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Victorian Open Road Cycling Championships - NE
Victoria, Australia, September 30-October 2, 2005
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Stage 3 - October 2: Men's and Women's Road Race Championships
VIS men score the trifecta; James and Baxter the quinella
By Rod Morris in Mansfield
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The Victorian Institute of Sport cycling programme continued its successful run of late when it scored a powerful trifecta in yesterday's Victorian Open Men's Road Race Championship in Mansfield.
Brad Norton, Matthew Lloyd and Richard England filled the first three positions after a marathon 142.2 km race in scorching heat. For Norton it was first road championship victory at either junior or senior level. Earlier in the day, Carnegie rider Briana James claimed her second title of the championship weekend when she won the women's road race over 94.8 km, finishing just in front of Hawthorn's Claire Baxter and more than 2 1/2 minutes ahead of veteran Kathy Watt, who was chasing her third successive road race title.
The men's race started with 59 challengers, but by day's end, only 25 greeted the judge. The attrition rate was partly due to the weather, but mostly because of the tempo. Norton's average speed was 42.54 km per hour for the 18 laps and he played a big role in the outcome of the race.
Norton was part of a six-man breakaway group that was established very quickly. Joining Norton out in front were Bendigo veteran Tim Decker, Castlemaine's Sean Finning, Andrew Naylor of Blackburn, Queensland's David Kemp and Coburg's Andrew Ward. At first the break didn't look as if it would do a lot of damage to the peloton, but the gap steadily grew from seconds to minutes and at the end of the 11th lap (87 km), the margin had blown out to 3.26 minutes, which would prove to be the biggest of the race.
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The peloton didn't look all that interested in a chase-down and it was becoming increasingly obvious that the Jayco VIS team had full control of proceedings. With Norton and Finning taking charge of the lead group, Richard England, Simon Clarke, Jonathon Clarke and Matthew Lloyd were the generals of the main bunch. There were a couple of token attempts to reel the lead six in, but mostly they were attempts only.
At three laps to go, Simon Clarke, England and Mitchell Docker eventually were able to bridge the gap and the original escapees looked spent. However they didn't count on Norton finding something extra. "For about 10 or 11 laps, I just rolled around with the others and I think I surprised myself when the bunch caught us that I had something left in my legs," Norton said.
The 21-year-old Shepparton rider soon pounced onto the flashing wheels of Lloyd and England and the trio were able to get away by themselves for the closing lap and find the right position for the final sprint. A long home straight provided a perfect run to the line for Norton, who edged past his Jayco VIS teammates to win by two seconds from Lloyd and England.
"It was always going to be a fast finish when the VIS boys got together and Brad surprised us because we didn't think he had much petrol left in the tank after being away for so long," Lloyd said.
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England said he was surprised just to be in the finish. "I thought when the break got out to over three minutes that we wouldn't see them again," he said. "Early on there was nobody interested in chasing and I suppose it must have been a bit of a boring race at times. But the last few laps it got pretty exciting."
Norton is studying a Bachelor of Business at La Trobe University as well as holding down employment at a hardware shop... in between juggling a burgeoning cycling career. "I'm not sure what the future holds for me as a bike rider, but I've got to complete my schooling and I also have work as well, so it's a fairly hectic time for me," he said.
Norton has also won a berth in the Jayco VIS team for the 54th Herald Sun Tour, which starts in Williamstown next Sunday and the following week will race in the Melbourne to Warrnambool road race. After that, Norton and his teammates will be looking at various track carnivals around the country.
An intriguing battle within the road championship yesterday was the sprint challenge. 15 intermediate sprints produced a great stoush between Tim Decker and David Kemp. Decker won six sprints and Kemp five and the pair finished locked on 26 points, but the title went to Decker courtesy of a countback.
All riders competing in the State championships heaped praise on cycling promoter John Craven, who conducted the titles for the first time. A total of $10,000 prizemoney was on offer and the courses chosen in Victoria's High Country provided an excellent backdrop to some great racing.
