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Mildura-Coomealla CC Summer Series
Sunday, January 18, 2004
By Peter Winton
Welcome back fellas ! You know when you were enjoying those filthy VB's and extra red wines, well it all came home to roast this morning didn't it?
Hands up all those at least three kilos overweight! Me too.
Today's crit was well attended considering it's still school holidays and all. 14 regulars including first time rider (in Mildura at least) Steve Fenwick. Welcome Steve.
Nathan Summerhayes had the mark of honour all by himself today, followed by the bulk of the group in Arthur Anderson, Richard (king of the crits) Hale, Barry Pollock, Jack Lokan, Brendan Liddle and Steve Fenwick. Next were Michael (4 kilos over) Shipsides, Adrian Lloyd, Harry Robbins and Peter Winton. At limit today we had Adam Wightwick, Greg Scott and Rob Akkermans.
Summerhayes rounded up the chopping block group pretty smartly and they all settled in to a long chase. The limit group appeared to soon break up and the tight formation of Robbins, Shipsides, Lloyd and Winton found the steady groove of 38 kliks fairly smartly.
It wasn't for long however, Winton soon lingered for a return to West Australian holidays and tailed off. Robbins riding well and Shipsides and Lloyd not missing turns.
Summerhayes and Fenwick's combined bunch scooped up the zipp powered avanti of Winton and with Pollock he formed a solid tail-end (that's about as flattering as it will get). Lokan had been jettisoned unceremoniously before the capture. Hale was pedaling in good style but the increasing tempo saw him succumb to the call of a mortals heart rate just like the bulk of us.
Liddle decided he'd had enough of the chase and retired to the sidelines. The front- end groups were doing a space-shuttle and disintegrating (all due respects to the crew and NASA) and this let the Robbins led bunch take over the show. Wightwick was tucked in with them by now and he would pose a threat at the finale.
As Winton's former bunch lapped him on the bell lap it was Robbins in front with Wightwick on his wheel and Shipsides making up the trio. Lloyd had slipped back just a tad. As forecasted (remember my forecasting skills?) Wightwick tackled Robbins with a hundred metres to go and into the wind. Robbins put in a burst to keep Shipsides off his wheel but the former Tour of Sunraysia and Ballarat-Sebastapol A grade rider knows how to pedal and gapped Harry Robbins to take the flag.
Tuesday's event is a time-trial at Riverside. Starts at 6:00pm.
Results, 30 minute + 2 laps criterium
1 A Wighwick 2 H Robbins 3 M Shipsides 4 A Lloyd 5 S Fenwick 6 N Summerhayes 7 B Pollock 8 R Hale 9 P Winton 10 R Akkermans 11 G Scott 12 J Lokan 13 A Anderson DNF B Liddle
