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Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 21st February, 2022

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

From the Race Committee

The RMS has been updated with the ACT races that we have currently secured approval. The Committee is still working on NSW events.

We are looking for volunteers to fill the Race Director and Marshal positions so that we can ensure the running of these races.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 22nd February: Stromlo Criterium – Club Championship

Note: Tomorrow’s Crit is only for men age groups M1 (30-34) thru M5 (50-54)

Note: Pre-registration required by 22 Feb 2022 3:50 pm.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
M4 (45-49)/M5 (50-54) @5:50 40 min
M1 (30-34)/ M2 (35-39)/M3 (40-44) @6:40 45 min
*Age Classification is the Age that you turn on your birthday in 2022, e.g. a rider who turns 40 in December 2022 is classed as M3 (40-44) or W2 (40-49) for all events during 2022.

Race Director: Allan Bontjer Contact: Email: allan@allanbontjer.net Ph 0422 808 035

Marshals: Rosemary Robinson

Thursday, 24th February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice,
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race,
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 2-lap paired match races (Omnium Event),
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap handicap race,
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 27th February – Tharwa – Age Standard Time Trial

Note: Pre-registration required by 26 Feb 2022 6:00 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Start near Cuppacumbalong Homestead entry. Parking in Tharwa village or picnic area adjacent western end of Tharwa Bridge.
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
From carpark near bridge to Apollo Rd and return.

Race Director: tba Contact: Email: tba Ph tba

Marshals: tba

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 15th February

Race 1 – M8, M9, M10 and M11, 30 min +2 laps.

The age groups rolled out as separate bunches, and we had the pleasure of seeing some very aggressive and varied racing.

First M8 rolled away and locked into a very tight bunch. While there were plenty of attacks, with Brian Peak and David Rowe leading the charge, none got very far or lasted more than a lap. The pace was high and saw the bunch whittle down from 9 to 7 at the end for an extremely tight sprint, which saw Eoin Rothery take 1st, Brian Peak 2nd and Bruce McMillan 3rd.

Next, the M9 saw Mark Taylor attack hard on lap 1 taking Alex and Rico with him. These three stayed away for the rest of the race before Mark won in a decisive sprint finish.

M10 saw one of the most impressive rides of the night. Des Brown showed his exceptional form establishing a sizable break within the first lap, and going on to lap his M10 competition and take 1st. Dennis Puniard and Michael Spoljaric worked well together before sprinting for 2nd with Dennis taking it out.

Finally Bernard Crowe, rode a relentless pace for the 30 mins + 2 laps flying the flag for the M11 category inspiring all present. Chapeau Bernie 1st!

February 22, 2022

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 24th January, 2022

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

• From the Desk of the President

• 2022 Annual General Meeting

• From the Race Committee

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the President

Dear CRMCCers,

As I complete my Presidency of Capital Region Masters Cycling Club, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the committee and all the volunteers that have helped make the club what it is. If we think back to some of the challenges that we’ve all had to overcome in the past couple of years, I think we can all agree that it has been a tumultuous time, heat waves, bush fires, global pandemics, the retirement from van mgt of Graham, working with local state governments and their ever-changing rules have all impacted on what we want to do, which is race our bikes together.

Thankfully, the strength within the club, to try and maintain a race program and to race in a fun and supportive environment has triumphed far more often than not. And that is testament to all involved.

The committee is still working hard on many things, one of the main items being NSW race approvals and what the club needs to do to compete across the border. We have completed the administrative tasks for the renaming of the club, we are now closing in on club kit designs (look out for upcoming voting opportunity) and we will also look to add livery to the van and roadside race branding (think banners and flags etc.). There are still many lessons to be learned from last year’s club evaluation report. And I hope the incoming President/committee can build upon the work completed to date following the evaluation.

So, it is soon time to hand over to a new president and committee to further the work we have done – which given the above elements has been considerable and I am very proud of the work completed.

If you’re interested in joining the committee, contact secretary@actvets.cc for a nomination form. The AGM will be on Monday 14 February 2022 at 7.00pm Raiders Club Weston

New Cycling Gear

The CRMCC Committee has been exploring options for a new kit design for the club. We give our sincere thanks to Jimmy Carroll for his time and effort to develop different design options. These have been shortlisted to three jersey designs for members to vote upon. The winning design will be paired with navy blue knicks.

Please review the design images below and vote once. Voting will close at 5pm next Sunday 30 January, and we will announce the winning design in next week’s Bleat.

Please note that the full club name will appear on the back of the jersey, and the wording ACTVETS 1993 will appear on the back of the collar.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7B6GBG7

Seymour Savell-Boss
ACT Vets Cycling Club President.

2022 Annual General Meeting – Held in a COVID Safe Environment

The AGM for 2022 will be held on Monday 14th February 2022 at 7:00pm in the Loft Meeting Room at the Raiders Club Weston.

Those attending the AGM will be required to wear a mask.

NOTE: Any Apologies should be advised to the secretary.

Thinking of Joining the Committee

You’d be very welcome. Talk to a current committee member to find out more and submit a nomination form 7 days prior to the AGM on the 14th February 2022.

Russell Marston
Secretary ACT Veterans Cycling Club
secretary@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

Replacement Marshall Required

A replacement Marshall is required for tomorrow night’s Criterium. Please advise the Race Committee at race.committee@actvets.cc is you can assist.

Membership Renewals

A reminder that 2022 memberships are now due for renewal. For insurance purposes, members must be financial in order to race. To renew your membership go to the following link https://memberdesq.sportstg.com//index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244 and log in with your Username and Password. If you have forgotten your Username and/or Password, you can use the retrieval options by clicking on ‘Forgotten your Password?’

Please do not leave renewing your membership until the day you plan to race, as a separate manual process is required by the race committee to upload membership details into RMS so that you can enter online. If you leave it until the last minute, it is likely that you will receive an error message indicating that you are not financial. Pre-race registration will continue to be required for all races in 2022.

[Editors Note: I don’t like the design of the new GameDay website. They have put light grey buttons on a white background which makes it very hard to find the ‘Next’ button to go to the next page. You’ll have to look closely to see them.]

Race Numbers

If you have forgotten to bring your race number or have recently joined the club and have not yet received your race number, please use a handwritten number that reflects your ‘official’ race number (ie the number you used to register for the race) and ensure that your race number is accurately recorded in the finishing chute. Last week some riders raced using a ‘visitor’ number (ie a 700 series number) which are reserved for trial riders. If you use an incorrect number, it is difficult for the race committee to reconcile the results with the list of registered riders and your results will be omitted from the official results in RMS.

If you require a new race number please contact membership@actvets.cc and a new number will be sent to you.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Alison Hale D to C
Anthony Dick D to C
Pat Rooke E to D

Hall of Shame
Dougal Torrance C to B

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 25th January: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 25 Jan 2022 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 45m+2, D 40m+2
E/F/G 6:40 30 min + 2 laps
A/C 7:15 A 45m+2, C 40m+2

Race Director: Damian Copeland Contact: Email: damiancopeland@me.com Ph 0450 903 676

Marshals: tba

Thursday, 27th January: Track Racing

Note that we had to make track bookings for Feb/March and have decided on a Thursday track evening for the remainder of the season.

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 4-lap handicap;
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 10-lap points race
7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 30th January: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 18th January

A night of racing that had everything, from cold windy (though dry) weather conditions, to kangaroo invasions and two tight peloton-catching-the-solo-breakaway-on-the-line finishes. We even had a crash, which thankfully wasn’t too serious.

E and F Grades

We started the night off with E and F grades starting out together with 6 and 3 riders respectively. The two grades quickly separated out into their own races. F grade then had a selection with Polly Templeton and Ross Heazlewood riding together and finishing in that order. Michael Spoljaric finished in third just behind them.

E grade rode at a steady pace throughout, with Pat Rooke showing her awesome sprint power at the finish to win ahead of Shirley-Anne Taylor and Mick Donaldson.

