Hello CRMCCers,
For this week’s Bleat –
- Next Crit Race – Tues 10 Dec from 5.50pm
* Downtube shifter derby at 5.30pm - Narrabundah Track Racing – Thurs 12 Dec, 5.30pm
- Christmas Wheelrace – Tues 17 Dec from 5.50pm
- Crits race report for 3 Dec – Michael Tolhurst
- Track race report for 5 Dec – Graeme O’Neill
- Handicapper’s hammer – Rob Langridge
* Grade of Origin club champs wash-up
* Boxing Day 26 December recovery ride - Notice of CRMCC Annual General Meeting on Mon 10 Feb 2025
- Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here
Summer evening criterium series – week 10 – Tuesday 10 December
Race director Damian Copeland, marshal Charles Black, first aid Ryan Fawke
Bell for the final lap.
Direction anti-clockwise
| Grades | Time | Race Duration [sunset 2010] |
| E/F/G | 17:50 | 28mins + 2 laps |
| A/C | 18:25 | A 42mins + 2 L, C 38 mins + 2L |
| B/D | 19:15 | B 42mins + 2 L, D 38 mins + 2L |
Race registration cut-off is Tuesday 10th December at 12.50pm.
Cost is $10 for a single race or $160 for a season pass.
You need to register by looking up the calendar entry in the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021183
Late registration will be assessed by race.committee@crmcc.org.au and if allowed, a late fee of an extra $10 will be applied.
If you are unregistered and show up to the event, you must convince a committee member (not the Race Director) of your club member financial status for insurance purposes, before being allowed to participate.
You must wear your CRMCC assigned number to race. No number on the day, no race.
Switch race entry:
In the event of rain or another event, the members who have paid $10 to enter and decide to not race, those riders have to send an email to committee@crmcc.org.au before their race starts, where they would like to transfer their $10 with their name and race number, and the date to which they want the credit transferred.
Such requests via Facebook will be ignored.
Downtube Shifter Derby
Men and women of steel, mark your calendars for 1725 AEDT on December 10th for the third annual Downtube Shifter Derby! Same rules: a road worthy bike with downtube shifters. Twenty minutes plus two laps will ensure fast and furious racing, so don’t miss out.
Race will feature two ceremonial laps before racing begins. 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 their choice of many other fabulous prizes.
I have three additional downtube shifter bikes if anyone would like to borrow them for this grand event. Two are for riders around 175-180 cm and one around 170cm. You’ll need to have your own pedals and pick them up from my house in Curtin prior to the race.
Entry via the RMS – https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5024326
Riders with a Crit Pass can enter by emailing race.committee@crmcc.org.au.
Rob Langridge – Race Committee
A grade with A2 and B in the distance, picture courtesy of Conan Liu at Grade of Origin club champs on 3 December 2024.
Narrabundah Track Racing
NARRABUNDAH TRACK RACING – THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER, 5.30 PM
The season’s eighth track racing session is scheduled for this Thursday.
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 – 6.40pm: 6-lap Christmas Wheelrace
Christmas / New Year Program
Please register your attendance at https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021937 . The Christmas track session is a free event but you will need to be a financial member to participate in the wheel race. It will include free drinks and nibbles to celebrate the festive season – all club members welcome!!!
The club has a track booking for 19 December but events will depend on numbers. It may be rescheduled as training or cancelled if the numbers are low. Track racing will recommence in the new year on 9 January.
Spare Track Bikes
We have several spare track bikes if you wish to try track racing.
Note that you will need to either be a financial member, or have a trial membership to participate. Please see https://capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au/membership/. Please bring your own pedals. You may need to pump up tyres (we will have a pump available) and adjust saddle / bar position. You will need to check over the bike for safety purposes. Although we will assist as far as practical, equipment safety and providing tools for fitting / adjustments is your responsibility.
Graeme O’Neill
Christmas Wheelrace on Tuesday 17 December
The wheelrace evening involves short criterium races for all grades with the first five riders in each grade qualifying for the final. The wheelrace is a handicap race over four laps. The gaps in this race are huge for the first few laps but in the final lap suddenly the grades can merge, leading to some very exciting racing.
Even if you don’t qualify for the final, please stick around for the wheelrace to cheer on your riding friends as well as rivals in the same grade.
The club will provide some savoury wraps and drinks but also encourages riders with large social connections to organise an esky or snacks. We also urge members to invite family members to come out to view this wonderful sport.
| Grades | Time | Race Duration [sunset 2015] |
| E/F/G | 17:50 | 25mins + 2 laps |
| C/D | 18:20 | 25mins + 2 laps |
| A/B | 18:50 | 30mins + 2 laps |
Cost is $10. To register here – https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5021184 .
