Masters, In this week’s Bleat
- Next Crit Race – Summer Series Evening Criterium Tuesday 28 November. 5.50 PM
- Narrabundah Track Racing – Thursday 30 November, 5:30 PM
- Next Road Race – Sunday 3 December, 9AM
- From the Handicapper
- Race calendar can be found here for other race dates needing Officials
RACING – Summer Series Evening Criterium Tuesday 28 November
| Grade | Time Week 01 | Race Duration [ sunset @ 7:14 ] |
| A/C | 5:50 | A 42m + 2 laps, C 38mins + 2 laps |
| B/D | 6:35 | B 42m + 2 laps, D 38mins + 2 laps |
| E/F/G | 7:20 | 28mins +2 laps |
Race registration is 3:50pm. We have waived the $10 for this session but you still need to register by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar
You must wear your CRMCC assigned race number to race. Late registrations will be assessed by race.committee@actvets.cc and if allowed, a late fee of $10 will be applied.
If you are unregistered and show up to the crit track, you must convince a committee member (not the Race Director) of your club member financial status for insurance purposes, before allowed to participate.
Committee member on duty: David Parker
**Lights needed if riding home from crits**
(Volunteers are needed for various sessions so please check dates at the link)
Crits Race Report – Tuesday 21 November
The evening started off without a hitch with my trusty Marshall Kate Vanderberg at the helm of the timing board and collecting final results and Simon Whitehead as the first aider.
The crit was conducted in an anti-clockwise route where the wind caused all sorts of pain down the front straight but relieved the riders up the back straight – so really no one had any room for complaints.
B grade (40mins + 2 laps) started off the proceedings in an very orderly manner. Within 20 minutes it was Mick Rose as the first of the break-a-way of the evening with Gavin Stephens and Gregory Harris making chase. The wind and the pressure only allowed this to transpire for 2 laps before Rose was placed firmly back among the thorns and told to play nice. Three became 7 with the likes of Rose, Stephens and Harris joined by Bryant, Preston, Monck, Pellegrino and Bruce Goodfellow (and ? Aaron Thompson) attempting to out class the rest. With 4 minutes to go it was Nathan Monk who backed himself and pushed to gain a little gap from Rohan McMurray and the pack. However, in the end it was Monk, Goodfellow and Pelligino taking the three main steps.
D grade (35mins + 2 laps) mainly stayed together for the whole race which meant a final sprint to the finish line with Newhouse edging out Shippley and Shirley-Ann Taylor. Special mention to Linda stalls who new to this grade managed to stay ‘comfortably’ on the back of the pack for the whole race; and for Tim Moore who DNF’d with a pulled heart muscle (his words not mine 
). We hope the muscle repairs itself before the next crit onslaught next week.
E, F and G Grade (20mins + 2 laps) rolled off together. E grade split pretty quickly from the other grades and stayed together the whole race. And yet again it was a sprint to the line in the head wind with Solomon, Copeland and Griffin for E grade; Paul Robey for F grade and Gai Monahan for G Grade. Kate and I were managing the riders and timing schedule like pros and even Kate commenting that time wise ‘we are killing it’ but found ‘the marshall job really taxing’ and assured me she would put her hand up for race director next time. B, D, E, F and G grades by this time had gone around the track without incident and all rode to the allocated time plus 2 laps. With excellent time management skills meant A and C grade were made to wait ‘patiently’ on the start line for 10 mins while the stragglers who like to turn up with seconds to spare took to the line.