Women
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Riding as if their lives depended on it, Briana James and Claire Baxter scored an emphatic quinella in the Victorian Open Women's Road Race championship in Mansfield - effectively ending the domination of Kathy Watt.
James and Baxter are two of the up and coming young queens of Australian cycling and have proven to be the surprise packets of this weekend's championships, held in the state's High Country. Although there was an early breakaway by Deborah Fagg and Monique Hanley, James and Baxter set the pattern when the race got to the serious stage.
The women's race was held on a flat and fast 7.9 km circuit and the girls were asked to complete 12 laps. Fagg and Hanley were intent on picking up points - and cash - in the intermediate sprints, sharing honours in the first five and featuring in minor roles in a few others. However, their time at the front of the race took its toll and Hanley failed to finish the entire journey, while Fagg - the winner of the sprint title - finished ninth overall.
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James and Baxter made their move nine laps in at around the 70 km mark. "I was trying hard to shake off Briana but she kept with me, so we decided to work together and see what would happen at the final sprint," Baxter said. "I didn't have the power to out sprint her at the end, but I'm not all that disappointed to finish second."
Baxter, a member of the Hawthorn Cycling Club, enjoyed a solid championship weekend, finishing second in the individual time trial and fourth in the criterium, as well as winning the sprint title in the latter. James also enjoyed a great time in Mansfield, winning the criterium and the road race.
"I am absolutely thrilled to have won two titles," James beamed. "When Claire and I got away, everyone else in the bunch was mucking around, so we just put the hammer down. The time gaps we were getting from race officials were really helpful and at one stage I think the margin got out to 2 minutes, so we just tried to ride even harder.
"I'd like to thank Claire for her great ride as well, it was great to be involved in such a wonderful race and even better to actually win it," she said.
In the end, James and Baxter had a winning margin of 2.31 minutes with Kathy Watt leading the peloton home for third place. Watt was chasing her third consecutive state road title but was denied by the impressive James and Baxter. Behind Watt was Jessica Berry of Bendigo, Nicole Whitburn of Warragul and Vicki Eustace of Tuggeranoong.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Shane Goss/www.licoricegallery.com
- The Victorian Open Road Titles were held in Mansfield in Northern Victoria
- The peloton rolls around the roads of Mansfield
- The women's road race was held over 94.8kms
- Jessica Berry (Bendigo CC) in the peloton
- Gemma Kenessy (Brunswick CC) goes for her bidon during the women's road race
- Gemma Goyne (Carnegie CC) tucks into a feed during racing
- Bridie O'Donnell (Brunswick CC) all smiles at the Victorian Road Titles
- Deborah Fagg (N.S.W) was smokin' during the women's road race!
- Monique Hanley (Warragul CC) right and Deborah Fagg (N.S.W) got together in a break early into the race
- Jennifer Manefield (N.S.W) in the peloton chasing the leaders
- "Is anyone going to help?"
- Gemma Kenessy gets a taste for the road titles in Mansfield!
- Briana James (R) and Claire Baxter took over the lead in the later half of the race
- Claire Baxter (Hawthorn CC) leads Briana James (Carnegie/Caulfield CC) into the final lap
- Briana James (L) edges out Claire Baxter to take the title
- Briana James (Carnegie/Caulfield CC) salutes the crowd in Mansfield
- The sprint to the line for the minor placings
- A happy Briana James after taking out the women's road race title
- The podium (L-R): Claire Baxter (2nd), Briana James (1st), and Kathy Watt (3rd)
- Briana James (Carnegie/Caulfield CC) with her gold medal
- They're off in the 142.2km men's road race
- A great day in Mansfield for a ride or a round of golf
- These guys are as mad as a cut snake!
