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Norwood Cycling Club

November 18, 2003

The heat was on again with both the racing and humid sweltering conditions. The early heat this season must be taking its toll on the riders with only 120 riders at tonight's event.

A small junior field assembled with these riders competing for twenty five minutes at a constant pace, coming down to a close sprint between all six riders, girls and boys, with Craig Mattingly pushing ahead to take the flag. Mat Hannan is getting a good taste of glory after winning his third race in E grade trying different moves each time, tonight breaking away with two laps to go and was never headed. D grade basically strolled around the circuit tonight being lapped by bunch after bunch. The group rolled onto the circuit and stayed that way finishing with an all in bunch sprint and new rider Sam Worden taking the honours over favourite Stuart Cathcart. Cathcart now agrees its not as easy as he thought it would be and is still hoping for a win after two second places.

C grade was the usual breakaway group tonight, time and again riders went off the front as singles or in groups. The best break went to Tony Mingnorance, Mark Smith and Chris Wood, Smith trying to emulate his lone breakaway win of Saturday afternoon. The bunch though kept its eyes on the clock and watched the officials for two laps to go, then picked up the pace to bring these guys back. Wood tried to keep an even head while the other two succumbed to the pace and were picked up in the finishing straight. Wood went to the line just ahead of the bunch, almost blowing his chances when turning around fifty metres from the line to see where the bunch was. Not bad for a guy who a week ago wanted to drop a grade.

A large bunch of B grade riders competed tonight, with experienced rider Simon McKenzie who has had some seasons racing in America and making a comeback to cycling easily taking the win. This race was not without incident with another experienced rider Matt Miller coming down hard after breaking a skewer and losing traction with his front wheel. Miller was also on the comeback trail after being involved in a hit and run training accident a few months ago.

The bunch was strung out in the sprint finish with regular place getters Dave Kenning and Chris dos Santos taking second and third respectively. The A grade race was almost a non event tonight as five quality riders seized an opportunity of a breakaway early in the race and opened a huge advantage over their field. A handful of experienced A grade riders tried in vain to launch attacks to chase this group down and to keep the pressure on in the pack only to have their work undone by novice A grade riders not following through with the chase.

The A grade field is still lacking a few of its elite international riders with depth and experience, still to return this season. Changes will take place and riders will be dropped. Taking nothing away from this breakaway group, their ride was exceptional. It was a lottery as to who would win and everyone had their favourite, with the overall consensus for Rex who has taken a placed in every criterium this year.

We were all taken back when the lone figure of Nick Underwood, again two weeks in a row, headed up the finishing straight a long way ahead of the rest. Underwood took the win with his brut strength and cunning speed to be able to slip away from the bunch with no-one willing to sacrifice a chase.

In a tight rough sprint finish from the other four riders Rex tried to force his way past Tony McLoughlin and Chris Jongewaard not quite getting there and then being relegated to fifth place for his effort. Some time later followed Ben Biggs then the bunch, sprinting for some unknown reason.

Results

A Grade

1 Nick Underwood
2 Chris Jongewaard
3 Tony McLoughlin
4 Peter Mueller
5 Mat Rex (relegated from 3rd)
 
B Grade

1 Simon McKenzie
2 Dave Kenning
3 Chris dos Santos
4 Michael Davies
5 Michael Ward
 
C Grade

1 Chris Wood
2 Jean-Noel Seneque
3 Jonathon Heysen
4 Daryl Margrate
5 James Ross
 
D Grade

1 Sam Warden
2 Stuart Cathcart
3 Graeme Zucker
4 Stuart Smith
5 Paul Teakle
 
E Grade

1 Mathew Hannan
2 Alan Braggs
3 Dave Ogden
4 Scott Goodwin
5 Elizabeth Wishart
 
Junior

1 Craig Mattingly
2 Matthew Sanders
3 Christos Winter
4 Russell Taylor
5 Tiffany Cromwell