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Illawarra CC Handicap

July 5, 2003

Peter Vesel too good

For only the third time in the sixteen years that the Barbara Wyles 54km handicap has been running a limit rider won the event. Peter Vesel won by nearly 10 seconds.

Eric Doughty inaugurated the race in recognition of the long standing secretary of the day Barbara Wyles. In a show of very determined riding Doughty won the first race in 1988.

Vesel started off a limit mark of 21 minutes with Emma Ringer, Greg Fisher, Jack Laajoki and Andrew Brooks. Vesel set the early pace until the bunch worked out a rhythm of swapping off turns. The work was evenly shared between the riders and the pace was kept quite high.

Brooks dropped off the bunch on the first climb up Marshal Mount but Vesel waited for him and paced him back on while the others waited. Brooks paid them back by not missing a turn from then on until disaster struck when he took the corner too wide on the second descent of Marshal Mount and ran off into the grass.

The other riders tightened up the bunch and rode on at a steady pace; behind them the scratch riders were scorching the bitumen and closing the gap to everyone in front. The 16 minute bunch was reduced to four riders with Bethany McCarthy and Terry Welsh doing strong turns.

The 13 minute bunch was travelling well and caught the 16 minute bunch before the end of the second lap. Just before they caught them Brett Hall rode off the front of the 13 minute bunch and rode straight through the bunch in front in pursuit of the limit bunch.

The 6 minute bunch caught the 8 minute bunch by the end of the first lap due to the strong turns being done by Frank Tortorici, Rob Calladine, Jeff Gray and Richard Lorenc. Meanwhile the block bunch was putting in a good showing even though there were only four of them with seven off scratch.

As the riders headed out for the short 9km loop the limit riders still had a good lead on Hall with a large group being pushed along by the 6 minute bunch just in front of the scratch and block riders.

Vesel made the decisive move with about 1.5km to the finish and he rode to the finish line in a time of 1:39:26. His surge broke the group up with Fisher almost hanging on to his wheel. Ringer never gave up and caught and passed Fisher in the last 100m to take second place. Laajoki came in forth.

Hall crossed the line 32 seconds later, a bare 12 seconds in front of the chasing bunch led by the scratchies. Peter Jones took out fastest time in 1:19:10, Craig Williams was second fastest. A good result by the handicapper.

Next week's race is 44.5km scratch race, group 5 to marshal. Entries close next Saturday for the Macarthur Interclub race the following weekend.

Results, 54 km handicap

1 Peter Vesel (Illawarra)
2 Emma Ringer (Illawarra)
3 Greg Fisher (Illawarra)
4 Jackko Laajokki (Illawarra)
5 Brett Hall (Kooragang)
6 Peter Jones (Illawarra)
7 Craig Williams (Illawarra)
8 Guy Mathiske (Illawarra)
9 Danny Hennessy (Canberra)
10 Steve Franklin (Illawarra)
11 Dylan Forbes (Illawarra)
12 Richard Lorenc (Illawarra)
13 Graham Rutter (Hinchinbrook)
14 Mark Walters (Sth Highlands)
15 Jeffrey Gray (Illawarra)
16 Frank Tortorici (Illawarra)
17 Rob Calladine (Illawarra)
18 Mark Wall (Sutherland Shire)
19 Bobby Krstevski (Illawarra)
20 Bethany McCarthy (Illawarra)
21 Warren Poole (Illawarra)
22 Dean Kelly (Nowra)
23 Terry Welsh (Illawarra)
24 Philip Jones (Illawarra)
25 Dave Morris (Illawarra)
26 Lou Caruana (Illawarra)
27 Andrew Brooks (Illawarra)
DNF Jason Johnson (Illawarra)
DNF David Russell (Illawarra)
DNF Anna Habeck (Illawarra)
DNF Andrew Shepherd (Macarthur)
DNF Paul Kaye (Illawarra)
DNF Jose Pereira (Illawarra)
 
Fastest time: Peter Jones (Illawarra)