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Norwood Cycling Club weekend series # 15
Regency Park, South Australia, February 22, 2004
Laidler wins from escape of four
Perfect cool weather greeted the small fields of hardy riders in this fifteenth round of the weekend criterium series. With only five races left in each series we hope numbers will start to increase leading up to the Open Club Championship in Whitmore Square, Adelaide, on the 28 March.
E and D grades were combined for a bigger field and all riders enjoyed the large group and faster pace. Phil Reichelt had a bit of energy and went off the front in the opening few minutes but the bunch were content to leave him there to expel his energy. The race continued at a relatively high pace with the E graders hitting the straps in their last few minutes. Scott Goodwin won the bunch sprint over Scott Fergusson. As soon as they finished Daniel Smith went on the attack and opened a large solo lead. Smith was able to stay ahead of the rest of his group and won easily and the bunch sprint went to Andrew Fon over Greg Ford.
In C grade the bunch stayed together most of the race with only Bernd Froessler making a solo attack toward the end. Froessler opened a lead and held it to the line with Jason Hagon again winning the bunch sprint for second ahead of Craig Feely.
Scott Green has shown he loves to break away for a hard ride and did the same again this week with Nick Shipp and Northern Territory junior Matt Stephens. These three riders made their move four minutes into their race and were never headed with the likes of Greens team mate Dave Gomer sitting on the front of the pack controlling the pace. The faster Shipp ended up taking the sprint over Green from a very tired Stephens. Young junior Daryl Margrate won the bunch sprint in for fourth place.
The large A grade field must have been still suffering from the heat of last week. TDU riders, Adrian Laidler, James Hannam, Olympian Brett Aitken, and Peter Mueller made a breakaway ten minutes into their one hour race and were never threatened by anyone in the bunch again. None of the other 18 riders left in the main pack could organise a chase and just let the foursome ride away. Anyone with a little bit of knowledge could have seen the calibre of the four riders in the break and know they were a threat. That was the way the race went with Laidler attacking the other three riders in the last ten minutes and going on to take the win then Aitken winning the sprint over Hannam and Mueller.
Results
A Grade 1 Adrian Laidler (SASI/Rio Coffee/Main North Nissan) 2 Brett Aitken (PT One Fitness) 3 James Hannam (SASI/Fairmont Homes) 4 Peter Mueller (Rio Coffee/Main North Nissan) 5 Chris Luxton B Grade 1 Nick Shipp (TYCO) 2 Scott Green (Herb Valley/Art Ceramics) 3 Matt Stephens (NT) 4 Daryl Margrate (Bianco Cycling Team) 5 Darren Hansberry (Main North Renault) C Grade 1 Bernd Froessler 2 Jason Hagon (Bernie Jones Cycles) 3 Craig Feely 4 Bryce Alexander 5 Thom Edwards D Grade 1 Daniel Smith (Bicycle Express) 2 Andrew Fon 3 Greg Ford 4 Peter Teichert 5 James Davies (Bicycle Express) E Grade 1 Scott Goodwin 2 Scott Fergusson 3 Shane Kelly 4 Bradley Crawford Philip Reichelt (K.F.C.) Juniors 1 Tiffany Cromwell (Bicycle Express) 2 Michael Davis
