Capital Region Masters Cycling Club

Masters, In this week’s Bleat;

• Zwift Critz Racing Starting the 4th of April
• From the Bleat’s South Coast Correspondent….
• From the Desk of the Handicapper
• From the Race Committee
• Racing this Week
• Race Reports

When you ride hard on a mountain bike, sometimes you fall, otherwise, you’re not riding hard.
George W. Bush – Former American President

Michael Langdon thebleat@actvets.cc

Zwift Critz Racing Starting the 4th of April

Carrying on from the Tuesday Summer crits, is the Tuesday Winter Zwift Critz. Currently the format is all grades 1 race, 1 start time 7pm, just add CRMCC and crit grade to your Zwift name.

Each week we will mix it up on a course with a bit of variety of flats and punchy climbs. There will be a results leaderboard at the end of the event. Let’s keep the legs primed over winter with your mates at CRMCC, whilst we do not have the pavilion to mingle, feel free to mingle and kudos the winners on our Canberra Region Masters Cycling Club facebook group on the weekly Zwift post.

It is a good chance to try to stick with the next grade or you can back it off a little and help encourage others to go beyond. Let’s keep the positive supportive vibe the CRMCC is known for.

To be a part of the racing you will need to join the CRMCC Zwift club in the companion app.
Any issues feel free to email Kev Wells @ k76wells@gmail.com

From the Bleat’s South Coast Correspondent

New Mogo Mountain Bike Trails. Earlier this year, work commenced on the new Mogo mountain bike network. The $8million project will see over 120 km of new trails established and a refurbishment of the 30km of existing trails which surround Deep Creek Dam (about 5km south of Bateman’s Bay). 

The new trails will extend both to the East and West of Mogo and include a 16km trail from the 690m high summit of Mount Wandera. With trails for all skill levels, when completed the trails are expected to bring in over 40,000 visitors pa. 

As of late March, around 4km of new trails have been built and the trail builders are hoping to have up to 6 teams simultaneously working on construction. With some heavy equipment coming on line, it’s hoped that there’ll be 80km of new trails completed by the end of the year. 

Lots of fun can still be had on existing trails and the network gravel roads in the region – but riders should steer well clear of new trails and construction teams until the new tracks are officially opened.

Craig Kentwell – @ the Bundadome via Batemans Bay

From the Desk of the Handicapper:

From the Race Committee

Members interested in attending the CRMCC April 2023 Committee meeting – the details are as follows:
Monday Apr 3, 2023 @ 19:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting using this link
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85110964223?pwd=OWlOSTdVV0taTkV6dGFEYkhBR3EwZz09
Meeting ID: 851 1096 4223
Passcode: 369358

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 28 March: Stromlo Graded Criterium

Note: Registration Cutoff: Tues 28/03/2023 3:50 PM
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration. Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Race Director: Gerard Tiffen Contact: Ph: (0414323373)
Marshals: Kerrie Muir

Week 23, early sunset @ 7:04 – 20mins +2 laps

• B/D – 20m +2 @ 5:50
• E/F/G – 20m +2 @ 6:15
• A/C – 20m +2 @ 6:40

Thursday, 30 March – 6pm @ the Bundadome

Narrabundah Track Racing Presentation

This track session will be the 22-23 presentation evening and the closing event for the track season.  We hope to see as many trackies as possible.  All other club members also very welcome.

There will be the usual practice and warm up from 5.30pm and a single Italian Pursuit event at 6.00pm, followed by the trophy presentations.

The club will provide drinks and nibbles.  If anyone wishes to bring a plate, it will be most welcome.

**Sunday** 2 April, 1.30pm – The Apollo – Graded Scratch – 28.0kms

First race of the winter season – we change from Saturday to Sunday races @ 1.30pm…

Race start: is at Apollo Road T junction. Finish is at Honeysuckle Campground. All grades U turn before the aero model club near Tharwa and return for a summit finish.
Riders: are to be mindful of other campground users when parking and using the facilities so that ACT Parks continue to allow our use of this venue. Extra clothing worn for the ride down to the start will be collected and brought back up to the finish.
Directions: Travel to Tharwa and follow Naas Rd south. Go past Namadgi visitors centre, over Tennent hill, and turn Right onto Apollo road. Park on top of the hill at the camping area, then ride back down to the T junction for the start.

Cutoff registration 1/04/2023 9:30 PM
Race Director – Chris Copeland – (0412643102)

RACE REPORTS:

CRMCC Criterium 21 March 23

A strong field of ducks, kangaroos, runners and other wildlife were joined by the hardy elite of CRMCC for a moist edition of Tuesday evening crits at The SFP.

A pre-race injury led to the scratching of one young jogger, and provided Alex Sommariva an opportunity to refresh his first aid skills – the youngster eventually being successfully released into the wilds of the running circuit to rejoin his herd.

E and F grades made an unsuccessful play for a ‘2 minutes plus 2 laps’ race, arguing that the only difference from the advertised schedule was a zero, which was nothing, really. They then suffered through arguably the wettest part of proceedings -and the slickest of the duck-lubricated corners – before the Race Director gave them time off for good behaviour.

In F grade, The early breakaway was reeled in down the finishing straight, with Mijo Spoljaric taking the honours in a tight sprint from DNS (no naming and shaming here).

E grade saw an uneventful truce broken only in the last couple of laps, with Robert Craine easing away from Ross Heazlewood to claim the prize.

A and C grades rolled away in slightly lighter but no less persistent drizzle. Gerard Tiffen sought some privacy off the front of A grade early – a wish which was respected by the chasing group but not so much by the ducks, who were feeling quite sociable by this stage of the day. While a last lap Close Encounter of the Anatidea Kind slowed his progression slightly, Gerard rolled through half a lap clear of the chasers, with Nathan Spillane edging Andrew Murrell for the minor placings. Krusty Bryant, Bruce Goodfellow, Tom Stewart-Moore and the late (but very much alive) David Parker deserve mention for braving the inclement conditions.

C grade held it all together until the bell, before Tony Rowley tried to spice things up. He was not able to hold the baying mob at bay, however, with Mark Taylor snatching the bikkies and Robert Langridge gathering the crumbs. Tony finished third, with Ben McMahon and Allan Bontjer in close order.

In the gathering gloom, a small group of B and D grade rolled off together as the ducks ceded some territory to the roos. An attempt by one roo to put an end to the day on the finish straight on the second lap gave everyone an early chance to test their brakes, and it was a tense 20 minutes or so thereafter, as a few more made their way across the track.

Dale Kleeman did the early pace setting as the grades rolled around trying to work out which black-clad rider was which, before they let Craig O’Neall have the honour of leading them around the last two laps. Dale took over in the sprint, leading Craig and Ian Preston to the line in B grade. Kevin Newhouse represented for D grade, and finished in the pack.

Thanks to Kerrie Muir and Ian Hutchings for valuable assistance, advice and guidance to the neophyte Race Director, and for animal wrangling duties. Also to Russell for pointing out which way around numbers go on the timing sign. And to Simon for first aid assurance, happily not required in the slippery conditions.

Rob Solomon – Race Director

Track Racing Report – Thursday 23 March

Thursday 23 March started in unpromising fashion with solid rain all morning.  The weather began to improve in the afternoon and the track session was called ‘on’ with some trepidation.  By race time, it was a little cool.  However, the track was dry, wind moderate and the sun had appeared.  Overall, excellent conditions for racing.  Attendance (9 riders) was again below par, but understandable given the uncertain weather.  This track session was the last competitive session for the 22-23 track season.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)

Tim Jolly led off the A grade scratch for two laps at a comfortable pace before handing off to Gavin Stephens.  Gavin raised the pace marginally and quickly handed the lead to John Paul De Sousa.  Wayne Benham and Craig Kentwell followed with lead outs, Craig kicking up the pace a further notch so that the pack was at a fast tempo when Tim Jolly again rolled to the front on lap 5.  At this point, the race started to hot up.  The pack bunched up with all riders jockeying for good launch positions, over laps 6 and 7.  Unusually, Tim Jolly was the first to attack, mid lap 7.  Tim gained a small lead and was well pursued by Gavin Stephens and John Paul De Sousa.  The trio fought out an exciting last lap with a close finish ending with Tim Jolly 1^st, John Paul De Sousa 2^nd and Gavin Stephens 3^rd.

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)

B Grade was pointless this week – yes this was a nil points race as the season point score had been finalised.  Therefore, the 4 riders experimented with kit and gears.  Hamish Anderson was riding a huge 52*12 gearing in slow motion.  James Newhouse already second for the season points was once again back for another race and lead the riders out on the bell lap.  Graeme O’Neill tried to hold James’ wheel but dropped off – at this stage Hamish Anderson got out of the saddle and pushed the 117 gear to warp speed to overtake James and win the race.  Phil Coulton motored past Graeme O’Neill for third place.

1-Lap, Standing Start Time Trial

The 1 lap time trial is an all-out sprint lap, quite technical and surprisingly fatiguing.  A grade times were mostly below the 30 second mark.  Gavin Stephens set the benchmark with a blistering lap at 27.90 seconds – a great effort!  Next best was Tim Jolly at 28.58 seconds, then John Paul De Sousa (29.44s) with another lap under 30 seconds.  A very good overall result for A grade.

B grades times were a little more dispersed ranging from 28.15 seconds to 33.53 seconds.  For B grade, Hamish Anderson set the evening’s stand out time at 28.15 seconds, eclipsing all but one of the A grade riders.  Hamish seems to thrive on the short sprint time trials.  In this instance, he was pushing what seemed a ludicrously high gear, necessitating him riding out of the saddle for most of the lap.  Somehow it worked, so who can argue with success?

2-Lap Handicap

This week the 2-lap handicap proved a good contest between A and B grade riders.  The near limit riders John Paul De Sousa and Gavin Stephens put in a big effort as did the B grade stalwarts James Newhouse and Hamish Anderson.  A bunched pack streamed past the limit riders around mid-race and from there it was a close fought sprint to the line.  John Paul De Sousa took the victory and was having a good night.  James Newhouse kept B grade in the fight, snatching second place from Gavin Stephens in third place.

Italian Pursuit

There were two teams of four riders again for this week’s Italian Pursuit.  Michael Langdon selected two quite evenly matched teams.  Hamish Anderson (team 1) rode with the high gearing from his time trial.  Despite this he successfully held the wheel of the team 1 starting rider.  All 8 riders started well.  However, Phil Coulton’s lead outs are consistently getting his team off to a very fast start.  Both teams put in flawless rides and handed off to the following riders efficiently.  However, team 2 eked out a small advantage over the contest.  Team 2’s anchor, John Paul De Sousa, after a big night of racing, was able to seal the win for Team 2 with a scorching final lap.

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the Italian Pursuit here.

Major Placings:

8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham.  (A2 Grade) Gavin Stephens, Craig Kentwell.  (B Grade) Hamish Anderson, James Newhouse, Phil Coulton.

1-Lap SS TT: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly (28.58s), John Paul De Sousa (29.44s), Wayne Benham (30.02s).  (A2 Grade) Gavin Stephens (27.90s), Craig Kentwell (30.73s).  (B Grade) Hamish Anderson (28.15s), James Newhouse (29.64s), Phil Coulton (31.38s).

2-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades) John Paul De Sousa, James Newhouse, Gavin Stephens, Hamish Anderson, Craig Kentwell.

Combined Italian Pursuit:  Winner Team 2 (Gavin Stephens, John Paul De Sousa, James Newhouse, Phil Coulton).

Final Omnium Points Score:
James Newhouse (18), Conan Liu (15), Tim Jolly, Phil Coulton (13), Graeme O’Neill (11), Gavin Stephens (10), Craig Kentwell, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham, Martin Graham, Sarah Stephens (8).

Final Season Point Score:
Tim Jolly (391), James Newhouse (342), Conan Liu (290), Alison Hale (274), Craig Kentwell (242), John Paul De Sousa (224), Wayne Benham (178), Steve Jones (148), Graeme O’Neill (139), Ed Garnett (134), Gavin Stephens (128), Warwick Wilson (127), Ian Drayton (126), Hamish Anderson (120), Martin Graham (119), Phil Coulton (115).

The presentation of track trophies and medals will be held at the Bundadome on Thursday 30 March – all welcome!!.

Graeme O’Neill & Michael Langdon

Masters, In this week’s Bleat;

• CRMCC – Out and About

Dunc Gray velodrome over the weekend had our CRMCC Masters getting some good results @ the NSW Masters Championships. The fields at these events can be small – tiny even, which guarantees a podium – the riders though, are of course aiming for Anna Meares velodrome in April for the National Championships. Congratulations to:

Jim Veal – MMAS 10 – Gold in the TT and Keirin.
Craig Kentwell – MMAS7 – Bronze in the IP.
Peta Brill – WMAS5 – Gold in the Keirin, Scratch and Points races. Silver in the IP, TT and Sprint.
Sarah Stephens – WMAS3 – Gold in the IP. Silver in the TT and Keirin.

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

I go round and round in circles, really, really fast, on a big wooden bowl.
Victoria Pendleton CBE – British Former Pro Track Cyclist

Michael Langdon
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper:

From the Race Committee

Gunning road race is delayed to later in the year…expected around October 2023.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 21 March: Stromlo Graded Criterium

Note: Registration Cutoff: Tues 21/03/2023 3:50 PM
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration. Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Race Director: Robert Solomon Contact: Ph: (0423002507)
Marshals: Kerrie Muir
Medals: sheep stations

Thursday, 23 March – 6pm: Narrabundah Track Racing

(Final competitive track session for 2022-23)
The Program for Thursday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm:  Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm:  8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 6.50pm:  1-lap SS time trial.
6.50pm – 7.10pm:  2-lap handicap.
7.10pm– 7.30pm:  Italian Pursuit.

Graeme O’Neill – Race Director

Sunday 26th March – No road race scheduled

RACE REPORTS:

CRMCC Criterium Club Championships – 14 March 23

Stromlo Forest Park greeted the riders for part two of the Criterium Club Championships.

The number of the night was 3, with the dice rolled in 5 races and three in the breakaway came up 4 out of 5 times. The last number came up for one unlucky duck.

Race 1 – M4 and M5 raced separately.

