- Race Report – Sutton Driver Training Centre – 12 July 2025
- Next Race – Lookout Hill – 26 July 2025
- Sutton Super Series
- Upcoming races requiring volunteers – race calendar can be found here
Race Report – Sutton Driver Training Centre – 12 July 2025
Another nice, sunny and not so windy Saturday afternoon greeted our 30 odd riders for the 4th Sutton Super Series race.
E Grade
A fresh winter breeze greeted the brave quartet of E Grade riders who lined up at the Sutton Driver Trainer Course for their 30 minutes plus one lap showdown. With just four starters, the race was always going to be a tactical affair — part chess match, part test of grit.
The bunch stayed together for the early part of the race, riders eyeing each other warily, none willing to show their cards too early. That all changed with nine minutes to go, when Russell Marsden and Elizabeth Lowe decided enough was enough and launched a well-timed break from the group.
The move immediately put pressure on Rico Fitch, who struggled to respond and soon found himself adrift, dropping the wheel of Ian Morton, who battled valiantly in no man’s land. Up front, Elizabeth and Russell worked smoothly to consolidate their lead, keeping the pace high and the gap unbridgeable.
As the bell rang for the final lap, it was clear the podium positions were set. In the sprint to the line, Elizabeth Lowe proved strongest, taking a well-earned win ahead of a strong Russell Marsden in second. Ian Morton rolled in for third, showing determination to hold off the chasing Rico Fitch, who rounded out the field.
A small field, but a mighty contest — and a reminder that in racing, it’s not how many starters you have, but what you do with the race you’ve got.
Results – E Grade:
1st – Elizabeth Lowe
2nd – Russell Marsden
3rd – Ian Morton
4th – Rico Fitch
D GRADE
Just three riders fronted up for D Grade. Alison Hale, Ange Hookham, and Alan Bontjer rolled out together, but the cohesion didn’t last long. Roughly a third of the way in, Alison and Ange turned the screws and broke clear, leaving Alan to soldier on solo.
As the race wore on, Ange began turning the screws on the climbs, dropping Alison up the hill on several occasions during the final laps. But each time, Alison clawed her way back, regrouping as they swung around the course and back to the finish straight.
That pattern held—until the final lap. Ange picked her moment perfectly and launched a searing attack, opening a gap that stuck. She crossed the line solo for a well-deserved win, with Alison rolling in for second and Alan completing the podium.
Results – D Grade: 1st – Ange Hookham 2nd – Alison Hale 3rd – Alan Bontjer
C GRADE
Seven riders lined up for C Grade, all keen to stamp their authority on the race. Unfortunately, for spectators hoping for fireworks, the first three-quarters of the event resembled a Sunday coffee roll more than a criterium — steady pace, plenty of chat, and not a lot of movement.
That all changed in the closing stages when Kevin Wells lit the fuse with a sharp move off the front. While the bunch hesitated, Kevin put his head down and opened a gap that kept growing. He powered on solo, holding his advantage all the way into the finishing straight to claim a convincing win.
Behind him, Tony Hrstic timed his sprint well to take second ahead of Stuart Roesler, who rounded out the podium after a late dash for third.
Results – C Grade: 1st – Kevin Wells 2nd – Tony Hrstic 3rd – Stuart Roesler
B GRADE
Looking lean, limber, and suspiciously close to getting upgraded, the B Grade bunch rolled out with intent — or at least looked like they had intent. For most of the race, they gave off the vibe of a tight-knit peloton on a coffee ride. Breakaways? Tactics? None to be seen. This was more Tour de Chit Chat than Tour de France.
With only eight minutes remaining, the race was in full conversation mode. Down the finish straight, Conan Liu could be heard mid-chat, solving global issues or perhaps just describing his latest FTP test. Either way, racing wasn’t top of mind — yet.
Meanwhile, on the roadside, a boisterous and unusually orange-clad group of Dutch fans had begun frothing. Why? Their man, Marc Vroomens, was cruising in the wheels, looking as stressed as someone on a beach holiday — nose breathing, as if to say, “Don’t worry folks, I’ve got this.”
And would you believe it? That’s exactly what happened.
Like a finely tuned espresso machine, Marc clicked into gear halfway down the finishing straight and VROOOMED (pun intended) to a glorious and totally predictable win. Craig Lindenmayer surged impressively to nab second, and Matt Benedetti came barrelling in with a late burst to seal third, powered by what we can only assume was regret at not launching earlier.
