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Warragul Cycling Club
January 8, 2005
Cyclists Clip in for the Crits
There were perfect conditions for pumping pedals in the first of the four race criterium series kicking off last Saturday. A significant hurdle for the club was overcome with the accreditation of club Racing Commissaires Graeme Fricke, Jake de Blauw, Luke Hanley, Ross Henry and Justen O'Connor. This means the club can now offer safer riding through the reinforcement of the code of conduct. With these five commissaires being tested on the weekend all cyclists were extremely well behaved and there was no need for fines, relegations or disqualifications.
A-Grade kicked proceedings off and welcomed Phil Gallagher and Matt Malacarne back to racing with some sub-five minute laps. Jason Kruger pushed casually away from the bunch early but with a long way to go decided to conserve energy. Thomas was typically testing up the hill but failed to make a significant gap and it wasn't until big Phil countered, that things started to happen. Riding away from the bunch for four laps Gallagher dreamt of former times when the break would have been enough to take the win. It wasn't to be, and the bunch was one again for the sprint to the line.
Having rested his legs at the back of the bunch for most of the race, young Steve Sandner wound up the new Gios at the school and left the rest to fight out the minor placings. Scott came in second and Phil grabbed third. Thomas, Matty, Jason and Peter rounded out the rest.
B Grade saw big Brett Miller with the big sprint return to racing. With a few guys showing little interest in working up the front the pace was steady at around 5mins per lap. Chris Beales and Peter Bailey tried to create the break early while Tim had a go later, but this would prove to be a difficult prospect and the bunch sprint became an inevitability. Chris was a reluctant leader for the last lap as everyone jostled for the perfect wheel. In the end it didn't matter as Brett blew their doors to take the win. Pete took out second, Thommo third and Rob, Tim and Chris finished the race off.
C Grade hit out casually with a slow first lap, but the pace wound up to post lap times similar to B Grade. With only 35 mins plus one to ride there wasn't much time to get away. Steve Hall punctured early and took two laps instead of one to get the repair done, effectively ending his race. Paul Yeatman drove the pace and Trent Brown assisted to stretch the legs of the other riders. Michael Pridmore showed some aggression to shake things up a bit, but again no one could get clear. Roger Bell lost contact and missed out on seeing Paul Yeatman take the sprint from Trent ahead of Terry and Michael.
D-Grade had a small but determined field. The hotly contested race saw some great times posted with the odd 5 minute 20 second lap. Noel and Helmut did the best they could to shake Danielle but she was able to dig deep and regain touch. According to the theme of the day, a sprint for the line would ensue. Within sight of the line Danielle kicked up a gear and produced an outstanding sprint to claim the victory ahead of Noel, Helmut and Brendan.
With more people expected to race, next week's crit is shaping up to be bigger and better as the series hots up. All members are encouraged to stop training, start racing and join in the fun.