A Grade

Started with a hard attack off the line by Dan Lekhac, which he held for quite a few laps before being caught. This then inspired Nick Stewart and Marc Vroomans to go away together for about ten minutes. Marc then thought the shelter of the bunch seemed a more appealing prospect and dropped back. Not so Nick, who relished the chance to get in some high quality suffering and continued solo. Eventually three others decided it wasn’t fair for Nick to have all the pain to himself, and so went across to him, to make a break of 4. This is about the time that they caught C grade, and so ensued “The Great Shambles”. There were shouts of which side to stay from both grades, and consequently there were riders spread across the track going at various speeds. When I eventually looked from behind my hands everyone had sorted themselves out, and it was Nick away with Daniel and the bunch chasing furiously behind. With so much horsepower up the road it was always going to be hard for the bunch to pull back the break, and so it proved. Nick got the better of Daniel to take a well deserved and impressive win, with Paul Watson winning the bunch kick for third.

C Grade

This was very frisky at the start, with Mark Taylor and Vanessa Judge going up the road for quite a while. Eventually they were brought back and things settled into a fast but steady tempo. Then things got spicy! Ian Preston appeared to be trying to get away at about the time of “The Great Shambles” overtaking manoeuvre (see A grade report). Like shrapnel from an exploding bomb he appeared to have been launched up the road, valiantly trying to avoid the various groups of A graders trying to sort themselves out. C grade were likewise settling themselves, and Ian was away with an enormous gap. The bell was rung, with Ian looking supremely confident, but the bunch closing fast. Suddenly, there was the unnerving sound of a crash on Collarbone Corner. Michael Larkin had clipped a pedal and blown a tyre and was down (thankfully alone and relatively uninjured) with our first aid man Simon Whitehead very quickly on the scene. Would Ian hold on? Sadly for Ian and the many fans in the crowd cheering him on, no, he wouldn’t hold on, with Dougal Torrance catching him right on the line to take the win. Ian held on for second, with Rodney Welch getting third. It was good to see Dougal get the reward of the win after doing most of the setup and putting away of everything for the night’s racing.

D Grade

Was run at a good solid pace all night. There appeared to be various moves but all were quickly brought to heel by a watchful bunch, seemingly all intent on having a bunch gallop. Well that’s what they wanted, and so that is what they got. Alison Hale emerged triumphant in the sprint, with Anthony Dick second and Elizabeth Lowe in third.

B Grade

This was a cracking race. There were quite a few attacks going on, with the most persistent being Peter Merrick, who was away for what seemed an eternity. Eventually he was brought back, but with about five minutes or so to go Jason Irwin launched. He got to a good lead and held it, but it was always looking to be unlikely. But still he held, and with 2 laps to go there were efforts being made to get the chase going. The bunch were really hauling now, but still he held. At the bell he was still a little off the front, but the bunch were motoring. Surely they would cruelly mow him down? Coming down the straight and peering through the dim light they all appeared to be together. But wait! He was still off the front, but they were coming fast and he was pedalling squares, and then they all arrived on the line together! Had he got it or had he been caught? There was controversy among the judges and spectators on the line, and frankly it was so dark by that stage that my old eyes couldn’t really pick it. But a confident celebration after the line seemed to carry the day, and judges and fellow riders all decided he had in fact held on for a well deserved victory. Peter Merrick was a very, very close second, with Gavin Stephens a very close third.

My thanks to Mark Porter for marshalling, and Simon Whitehead for doing the first aid which was unfortunately required on the night. Special thanks to Dougal as mentioned previously for doing most of the setup and packing away on the night.

Mark Harris

Track Racing – 20th January

The seventh track racing session for the 2021-22 season ran on Thursday 20 January. The weather was overcast for most of the day. However, there was no rain, so racing could proceed. There was a strong, wind from an unusual direction creating a challenging headwind into and around the first turn. We had 15 riders participating, 8 in A grade and 7 in B grade. After a long absence, Lindy Hou returned to race on a tandem with Kerry Knowler. We also had Peter Brooks giving track a go for the first time.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Dougal Torrance leading out and immediately establishing a fast tempo. By lap 5, John Paul DeSousa was holding a solid pace at the front when Michael Langdon put in an attacking feint. This stirred the pack into an immediate response. Michael gave up his advantage after a lap. By this stage, the whole pack was looking very toey. Riders were splayed up the banking at least three abreast. This continued until the approach to the bell lap when Michael Langdon put in a further attack that spread out riders over the bell lap. Michael cruised to a comfortable victory with John Paul De Sousa and Dougal Torrance in pursuit for second and third places respectively.

The B Grade scratch race proceeded with fairly orderly turns at a solid, but slightly variable, pace. The bunch held together until the final lap, at which point Alison Hale accelerated off the front with the pack suddenly energised, in pursuit. Sarah Stephens and Bruce Griffin were hot in pursuit, but could not claw back the metres gained in Alison’s initial acceleration. Alison took the win with Sarah and Bruce taking second and third spots respectively.

The next event was an interesting 1-lap, standing start, time trial. It was no surprise that Michal Langdon set the fastest time of 27.35 seconds. The next best times in A grade were 29.29s by John Paul De Sousa and 29.93s by Dougal Torrance. The upset of the evening was a fabulous 29.48s by Sarah Stephens from B grade. This time could have given her third place in A grade, had she been eligible. The second and third best times in B grade were 31.35s by Alison Hale and 31.70s by Bruce Griffin.

A 2-lap handicap was held after the time trials. This race was all-in with a mixed field of A and B grade riders. The event was closely contested with B grade figuring prominently in the final results, Ken Birch took a very creditable win, just ahead of Sarah Stephens and Alison Hale in that order. The A2 grade dominated the remaining positions with 4 – 6 placings being taken by James Newhouse, Warwick Wilson and Tony Beasley.

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. This event unfolded with greater predictability than normal. Pat Rooke and Alison Hale sent team 2 off to a great start and the remaining riders in team 2 never looked like giving up the initial advantage. Michael Langdon was able to cruise through the final lap, for a victory to team 2.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, John Paul De Sousa, Dougal Torrance. (A2 Grade) Tony Beasley, Kerry Knowler / Lindy Hou tandem, Warwick Wilson,. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Sarah Stephens, Bruce Griffin.
2-Lap Handicap: Ken Birch, Sarah Stephens, Alison Hale, James Newhouse, Warwick Wilson, Tony Beasley.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Michael Langdon, Warwick Wilson, Alison Hale, Pat Rooke, Tony Beasley).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (140), Tony Beasley (128), Ken Birch (107), James Newhouse (103), Michael Langdon (90), Craig Kentwell (88), John Paul De Sousa (85), Steve Jones (79), Bruce Griffin (70), Graeme O’Neill (69), Phil Coulton (64), Warwick Wilson (62), Rowan McMurray (53), Kerry Knowler (47), Sarah Stephens (35), Pat Rooke (32).

Graeme O’Neill

January 25, 2022

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 10th January, 2022

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat.

• IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• Racing this Week

• Race Report

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

Race Numbers

If you require a new race number please contact membership@actvets.cc and a new number will be sent to you.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Bruce Goodfellow B to A
Jason Irwin C to B
Michael Larkin D to C
Craig Kentwell D to C

Mark Harris wins A grade

Unless someone scours the club results to prove me wrong, Mark Harris has created club history by being the first M7 rider to win an A grade criterium race. This was Mark’s first win in this grade since 2018. He has a very long history with the club, having debuted in a C grade scratch race at Lookout Hill back in 1996. Since then he’s accumulated 481 club events and about 70 wins! Although primarily a crit rider in club events now, Mark had a golden period in Feb–April 2000 when he won six consecutive road races. He also proved unbeatable in criteriums in 2006–2007, where he recorded 10 wins from 12 starts, and early 2015 with eight wins from 10 starts. In recent years he’s also been NSW and Australian criterium age champion.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 11th January: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 11 Jan 2022 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
A/C 5:50 A 45m+2, C 40m+2
B/D 6:40 B 45m+2, D 40m+2
E/F/G 7:30 30 min + 2 laps

Race Director: Michael Langdon Contact: Email: micklan.ml@gmail.com Ph 0416 621 698

Marshals:David Johnson

Thursday, 13th January: Track Racing

Note that Track Racing will be held on Thursday evening, on a trial basis, for the next 4 weeks.