Results – B Grade: 1st – Marc Vroomens 2nd – Craig Lindenmayer 3rd – Matt Benedetti
A GRADE
From the outset, A Grade was chaos with a capital “Where’s Jeremy?” The 8-rider start list instantly became 7 when Jeremy Gillman-Wells took one look at the wind chill and realised it wasn’t quite the Côte d’Azur. Presumably off to find a croissant and a heat lamp.
Race officials did a visible double take as Matt Rizzuto and the legendary ‘Pothole’ appeared at the line — both admitting it had been a decade since they’d last raced Sutton. A kind reminder that time makes fools of us all — and also wears out cleats.
From the gun, things were on. As the peloton rounded the start/finish straight for the first time, Tristan Dimmock and Stu Griffiths were already testing the early break waters. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the field — Steve Crispin, Dan Lekhac, Matt Rizzuto, Pothole, and Brad Peppinck — slammed that door faster than a Canberra public servant spotting unpaid overtime. Break neutralised.
By the 25-minute mark, the race had settled into what many assumed would be a predictable group roll to the finish — maybe a few spicy digs, a last-lap sprint, perhaps some well-timed cramps. But oh no. Somewhere over the back of the course, Dan Lekhac and Steve Crispin decided they’d had enough of democracy and launched a two-man coup.
The peloton rolled into view 10 seconds later, with no chase and plenty of confused faces. By the next lap, the gap was 25 seconds, the breakaway riding like identical twins on a tandem, and the chase group riding like they were in a therapy session about commitment.
Tristan, fed up with the paceline apathy, offered a loud, theatrical meltdown. Hands in the air. Expletives flying. The race referee began reaching for the yellow card, while the spectators reached for popcorn.
Then came the great fade: Brad Peppinck and Pothole began to lose contact as Stu and Matt tried to reel in the break. With the gap slowly shrinking, it became a race against time… and possibly against Stu’s baby monitor, which everyone hoped might suddenly buzz him into domestic duty. Alas, no such luck.
With two laps to go, the group at the front was now four — Matt, Dan, Steve, and a flying Stu Griffiths and as the race ticked into its final lap, the four -strong bunch rolled around the bend, all still together. A hush fell over the crowd — interrupted only by a well-known local cycling celebrity who muttered knowingly, “Stu will leave it to midway down the straight, open up, and no one will get near him.”
Well as they hit midway down the finishing straight, Stu launched, left the others standing still, and crossed the line comfortably for the win.
Behind him, Matt Rizzuto squeezed out Steve Crispin for second, leaving Dan narrowly off the podium but hopefully with a solid TrainingPeaks file to show for his effort.
Results – A Grade: 1st – Stu Griffiths 2nd – Matt Rizzuto 3rd – Steve Crispin
DNS – Jeremy “European Summer Only” Gillman-Wells
Nathan Spillane
Next Race – Lookout Hill Handicap – 26 July 2025
Our next event is a handicap race at Lookout Hill.
Enter here https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar?5025681
Cost is $10, with registration closing at 5pm on Friday 25th July.
The club needs 20 riders registered for the event to proceed
Sutton Super Series
Six races will be held over the winter season at the Sutton Road Training Centre, with riders accumulating the points gained as per the list :
1st 10 points
2nd 8 points
3rd 6 points
4th 4 points
5th 3 points
6th+ 2 points
This scoring system differs from the RMS. 10 points will still be awarded to the winner even if only one rider starts the race.
Riders with the most points accumulated at the end of the series will be crowned grand champions for their grade.
Here are the main rules:
- The final round will be worth double points and riders that participate in all races will get a bonus 12 points.
- Prizes such as gift vouchers will be presented after the final race for first, second and third places.
- Riders must compete in the final race to receive a prize and be present at the prize ceremony.
- Riders who are promoted will take half their points with them to the higher grade.
- Point scores will be kept for each grade and updated after each round.
- If more than one rider finishes with the same final score, a count-back of the overall results will determine the higher place getter.
- The races may not all be scratch races, with a points race as another option.
Riders intending to compete in the series should make themselves familiar with all the rules. Any feedback will be welcome prior to the first race but it won’t be possible to make changes to the format after that.
Upcoming races needing volunteers
2025
09 August 2025 – Sutton Driver Training Centre
Race Director, Van Driver
23 August 2025 – Iron Mike Handicap
Race Director, ETC x 3
Please contact 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 can run.
