13/12/2003
Midday rains in Warragul dampened the enthusiasm for the Warragul Cycling Club handicap race out in Gainsborough on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately for the fool-hardy, the skies cleared and the roads dried in time for some exciting afternoon racing.
The handicap race is a unique opportunity for the entire club to race against each other. Riders set off according to their grading and calculated time handicap as imposed by race coordinator, Staf. Saturday’s three-lap Gainsborough handicap was more difficult to calculate due to strong fields in C and D grades and low numbers in A and B grades.
Limit markers Sam Atkinson, Glenda Pridmore and Brendan Pridmore set off first, needing to work together in order to avoid being caught by the stronger fields chasing them. Unfortunately, Sam retired early and Brendan broke away from his mother to gain a solo thirty-second advantage after the first lap. They were followed by the remainder of D grade who set off three and a half minutes behind the limit markers. The D grade bunch settled into a rhythm early, sharing the work against the head wind along Gainsborough Road and finishing the first lap all together and looking comfortable.
The seven C grade riders had an anxious seven-minute wait before they could begin their chase. As a consequence, the bunch began extremely toey and struggled to organise themselves. Monique Hanley was an early casualty when her pump dislodged during a surge to pass a hay-carting tractor, forcing her to stop. She didn’t have long to wait for B grade, which had left two minutes after C grade and were gaining time. Yet the three-man B grade bunch, driven by Chris Beales and Darren Chubb were no match for the small but feisty A grade group which left only one and half minutes behind B grade. They scorched their first lap in 17.17 and caught B grade early into the second lap. Showing no sign of fatigue, A grade rider Scott Keeble drove the amalgamated group to chase down C grade, catching them mid-way through the second lap.
Meanwhile, D grade continued to utilise their generous time buffer and finished their second lap two minutes ahead of the chasing bunch. Kym Fisher retired during his second lap, while towards the rear of the race a string of riders unable to keep up with the A grade pace began to litter the entire course. Assisting Keeble on the front of the bunch were Danny Dilger, Geoff Thomson and Chris Beales. Their efforts paid off as the group turned into Hazeldean Road where they finally caught D grade and defiant limit marker Brendan Pridmore.
The pack swelled momentarily until Keeble once again got into the drivers seat and pushed the pace along wind-assisted Hazeldean Road. Tucked in behind him were Thomson, Dilger, Beales and Ross Henry and Vic Spunner from C grade.
Chris Beales backed himself early for the sprint but failed to sustain his effort over the distance to the line. Sitting in a better position Danny Dilger was able to time his run for the line more effectively, managing to roll both Geoff Thomson and Scott Keeble to win his first A grade race of the season.
Chris Beales finished nine seconds later followed by Ross Henry. Vic Spunner rolled across forty seconds behind Henry and was just ahead of the D grade bunch sprint which was won by Ian deBruyne. Following him were Luke Hanley, Brendan Pridmore, Bill Frew, Rod Atkinson, and new rider Tim Mulligan. The remainder of the field crossed individually, and consisted of Darren Chubb, Glenn Fisher, Glenda Pridmore, Luke Whitmore, Allan Hauxwell, Monique Hanley and Michael Pridmore. James Henry retired early.
The junior club race consisted of one lap of the Gainsborough circuit. The small, yet cagey junior field began with both David deBruyne and Zoe Atkinson feining fatigue in order to gain a psychological edge over the other. In the meantime, Sam Atkinson was able to attack throughout the race only to eventually be reeled back in by Zoe and David. A busy sporting day for David finally caught up with him while Sam’s legs lacked a final surge as Zoe powered over the boys for the win.
Club membership and racing licence renewal is now due for 2004. Please see Murray at Bikeland to process this or for further information.
Next weeks racing will be a Christmas criterium at Burke Street. The club presentation night will follow the afternoon’s racing, beginning at 6pm at the velodrome clubhouse. Everyone is welcome.