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.30pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.30pm – 6.50pm: Re-scheduled Christmas Wheel Race (6-lap handicap);
6.50pm – 7.10pm: Italian Pursuit.

Sunday, 16th January: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORT:

SFP Criterium – 4th January

With Tim Bailey’s forecast of hot and windy conditions and good numbers it was always going to be a tough night and we weren’t disappointed.

G Grade

G was a 2 horse race with Mike and Bernard swapping off for most of the race until Mike hit the turbos and rode away, handicapper was very interested in the strength of M Spoljaric and I think he will see himself re graded.

F Grade

Bob Miller was the only F grader to challenge the conditions and was up against that Man in Mirror. He decided to roll away with E Grade, was strong the whole race and held on until the end with the higher grade strong effort.

E Grade

It was Ladies Night in E grade with 6 riders fronting up with little action throughout the race with either the heat stopping the riders from attacking or the general agreement for no attacks until In the end it came down to a last lap frenzy with Pat Rooke too strong taking out the win ahead of Cat Riley.

D Grade

A sizable field of 15 riders started the race with only 1 DNF. Once again the heat played a pivotal role in slowing down the riders and reducing the number of attacks during the race. Initially Liz Lowe and Tony Sheehan animated the race with a strong attack until it was all back together with a bunch sprint going to Michael Larkin with 2nd going to Craig Kentwell and 3rd Kevin Newhouse.

C Grade

14 riders decided to tackle the race. Damian Copeland jumped early however was pulled back slowly with a strong attack from Dominator who was later quoted as saying “Racing Was the winner”, and due to a mix up with an A grader sitting on the front of C grade. He was bought back only to be hit hard by a dominant move by Jason Irwin which proved to be the move of the night riding away with the win and will be expected to be in B grade next week minor places went to Wayne Benham and Bruce McMillan.

B Grade

From the outset we knew we were in for a race with Peter Young and Darren Blackhurst getting away and working extremely well a big effort from Bruce Goodfellow and Matt Hinchcliffe bought the break back together and the race was on. With the bell lap going and a big attack coming from Michael Langdon our Track Specialist we thought it was over. Unfortunately a gust of wind pushed him into the gutter and a strong finishing Bruce G was able to come over the top and take the win.

A Grade

From the outset Mark Harris looked strong getting away with Ben Carmody for 6 laps until a strong surge from Nick Stewart bought it back together. Nick then continued over the top and put a gap in with fellow breakaway rider Mark Harris. The two stayed away with Rainer and Terra at different stages trying to bridge however the combination and the willingness to work together saw Mark and Nick pull away with Mark eventually taking the sprint from Nick. 3rd place was a bunch sprint that Rainer won with ease.

Big thanks to Jason Chalker sweeper and Marshall extraordinaire and Ex Club Prez Dougal Torrance who was doing his own work on the sideline helping the ladies across the track and working the chute finish line.

Gerard Tiffen

January 11, 2022

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 3rd January, 2022

Happy New Year Masters,

Hope you all had a great break over Christmas / New Year and you are all looking forward to another great year of racing (hopefully less interrupted than the last two).

For the first Bleat of 2022;

• IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

• From the Desk of the President

• Racing this Week

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

Members,

A number of the current Committee members have indicated they will be stepping down at the next AGM in February.

I would encourage all Club Members to concider nominating for a position on the Committee to ensure the club can continue to function and provide great racing for all members. Please let me know if you are interested.

Seymour Savell-Boss
ACT Vets Cycling Club President.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 4th January: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 4 Jan 2022 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

No late entries accepted.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 42m+2, D 38m+2
E/F/G 6:35 28 min + 2
A/C 7:15 A 42m+2, C 38m+2

Race Director: Gerard Tiffen Contact: Email: gt@tiffenandco.com Ph 0414 323 373

Marshals:Jason Chalker

Thursday, 6th January: Track Racing

Note that Track Racing will be held on Thursday evening, on a trial basis, for the next 4 weeks.

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.30pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.30pm – 6.50pm: Christmas Wheel Race (6-lap handicap);
6.50pm – 7.10pm: Italian Pursuit

Sunday, 9th January: No Scheduled Road Race

January 4, 2022

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 13th December, 2021

Hello Masters,

We’ve had a few technical problems with The Bleat. It can happen that some ISPs blacklist the SportsTG email domain as spam. This occurred last week for OptusNet users. If you don’t receive the Bleat, you can always check the website for a copy at https://capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au/category/the-bleat/.

The image server is also not currently available so pictures can’t be displayed.

In the Bleat this week;

• Web Site Change

• From the Desk of the President

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

Web Site Change

The cycling club has changed it’s name to the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club

You can find the new website at capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au

RMS calendar is still at https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar

or https://rms.actvets.cc/index for results

Watch up for updated URLs for the RMS soon

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

Members,

A number of the current Committee members have indicated they will be stepping down at the next AGM in February.

Seymour Savell-Boss
ACT Vets Cycling Club President.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

This week’s promotions

Heath Chester B to A (Permanent)
Jeremy Schieb B to A
Tom Stewart-Moore C to B
Dale Dummett E to D

CRMs out and about

Well done to Peta Brill and Vanessa Judge, who were 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the Bowral Classic women’s division 2 criterium over the weekend.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

Late Entries

When racing resumes in January, we will not be accepting late entries.

This is to ensure that all riders have re-registered and are fully financial so that all participants are covered by the Club’s Insurance.

Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 14th December: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 14 Dec 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
Christmas Wheel race Qualifiers
E/F/G 5:50 25 m 2 laps
A/C 6:20 A 30m 2, C 25m 2
B/D 6:50 B 30m 2, D 25m 2
$50 prize money for the winner of each grade

Wheel Race Final
1st 5 riders of each grade from qualifying races – 7:35 – 4 laps with each grade handicapped
$50 prize money for the winner of the final

Race Director: Dale Kleeman Contact: Email: dalek011@gmail.com Ph 0438 516 382

Marshals:Daniel Crocker

Wednesday, 15th December: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.40pm: Christmas Wheel Race (6-lap handicap).

This track session will be the last for 2021. There will be drinks and nibbles at the conclusion of the wheel race – all welcome. Track racing will resume early January in the new year.

IMPORTANT NOTICE – NARRABUNDAH TRACK RACING – CHANGE OF RACE DAY

The track group has an option to change the race session from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening for the new year. The group has favoured this change for several years but could not previously implement it, as the Thursday evening track booking was held by another cycling club.

In general, Thursday evening is preferred, as it would allow a rest day between the Tuesday crits and the track meeting. If any club member has a strong preference for either evening, please email your comments to gon@netspeed.com.au before 20 Dec 2021. If your happy with either evening, we don’t need further input. After we have reviewed member comments, a final decision will be made by Graeme O’Neill and Phil Coulton in time for the near year race program. This will commence on either 5 or 6 January 2022.

Sunday, 19th December: Cotter Reserve Time Trial

Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 18/12/2021 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Van will park at the Cotter Reserve just south of the smaller bridge over the Cotter river.
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
Free event for XMas
Cotter Reserve to Mt. McDonald. Start just south of the smaller bridge over the Cotter River. Head east on Cotter Rd and turn left onto Brindabella Rd. Climb to the last rise opposite the entry to Cotter pines.

Race Director: Michael Golding Contact: Email: magolding2010@gmail.com Ph 0402 011 986

Marshals: Simon Priest, Darren Blackhurst ETC, Van driver – Matt Hinchcliffe

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 7th December

The first race of the evening saw E & F grades go out in a gentle breeze.

E Grade began with a Rosemary Robinson & Paul McKay trying some early attacks, only to be drawn back in by the bunch fairly quickly. That was about it for hostilities until the sprint, with Dale Dummett finishing ahead of Geoff Ellacott and Cat Riley in third.

