07/03/2009
Warragul Cycling Club members returned to the popular Bourke Street Criterium circuit on Saturday. Racing has now returned to the Saturday afternoon timeslot with all races beginning at 2.00pm. The future of the club looks bright with the young riders dominating in both A and B grade.
A grade started at a constant pace with Shane Stiles, James Henry and Kane Walker keen to keep the bunch moving. Thommo hung on and Callan Barker needed a lap out after some mechanical problems on lap 3. When he rejoined the race stayed together for the first 30 minutes. It was then that Kane decided to jump up the King St hill and only Shane Stiles could go with him. Kane and Shane worked together to establish a winning break while James and Thommo battled in vain to reel them in. Walker and Stiles ignored any tactical conventions in the sprint and lined up side by side with 400 meters to go. Using the “ready, set, go” method they tried each other out. Stiles was in a better gear for starting so he established a bike length lead early in the sprint but Kane eventually got on top of his gear and managed to pip Shane on the line to take the win. James Henry finished third with Thommo forth and Callan fifth.
In B grade the bunch rode very sedately for the first 15 minutes. Rob Monk tried the first attack of the race and when Pete Finlayson and Simon Baxter rode across to him the possibility of a working breakaway group looked good. Some hard chasing though from Dave Baillie and Jarryd Jones brought the bunch back together a lap and a half later. James Lalor and Michael Kruse from LCCC used the A grade train to catch back up. Just as they got back on Simon Baxter had a catastrophic mechanical failure which resulted in him being thrown over the handle bars. His race was over and luckily the other riders avoided the crash. Finlayson was keen to force the pace and Jones was able to go with whatever move went up the road. With just over a lap to go Kruse made a solid attack. He may have miscounted the laps as by the start finish line he was spent. Dave Baillie took on the role of leadout man and when he pulled off 300 meters from the line Jones, Monk and Finlayson stepped up to battle out the sprint. Jones showed the more senior riders a clean pair of heels and took out a strong win Finlayson was second with Monk third. Then followed Kruse, Baillie and Lalor well back.
The C grade group of three riders stayed together for the first 30 minutes. At this point Cy Monk found the pace a little quick and dropped off leaving Geoff Gatt and Wayne Tunks (LCCC) to go it alone. Gatty had a little too much speed for Tunksy and took out the win.
View photos from today’s race here.
