Masters,
In this week’s Bleat;
• Racing this Week
• Race Report
Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc
RACING THIS WEEK:
Saturday, 14th May – Sutton Driver Training – Criterium – Graded
Reminder: All riders must register on the CRMCC Web site (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 14/5/2022 4:30 AM prior to the race. There is no registration at the event.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Where: Approx 0.5 km along Sutton Rd from intersection of Sutton Rd and Pialligo Avenue.
When: 1:30 pm.
Race Description:
E/F/G: 1.30pm 30 mins 1 lap
A/B: 2.10pm 50 mins 1 lap
C/D: 3.10pm 40 mins 1 lap
Riders to race in their road grade.
Race Director: Steve Crispin Contact: Email: steven.crispin@ed.act.edu.au Ph 0419 429 453.
Marshals: Christopher Short, Van driver – Gareth Downey
RACE REPORT:
The Gunning 2 Day Classic – 7/8th May
Gunning is one of our iconic races for the cycling calendar, and as many know can be unpredictable for its weather. Saturday was no exception, with the forecast of mild conditions changing to blustery and cold. Some thirty three riders started the 4 km individual Time Trial with Marc Vroomans recoding the fastest time on 5:12. With the southerly breeze increasing all riders posted great times. Points were awarded with 6 points for first, 4 points for second and 2 points for third place in the TT. There were six times riders completed the course in the same minutes/seconds time, and the timekeepers resorted to the hundredths of a second to determine placings. Christophe Barberet and Rainer Wilson in A grade, Connan Liu and Tim Brown in B grade, while Anthony Beasley and John Stokman and Andrew Hispop and Steven Simms from C all on the line. At the end of the day those minute differences did not affect the final results.
The Saturday road race of 48 km was underway as soon as possible as the temperatures were dropping rapidly. It was no surprise to hear there had been snow in the mountains. Given the rain the region has received, the road surface was in pretty good shape overall. Bonus points were on offer with a sprint prime at the top of the Cullen range and on a course that favours the climbers those extra points were valuable towards the final results. Placings at the road race finish line were awarded bonus points of 3, 2, 1 for the first three in addition to receiving points based on the number of riders in a grade and position across the line. D grade had 10 riders, therefore Mark Taylor received 10 points as first across the line plus 3 bonus points and 2 points for his TT, giving him at the end of the day of 15 points, while Bruce McMillan received 10 points for the TT and a bonus of 6 points for being first, then 8 points plus 1 bonus for 3rd in the RR and 3 additional points for the sprint prime, resulting in a commanding 28 point lead. C grade had 7 riders and was dominated by Ed Logue who had the fastest TT, first across the line and won the sprint, ending the day with 26 points. A grade with 5 saw Marc Vroomans at 22 points winning all three, in B grade Jason Irwin picked up 16 points even though not placing in the sprint, while in E grade Alan Bontjer ended the day with a healthy 20 points having also won the TT, the road race and the sprint. Chris Copeland as the only rider in F grade had maximum points. With the biting wind there was little post race discussions or social time.
Sunday fortunately was a different story, starting with sunshine and little breeze. With bonus points doubled to 6 points for first across the line per grade and sprint primes there were a lot of points on offer, and the final outcome for each grade was up for grabs. There were a few DNS’s and two DNF’s which also added to the drama of who would take out the final positions. At 10m am A, B, C and D grades set off for two laps of the course for a total of 98 km with a sprint prime on each lap. While the breeze did strengthen it was overall good racing conditions. E grade set off an hour later for one lap and managed to return without being caught. Alan Bontjer provided the closest finish for the day with a strong sprint for the line ahead of Kevin Newhouse, winning by a tyre width and Ian Morton rounding out the grade. With bonuses Allan had a clear overall tally of 31 points with Kevin on 23 and Ian on 8. Alex Sommariva had opted to drop to E grade for Sunday and was therefore not counted in the points.
The grades generally stuck together and given the southerly headwind coming back was a worthwhile tactic, with A grade opting to all wait for a flat tyre repair just after the Breadalbane second turn. B grade overtook them and led back to the finish with Paul Welsh crossing ahead of Jason Irwin, Michael Rowland in third and Conan Liu in fourth place. In any staged event consistency is key, and Jason maintained that to finish up on 26 points, Paul on 18, closely followed by Conan on 16 and Michael on 12. A grade soon followed, with Chris Short ahead of Christophe Barberet, followed by Marc Vroomans and David Parker. Marc taking out both primes gave an additional 6 points combined with a strong position from Saturday gave a total of 31 points, with Chris on 25, Christophe on 16 and David on 3.
Ed Logue in C grade gets the most combative rider award, taking out every stage and sprint throughout the two days to amass 44 points ahead of Clinton Porteous on 20. Brian Peak finished on 18 with Michael Carr on 16, Ian Preston on 12 and Owen Tilley on 10. D grade starting with 10 riders on Saturday was down to 6 on Sunday. Once again consistency paid off. Bruce McMillan after ending Saturday on 28 points proved dominant winning the road race and the first prime sprint giving a total of 43 points. Michael Hanbury added second in both Sunday primes for a total of 26 points, Mark Taylor’s downfall was his TT, and with the largest grade numbers he missed out on valuable points there to end up with a total of 23. Tony Beasley at 19 points ahead of Steve Simms on17, and Brian Chugg on 7.
Using a points based system plus bonuses instead of GC time provided a different way of assessing the race position. It was certainly a much easier to system to implement and rewarding consistency and to some extent the grades with larger numbers, with the reverse also true and some riders missing out on valuable points for the overall position.
As always, this race would not have been possible without the dedicated support from the volunteers. Rob Langridge in particular for grading and recording, Paul Robey for driving the van and time keeping, putting out the urn and afternoon teas etc , Darren Blackhurst as lead car driver both days and general assisting, Matt Hinchcliff driving on Saturday and Kim Malcom on Sunday and Andre Swenson for marshalling, and our ever cheerful Simon on First Aid, who once again was thankfully not required to fix any broken or grazed riders.
Bob Miller
The Winners
A Grade: Marc Vroomans (1st), Christopher Short (2nd), Christophe Barberet (3rd)
B Grade: Jason Irwin (1st), Paul Welsh (2nd), Conan Liu (3rd)
C Grade: Ed Logue (1st), Clinton Porteous (2nd), Brian Peak (3rd)
D Grade: Bruce McMillan (1st), Michael Hanbury (2nd), Mark K Taylor (3rd)
E Grade: Allan Bontjer (1st), Kevin Newhouse (2nd), Ian Morton (3rd)