Masters,
I’m going away next week so an early Bleat;
• IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals
• Racing next Week
• Race Report
Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc
IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals
A reminder that 2022 memberships are now due for renewal. For insurance purposes, members must be financial in order to race. To renew your membership go to the following link https://memberdesq.sportstg.com//index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244 and log in with your Username and Password. If you have forgotten your Username and/or Password, you can use the retrieval options by clicking on ‘Forgotten your Password?’
Please do not leave renewing your membership until the day you plan to race, as a separate manual process is required by the race committee to upload membership details into RMS so that you can enter online. If you leave it until the last minute, it is likely that you will receive an error message indicating that you are not financial. Pre-race registration will continue to be required for all races in 2022.
[Editors Note: I don’t like the design of the new GameDay website. They have put light grey buttons on a white background which makes it very hard to find the ‘Next’ button to go to the next page. You’ll have to look closely to see them.]
Race Numbers
If you have forgotten to bring your race number or have recently joined the club and have not yet received your race number, please use a handwritten number that reflects your ‘official’ race number (ie the number you used to register for the race) and ensure that your race number is accurately recorded in the finishing chute. Last week some riders raced using a ‘visitor’ number (ie a 700 series number) which are reserved for trial riders. If you use an incorrect number, it is difficult for the race committee to reconcile the results with the list of registered riders and your results will be omitted from the official results in RMS.
If you require a new race number please contact membership@actvets.cc and a new number will be sent to you.
RACING NEXT WEEK:
Tuesday, 18th January: Stromlo Criterium
Note: Pre-registration required by 18 Jan 2022 3:50 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
No late entries accepted.
Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 30 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:30 A 45m+2, C 40m+2
B/D 7:20 B 45m+2, D 40m+2
Race Director: Mark Harris Contact: Email: mharris1960@gmail.com Ph 0413 131 733
Marshals:Mark Porter
Thursday, 20th January: Track Racing
The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 1-lap SS time trial;
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap;
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.
Sunday, 23rd January: No Scheduled Road Race
RACE REPORTS:
SFP Criterium – 11th January
Thunderbolts and lightening, very, very frightening me… it didn’t eventuate, no rain even – but it was hot for A & C Grades first up.
A Grade – started off fast and tight – but like a blister in the sun – the pace led to attrition. Several hard attacks were put in by: Kristopher McCreath, Andrew Gersbach, Paul Scherl and Ben Morrison and Antony Bishop getting involved in a break – none stuck – then 20 minutes into the race the field shattered – (one rider coming in seeking a lap out for the fitment of a new heartstring) – at this stage 5 riders had got away – this then became a fast 4 rider break working together – the final sprint result: 1st Ben Morrison, 2nd Nicolas Stewart, 3rd Marc Vroomans.
C Grade – riding at the same time as A grade – C grade stuck together, except for the Dominator who was off the front from the start. Each lap the bunch took note of the timing board given the long race and hot conditions and that the Dominator had gone early – possibly catching A grade ahead. All breaks made were caught. A fast close finish saw a dead heat for 1st – Michael Hanbury and Craig O’Neall and 3rd, after a couple of breakaways; was Dom Romano.
B Grade – It seemed a cagey race from the start, however B grade did record a 40 kmph average – with a fair amount of work done by Peter Young and Adam Strickland on the front. One or two attacks only with no takers. (The easterly had picked up bringing in some cloud cover). In the final lap Peter Young attacked on the lower extremities of the track but was reeled in for a mass bunch sprint – very closely placed in the final sprint were: 1st Mark Porter, 2nd Gavin Stephens, and 3rd Peta Brill.
(At first, we were unsure of the B grade winner, however Mrs Porter mentioned that the winner was known to her, green top, number 166. I advised there were no big prizes for 1st – this was no problem as it was chicken dinner).
D Grade – Prior to the start, D grade reiterated the rules for the B grade passing them. D grade stuck together except for a mid-race breakaway which was pulled back in – this did put several riders under pressure; including B. Griffin coming in for the heart string fitment. Mostly a controlled race with even turns led to a close bunch sprint with Anthony Dick 1st just over Alison Hale 2nd and Brian Chugg 3rd.
E, F & G Grades – The final grades were combined due to failing light and the wind picking up. The bunch stayed together for half the race, and then there was a clear breakaway by: Bob Miller, Chris Copeland and Shirley-Anne Taylor. These 3 riders worked well together. Polly Templeton on her return to racing maintained a consistent pace for the race finishing not far off the lead three riders as did Adrian Breen and Mijo Spoljaric. The final sprint in a massive effort was won by Shirley-Anne Taylor 1st, Chris Copeland 2nd and Bob Miller 1st in F grade.
