Joseph Sunde Memorial CriteriumsHeffron Park, Maroubra, Australia, January 28, 2002 |
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Elite Race
Results Handicap Masters & Women
Jeff Hopkins claims Joseph Sunde Memorial 2002
By Jeff Jones & John Sunde
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The Australia Day weekend holiday in Sydney brought out glorious sunshine and a fantastic rider turnout for the 9th edition of the Joseph Sunde Memorial Criteriums held at the demanding 2km Heffron Park circuit in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The event is conducted by Eastern Suburbs cycling club and is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Sunde, who passed away in 1993 after an 18 month battle with leukemia (see about Joseph).
54 riders lined up for the Elite Men's event, the third and final race of the day. It was a field of excellent quality, with the likes of Francaise des Jeux pro Bradley McGee lining up with the NSW Institute of Sport team, USA's Mike Tillman (NetZero), Jeff Hopkins (Bankstown/Velo Club La Grange), National MTB champion Paul Rowney (Yeti/Peal Izumi), Brent Dawson (Jelly Belly), Stewart "Computer" Campbell and Stuart Dangerfield (Eastern Suburbs), and the King of Heffron Park, Anthony Spurgeon (Caravello).
The racing got off to a brisk start with 1 hour plus 3 laps on the programme. The attacks started almost immediately, with Mike Tillman being particularly aggressive early on (as viewed by your correspondent, who was strategically placed at the rear of the peloton).
Just before halfway, a group of four riders escaped including Jeff Hopkins, Stewart Campbell and Brad McGee. Some strong chasing from the bunch kept their lead at a manageable distance, allowing another 10 riders to bridge up with 20 minutes to go.
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With most of the teams represented in the break, the peloton eased off the throttle a little and they established a more comfortable lead. The young guns from the NSWIS team were aiming to set one of their riders up for the win, namely Brad McGee. Their plans were nearly foiled when with two laps to go, Mike Tillman and Stewart Campbell escaped off the front. They held the rest at bay for a lap, but a concerted chase by Chris Sutton (NSWIS) brought them back to within striking distance.
Coming on the home straight for the last time, and it was Tillman who was alone with a slender lead. Amazingly he kept it for almost the length of the 400 metre straight, but was pipped on the line by sprinter Jeff Hopkins. In third place was the ever consistent Paul Rowney, while Brent Dawson and Brad McGee finished in fourth and fifth spots.
Afterwards, all the place getters thanked everyone for turning out to support a good cause, with Brad McGee showing his generosity by paying $300 for a food hamper auctioned by the Eastern Suburbs club.
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John, Christine, Edward and Portia Sunde and the Eastern Suburbs Cycling Club would like to thank all those riders and spectators who attended the event and generously donated over $1,500 to the Childrens Cancer Institute Australia. Almost $15,000 has now been raised by the cycling fraternity in memory of Joseph Sunde. A big thank you also to the sponsors who contributed to the prizes and raffle and are listed below.
If you would like to make a donation online to the Childrens Cancer Institute Australia, please visit their website at www.ccia.org.au
Croydon
Industries
Bell
Sports Australia
Trek
Australia
www.Velovita.com.au
Ivan Lulic Pharmacy
Dolina Fashion Group
Photography
- Brad McGee (Francaise des Jeux) - pulled on an NSWIS jersey today to help his development team
- Mike Tillman - leads Stewart Campbell with one lap to go.
- Jeff Hopkins - gets over Mike Tillman for the victory
- Winner Jeff Hopkins - salutes the crowd on the podium
- The happy winners - Brad McGee (5th), Christine Sunde, Paul Rowney (3th), Mike Tillman (2nd), John Sunde, Jeff Hopkins (1st), Edward Sunde, and Brent Dawson (4th)
- Sprint prime winners - Mark Renshaw (NSWIS), Bart Hickson (Caravello), Rod McGee (Bikes R Us/NSWIS) and Stewart Campbell (Easts)
- Brad McGee - with John Sunde and the food hamper that he generously paid $300 for to benefit the Children's Cancer Foundation
Results
1 Jeff Hopkins (Bankstown) 2 Mike Tillman (Net Zero) 3 Paul Rowney (Eastern Suburbs) 4 Brent Dawson (Jelly Belly) 5 Brad McGee (Francaise Des Jeux) Sprint Primes Mark Renshaw (NSWIS) Bart Hickson (Caravello) Rodney McGee (NSWIS) Stewart Campbell (Easts)