M4 – Rainer Wilton attacked early and stayed away for most of the race to win. Behind the pace was still fierce with several counter attacks from Jason Chalker. Craig Lindenmayer, Craig O’Neill and Dom the Dominator hung on for as long as they possibly could, with the uphill crosswind section of the main straight taking most casualties.

M5 – This race started slowly until the dice was rolled and a selection of three was made. Steve Crisping ending up in a Tiffen sandwich made up of Gerard Tiffen himself and Jeremy Gilliam-Wells

As the laps ticked by, the pace remained relentless, with Paul Scherl, Christophe Barbaret and Marc Vrooms attacking and counter-attacking in an attempt to break away from the pack. Other Tiffen riders were seen to be helping out the break by neutralising any counter attacks. Stephen Blackburn went on the attack late in the nasty section of cross wind at the top of the main straight. Andrew Remley, Ed Logue, Mark Terracinini and Krusty Bryant did their best with the fierce pace.

In the end Gerard Tiffen beat Steve Crispin in the sprint, with Jeremy coming in third. Marc Vrooms, a good sprinter took out the main bunch prize, with the ever-strong Paul Scherl coming in closely behind Mark.

Race 2 – M1, M2 and M3 raced separately.

I think for the first time ever we had a decent bunch size for M1. Hence the decision was made to race three distinct races. The officials had to keep a close eye on proceedings to keep track — and much respect to the riders who kept their bunches of 3 apart as the 2 to go board came out and the bell rung.

M3 – Ben Morrison was a late entry to this race, with Conan giving Ben the go ahead to race. From this point onward Ben was favourite to win. And, so he did. But again it took a break of 3 to breakaway from the main bunch.

The breakaway consisted of Ben, Jimmy Carroll and Matthew Corby. A strong trio I hear you say. Well yes, Greg Zingelmann, Kieran Butler, Michael Rowland and Mick Rose had their hands full attempting the contain the power of the leading trio.

As expected Ben won the sprint and Mathew Corby came in second followed by Jimmy Carroll.

Thanks again to the rider for keeping the sprint lines sperate in the last two laps

M2 – In the first few laps, a breakaway group of three riders managed to pull ahead of the pack. James Medley, Daniel Lekhac and Jason Irwin worked together, taking turns and maintained their lead. The chasing group was chasing hard to the point of splitting up with David Parker being the best of the rest despite time trailing the majority of the race, unable to bridge to the smoothly working front three. Ross Goggin, Tobias McLaneghan and Ben Zeller expended a lot of energy to try and stay in the race. Ed Meeuwissen was seen doing some strong turns, but alas along with the other dropped riders he never saw the front of the race again.

The tightest and most controversial finish of the night saw James Medley win, but we could not sperate Daniel Lekhac and Jason Irwin. Also, Daniel and Jason could not positively say who won as they crossed through the chute.

We hope we got it right in the end with Daniel narrowly over Jason (and I do hope this matches the medal and pictures).

M1 – The riders set off at a blistering pace, jostling for position as they navigated the first turn. Two riders got away at this point and one more bridged within the lap to make a leading bunch of Stuart Griffiths, James Thorp, and Michael Davies. It was a harsh start to a race. Jarrod Taylor and Tristan Dimmock tried to get back on, but alas the pace never eased in the front group of 3. Dale Riley rode in strongly for forth place, but the main action was acted out between Stuart, James, and Michael. Stuart won the sprint over James and then Michael.

Race Director: Allan Bontjer
Results and Finish Chute: Nick Boylan
Lap Board and Timing: Mark Harris
Ducks and Kangaroos: Terry Moore
Race Director in training: Robert Solomon

Track Racing – Thursday 16 March

Lately we have been blessed with very good conditions for track racing.  Thursday 16 March was fine and quite hot for the time of year.  Initially, a brisk headwind impeded progress in the back straight.  However, as expected, the wind moderated as the evening progressed.  Attendance (9 riders) was below par, as several regular trackies were tapering for the NSW Masters Track Championships.  Nevertheless, it was a good evening’s racing with a challenging program.  This session was the final competitive event that counted towards the season championship points.  There is one more competitive track session (23 Mar) and a final presentation session (30 Mar) before closing out the 22-23 track season.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)

Tim Jolly led off the A grade scratch and did two laps on the front before handing off to Wayne Benham.  The pace stayed relaxed until lap 5 when Conan Liu rolled to the front.  As expected, Conan accelerated and soon had the pack strung out and pushing hard.  Conan’s lap was followed by Martin Graham and John Paul De Sousa taking turns at the front.  John Paul rolled off early on lap 7 and positioned himself high on the banking, poised for an attack.  The pack rolled on with several riders getting twitchy at the prospect of an early final sprint.  The expected attack was initiated by John Paul with about 1.5 laps to go.  John Paul was followed out of the pack by Martin Graham, triggering an all-out sprint over the final lap.  Tim Jolly overhauled the bunch to take out the win.  John Paul dropped back leaving Martin Graham and Conan Liu to a brutal sprint duel for second place.  Martin just pipped Conan by the smallest margin.

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)

B Grade had 4 riders this week in some very windy westerly winds. (T. Jolly didn’t win the race as he’s not in B grade). The riders stayed together out of the wind for the entire race, swapping off strategic turns. It all came down to a sprint – and on the bell lap James Newhouse hit the afterburner and the green lantern (Hamish Anderson) tried to catch but couldn’t overcome the skill and speed of James Newhouse 1^st, Hamish Anderson 2^nd and Graeme O’Neill 3^rd.

200m Fly

The 200m flying start time trial is a favourite for many riders.  It was no surprise to see Hamish Anderson show up for this event.  It is a tricky, tactical event necessitating top speed in turn 1 and a flat tack surge down the banking and around ¾ of the track.  This week there were a few experimental lines taken. Conan Liu crossed the start line almost at the highest point.  It did not seem the optimal line, but it produced an identical time to his last effort, a month ago.  Hamish Anderson produced the stand-out time (13.94s, 51.7 km/hr) in B grade and Tim Jolly was first in A grade with a scorching time of 12.48s (59.7km/hr).  Tim seems to improve every time he competes in this event.

4-Lap Handicap

In this race if you’re a scratch rider there is immense satisfaction when the limit riders are caught – sit in until sprint time.  Four laps provides enough time to catch.  Graeme O’Neill started very fast.  However, on lap 2, the scratch riders caught the limit riders. Wayne Benham was on the front and the other riders just sat on his wheel.  No rider overtook Wayne until the bell.  On the bell, Martin Graham went the long way around the bunch high on the track.  Tim Jolly, the second rider at this point was positioned very well keeping the other riders on his hip – pushing them up the track – he then surged around Conan Liu to take the lead. Martin Graham dropped in on Tim Jolly’s wheel with just enough room in front of Conan Liu to do so.  Tim Jolly too strong 1^st, Martin Graham 2^nd just over Conan Liu 3^rd.

Italian Pursuit

There were two team of four riders for this week’s Italian Pursuit.  On paper, Team 1 looked marginally stronger.  However, teamwork counts in this event.  Mistakes like poor pacing, leaving gaps or non-optimal team order can make a big difference in the race outcome.  However, in this instance, both teams rode flawlessly.  Team 1 eked out a small advantage on lap 1 and relentlessly built their lead out to around 10m at the finish.  A fine win by Team 1 and a good competitive effort by Team 2.

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the Italian Pursuit here.

Major Placings:

8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, Martin Graham, Conan Liu.  (A2 Grade) No entries.  (B Grade) James Newhouse, Hamish Anderson, Graeme O’Neill.

200m Fly: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly (12.48s), John Paul De Sousa (13.34s), Wayne Benham (13.77s).  (A2 Grade) No entries.  (B Grade) Hamish Anderson (13.94s), James Newhouse (14.44s), Graeme O’Neill (15.52s).

4-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades)  Tim Jolly, Martin Graham, Conan Liu, James Newhouse, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham.

Combined Italian Pursuit:  Winner Team 1 (Tim Jolly, John Paul De Sousa, James Newhouse, Phil Coulton).

Final Omnium Points Score:

James Newhouse (18), Conan Liu (15), Tim Jolly, Phil Coulton (13), Graeme O’Neill (11), Gavin Stephens (10), Craig Kentwell, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham, Martin Graham, Sarah Stephens (8).

Final Season Point Score:

Tim Jolly (391), James Newhouse (342), Conan Liu (290), Alison Hale (274), Craig Kentwell (242), John Paul De Sousa (224), Wayne Benham (178), Steve Jones (148), Graeme O’Neill (139), Ed Garnett (134), Gavin Stephens (128), Warwick Wilson (127), Ian Drayton (126), Hamish Anderson (120), Martin Graham (119), Phil Coulton (115).

Congratulation to Tim Jolly for taking out the Tack Season (point score) Championship and also, exceptionally, being a winner in every event for the 16-March track session.

Graeme O’Neill & Michael Langdon

Uriarra Homestead – Sunday 19 March

It was a hot one with 26 riders braving the heat.  The race was reduced to 2 laps for each grade for a distance of 48km due to the expected hot weather.

A grade was away first and remained in a tight bunch to the finish with Christopher Short taking the win from Alex Newman and Brenton Clark.

B grade was away next and was more spread out by the finish with our van driver Marc Vroomans in first followed by Dimitar Dojcinoski and Michael Rowland. A big congratulations to our visitor Rui Sui who rounded out B grade.

C grade was close on their heels with the win going to David Dickson (overall 8^th) followed closely by Simon Costello (overall 9^th) and Ed Logue (overall 10^th).  Looks like B grade may be beckoning.

D, E and F grades started as a bunch, with Alex Sommanriva taking the win in a tight finish from Terry Moore and Alain Arbaut for D grade.  Russel Marston took the win in E grade followed by a tight bunch with Poupee Lam and Jan Koehler taking second and third respectively.  F grade bought home the tail with Elizabeth Lowe and Linsday Graham fighting it out at the end and Elizabeth taking the win.  Congratulations to Michael Spojaric for coming in third.

A big thanks to the support crew, Michael Golding for providing first aid and driving the course to relay messages due to communication difficulties at the Condor creek end.  The three ETCs,  Kim Malcolm, Polly Templeton and Rob Langridge, Marc Vroomans for driving the van and lastly Dan Lekhac for providing me with support at the start and finish.

Chris Copeland – Race director.

Masters, In this week’s Bleat;

• CRMCC – Out and About

Race Forever – International Womens Day Club Championship Criterium

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

“You cannot breach the gap between opportunism and ability” — Phil Liggett

Michael Langdon
thebleat@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper:

From the Race Committee

Gunning road race is delayed to later in the year…expected around October 2023 (= more training time).

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 14 March: Stromlo Club Championship Criterium (part II)

Note: Registration required by 14 March 2023 3:50pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Race Director: Alan Bontjer Contact: Ph: 0422 808 035
Marshals: Kerrie Muir
Medals: will be presented at the end of each race…

Thursday, 16 March – 6pm: Narrabundah Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm:  Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm:  8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 6.50pm:  200m fly.
6.50pm – 7.10pm:  4-lap Handicap.
7.10pm– 7.30pm:  Italian Pursuit.

Graeme O’Neill – Race Director

Sunday 19th March – 9am, Uriarra Homestead

Grades A, B, C, D – three laps and Grades E, F, G two laps of Uriarra Homestead – top of Uriarra Crossing – Condor Creek – Homestead. (Cutoff: 18/03/2023 8:00 PM)
Directions: 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.

RACE REPORTS:

CRMCC Criterium Club Championships – 7 March 23

Welcome all to the ultimate showcase of speed, stamina and sheer determination, Week 1 of Capital Region Masters Club Championships. For months our skilled ladies and mature gentlemen (55+) have been preparing themselves for the pursuit of glory on our legendary SFP course and to battle it out for the coveted title of grand champion.

With a strong northerly greeting the contenders, racing was going to be tough. First off were the silverbacks the M8’s to M11’s. Setting off first were the M8’s and all M9-M11’s grouped together to prevent turning the race into a TT. With the M’s setting a solid pace Mick Donaldson quickly become the first casualty but battled on as a proud soloist to finish in style. Even though the M9’s started behind the M8’s, the paring of Alex Sommariva & Bruce McMillan came out firing and soon caught and then joined the remaining M8’s. While the adrenaline pumped and the wheels continued to spin for the entire 30 mins it came down a sprint for all four age groups as follows:

Race 2 was a star studded affair and an awe-inspiring display of athleticism by our club ladies and cycling titans. Their head-to-head battle was of epic proportion and worthy of a TV coverage. Having stayed together for most of the race, Terry “the destroyer” Moore decided enough was enough driving not once but several times up the hill and into the wind to try and break up the pack. For Theresa McLachlan, I’m going to award the VB hard earner award. Theresa even with her heart being ripped out of her chest dug in deep. She allowed (not by choice) for Terry to have her fun up the hills, but using the wind to her advantage plus a lot of cheering from Kerry, Theresa re-joined the pack several times…..well until her heart rate hit 200+. The red hot pace by being set by Terry also got the better of both Poupee Lam and Sue Powell. With 2 laps to go it was anyone’s race between Terry, Peta Brill and Alison Hale, on the bell lap and a cheeky wink to the sidelines we knew an epic finish was going to entail and Peta didn’t let us down. Peta won, Terry was second and Alison third. Breaking this down across the five age groups the results were:

Finally Race 3 and the steeds, the M6 and M7’s were champing at the bit to get going. 16 riders toed the line (7 – M6’s and 9 M7’s) and were set them off in two waves. Immediately it was on like DONKEY KONG and the three musketeers from the M6’s as I like to call them wanted to break the hearts and souls of every other rider on the course and they certainly did. (Steve Crispin please note I’m racing you next week so please be kind to me unlike the musketeers). The first M6 ;/ was Timothy Moore after a long 3 minutes and 2 laps in. On Lap 3, Michael Whyte blew up followed by the smiling Tony Sheehan on lap 4. Now everyone knows there was a fourth musketeers and last night was no different. Wayne Benham normally a C grader was taking it to the three musketeers matching their speed, agility and tactics for much of the race until he also fell away in the dying stages. As a Queenslander, Wayne gets my XXXX Gold award this week. Focusing again on the machines known as the three musketeers (Darren Blackhurst, Conan Liu and Christopher Short) it was still anyone’s race. Darren did much of the damage at the beginning followed by Conan in the middle but it was Christopher that did all the damage in the back end. He destroyed the blossoming bromance and took the M6 win, 2^nd Conan Liu and 3^rd Darren Blackhurst.