F grade began the race with a steady pace, but then began heating things up at the 5 to go mark. Michelle Hodgetts turned out to be the strongest finisher a took the win ahead of Robert Miller and Mike Hayes in third.

A Grade began with James Meadley and Iain Johnstone trying some early attacks, however without much wind the pack managed to close the gaps quite easily. Mid way into the race saw Jeremy Gillman-Wells get out to a promising 150m break, however again the pack reeled him in. Shortly after Matt Rizzuto and James Meadley made a strong combined effort, however James Meadley returned to the pack. At the 10 minutes to go mark the pack were all together and just as it looked as though everyone was resigned to a sprint finish Tristan Dimmock gave it one last go, but again was reined in. So it came to a drag race down the final straight with Jeremy Gillman-Wells pulling ahead of Kristopher McCreath and Matt Rizzuto in third place.

C grade began with an instant attack from Dominic Romano, only to be quickly pulled back by the pack. No to be perturbed the Dominator launched several more attempts, before Damian Copeland, Simon Porombka and Stephen Terracini also gave it a go, only to suffer the same fate. At the halfway point the pack split momentarily and just as they re-joined the Dominator again launched an attack, only to be again pulled back by the bunch. Tom Stewart-Moore launched one final attempt to break away, but the bunch were keen for a sprint finish, so they entered the final lap all together with Graham Tanton taking the win ahead of Tom Stewart-Moore and Dominic Romano.

Last up was B and D grades with the gentle breeze conditions holding out.

B grade got off to a gentle start and stayed that way until the 10 minute mark when few attacks were attempted. With the attacks proving unsuccessful, the bunch underwent a brief mid race acceleration, almost getting into single file for a moment, but stayed together for a sprint finish with Heath Chester taking the win ahead of Jeremy Schieb and Todd Sowter in third.

D grade got off to a very gentle start and had to deal with a few kangaroos coming down for an evening meal. The pace warmed up about midway with the bunch almost splitting just as even more kangaroos decided to cross the track. Luckily Conan Liu decided to make a quick switch from photographic duties to kangaroo herder to keep everyone safe. The race finished with Michael Larkin attempting a long distance sprint, only to be reined in by Craig Kentwell who took the win, with Alison Hale finishing third.

Tony Rowley

Track Racing – 8st December

The fifth track racing session for the 2021-22 season ran on Wednesday 8 December. The weather looked very threatening in the afternoon. However, as no rain had fallen by 4pm, it was decided to take a leap of faith and run the session. Fortunately, this proved to be a good decision, as the weather steadily improved over the racing session, eventually providing clear patches of sky and some sunlight. There was initially a brisk headwind in the back straight. This moderated over the session. Attendance was good in the circumstances, with 13 riders participating, 7 in A grade and 6 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Craig Kentwell leading out and gradually ramping up the pace to a good tempo over the first two laps. Turns on the front by Tony Beasley, Kerry Knowler and Marc Vroomans followed. On lap 5, Marc Vroomans attacked off the front. However, the attack was quickly shut down by a rapid reaction and pursuit from Kerry Knowler. The pack consolidated as the bell lap approached and eventually rounded into the bell lap with riders splayed up the high banking jockeying for a good position for attacking. The bell unleashed a furious pursuit with Marc Vroomans leading out. Steve Jones, Rowan McMurray and Tony Beasley were soon hitting top speed, motoring around the lead rider as the finish lap progressed. Steve Jones took the win from Rowan McMurray. Tony Beasley had a great ride to snaffle third place and the lead position for A2 grade riders.

The B Grade scratch race began with fairly orderly turns over the first six laps by Colin Calderwood, Bruce Griffin, Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Phil Coulton and Graeme O’Neill. The pace was seesawing until the penultimate lap when the final attack began. Alison Hale and Ken Birch led out, putting the pack under extreme pressure and dropping back markers. Alison managed to hold a great pace for the final two laps to take the win. Ken took a close second with Colin Calderwood holding out for third placing.

The next events were 2-lap, paired, match races. The handicapper tried to pair riders with near equal sprint ability, though this was never quite assured. Most riders rode tactically for 1 to 1.3 laps before launching into the sprint. However, Rowan Mc Murray went early on the first lap. This proved a winning strategy for Rowan, who is well known as an endurance athlete. The other match races were interesting in their own unique way. Match race winners were Tony Beasley, Rowan McMurray, Steve Jones, Ken Birch, Alison Hale and Graeme O’Neill.

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. There were a few last-minute changes in team selection and unfortunately these ultimately had a negative effect on Team 1. Both teams made good starts and rode in disciplined fashion, with no major hiccups. Team 2 had a strong B grade contingent and these riders made their presence known by early pace, gradually establishing a quarter lap lead which Team 2 held through the remaining race. For the final two laps, Team 1’s anchors, Kerry Knowler and Steve Jones had no prospect of a win, though they both rode as aggressively as they could. Congratulation to Team 2 for an emphatic win.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones, Rowan McMurray, Marc Vroomans. (A2 Grade) Tony Beasley James Newhouse, Craig Kentwell. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Colin Calderwood.
2-Lap Match Race Winners: (A Grade) Tony Beasley, Rowan McMurray, Steve Jones. (B Grade) Ken Birch, Alison Hale and Graeme O’Neill.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Marc Vroomans, Craig Kentwell, Alison Hale, Phil Coulton, Tony Beasley, Rowan McMurray).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (100), Tony Beasley (90), Ken Birch (80), Craig Kentwell (77), James Newhouse (76), Michael Langdon (70), Phil Coulton (64), John Paul De Sousa (61), Steve Jones (61), Rowan McMurray (53), Bruce Griffin (52), Graeme O’Neill (52), Kerry Knowler (31), Karen Clutson (30), Warwick Wilson (30), Marc Vroomans (30).

Graeme O’Neill

December 14, 2021

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 6th December, 2021

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

• Web Site Change

• From the Desk of the President

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

Web Site Change

The cycling club has changed it’s name to the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club

You can find the new website at capitalregionmasterscyclingclub.org.au

RMS calendar is still at https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar

or https://rms.actvets.cc/index for results

Watch up for updated URLs for the RMS soon

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

Members,

A number of the current Committee members have indicated they will be stepping down at the next AGM in February.

Seymour Savell-Boss
ACT Vets Cycling Club President.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

This week’s promotions

Dale Riley B to A
Craig Lindenmayer C to B
Craig O’Neall D to C
Colin Calderwood E to D
Robert Solomon F to E

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

Correction to Results

There was an error in RMS with the calculation of the age groups for women in the Club Championships, which had all three women in the same category (F3). As Terry had a milestone birthday this year she should have been in the next age group (F4) which means that Rosemary and Linda came 1st and 2nd respectively in F3.

Dangerous Overtaking

There have been a number of complaints from lower grades of a dangerous situation that arises when being overtaken by higher grades.

As shown in the below diagram, there is a tendency in some situations, particularly on corners, for the lead riders of the overtaking bunch, once they have passed the lower grade to move across onto the racing line of the lower grade.

The remaining members of the overtaking bunch then tend to follow the racing line that the leaders have taken, resulting in the lower grade being cut-off.

To avoid this situation, the Lead Riders of the overtaking bunch are requested to remain on the opposite side of the Track Centre Line until the whole bunch has had the opportunity to pass (even if this means sacrificing some tactical advantage).

Your assistance in following this practice will help make racing safer for all competitors.

Late Entries

When racing resumes in January, we will not be accepting late entries.

This is to ensure that all riders have re-registered and are fully financial so that all participants are covered by the Club’s Insurance.

Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 7th December: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 7 Dec 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 28 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:25 A 42m+2, C 38m+2
B/D 7:15 B 42m+2, D 38m+2

Race Director: Tony Rowley Contact: Email: tony.j.rowley@gmail.com Ph 0421 453 062

Marshals:Vanessa Judge

Wednesday, 8th December: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 7.00pm: 2-lap paired match races;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 12th December

No scheduled race.

