Hello Vets,
In the Bleat this week;
• Handlebar, Stromlo (Grease Monkeys)
• First Aid Courses – 27 February and 3 March
• COVID-19 Restrictions
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports
Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc
Handlebar, Stromlo (Grease Monkeys)
Dear Members,
We have been talking with the owners of the Handlebar at Stromlo about opening up on a Tuesday night to sell us burgers and beers. There is a catch… they need to know that at least 20 will take up the opportunity.
I’m pretty sure with a 100 or so riders a week a fair few would enjoy some carbs, a chance to brag about the win, console each other about a failed long range attack. Whatever motivates us, it would be a nice opportunity to sit down, have some food and or drink and socialise post-race*.
Of course, this isn’t just for riders, it’s a great opportunity for us to have families come out to see some great racing and then to sit down and eat and socialise together.
If you could email me at president@actvets.cc to register your genuine interest I can advise the Handlebar and see if we can get them to open up in the coming weeks until Crit season ends on 30 March.
The cutoff for responses is 9pm Tuesday (23rd Feb).
If you’re not aware, the burgers are made by the Grease Monkeys crew, and are amazing.
Seymour,
ACT Vets Cycling Club President
*by all means eat a few burgers pre-ride, but I’m not cleaning up the track…
First Aid Courses – 27 February and 3 March
For some time now, ACT Vets’ has been offering First Aid courses to members on a reimbursed basis with thanks to a Road Safety grant from the ACT Government.
With take up being lower than anticipated, we still have significant unexpended funds, and so with the ACT Government’s approval, we have extended the offer to other clubs and Pedal Power. Our expectation is that with the broader membership base of Pedal Power in particular, we will be able to get the required numbers for a couple of group courses in late February – early March.
If you still have an interest in undertaking a First Aid course and you are able to attend a group class on either of the two prospective dates, please click on the link below to register your interest.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/first-aid-for-cyclists-tickets-137577763795Please note that places on the course will be limited to grant funds available.
COVID-19 Restrictions
There are conditions for travelers from other states.
Members should stay home if you have been feeling unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has felt unwell in the past 2 weeks.
RACING THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, 23rd February: Stromlo Criterium – Age* Graded Club Championship – Part 2
Note: This race is Part 2 of the Age Graded Championships.
Racing is only for Men (ages 30 – 54).
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description:
M4 (45-49)/M5 (50-54) @5:50 40 min
M1 (30-34)/ M2 (35-39)/M3 (40-44) @6:40 45 min
*Age Classification is the Age that you turn on your birthday in 2021, e.g. a rider who turns 40 in December 2021 is classed as M3 (40-44) for all events during 2021.
Race Director: Allan Bontjer Contact: Email: allan@allanbontjer.net Ph 0422 808 035
Marshals: Adrian Breen
Wednesday, 24th February: Track Racing
The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 2-Lap match races (Omnium Event).
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap.
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.
Note: Thanks to a generous donation from Robert Langridge, the club now has a spare track bike for temporary loan to anyone who wishes to give track racing a go. If you are interested, bring your own pedals, tyre pump and tools to set saddle height etc. Users will be responsible for checking the bike and ensuring it is safely set up for racing. Come early if you wish to take up this option.
Sunday, 28th February – Tharwa – Time Trial – Elders Age Standard
Note: The start location of the race is still subject to confirmation. Please check the RMS and Bleat for any updates.
Where: Assemble in Tharwa village or picnic area adjacent western end of Tharwa Bridge.
When: 9:00 am.
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number
Race Description:
From carpark near bridge to Apollo Rd and return.
Race Director: Stephen Schwenke Contact: Email: schwenkes@homemail.com.au Ph 0412 485 729
Marshals: Henry Thomson ETC, Callum Henshaw
RACE REPORTS:
SFP Criterium – 9th February – Club Championship
Race 1 of the evening saw the M8, M9 & M10 categories line up in their respective groups and set off with a slight tailwind down the finishing straight. Initially all groups stayed together, with only M10 staying together until the finish.
M8 was a hard-fought contest with initial surges being put in by Owain Tilley, though it was all for nought as it came down to a finishing straight sprint which was taken out by Brian Peak, second was Owain and third was Bruce McMillan.
M9 saw a few more gaps than in the M8 race, however Mark Taylor was successful in crossing the line in first place, followed by Alex Sommariva and third was taken by Don de Smet.
M10, as mentioned above was a far more closely guarded affair, with Graham Hendrie crossing the line victorious, with Mijo Spoljaric coming in second.
Race 2, the three female age groups set off as one pack, the racing was generally very close, with the mix of age groups almost indistinguishable to those on the sidelines as they all competed in a close racing contest.
In the end, Vanessa Judge attacked and came across solo for the win ahead of Gillian Lugg in second and Kirsty Cummins placing third.
Alison Hale took line honours in F3 ahead of a surging Elizabeth Lowe in second and Linda Stalls in third.
F4 was the grade that did split, with Terry Moor victorious, Penelope Anderson came home second, and Gai Monahan crossed in third.
Race 3 we had the young guns of M6 and M7, we separated the two so they could focus on their own races as they had the two largest fields for the night.
M7 was a close affair, with the lead four riders of the grade sticking together, however there was always going to be someone missing out for a place on podium honours. Michael Foulds took the win a couple of seconds ahead of resurgent Dale Kleeman and Frank Zeller closely followed in third.
The final finish of the night was also the closest, the M6 bunch started off riding together, but during the 35-minute race there were riders scattered across the course. With the leaders coming down the finishing straight I managed to get video of the first three crossing the line, lucky I did as initial thoughts being that it was a dead heat between first and second. The committee convened and eventually gave the decision to Mark Vardy ahead of an extremely fast finishing Bruce Goodspeed, closely followed by Robert Langridge. If the race had been another 30cm I think it would have gone to Bruce.
