 17 year pro career. Wow, yes I am that old and all the young kids are beating me. I wanted to send this note as a thanks to all who remember me and all that have followed/supported/heckled my career along time way. I am a very proud Canberra boy and miss the cycling community there. In one way I wish I could live there, on the other side I’m in the heartland of european cycling, and in all honesty, the alcohol here is cheaper, the food better and the mountains bigger.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas and hopefully you are all keeping an eye on those smart ass whipper snappers in the bunch. That used to be me…
Rory Sutherland
RACE REPORT:
Christmas Wheel Race – 15th December
Firstly thanks to Mark Vardy for giving up his spot in the racing to help with marshalling. Secondly thanks to the helpers in the office: Kirsti, Russell and Seymour for opening up and packing up, organising the race registration, and putting on food and eats. And to our handicapper Rob for his entertaining race commentary and for setting the handicaps to provide an entertaining race and a close finish.
It’s hard to believe a year ago we were waving the red flag to call off racing and sheltering in the office from a cloud of choking smoke. The intervening year has seen us cancel as few races as possible despite bushfires, covid and freezing windy weather. This speaks greatly of the club’s resilience and the committee’s dedication to provide great cycling events across the year.
But to make it worthwhile, we need members to turn up and race. And we definitely had a good turnout for the last race of this crazy year. 2 G, 4 F, 7 E, 31 D, 23 C, 22 B and 20 A graders, spanning from our youngest to most mature riders, for a total of 109 starters.
The first heats of E, F and G grade saw G and F basically doing some team time trial training, while E grade had to work to shed two unfortunate riders. A close call with a mob of roos looking for a better viewing position on the course got the riders’ heart rates going, perhaps too early.
The second heat saw two different approaches. A grade jumped from the start and saw a group of five finish together. C grade stayed mainly together with a couple of riders trying to jump off the front with little effect. Then there was a beautiful rainbow and I sort of lost interest in the racing. Luckily, Mark was in charge of the timing. I then managed to ‘mash’ the A chasers into C grade just in time for the C grade finish. Thankfully not too much bad language resulted.
The final heat saw B grade racing hard trying to emulate A grade. Unfortunately, the break couldn’t hold together to the end with the bunch also claiming places in the wheel race. D grade were, to be frank, a mess. Even Mark Taylor, one of the most seasoned riders in the field, was forced to the front at one stage before pushing hard on the clutch and retreating back into the field. The deficiency of a lack of hard riding by D, as opposed to the dedicated small bunch riding of B, would soon be evident.
The wheel race saw an absence of G grades, which was unfortunate as a late revision of their handicap would have given them a good chance of winning. F grade were reduced to three which would find them struggling early. Full teams of five started for E to A with handicaps of 25, 50, 1:10, 1:30 and 2:00. By the second lap it was clear that E and D were splintering under the pressure while C, B and A were quickly closing on the leaders but only slowly closing on each other. The final lap found the handicapper in a frenzy as the three grades approached the bottom turns and it was unclear who would appear first into the finishing straight. A return to form by Christophe Barberet saw him hold off strong finishing by C graders Lance Purdon and Rodney Welsh, followed very closely by A grade.
Ian McVay
Christophe Barberet 1st, Lance Purdon 2nd, Rodney Welsh 3rd
Racing Resumes
Racing will resume in 2021 with the first Crit on the 5th January and Track Racing on the 6th January. The first road race will be on the 24th January.
Till then, have a great Christmas Break.