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 30th November

A grade saw Gerard Tiffen and Tristan Dimmock attack early and hold a solid gap for most of the race. A late bridging attempt led by Mark Harris brought Matt Rizzutto and Stephen Blackburn to the front to form a group of 5. After doing a mountain of work, Gerard Tiffen was able to hold off a fast finishing Mark Harris for the win, with fellow breakaway companion Tristan Dimmock holding on for third.

B grade had an aggressive start, with Dale Riley and a fellow rider holding the bunch at half a lap for most of the race(??? I have Race number 300 written down but that’s clearly not right – does anyone know the name of this second rider who was part of the long breakaway in B. I think he was from QUON). Darren Blackhurst put in a number of attacks, but it was Chris Filitrault who managed to bridge across to the front two in the final few laps, and then soon after attack and hold a gap for the win. Daly Riley managed to hold on for second while Bruce Goodfellow sprinted home for third.

In C Grade Dominic Romano put in the expected attacks throughout the race, including some time of the front in the final few laps. Tom Stewart-Moore and visitor Sandford Beggs also had a few digs, but it ended up in a bunch sprint with Craig Lindemayer taking the win followed by Andrew Buick and Simon Porombka.

D grade largely stuck together as the wind started to pick up, with Anthony Dick winning the bunch sprint followed by Alex Sommariva and Anthony Dick.

Some attacks by Paul McKay saw E-grade split into two bunches, leading to some confusion in the dying laps with an early bell given – apologies to those forced to do a few extra sprints. Pat Rooke took the win followed by Colin Calderwood and Paul McKay.

F grade saw Robert Solomon take the win followed by Dennis Punniard and Robert Miller, with Bernard Crowe battling impending darkness and strong winds for another win in F grade.

Kieran Butler

Track Racing – 1st December

Wednesday 1 December saw the fourth track racing session for the 2021-22 season. Thunderstorms were predicted for the evening and threatening clouds gathered in the afternoon. However, the weather improved as the racing session approached, eventually providing fine, warm conditions for racing. There was a brisk headwind in the front straight, an unusual wind direction for the Bundadome. Attendance was satisfactory with 14 riders, 8 in A grade and 6 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Michael Langdon leading out at an easy pace. At half a lap Tony Beasley took over and raised the pace to a good tempo. Over the first 6 laps Michael Langdon, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse, John Paul De Sousa and Craig Kentwell took turns at the front, with the pace holding a good tempo. After Craig Kentwell’s lead out for laps 5 and 6, Steve Jones lifted the pace on Lap 7 and attacked hard on the final lap, with Craig and Kerry Knowler immediately taking up the pursuit. Steve held his pace for an emphatic win. Approaching the finish, John Paul De Sousa and Michael Langdon accelerated past Craig Kentwell and Kerrry Knowler to take second and third respectively.

The B Grade scratch race began with Phil Coulton putting in two laps on the front and holding a steady, tolerable pace. Bruce Griffin took over and raised the pace. Orderly turns by Ken Birch, Alison Hale, Graeme O’Neill and Pat Rooke followed. With two laps to go, the pace quickened and the pack began to string out. The final lap commenced with Ken Birch in the lead and the remaining pack quickly closing in. The final sprint saw Alison Hale riding strongly for the win with good efforts by Bruce Griffin and Ken Birch to take second and third placings in that order.

The next event was 2-lap, all-in handicap where 12 riders from A & B grades competed. Graeme O’Neill led out from limit. Phil Coulton put in a blistering start and overtook the limit rider in the first lap. By 1.5 laps, Phil was still holding a solid pace as three riders streamed past for a very fast finish. Tony Beasley put in a great effort to take a close win from James Newhouse and Alison Hale in that order.

The next events were graded snowball races. These are points races with multiple sprints (every 2 laps). The sprint points escalate as the races progress. The A grade race was 8 laps with 4 sprints and the B grade race was 6 laps with 3 sprints. Results in A grade were Steve Jones (12 pts), Michael Langdon (9 pts) and Rowan Mc Murray (7 pts). For B grade, the results were Alison Hale (11 pts), Bruce Griffin (6 pts), Phil Coulton and Pat Rooke (tied on 5 pts).

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. There were some disingenuous groans from Team 1 when the team selections were announced. However, the handicapper held firm, knowing the difference between theory and practice in team strengths. The race confirmed this. Both teams rode in disciplined fashion, with no major hiccups. Phil Coulton and Bruce Griffin got Team 1 off to a handy start. Around mid-race Kerry Knowler took over the pacing for Team 1 and scorched around the track building an unbeatable lead. In the latter part of the race, John Paul De Sousa and Steve Jones did their best to recover the situation for Team 2. However, their rivals, Rowan McMurray and Michael Langdon would not give up any of Team 1’s hard earned lead. The result was a comfortable win to Team 1.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones, John Paul De Sousa, Michael Langdon. (A2 Grade) Kerry Knowler, Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Bruce Griffin, Ken Birch.
2-Lap Handicap: Tony Beasley, James Newhouse, Alison Hale.
Snowball Races: (A1 Grade) Steve Jones (12 pts), Michael Langdon (9 pts), Rowan Mc Murray (7 pts). (A2 Grade) Kerry Knowler (3 pts), Craig Kentwell (2 pts), Tony Beasley (1 pt). (B Grade) Alison Hale (11 pts), Bruce Griffin (6 pts), Phil Coulton & Pat Rooke (5 pts).
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Michael Langdon, Bruce Griffin, Alison Hale, Phil Coulton, Kerry Knowler, Tony Beasley, Rowan McMurray).

Season Point Score Update:
Alison Hale (80), Michael Langdon (70), Tony Beasley (70), Ken Birch (63), John Paul De Sousa (61), James Newhouse (61), Craig Kentwell (61), Phil Coulton (50), Steve Jones (43), Bruce Griffin (42), Graeme O’Neill (39), Rowan McMurray (34), Karen Clutson (30), Warwick Wilson (30), Ian Drayton (24).

Graeme O’Neill

December 7, 2021

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 29nd November, 2021

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 30th November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 30 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
A/C 5:50 A 42m+2, C 38m+2
B/D 6:35 B 42m+2, D 38m+2
E/F/G 7:20 28 min + 2 laps

Race Director: Stephen Terracini Contact: Email: slterracbr@gmail.com Ph 0411 406 911

Marshals: Kieran Butler

Wednesday, 1st December: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap;
6.40pm – 7.00pm: Graded snowball;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 5th No Race

Unfortunately the scourge of club racing (no, not Swooping Magpies), but lack of Racing Approvals has caught us out again so Sunday’s race has had to be canceled.

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 23rd November

Fine, mild and calm conditions made for a pleasant evening of racing.

To start the evening, 22 D graders rolled together as a bunch. About half way through the race Rico Fitch and Mark Taylor launched an attack and had a reasonable break….but were reeled in. After a few more antics, Mark Taylor was first across the line, followed by Craig O’Neall and then Kevin Newhouse.

There was plenty of action from the 36 guys in B grade, including as early breakaway from Seymour Savell-Boss, Dan Crocker and Peter Young. The break swelled to five or six riders for a period before being reabsorbed by the main bunch. At the halfway point, Joshua Bolton was Bolt-ing away for a solo sprint and stayed out in front alone for several laps. The final sprint saw Simon Priest claim first, Bruce Goodfellow second, Dale Riley third and Joshua Bolton forth.

Next came E, F and G grade. Bernie Crowe rode a consistent pace as he time-trialed to another G grade win.

After the first two laps, the F grade bunch was split in two, with the orange red and fluro trio of Robert Solomons, Miche Hodges and Adrian Breen outshining and outpacing the rest. They crossed the line in that order with Mike Haynes coming in forth.

E grade consisted of eleven riders on ten bikes. Cat Riley did a lot of the work at the front of the bunch in the first half of the race. With half a lap to go the tandem pair upped the pace on the straight with Pat Rooke strategically positioned on their back wheel and the rest in hot pursuit. In the sprint finish, Lindy Hou and Colin Calderwood narrowly beat Pat by about a tire’s width with Mick Donaldson third and Dale Dummett forth.