The M7’s was a race of two halves. During the first half the 3 eventual champions let the M7 minnows do all the work and David Johnson was screwed over from the start. All the M7’s allowed Dave to lead from the front for the first 8 minutes until a kind hearted Greg Mitchell decided to offer Dave a short reprieve. Precisely at the 15 min mark and with the wind to his back Ian “I’m going to chew your legs off” Preston made one of this signature attacks. Having FOMO, both Mark Harris and Michael Foulds joined in and quickly reeled Ian in leaving the remainder of the M7’s praying for a Bradbury or mob of roos to slow these blokes down. With ~6 laps to go, Mark Harris simply got bored and decided to vesper both Michael and Ian by chasing down the M6’s and to his credit he did catch them. After losing touch with Mark both Michael and Ian slowed their pace quite considerably offering hope to the remaining pack. In reality, they were just playing with the rest of M7 and on the bell lap said Hasta la Vista and they rode off into the sunset (yes it was getting dark) to claim 2^nd and 3^rd respectively behind Mark who was now already doing a shoey. A special mention should also be made to Brian Chung who tried to spice the main bunch up with half a lap to go to complete Week 1 and an exhilarating competition.

Well done to all the competitors, spectators, club members, roos, dogs, ducks and the brown snake named Steve that made this year’s competition one to remember. And a special mention to our ever-charismatic medic Simon Whitehead, the best marshal a director could have Kerri Kerrie Muir and Chloe and Declan who I roped in to help with timing and the all-important ringing of the bell. Thanks All.

Michael Hanbury – Race Director

Track Racing – Thursday 9 March

Thursday 9 March provided very good conditions for track racing.  The temperature was moderate to warm.  Initially, a brisk headwind impeded progress in the back straight.  However, as expected, the wind moderated as the evening progressed.  Attendance (14 riders) was encouraging and provided a good evening’s racing.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)

Martin Graham led off the A grade scratch at a brisk pace, handing off to Ben Davis at 3/4 lap.  Ben was economising on energy and soon handed the lead to Tim Jolly.  Tim did a lap at steady pace before handing off to Conan Liu.  In usual form, Conan immediately kicked up the pace and soon had the bunch strung out and split into 3 groups.  The pack held on desperately until Conan gave up his lead to Craig Kentwell.  Gavin Stephens, John Paul De Sousa and Wayne Benham followed with turns on the front of a consolidated pack.  Wayne Benham raised the pace through lap 6, giving a good lead out for Martin Graham to put in an attack on lap 7.  Martin gained about 10 metres on the bunch.  However, this week Tim Jolly reacted early, hunting down Martin and dragging Conan Liu out for the pursuit.  Martin, Tim and Conan competed over the final lap with Tim taking the win from Conan and Martin holding on for a comfortable third place.

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)

B Grade had 6 riders in the race – the pace was noted as economical with riders taking one lap turns to build the pace.  James Newhouse stayed high on the track to cover Ali Hale’s inevitable attack.  It didn’t happen this week.  However, team Amore member Sarah Stephens rode a technically excellent race off the front and kept both Ali Hale and James Newhouse on her hip, pushing them up the track as she overtook Ian Drayton, thus delaying any Hale / Newhouse attack.  Sarah powered ahead to take the win, Ali Hale 2^nd and James Newhouse 3^rd.

2-Lap Handicap

The 2-lap handicap was the final race in a 4 event, Omnium championship.  It was run all in, with 14 riders from A and B grades.  There was plenty riding on this race.  Up to 5 points were available, giving several riders a chance to take out the Omnium championship.

The A grade (scratch) riders were given an extra second start on their handicaps, as B grade had previously dominated the short handicaps.  Despite this, the event unfolded with great rides by B graders Sarah Stephens, James Newhouse and Phil Coulton.  Phil bolted out of the blocks from near limit and almost managed to hold off the entire bunch.  Only Sarah Stephens and James Newhouse were able to chase Phil down.  Sarah took out the handicap with a terrific pursuit and James Newhouse had an excellent ride to snaffle second place.  James has been ultra-competitive in the short handicaps.  This placing gave him a well-deserved win in the Omnium Championship.  The standard of riding in this race was exemplary, with very disciplined behaviour as the bunch consolidated approaching the finish line.

8-Lap Snowball

The Race Director combined all grades for this race.  Points were awarded for sprints on laps 7, 5, 3 and 1 lap to go.  A complicating factor was that B grade were given a half lap head start on the A grade riders.  Thus, A grade riders needed to catch and pass B grade prior to winning any points.  Final sprint points were awarded using an escalating points system as the race progressed.

Lap 7 – sprint 1: B grade riders Ali Hale 1^st and Ian Drayton 2^nd got the points
Lap 5 – sprint 2: B grade riders were still in the points with Ali Hale once again 1^st, Sarah Stephens 2^nd and James Newhouse 3^rd

At lap 4 the A graders caught the B graders and from here Martin Graham took control and rode a fast and clinical race, winning the next two sprints from the front!

Lap 3 – sprint 3: Martin Graham 1^st, Tim Jolly 2^nd, Conan Lui 3^rd, James Newhouse 4^th
Lap 1 – bell lap sprint: Martin Graham 1^st, Tim Jolly 2^nd, Conan Lui 3^rd, Ali Hale 4^th, James Newhouse 5^th

Overall results:  1^st Martin Graham (9pts), 2^nd Tim Jolly & Alison Hale (7pts), 3^rd Conan Liu (5pts).

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the 8-lap Snowball here.

Italian Pursuit

There were two team of six riders for this week’s Italian Pursuit.  Initially, the race unfolded in very promising fashion with both teams putting in good early laps and Team 2 gaining a slender lead.  The race remained close as the final laps unfolded.  However, Gavin Stephens (team 1) had an unfortunate mishap, touching a pedal as he slowed on the steep banking and falling down the track.  Gavin had abrasions, but was not badly injured, as the fall was from slow speed.  After Gavin’s fall, team 1 slowed to check on him and he immediately received attention from Simon Whitehead, the track’s first aider.  The commissaire decided that the race would be neutralised and all riders given equal points for their season points score.  We wish Gavin a speedy recovery from his injuries.

Major Placings:

8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, Conan Liu, Martin Graham.  (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Gavin Stephens, Ben Davis. (B Grade) Sarah Stephens, Alison Hale, James Newhouse.

2-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades) Sarah Stephens, James Newhouse, Phil Coulton, Gavin Stephens, Alison Hale.

8-Lap Snowball: (A&B Grades) Martin Graham (9pts), Tim Jolly, Alison Hale (7pts), Conan Liu (5pts), James Newhouse (3pts), Sarah Stephens (2pts), Ian Drayton (1pt).

Combined Italian Pursuit:  Team 1/2 draw (neutralised).

Final Omnium Points Score:

James Newhouse (18), Conan Liu (15), Tim Jolly, Phil Coulton (13), Graeme O’Neill (11), Gavin Stephens (10), Craig Kentwell, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham, Martin Graham, Sarah Stephens (8).

The CRMCC Omnium Track Shield for season 22/23 is awarded to James Newhouse.

Season Point Score:

Tim Jolly (366), James Newhouse (321), Conan Liu (274), Alison Hale (274), Craig Kentwell (242), John Paul De Sousa (207), Wayne Benham (169), Steve Jones (148), Ed Garnett (134), Gavin Stephens (128), Warwick Wilson (127), Ian Drayton (126), Graeme O’Neill (125), Hamish Anderson (103), Martin Graham (102), Phil Coulton (101).

Graeme O’Neill & Michael Langdon

Masters, In this week’s Bleat;

• CRuMbs+ Out and About

• Season Points Score

• From the Committee

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

“One of the most important days of my life, was when I learned to ride a bicycle.” — Michael Palin, British actor

Michael Langdon
thebleat@actvets.cc

CRuMbs+ Out and About

Kerrie Muir – 3rd in Gravel n Granite

The Gravel and Granite race was held in Tenterfield on Saturday 4 March. Congratulations to Kerrie Muir placing 3rd in M7 for this 105km event and 16th overall.

Tolland Open Handicaps 

The Saturday race out Wagga way was a 95km handicap with over a 100 starters. The handicapper did a great job on this occasion, as a group of 12 riders from bunches 4 and 5 managed to hold off scratch by 27 seconds, with the legendary Mark Harris coming in 3rd! Fantastic ride Mark.

Marc Vroomans is another regular at Opens and he bagged 17th in a bunch of 27 riders that held off scratch by a minute in the slightly shorter 78km handicap held on Sunday.

Mansfield Hotel Tour

When hearing the words ‘hotel tour’, a steak in the bistro and a schooner in the bar comes to mind but not for two intrepid club members who went all the way to Mansfield, Victoria, to contest a ITT and two road races as part of the Mansfield Hotel Tour. Young Dan Lekhac finished 5th on GC for Masters A, while race committee star Chris Short was 14th in Masters C. 

Season Points Score

The season poinst score ends on the last race (criterium / road race) of the daylight saving period. Medals go into production…and are awarded @ the Xmas wheel race end of 2023 – for places 1st, 2nd & 3rd (male/female). Current points score:

Women – Kerrie Muir 90; Linda Stals 79; Elizabeth Lowe 69; Cat Riley 55; Theresa McLachlan 50
Men – Steve Crispin 130; Kevin Newhouse 93; Brian Peak 93; Brian Chugg 88; Michael Hanbury 85

From the Race Committee

Gunning road race is delayed to later in the year…expected around October 2023.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 7 March: Stromlo Club Championship Criterium

Note: Registration required by 7 March 2023 3:50pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Race Director: Michael Hanbury Contact: Ph: 0430515896
Marshals: Kerrie Muir
Medals: will be presented at the end of each race…

Thursday, 9 March – 6pm: Narrabundah Track Racing

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:  2-lap Handicap (Omnium Event).
6.40pm – 7.10pm:  8-lap Snowball 7.10pm– 7.30pm:  Italian Pursuit.

Graeme O’Neill – Race Director

This is timely reminder that all track riders need to be 2023 financial members before setting foot on the track, and this includes if you are officiating (for insurance coverage purposes). The track program will move to online registration and payment for next season. As many track riders are already using the RMS registration and online payment system for criterium and/or road race entry, we will be offering this rego and payment method for the remaining 5 track sessions this year. We will still be accepting cash on the day, and Square payment during this transition period. Please see the calendar entry for Thursdays https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar.

You will need to know your Club-assigned race number (not your TG number when you made your annual payment), which you can look up by doing a name search in the Results section of the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/index, and a credit card for making the $10 payment. If you are encountering issues, please contact Conan, the Club Membership Officer via membership@actvets.cc.  Should there be a track cancellation due to weather or personal circumstances, we will roll your entry fee over to the next session. 

Conan Liu – Club membership Secretary

Sunday 12th March – no road race scheduled

Next road race: is the 19th of March, 9am at Uriarra Homestead

RACE REPORTS:

Lookout Hill – 5 March

32 riders toed the start line for what was an amazing Autumn Day atop of Lookout Hill. Riders across A through D were facing 46.0 kilometres while the E and F grade had 36.0 kilometres.

A grade was sent away first, with a strong, relatively even nine rider field. Through the first half lap the group came past Lookout Hill all together, down to the Point Hut turn around. On the way up (to no surprise) Steve Crispin was just off the saddle dancing on the pedals a little to see who’s legs he could sting. No real effect was had as the re-group happened and down towards Tharwa they went. Lap two was unchanged, and as we watched from the start line, the group was all pretty comfortable. It was lap three where a leap off the front occurred, Cartel’s Callum Henshaw threw it up the road. By this stage marshal Karen and I had relocated and were now watching proceedings from the finish line. Callum came back up the hill (with two laps to go) still maintaining a 20 to 25 sec margin. With a very visual display of team Tiffen colours at the front, we were not really sure if they were chasing or just maintaining the gap, either way, fellow Cartel rider Steve Crispin was breathing easy nowhere near the wind. With a lap to go Callum was still holding the gap and we were thinking he may be onto something here however, as they crested the hill for the final half lap things had changed. Callum had been caught and there was a split in the group. Coming up the hill towards the finish line the group was bunched and spread wide. With 75 metres to go Gerard Tiffen had the slightest of gaps back to Callum Henshaw and this was how it finished, GT in first, Callum in second and Steve Crispin coming in for third.

B Grade field of six rolled off about 40 seconds after the A grade crew and coming back past the start line we thought they might actually catch the A grade boys as the gap had dropped to about 20 seconds. They were all working well together to maintain the cohesion. Newly crowned CRMCC rider Jonathon Glover and second time racer Dimi Dojcinoski were looking comfortable in the B grade pack. Everyone was still clipping along at good pace as they came through lap two. From an onlookers point of view, there seemed to be a healthy respect within the group, with everyone seeming content to see this one to the finish line. Observing from the finish line, with a lap and half to go Dimi appeared to want the pace to pick up a bit as he and a couple of others had the slightest of gaps. This little manoeuvre wasn’t to be however and as they approached the finish line for the bell lap they were all back together. As the group came past, we couldn’t help but observe, that both Conan Liu and Dimi appeared to be under no pressure at all, this was going to come down to a sprint now for sure. Well, a sprint it was, as they approach the line a bright orange jersey was seen stepping out to the right, power was being transfered through the pedal and a scared expression was to be seen on the second timers face. They hit the line with Dimi in front just nudging out Conan and a fast finishing Craig Lindenmayer taking out third.

C Grade were next off the line. Seven riders in total all facing the 4.5 laps. These guys also appeared very content to keep everyone together, at least for the first lap anyway. They were also clipping along at a nice pace not losing any time to the B grade group in front. Past the finish line with two laps to go the seven had become six with Ed Logue calling it a day. As the sun continued to shine down at the finish line, a depleted group came past with a lap to go, the six had become four and looked like they would remain for the final lap. Communications from the Tharwa turn around confirmed this to be the case and as they approached the finish line another sprint ensued. John Paul De Sousa was just just just too strong for James Tonkin (who may have sat up early) and Ian Preston rounding out the third podium step.

