Hello Vets,
In the Bleat this week;
• 2020/21 Summer Season Results
• ETC Course on 17 April 2021
• From the Desk of the Handicapper
• Racing this Week
Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc
2020/21 Summer Season Results
Congratulations to:
Women: 1st Place – Penelope Anderson (153); 2nd Place – Pat Rooke (80); 3rd Place – Rosemary Robinson (72)
Men: 1st Place – Gerard Tiffen (167); 2nd Place – Lance Purdon (154); 3rd Place – Marc Vroomans (124)
NOTE: Presentations to the winners occurs at the Christmas Wheel Race at the end of the year.
Some crit riders impressed the Handicapper so much that they also deserve a mention:
Women: Vanessa Judge and Terri Moore (D to C grade); Alison Hale (E to D); Pat Rooke (F to E) and Peta Brill (C to B).
Men: Joel Rahman (D to A grade) (a stand out effort); Adam Strickland, Mark Harradine, David Jukes, John Stokman, Andrew Terracini (D to B); Gareth Downey (C to A)
ETC Course on 17 April 2021
The ACT Government has approved a course for Event Traffic Controllers next Saturday, 17 April 2017.
We are awaiting confirmation of the course location, but they are usually held at the ACT Parks Maintenance Depot at 13 Lithgow Street, Fyshwick. Course participants should expect the course will run most of the day – indicatively from 9:00am-4:30pm.
ETCs are essential for the ACT Vets to be able to run races in the ACT, and due to COVID-19 we have not been able to run the course for some time. If you are not already a qualified ETC, please consider whether you would be available to attend the course. Please send your expressions of interest to race.committee@actvets.cc as soon as possible. We will need to have final numbers by COB on Thursday 15 April 2021.
Many thanks for your support.
From the Desk of the Handicapper
Vets Out and About
Rowan McMurray has endured what most club members would consider the unendurable and become the first finisher in this year’s Indian-Pacific Wheel Race (IPWR). Rowan somehow pedalled the 5,500 km from Perth to Sydney in only 12 days, starting on 30 March and finishing on 7 April.
On Tuesday last week, remote race followers (dot watchers) Alex Sommariva, Steve Jones and two others rode down south to meet him and escort him to Parliament House where he was meeting his family for a lunch date. Alex was confused by Rowan’s approach to Canberra as he was travelling along the very lumpy Boboyan Rd from Adaminaby, rather than the more direct route from Cooma. Rowan’s choice of route also ensured that other competitors had to follow the same way into Canberra, but it was probably much more pleasant that being buzzed by cars while riding on the shoulder of the Monaro Highway. It also avoided riding past the spot where British ultra-distance rider Mike Hall was tragically mowed down in the early hours of 31 March 2017 during the inaugural IPWR. Alex thoroughly enjoy his day out, and was quite surprised at the pace Rowan was able to maintain on his luggage-laden bike. Rowan finished safely in Sydney the following day to be the first finisher. I wonder if Rowan then rode back to Canberra or got a lift?
Long distance riding is obviously a different type of riding compared with track, road or criteriums. I wondered hypothetically that if the club held a 1,000km graded scratch race who would be the riders who would power on to the finish while others, such as the handicapper, would find themselves about one fifth into the race on the side of the road crying for their mothers. In a head-to-head contest would Rowan win A grade over Steve Crispin and Gerard Tiffen? Something to debate sometime.
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| Rowan on the bike paths south of Canberra | Rowan and Alex Sommariva | Rowan is greeted by race organisers as first to finish |
Rob Langridge
Handicapper
RACING THIS WEEK:
Saturday, 17th April – Sutton Driver Training Criterium – Graded
Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.
Where: Approx 0.5 km along Sutton Rd from intersection of Sutton Rd and Pialligo Avenue.
When: 1:30 pm.
Race Description:
A/B: 1.30pm 50 mins + 1 lap
C/D: 2.30pm 40 mins + 1 lap
E/F/G: 3.20pm 30 mins 1 lap
Riders are to race in their ‘Road’ grade.
Race Director: Nicholas Stewart Contact: Email: nicholasastewart5@gmail.com Ph 0499 999 056
Marshals: Peter Frew, Ian McVay