As the daylight dimmed, A and C grade took to the track with 25 in each bunch. There was action a-plenty from both these grades with numerous attacks and chases. In C grade Steven Terracini pressed out in front with four laps to go. Craig Lindermayer won the sprint with Clinton Porteous second, Andrew Buick third and Tom Stewart Moore forth.

Matt Rizzuto launched a solo attack out of A grade. With six minutes to go and light fading fast, he had company. Line honors went to Gerard Tiffen first, Jeremy Gillman-Wells second and Matthew Corby third.

Rosemary Robinson

Track Racing – 24th November

The track racing session for 24 November was canceled due to rain. The steeply banked velodrome is too dangerous to ride when wet.

Season Point Score after Round 3:
Alison Hale (57), Michael Langdon (53), Ken Birch (50), Tony Beasley (49), John Paul De Sousa (47), James Newhouse (45), Craig Kentwell (45), Phil Coulton (33), Graeme O’Neill (31), Karen Clutson (30), Warwick Wilson (30), Steve Jones (25), Bruce Griffin (24), Ian Drayton (24), Ben Robey (23).

Graeme O’Neill

Club Championship – 28th November

November 30, 2021

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 22nd November, 2021

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

• From the Race Committee

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Race Committee

Change to RMS Race entry

If you are asked via email to help direct or marshal at an upcoming race, your name will also appear on the RMS race calendar followed by a red TBC (To Be Confirmed). You should inform the race committee of your availability, or not, to help out at the event. This is specified in the Club’s Race Officiation Obligations – https://actvets.cc/racing-with-us/marshal-schedule/.

If you enter a race while having an unconfirmed directing or marshalling request, the RMS entry system now will display the message “You are scheduled to help at an upcoming event. Please contact the race committee to confirm your availability.“

Most members are responding to requests in a timely manner. However if we need to keep chasing up people, it is probable that RMS will be changed to stop race entries for members with outstanding requests.

ETC Mentoring

Now that we’re back racing, we would like to provide opportunities for people who have completed ETC Training to undertake their mentoring and complete their qualification. There will be two opportunities before the end of the year:

– 28 November (this weekend) at Tidbinbilla; and
– 19 December at Cotter Reserve.

Please contact the Race Committee if you would like to take this opportunity.

Ian McVay
Race Committee
race.committe@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Ben Neal C to B
Chris Reis E to D

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 23rd November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 23 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
B/D 5:50 B 40m+2, D 35m+2
E/F/G 6:35 28 min + 2 laps
A/C 7:10 A 40m+2, C 35m+2

Race Director: Rosemary Robinson Contact: Email: rosemaryr2@iinet.net.au Ph 0417 898 917

Marshals: Eoin Rothery

Wednesday, 24th November: Track Racing

Sunday, 28th November: Club Championship

Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 27/11/2021 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Intersection of Tidbinbilla Reserve Rd and Paddy’s River Road approx 14 km from Point Hut Crossing.
Parking: Off the road on either side of Paddy’s River Road. For road safety reasons, please DO NOT park on the corners of the intersection. Road traffic can be busy and dangerous, especially around the times we are finishing..
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
TNR to Power Lines, to top of Pierces Creek and return to TNR for one lap. 40km 1 lap, 30km 1/2 lap to Pierces Creek.
Men 1-4 (30 – 48yrs) do 48km. Rest do 30km.

Race Director: Michael Fawke Contact: Email: twizzled801@gmail.com Ph 0414 685 464

Marshals: Andrew Matz ETC, Ben Neal, Mick Donaldson ETC, Van driver – Robert Langridge

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 16th November

It was a chill wind blowing through SFP this past Tuesday. The grandstand and course looked desolate with just the odd runner, dog walker and bike rider meandering about. But as the time crept past 5.30 ACT Capital Region Master cyclists swarmed in ready for another evening of exhilaration and glory that is Tuesday night crits.

EFG grades were up first and after briefing the race director they rolled out in an orderly fashion. G grade was settled early when Gai took advantage of Bernie’s reluctance to pedal on the downhill and scooted off for a solo effort. E and F settled into their orderly processions for the race. Only 527 was seen fading off after 14 mins. F was a bunch sprint won by Robert Solomon followed 2 laps later by E’s bunch sprint with Chris Reis taking the glory.

A and C rolled out with A grade boss Gerard Tiffen volunteering to take a lap out at the start to go scare some roos. A and C were steady for about 5 mins but then A grade started to see a flurry of feints. But it was not until A grade passed C grade 11 minutes into the race that the hopes and dreams of the back end of A grade were dashed (cmon handicapper grading is not a one way ticket and they (I) shouldn’t have to beg to go down). They split into 3 groups with Team Tiffen well represented in front group and shortly some normally reliable A grade animators (Terra, Christophe, Mr Payne) were gone and would not see the front again. It then settled down to 2 groups working nicely, little Daniel Lekhac had a dig off the front with 10 to go as he knew big GT pretty much would monster the sprint. He was brought back and then the front group sprinted in the shadow of Gerard Tiffen as he basked in glory for another evening.

After getting overtaken by A grade C grade decided to stomp on pedals and get strung out for a little while. The effect was exacerbated by some newcomer ‘accidently’ latching onto some dropped A graders which made his breakaway effort seem effortless. A few C’s starting to slide out the back at this stage eg Greg Mitchell. Of course it came back to a big bunch sprint in C with Ben Neal spinning in the saddle like a junior on restricted gears to take the win over Dominator who tried to twist his bike into a pretzel with a grinding 40rpm display of muscularity.

B and D were last away with the wind and temperature rapidly dropping. There was some animation in B grade from some green jersey riders and it looked like Joshua Bolton wearing the number of the beast 666, was going to send B grade to hell with a late promising solo effort. But nay it was just another B grade bunchie with Jeremy Schieb taking a convincing win. D grade rolled around yelled at each other for a bit, got confused with a dropped Mark Harradine being mistaken for one of their own but steadied the ship for a bunch sprint with Lance Purdon giving his fully doped Trek Madone the glory it deserves.

Heath Chester

Track Racing – 17th November

Wednesday 17 November saw the third track racing session for the 2021-22 season. For a change, the weather was settled. It was fine and cool with a brisk headwind in the back straight. Attendance was satisfactory with 14 riders, 9 in A grade and 5 in B grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Tony Beasley leading out at a good clip. Over the first 6 laps Michael Langdon, Craig Kentwell, James Newhouse, John Paul De Sousa, Warwick Wilson, Steve Jones and Ben Davis took turns at the front, with the pace holding a good tempo. On lap 7, Tony Beasley rotated to the front and upped the pace. The pack reacted immediately. By the final bend on lap 7, the whole pack was splayed up the banking poised for a final sprint lap. Michael Langdon attacked first with Craig Kentwell in hot pursuit. John Paul De Sousa and Steve Jones were a little late to react. However, they were soon at full pace and overhauled Craig Kentwell in the back straight. Michael Langdon held out to take the win. John Paul and Steve Jones contested the placings with John Paul just pipping Steve for second place. Steve Jones was third with Craig Kentwell holding on for fourth and top points in the A2 group.

The B Grade scratch race began at a good tempo and was quite orderly for five laps with all riders taking turns at the front. On lap 6 the pace kicked up and the pack began to string out in pursuit. The final two laps were quite torrid. Alison Hale and Ken Birch contested the win with Alison proving the stronger. Ken took second place while Phil Coulton had a good ride into third spot.

The next event was 2-lap, all-in handicap where 12 riders from A & B grades competed. Graeme O’Neill led out from limit. By 1.5 laps, the trailing riders streamed past limit for a fast finish. This race was very satisfying for the handicapper, as the bulk of the field finished as a bunch. Alison Hale was having a good night and confirmed her good form with a win. Alison was followed closely by Ken Birch and James Newhouse, who both had good rides for second and third respectively.