Rob Langridge
Crits race report – Grade of Origin champs – 3 December 2024 – Michael Tolhurst
Near perfect racing conditions greeted the riders for this special Grade of Origin round of the summer crit series.
C Grade were the first away with 35 minutes plus two laps and they pretty much stayed together for the entire race. Grant Johnston and Greg Mitchell were often seen on the front forcing the pace. The race was neutralised for a few minutes due to a crash in D grade. With 5 minutes to go they were still altogether. With one minute remaining on the clock Brian Chugg was on the front. With two laps to go it was Greg Mitchell leading the charge. Turning into the back straight on the last lap Grant Johnston had attacked and managed to hold a slender advantage through the bottom corners and into the finishing straight. It looked to be the winning move but perhaps it was the slight uphill drag to the line that was his undoing. Charles Black timed his sprint perfectly to claim the win. Johnston held on for 2nd with John Paul De Sousa in third.
D grade had 30 minutes plus 2 laps. With only a small field it was either quite a tactical race or no one was too keen to try and make a difference. Riders seemed content to freewheel and even have a bit of a chat amongst themselves. Unfortunately, the first real action was a touch of wheels at the bottom of the finishing straight which saw Rico Fitch crash out and receive treatment for a suspected concussion. The race was neutralised for a few laps and restarted with only a few minutes left on the clock and with only five riders remaining in the race. With two laps to go the riders were spread across the track looking at each other. At the line it was Alfred Cook who took a strong sprint win from Russell Marston and Adam Knight.
A Grade set off for 45 minutes plus two laps. The Tiffen boys assumed their position at the head of the race followed closely by Cartel. Matt Darling and Steve Crispin were the first to eke out a small gap. After 5 minutes of racing it was all together and with Griffiths forcing the pace the entire field was strung out single file. Steve Isbel rocking a new Trek Madone was collecting tickets at the rear.
With still 38 minutes on the clock the race was starting to split. There was a leading group of about eight riders including several from Tiffen and Cartel. This group soon swelled to about 15 with Denis Mungoven and Stephen Blackburn scrambling to make it across followed by Krusty Bryant. They’ve only been racing for ten minutes and already the field was in pieces. With 33 minutes to go Ben Morrison from Team Quon is on the front looking to control any attacks. There’s maybe 15 guys left at the front of the race, but cries of “Come on!” can be heard indicating a lack of cohesion. The group is still too big.
Stu Griffiths is soon on the move closely followed by Gerard Tiffen. With 30 minutes to go the pace has gone out of A grade and there is a bit of chatter as they pass through the start finish line. Down the back straight Steve Crispin has a gap followed by Andrew Foster with Team Tiffen in pursuit.
With 24 minutes on the clock, and the A grade field scattered all over the circuit, Stu Griffiths and Andrew Foster are able to establish the most significant breakaway of the race so far. Morrison could see the danger and made a big effort to shut it down but was closely marked by Crispin from Cartel. Mungoven from Tiffen also tried and failed to bridge 100m gap to the two up front. With still 20 minutes to go Griffiths and Foster are maintaining a 10 second gap on the field. Foster looks to be struggling a little. Its probably fair to say that crits are not his natural habitat. Griffiths on the other hand was gliding through the corners with his pro-spec 54t chainring and 165mm crank-arms. He needs Foster to hang with him for a while longer.
For the next 10 minutes or so the gap ebbs and flows as riders including Gillman Wells, Crispin, Darling, Morrison, Blackburn and Mungoven were all seen on the front. With five Tiffen riders in the chasing group it’s their responsibility to close it down. Mungoven looked like he was struggling ten minutes ago but demonstrating the form he had in the recent Tour of Bright, he brought the gap down to five seconds with nine minutes to go. This forced Griffiths and Foster to admit defeat and sit up.
With seven to go Matt Corby from Cartel and Jason Irwin take advantage of the brief lull and get a bit of a gap. Things got a bit messy when they passed the front of B grade, and the chasing group getting caught behind right at the point when B grade were given two laps to go. Corby and Irwin were out in front and were able to push on, while the A grade chase group backed off to allow B grade to finish their race. By the time B grade were out of the way the Corby/Irwin duo were out to about 15 seconds with a couple of minutes remaining on the clock. It was panic stations in what was left of the chase group. The two laps to go call was delayed for a lap to compensate for the time lost when A grade was affected by B grade. With one lap to go Corby and Irwin only had a slender lead with Morrison leading the chase.