D Grade has a grand total of three riders roll off the start line. The format of which was maintained throughout the whole 46km. All three riders were appearing to take equal turns and the smiles on their faces were infectious. The downside of this well-oiled machine was that there isn’t much to report. The three remained the three until the finish and even then there was a attempt made to all cross the line together. The final results with show however, that Michael Hanbury crossed in first with John Stockman taking second and Brian Chugg rounding out third place.

E/F Grade were sent away together, with a couple of late scratchings from the E grade field. Seven riders in total (six from E and one from F) were completing the 3.5 lap, 36km course. Attempts to help Lindsay Graham not have to ride the whole course on his own were thwarted by the E grade crew as, after the first half a lap Lindsay was indeed off the back. Cresting towards lookout Hill for the first time, it looked as if another victim may be taken with Cat Riley being dropped  off the back. However, her tenacity saw her chase back along the flat and the group was once again back together. Cat wasn’t going to get caught like that again and after the second, and bell lap, the group still remained together. Down the long straight towards Tharwa the group was unchanged with Russell Marston taking the front position. Figures came into view as they approached the finish and in the end it was Russell Marston from Cat Riley and Ashely Sked.

Lindsay Graham maintained the rage representing the F troop, riding the whole 36km on his own and crossing the line in first place in an impressive 1:26min.

Big thanks to Tony, Darren, Ben and Karen for their help on the day. As always, the races cannot go ahead without the help of our volunteers. Thanks also to the David Parker and the race committee for their assistance in the lead up. Long live road races.

Nathan Spillane – Race Director

SFP Criterium – 28 Feb

Perfect conditions greeted riders with warm and largely still conditions setting the scene for some exciting racing.

E,F and G Grade:

E,F and G Grades all rolled off together and kept things social for the opening lap or two with Theresa McLachlan setting a comfortable tempo on the front of the bunch. Lindy Hou and Colin Calderwood on the tandem was also contributing to the pace making but it wasn’t until Jim Veal put in a big dig coming down the home straight that the various bunches split apart. With seven riders away, Ricco Fitch took up the role of ‘el tractor’ driving the pace and stringing the bunch out behind. Around the halfway mark, Jim tried to go solo again but was swiftly joined by Poupee Lam before the two escapees were swallowed up by the chase. With less then ten minutes on the clock, Theresa tried once more but Jim was having none of it and welded the bunch back together. Two laps to go and Ricco was back on the front drilling it hard, before Theresa baking on ‘third time lucky’ put in another audacious attack on the bell. Through collarbone, it looked like Theresa had it with a gap of several bike lengths to Jim. But as they hit the back straight, new club member Graeme Townsend sought to make his presence felt, surging forward to latch onto Theresa’s wheel as they rounded the final bend. Strung out across the road in the dash to the line, it was Poupee Lam who had enough power to take a classy victory, Graeme holding on for second with the tandem of Lindy Hou and Collin Calderwood taking third after being spurred along by Jim in the final sprint.

Having rolled home near the head of proceedings, Jim took a comfortable victory for G Grade ahead of Gai Monahan and Bernard Crowe while in F Grade, Lindsay Graham rode a tactically astute race to capitalise on the hard work of Mijo Spoljaric, who set tempo throughout much of the race, with Dennis Puniard in third. And lest anyone bat an eyelid at the tactical nous Lindsay showed in the final, worth reflecting on the fact that this was Lindsay’s 400^th – yes, 400^th – race for CRMCC so doubtless he’s probably picked up a thing or two in the several hundred hours he has clocked up in the saddle racing with Vets! 

A and C Grade:

A Grade rolled away with Stu Griffith in a clearly unsociable mood attacking on lap one. Concerned for his wellbeing, Steve Crispin and Jeremy Gillman-Wells rode across to what looked like a dangerous early break. Ben Morrison must have agreed, and worked hard at the head of the chasing bunch to neutralise the threat. Dennis Mungoven was next to try his luck but couldn’t make the move stick, before Steve C casually clipped off the front once again and slipped into the familiar TT mode. JGW was steadfast as always in shouldering the chase for Team Tiffen. Michael Davies and Paul Scherl were also contributing to the chase with even the odd cameo from GT himself and around the halfway mark it was all back together. Not one for crowds, Steve attacked again through collarbone with Ben attentive in bridging the gap, Stu G anchored on his wheel as JGW was put to work once again leading the chase behind. With the clock ticking down, the gap to the leaders continued to grow as the three up front rolled turns like a well-oiled unit. Tiffen through everything into the chase behind but even with the help of Connan Liu and Mark Vroomens, it was quickly apparent the podium would be decided amongst the escapees. With two laps to go, the call no rider wants to hear – ‘ducks, ducks, ducks’ –  sang out through the peleton as said ducks orchestrated a pitch invasion, but it wasn’t enough to slow our leaders or change the inevitable results. Having taken a lap out for a mechanical, chapeau to Ben Morrison who opted not to contest the sprint finish leaving the Cartel duo to their own drag race for bragging rights. True to form, Stu G went clear by a bike length on the line, Steve in second and Ben comfortably rolling home in third. 

C Grade saw Michael Hanbury trying his luck early on but with Matt Dunstall chasing, discretion got the better part of valour and Michael returned to the fold. Mark Vardy put in a big dig down the home straight which quickly had the peleton strung out single file, before Damien Copeland put in the first of what would turn out to be several attacks for the night. The elastic still unbroken around the halfway mark, Anthony Dick came to the front to restore some order, but Michael H and Damien C were having none of it, off once again in a bid for glory. As the chasing bunch disintegrated, a leading group of six emerged but with the clock ticking down, watchfulness among the escapees got the better of group cohesion. Terry More tried to go solo but was quickly reeled in, before Dimitar Dojcinoski decided the time was ripe to fly the coop, quickly establishing a decisive lead. Indeed, so well was Dimitar riding that after a merging of the grades, it wasn’t entirely clear whether Dimitar was out front of A Grade or C Grade as both bunches failed to make up much ground on the solo escapee. So it was that Dimitar stayed clear to win by half a lap, Paul Clare winning the ‘best of the rest’ sprint for second with Michael Hanbury collecting third after being active all night.

B and D:

With light fading, B Grade got underway with a sense of purpose albeit a collegiate one as the bunch stayed together through the opening laps. Martin Graham and Andrew Chamberlain were prominent at the head of affairs, but it took an attack by Paul Angelatos down the back straight to signal a new phase of the battle. All strung out, Nathan Edwards rode the bunch back together with some help from Tom Stewart-Moore. Further attacks saw a group of six riders away briefly before the bunch regrouped but no sooner said and done, had Chambo taken off on a solo bid for glory. After swiftly establishing a lead of several bike lengths and settling into his tempo, Chambo looked to be away before Michael Foulds put in a monster turn to drag the chase back into contention, and then went on the offensive himself together with two or three other riders. But as the clock ticked down and the bell lap approached, the field was once again together, BOAs being ratcheted up for the inevitable sprint to come. So it was that Tom Stewart-Moore proved the fastest in the dash to the line, coming home ahead of Michael Foulds and Ben Zeller although not before another contender was kind enough to give the spectators a running commentary on his sprint, which looked to be going well until ‘nah, f@#k it’ bellowed out and the legs appeared to seize up. Kudos also to a rider in green who rode aggressively all night – yes, not very descriptive I realise but given said rider wasn’t wearing a number, it’s the best I can offer and a subtle reminder to wear your numbers if you want to (a) race and (b) be remembered. 

And lastly to D Grade, who kindly made the job of putting together the race report much easier by sticking together throughout the night. Jonathan Chowns and Michael Whyte were regulars on the front while Vanessa Judge also contributed to the pace setting and hurting the legs of those strung out behind. Despite one concerted effort by Michael W to get away around the halfway mark, it was a night for the sprinters. In the downhill run to the line, made all the more complicated by the overlap of B and D bunches, Michael W held his nerve and proved the quickest taking the win ahead of Kevin Newhouse and Vanessa Judge.

All in all, a fun night of racing and good spectating to be had. A big thanks to Kerrie Muir – aka ‘Duck Lady’ – who was a fabulous co-conspirator in the marshalling arena and earned universal praise for her tireless efforts to rid the track of the pesky Anatide envoys. 

Brad Peppinck – Race Director

Track Racing – Thursday 2 March

Thursday 2 March provided excellent conditions for track racing.  It was a warm with a light headwind in the back straight.  Attendance (9 riders) was, again, below par.  However, the group had a good evening’s racing.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)
Tim Jolly led off at an easy pace and did two laps, raising the pace in the second lap before handing off to Martin Graham.  Martin must have been conserving energy as he handed off to Conan Liu after half a lap.  Conan can be relied on to stir the pot and, sure enough, he kicked up the pace as lap 4 commenced.  John Paul De Sousa and Tim Jolly brought the pack along with Conan.  After the pair completed turns on the front, the race was getting quite pacy.  However, the bunch was soon quite compact and slowing as Martin Graham again rolled to the front on lap 6.  Martin took a short turn before Conan Liu again stirred up the bunch.  This was the cue for Martin to put in a solid attack, that initially looked quite promising, if a tad premature.  After Martin gained 20m on the bunch, Tim Jolly began one of the furious pursuits that are becoming his trademark.  Tim accelerated past Martin on the final lap, accompanied by a pursuing bunch including John Paul De Sousa, Conan Liu and Wayne Benham.  Tim was uncatchable and took
the win, followed by Conan Liu (2^nd) a fraction ahead of John Paul De Sousa (3^rd).  Another interesting contest!

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)
B Grade had 4 riders racing with the return of Alison Hale from Canada and seemingly unaffected by any Poutine intake.  The riders took conservative turns on the front.  Alison Hale controlled the race awaiting James Newhouse’s attack to plunder yet more season points.  Graeme O’Neill with one lap to go tried to stay on Alison’s wheel.  However, as the bell went so did Alison launching a devastating attack with James Newhouse in pursuit.  James closed the gap substantially, however over the line it was Alison Hale 1^st, James Newhouse 2^nd and Graeme O’Neill 3^rd.

Paired Match Races (2 laps)
The match racing was an Omnium championship event so all riders we keyed up to perform well. James Newhouse was paired with Alison Hale for the first event. The race was quite tactical for the first 1.5 laps with Alison trying to temp James into the lead, without success. The final half lap sprint commenced with Alison in the lead. James overtook in the final turn but could not gain the sprinter’s lane. This allowed Alison a second surge that almost succeeded. James took a close win. 

Next up Conan Liu just held off John Paul De Sousa for a win. 

Due to uneven numbers, Tim Jolly, Martin Graham and Wayne Benham competed as a threesome. Tim Jolly was the favourite. Although Tim was ultimately the winner, Wayne Benham rode a great tactical race and made it a close-run thing for Tim.

The final pairing was Phil Coulton against Graeme O’Neill. Phil took the lead coming off turn 1 and looked a comfortable winner. However, Graeme put on a desperate spurt rounding the final bend and almost caught Phil unawares. A panicked final burst from Phil, as Graeme drew level, was sufficient for a win by the closest margin.

2-Lap Handicap
The limit riders got excellent starts. In particular, James Newhouse flew down the back straight with 1.5 laps to go. The limit riders were way too fast for the scratch riders. A great race by James Newhouse got him home 1^st, Wayne Benham 2^nd, and John Paul De Sousa 3^rd.

Italian Pursuit
8 riders again for this week’s Italian Pursuit.  The amore pairing were completely absent – no love in this contest!  Warm and still conditions had the teams keen to get it on. Team 2 got a fantastic start provided by Phil Coulton.  Team 1 also started well but the initial pace of Team 2 was the pivot point.  A nice start then allowed the Team 2 anchor riders of John Paul and Tim Jolly to maintain a solid pace. On paper Team 2 was a little stronger and this was reflected with the win over Team 1.

Major Placings:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa.  (A2 Grade) No entries.  (B Grade) Alison Hale, James Newhouse, Graeme O’Neill.
Match Race Winners: (A Grade) Tim Jolly, Conan Liu.  (B Grade) James Newhouse, Phil Coulton.
2-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades) James Newhouse, Wayne Benham, John Paul De Sousa, Martin Graham, Phil Coulton.
Combined Italian Pursuit:  Winner Team 2 (John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham, Tim Jolly, Phil Coulton).

Omnium Points Score:
Conan Liu (15), James Newhouse (14), Tim Jolly (13), Graeme O’Neill (11), Phil Coulton (10), Gavin Stephens, Craig Kentwell, John Paul De Sousa, Wayne Benham, Martin Graham (8).

Season Point Score:
Tim Jolly (348), James Newhouse (307), Conan Liu (258), Alison Hale (256), Craig Kentwell (229), John Paul De Sousa (197), Wayne Benham (158), Steve Jones (148), Ed Garnett (134), Warwick Wilson (127), Ian Drayton (119), Graeme O’Neill (116), Gavin Stephens (113), Hamish Anderson (103).

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the Italian Pursuit here.

Graeme O’Neill and Michael Langdon

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

• How the West was won!

• From the Committee

• From the Desk of the Handicapper

• From the Race Committee

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

This week: “Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.” — Eddy Merckx, Belgian pro racer

Michael Langdon
thebleat@actvets.cc

How the West was won!

Chapeau to Alec Millet ex stalwart of the ACT Masters cycling scene, and now Perth resident, for bringing home a brace of Gold medals at the recent WA Track Championships. Alec took out the M7 Time Trial and Individual Pursuit Titles – with an impressive 2.35 in the IP. A great come back from Alec after a couple of tough years.

Craig Kentwell
@ The Bundadome & via Batemans Bay

From the Committee

Topic: CRMCC March Committee meeting
Time: Mar 6, 2023 19:00

In person: Everyone is welcome to attend @ Raiders Weston.
Virtual: via Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88643092398?pwd=eXFBZzNuRG05Rmh4MEFraklBcU9TQT09

Meeting ID: 886 4309 2398
Passcode: 691756

Craig Tozer
Secretary@actvets.cc

From the Desk of the Handicapper:

Promotions/demotions

Heath Chester A to B

Rob Langridge – Handicapper

From the Race Committee

Road Races and Directors

Volunteers required for Sunday. Please note that we are in need of ETCs and a first aid qualified volunteer.