The next events were graded mystery races. In these events the finish (bell) lap is determined at random once the race has started. As it turned out, the A grade race was 6 laps and the B grade race 5 laps. In A grade, Rowan McMurray attacked at an opportune time and quickly gained a 5m lead going into the bell lap. John Paul De Sousa took up an immediate pursuit. However, Rowan was able to hold off John Paul for the win. John Paul took second place just holding out a fast-finishing Steve Jones in third. The B grade race was all together when the bell lap was called. The one lap sprint saw Alison Hale outpace Ken Birch and Phil Coulton in that order.

The final event for the evening was, as usual, an Italian Pursuit. Both teams performed well and rode in disciplined fashion. On paper, it looked like Team 1 would establish an early lead, with Team 2 having the power to run down Team 1 in the final laps. In practice, things were a little different. Phil Coulton got Team 1 off to a scorching start and the early riders built a handy lead, as expected. As the latter part of the race unfolded, Team 2 were pegging back the lead and looked set for a close finish. However, John Paul De Sousa and Rowan McMurray put in very solid turns for the final 2 laps, conceding little pace to Steve Jones and Michael Langdon for Team 2. The result was a comfortable win to Team 1.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Phil Coulton.
2-Lap Handicap: Alison Hale, Ken Birch, James Newhouse.
Mystery Races: (A1 Grade) Rowan McMurray, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Alison Hale, Ken Birch, Phil Coulton.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (Ben Davis, Rowan McMurray, Alison Hale, John Paul De Sousa, Warwick Wilson, Craig Kentwell, Phil Coulton).

Graeme O’Neill

Uriarra Homestead – Graded Handicap – 21st November

With wet roads and the forecast of rain, only eighteen hardy riders turned up for today’s road race at Uriarra Homestead.

A grade stayed together for two laps before Gerard Tiffin put the power down to split the group and make a break during the final half lap. The win was easily taken by Gerard Tiffin with a long-range sprint for second and third between Christophe Barbaret and Matt Rizzuto, with Christophe holding on for second place.

B grade was the largest category with seven riders rolling out together. By the end of the first lap continued pressure had split the group to a lead bunch of four riders who stayed together until the final push up from Uriarra where Tristan Fuge and Simon Priest broke away with Tristan Fuge taking a strong win. There was a reasonable gap to third Paul Watson and fourth Daniel Crocker.

C grade mainly held together well throughout the whole race with the places only decided on the final sprint with John Paul De Sousa taking first, followed by Ian Preston and Clinton Porteous .

The final group to roll out was D grade with three riders who again stayed together for the full 2 1/2 laps until the final sprint, which was won by Mark Taylor, followed by Mark Taylor taking out second position.

Good racing by all, with the weather gods being on the side of the riders with the race finishing before the light rain rolled in.

Cheers,

Cat Riley

November 23, 2021

Capital Region Masters – Weekly Bleat, Monday 15th November, 2021

Hello Masters,

In the Bleat this week;

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Paul Watson B to A
Wayne Pettett B to A
Conan Liu B to A
Allan Bontjer D to C

Passing

Reminder: Currently, we are enjoying large turnouts for the crit races. This is great but does mean that there’s an added element of danger when large bunches are passing each other. The passing bunch must call out early which side of the course the other bunch should be on. The bunch being passed should single out as much as possible and ease off the pace a little. Once all the riders have passed, the leaders of the bunch being passed should only pick up the pace once the last rider is at least five back lengths ahead or ensure they are on the other side of the track and aren’t being sucked along. The leaders or anyone else should not try to gain advantage from the faster bunch.

Taking laps out

Riders can take a lap out if experiencing a puncture or a mechanical. They must report to the race director their intentions. It’s the rider’s responsibility to source a spare wheel or to seek mechanical assistance. The race director will not have a power tool to remove thru axles.

Getting dropped

Riders dropped through lack of horsepower must not rejoin the race a lap down in the middle of the bunch or compete in the final sprint. Furthermore, they cannot assist riders who are less than a lap down to rejoin the bunch.

CRMs out and about

AusCycling NSW RR and TT champs at Gunning We all know Gunning can dish up atrocious conditions. Remember that freezing handicap in July 2019 when the wind chill was below zero? Then there was the gale blowing during last year’s Peter McLennan Gunning Tour. Last weekend for the NSW champs was even worse with rain to add to the gale-force winds and freezing temperatures. Quotes from the riders included being ‘drenched’, ‘unable to change gears because of frozen hands’ and ‘stinging rain and squalls’. It was a fantastic effort by all given the conditions, and special mention goes to Michael Payne who took out the M6 title with a 30-second margin to spare. Selected results follow.

TT
Vanessa Judge 3rd W3
Brendan Byatt 2nd M5
Stephen Blackburn 7th M5
Owain Tilley 2nd M8

RR
Vanessa Judge 5th W3
Terry Moore 3rd W7
Michael Payne 1st M6
Chris Short 5th M6
Keith Harris 15th M6
Stephen Blackburn 2nd M5
Paul Hollings 11th M5
Nathan Spillane 16th M5
Peter Zygadlo 28th M5
Mark Harris 3rd M7
Ian Preston 16th M7
Bruce McMillan 4th M8
Brian Peak 8th M8
Tony Beasley 12th M8
Des Brown 3rd M10
Ben Morrison 4th M3
Nick Stewart 8th M3
Marc Vroomans 15th M4

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 16th November: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Pre-registration required by 16 Nov 2021 3:50 pm.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Stromlo Forest Park
Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 20 min + 2 laps
A/C 6:25 A 38m+2, C 33m+2
B/D 7:05 B 38m+2, D 33m+2

Race Director: Heath Chester Contact: Email: heathtracy@iinet.net.au Ph 0419 162 193

Marshals: Iain Johnstone

Wednesday, 17th November: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice;
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race;
6.20pm – 6.40pm: 2-lap handicap;
6.40pm – 7.00pm: Graded mystery race;
7.00pm – 7.20pm: Italian pursuit.

Sunday, 21st November: Club Championship

Reminder: All riders must pre-register on the ACT Vets website (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 20/11/2021 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration on the day.

Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.

Where: Assemble at Uriarra Rd / Brindabella Rd, T-Junction. From North Canberra slightly faster Coppins crossing & right onto Uriarra Road. From Sth Canberra follow Cotter Road down to bridge crossing, turn right onto Brindabella Road.
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
Two laps of Uriarra Homestead – top of Uriarra Crossing – Condor Creek – Homestead.
M1-4 (30-49) do extra 1/2 lap to top of Uriarra Crossing.

Race Director: Cat Riley Contact: Email: catjriley@gmail.com Ph 0448 692 989

Marshals: Robert Miller ETC, Ed Logue ETC, Andrew Matz ETC, Stuart Roesler, Van driver – Robert Langridge

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 9th November

Crit racing is popular. There were over 140 riders on Tuesday and 43 starters in B grade. Amazing numbers and perfect racing conditions.

A Grade: Team Tiffen must have had a plan as they were applying early pressure and pushing the pace. Jeremy Gillman-Wells and Gerald Tiffen were the second attackers and got a small break off the front. The bunch pulled them back slowly. Another Tiffen Team attack, followed by yet another attack by Jeremy with 24 minutes to go. Newbie James Meadley put in a valiant attack towards the end but in the sprint it was Ben Morrison followed by Jeremy Gillman-Wells and Gerard Tiffen. A fast and exciting race.

C Grade: Damien Copeland was the first to get off the front before being hauled back. The Dominator led a spirited charge mid race and stayed off the front solo for a couple of laps. Ian Preston dragged the peloton up to Dominic. I heard his wife yelling “get off the front Ian”. In the sprint it was Ben Neal followed by Dominic Romano and David Buckley.

B Grade: A huge group of more than 40 riders fronted for B grade. Apparently the rubber band effect at the rear was enormous. Seymour Savell-Boss wasn’t too stressed, he was on the front down the main straight chatting his head off. At 20 minutes to go a group of 4 got away and established a 50m gap before it came back together for the sprint. Paul Watson prevailed over Wayne Pettett and Conan Liu.

