28/05/2011
Warragul Cycling Club members contested the annual Club Road Championships on Saturday at Shady Creek. Up for grabs were trophies and titles so the racing was hard and the numbers were good.
In the main event, the elite men’s section, Kane Walker, riding with an only partially repaired broken scapula paced the open field along for 4 laps but could not shake Brenton Jones. Jones and Walker cleared out from the rest of the field over the top of Shady Creek on lap 2 but they waited for Simon Baxter and visitor Blake Hore to keep them company. Brenton was too quick in the sprint and took out the open championship for the second year running. Simon Baxter finished second with Kane in third.
The Masters 123 race stayed together for all of lap 1. Matt Malacarne pushed the pace on the hill but no-one wanted to go with him until lap 3. Malacarne broke away up the hill on lap three but this time Phil Gallagher jumped over to him. They only had a small gap on Jason Dastey, Scott Keeble and Steve Muggeridge but when Gallagher and Malacarne bombed the decent they put a gap in the field that would prove impossible for the chasers to close. In the sprint Phil was too quick for Matty. Jason Dastey’s sprinting continues to improve and he got over the top of Keeble to take third.
The Masters 4+ was decided effectively after 5 km of the 51 km race. Thomas Sander had a plan to go hard and go early. He attacked the first time up the Shady Creek hill. Pete Finlayson and Graeme Parker were the only riders able to go with him. Parker was quickly back in the chasing bunch though after suffering cramps. Thommo organised the 6 chasers which included womens race leader Trudi Gallagher to roll through and close the gap. Sandner and Finlayson had other ideas and would not be caught. Finlayson took the sprint from Sandner with Thommo taking 3rd after chasing hard for nearly 3 laps.
The junior U19 race was raced at walking pace as the Muppets, Jarryd Jones and Jimmy Lalor, decided to roll 3 laps then have a sprint. Jones made it 2 trophies in the family proving too quick for Jimmy. Mathieson Jenkin finished 3rd.
The junior U17 race was a lively 3 way contest. Jack Walk, Cy Monk and Jayden Manintveld threw plenty at each other in an effort to get away before the sprint. None were successful and the sprint went right down to the wire with Cy taking the title by a tyre from Jack Walk with Jayden less than a bike length away in 3rd.
Trudi Gallagher took out the women’s race with Mariah Dastey in second.
Open club champion Brenton Jones rounded out a big weekend on Sunday by taking out the win in the Victorian Country Road Championships. He finished first in a field of over thirty of the best riders in Victoria. This is the third year in a row that a Warragul Cyclist has won the Country Road Championship. Well done Brenton and all the new Warragul Club Champions.
