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Norwood Cycling Club
Criterium, Regency Park, South Australia, October 23, 2004
Saturday the 23rd of October saw the opening of the Norwood Cycling Club Criteriums, the 18th season since Norwood Cycling Club started the criterium racing season at Regency Park for South Australian cyclists.
A total of 74 riders greeted the starters for this mass start event, a format the riders themselves had been interested in riding since last year and they responded well.
With a moderate start the cyclists headed around the circuit finding the speed in their legs or in some cases the lack of. After a long road season some of the riders need to now look at their training and include small gear riding with a few sprints thrown in.
Fifteen minutes into the event a small breakaway of three riders went up the road. It was a good attempt at getting away and gained about two hundred metres on the bunch but Brett Aitken and Matt Miller though otherwise and bought them back after another twenty minutes. Once all together there was another attack, this time with seven riders, Nick Wood - again, the Gill father and son duo of Alan and Russell, pro rider Michael McGee, Peter Meuller, James Russell and Nick Shipp. This looked to be the decisive break in the race as these riders are quite strong and were determined to all work together.
With riders like Chris Jongewaard and Aitken - both Olympians - still back in the bunch it was a move which would come down to the wire. The bunch worked hard to bring the break back and with three laps to go it all came together again. Now the race was back together it looked to be a real nightmare for the judges with over fifty riders ready to contest the sprint. There was a lot of encouragement from the vocal crowd that had come to watch and commentator over the p.a. to make the riders lift the pace, but it was already 50km/h.
With a mass sprint to the line the race could have been anyone's but experienced paid off with Avanti's Brett Aitken launching himself easily from the front middle of the bunch to take the win with arms held high. A bike length behind came Orbea Bikes sprinter Chris Luxton followed by a close finish for third going to JT Cycles Brighton Bradley Allen and Aussie pro cyclist James Hannam fourth riding for Deschacht Eddy Merckx.
In the Junior race Norwood Cycling Club member Nicholas Fergusson rode a controlled race for the first fifteen minutes of their twenty minute event. Fergusson then launched his attack and broke away from the rest of the field and rode to the line to take a well deserved win. Shamus Liptrot of the Central Districts Club and Lindsey Edmunds from the Norwood Cycling Club worked well together to chase Fergusson but could not catch him. In the race for the line Liptrot left Edmunds, driving home with a lot more strength to take second while Edmunds held on for third.
The massed start event proved to be a success and the riders can look forward to another next week 30th October, but with one minor change. The lower grade D & E riders will ride together in their own event. The massed start gave the lower grade riders a chance to actually race with their mentors, Olympians, World Champions and learn to see how they race at elite level. Just a note these events are open to ALL registered cyclist, so come along and have a go!
Results
Seniors 1 Brett Aitken (Adelaide CC/Avanti Bicycles) 2 Chris Luxton (Norwood CC/Orbea Bikes) 3 Bradley Allen (Adelaide CC/JT Cycles Brighton) 4 James Hannam (Norwood CC/Deschacht - Eddy Merckx) 5 Peter Meuller (Adelaide CC/Daccordi Cycling Team) 6 Dale Rycroft (Norwood CC) 7 Chris Green (Australian Capital Territory) 8 Alan Gill (Norwood CC/Polar Pursuit Performance) 9 Ross Bate (Norwood CC) 10 Michael Ward (Adelaide CC/Bernie Jones Cycles) Juniors 1 Nicholas Fergusson (Norwood CC) 2 Shamus Liptrot (Central District CC) 3 Lindsay Edmunds (Norwood CC/Standish Cycles Unley)