D Grade: Mark Taylor was again active in the early attacks. Rob Langridge was his accomplice for a couple also. The tandem made a slow start but by mid race was starting to dictate the pace. Mark Taylor wasn’t finished yet and made two further attacks to be the most combative for the day. Rob Langridge also got into the act and time trialled off the front with 15 minutes to go. Mark Taylor this time with Anthony Dick established a 100m gap before it was closed down. John Ross had a dig with 10 to go followed by surges from the evergreen Dave Hennessy and Michael Larkin. In the sprint, Al Bontjer used his track prowess for the win followed by Thomas Stewart-Moore and Alex Sommariva. I heard a report that D grade averaged 39.6kmh which is wickedly fast for the grade.

Massed Start: 68 riders of B and D Grades

E Grade: The bunch stayed together for the majority of the race with the exception of Howard Moffat who unusually was ejected off the back after being squeezed in a corner, but circulated at a good clip by himself. Chris Reis won the sprint followed by Dale Dummett and Geoff Ellacott.

F Grade: The bunch let birthday girl Sue Frost led the first few laps, so thoughtful. Lee Hopson, making a welcome return to racing was encouraged by the race director to put his nose into the wind, which he did obligingly. The small bunch circulated well in the good conditions, before Colin Calderwood mercilessly robbed the birthday treat from Sue Frost followed by Lindsay Graham.

G Grade: Gai Monahan was the sole G grader and maintained a solid pace and time trialled around the course to victory.

Thanks to marshal Ross Heazlewood and committee member Andy Matz for their assistance.

Bruce Griffin

Track Racing – 10th November

Wednesday 10 November saw the second track racing session for the 2021-22 season. The weather prediction for the evening was 90% probability of rain. However, the weather radar suggested that the rain system might skirt Canberra. The optimists attended what turned out to be a reasonable evening of racing. Just one race event was disrupted by a brief, rain shower. Attendance was good for the conditions with 14 riders, 8 in A grade and 6 in B grade. A grade numbers were bolstered by the promotion of James Newhouse into A grade.

The 8-lap A grade scratch race started with Michael Langdon leading out at a comfortable pace. Over the first 6 laps Ian Drayton, Tony Beasley, John Paul De Sousa, James Newhouse, Steve Jones and Wayne Benham took turns at the front, with the pace increasing as the laps ticked off. Lap 7 began with the group bunched up as they entered the front straight from the high banking. Craig Kentwell emerged from the bunch and put in a solid attack with 2 laps to go. Michael Langdon immediately pursued with a small lead group in tow. A lap later Michael reined in Craig and went on for a comfortable win. From the pursuing group, John Paul De Sousa and Steve Jones also managed to overtake Craig in the final lap, going on to second and third placings in that order. Craig held on for fourth place.

The B Grade scratch race began at a good tempo and was ticking over nicely for 4 laps when suddenly hit by a brief, rain squall. The race officials made a sound, rapid decision to ring the final lap bell as lap 5 commenced. It took a moment for riders to grasp what had happened. Then the whole bunch transitioned to a mad sprint over the final lap. It was a race against both riders and a rapidly wetting track. Ken Birch emerged as the strongest and took a good win. He was followed by the strong B grade female contingent with Karen Clutson taking second place and Alison Hale pursuing for third place. Racing then ceased for around 15 minutes while the track dried out.

In the uncertain weather conditions, the race organisers elected to run the Italian Pursuit next, in lieu of the scheduled 200m flying lap time trials. The pursuit attracted two teams of 6 riders and was a cracker. Both teams started well and rode in disciplined fashion. Team 1 had a minor problem holding wheels around mid-race. However, they managed to hold a good pace, retaining a small lead over Team 2. As the final laps approached, Tony Beasley and Michael Langdon managed to claw back most of the deficit for Team 2. This gave Michael Langdon an even chance when matched against Steve Jones for the final lap. Both Michael and Steve put in scorching laps leading to an exciting, close win (less than half a wheel width) by Michael, for Team 2.

The weather conditions were improving by the conclusion of the Italian Pursuit, so the decision was taken to run the 200-metre fly event. Not all riders lined up for this event. However, the ten riders who participated had exciting runs and put in respectable times for the conditions. Michael Langdon put in the best A grade time at 13.49 seconds. Alison Hale took the B grade honours with an excellent 14.88 seconds. Other rider’s times are as listed in the results below.

Major place getters were as follows:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon, John Paul De Sousa, Steve Jones. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Tony Beasley, James Newhouse. (B Grade) Ken Birch, Karen Clutson, Alison Hale.
200 metre Fly Time Trail: (A1 Grade) Michael Langdon (13.49s), Wayne Benham (13.98s). (A2 Grade) Tony Beasley (14.69s), Ian Drayton (14.84s), James Newhouse (15.14s). (B Grade) Alison Hale (14.88s), Bruce Griffin (15.34s), Ken Birch (15.65s)
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (Michael Langdon, Tony Beasley, Ken Birch, Alison Hale, James Newhouse, Graeme O’Neill).

Season Point Score after Round 2:
Michael Langdon (38), Tony Beasley (36), Alison Hale (32), James Newhouse (31), Karen Clutson (30), Ken Birch (30), John Paul De Sousa (29), Craig Kentwell (29), Ian Drayton (24), Bruce Griffin (24), Graeme O’Neill (22), Warwick Wilson (18), Phil Coulton (17), Mark Vroomans (14), Wayne Benham (14).

Graeme O’Neill

November 16, 2021

Women’s F3 L to R: Rosemary Robinson, Terry Moore (1st)	M1 winner Tristan Fuge. Tristan will have to wait until 2069 to match Lindsay Graham’s feat of winning the M11 title.
M2 Winner Simon Priest. Track and field fans from the 80s will notice his variation of Florence Giffith-Joyner’s famous ‘one legger’	M4 L to R: Heath Wade, Jeremy Gillman-Wells, Gerard Tiffen
M5 L to R: Christophe Barbaret, Matt Rizzuto, Nathan Spillane	M9 L to R: Alex Sommariva, Mark Taylor (1st).
M10: Des Brown and his new crowns	M11 Champ Lindsay Graham.

CRMCC

Author

qf6828402

From the Race Committee

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 22nd February: Stromlo Criterium – Club Championship

Thursday, 24th February: Track Racing

Sunday, 27th February – Tharwa – Age Standard Time Trial

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 15th February

Race 1 – M8, M9, M10 and M11, 30 min +2 laps.

From the Desk of the President

New Cycling Gear

2022 Annual General Meeting – Held in a COVID Safe Environment

Thinking of Joining the Committee

From the Race Committee

Replacement Marshall Required

Membership Renewals

Race Numbers

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 25th January: Stromlo Criterium

Thursday, 27th January: Track Racing

Sunday, 30th January: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 18th January

E and F Grades

A Grade

C Grade

D Grade

B Grade

Track Racing – 20th January

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

Race Numbers

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Mark Harris wins A grade

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 11th January: Stromlo Criterium

Thursday, 13th January: Track Racing

Sunday, 16th January: No Scheduled Road Race

RACE REPORT:

SFP Criterium – 4th January

G Grade

F Grade

E Grade

D Grade

C Grade

B Grade

A Grade

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Membership Renewals

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 4th January: Stromlo Criterium

Thursday, 6th January: Track Racing

Sunday, 9th January: No Scheduled Road Race

Web Site Change

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

From the Desk of the Handicapper

This week’s promotions

CRMs out and about

From the Race Committee

Late Entries

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 14th December: Stromlo Criterium

Wednesday, 15th December: Track Racing

IMPORTANT NOTICE – NARRABUNDAH TRACK RACING – CHANGE OF RACE DAY

Sunday, 19th December: Cotter Reserve Time Trial

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 7th December

Track Racing – 8st December

Web Site Change

From the Desk of the President

Committee Changes

From the Desk of the Handicapper

This week’s promotions

From the Race Committee