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Canberra Cycling Club
Summer Criterium Series #8, December 13, 2006
By Michael Payne
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A record crowd of 207 riders and a countless number of spectators enjoyed round eight of the Canberra Cycling Club Summer Criterium Series. This week’s event was generously sponsored by Clinic 88 with the donation of much needed massages for legs torn apart by the speed of the new Stephen Hodge criterium circuit at Mt Stromlo.
The numbers in all grades are a great reflection on the legacy established by the late, great Mark ‘Carts’ Carter, and maintained by a superb team of volunteers under the current tutelage of Fiona Hedgecoe. Women’s A grade has been significantly bolstered this year by riders ‘crossing over’ from triathlon and mountain biking, and the result has been supercharged and entertaining racing that has found favour with the vocal spectators in the elevated stands of the Stromlo facility.
Men’s A grade had a who’s who of past and current national and world champions front the line in warm conditions with a prevailing north-westerly that, thankfully, lacked the vicious strength of previous weeks. That said, it was still enough for the boys to stick it in the gutter on the first lap of festivities, and a mad scramble for wheels and shelter ensued until the first break formed after a couple of laps. Shaun Lewis, fresh from his win at the Highland Fling a couple of weeks ago, dragged along Tim ‘The Enforcer’ Buchanan, last year’s winner of the overall crit title, until a scrape of pedal on tarmac forced the first ever crash on the new course. Congratulations Enforcer.
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Ever the opportunist, Olympian Rob McLachlan put the hammer down and forced a split that included Fabio Calabria, winner of the Brindabella Challenge on the weekend. The bunch reformed after a few laps until Michael Rogers, new leader of the ProTour T-Mobile squad, decided to show the lads the sort of strength that comes with tenth place in the Tour de France and three world time trial titles. Nasty, very nasty.
To use a well known Carts’ term, James Meadley of the Uni SA team ‘fulminated’ across to Dodger, and the effort required to do so is evident in the pictures of pain attached to this report. And that was it basically. Big Rob tried multiple times to bridge to the break, but his power is well known and feared in local circles and cries of 'up, up' accompany the slightest muscle twinge in the big fella. Fabio capped off his good form with a sprint for third in the bunch kick with Michael Tolhurst, recent first and fastest in the Wagga to Albury, in fourth spot.
The enthusiasm and talent of the local juniors goes beyond their ability to ride a bike; they can also write as the following reports show:
"It seems that every week the race is full of new faces. It was like I hardly knew anyone on the starting line. Fiona sent us off but this time in a clockwise direction. This was the first time I had ever ridden around the course in this direction and it was completely different.
Every lap, just as we entered the finish straight, someone would sprint out of the corner and I found my self losing the 5 or 6 places I gained each lap. I blame my restricted gearing, but Dad says I wasn't paying enough attention or not riding close enough to the front. When two laps were called I again struggled to hold my position and dropped more towards the middle. Out of the final corner I sprinted like hell but unusually I only picked up a few places. I think I ended up about 11th or 12 or something.
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Then I sat down and watched the finish of the novice men and saw my friends Felix win his first race and Shane place 8th in his first race out of juniors. Allez Allez!! Then the best bit watching James Meadley and Michael Rogers show true class to ride away from the field in A Grade. We sure are lucky in Canberra to be able to see such great racing in all grades!"(Kenny Cook D Grade U17)
"Hi my name is Jackson Frew and I am 8 years old. I live in Canberra and have been road cycling for 5 months. I am using the road cycling as a cross training for my BMX racing. I ride an Orbea and I love it! The guys at TLC Bike shop in Woden really look after me especially as I am learning. So far we have adjusted me a couple of times to my bike cause I am growing
I have been riding a bike since I was 3 years old. My dad was never home as he was training for Ironman so I just rode with him. At 3 years old I could ride a flat 20 kms- my dad says talking the whole way!
I have recently been selected to e part of a ACT Development Squad for BMX and getting ready to compete in Canada in July 2007- I am going to the worlds! My goal is to be an Australian champion in BMX and road cycling is helping me to get there.
My main goal when I get older about 22 years old will be to live in Europe and ride for a pro road team. My dad and mum support me and my goals and have taught me to make sure I put back into sport cause I am getting lots out of it. I have made great friends, learnt how to work on my bike, traveled lots in Australia and now going to another country.
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I hope you like my story and I would really like to keep writing to you about how I am going on my Orbea and how I go racing. I am off to Thredbo tomorrow to race in the 4x so this will be fun. If you see me around can you come and say hello, I like meeting and talking to new people especially when they are also very serious about bikes and riding.
