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Mildura-Coomealla Cycling Club
Riverside, Mildura., April 17, 2004
The return of Floramo
By Peter Winton
Mildura-Coomealla Cycling Club (www.m-ccc.com.au) resumed competitive cycling on Saturday with a 50km road race. Good numbers fronted up (24) with at least half a dozen regulars yet to dust off the cycling clip-on shoes. A triathlon at Loxton (SA) kept some of the potential newcomers away and dragged a couple of the A grade contingent as well. The weather also turned on it's heels with a return to the moderate sou'westerlies we all know so well.
After an absence of over 2 years Nathan Floramo (ex Riverland) returned astride a new Diamond Back to take the honours from a charitable limit mark granted by the handicapper. Floramo and Bob Peddler managed to drop their limit colleagues (Cerini and Caldwell) and stayed away together until the final metres. The scratch pair of McNally and Busch chased down the numerous, well credentialed chopping block (a 1 minute gap) to join up very early. This combo reeled in the Jack Lokan led mid-ranked bunch but were unable to gather in the "old mans" brigade off second limit including Dave Priest, Ralph Morrish and Kev Gregory. Some said this grouping was the scratch bunch of yesteryear, minus a very youthful Mark Busch.
Reports filtering in (the writer did not attend) suggest that Mr Anderson has not managed to put into practise any of the spinning techniques trialled during the summer as he returned to his old ways of the big grinding 55 tooth flywheel and it's colleague on power, the 12 cog. It was also mentioned in the same breath that "Arturo" leaves many gaps behind him in the rollovers!
Still in all, the usual suspects came out to play and week 2 will see a few more slip on the clip-ons and strut their stuff over the longer journey of 60kms (12 laps) of one of the Club's shorter circuits out at Merbein West, along Honour Road and 5th Street.
During the evening the Club conducted its presentation of trophies for the 2003-04 Summer Series at the residence of Karen and Kevin Tankard. Very nice surrounds they are too. Bar-be-que and beer were the main attractions, all good healthy aussie stuff to make you gain weight, I mean, become leaner and more athletic, especially those chocolate mudcakes and other sweets that Scott Giles was feasting on. Did anyone else get to have one?
The C grade winner, as announced by President Peter Mulhearn (resplendent in Forster-Toncurry red hair), was Rob Akkermans. B grade was taken out by Richard Hale also a picture of summer season attire in shorts and short shirt (c'mon blokes, it's getting cold out there). The A grade winner by a veritable street was Mark Busch.
An overall season champion trophy being for the highest aggregate points tally went to pocket rocket, Mark Busch.
Club Coach and handicapper, Barry Pollock, announced an additional award being the coaches award (an extension to the winter season trophy) and the recipient of this was Kevin Tankard in showing grit and determination in coming back from some early season disappointments, particularly in time trialling, to hit back hard and find the form all members are in awe of. In announcing this additional trophy Barry Pollock declared his season over almost before it commences due to personal workloads and other commitments. In true Club spirit he will be there on race days actively participating by guiding the newcomers in road cycling etiquette and understanding of the sport.
The Club looks forward now with considerable faith to the best winter season for many years. Interested readers can now find us at www.m-ccc.com.au
Thanks for your interest, now where's that bloody Arthur gone, ahh, there he goes, get on him!
Results, 50km handicap road race
1 Nathan Floramo
