Results and Reports for December 19AustraliaPromoters wishing to submit results should send them to cyclingnews Eastern Suburbs
CC - Xmas Trophy Race Eastern Suburbs CC - Xmas Trophy RaceHeffron Park, NSW, December 19, 2000 The last race of the year held by Eastern Suburbs CC on the demanding 2km Heffron Park circuit is traditionally the Christmas Trophy Race. It differs from the usual 30 kilometre handicap events in that it is longer (41 km) and run under a 'scratch race' format. The undisputed Champion of the event is local boy, Anthony Spurgeon (Spurge), who has won the trophy an incredible 7 times despite numerous attempts to unseat him. This year's race, held on a fairly calm summer evening, proved to be one of the best yet with two clubs battling it out for the honours amongst a field of 50. In the red and yellow corner were Anthony Spurgeon and his Caravello cohorts, including the in-form Steve Williams. In the green and white corner were Eastern Suburbs, with MTB champ Olympian, Paul Rowney, expat Brit, Stuart Dangerfield, and the always strong Stewart Campbell. The boys in green were urged on from the sidelines by the club's Portuguese directeur sportif, Fraaank Conceicao. At times during the race it was somewhat unclear as to who was working for whom, but the critical move came at the halfway point when 'Spurge', Rowney, and Dangerfield formed a cohesive break. Two Easts riders versus one Caravello did not look good for Spurge, however the break was quickly joined by Steve Williams who kept things in check. With one lap to go the quartet were still together, and things sat perfectly in Spurgeon's favour for a sprint. Dangerfield led out on the right in a punishing gear, and was starting to look good with 150 m to go, before Spurge kicked and won by half a wheel. There were certainly no giveaways in this race and Dangerfield was visibly disappointed at being beaten, but what can you do against the King of Heffron Park? The quickest B grader was the consistent Chris Sutton, who rode well to finish in the main bunch and has definitely ridden his last B grade race. The C grade event (15 laps) was taken out by the out-of-form former Olympic gold medallist, Kevin Nichols, with the others having no answer to his devastating sprint. The second half of summer racing re-commences on Tuesday 2nd January with the handicap pointscore series. Then on Australia Day, 26 January 2001 the 8th Annual Joseph Sunde Memorial Criteriums will be held with proceeds going to the Childrens Cancer Institute. No one has ever won this event twice, however both Spurge and Stuart Dangerfield have each won it once. Results A + B Grade - 20 laps 1 Anthony Spurgeon (Caravello) 2 Stuart Dangerfield (Easts) 3 Paul Rowney (Easts) 4 Steve Williams (Caravello) 5 Brad Mills (Caravello) Best B Grader 1 Chris Sutton (St. George) 2 Paul O'Neill (Sutherland) C Grade - 15 laps 1 Kevin Nichols (St. George) 2 Simon Harding (Easts) 3 Killian Deenihan (Easts) Carnegie-Caulfield CC CriteriumWaverley Park, Mulgrave, Vic, December 19, 2000 Warm, breezy conditions met the 122 riders who assembled at Waverley Park football stadium for the regular Tuesday night crit. The conditions suited the strong breakaway riders prepared to work the whole race through. 32 starters in A grade, many returning to serious riding, coming off spells of varying lengths. Dave Sanders' training session this morning took in two ascents of Arthur's Seat, those that know will testify to its difficulty. An early break of four quickly established a commanding lead as the bulk of the bunch took shelter behind B grade. With around twenty minute remaining the break suffered a withering attack from Hilton Clarke jnr (Look) which was reeled back only to have the eventual winner James Taylor not just jump away - he went ballistic. With a good understanding of the lack of chasers the remaining threesome spent a lot of time watching each other allowing Taylor to catch the main bunch taking the win with a wry grin. Clarke's track skills came to the fore in the sprint, holding Matt Wilson and Cameron Lester (Pro-Motion) in check. Four escapees in B grade rode away from the 44 strong bunch and worked even turns to achieve a 50-second lead. Attempts to bring the break back failed due to a lack of organization. The dash for the line, into the steady breeze, saw Paul Werner cross a length ahead of Brent Lowe, Jamie Nicholson and Nick Kiraly. C grade had a mass sprint with most of the 27 starters in with a show 200 metres out. Justin Dovaston displayed his amazing sprint, honed on the track, to get the judge's nod for first. Brendan Gaffey, Craig Hawke and Matt Cockerall filled the placings. D grade finished with a sprinting flourish as well, Brett Payne victorious over Sue McCarthy by a half a bike as Gerard Healy and Ray Smith edged the rest. ResultsA Grade - 32 Starters, 55 minutes + 3 laps 1 James Taylor (Ashburton Cycles) 2 Hilton Clarke jnr (Look) 3 Matt Wilson 4 Cameron Lester (Pro-Motion) B Grade - 44 Starters, 55 minutes + 3 laps 1 Paul Werner 2 Brent Lowe 3 Jamie Nicholson 4 Nick Kiraly C Grade - 27 Starters, 40 minutes + 3 laps 1 Justin Dovaston 2 Brendan Gaffey 3 Craig Hawke 4 Matt Cockerall D Grade - 19 Starters, 40 minutes + 3 laps 1 Brett Payne 2 Sue McCarthy 3 Gerard Healy 4 Ray Smith Report and results courtesy of Mark Chadwick |