Australian National Club Road Championships
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Sydney's Jennifer Manefield from the Parramatta club took out the Australian Road Race Saturday, September 22, on the Sunshine Coast in testing conditions. A strong south-easterly wind and hot, humid conditions made the going tough for the cyclists contesting the three lap hilly 90km circuit. Manefield, who earlier in the week took out the pairs time trials with natalie bates, obviously came into today with great form, finishing at the head of a small group and taking the sprint for the line in the final 100m. Mainfield said that her team mate Natalie Bates was great support throughout the day, shielding her from the strong gusty wind to help her conserve her energy so she could make her winning move at the right time. Second place went to kooragong's Olivia Gollan, third to Northern Sydney's Christina Riakos and Bates finished in fifth place.
The under 23 men's race set a blistering pace with David Pell from Bendigo attacking the field over the 135km hilly course to win by over two minutes to Wagga's Ashley Humbert, followed by Jonathon Davis, St George taking out a bunch sprint for third place.
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In the open men's race there was no clear favourite although early week form indicated Peter Milostic from Penrith could have made it atop the podium once again after winning the pairs time trial earlier in the week. Another top prospect was, David Mckenzie who has returned to the Australian scene after racing in Europe over the last few seasons, highlighted with a stage victory in the Giro d'Italia in 2000. Last weekend, Mckenzie also won the Grafton to Inverell Classic in northern NSW.
Heading out from the Mooloolaba beachfront at the start of the 160km race, a breakaway group of fifteen parted from the main pack on the first of six laps perhaps tempted by the fact the wind had substantially eased which would make such an escape a greater chance for success.
The second pack was headed by Mckenzie who had missed the break and stayed on the front trying to breach the gap especially on the last climb. However, even though feeling well below peak form with two laps to go, Dan Smith from the Sydney based St George Club decided on the second last climb to give it all he had left. Smith said, "I felt totally shot as far out as two laps to go and was thinking just about getting to the finish line not winning. I think it was more experience that got me over the line rather than fitness". Smith's overall time was 3.33.00 with fellow club member Brendan Shipp in second and Perth's, Melville Fremantle club, Chris Brown in third.
The road races were the culimination of the week long Australian Championships which have been held throughout the sunshine coast. The championships have been heralded a great success by the cyclists who travelled from all over australia for the event.
Photos by Tim Francis/cyclingpics.com
- The bunch - leaves the starting area.
- Riders - in the early breakaway work together against difficult conditions.
- Robert Crowe (Carnegie-Caulfield) - leads the chase for the breakaway group.
- Dan Smith (St George) - leads the sprint to the finish line.
- Dan Smith - salutes the crowd on his way to becoming the Elite Men's champion.
- Natalie Bates (Parramatta) - Leads the Bunch.
- Jennifer Manefield (Parramatta) - touches the line first in the Elite Women's sprint finish.
- Jennifer Manefield - looking a little more relaxed after her victory.
- Jonathon Davis (St George) - leads the break in the Under 23 Men's race.
- An exhausted David Pell (Bendigo & District) - takes first place.
- Ashley Humbert (Wagga Wagga) - on his way to second place in the Under 23 Men's event.
- Jonathon Davis - sprints to take thrid place in the Under 23 Men's road race.
Results
Elite men - 160km 1 Dan Smith (St George) 3.33.00 2 Brendan Shipp (St George) 3 Chris Brown (Melville Fremantle) 4 Denis Mungoven (Canberra) 5 Brendan Howard (Coffs Harbour) 6 Anthony Challinor (Sydney) 7 David McKenzie (Italo-Australian) 8 Russell Van Hout (Adelaide) 9 Tony Mann (Sunshine Coast) 10 Cameron Hughes (Astra) 11 Steve Williams (Sutherland Shire) 12 Robert Crowe (Carnegie-Caulfield) 13 Tyson Lawrence (Northern Districts) 14 Kristjan Snorrason (Carnegie-Caulfield) 15 Ben Day (St Kilda) 16 Bart Duraj (Astra) 17 Karl Menzies (Mersey Valley Devonport) 18 Terence Nightingale (Ffast) 19 Peter Milostic (Penrith Panthers) 20 Craig Saunders (Astra) 21 Bradley Nightingale (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 22 Andrew Torney (Footscray) 23 John Baker (Albury Wodonga) 24 Stephen Blackburn (Canberra) 25 Rienhard Vanspeybroeck (Melville Fremantle) 26 Chris Thompson (Bunbury) 27 Joshua Hudson (Southern Districts) 28 Matthew Newlands (Victory) 29 Leon Vogels (Ffast) 30 Dwayne Grant (Orange) 31 David Gowty (Eastern Suburbs) 32 Brett Lentz (Astra) 33 Geoffrey Cook (Sutherland Shire) 34 Jon Guy (Manly Warringah) 35 Allan Sieper (Canberra) 36 Grant Gaston (Sunshine Coast) 37 Shem Guthrie (Astra) 38 Simon Morcom (Carnegie-Caulfield) 39 Scott Nolan (Sutherland Shire) Elite Women - 90km 1 Jennifer Manefield (Parramatta) 2.12.16 2 Olivia Gollan (Kooragang Open) 3 Christine Riakos (Northern Sydney) 4 Oenone Wood (Canberra) 5 Natalie Bates (Parramatta) 6 Emma Louise Rickards (Northcote) 7 Jodie Vaassen (Sutherland Shire) 8 Renee Fortunato (Sutherland Shire) 9 Erin Philp (Nowra Velo Club) 10 Lorian Graham (Rockhampton) 11 Natasha Harrigan (St George) 12 Helen Kelly (Blackburn) 13 Simone Poulos (Bicisport) 14 Anna Perrin (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 15 Liz Young (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 16 Elizabeth Hickey (Canberra) 17 Katie Knight (Footscray) 18 Susie Boer (Canberra) 19 Shiralee Lubke (Uni Cycle) 20 Jacqui Balancio (Uni Cycle) 21 Sandra Sergeant (Ffast) 22 Tania Shipton (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 23 Sally Smith (Hobart Wheelers) 24 Maryam Rogers (Carnegie-Caulfield) 25 Rebecca McConnell (Northcote) 26 Jessica Lee Amy (Castlemaine) 27 Deborah McCoy (Carnegie-Caulfield) Under 23 Men - 135km 1 David Pell (Bendigo & District) 2.58.12 2 Ashley Humbert (Wagga Wagga) 3 Jonathon Davis (St George) 4 Caleb Manion (West Tamar) 5 Lee Godfrey (Geelong West) 6 Nic Brown (Parramatta) 7 David Betts (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 8 Peter Dawson (Peel Districts ) 9 Jonathon Cantwell (Gold Coast Goldstars) 10 Gregory Campbell (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 11 Troy Glennan (St George) 12 Adam Hansen (Cairns ) 13 Joshua Van Der Veen (Carnegie-Caulfield) 14 David Stewart (Canberra) 15 Troy Stacey (Murwillumbah) 16 Robert Lyte (Murwillumbah) 17 Geordan Murray (Carnegie-Caulfield) 18 Chad Anderson (Darwin) 19 Christopher Wilson (Kangaroo Point) 20 Gilbert Gutowski (Broncos) Overall National Club Premiership Results 1 Canberra 1266 2 Carnegie - Caulfield 1196 3 St George 1131