Masters, In this week’s Bleat
- Next Race – Summer Series Evening Criterium Tuesday 10 October. 5.50 PM
- Next Race – premier event – Gunning – Sunday 15 October
- Narrabundah Track Session – Thursday 12 October, 6.00 PM
- Race Report – 3 October 2023 – Summer Series Evening Criterium
- From the Desk of the Handicapper – Promotions / demotions
- From the Committee
- Research Project – Participants wanted
- Race calendar can be found here for other race dates needing Officials
RACING – Summer Series Evening Criterium Tuesday 10 October
| Grade | Time Week 01 | Race Duration [ sunset @ 7:14 ] |
| B/D | 5:50 | B 25m 2, D 22m 2 |
| E/F/G | 6:20 | E/F/G 20 m 2 laps |
| A/C | 6:45 | A 25m 2, C 22m 2 |
(Volunteers are needed for various sessions so please check dates at the link)
RACING – Gunning (format Breadalbane) – Sunday 15 October
One of the club’s premier events, Gunning, will be held on Sunday 15th October. Prepare / arrive from 9am for the TT to be raced on your road bike (no time trial bikes). The first rider will roll-off at 10am). The road race will commence some 45mins after the conclusion of the time trial.
Cost is $30. To register closes on Saturday 14 October at 2100 AEDT. https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar
We still require a race director and two volunteers for the event to be held – calendar link
Directions: Drive to Gunning, then Cullerin Road to Breadalbane.
Or, Federal Highway to Collector then Breadalbane Road to Breadalbane.
Or, Federal Highway – Hume Highway – Cullerin Road
Park at community hall
Information – The Gunning event will be based out of Breadalbane. The community hall has been booked, providing toilet facilities, shelter and a place to gather for the post-event nibbles and trophy presentations.
The event commences with a 3km TT to be raced on your road bike (no time trial bikes). The first rider will roll-off at 10am.
The road race follows the usual 48km circuit with u-turns some 200m east of Grabben Gullen Road and approximately 1.5km east of Breadalbane.
The road race will commence some 45mins after the conclusion of the time trial.
Starting on Cullerin Road, riders will head west towards Gunning.
The finish will be approximately 1km east of Breadalbane. This will be some 2-300m short of the u-turn.
ABC will do 2 laps (almost 2 laps! 96km) whilst DEFG will do (almost) 1 lap 48km.
Finally, in addition to the hire-fee for the community hall, the club has paid a refundable deposit for leaving the hall in a clean manner. Your help in tidying and cleaning up after the medal ceremony will be appreciated.
Chris Short – Race Comittee
NARRABUNDAH TRACK SESSION – THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 6.00 PM – 7.00 PM
The Program for Thursday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 7.00pm: 1-SS Time Trial.
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian Pursuit.
Graeme O’Neill – Chief Commissaire
Race Report – 3 October 2023 – Summer Series Evening Criterium
The first crit of the season at Stromlo started on Tuesday 3 October 2023 with a good turnout of riders in most of the grades. The wind gods got the message to back off and that is what happened for the first race with E and F Grade rolling off together first (no riders for G Grade).
It was a quiet start with the E and F grade riders eyeing each other off to see who had done their winter training. By lap 3 it was Ally Hale pulling away with a decent gap after realising the pace was a bit social for her liking. Rico Fitch realised he had let the gap creep out a bit too much and tried to bridge the gap with the other 3 riders in tow yelling at them to come around for everyone to take their turn at the front. But they did not need to worry, as Alison got bored with riding solo and sat up with 5 minutes to go allowing the riders to regroup. But when it came down to the critical part of the race, Alison was just to strong and took out the E grade race with Chris Copeland in 2nd and Rico Fitch in 3rd. With only one rider in F grade (who by the way took it up to those E grade riders) Lindsay Graham took the win for this grade.
A and C grade were the next to venture out on the track.
Not much to report on A grade except everyone knew about each other’s secret training (note Strava is not secret!) over the winter so all were at the leg ready stage to pounce if need be. When riders made a conceited effort (using up valuable leg power & calories) to break away, it was quickly shut down by the group. It was fast. It was skill full. Riders jockeyed for position. Those of us on the sideline were in awe of how they got to be that good making the rest of us mere mortals reeling with jealousy. On the final lap it was still anybody’s race and it came down to a sprint with Ben Morrison, Denis Mungoven and Stuart Griffiths rounding out the top three.
C grade had a very similar racing style to that of A grade with attackers challenging the group. But again the break aways were closed down promptly by the group not allowing one or several to shine for to long. Unfortunately due to my misjudgment of both C and A grade pace, on the last lap and corner leading into the straight, A grade passed C grade which inevitably cased the neutralisation of C grade and not allowing a sprint to the finish line to occur. I profusely apologise to all C grade riders for this miscalculation. What was a welcome relief is both grades held their lines down the straight. I learnt a valuable lesson about timing last night. It was Tanton, Brill and Wells for the placings.
B and D grade were next up and again everyone settled in quickly. Again it was a replay of all other grades and both B and D Grade respectively ensured that all heroes of the day were put in their rightful place and back in the mix of the group. Whilst B grade splintered on the last lap it was still a sprint finish with Harris overcoming Bruce Goodfellow and Ed Meeuwissen. Same with D Grade, with 7 mins to go Grant Johnson broke off the front, but the joy and freedom of unaccompanied riding was short lived and he was attacked by the pack. It was Leonard Pooley, Kevin Newhouse and Ashley Sked rounding out the top three in the fading light.
