12/02/2005
Warragul Cycling Club’s road racing handicapper Staf Duncan pulled off an almost perfectly calculated handicap race out at Lillico on Saturday, with riders from every grade crossing the finish line within two minutes of the winner, C grader Paul Yeatman.
Not only did a strong westerly rock all riders on the 11km circuit factor into calculations, three deliberating hills and handicapped bunches that were so keen to keep pace many disintegrated from the intensity were all taken into consideration by Staf prior to the race start at 2pm. In the end, the backmarker group required just a further 500m to catch the spirited C grade bunch.
To start proceedings, the D grade bunch of six left with a 12 minute buffer on the scratch riders. Breaking the wind on behalf of the chasing groups behind, the bunch was intent on keeping the pace at a steady tempo. Not so for Leongatha youngster James Whitehouse, who rolled to the front and proceeded to turn the pace up another notch, stretching the bunch out behind and forming his own solo breakaway. With the bunch keen on keeping all available legs working as a team, Alan Hauxwell undertook the task of reeling in the youngster. Whitehouse, however, had other plans and with his head down completely missed the final turnoff to complete lap one. The group crossed the line with two laps remaining, riders strung out and the pack in disarray from the intensity.
Traditional team-oriented C grade left with a seven minute gap on the scratchies and immediately assumed a Team Time Trial setup not dissimilar to US Postal at the Tour de France. With Danny Dilger at the helm, his crew consisting of Paul Yeatman, Ross Henry, Terry Kelly, Michael Pridmore, Steve Hall and Dave Axford kept equal turns and the pace high, with only Axford losing contact prior to the completion of lap one. With a 17.17 lap time, the group needed to maintain the pace and hope the backmarker momentum behind them would ease.
A large B grade field was split into two groups of six, the first to leave with 3.5minutes on the scratch riders, and the second group to leave a minute later. A scorcher of a first lap was set by the second B grade bunch, completed in 15.53 before catching the front B grade bunch at the beginning of lap two. With a greater workforce, breaths were caught briefly as the intensity was maintained in the hope of holding off the scratch bunch. Luke Hanley and Brett Miller both found the rollercoaster hills to be too tough to maintain contact with their respective bunches.
The six A grade riders were last to leave and keen to get on with the task of chasing down the field ahead of them, Latrobe Valley ‘s John Mackenzie took to the front and put the hammer down. The pace so intense that Wayne Chester was an immediate casualty on the Number One Road hill, and A grade stalwarts Thomas Sandner and Scott Keeble doing their best just to hold McKenzie’s wheel. With their first lap averaging 42km/h, it was a relief for the entire bunch when McKenzie also missed the final turn to complete lap one, scorching ahead on Bloomfields Road by mistake. The pack took the opportunity to get a quick breather before McKenzie corrected the navigational error and resumed his position at the front, with the B grade bunches in their sights.
Throughout lap two the pressure to maintain speed in all bunches had begun to take its toll on riders. Brendan Pridmore was the first to retire from the disintegrated D grade bunch, followed by Latrobe Valley rider Wayne Tunks. Alan Hauxwell maintained his position at the front and was joined by Helmut Korab, but with only two to share the work into the wind they had their work cut out for them. Whitehouse continued behind, still recovering from his first lap efforts and ahead of Steve Jackson and Paul Kennedy.
C grade continued their hardened pace over lap two, but the group crossed at the bell with only four riders remaining, having lost Steve Hall from maintaining his legs too fresh. Soon after commencing lap three, Terry Kelly retired from his efforts protecting his team from the crosswinds. Leongatha’s Eammon Feeley also lost contact with his B grade bunch.
By the Staf’s real-time race calculations, A grade need only to maintain their average pace to date in order to catch all bunches over the final lap, but the wisened handicapper acknowledged the tendency for backmarkers to ease their pace once catching larger fish ahead of them. True to the tale, both B grade bunches were caught by A grade over the back straight, and the turn onto Bloomfields Road showing the small C grade bunch ahead. Another surge of pace took John McKenzie, Thomas and Steve Sandner, and Warragul ex-pat Darren Weir off the front in the hope of catching C grade. Without any hills or distance left, Paul Yeatman from C grade spun from the second rollercoaster rise and onto the finish line, followed by his C grade teammates Michael Pridmore, Danny Dilger and Ross Henry. Thomas Sandner was the first scratch rider home behind them and also claimed fastest course time, ahead of son Stevie and a leg-tired John McKenzie.
Next week’s race will be held back at Lillico, this time for a scratch race.
