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Trek Summer Series #1
Heffron Park, Sydney, January 4, 2005
White storms home
By Jeff Jones
Under threatening skies in the first round of the Trek Summer Series at Sydney's Heffron Park, local boy and Cofidis pro Matthew White kicked home to win in a fast bunch sprint. White, who is honing his form for the Australian Open Road Championships next week, held off the King of Heffron, Anthony Spurgeon (Caravello), while B grader John Kenny (Easts) showed that his New Year's detox program is paying off by taking third place.
Despite the imminent threat of rain all afternoon, 64 riders across three grades showed up for the first Heffron Park race of the season. On the start line, it was agreed that all entry fees and prize money would be donated to the Tsunami Appeal, with $650 being raised in total.
Olympians Matt White (Cofidis) and Stuart Dangerfield (Easts) helped to bolster the A grade field (not to mention the retired Paul Rowney in B grade), which set about its task of catching B and C grade with a great deal of vigour. Apart from White, who also used his experience to keep A grade together, there was some strong work done by Troy Glennan (Sutherland) and Liam Kelly (Randwick Botany). Thus, despite a stiff nor' easterly, A grade averaged 45 km/h for the first seven laps to catch B grade, then slowed but still mopped up C grade with four laps to go.
That left plenty of time for some late attacks, and with two to go, Troy Glennan powered off the front with Stuart Dangerfield in his wake. But Dangerfield must have been invisible behind Glennan's big frame, as his Easts teammate Scott Callum drove the bunch in pursuit of the pair and closed the gap with one to go. Dangerfield was a little put out by this, and took Callum aside for a quiet word to explain that the colour and pattern of their jerseys actually matches. In his defence, Callum said that all he could see was Glennan's green and yellow Sutherland colours.
Once the pair were caught, Stuart Campbell (Easts) tried to salvage the situation and counter-attacked, taking Liam Kelly (Randwick Botany) with him. The move may have been successful but for the efforts of the irrepressible Glennan, who defied the headwind on the back straight to mow down the escapees with 500m to go, with the bunch strung out behind him. Campbell continued and led out the tailwind sprint, before John Kenny came from fourth wheel to put his nose in front with 250m to go. But when Matt White and Anthony Spurgeon blasted by on the left, it was all over for the Irishman, with White going on to beat Spurge handily, taking the lead in the Trek Summer Series.
In the other grades, the first unplaced B grader went to Anthony Iannacito (Caravello), while C grade was won by Joel Xuereb (Randwick Botany) from Todd Dunn (Easts) and Roger Shackleton (Waratah Veterans). The three intermediate sprints went to Iannacito (who took the first two), and Liam Kelly.
Results
A & B Grade 1 Matthew White (Cofidis) 2 Anthony Spurgeon (Caravello) 3 John Kenny (Easts) 4 Liam Kelly (Randwick Botany) 5 Jeff Jones (Randwick Botany) 6 Stuart Dangerfield (Easts) First unplaced B grader: Anthony Iannacito (Caravello) C Grade 1 Joel Xuereb (Randwick Botany) 2 Todd Dunn (Easts) 3 Roger Shackleton (Waratah Veterans) 4 Neil Morris (Randwick Botany) Sprint 1 1 Anthony Iannacito (Caravello) 2 Brent Jenkins (Randwick Botany) Sprint 2 1 Anthony Iannacito (Caravello) 2 Scott Callum (Easts) Sprint 3 1 Liam Kelly (Randwick Botany) 2 Troy Glennan (Sutherland) 3 Brent Jenkins (Randwick Botany)