Kudos to everyone for giving us an evening of exciting racing. And sincere apologies if I misrepresented and or failed to highlight some amazing action sequence experienced out on the track.
We did have one negative of the night, with a close-pass incident with a flying group of riders passing another group and swinging in front as they sought a road position with the least wind. We all know that getting out of the wind is a massive benefit, but we must also consider the other racers too.
I want to take the opportunity to thank Russell and Kirsti for looking after the office duties for the evening, and for Phill for also helping out. Kirsti also managed the medal ceremonies too.
Special thanks to my two trusty lieutenants for the night:
Ian Drayton kept the timing on track for the evening, counted all the riders were present and correct, as well as acting as designated First Aider in the absence of our usual stalwart Simon. Ian had recently taken advantage of the club offering of subsidised first aider training so it was great to see Ian being able to stand in, knowing he was able to support any rider that may have needed it.
Jeremy Ross also assisted on the start/finish line, before taking up the role of chief kangaroo wrangler, following one roos plucky encroachment, keeping an active watch on a boisterous mob of roos. Thankfully due to Jeremy’s (and initially Ian Morton’s) actions we were roo-free for the rest of the evening.
Thanks Ian, Jeremy, it is these types of volunteering actions that keeps a club like ours running. And as always thank you to the race committee for organising these races for us.
Seymour Savell-Boss
Track Racing – 17th February
The evening weather for the season’s 15th track racing session was cool and overcast. Unusually, there was a strong headwind in the Bundadome front straight and turn 1. Overall, conditions were good for racing. Attendance held up, with 15 riders, 6 in A grade and 9 in B grade.
The 8-lap, A grade, scratch race started slowly with Martin Graham and John Paul De Sousa taking initial turns on the front. There were further steady turns by Craig Kentwell, Steve Jones, Rowan McMurray, and (again) Martin Graham. After swapping the lead out with John Paul De Sousa, Martin Graham perched high on the banking and attacked into lap 7. Steve Jones responded and before long Martin and Steve were 10 metres out from the bunch with 1.5 laps to go. Over the next lap, John Paul De Sousa managed to drag the bunch up to the leading pair with the last half lap contested as an all-out sprint. Steve Jones emerged the winner, closely followed by John Paul De Sousa and Craig Kentwell, in that order.
The 8-lap B Grade scratch race held a steady pace for 6 laps with turns on the front by Ken Birch, Tony Beasley, Bruce Griffin, Phil Anderson James Newhouse and Alison Hale. Phil Coulton took over the lead for lap 7 and soon accelerated out to commence a long sprint. Graeme O’Neill tried to follow in Phil’s wheel, but fell back slightly with Ian Drayton, Tony Beasley and the remaining bunch streaming past to take up a hot pursuit. Ultimately Ian Drayton proved the strongest, with Tony Beasley and Alison Hale following in that order. Phil Coulton finished down in the bunch, but had the satisfaction of initiating a good, hot contest.
The evening’s second event was a 1-lap screamer, a short, timed sprint from a standing start. Punch and power are the keys to this event. A-grade times were very competitive with the first three placings being Steve Jones (28.97s), John Paul De Sousa (29.44s) and Martin Graham (29.50s). B-grade times were also quite competitive with the first three being Ian Drayton (30.13s), James Newhouse (30.38s) and Phil Coulton (30.45s).
The evening’s third event was a 4-lap handicap with A & B grades combined in a single race. The longer handicaps seem to favour A grade riders, because of their better endurance at high speeds. This event was no exception. A grade chased hard from a significant deficit, with the first four places being taken by Steve Jones, Rowan McMurray, Martin Graham and Craig Kentwell in that order.
The track session closed with the usual, all-in, Italian pursuit. This event had teams of 6 riders. Both teams made good starts and rode without error. On paper Team 2 looked stronger. However, that is normally no guarantee of a result. In practice, Team 2 gained a slim lead up until John Paul De Sousa rolled to the front and put in a blistering lap to put them in the box seat. When the anchor riders took over, Steve Jones (Team 1) had little chance of closing the gap. A good solid ride by the team 2 anchor, Rowan McMurray, put the result beyond doubt.
Major place getters for Wednesday were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Steve Jones, John Paul De Sousa, Craig Kentwell. (B Grade) Ian Drayton, Phil Tony Beasley, Alison Hale.
1-Lap Screamer: (A Grade) Steve Jones (28.97s), John Paul De Sousa (29.44s), Martin Graham (29.50s). (B Grade) Ian Drayton (30.13s), James Newhouse (30.38s), Phil Coulton (30.45s).
4-Lap Handicap: (A&B Combined) Steve Jones, Rowan McMurray, Martin Graham.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Rowan McMurray, John Paul De Sousa, Craig Kentwell, James Newhouse, Phil Coulton, Phil Anderson).
Omnium Championship Points:
Ben Davis (9), Rowan McMurray, Alison Hale, John Paul De Sousa (6), Phil Coulton, Steve Jones, Phil Anderson (5), Martin Graham, Ken Birch, James Newhouse Tony Beasley (4).
Season Point Score Update:
Steve Jones (227), Ian Drayton (216), Phil Anderson (200), James Newhouse (199), John Paul De Sousa (197), Ken Birch (169), Alison Hale (161), Wayne Benham (156), Phil Coulton (145), Tony Beasley (124), Bruce Griffin (120), Craig Kentwell (119).
Graeme O’Neill