It was all together coming into the back straight with maybe ten guys left and Gillman-Wells taking up lead-out duties for Gerard Tiffen. Fresh from a tea-break after his mid-race breakaway Stu Griffiths can be seen dropping in behind the Tiffen train. Through the bottom corners GT starts his sprint quite early and looks the goods leading into the finish straight. But he is unable to hold off the much younger Stu Griffiths who takes an impressive win. Morrison claims third place in what was a hectic and action-packed race.
B Grade were facing 40 minutes plus two laps. After five minutes or so Craig Lindenmayer was on the front across the finish line where there was a significant split with at least ten losing contact. A kangaroo encounter at the bottom of the circuit caused the usual concern. Several different riders including Darren Blackhurst, John Brotherton and James Watt were driving the front of the race with the gap back to the back half of the field ballooning out.
Inside 30 minutes to go it was Kim Pedersen leading a group of three with a small gap. Not long after Kim found herself off the front solo. It was hard to keep track of the race as riders from both A grade and B grade are scattered all over the circuit. Inside 20 minutes to go and Kim has been brought back into the fold with Cycle Co-op looking pretty in pink and in control.
A large group of dropped riders are lapped and then jump into the draft of the front group, making a confusing race even harder to monitor. Race officials try to instruct the groups to separate. I’m unsure what the CRMCC rules are in this situation but in most criteriums lapped riders get pulled out of the race. I would have liked to see the lapped riders let the front of the race to go past and ride on without jumping onto the back.
Nearing the finish it was increasingly hard to monitor what was happening in both races and the front of B grade managed to get themselves in between the A grade break and the A grade chase group (through no fault of their own). The only way this could have been avoided would have been to give B grade the two laps to go call much sooner and before A grade lapped them. In the end it was James Watt who took the win in a sprint from Luke Philps and Paul Connor.
Michael Tolhurst – race director
Thanks to Conan Liu for the pics from last week’s Grade of Origin Club Champs – https://www.facebook.com/share/p/tArNZYx5RhidgG3R/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Kdo7yjV2aHAYCMZr/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Wf1S2hzvixf9NGH1/ , https://www.facebook.com/share/p/riFYfm4Vfr6dpFhx/ and https://www.facebook.com/share/p/BZzadibe9AERshth/ .
Also a thanks to Michael Fawke for his snaps at the event – https://www.facebook.com/share/p/G7G5ejy5wu9Scz1u/ .
Narrabundah track racing report – Thursday 5 December – Graeme O’Neill
Thursday 5 December saw the eighth track racing session for the 2024-25 season. The weather was hot and muggy with no wind. Attendance (11 riders) was a big improvement on recent weeks. For this session the group were joined by veteran trackie, Ken Birch who availed himself of the opportunity to ease back into track racing with a single free event. Hopefully, others will follow Ken’s example.
The 8-lap A grade scratch race had a field of six starters. The race commenced with Steve Jones leading out at a modest pace. The first six laps of the race were orderly with riders swapping turns and gradually stepping up the pace. On lap 7, Steve Jones rolled back into the lead and the pack became quite lively with riders tightly bunched and jockeying for position. Approaching the bell lap, the whole pack accelerated in unison. Soon Steve Jones and Conan Liu were jinking it out for the win. Steve is a master of the closing sprint and took a narrow win from Conan Liu. Sarah Stephens was not far back in third place.
The second event was the popular 200 metre flying start, time trial. All riders had a good technique for this event and conditions were favourable for fast times. The A grade times were all comfortably under 15 seconds and most riders improved on their prior performance for this event. Best time was set by Steve Jones (12.98s, 55.5km/hr). Other good times for A grade were Paul De Sousa (13.37s), Hamish Anderson (13.50s), Conan Liu (13.51s) and Sarah Stephens (13.56s).
B Grade times were respectable with Ian Drayton (14.87s), Phil Coulton (15.10s) and Graeme O’Neill (15.50s).
The session’s third event was a 2-lap handicap with A & B Grades combined. The handicapper made minor handicap adjustments this week. The event provided a very competitive finish. Graeme O’Neill lead out from limit. By midway through the second lap Ian Drayton and Phil Coulton streamed past Graeme, soon to be joined by a fast-closing bunch comprising Hamish Anderson and Sarah Stephens with Steve Jones and Conan Liu in serious pursuit.
Final placings were, in order, Hamish Anderson, Sarah Stephens, Steve Jones, Conin Liu and Ian Drayton.