- The peloton in single file on the back roads of Mansfield
- Brendan Washington (N.S.W) leads riders through under blue skies
- The peloton strings out down the back straight
- The field had to complete 18 laps of a 7.9km circuit
- A group of riders escaped from the peloton early into the race
- David Kemp (Queensland) was among the leading group
- The field heads out of Mansfield
- The main field heads along the home straight
- Adam Murchie (red) checks out David McKenzie's puncture which ended his chances of victory
- Rhys Pollock (Albury-Wodonga CC) in the peloton
- The peloton at the feeding station in Mansfield
- Daniel Furmston (Tasmania/Praties) in the peloton
- Tim Decker (Bendigo CC) about to chow down in the leading group
- Andrew Ward (Coburg CC) was among the leading group early in the race
- In front and over three minutes ahead at one stage
- Riders make their way around the roads of Mansfield
- Trent Stevenson (Shepparton CC) checks out the action behind him
- Sean Finning (L) looks to see Richard England ride into the leading group
- Bradley Norton (Shepparton CC) in the leading group heading towards the finish
- A Jayco/VIS trifecta with a pumped up Bradley Norton the winner
- The podium (L-R): Matthew Lloyd (2nd), Bradley Norton (1st), and Richard England (3rd)
- Tim Decker (Bendigo CC) was the sprint points winner
- Bradley Norton with his gold medal after winning the men's Victorian Road Race title
Results
Men, 142.2 km 1 Brad Norton (Shepparton) 3.20.34 2 Matthew Lloyd (St Kilda) 0.02 3 Richard England (Blackburn) 4 Jonathon Clarke (Carnegie) 0.17 5 Joshua Collingwood (SA) 0.38 6 Simon Clarke (Carnegie) 1.08 7 David Kemp (Qld) 1.26 8 Tim Decker (Bendigo) 9 Andrew Naylor (Blackburn) 10 Tommy Nankervis (Carnegie) 1.38 11 Patrick Shaw (Ballarat) 12 Peter Milostic (NSW) 1.40 13 Casey Munro (Brunswick) 1.41 14 Adam Murchie (Footscray) 15 Rhys Pollock (Albury Wodonga) 16 Michael Tolhurst (ACT) 17 Mitchell Docker (Brunswick) 1.44 18 Jai Crawford (Tasmania) 0.48 19 Steven Robb (Brunswick) 1.53 20 Trent Stevenson (Shepparton) 21 Brendan Washington (Lavington) 1.56 22 Sean Finning (Castlemaine) 2.02 23 Robert Tighello (Carnegie) 24 Andrew Ward (Coburg) 4.31 25 David Salton (Warragul) 12.15 Sprint King 1 Tim Decker 26 pts 2 David Kemp 26 3 Brad Norton 13 4 Andrew Ward 11 5 Marcus Wettenhall 6 6 Sean Finning 4 7 Andrew Naylor 4 Women, 94.8 km 1 Briana James (Carnegie) 2.34.59 2 Claire Baxter (Hawthorn) 3 Kathy Watt (Blackburn) 2.31 4 Jessica Berry (Bendigo) 5 Nicole Whitburn (Warragul) 6 Vicki Eustace (Tuggeranon) 7 Jennifer Manefield (Parramatta) 8 Gemma Goyne (Carnegie) 9 Deborah Fagg (Albury-Wodonga) 10 Alicia Evans (Geelong) 11 Maryam Rogers (Carnegie) 12 Gemma Kenessy (Brunsiwck) 13 Angela Wade (Melton) 2.36 14 Samantha Lindsay (St Kilda) 15 Laura Bortolozzi (Randwick) 16 Bridie O'Donnell (Brunswick) 2.41 17 Cristine Foster (St Kilda) DNF Anna Sutton DNF Kirsty Bortolin DNF Andrea Bishop DNF Christine Ervin DNF Monique Hanley DNF Mairead Hayter DNS Emma Gaul DNS Sarah White DNS Stephania Magri DNS Brooke Condon. Sprint Queen 1 Deborah Fagg 17 pts 2 Monique Hanley 12 3 Maryam Rogers 7 4 Briana James 5 5 Claire Baxter 5 6 Laura Bortolozzi 3 7 Bridie O'Donnell 2 8 Alicia Evans 1