We are still lacking a few Race Directors for upcoming races. Anyone able to assist, please advise the Race Committee race.committe@actvets.cc.

We are also looking to fill the remaining Vacant spots on the Calendar here https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar

Please come forward and help our races happen. We will be looking to roster people into spots if they are not filled, so pick your spot before you are placed in one.

David Parker CRMCC VP

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 28th February: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Registration required by 28 Feb 2023 3:30 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Stromlo Forest Park – due to works onsite on Tuesday 28th February, potable water will not be available onsite. Two port-a-loos will be available for use at the Pavilion Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th, and the Blue Gums toilets will still have water access.

Race Director: Bradley Peppinck Contact: Ph: 0478028598

Marshals: Kerrie Muir

Narrabundah Track Racing

The Program for Thursday 2 March, 6.00PM is as follows:

5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 6.50pm: Paired Match Races (Omnium Event).
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap Handicap.
7.10pm– 7.30pm: Italian Pursuit.

Graeme O’Neill – Director

“This is timely reminder that all track riders need to be 2023 financial members before setting foot on the track, and this includes if you are officiating (for insurance coverage purposes). The track program will move to online registration and payment for next season. As many track riders are already using the RMS registration and online payment system for criterium and/or road race entry, we will be offering this rego and payment method for the remaining 5 track sessions this year. We will still be accepting cash on the day, and Square payment during this transition period. Please see the calendar entry for Thursdays https://rms.crmcc.org.au/calendar.

You will need to know your Club-assigned race number (not your TG number when you made your annual payment), which you can look up by doing a name search in the Results section of the RMS https://rms.crmcc.org.au/index, and a credit card for making the $10 payment. If you are encountering issues, please contact Conan, the Club Membership Officer via membership@actvets.cc.  Should there be a track cancellation due to weather or personal circumstances, we will roll your entry fee over to the next session”. 

Conan Liu – Club membership Secretary

Sunday, 5^th March – Graded Scratch – Lookout Hill

RACE REPORTS:

Downtube Shifter Derby

The club’s inaugural Downtube Shifter Derby was held on a wet Stromlo track last Tuesday. The storm around 1500 on Tuesday may have put off a few possible entrants fearing water damage to their priceless machines, but I was happy that we had eight riders show up for 15 minutes plus two laps of no-holds-barred action. The riders were evenly matched despite the mixture of grades and it seemed that any attacks were short lived, as the effort to sustain them was too much on the steel bikes. The highlights were Paul Clare not being able to find the right gear, leaving a gap which I stole, and overhearing the comment about the BB axle length of one of the bikes. Somehow bike mechanic extraordinaire Peter Taylor had time to critique the mechanical set-up of one of the the bikes while competing.  ‘It looks about 125mm when it should only be about 115mm’ is not something you hear very often during a race. As I had built my Shogun Katana myself, I rode in fear of a public admonishment of my rudimentary mechanical skills. I briefly led into the home straight before being overhauled by Dale Kleeman, Peter and Paul. The next challenge was the barrel draw as competitors had the difficult choice of choosing between WD-40, metal polish and a microfibre polishing cloth or beer.  Thanks to Jeremy, Kerrie and Des Brown for their assistance in making it possible.

Rain and crits–clarification

There was a bit of speculation on CRMCC Facebook page about the likelihood of the crits being cancelled following the storm last Tuesday.

• The general rule is that crits will only be cancelled if it’s too dangerous to ride or if nobody turns up.

Lightning or the threat of lightning, very strong winds or rivers flowing across the course would be the reasons to cancel. Races can still go ahead in heavy rain or no rain but a lot of water on the course. The rule for road races is more complicated as generally the race committee doesn’t want to conduct races with less than 20 competitors given the amount of time these races take to organise and the number of volunteers required to ensure a successful event.

SFP Criterium – 21^st February

With ominous skies, moist conditions on track and a frightening array of God’s creations surrounding the parcours, a reduced field took to the course for CRMCC Downshifter Derby 2023 (15+1). Ian P and Dale K were ever present at the front of proceedings early. The peloton stayed tight, although strung out, for the first 7 minutes. With 8 to go Bruce M made a move up the front straight, took an easy 30m but then all together again down the back. Meanwhile marshals and directors were clearing ducks and kangaroos…and dodging puddles. Special shout out to Tony Beasley (who had a stent put in only 3 weeks ago) and was comfortably lurking at the back. With 2 laps to go it was still all together as the showers rolled in once again. In the final it was a bunch kick from the bottom corner with Dale K outclassing, Paul C and we think Peter T but it could have been Rob L for the bronze. Frankly, we’ll never know for sure. 

Running a ship tight schedule A (38+2) & C (35+2) were called next to the line and rolled away at exactly 5.50pm. Again, reduced fields fronted in both grades as the inclement weather persisted. Most of the race was very damp with light, misty rainicles…although virtually no wind. 11 A graders rolled the first few laps together before the attacks started on lap 3 with Dennis, Stu and Trent forming a 3 man break to a chasing 5, then 4 and basically…that was race over. 4 DNFs due to a combination of environmental fatigue…or just straight up good ol’ fashion out the back door fatigue. Stu bested Dennis in a tight two up sprint and Trent in the mix for 3rd. 

C grade mostly stayed together for the first half with Mark V very attentive on the front. At 10 to go, attrition had taken out a few and eventually a several singles were spread out around the track. A small bunch sprint saw Wayne B take it on the line from Mark V and Mark T.

B (38+2) & D were next up and it was getting blustery and c-c-cold. There were requests for early starts, shortened race times and all sorts of other shenanigans that were promptly denied by race officials. Darren B & Brendon L formed a very EB followed by the bunch who let them dangle for some time. B grade was back together at 20 to go and then Darren went again solo. He had half the main straight at 10 to go and it seemed like a dominant advantage. At 8 to go he’s caught. All together (less a few fade aways) for a bunch sprint into the final straight with Brendan L recovered enough for the W followed by Brian P and Ben Z. 

D (35+2) had only 4 on the line to roll out and they were all together and gentlemanly right until 10 minutes to go. You’d then say “it exploded”. It suddenly became 2 up front and 2 singles behind. And it stayed that way with Ian M taking the win from Greg M and Paul M a fair way back for 3rd. A triple M one might say. 

E (28+2) completed the evening in fading light and bouncing roos which meant a 20+2 was more appropriate. Only 2 well rugged up yet eager participants to start. Although they were swapping turns, Shirley-Anne seemed to be doing more of the work in the north easterly gusts and foreboding cloud cover. That is until the final lap where she opened the throttle and let it rip putting over 150m into Ross H by the finish. 

Big appreciation for all marshals and helpers to keep the racing safe, fast and animal collision free. 

Jeremy Gillman-Wells

Track Racing – 23^rd February

Thursday 23 February provided good conditions for track racing. It was a bit cloudy, but warm. A strong
wind streamed across the track during practice, creating a tough headwind in the first turn. It
moderated as the evening progressed. Attendance (10 riders) was below par. However, it was again, a
good evening’s racing.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)
John Paul De Sousa led off at an easy pace. The pace stayed steady through subsequent turns by Gavin
Stephens, Martin Graham, Wayne Benham and Craig Kentwell. On lap 6, Conan Liu ratcheted up the
pace, first gaping, then energising the bunch. Conan was eventually overtaken by John Paul De Sousa as
the bunch drew level. As the bell lap approached, all riders were packed in a tight bunch, jockeying for a
good launch position from the banking. Tim Jolly and John Paul De Soua launched attacks
simultaneously from the banking. The remaining bunch stuck like limpets, accelerating into the final lap.
It was another ferocious and entertaining final lap sprint, with Tim Jolly 1 st , Conan Liu 2 nd and Martin
Graham 3 rd .

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)
B Grade had just 4 riders, so the first half of the race was steady paceline riding. James Newhouse had
his race face on, eager to lap up points for the season points score. Points are awarded to the first 5
riders across the line – the absent 5 th rider’s points went begging, in this instance. By lap 6, the pace was
getting serious and about this time a pack of three launched into a long final surge. On the final lap Ian
Drayton attacked – somehow, this caught the other riders by surprise! However, James Newhouse was
able to close down the attack to get home first, with Ian Drayton 2 nd and Phil Coulton 3 rd .

1-Lap Standing Start Time Trial
The 1-lap time trial was challenging with riders accelerating into an immediate headwind. However, the
times were generally on par, so the wind appeared to have minimal effect. Most of the A grade times
were within 28 – 30 seconds. Tim Jolly set the benchmark for A1 grade with 28.18 seconds. However,
Gavin Stephens really raised the flag for A2 grade with the night’s best time of 27.91 seconds (43.2
km/hr average).

B grade had a good night, with their best times within cooee of A grade. James Newhouse set the
benchmark at 30.05 seconds (40.1 km/hr average).

4-Lap Handicap (A & B Combined)
The handicap race was an A grade affair with A grade riders taking the first four places and some honour
for B grade being salvaged by James Newhouse in fifth place. The race started with James Newhouse
taking a flyer and blasting past the limit rider after just one lap. James did a maximal effort. However,
the pursuit from A grade was relentless and four laps gave the strong riders just enough time to catch
and pass James. It was good, close racing with Conan Liu 1st, Martin Graham 2nd, Tim Jolly 3rd.

Italian Pursuit
10 riders again for this week’s Italian Pursuit. It was the one that got away – for Team 1 that is. John
Paul was at second wheel for Team 2; and this indicated a strong team as JP would usually ride midfield.
Indeed, the Phil Coulton professional Team 2 lead out placed them well from the start! Each rider in
Team 2 increased the lead and by the final lap the race was over for Team 1 with Team 2 anchor Conan
Lui well out in front for the final lap.

Major Placings:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa. (A2 Grade) Martin Graham, Gavin
Stephens, Craig Kentwell. (B Grade) James Newhouse, Ian Drayton, Phil Coulton.
1-Lap Standing Start TT: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly (28.18s), Wayne Benham (29.26s), John Paul De Sousa
(29.34s). (A2 Grade) Gavin Stephens (27.91s), Martin Graham (29.94s), Craig Kentwell (30.15s). (B
Grade) James Newhouse (30.05s), Ian Drayton (31.40s), Phil Coulton (31.94s),
4-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades) Conan Liu, Martin Graham, Tim Jolly, Wayne Benham, James Newhouse.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 2 (John Paul De Sousa, Conan Liu, Craig Kentwell, Gavin
Stephens, Phil Coulton).

Omnium Points Score:
Conan Liu (10), James Newhouse (9), Tim Jolly, Graeme O’Neill, Gavin Stephens, Craig Kentwell (8), Ian
Drayton (7), John Paul De Sousa, Phil Coulton, Wayne Benham (5), Sarah Stephens (3).
Season Point Score:
Tim Jolly (328), James Newhouse (285), Alison Hale (243), Conan Liu (241), Craig Kentwell (229), John
Paul De Sousa (178), Steve Jones (148), Wayne Benham (140), Ed Garnett (134), Warwick Wilson (127),
Ian Drayton (119), Gavin Stephens (113), Hamish Anderson (103), Graeme O’Neill (102), Mark Canaider
(89), Karen Clutson (86), Phil Coulton, Martin Graham (70).

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the Italian Pursuit here.

Graeme O’Neill and Michael Langdon

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  Vale Bruce Jones

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  From the Committee

•  From the Race Committee

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

I will be retiring as editor of The Bleat. Michael Langdon has kindly volunteered to take over editorial duties.

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

Vale Bruce Jones

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of one of the founding members of the CRMCC.

Many Club members from the 90’s and 2000’s would know of Bruce. After a long battle with cancer and pneumonia Bruce died at the Canberra hospital on Monday 13 Feb. 

Bruce was a member of the Canberra Cycling Club since the mid 80’s and was a founding member of the ACT Vets club in 1993.

His grades ranged from G grade to D grade.

Bruce personified the spirit of a true club stalwart as not only was he a consistent competitor every season from 1993 to 2019, racking up an impressive 840 events, when he wasn’t racing because of ill health or other circumstances, he, since 2010, marshalled over 30 times. He medaled in several trophy and club age championship events.

His legendary cat-and-mouse criterium battles with Bernie Crowe in his latter years didn’t quite result in many wins, as Bernie tended to get a great advantage from drafting Bruce’s tall frame. Nonetheless, he’d be back the next week for another battle. Even though ill health put an end to his racing career, he would still come to races for a chat and to help out.

He was know to have ridden a few Great Victorian bike rides, many Adelaide TDU community challenges and many Alpine classics at Bright.

Bruce was known as an affable character and always up for a chat provided you had the time to hear him out.  He had a slow, deliberate and dry delivery often punctuated with the phrase “and this and that” throughout his commentary.  He was also known for often succumbing to the dreaded cycling “death rattles” whilst riding/racing.  However, he wasn’t alone with that problem.

Farewell Bruce. May the wind always be at your back.

He will be sadly missed by all his cycling colleagues. 

From the Committee

Annual General Meeting

Last Monday the Committee met for the 2023 AGM where all positions were spilled, nominations received and voted on. Not a lot of change with Kim Malcolm continuing as President and AVCC President David Parker as Vice President. Craig Tozer continuing as Secretary and Kevin Woods as Treasurer.

With the Membership Secretary position vacant we welcome Conan Liu into the role, and Michael Langdon taking on the Bleat, bring on the Liggitisms! Chris Short, Rob Langridge, Ian Morton, and welcoming newcomer Ed Logue are our general committee members.

If you are interested in going ons at the AGM, you can access the minutes and Exec Reports via the website by following ‘About > Documents and Committee Meeting Minutes > Member documents shared drive’ and in Google Docs selecting the 2023 AGM folder.

 202300213 – Minutes – February/AGM 2023 (DRAFT)

Good news is, you don’t need to be a committee member to come along to meetings which you can now Zoom into. Conan does a great job as our ears on the ground getting member feedback but it’s always great to have members come along and share their thoughts, provide input to discussions, raise concerns etc.

