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Norwood CC Road Championships

August 30, 2003

Saturday saw the running of the Road Championship of the oldest cycling club in Australia, Norwood. Named the Norwood Barry Skinner Road Championship, in honor of a tireless worker for our club over many years.

Right from the word go from the starter, Mat Rex lit the fuse, and showed that he was there to race. Faced with another 110 Kms. to travel he was not fazed, riding off the front by 100 metres, he invited others to join him.

After a few changes of the escape pack, Rex settled on the group of reigning Champion, Lucien Keene, John Watters, Daniel Key, Chris George & Pat Bruse to set the pace for the rest of the field to try and bring back at 26 k's they were 1min 10 secs to the good, at 50 k's this was back to 53 secs. Soon after at 60 k's Rex had to stop for a wheel change, probably not the best place to stop, at the bottom of Pottery Road hill. However with a smart change he was back in the breakaway group at the top of the climb.

This group continued to work extremely well, with no one shirking the issue. This goes to reinforce that if they all keep going through for their turn pace on the front, you be come very hard to bring back, especially if there is a lack of cohesion in the pursuers.

At the 90 km point Rex had the misfortune to puncture, necessitating another wheel change. This time perhaps not as good as the first one, he set out after the leaders. At this point he was given the advice to sit in and recuperate for the 3 km. climb over Wickams Hill, that ends 5 km. from the finish, as this group were 2 mins 20 in front, he could afford to relieve some of the pressure. In a style that can only be likened to flamboyance he chose to go straight to the front with a big turn pace, perhaps to show that "Hey, I'm still here to race".

Just before the foot of Wickams, he was already riding off the front, in the company of Daniel Key, with maybe too big a gear, that didn't enable him to get into a rhythm. He had distanced himself by 9 secs from Key, who held him at this agonizingly close gap but could not close it. At the top of the hill Key decided that enough was enough and decided to retreat back to his companions, leaving Rex to race on alone.

In the washout Rex won by 30 secs from Pat Bruse, and the fast climbing Steve Cunningham, for third place, this must have been a commendable ride as well as he caught all but 2 of the breakaway group. In this bunch, none rode better than 4th placed former Aust. Champion John Watters.

A well earned win in what was an entertaining race on a very windy day from the young Champion Mathew Rex. Congratulations.

Congratulations are also in order for our Womens Champion Alex Rhodes. Who in running 4th in the consolation race secured the Womens Title. Place getters in this event were 1. Paul Wilson, 2.Chris Luxton, 3. Steve Hampton 4. Alex Rhodes,5. Cos Lombardi.