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Results and Reports from Australia
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Riverland Cycling Club
Berri, South Australia, June 4-5, 2005
The 31st Tour of the Riverland was held on the weekend, with 155 riders taking their place before the starting line for the 79km race on Saturday, which took riders from Berri to Loxton, through to Renmark and back to Berri. In perfect conditions, seven local riders took part to contest trophies and $19 000 in prizes and cash on offer. Ruth Strout, Fiona Jarred and Amanda Steele rode in the 20 minute group, with Steele holding with the pack when the influx of riders from later bunches merged. MacKirdy had a difficult handicap and was unable to hold onto her 17 minute group while Stevens also ran into difficulty and retired with a knee injury.
Angus Boase and Hamish MacKirdy put in stellar performances, with Boase making up considerable time to finish just minutes short of the winners and MacKirdy claiming a prime sprint award along with the Bob Fisher Memorial Trophy for the Fastest Riverlander. Steele narrowly avoided an horrific crash just metres from the finish line to claim the Tom Perry Perpetual Trophy for the first Riverland rider across the line.
Sunday's race was a 37km dash from Berri to Renmark and back, with local riders posting record averages on the mainly flat course. Steele, Lara MacKirdy, Strout and Jarred left with the starting group, however the later bunches charged early and began cutting through early groupings not far from the halfway point, forming two main bunches. Boase and MacKirdy put in another determined effort and stayed with these groups, narrowly missing placings. The Riverland women were also happy with their performances. The next club race will be held on Sunday and riders will be contesting the Mark Manning Memorial trophy at Barmera from 9:30am. For more details visit http://www.riverlandcyclingclub.com
Fastest Riverlander (Saturday) - Hamish MacKirdy
First Riverlander (Saturday) - Amanda Steele
Fastest Riverlander (Sunday) - Hamish MacKirdy
First Riverlander (Sunday) - Angus Boase