We also hope to establish some sub-groups to take care of improvements we as a committee struggle to action while we manage the running of the club. Last year we were generously assisted by Mark Taylor and Matt Hinchcliffe with skills clinics so if you are interested in being involved, giving back without signing up as a full time committee member please let us know via the Secretary@actvets.cc mailbox.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Brenton Clark B to A road
Greg Mitchell E to D road
Krusty Bryant B to A
Alex Sommariva D to C

Krusty’s B grade half-lap screamer was particularly impressive, as he took off from the middle of the back straight, got a 20m gap immediately, extended it around the bend and was able to cruise in with daylight second.

Downtube Race

Tomorrow’s race will go ahead unless there’s a threat of lightning. The rules have changed a little to include pre-downtube shifter technology, as Peter Taylor will be riding a rod-festooned contraption. A barrel draw of small prizes will be held for riders so please hang around afterwards to enjoy a soft drink and a chance to wax lyrical with your competitors about the advantages/disadvantages of racing on an old bike compared with a sleek, aerodynamic carbon machine. Please also enter early so that I can get an estimate of how many prizes I might want to buy.

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

Race Numbers

If your club assigned race number is torn and tattered, and you would like a re-issue of your race number, I’ll be at SFP on Tues from 5:15pm until close where you can receive a ‘fresh’ one. These are the older style, card-like material. Come and find me in the facility room office. If I am not there, please look for your own number, without disturbing the numerical order of the whole collection!

Thanks
Conan
Club Membership Officer.

Trial Rides

At the last committee meeting, the Committee agreed to reduce the number of permitted trial rides from two trial rides to one ride in any calendar year. This will make it easier for the Membership Secretary to monitor the number of trial rides that a rider has taken. The website and online trial membership form have been updated to reflect this change.

Road Races and Directors

We are still lacking a few Race Directors for upcoming races. Anyone able to assist, please advise the Race Committee (race.committe@actvets.cc).

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 21^st February: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Registration required by 21 Feb 2023 3:30 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:

Downtube Shifter Criterium

This race will be a criterium for bikes with downtube shifters. Riders can also ride in their normal grades following the Derby. There will be some barrel prizes for entrants so stick around for the post-race celebrations.

Time: 5:30
Duration: 15 minutes plus one lap
Rules: Must ride bike with downtube shifters

*** Note: Riders need to register separately for the downshifter race and the regular Criterium event ***

Regular Criterium

A/C	5:50	A 38m+2, C 35m+2
B/D	6:35	B 38m+2, D 35m+2
E/F/G	7:15	28 min + 2 laps

Race Director: Jeremy Gillman-Wells Contact: Email: jezgw@icloud.com Ph: 043 411 1172

Marshals: Kerrie Muir

Thursday, 23^rd February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is as follows:
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
6.00pm – 6.20pm: 8-lap graded scratch race.
6.20pm – 6.50pm: 1-lap SS Time Trial (Omnium Event).
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 4-lap Handicap.
7.10pm– 7.30pm: Italian Pursuit.

Sunday, 26^th February -No Scheduled Event

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 14^th February

With valentine prospects in the air, race numbers were down slightly this week, with 83 keen riders lining up in their respective grades for the weekly crit races. Weather was pretty good with a bit of a north easterly, but clearly not strong enough to cause too much carnage with the bunches generally staying together over the evening. The kangaroos mostly stayed away, with the main sighting being a group crossing the track at the top end during the final lap of the evening – fortunately they were off the track by the time the A graders came through!

First up on the track was B and D grade, with 27 riders starting in B grade, the largest of the evening, and 15 in D grade. D Grade generally kept it together for most of the race, with Alex Sommariva and Ashley Sked going off the front for a lap or so around the halfway point. This wasn’t enough to slow Alex down who came back and won the sprint in front of Russell Marston and Michael Golding.

B Grade was a little more animated with the wind potentially causing some major splits at various stages, only for these to be closed down. An initial group of Ben Healy, Michael Foulds and Tom Stewart-Moore had a go, then 5 minutes after they were caught, Darren Blackhurst, Craig Lindenmayer and Michael Foulds (again) were off the front for 3 or 4 laps. A bit further on Krusty Bryant and Rowan McMurray were joined by Darren (again) for a further 3 or 4 laps. Things settled down mostly for the last 15 minutes with the sprint won by Krusty Bryant, followed by Brendan Lakey, Tom Stweart-Moore and the ever present Michael Foulds.

Next up on the track was E, F and G grade with 6 riders starting in E grade and 1 in each of F and G grade. E grade was down to a group of 4 riders about half way through with Shirley-Anne Taylor taking out the win after doing quite a bit of work on the front. She was followed in by Mick Donaldson, Theresa McLachlin (same order as last week) and Poupee Lam, a new rider who hung on well until final sprint down the hill. Lindsay Graham rode well in F grade, keeping the E grade pack in sight for most of the race. And Gai Monahan finished strongly in G grade.

A and C grade finished off the evening’s races with 18 riders in A grade and 15 in C grade. C grade mostly stayed together, with an early attack by Mark Vardy and Mark Taylor that lasted about 3 laps. Mark Vardy also had another go on the bell lap, but was caught before the down hill sprint. My notes had the sprint being won by Wayne Benham followed by Duncan Macdonald, but there was a bit of confusion with the chute as some of the C graders went up to help with the kangaroos on A grade’s bell lap – Wayne seems to have missed out on the RMS. Simon Porombka and Ben Davis made up the remaining places. I decided to give the C graders 2 laps to go when it looked like they had a handy lead on the A graders, but the A graders upped the anti at this critical time and both grades crossed the line as I was ringing the bell for the C graders – not a good look, but fortunately the A graders got far enough ahead that the C grade finish was separated from the A grade antics.
A grade was also a bit more animated, as we have come to expect, although there was no obvious split into 2 groups as has happened a bit in recent weeks. However, there were plenty of attacks off the front with Daniel Lekhac featuring in a few of these. Other riders who also went off the front at times included Denis Mongoven, Michael Tolhurst, David Parker, Stuart Griffiths, and Ross Goggin. There were a few DNFs, but the remaining riders mostly finished in a bunch sprint won by Stuart Griffiths, followed by Michael Tolhurst and Christophe Barbaret.

My thanks to Kerrie for her excellent marshalling, Simon for medic support (thankfully not required) and Conan for opening/closing.

Dale Kleeman

Track Racing – 16^th February

Thursday 16 February provided ideal conditions for track racing. It was warm, though not oppressive. The wind seemed to swirl around the Bundadome during practice. It dropped off, before racing commenced. Attendance (11 riders) was a bit below par. However, it was a good evening’s racing.

A Grade Scratch (8 laps)
Tim Jolly led off at an easy pace and did 2 laps on the front before handing off to Craig Kentwell. Unusually, Craig did only one lap before handing off to Conan Liu. Conan lifted the pace and enlivened the bunch. At the next lap changeover, Gavin Stephens launched an early attack, taking the most aggressive rider award. At first it looked like Gavin’s suicidal attack might just work, as he quickly gained at least 30m on the bunch. However, Tim Jolly soon stirred into action, scorched across the gap and left Gavin slightly demoralised. It did not help that the remaining bunch were now thoroughly aroused and in hot pursuit of Tim. The result was a thoroughly entertaining race with Tim Jolly 1st, Conan Liu 2nd and Craig Kentwell 3rd.

B Grade Scratch (8 laps)
B Grade had 5 riders – a very still and hot evening gave B grade excellent racing conditions. Ian Drayton lifted the pace on lap 4 and the other riders were onto his wheel. Ian handing over to Phil Coulton (most combative) who then really picked the pace up. James Newhouse did well to control much of the race. Sarah Stephens attacked James on the bell lap and really put in a solid sprint. James stuck to the black line and made the task very difficult for Sarah. With a close finish history was made at the Bundadome with James Newhouse 1st, Sarah Stephens 2nd and Ian Drayton 3rd.

200m Fly
An exciting and technical event for riders – the launch is from high on the banked turn at near maximum pace. The kick down the banking is followed by a flat-out sprint for 200 metres. It is amazing how exhausting such a short sprint can be.

Most track regulars are quite accomplished at this event, so the lines and pacing were fairly consistent. The A grade times were quite close with around a 1 second spread. Tim Jolly was impressive (12.62s, 59 km/hr). In B grade, Sarah Stephens also impressed by going under 14 seconds (13.98s, 53 km/hr).

2-Lap Handicap (A & B Combined)
The riders were counted down for take-off – and indeed Phil Coulton went like lightning and soon overtook the other riders off limit, before dying! All riders started well and were really flying – with half a lap to go the riders came together as a bunch with 3 riders up the track for a very fast finish. The scratch markers did not catch – a close finish had James Newhouse 1st, Wayne Benham 2nd and Sarah Stephens 3rd.

Italian Pursuit
Two teams – 10 riders – 5 laps. Graeme O’ Neill, (back from the Chinese balloon off Murray Bridge), got Team 1 off to a good start. Team 2 no gaps – looked good. Team 1 seemed to hold its initial lead and was able to build on it.

Amore conquers all – again! (This theme could go for a few weeks). That’s right – Team Amore (Team 1 with the Stephens partners) won again. And a close finish was denied Team 2 with a very fast final lap by the Team 1 anchor Conan Liu to seal the deal.

Michael Langdon’s commentary on the Italian Pursuit here.

Major Placings:
8-Lap Scratch: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly, Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa. (A2 Grade) Craig Kentwell, Gavin Stephens. (B Grade) James Newhouse, Sarah Stephens, Ian Drayton.
200m Fly: (A1 Grade) Tim Jolly (12.62s), John Paul De Sousa (13.73s), Conan Liu (13.78s). (A2 Grade) Gavin Stephens (13.03s), Craig Kentwell (13.67s). (B Grade) Sarah Stephens (13.98s), James Newhouse (14.65s), Ian Drayton (14.70s).
2-Lap Handicap: (A&B Grades) James Newhouse, Wayne Benham, Sarah Stephens, Conan Liu, John Paul De Sousa.
Combined Italian Pursuit: Winner Team 1 (John Paul De Sousa, Conan Liu, Gavin Stephens, Sarah Stephens, Graeme O’Neill).

Omnium Points Score:
Conan Liu, Craig Kentwell, Graeme O’Neill (5) James Newhouse, Gavin Stephens, Tim Jolly (4) John Paul De Sousa, Phil Coulton, Sarah Stephens, Ian Drayton (3) Wayne Benham (2)

Season Point Score:
Tim Jolly (307), James Newhouse (266), Alison Hale (243), Conan Liu (220), Craig Kentwell (213), John Paul De Sousa (162), Steve Jones (148), Ed Garnett (134), Warwick Wilson (127), Wayne Benham (124), Ian Drayton (106), Hamish Anderson (103), Gavin Stephens (94), Graeme O’Neill (90), Mark Canaider (89), Karen Clutson (86), Sarah Stephens (68).

Graeme O’Neill and Michael Langdon

Lookout Hill – 19th February

Was a nice start to the day, no wind but what felt like a humid morning. That was confirmed by all the sweat dripping from the competitors during and after the race.

Firstly, a big thank you to all the marshals’ and traffic controllers for there assistance today. Was a good day had by all i believe.

As for a race report I don’t have a lot to pass on as being at the start/finish line not a lot was seen. I did have a bit of a race report form Steve Crispin from A grade.

At the 4km mark an (apparent) accidental breakaway by Lekhac and Crispin. Pele sat up and allowed break to build a lead. Gap at first turn around 30s. Off the front of the Pele chasing was Griffiths and Irwin. They were reeled in shortly after, while the break committed to strengthening the time gap on the return with further assessment at the next turn. Sadly, mechanical took pre race fave Henshaw out. Gap at end of lap was bigger, so green light to go for it given in the break. Pele together at end of lap 1. Gap at turn 3 increased, but group of 4 – Wilton, Coles, Griffiths and Newman – about 30s off the front of the Pele. Up front, decisive move on the west side of Asthma hill distanced Lekhac and saw the leaders roll over the line with a small gap between, with Griffiths and Newman juking it out for the final podium. in 1st place Steve Cripin Followed by Daniel Lekhac and Stuart Griffiths.
Before A grade started it was agreed Steve Crispin was t do 3 laps, im still waiting for the results from that lap. Any word Steve?

B Grade was won by Brenton Clark followed by Dimitar Dojcinoski and Micahel Rowland. Sorry not a lot more to say as didnt see a lot.

C Grade was won by David Dickson followed by Ed Logue and Brain Peak.

D grade was won by Andrew Hislop followed by Alain Arbaut and Terry Moore.

E grade was won by Greg Mitchell followed by Cat Riley and Simon Milnes.

Sadly, the only rider in F grade was a DNF.

PS; sorry to those that wanted a cup of tea after the race as there was no gas in the gas bottle but I think blaming the possibility of a total fire ban was an easier reason to deliver to those disappointed riders.

Again, thank you to all the volunteers which made the day happen without fault.

Until next race stay safe.

Simon Porombka

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  2023 Annual General Meeting

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  From the Race Committee

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

2023 Annual General Meeting

The AGM for the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club for 2023 was held this evening.

Committee positions;
– President: Kim Malcolm
– Vice President: David Parker
– Secretary: Craig Tozer
– Treasurer: Kevin Woods
– Membership: Conan Liu
– Handicapper: Rob Langridge
– General Committee: Chris Short, Ian Morton, Ed Logue

The Committee would like to thanks outgoing members Kirsti McVay and Dougal Torrance for their service on the Committee.

After 11 years, Ian Morton is looking to handover responsibilities for The Bleat (but will remain on the Committee). Any members who are interested in taking over this responsibility please advise thebleat@actvets.cc.

We are still looking for members to join the Committee.

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Nathan King C to B
Andrew Buick C to B

Downtube Shifter Derby update

It’s now a week away from the Derby. You can now enter from the race via the Race Calendar. Riders can also ride in their normal grades following the Derby. There will be some barrell prizes for entrants so stick around for the post-race celebrations. Check up the CRMCC Facebook page for pictures and discussion about the race.