A grade (40 mins + 2 laps) rolled off the line into the wind and showed their prowess and speed up the back straight. Within a few laps Dimmock and Wilton broke away but one of them could be heard saying ‘I think its to early for a break away’. Toby McCleanan joined them only to be reeled in soon after by the main pack. Unrelenting, Mr Dimmock tried again to roll off the front but Wilton, and Tolhurst chased hard. As the chasers got away it could be heard in the remaining group a comment of the likes ‘I just don’t want to do any work’ (thanks Ben Morrison ? for the commentary) and kudos to this rider who smartly huddled in the group for protection against the wind. As always it was a sprint to finish with Rainer Wilton outclassing Tolhurst and Dimmock finishing fast with the rest of the pack at their wheels, which made for great spectating. With the light on our side, we didn’t have to call the race off early and everyone got there moneys worth of racing. C grade (35 mins + 2 laps) rolled off and it wasn’t long till Michael Hanbury having to much energy zoomed off the front in the first lap saying ‘might as well give it a go’. I personally thought it was to soon to give it a go, but as one who does not do crits I commend him for his spirit which by the way was short lived in lap 2 with Grant Johnson joining the front, soon to be joined by the rest of C grade. Claire Aubrey was often seen pulling the big men and other women around the track working hard and getting into the low racing mode on her trusty steed. Aubrey and an unknown rider (sorry could not get your number – I wrote 457 but that can’t be right as that number belongs to David Turner who is not financial), worked together to make a small gap but were promptly pulled back to the group. Unfortunately in lap 8 with 10 minutes to go Claire got a puncture and had to DNF. Some riders in the group thought it was a great night to catch up and a nice pleasant conversation was had prior to coming to the pointy end of the race. Then all of a sudden it was Lenny Pooley (not ‘Grant’ – thanks Krusty) off the front. I don’t think the rest of the grade noted Pooley had gone rouge with noone taking any action. Lenny put the pressure down and continued his journey to the top step. It was then Whitlam out front with Vardy in pursuit. But with 1 min on the clock everyone bar Pooley got pulled back into the fray only to have the group sprint (by this stage Pooley was having a beer at the Handlebar) with Vardy and Rowley also taking home the bragging rights. Thanks to Kate for her wizardry at the timing board, Ian Hutchings for opening and setting up and taking amazing photos and Simon for keeping his first aid kit closed and for a fun and successful night.
Kezza Muir (Race Director)
NARRABUNDAH TRACK SESSION – THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER 5:30 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 – 6.50pm: 200 fly.
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap.
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.
Please register and pay $10 for this session by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS
https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar
Graeme O’Neill – Chief Commissaire
TRACK RACING REPORT- THURSDAY 23 NOVEMBER
Thursday 23 November was not a promising day for track racing. Rain threatened and the wind was
almost gale strength. However, the track session went ahead and was not troubled by rain. The wind
was very strong during the warm-up but moderated to a light breeze by the end of the track session.
Attendance was poor (7 riders) as only the optimists showed up.
The 8-lap A grade scratch race commenced with Craig Kentwell leading out for two laps at an easy pace.
The bunch stayed together as riders rotated to the front. It took until lap 4 before the pace was raised by
John Paul De Sousa. Craig Kentwell later raised the pace further on lap 6. Craig was caught in a difficult
position leading into the bell lap. However, he made the best of it by rising up the banking on the turn and
sprinting into the bell lap. Craig initially gained around 6 metres on the pack. However, this prompted a
furious pursuit with Conan Liu leading out the pursuing bunch. Conan and John Paul De Sousa streamed
past Craig in the final turn and jinked it out for a close finish. Conan Liu took a close win from John Paul
with Craig Kentwell third.
The B Grade scratch race had 3 riders and was led out by Phil Coulton. The race was tidy up until the
final turn into the bell lap. At this point all three riders jockeyed for a position on the high banking.
Graeme O’Neill was first to launch an attack. Initially Graeme gained a good gap on the bunch.
However, Phil Coulton pursued doggedly, drawing level with Graeme in the final turn. Graeme
accelerated but had left it too late as Phil’s pace carried him into a comfortable win. Graeme hung on for
second place with Ben Davis taking third.
The evening’s second event was a 1-lap screamer, that is, a one lap, flying start, time trial. This is an
exhilarating event with the A grade winning speed around 53 km/hr. A grade times were John Paul De
Sousa (22.93s), Conan Liu (23.47s), Craig Kentwell (24.49s) and Wayne Benham (24.72s). B grade
times were very close with Ben Davis (27.42s), Phil Coulton (27.69s), and Graeme O’Neill (27.85s).