I need to say thanks to Brad at TLC, Claire at MALadjusted and Lennock Motors Phillip without these people to help me continue to achieve would be really hard- plus they all love bikes! See ya Jackson."
Next Wednesday is perhaps the biggest day on the Canberra racing calendar. The Carts Xmas crit will be held in memory of one of Canberra’s most loved and most vibrant personalities. The Big Legged Driver (BLD) could barely wait till the bloom of spring roses heralded the return of warmer weather after the depths of a miserable winter.
At this time of year, Carts would put a fresh blade in the razor, cut down on beer, put a jaunty twist in his fat Italian tie, and galvanise the troops for the summer criterium racing. That his tragic loss will never be forgotten is evident in the truly blood-curdling banter that the locals engage in during the weeks preceding the Xmas crit. Much leg flexing and chest beating is part of the psych-out process, and even the blokes engage in these playful high jinx.
The schedule for next week is shown below and includes a spectacular flying lap attempt by Michael Rogers on the Stromlo course. Hopefully that'll knock the wind out his sails for the A grade race.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by David Meere
- Niki Fisher takes the lead closely followed by Janine Risdale in women's A grade.
- In the thick of the action in the strong Women's A bunch.
- Andrea Quarterman of Team Sportscare powering round the Stromlo curves.
- Fiona Hedgecoe taking a break from race director duties to inflict some pain and suffering.
- Janine Risdale thinks it time to leave and shut the door.
- Laura Meisel-Dennis makes it look easy heading for fifth in women's A.
- Top Australian MTB rider, Niki Fischer, showing her cornering skills.
- An early breakaway in B grade.
- Hot action from the bottom corner.
- The B grade bunch strings out.
- It's all back together with five minutes remaining.
- A contrast in size!
- Shaun Lewis and Tim 'The Enforcer' Buchanan force the early break in A grade.
- National road series champ Rob McLachlan spies the danger.
- Fabio Calabria and McLachlan take advantage of an early crash...
- ...but it's all back together again.
- Michael 'Dodger' Rogers sitting comfortably.
- Brendan Savage shadowed by the new leader of T-Mobile.
- Nice style Dodger!
- Michael Rogers clear and being chased desperately by James 'Metters' Meadley.
- It's not easy catching the triple world ITT champ!
- Another Rogers legend, Pete, tacks onto the chase group.
- The boys putting time into the chase group.
- Big George Bunt showing his race face.
- Can you make it look any easier Dodger?
- 'Metters' knows how to suffer.
- 'Dodger' playing the waiting game..
- Back from a successful US NORBA series, Brent Miller winds up the pace in the chase group.
Results
A Grade (25 minutes + 2 laps, 35 Starters) 1 Michael Rogers 2 James Meadley 3 Fabio Calabria 4 Mick Tolhurst 5 Dylan Cooper 6 Simon Junakovic 7 Mark Terracini 8 John Forrest 9 Dirk van der Walle 10 Mark Harris B Grade (15 minutes + 2 laps, 43 Starters) 1 Michael Phelan 2 Simon Christopher 3 Jason Pye 4 Simon Niemeyer 5 Nathan Rickerby 6 Andrew Sinclair 7 Adam Phelan 8 Nathan Haas 9 Andrew Mohr 10 Scott Sparkman C Grade (12 minutes + 2 laps, 36 starters) 1 Robert Mathieson 2 Cameron O'Neill 3 Jason Hewerdine 4 Jason Parkes 5 Ian Mongan 6 Stephen Bomball 7 Travis Hicks 8 John Boxall 9 Michael Bryce 10 Guy Buchanan D Grade (10 minutes + 3 laps, 30 starters) 1 Dave Pinch 2 Chris Vagg 3 Karl Heiden 4 Jamie Young 5 John Fisher 6 Grant Grubb 7 Miles Prosser 8 Christophe Barbaret 9 David Evans 10 Leo Phillips Women's A Grade (12 minutes + 2 laps, 23 starters) 1 Vicki Whitelaw 2 Cristy Henderson 3 Janine Ridsdale 4 Niki Fisher 5 Laura Meisel-Dennis 6 Tara O'Brien 7 Terry Moore 8 Leonie Bradfield 9 Tania Churchill 10 Sue Kleven Women's B Grade (8 minutes + 2 laps, 20 Starters) 1 Grace Meisel-Dennis 2 Judy Scott 3 Peggy Douglass 4 Carol Stevenson 5 Emily Walshe 6 Sue Navakas 7 Michelle Greenwood 8 Tara Preston 9 Steph Boxall 10 Kirsty Cummin