Thanks to marshal, Dave Johnson – who was of great assistance working the bell, clock and all whistles. Simon, First Aid – and Dougal for working the maths on what time the 2 laps to go board needed to be issued. (Also our helicopter Handicapper was ecstatic the bunches stayed apart). Great racing!
Michael Langdon
Track Racing – 13th January
The sixth track racing session for the 2021-22 season ran on Thursday 13 January. For a change, the weather was fine and warm all day. There was a brisk, back-straight headwind that was sustained during the race session. As this event marked the first change to from Wednesday to Thursday evening racing, it was pleasing to have a good attendance, with several new faces appearing. We had 17 riders participating, 12 in A grade and 5 in B grade.
The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Tony Beasley leading out. The pace quickly picked up to a good tempo with riders swapping turns quite frequently. On lap 6, Mark Harris and Antony Bishop rolled to the front and started to slowly open up a gap on the field. John Paul De Sousa was quickly aware of this and soon joined the other two. By the final lap, the three riders had a comfortable lead. However, John Paul was suffering with the effort to hold the solid pace. On the final lap Mark Harris verified his good form by surging out to a win. Antony Bishop held off the pursuing field for a comfortable second placing. The pursuing bunch eventually rounded on John Paul de Sousa with Steve Jones emerging from the pack to take the third spot.
The B Grade scratch race proceeded with fairly orderly turns at slightly varying pace. The bunch held together until the final lap, at which point riders were three abreast, tightly bunched for a final sprint. The pace quickened dramatically as the bell rang and the pack strung out over around 30 metres as the final lap progressed. Alison Hale and Sarah Stephens contested the lead over the final lap. Alison seems to be cementing her position as the strongest in B Grade. She took out a good win, closely followed by Sarah would was having her first ride with the track group. Ken Birch held a good pace and was able to overcome Bruce Griffin for third place.
The next event was a trophy race, the Christmas wheel race, which was rescheduled due to weather cancellations for the last two track sessions. This race was a handicap event over 6 laps contested by a large field of 16 riders. The B grade riders had reasonable handicaps and initially looked like they would dominate the event. By mid-race they were still leading comfortably with Alison Hale putting in a big effort off the front. Over the initial laps there was also some interest focused on the progress of Mark Harris and Anton Bishop from anchor positions. Both riders had quite challenging handicaps, so they elected to work together taking short turns. Initially, their progress was good. However, by the end of lap 4, it was clear that the challenge was just too daunting, so both riders began to lose the incentive to suffer further. The quiet achiever in the race was Steve Jones. Steve has historically suffered at the hands of the handicapper. However, for this race Steve realised he had a winnable handicap, given good tactics. Steve lurked quietly in the bunch for 5 laps, conserving energy for a final burst over the bell lap. When the time arrived, Steve did not hesitate. He quickly surged out, rounding all his rivals for a well-deserved win. Tony Beasley also rode a fine, tactical race conserving enough energy to stick close to Steve for a very creditable second place. Alison Hale salvaged something from her suffering out front and took the third placing.
The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. There were a few last-minute changes in team selection and the handicapper struggled to assemble even teams. The effort was worth it, as this was a very interesting and closely contested event. Team 2 made a slight error from the start with the lead rider opening a gap and surrendering a little time to restore the paceline. Team 1 gained an early lead of several metres that Team 2 struggled to close. The gap was slowly decreased as the laps ticked off. However, on the penultimate lap, John Paul De Sousa put in a great effort that drew Team 2 into a clear lead. Team 2 needed that lead, as Team 1 were anchored by the in-form Mark Harris. Over the final lap, Mark blew away Team 2’s lead and secured a good win for Team 1. Both teams could be proud of their efforts.
Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Mark Harris, Antony Bishop, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley Warwick Wilson. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Sarah Stephens, Ken Birch.
Christmas Wheel Race: (6 Lap Handicap), Steve Jones Tony Beasley, Alison Hale, Craig Kentwell Warwick Wilson.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Mark Harris, Steve Jones, Warwick Wilson, Alison Hale, Tony Beasley, Ken Birch, Sarah Stephens).
Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (118), Tony Beasley (109), Ken Birch (93), Craig Kentwell (88), James Newhouse (86), Steve Jones (79), Michael Langdon (70), John Paul De Sousa (69), Phil Coulton (64), Graeme O’Neill (61), Bruce Griffin (59), Rowan McMurray (53), Warwick Wilson (45), Kerry Knowler (36), Karen Clutson (30), Marc Vroomans (30).
Graeme O’Neill