The third event was an all-in (A & B grade) 2-lap handicap. Phil Coulton put in a scorching first lap from
the limit mark. He looked a good prospect for the win up until the third quarter of the race. At this point
Phil was fading and the limit riders had picked up full pace. Four A grade riders streamed past Phil in the
final turn with John Paul De Sousa and Conan Liu fighting it out for the win. The final result was John
Paul 1 st , Conan 2 nd , Wayne Benham 3 rd .
The evening’s racing closed with the usual Italian Pursuit. There were small teams of 3 riders for this
event. The teams seemed evenly matched and teamwork was exemplary. Team 1 had good turns from
Phil Coulton and Wayne Benham. This gave Conan Liu a small gap leading into the final lap. Conan was
not about to surrender this advantage. He put in a final lap that gave Team 2’s John Paul De Sousa no
chance of closing the margin. The result was a good win to Team 1.
Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell
(B Grade) Phil Coulton, Graeme O’Neill, Ben Davis.
2-lap SS TT: (A1 Grade) John Paul De Sousa (22.93s), Conan Liu (23.47s), Wayne Benham (24.72s)
(A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell (24.49s) (B Grade) Ben Davis (27.42s), Phil Coulton (27.69s), Graeme
O’Neill (27.85s).
Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Conan Liu, Wayne Benham, Phil Coulton).
Season Point Score Update:
Conan Liu (86), John Paul De Sousa (79), Alison Hale (67), Warwick Wilson (61), Graeme O’Neill (54),
Ian Drayton (45), Wayne Benham (39), Phil Coulton (37), Ed Garnett (36), Ben Davis (34), Craig Kentwell
(33), Hamish Anderson (31), Martin Graham (29), Bruce Griffin (27).
Next Road Race – Sunday 03 December
Format:
A rolling course with a few steep pinches. Riders start at the top of Pierces Ck. They head south along Paddys River Road/Tidbinbilla Road for approximately 13.7kms to the turn-point around 800 metres north of the entrance to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, where riders return to the start/finish to complete one lap of around 27.4km.
A/B/C will ride two laps (55km) while D/E/F/G will race one lap.
Directions:
The race starts at the top of Pierces Creek (approx. 1.9kms from the Cotter Crossing).
Riders driving to the race must park at the Cotter Reserve and ride to the start owing to the lack of parking space at the top of the hill. [It will raise your heart as prep for the race]
Race is estimated to finish by 1115 AEDT.CRMCC Pierces Ck Tidbinbilla RR | 27.3 km Cycling Route on Strava
| CRMCC Pierces Ck Tidbinbilla RR | 27.3 km Cycling Route on StravaCRMCC Pierces Ck Tidbinbilla RR is a 27.3 km Cycling Route. Discover this route and more at Strava. Visit today! |
Cheers,
Ed Logue
From the Handicapper
Handicaps
Leonard Pooley C to B
Robert Soloman E to D
Downtube Shifter Derby on 12 December
Men and women of steel, mark your calendars for 1725 on December 12 for the second annual Downtube Shifter Derby! Yes, it’s back by popular demand (well, there have been two inquiries to date)–same rules: a road worthy bike with downtube shifters. 20 minutes plus two laps will ensure fast and furious racing, so don’t miss out. Once again there’ll be a barrel draw after the race, and one winner will take home the coveted tube of Autosol Metal Polish or the choice of many other fabulous prizes. Entry via the RMS.
Don’t gain advantage from the other grade!
It may be tempting to join on the tail of a passing grade or hide among a faster grade when in a solo breakaway, but it is cheating. To maximise everyone’s racing experience, we run multiple grades on the course at the same time. With this comes the responsibility to allow the faster grade to pass safely and cleanly. The rider of the bunch being passed should not try to tag on the back of the faster bunch nor should riders in a breakaway join the faster bunch. These actions result in gaining an unfair advantage and may result in disqualification.
Rob Langridge
Race committee
The Bleat
If you would like to contribute to the Club and put the Bleat together each week, please reach our to us!