This race will be a criterium for bikes with downtube shifters. Members are welcome to convert carbon bikes to use such shifters but will be interviewed by healthcare professionals after the race. The derby will be 15 minutes plus one lap starting at 1730. Races may be seeded depending on the number of entrants. Riders must have a roadworthy bike, wear an approved helmet and non-arse-crack revealing kit. Old jerseys and knicks are most welcome.

Date: 21 February
Time: 1730
Duration: 15 minutes plus one lap
Rules: Must ride bike with downtube shifters

Rob Langridge (Steel bike nutter)
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

CRMCC Kit

*** Deadline extended until tomorrow ***

The CRMCC Kit Portal is now open with MVMNT.Club until 14th Feb (one extra day). So please head over to the link below and have a look at what is on offer. Jimmy has also included some heavily discounted MVMNT jerseys in there at the bottom of the page. So check them out!

Link here:
https://mvmnt.club/collections/crmcc-custom-portal

Stromlo Parking

The ACT Government has announced a decision to upgrade the existing SFP carpark to help manage increased visitation and to improve user safety. Construction is expected to start in Autumn and completed by the end of the year (weather permitting). As the works will be completed in stages, SFP will continue to offer onsite parking spaces throughout the construction period.

Once the new carpark is complete, the ACT Government has taken the decision to introduce paid parking at Stromlo Forest Park, with 100% of revenue to be reinvested back into the maintenance and improvement of the park, including the mountain bike trails.

This means all funds raised from paid parking will directly contribute to the ongoing development and repairs/maintenance of the park, including new and upgraded trails and facilities.

The parking fees will be modest, and an annual SFP parking pass will be available for frequent users.

Costings for paid parking will be as follows:

Period	Fee
15 minutes	Free
15 minutes to 3 hours	$1.75
3 hours to 6 hours	$2.75
6 hours +	$3.90
Annual pass	$87.00

This year, the ACT Government will also begin work on a five-year Stromlo Forest Park Trails Masterplan, that will involve public consultation. This Trails Masterplan will review existing trails and plan for new trails for key site users including runners, mountain bike riders, road cyclists, equestrian riders and the general public.

Trial Rides

At the last committee meeting, the Committee agreed to reduce the number of permitted trial rides from two trial rides to one ride in any calendar year. This will make it easier for the Membership Secretary to monitor the number of trial rides that a rider has taken. The website and online trial membership form have been updated to reflect this change.

Road Races and Directors

We are still lacking a few Race Directors for upcoming races. Anyone able to assist, please advise the Race Committee (race.committe@actvets.cc).

Registration for 2023

All members must be registered prior to racing in 2023.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 14^th February: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Registration required by 14 Feb 2023 3:50 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

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

Marshals: Kerrie Muir

Thursday, 16^th 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: 200 fly (Omnium Event).
6.50pm – 7.10pm: 2-lap Handicap.
7.10pm– 7.30pm: Italian Pursuit.

Sunday, 19^th February – Lookout Hill

Reminder: All riders must register on the CRMCC Web site (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 18/2/2023 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration at the event.

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

Where: Observation lookout on Tidbinbilla Road about 2.5 km towards Tharwa from Point Hut / Tidbinbilla Rd intersection (or about 4.5 km from Tharwa village).
When: 9:00 am.
Race Description:
Lookout Hill to Tidbinbilla Reserve and back. ABCD x 2 laps. EFG x 1 lap.

Race Director:  tba Contact: Email: tba    Ph tba

Marshals: Warwick Wilson, Elizabeth Lowe ETC, Andrew Peel, Vacant ETC, Vacant ETC, , Vacant Van Driver.

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 7^th February

We don’t often get windy nights these days, but when they do, I seem to be otherwise engaged. Such was the weather that greeted 105 keen riders ready to do battle on our track.

E, F and G were first to start, with some grades opting to stick together for the duration and others being ripped apart by ruthless tactics employed into the breeze up the straight. Bernie Crowe and Gai Monahan in G grade battled on their own and rode strong individual races, with Gai getting the upper hand at race finish. In F grade, three riders stuck together for most of the race, with a slight break in the bunch towards the end seeing Lindsay Graham take the win over Dennis Puniard, with Paul Robey coming in shortly after. E grade was a much more broken affair, with riders all over the track chasing a main group of riders eking out their advantage into the wind with strong numbers. In the end, the sprint was taken out by Shirley Anne-Taylor, with Mick Donaldson second and Theresa McLachlan in third.

In C grade, a strong group of 4 broke away fairly early, with not enough cooperation behind seeing the gap open up as the race continued. The group of Damian Copeland, Michael Hanbury, Nathan King and Andrew Buick shared the workload evenly before the workload became too much for Damian, who dropped back into the now splintered chase groups. In the final, it was King who took the win over Buick and Hanbury.

Just like in C grade, A grade saw an early move of 3 riders breaking clear consisting of Matt Corby, James Meadley and Jeremy Gilman-Wells. They were chased down and joined by Stuart Griffiths and Ben Morrison, and the quintet continued to put time into the chase. Several strong efforts by the likes of Gerard Tiffen and Paul Scherl held out for a lap or two before being swallowed up by the remainder of the group, and the lead continued to widen. Coming into the final, it was all cat and mouse through the bottom end of the track before they reappeared at the base of the track in a 5 across drag race. Stu Griffiths was looking good for the win with a slowly increasing gap over Jeremy Gilman-Wells before Morrisson trumped them both with a late surge more than bringing him on terms with the leaders.

D grade and B grade decided early on to make this writer’s job difficult by strategically placing themselves all over the track at once, making it quite difficult to keep track of the unfolding races. In D, Jonathan Chowns put in significant amounts of work (I’ll confess and apologise that my notes for this race were limited and I did not note if he was alone or in a small group – just that his performance was noteworthy). The riders were splintered into numerous groups all across the space of over a lap, and the make up of each group was consistently changing with this grade seemingly the most attritional race of the night. In the end, it was Timothy Moore taking the sprint over Alex Sommariva and Michael Whyte.

B grade also split early, with a large group off the front being driven by Seymour Savell-Boss, Darren Blackhurst, Rowan ‘son of god’ McMurray and Craig Lindenmeyer. Conversations about tactics in the bunch kept the cohesion, although I suspect the conversationalists were more focused on exploiting the less willing than anything more, and the gap remained fairly static for the duration. In the final laps, a strong attack by McMurray yielded a solid gap going past the finish on the bell lap before being swallowed up by a group sensing the danger of an immaculate victory. With some tactical shenanigans playing out through collarbone, the race came down to a final straight sprint with big numbers contesting, with Savell-Boss taking the win over Nicholas Jeffries and Michael Foulds.

From my perspective, seeing the satisfaction on the faces of riders post race and the club camaraderie across all grades made my night of volunteering exceptionally rewarding. I note that the club has had to resort to putting out requests to fill spots in the bleat, and I’d suggest that giving up a few hours on one day to see a race proceed is entirely a small price to pay for the opportunity to race the rest of the year. I thoroughly enjoy racing with the vets… er… Masters, and I enjoyed giving something back. See you next race from the start line!

Steve Crispin

Track Racing – 9^th February

The thunderstorms and rain from the morning had cleared and the Bundadome was reported as dry. 13 riders signed on at this session – 12 raced – on offer were four demanding mainly sprint race events which challenged each rider over the evening.

A black box data download from the downed Chinese balloon confirmed that Graeme O’Neill, (Chief Commissaire & holder of the algorithm), was returning for next week’s CRMCC Track races.

A Scratch (8 laps)

A Grade raced in sunny conditions – 6 riders stayed together for the race, a few riders wearing the “Race Forever ” CRMCC kit. Warwick Wilson again with four laps to go attacked to a 50 metre lead, however no other riders went with him. Tim Jolly worked to close the gap and Warwick’s attack was subsumed to the bunch. Conan Liu then attacked with one lap to go and then a counter attack positioned Tim Jolly to cross the line 1st, Martin Graham with a strategic, fast and well timed race got 2nd and Conan Liu 3rd.

B Scratch (8 laps)

B Grade had 6 riders – a sedate pace of 1 lap turns exploded on lap 6 with an attack by Hamish Anderson – Hamish was high on the track looking around him for a counterattack – and indeed James Newhouse obliged with his signature low on the sprinter’s lane black line attack. The Commentator was in raptures; – history was about to be made! – with a Newhouse scratch win – however it wasn’t to be, and Ali Hale got 1st by a tyre, James Newhouse 2nd and Hamish Anderson 3rd.

4 Lap Handicap

The handicap data sheet, also obtained from the Chinese balloon black box – placed riders on the Bundadome fence and they were counted down to their handicap in seconds. Phil Coulton the limit rider took off like a bat out of hell – Sarah Stephens gave chase. (4 laps is enough time for the Scratchies to catch the limit riders). But no one told Phil or Sarah as they were on lap 3 before you could say when. The lead of the limit riders was closed down by the back markers on lap 3. Tim Jolly 1st towed the other scratch riders home, Conan Liu 2nd and Martin Graham again in the mix with 3rd.

Win & Out

In this race if you win – you’re then out of the race with maximal points…alas there were doubtful points. Once the race is live and the bell goes for the first sprint lap, then each subsequent lap is a sprint for 2nd then 3rd and so on… In A grade Tim Jolly was first out, followed by Martin Graeme 2nd and Conan Liu for 3rd. In B grade Hamish Anderson yelped as he laid a watt bomb down the back straight on the bell alp for 1st, next lap Ali Hale 2nd was out and then James Newhouse 3rd on the subsequent lap was out.

Italian Pursuit

Amore was in the valentine’s day air – Sarah and Gav Stephens’ were both in the same Italian Pursuit Team 1. Team 2 on paper had a strong midfield. Both Teams stayed even for the race with the only difference being a quick and consistent lap by Sarah Stephens which set up Team 1 for the win. Both anchor riders – Conan Liu (Team 2) and Tim Jolly (Team 1) were on their final laps at about 50 kmph. Smokin!! Team 1 got the win by about half a track bike.

Michael Langdon’s Italian Pursuit commentary here.

Season Point Score Update:
Tim Jolly 289, James Newhouse 244, Alison Hale 243, Conan Liu 201, Craig Kentwell 196, Steve Jones 148, John Paul De Sousa 144, Ed Garnett 134, Warwick Wilson 127, Wayne Benham 111, Hamish Anderson 103, Ian Drayton 92, Mark Canaider 89, Karen Clutson 86, Graeme O’Neill 78, Gavin Stephens 75

Michael Langdon

Masters,

Plenty to cover in this week’s Bleat;

•  2023 Annual General Meeting

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  From the Race Committee

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Reports

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

2023 Annual General Meeting

The AGM for the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club for 2023 will be held on Monday 13th February at 7:00pm at the Raiders Club Weston.

Members are invited to attend in person or can join via a zoom meeting (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88327935272?pwd=VGZaL242bDhvMSt0bUZ3bHBBMkt3Zz09).

For those that use zoom we need you to register your attendance. Use Chat in zoom to fully identify yourself. For example “Joe Blow is attending CRMCC AGM”.

NOTE: Any Apologies should be advised to the secretary.

Craig Tozer
Secretary Capital Region Masters Cycling Club
secretary@actvets.cc

Membership Secretary

The Membership Secretary position will become vacant at this year’s AGM.

The Membership Secretary is responsible for maintaining a current list of financial members of the club. The duties of the Membership Secretary include:

• monitoring the AVCC member registration system (currently SportsTG GameDay Classic) for new and renewing members
• uploading member details from the membership system to RMS
• issuing race numbers to new members and replacement numbers to existing members where required
• allocating temporary race numbers to trial riders, entering trial rider details in RMS and forwarding trial rider details to AVCC
• reporting on membership issues at committee meetings

Ideally, the Membership Secretary will be highly organised and have good attention to detail.

To nominate for the Membership Secretary or any other Committee position, you can download a nomination from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tt7NK_6jAoJRclpWUiMxWRqO1aaT_5pH

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Craig O’Neall C to B
Nathan King D to C
Andrew Peel D to C

Downtube Shifter Derby

Steel bike aficionados mark February 21st on the calendar for the Downtube Shifter Derby!

This race will be a criterium for bikes with downtube shifters. Members are welcome to convert carbon bikes to use such shifters but will be interviewed by healthcare professionals after the race. The derby will be 15 minutes plus one lap starting at 1730. Races may be seeded depending on the number of entrants. Riders must wear an approved helmet, have a roadworthy bike and wear non-arse-crack revealing kit. Old jerseys and knicks are most welcome. Further details to come.

Date: 21 February
Time: 1730
Duration: 15 minutes plus one lap
Rules: Must ride bike with downtube shifters

Rob Langridge (Steel bike nutter)
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

CRMCC Kit

The CRMCC Kit Portal is now open with MVMNT.Club until 13th Feb (one week only). So please head over to the link below and have a look at what is on offer. Jimmy has also included some heavily discounted MVMNT jerseys in there at the bottom of the page. So check them out!

Link here:
https://mvmnt.club/collections/crmcc-custom-portal

Stromlo Parking

The ACT Government has announced a decision to upgrade the existing SFP carpark to help manage increased visitation and to improve user safety. Construction is expected to start in Autumn and completed by the end of the year (weather permitting). As the works will be completed in stages, SFP will continue to offer onsite parking spaces throughout the construction period.

Once the new carpark is complete, the ACT Government has taken the decision to introduce paid parking at Stromlo Forest Park, with 100% of revenue to be reinvested back into the maintenance and improvement of the park, including the mountain bike trails.

This means all funds raised from paid parking will directly contribute to the ongoing development and repairs/maintenance of the park, including new and upgraded trails and facilities.

The parking fees will be modest, and an annual SFP parking pass will be available for frequent users.

Costings for paid parking will be as follows:

Period	Fee
15 minutes	Free
15 minutes to 3 hours	$1.75
3 hours to 6 hours	$2.75
6 hours +	$3.90
Annual pass	$87.00

This year, the ACT Government will also begin work on a five-year Stromlo Forest Park Trails Masterplan, that will involve public consultation. This Trails Masterplan will review existing trails and plan for new trails for key site users including runners, mountain bike riders, road cyclists, equestrian riders and the general public.

