27/10/2007
Warragul Cycling Club members enjoyed nearly perfect conditions for a Handicap race at Cloverlea on Saturday.
First away with 44km to ride were Dave Axford, Tammy Patrick, Brian Munro, Pam Benstead and Gordon Foster. This group had 16 minutes head start on the scratch men. Next away, off 9 minutes was Karen Munro, Wayne Tunks and Brett Williams. The B graders were split into two bunches. With 4 minutes start Rob Monk, Dave Baillie and Steve Muggeridge would need to combine well to stay away from the 3 minute bunch of Pete Finlayson, Paul Yeatman and Callan Barker. The scratch men, Shane Stiles and Jim Timmer-Arends would be chasing hard. Last to leave were junior riders Cy Monk and James Lalor. They started behind scratch but would only need to ride 3 laps.
Axford and Foster soon set a pace that was too much for Tammy and Brian. Tunks was also finding the pace set by Williams and Munro a little too hot to handle. The four minute bunch worked well together and averaged over 36km/h for lap one but this was no match for the scratchies who where tearing up the road. Just nearing the end of lap 2 Stiles and Timmer-Arends caught the bunch in front just as they had combined with the four minute bunch. This left a group of 8 A and B grade riders to work together to try and reel in the outmarkers. The two juniors, Cy and James, combined brilliantly and looked like they would not be caught but Gordon Foster had other ideas. At the beginning of Parkers Road the last time Gordon raced past the two young riders. Not to be denied, they accelerated and managed to hold onto his wheel. These three would fight out the finish.
The combined A and B grade bunch were still chasing hard holding speeds of over 45km/h along Parkers Road but eventually Stiles and Timmer-Arends decided to lose a few passengers. At the turn into Hazeldean Road they hit the afterburners and left the B graders dazed and dropped. They set out after the outmarkers and quickly reeled in Tammy, Brett Williams and Karen Munro. They blew past Dave Axford within sight of the finish line but the three young guns had eluded them. In the sprint for first Gordon controlled the tempo. He allowed a gap on the left for Cy but quickly closed it when the sprint started in earnest. First Gordon, second James Lalor and third Cy Monk. Jim Timmer-Arends finished fourth in the fasted time of the day.
Next weeks race is a Scratch race at Buln Buln.
The track season starts soon so members of the cycling club need to dust of your track bikes and get on the velodrome. For Junior riders aged between 8 and 15 track training starts on Tuesday, November 13th at 6.00pm. New riders are welcomed