Just a reminder that if you don’t line up to have your place number taken you will not be recorded in the results. A big thank you to Robert Craine for manning the manual timer board and for Simon Whitehead for not having to unzip the first aid kit.
Kez (2nd time – Race Director)
From the Desk of the Handicapper – Promotions / demotions
179 – Leonard Pooley – promotion – D to C
Rob Langridge – Handicapper
From the Committee
Dear CRMCC members
As we have reached the start of the criterium and track racing season, we would like to remind you that the Committee and the volunteers that help run the events go to great lengths to ensure your safety and that it is conducted under the rules and regulations of our national body, and so that we mitigate all risks, reduce the potential for injury, and in the unfortunate event of an accident, that we are all covered by insurance as last resort. Race Directors are charged with the responsibility for implementing race protocols and allowing riders to participate in races. The Committee is aware of at least 3 instances last season where non-financial members of the club participated in races. While we do not think this is occurring on a larger scale, we must implement measures to minimise risk to the club, and to those legitimate members who race in the same event. It is for this reason that the Committee continues to push for online registration and payment of events, as the system only allows financial members to register. The Committee also mandates that a rider must wear their club-assigned race number on their jerseys, so that during roll call, we can identify registered financial members. This whole integrated system helps prevent unauthorised participation. Here are some take aways:
• Register for the race and pay before the designated cut off time. The Committee voted tonight to impose a $10 late fee on top of the $10 race entry for anyone failing to make the online cut-off for race registration. If you fail to make this cut off, email race.committee@actvets.cc and identify yourself to the crit side committee member, with your race number and that evidence that you are a financial member in good standing (i.e. you either paid the $120 at the beginning of this year or the reduced fee of $85 from October onwards.) You will be manually registered by a committee member, and then you will be asked to EFT the $10 race entry plus a $10 late fee.
• Wear your assigned race number for the event. During roll call, the Race Director has the right to reject you from participating without a number. White card numbers can be posted to you by membership@actvets.cc whereas the newer cloth race numbers will now be available at SFP on a weekly basis. In both cases you will need to supply your preferred fastener, either pinless clips, or magnets, or safety pins. Please note that with safety pins, we have documented cases of pins causing punctures on the crit track that have resulted in serious injury, and we have a duty to prevent these accidents from happening again.
Reduced Membership Fee for Racing in the Remainder of 2023
As in previous years, a reduced membership fee of $85 has been set by AVCC and is now available for new members and non-financial members wishing to rejoin the club and race between now and 31 December 2023. This offer typically gives previously non-financial members insurance coverage and eligibility to race for 3 months in the first part of the criterium or track season. Register and pay via the AVCC online membership portal at https://memberdesq.sportstg.com//index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244. Full 12 month membership pricing and registration for 2024 will not be known until around mid-December 2023 at which point we will announce it in the Bleat.
Astute readers will see that the annual membership of $120 offers a better value racing proposition than the reduced membership fee of $85 for 3 months of racing, in addition to year round insurance coverage. These minimum price points are set by the AVCC and not by the club.
Track racing has moved to online registration and payment for 2023-24
Following the online registration and payment method for criterium racing, track racing has also moved to the same online system and will not be accepting cash on the day.
Track racers can either pay as they go $10 online per session by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar, or by paying one time $140 online for an annual season pass for a theoretical 23 racing sessions (weather permitting), or $6 per session. To select and pay the $140 annual season pass option, look for the 28/3/2023 annual pass entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar
In either case, trackies unfamiliar with the RMS registration system, will need their seldom used club-assigned race number and a credit card to pay. You can lookup your club assigned race number in the RMS results section https://rms.crmcc.org.au/index, under your name.
Thanks
Conan Liu – CRMCC Club Membership Officer
Research Project – Participants Wanted!
Research Project on the Language of Cyclists – Andy Ross – University of Canberra
My name is Andy Ross and I am a linguist from the University of Canberra. I love cycling (although
am far from elite!) and am currently looking for cyclists who might be interested in participating in
a study about language and cycling.
I am currently putting together a book focusing on Language in Sport with an emphasis on ‘language
in action’, so how coaches and athletes use language in the heat of the moment and mid-activity
rather than, say, how people talk about sport in the media or in commentary etc.
It should be a nice book and we have chapters on a range of contexts such as Formula 1 motor
sport, rugby, volleyball, basketball and skiing, among others. My own study is about cycling.
I am interested in how elite or high-level cyclists use language and communication in group rides
or races such as crits (both verbal and non-verbal language).
What I am proposing is to use a GoPro and/or 360o camera and small mics to connect a rider while
on a bunch ride that is high intensity but not competitive, and then also in races (for anyone willing
of course). This is a kind of language tracking to see the way language is used at different stages
of a ride/race.
This is a new focus in cycling language research for me and I hope that it may sound of interest to
other ACT cyclists. I have published other work on language and communication in cycling to this
point but not on ‘language in action’. I am happy to share that work to any who may be interested.
If you are interested, please contact me at andrew.ross@canberra.edu.au – Thank you.