Trial Rides

At the last committee meeting, the Committee agreed to reduce the number of permitted trial rides from two trial rides to one ride in any calendar year. This will make it easier for the Membership Secretary to monitor the number of trial rides that a rider has taken. The website and online trial membership form have been updated to reflect this change.

Road Races and Directors

We are still lacking a few Race Directors for upcoming races. Anyone able to assist, please advise the Race Committee (race.committe@actvets.cc).

Registration for 2023

All members must be registered prior to racing in 2023.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 7^th February: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Registration required by 7 Feb 2023 3:50 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
E/F/G 5:50 28 min 2 laps
A/C 6:25 A 40m 2, C 35m 2
B/D 7:20 B 40m 2, D 35m 2

Race Director: Steve Crispin Contact: Email: steven.crispin@ed.act.edu.au Ph: 0419 429 453

Marshals: Kerrie Muir

Thursday, 9^th February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
8-lap graded scratch,
4-lap Handicap,
Win & Out,
Italian Pursuit

Sunday, 12^th February – No Scheduled Race

RACE REPORTS:

Track Racing – 2^nd February

The evening started out sunny with very gusty winds. Attendance was 14 riders.

A Scratch (10 laps)

The CRMCC A Grade riders were greeted with 43 kmph NW winds – the traditional two laps for Tim Jolly on the front set the scene for the scratch. Warwick Wilson once again when on the front picked the pace up for each of his 2 laps. Then with 4 laps to go Conan Liu lifted the bunch again, the field went high on the track unable to replicate that pace. Martin Graham could – and split up A grade with a devastating attack with 2 laps to go – Martin got at least a half lap break – he was then tracked down by Craig Kentwell, Con Liu and Tim Jolly whom worked well together to catch Martin to set up a close and fast finish – Tim Jolly 1st, Conan Liu 2nd, Craig Kentwell 3rd.

B Scratch (10 laps)

B Grade completed the traditional 333 metre one lap turns at a sedate pace into the head wind on the back straight. With 2 laps to go Peta Brill, (riding all grades on the night as she couldn’t decide which grade to go in); put in a strong attack – and Ed Garnett quickly got on her wheel, so too Ali Hale had to quickly cover off on Peta’s attack. James Newhouse after seasons points was planning his attack. Ali Hale was able to attack with 1.5 laps to go and then James Newhouse counter attacked low on the track setting up a drag race to the finish – a very exiting race had multiple attacks in the back straight with ½ a lap to go with the final result – Ali Hale 1st, James Newhouse 3rd and Sarah Stephens 3rd.

Match Race

Riders were placed in a pool for match sprints – a coin was tossed to see which rider would lead out the other. The match sprint goes for 2 laps with a start from the Bundadome fence. These match sprints were close and tactical races. Results below:

		Result
T. Jolly	C. Liu	TJ
JP. DeSousa	G. Stephens	GS
W. Wilson	C. Kentwell	WW
M.Graham	H. Anderson	HA
P. Brill	A. Hale	PB
J. Newhouse	I. Drayton	JN
E. Garnett	S. Stephens	SS

Italian Pursuit

On paper a very even match up with 7 riders on each team. Team 2 started very smoothly – the teams remained even for the first few riders – no gaps. The strong Team 1 midfield got them ahead – with Team 2 fighting back in the midfield as well. However, this race came down the last few riders of each team – with the Team 1 anchor, Conan Liu putting in a scorching final lap to pull Team 1 further ahead for the win.

Michael Langdon’s Italian Pursuit commentary here.

Season Point Score Update:
Tim Jolly 264, Alison Hale 229, James Newhouse 229, Craig Kentwell 196, Conan Liu 182, Steve Jones 148, Ed Garnett 134, John Paul De Sousa 133, Wayne Benham 111, Warwick Wilson 110, Mark Canaider 89, Hamish Anderson 87, Karen Clutson 86, Ian Drayton 86, Graeme O’Neill 78, Ben Davis 66

Michael Langdon

Uriarra Homestead Handicap – 5^th February

The Uriarra Homestead Handicap race saw an eventful start to the 2023 road calendar. The weather conditions were perfect with clear skies and a light breeze. 41 riders registered for the fast race with three laps of the short course.

Chris Copeland set off solo at 22mins with a 6 strong E grade close behind. He was soon joined by E grade thanks to Shirley-Anne Taylor driving a high pace. Mark Taylor and Terry Moore were also strong in D grade only 2 minutes behind but C grade had the numbers and were looking ominous on their first lap. B grade were down one rider but Craig Lindenmayer, Marc Vroomans and Mark Harris were determined to catch the larger group ahead. However A1 and A2 never let them out their sites and were soon together thanks to the Gerard Tiffen express that was hitting 65km/h on the run to the bottom turn.

Unfortunately Kate Vandenberg came off at speed on the downward run of the second lap and had a nasty fall. I am grateful for the support she received from the riders from C and D grade who stayed with her until Paul Robey and eventually the ambulance arrived. This ended their race but is an excellent example of club spirit. We all wish Kate a speedy recovery.

A and B grade caught the front runners from the remains of E grade in third lap and really put on the afterburners. Their last lap was run at an average speed well above 40km/h. On the last turn, Steve Crispin put a gap into the bunch and kept them a bay all the way to the line, taking a strong win ahead of Jason Irwin and Stuart Griffiths. It was good to see the B grade bunch all finished in the top 10.

A huge thanks to the Lindsay Graham, Frank O’Sullivan, David Dickson, Paul Robey and Ben Healy for marshalling the race. They worked tirelessly to put out the road signs, sweep the debris from the road and even run to the shop to get milk for the post race cuppa. Thanks also to Club President, David Parker for helping pull everything together over the weekend..

Damian Copeland

Kate Vandenberg would like to thank all those who assisted her after her crash during Sunday’s handicap. She’s making a great recovery and already concerned about the welfare of her bike.

Masters,

In this week’s Bleat;

•  2023 Annual General Meeting

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  From the Race Committee

•  Five Peaks Challenge

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Report

Ian Morton
thebleat@actvets.cc

2023 Annual General Meeting

The AGM for the Capital Region Masters Cycling Club for 2023 will be held on Monday 13th February at 7:00pm at the Raiders Club Weston.

Members are invited to attend in person or can join via a zoom meeting (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88327935272?pwd=VGZaL242bDhvMSt0bUZ3bHBBMkt3Zz09).

For those that use zoom we need you to register your attendance. Use Chat in zoom to fully identify yourself. For example “Joe Blow is attending CRMCC AGM”.

NOTE: Any Apologies should be advised to the secretary.

Craig Tozer
Secretary Capital Region Masters Cycling Club
secretary@actvets.cc

ps We are always seeking members who are willing to join the Committee. You can download a nomination from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tt7NK_6jAoJRclpWUiMxWRqO1aaT_5pH

From the Desk of the Handicapper

Promotions

Jarrod Taylor C to B
Ian Preston C to B
Alison Hale D to C
Brian Chugg D to C
Robert Craine F to E

Rob Langridge
Handicapper

From the Race Committee

Road Races and Directors

We are still lacking a few Race Directors for upcoming races. Anyone able to assist, please advise the Race Committee (race.committe@actvets.cc).

Registration for 2023

All members must be registered prior to racing in 2023.

Five Peaks Challenge

The Five Peaks Challenge non-competitive cyclo-sportive bike riding event is on again in Canberra on Sunday 23 April 2023. It is a personal challenge conducted by the Murrumbidgee Canberra Rotary Club with all profits going to charity.

There are two ride lengths: 120 km and 88 km and you can bypass as many of the peaks as you desire. You ride the peaks and your partner does the flat.

Full details and registration are at: https://www.rotaryrides.org.au/

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 31^st January: Stromlo Criterium

Note: Registration required by 31 Jan 2023 3:50 pm.
Any requests for Grade changes should be sorted out with the Handicapper prior to registration.
Late entries may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please email race.committee@actvets.cc

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

Race Description:
A/C 5:50PM 40mins/35mins
B/D 6:40PM 40mins/35mins
E/F/G 7:25PM 30mins

Race Director: Mark Vardy Contact: Email: mvardy10@gmail.com Ph: 0467 761 979

Marshals: Cat Riley

Thursday, 2^nd February: Track Racing

The Program for Thursday is;
5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice.
10-lap graded scratch
2-lap Paired Match Races
Italian Pursuit

Sunday, 5^th February – Uriarra Homestead

WE ARE STILL AWAITING CONFIRMATION FROM ACT GOVT ON ROAD APPROVAL.

Reminder: All riders must register on the CRMCC Web site (https://rms.actvets.cc/calendar) by 4/2/2023 6:00 PM prior to the race. There is no registration at the event.

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:
Uriarra Homestead – Uphill to Short turn before the climb – downhill to top of Uriarra Crossing – back up to Homestead.
3 laps for A-D Grades. 2 Laps others.

Race Director:  tba Contact: Email: tba    Ph tba

Marshals: Ben Healy ETC, Vacant ETC, Vacant, , Vacant Van Driver.

RACE REPORTS:

SFP Criterium – 24^th January

B and D grades kicked of the evening’s racing with a cautious start due to the mob of kangaroos that decided it was good time to move down the track. Following some careful laps and proactive engagement by our race marshal Kerrie, the racing was able to commence in earnest. D grade was characterised by a strong early break by Andrew Peel, Alison Hale, Nick Boylan, Rob Langridge and Brian Chugg. Despite an early chase by the pack, the four riders of the breakaway were able to hold out to the bell lap, where Nick Boylan launched a hard attack only to be beaten to the line with Alison Hale taking the win, followed by Andrew Peel in second and Brian Chugg in third. In contrast, none of the breakaway attempts in B grade held, despite the prolific efforts of Stephen Terracini who featured in several attempts, along with Darren Blackhurst, Ben Healy and Nicholas Jeffries. A split in the bunch with two laps to go put a few racers out of contention with Krusty Bryant the clear winner in the sprint, followed by Tobias McLenaghan and Michael Foulds.

E, F and G grades commenced as the inclement weather threatened, though the extent of the precipitation for the evening was a smattering of rain. Theresa McLachlan, Chris Copeland and Mick Donaldson worked together in E grade, staying together for the race. Chris Copeland eventually edged out the win, followed by Mick Donaldson in second and Theresa McLachlan in third. In F grade, Robert Craine had a strong race to take the win with Lindsay Graham second and Paul Robey third. G grade saw Gai Monahan take the win ahead of Robyn Smallwood.

Like D grade earlier in the night, C grade featured a strong early breakaway. A first lap break by Ian Preston, Mark Taylor, Wayne Benham gained a good gap on the field, before Warwick Wilson and Jarrod Taylor bridged across. The chase by the field seemed to fizzle as the break built an impressive gap, with four riders from the break eventually contesting for the top spots. Jarrod Taylor took the win, followed by Warwick Wilson, Wayne Benham and Ian Preston. A grade was a fast strung-out affair, with several breakaway attempts quickly wound back. These attempts progressed from several digs by Dominic Romano to Kris McCreath and James Thorp pushing the pace. A final five rider break with a good mix of teams seemed like it may have the mix to stay clear, only to be bought back by the bunch. The group sprint was taken by Kris McCreath, followed by Gerard Tiffen and Mathew Corby.

My thanks to Kerrie for her excellent marshalling, Simon for medic support (thankfully not required) and David/Ian for opening/closing and general guidance.

Michael Rowland

Track Racing – 26^th January

The evening started out hot and still – a late afternoon thunderstorm at the Bundadome had cleared and the track dried out quickly. Attendance was 10 riders.

A Scratch (8 laps)

A relaxed A Grade rode one lap turns. Then with 3 laps to go Warwick Wilson (most combative rider), attacked out of the saddle lifting the pace. Tim Jolly stuck to Warwick to cover off any positioning threats. Then Steve Jones, with 1.5 laps to go put in a significant attack – Tim Jolly was right onto his wheel, and down the back straight Steve Jones kicked again with Wayne Benham in the draft also timing his sprint well. Tim Jolly 1st and Wayne Benham 2nd were able to get around Steve Jones 3rd on the final corner.

B Scratch (8 laps)

In B Grade there were four riders with no wind during the race. B Grade kept a steady pace for one lap turns and stayed together for the race. With 1.5 laps to go the riders went high on the track, with James Newhouse attacking on the back straight and sticking to the sprinter’s lane – Ali Hale once again timed her attack well to come around James to take a very close win. Ali Hale 1st, James Newhouse 2nd, Ed Garnett 3rd.

1 Lap standing start (SS) timed.

And right on cue the wind picked up for this time trial event. The times were very close. A Grade – Tim Jolly was fastest on 27.40 and B Grade – James Newhouse fastest with a scorching 30.06.

333 meters	Seconds	Km/h
T. Jolly	27.40	43.7
S. Jones	29.28	40.9
W. Wilson	29.52	40.6
W. Benham	29.58	40.5
J. Newhouse	30.06	39.8
K. Clutson	30.36	39.4
M. Graham	30.97	38.7
B. Davis	31.02	38.6
E. Garnett	31.70	37.8
A. Hale	33.51	35.7

2 Lap Handicap

This is two laps with a start of the Bundadome fence. It’s a flat-out sprint. Ali Hale went straight to the front and powered away with Tim Jolly and Steve Jones in hot pursuit going high on the track around the limit riders. Ali Hale 1st took an emphatic win with Tim Jolly 2nd and James Newhouse 3rd.

Italian Pursuit

The teams were even for the usual CRMCC Italian Pursuit – 5 riders each. Team 2 had an uneven start with some riders overlapping. However, once again Karen Clutson was a quick and smooth lead out for Team 1. Overall, the Teams both rode a very fast Italian race. (The Commentator (attached audio) eagerly called the race finish half a lap early). In that half lap Tim Jolly pulled out a blistering ride to give Team 1 the win.

Michael Langdon’s Italian Pursuit commentary here.

Season Point Score Update:
Tim Jolly 246, Alison Hale 213, James Newhouse 210, Craig Kentwell 180, Conan Liu 165, Steve Jones 148, Ed Garnett 121, John Paul De Sousa 117, Wayne Benham 111, Warwick Wilson 92, Mark Canaider 89, Karen Clutson 86, Graeme O’Neill 78, Ian Drayton 75, Hamish Anderson 73.

Michael Langdon