04/05/2013
By Rob Monk
Warragul and Latrobe City Cycling Club combined for a race at Willow Grove on Saturday. Forty nine riders turned out in great conditions.
A grade had the largest field of the day with 14 starters. The race was delayed as a replacement bike arrived for Brenton Jones as he stripped one on his cranks on his ride to the race. The rest of the field should have started without him. Jones was too good in the sprint and took the money in a tight contest. 1st Brenton Jones (WCC), 2nd Will Livesay, 3rd Darren Spiteri (LCCC)
B Grade had 10 starters and Paul Yeatman was on a mission from the start taking off down the hill. Yeatman is obsessed with training data and his TSB number was perfect. If he raced so his heart rate and power output were within his acceptable tolerances he would win. Even after setting the pace for nearly the entire length of Old Sale Road on lap 2, after being dropped on the hills after Tanjil South on lap 2 and chasing down a late break by Rolan Elison, he did. Rob Monk lead the charge up the last hill and over the top, Peter Whelan intiated an early sprint and seeing a gap on the inside with 400m to go, Yeatman took off to win by 5 lengths. 1st Paul Yeatman, 2nd Pete Finlayson, 3rd George Tambassis.
The 10 starters in C grade stayed together well for their one lap. Col Brown is in a rare vein of form and took the win again. It was a combine so Col has still not won a WCC C grade race. 1st Colin Brown, 2nd Graeme Patrick, 3rd Bruce Staben.
D grade had five starters and the girls sat on Col Manintveld for most of the race then sprinted by in in the finish. 1st Lou Clark, 2nd Michele Scurr, 3rd Colin Manintveld.
Racing returns to Shady Creek next Saturday at 2.00pm.
