12/08/2006
Warragul Cycling club members were treated to ideal spring like conditions this Saturday as they contested the inaugural Lillico Wines Points race. A great time was had by all competitors and the wine and cheese after the race made the day a winner for all; even those who struggled on the bike.
The points race format is normally reserved for track racing but new race director, Chris Beales, is showing he will not be bound by convention.
In a points race competitors sprint for points at regular intervals. In this race competitors faced a sprint twice in teach 10 km lap of the course. The winner of each sprint collected 5 points, 2nd place received 3 points, 3rd place 2 and 4th place received one. At the end of the race the competitor with the most points accumulated is the winner.
A grade raced over 4 laps and competed in 8 separate sprints. The A grade field was boosted by the promotion of Tim Lee, Brett Miller and Kane Walker from B grade. This trio proved that A grade is where they belong and we won’t see them back in B grade for a long time. The sprints were fiercely competitive Dave Salton won 3 sprints and finished second in two others to take out the race with a total of 25 points. James Henry finished second with 17 points and Tim Lee was third with 13 points. Brett Miller would have finished in second but lost 4 points for crossing the white line on Bloomfield’s road.
In B grade Pete Finlayson dominated taking a total of 38 of the 40 points available. Pete won 7 of the 8 sprints. Rob Monk took one win and 5 second placing for 21 points which gave him second place overall. Brett Rollinson accumulated 10 points in his first race back after a long break for a knee operation and some paternity leave.
Clint Hick won C grade with 22 points with Neil Waler and Graeme Patrick tied for second on 15 points. Steffi Hoffer was forth with 11 points and will beat Neil next week.
In D grade Noel Mason showed the other competitors that experience is valuable in the sprint finishes. Noel won easily with 28 points, from new rider Caroline Jewel on 12 points and Anthony Lalor in 3rd place with 11 points.
A great time was had by all riders both during and after the race. Lillico wines put on a delicious after race spread of coffee, cheese and wine. The members of the Warragul Cycling Club would like to thank Lillico wines for there support. The fine weather, fine food and competitive racing made it a great day for all.
