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Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
Glenvale Crescent Criteriums - Sunday, March 11, 2007
By Mal Sawford
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After two weeks of damp weather, the sun was out again at Glenvale Crescent, a fitting way to farewell the girls from the Raleigh Lifeforce Creation HB Pro team who have spent the past couple of months racing with CCCC while based in Melbourne for their pre-season training and the opening round of the women's World Cup.
Both world number one Nicole Cooke and Priska Doppmann have tackled the A grade race separately in the past, but today saw the biggest ever women's contingent in the premier race, with Emma Rickards, Sarah Duster, Tanja Slater and Serena Trachsel also making the big step up.
Duster in particular was in the thick of the action early, and did her share of work to reel in the traditional opening lap attack by a group of six, including Inexa Summer Series leader Brendan Rowbotham (SHM Cycles). The teams from SHM and Promains have dominated racing lately; with Andrew Stalder's recent good form threatening Rowbotham's series lead, and this morning's race once again saw the two teams test each other out.
Through out the middle section of the race, the SHM riders attacked at every opportunity, keeping the big field strung out to stay in contention. Finally, their persistence paid off with Matt Chessum and Danny Kah breaking clear with ten minutes remaining. The SHM pair had a Promains shadow in Anthony Smith, and Dale Woonton also had the strength and savvy to go with the move.
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This quartet combined well to hold off all chasers, with Chessum taking a good win ahead of Smith and Kah, while the final two prizes also went to an SHM/Promains pairing after Rowbotham and Stalder put enough distance into the bunch over the final two laps to keep the sprinters at bay. Rickards and Doppmann sprinted for the top women's prize, with the local rider coming out on top and Cooke a few bike lengths behind in third.
The B Grade race saw a break of six escape after an early solo effort from Steve Morrow was neutralized. Power houses Dennis Bowen-Day (Biggin & Scott), Martin Bole and Robert Regester joined Richard Cormick (Datacom/Burnley Finance), Colin Morris and Rohan Ware and quickly built a lead of over twenty seconds, which saw them out of sight of the chasing bunch.
Once out of sight, the break's advantage grew quickly, and was over forty-five seconds before Cormick could sustain the pace no longer. They had the main field in the same straight when ‘3 to go' was announced, which was the signal for their long co-operation to come to an end. Bole attacked first, quickly followed by Regester. Bowen-Day joined the two leaders a lap later as they made contact with the tail of the main field.
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Ware saved his burst for the final lap, and overhauled Regester to claim third place, but couldn't reach Bowen-Day and Bole who sprinted to the line in that order. A lap later, Nicole Whitburn (Mainline Cycles) pulled out another good sprint to lead the big women's contingent home, ahead of Rachel Rademaker (Merida), Tess Downing (Drapac-Porsche) and Anneliesse Heard (Great Britain).
The C Grade race also looked like going the way of the early attackers, after Davern White and Craig Porter opening a twenty second lead midway through their fifty minute race. A determined chase lead by Neale Adams and Sean Carruthers (Terry Hammond Cycles) saw the bunch reform, before Carrathers kept the pressure on and broke clear with Phill Bertolus and Scott Berry (Terry Hammond) to take the win.
Ian Wolters rounded out the podium, while Stephanie Coulson upset women's leader in the Inexa series, Radelle Berriman (Terry Hammond), to take the women's division.
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After a steady start, a jump in tempo in the final fifteen minutes of the D Grade race saw a split of fifteen riders develop. New rider Ashley Duncan attacked the lead group at three to go, but ran out of steam on the final lap allowing another first timer in Lee Inbrie to sprint to a convincing win. Daryl Beovic was the best of the regulars, ahead of Robert Castellani and Mark Mennen. Andrea Bishop and Suzanne Alway also made the final split to collect the leading women's prizes.
Carnegie Caulfield Criteriums continue next 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. There is no racing at Sandown next week: the final Sandown race for the current season will be held on March 20. Entry is via the Sandown Road entrance (Melways map 80 B6), from 6pm, with all grades racing at 6.30.
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 Mal Sawford
- Sandy Machin (SHM) controls the A Grade tempo.
- Matt Chessum (SHM) sitting pretty before his successful attack.
- B Grade women's winner Nicole Whitburn in second wheel.
- A break of six in B Grade went on to lap the field in the final minutes.
- Craig Porter and Davern White led the C Grade race until the final ten minutes.
- Neale Adams leads the C Grade chasers.
- D Grade swing onto the finishing straight.
Results
A Grade (50 minutes + 3 laps, 59 starters) 1 Matt Chessum (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Anthony Smith (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Danny Kah (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Dale Woonton (Carnegie Caulfield) 5 Brendan Rowbotham (Carnegie Caulfield) 6 Andrew Stalder (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Emma Rickards (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 3 Nicole Cooke (Wales) B Grade (1 hour + 3 laps, 48 starters) 1 Dennis Bowen-Day (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Martin Bole (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Rohan Ware (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Robert Regester (Blackburn) 5 Colin Morris (Footscray) Women 1 Nicole Whitburn (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Rachel Rademaker (Blackburn) 3 Tess Downing (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Anneleise Heard (Great Britain) C Grade (50 minutes + 3 laps, 33 starters) 1 Sean Carruthers (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Phill Bertolus (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Scott Berry (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Ian Wolters (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Stephanie Coulson (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Radelle Berriman (Carnegie Caulfield) D Grade (45 minutes + 3 laps, 27 starters) 1 Lee Imbrie (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Daryl Beovic (St Kilda) 3 Robert Castellani (Blackburn) 4 Mark Mennen (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Andrea Bishop (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Suzanne Always (Hawthorn) E Grade (45 minutes + 3 laps, 18 starters) 1 Jacob Schmidt (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Rebecca Domange (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Callum Donnelly (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Christopher Beckett (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Rebecca Domange (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Saskia Penn (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Julie Siedses (Carnegie Caulfield)
