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Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
Glenvale Crescent Criteriums - Sunday, February 25, 2007
By Mal Sawford
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You could be excused for thinking it was ladies day at Glenvale Crescent this morning, with the running of the Kelly Cycle Coaching Grand Prix de Glenvale. Rather than racing for their own prizes within mixed fields as is the norm, two women only races were held during the middle of the morning program.
An impressive field lined up for the Elite race, although with half the field made up of riders form the Raleigh/Lifeforce Creations team, it was always going to be tough for the best of the local girls to pull off an upset. Sure enough, it was Raleigh team leader Priska Doppmann who was the first to attack. After a lap out front, Lisa Friend (Drapac-Porsche Cycling), fresh from her win in the Under 19 scratch race at the track nationals, chased across and the pair worked well to keep the field at bay until just before the first of two intermediate sprints.
The counter attack came from world cup champion Nicole Cooke, and CCCC's team Raleigh rider Emma Rickards, and the two team mates quickly rode away to an advantage that reached a maximum of just over thirty seconds. They were still clear at the second sprint, and shared the top two placings, while team mates Pascale Schnider and Serena Trachsel mopped up the remaining cash.
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In the final twenty minutes, the leader's margin was steadily whittled away, with Peta Mullens (VIS/Inexa Race Frames), Nicole Whitburn (Mainline Cycles), Friend and Tess Downing (Drapac-Porsche) doing some big turns. The lead was down to only five seconds when Trachsel powered across to the lead group, but her fresh legs were enough to ensure the Raleigh trio would not be caught.
Approaching the line, the three linked hands to cross the line together, but eagle eyed judges ruled that Rickards was the first to cross, ahead of Trachsel and Cooke. Reigning US criterium champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Verducci-Breakaway) prevented a Raleigh clean sweep of the generous prize pool with a great sprint to edge out Joanne Kiesonowski for fourth place.
Former world masters champion Debbie Hobbs (Fitzroy Cycles) took the intermediate sprint in the Sport race ahead of Stephanie Coulson and Livia Gluchowska after a fairly sedate start to their race, but things got a lot more interesting when Kelly Cycle Coaching athletes Clare Vlahopolous and Christabel Prischl counter attacked straight after the sprint.
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The evenly matched field worked well to neutralise the move, and also had to keep a close watch on Melissa Kah, who tried a number of times to break up the field. In the end, the full field contested a very close bunch sprint, with Gluchowska's track speed seeing her hit the lead 100 metres from home.
Hobbs judged the finish better, taking the win by half a length, with Vlahopolous snatching second from Gluchowska in the final metre. Prischl was next home, inches ahead of Kerrie Howard (Fitzroy).
The men's fields were a little smaller than normal, with a number of regulars representing the club at the State Teams Track Championships, but the speed of racing was, if anything, faster than usual. The SHM boys did their best to split the A Grade bunch early, but after the last two weeks had seen early breaks lap the field inside half distance, all attackers were kept on a very short leash.
When plan A failed, SHM's plan B was to set up Inexa Race Frames series leader Brendan Rowbotham for the bunch kick, and after a good lead out from Danny Kah and Matt Chessum, Rowbotham duly saluted ahead of Dylan Boone, Nick Walker (VIS/CBD Cycles) and Warren Knevitt (O'Mara Cycles).
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Robert Regester and Nigel Kimber (O'Mara) where the early attackers in B Grade, and spent the first fifteen minutes nearly one corner ahead of the bunch. The next move saw Ciaran Jones, Ed Vawdrey and Rick Jones (Datacom/Burnley Finance) try their luck, but they were quickly brought back.
In the middle part of the race, Steve Morrow, Shane Saunders, Brad Alcock (Le Tour Cycles) and Mark Whyman all tried to escape without success, with the final attempt by Shannon Hall (BikeNOW) and Rick Jones, before the sprinters took over.
Malaysian visitors Faizal Noh and Edrus Yunos had far too much speed for the locals, finishing five lengths clear of third placed finisher Paul Groves (Croydon Cycleworks), Fabio Angelini (Bicycle Superstore) and Trent Brown (Fitzroy).
