06/12/2013
By Rob Monk
Race four of the Bulk Transport Equipment Friday Night Lights series saw our second criterium of the series at our Endevour Street circuit.
Shane Stiles is slowly returning to top form in B Grade. He was keen to establish a breakaway group early in the B Grade race and Col Brown and Paul Yeatman were keen to join him. This trio established a good break a third of the way into the race. Rob Monk tried to jump across to them but didn’t make it. Pete Whelan did, meaning the 4 strongest riders were in the break and the five chases would not catch them. Stiles ability got get around the tight U turns quicker than others provides him with a huge advantage. He established a small gap out of the final bend and sprinted for home and no-one could get past him. Pete Whelan chased hard to get second with Yeatman in third and Col Brown in fourth. A short time later Rob Monk took out the sprint of fifth.
The C Grade race was dominated by the promising Junior Riders, Mitch Jones and Matt Duttneal. Mitch and Matt were too quick in the sprint for James Blyth. Rob Waddel was fourth with Shane Wakker in fifth.
D grade was taken out by Terry Kelly but it was the Jordan family who really animated the race. In what is a first for the Warragul Cycling Club, father Dave Jordan, wife Wendy Jordan and son Lachlan Jordan all featured in the finish of the same race. John Beech spent most of the middle section of the race off the front. Dave Jordan did the majority of chasing to set up the finish for the sprinters in the Jordan family. Terry Kelly let everyone else tire each other out while he kept his energy in reserve. Kelly learnt this tactic as a young man when he raced against the great Hubert Opperman. Kelly sat on the back of the Jordan lead-out train and timed his run to the line perfectly to take the prize. Lachlan Jordan was second. Wendy Jordan third, John Beech fourth and Dave Jordan fifth.
The small A grade field rolled around quietly for half an hour before Matt Parkinson was bored and took off up the road.
He was allowed to dangle by Jarryd Jones and Cy Monk. With 2 laps to go Parkinson was back in the bunch and it was clear a sprint would decide the result. Jarryd Jones got a slight gap coming out of the final corner but Cy Monk chased him down and took out the win. Jarryd was second. Then followed Joe Patrick, Glen Marriott and Matt Parkinson.
The final race of the BTE Friday night lights series will be at Endeavour Street next week. Presentations will follow the final race of the night in the clubrooms.
