An impressive performance by local riders Brett Rollinson, Danny Dilger and Simon Baxter at the 2011 Country Track Championships saw the trio clean sweep the medal tallies with over 70 riders competing at the Championships held at Darebin International Sports Centre (DISC) in Melbourne. The carnival was well represented with riders from across the state including the Victorian Institute of Sport. The first event of the day saw Dilger and Rollinson matched up in the first heat of the 3000m pursuit. A strong ride by Rollinson secured a birth in the gold medal ride off proving he was in good form. Dilger’s time however, was going to make it hard for anyone to beat and it was team mate Simon Baxter, who managed to edge him out by .6 of a second to go through to the final. With an all Warragul final, bragging rights were up for grabs but Rollinson showed his experience and class to take gold, Baxter silver and Dilger to take out the Bronze.
The final event for the day was the Kilo (1000m Time Trial) a race that was sure to go down to the wire. With speeds of around 50kmh there was no room for mistakes. Baxter was the first rider from Warragul to take the track and posted quick times on his first two laps. Unfortunately he didn’t receive the bell to indicate the final lap that caused him to lose some time. It was still competitive enough to claim Bronze while the only riders to go faster were Dilger to take Silver and Rollinson to take another Gold medal.
Rollinson’s time was not only fast enough to take Gold on the day but would have been good enough to take Silver at last year’s Nationals, a sign that his strength work over the winter has paid off and is on course for a very good season. With Dilger and Baxter competing in their first track carnival we are sure to see large improvements as they prepare for the State Championships early next year.
If you are interested in giving track cycling ago, Warragul Cycling Club holds track nights on Tuesdays from 6pm – 7pm for Juniors and 7pm – 9/9:30pm for Seniors. The club has some bikes for people to use but numbers are limited. Coaches are on course and cater for the absolute beginners to those who are more experienced.