Echuca's Ben Oman took the C Grade bunch sprint from former pro runner Peter Kotsiris (SHM), exciting junior Sean Carrathers (Terry Hammond Cycles) and Stephen Harison, while D Grade's sprint went to Duncan Wood ahead of Conan Daley, George Pezaros and Stuart Anstee after Peter Quibell had set a fearsome tempo for virtually the entire 45 minutes.
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A great series of photos from today's races will be posted at www.Velophoto.net, courtesy of leading cycling photo journalist CJ Farquharson.
Carnegie Caulfield Criteriums continue every Tuesday evening at Sandown Raceway. Entry is via the Sandown Road entrance (Melways map 80 B6), from 6pm, with all grades racing at 6.30. Sundays are at Glenvale Crescent (Melways map 80 B2). B, D and E Grades start at 9am, while A and C Grade ride at 10am.
All holders of 2007 Cycling Australia licenses are welcome (don't forget to bring your license or receipt!) and non-members can have a go by taking out a day license for $20. Licenses are now available at all CCCC events. All returning riders must resume in the grade they last raced in, unless prior arrangement has been made.
For first time competitors and the younger juniors, Tokyo Olympian Mick Hollingsworth conducts novice racing clinics within the E Grade race at Glenvale Crescent. For further details, go to www.carnegiecycling.com.au
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by CJ Farquharson/www.Velophoto.net
- E grade winner Daniel Barrett is headed to D Grade.
- D grade bunch action.
- Duncan Wood wins his last D Grade race.
- The sponsor of the day's women's races, Bob Kelly, races B Grade.
- Faizal Noh wins B Grade ahead of country man Edrus Yunos.
- Is the A grade winner Brendan Rowbotham or Ryan Bayley?
- Sport women cornering.
- Deborah Hobbs is a former Masters world champion.
- Nicole Cooke leads Emma Rickards through the top corner.
- Raleigh Lifeforce Creation's Serena Trechsel fights to cross to Rickards and Cooke.
- Tanja Slater (Great Britain).
- Deborah Hobbs in the bunch.
- Cooke, Rickards and Trechsel together later in the race.
- The Sport bunch with three to go.
- Tess Downing in the elite bunch.
- The Sport women charge to the line.
- Deborah Hobbs took the win.
- Jenny Fay during the Elite race.
- Helen Kelly checks for company.
- Rickards, Cooke and Treschel approach the finish line.
- The presentation looked like a Raleigh Lifeforce Creation team presentation alongside Bob Kelly, the sponsor and Mal Sawford.
- Deborah Hobbs and Livia Gluchowska with Bob Kelly; other placegetter, Christabel Prischl was busy racing again already.
- Thanks Bob!
Results
A Grade (60 minutes, 46 starters) 1 Brendan Rowbotham (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Dylan Boone (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Nick Walker (Brunswick) 4 Warren Knevitt (Carnegie Caulfield) 5 Nathan Wise (Carnegie Caulfield) 6 Dale Woonton (Carnegie Caulfield) Elite women (45 minutes, 24 starters) 1 Emma Rickards (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Serena Transchel (Switzerland) 3 Nicole Cooke (Wales) 4 Theresa Cliff-Ryan (USA) 5 Joanne Kiesonowski (New Zealand) B Grade (60 minutes, 48 starters) 1 Faizal Noh (Malaysia) 2 Edrus Yunos (Malaysia) 3 Paul Groves (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Fabio Angelini (Carnegie Caulfield) 5 Trent Brown (Carnegie Caulfield) C Grade (50 minutes, 36 starters) 1 Ben Oman (Echuca) 2 Peter Kotsiris (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Sean Carruthers (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Stephen Harrison (Hawthorn) Sport women (35 minutes,24 starters) 1 Debbie Hobbs (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Clare Vlahopolous (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Livia Gluchowska (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Christabel Prischl (Austria) 5 Kerrie Howard (Carnegie Caulfield) D Grade (45 minutes, 21 starters) 1 Duncan Wood (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Conan Daley (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 George Pezaros (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Stuart Anstee (Carnegie Caulfield) E Grade(45 minutes, 10 starters) 1 Daniel Barrett (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Dimitri Vlahos (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Rebecca Danauge (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Callam Donnelly (Carnegie Caulfield)