The evening’s racing closed with the usual Italian Pursuit. Each team had 4 riders. Phil Coulton put in a good first lap and Team 2 were soon leading. Ian Drayton and John Paul De Sousa put in good disciplined laps that built the Team 2 lead out to about 10 metres. Conan Liu finished the Team 2 effort against Team 1’s Steve Jones. Steve could not recover the Team 1 deficit, thereby conceding a good win to Team 2.
Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones, Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa. (A2 Grade) Sarah Stephens, Alison Hale, Ben Davis. (B Grade) Ian Drayton, Phil Coulton, Graeme O’Neill.
200m Fly: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones (12.98s), John Paul De Sousa (13.37s), Conan Liu (13.51s)
(A2 Grade) Hamish Anderson (13.50s), Sarah Stephens (13.56s), Ben Davis (14.68s).
(B Grade) Ian Drayton (14.87s), Phil Coulton (15.10s), Graeme O’Neill (15.50s).
Two-lap Handicap: (A&B Grades): Hamish Anderson, Sarah Stephens, Steve Jones, Conin Liu, Ian Drayton.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Conin Liu, John Paul De Sousa, Ian Drayton, Phil Coulton).
Season Point Score:
Hamish Anderson (143), Conan Liu (126), Steve Jones (124), Ian Drayton (117), Graeme O’Neill (116), Phil Coulton (104), Sarah Stephens (101), Craig Kentwell (79), John Paul De Sousa (63), Ben Davis (59), Warwick Wilson (49), Wayne Benham (47), Alison Hale (38), Dave Buckley (16).
Handicapper’s hammer
Grade of Origin Criterium Wash-up
The dust has settled on the inaugural Grade of Origin Criterium Championships
I’ll start with an apology to Brian Peak. He was the one rider who slipped through the handicapper’s net, dragged off the starting line and bumped up to the next race (where he promptly got dropped). Sorry Brian.
The point of this format was to have races not dominated by riders who’ve previously ridden in higher grades. Obviously, there were winners and losers, but we can see from the results that those on the podium have had few victories in that grade to date (except A grade, of course). With the removal of the stronger riders, C and D grades races were subdued and I expected this to be the case for B grade also. B grade, however, started very aggressively, showing there’s still a bit of firepower among some of the riders. Several riders in the large B grade bunch dropped wheels when the pressure was on, leading to large gaps and a reduced group of 12 to battle it out.
I’m keen to hold another race next season and these are some of the improvements we can make:
· Use the usual grade matchings of A/C and B/D, given all riders were aware of the grade changes and no-one had to be bumped up to a higher grade after learning of their new grade
· Shorten the qualification period, making the 22-23 season as the cut-off
· Add some additional race rules to ensure that lapped riders do not rejoin the leading group
· Request that crit pass holders nominate for the race to reduce the handicapping burden and ensure start lists reflect who is actually going to race.
Member feedback welcome.
Many thanks also to 99 Bikes Phillip for sponsoring the race.
Boxing Day Recovery Ride
This event is back on the race calendar. It’s a no-drop ride from Civic up the old Fed and back starting at 0800. As I’m barely capable of riding that far these days, we are seeking a volunteer to herd the cats initially, ensure the bunch stays together up to Washing Machine Hill and that nobody is left behind.
Please respond to race.committee@crmcc.org.au if you can help out.
Rob Langridge
Notice of CRMCC Annual General Meeting – Monday 10 February 2025 at 7pm (via Zoom)
The 2025 AGM for the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club will be held on Monday 10th February at 7:00pm via Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89357832755?pwd=6riJsemCaaSGxseIcB4ccy057h0tsX.1
Meeting ID: 893 5783 2755, Passcode: 092072
All CRMCC Members are invited to attend and encouraged to consider joining the committee. There will be multiple vacant positions declared open.
In contrast to previous years, we will not be offering an in-person AGM; if the online mode of attendance is a problem for you, please contact the committee via email (committee@crmcc.or.au).
The Committee membership nomination form is at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tt7NK_6jAoJRclpWUiMxWRqO1aaT_5pH
Please direct any questions about membership to the Club Secretary (secretary@crmcc.or.au).
If you have specific questions about vacant committee roles and responsibilities, please contact president@crmcc.org.au .
Upcoming races needing volunteers
2025
21 Jan 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
4 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
11 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
25 Feb 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
11 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
18 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
25 Mar 2025 – SFP crit
Race director
Please contact race.committee@crmcc.org.au if you can fill any of these roles for the club. Also look at the dates in the 2025 calendar where you could help the club. https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar
Thank you to those members who have offered their services to fill roles so our races are run.
