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Results and Reports from Australia
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Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club
Sandown Raceway, Melbourne, January 31, 2006
By Mal Sawford
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After Sunday's massive 270 rider field for the Karak Classic, another turnout of just over 200 was all in a days work for the small but hardworking bunch of volunteers at Sandown! Great weather again, with blue skies and nothing like the gale force winds Sandown often produces.
With the pace on early in A Grade, a split soon developed of twenty riders,
including Karak winner - and the first winner for the South Australia.com-AIS
team, Jonathon Clarke, all time season wins record holder Tommy Nankervis (Fitzroy
Cycles), David Sturt (Pro-Motion), Terry Hammond Cycles team mates Doug Garley
and Jamie Kelly, and Warren Knevitt (O'Mara Cycles). Although the gap hovered
around ten seconds for twenty minutes, few riders could cross the gap, with
Andy Naylor (Bianchi) the last aboard.
In the final ten minutes, Clarke went clear, initially with Nankervis and Murray
Spink (Giant) sharing the pace, before Adrian Salter (Salter Cycles), Naylor
and Matt Chessum (Fitzroy) made contact after a lap's pursuit. Salter lost contact
on the penultimate lap reducing the lead group to five, and Naylor launched
his unsuccessful bid for the win on the final climb but wasn't able to open
a gap.
Clarke took his second win in three days with a commanding counter attack that
saw him comfortably clear as he entered the finishing straight, leaving Nankervis
to clean up in the dash for second ahead of Naylor and Chessum.
A mid-race break in B Grade by Bruce Will, Simon Vandestadt, James Nooney (SBR),
Roy Clarke and Danny Weatherley looked promising, and prompted Steve Brooks
(Hampton Cycles) and Kim Marshall to cross the gap to join the move. Even with
seventy riders chasing, the group maintained their advantage until the second
last lap, when the "two to go" call spurred a dramatic acceleration from the
bunch.
The capture came inside one lap from home, allowing the sprinters to fight out
the finish. David Comport, the C Grade winner at the Karak Classic, continued
his rapid rise through the ranks, taking his first-up B Grade win by six inches
from Andrew Curtain (The Freedom Machine) and Sam Salter (Salter Cycles). As
the only woman to hang on in the final frantic laps, Nikki Matthews was a deserving
winner of the Women's division.
C Grade also saw a bunch sprint, with Bruce Trew shooting three lengths clear
as he entered the straight, a margin he was able to hold all the way to the
line. Brett Miller (Bicycle Superstore) was best of the rest, ahead of Footscray
veteran Ron Gallagher. Leading the women home was Kerrie Howard (Fitzroy) from
Gemma Goyne and Rebecca Hanning.
Michael Milewski hit the front early in the D Grade bunch finish, but Nick Robinson
(O'Mara Cycles) timed his run better and passed for the win twenty metres from
home. Rob Doyle and Sam Bullock fought out third place, while Nat Howard matched
Kerrie's C Grade win by taking the Women's D Grade Division.
With six rounds completed of the Inexa Race Frames Summer Series, defending champion Nankervis has built a handy lead, but heads to the US shortly to join the Priority Health Team. Under 17 rider Jake O'Leary (Hampton Cycles) and Mitchell Gregory are next on the leader board, while Coburg's Rebecca Hanning continues to lead the Women.
Carnegie Caulfield's twice weekly Criteriums are on Sunday mornings and Tuesday
evenings. Sundays are at Glenvale Crescent (Melways map 80B2) with new start
times for 2006: B, D and E Grades start at 9am, while A and C Grade ride at
10am. Tuesday Twilight racing at Sandown runs until the end of March, with the
Sandown Road gate opening at 6pm for a 6.30pm race start for all grades.
All holders of current 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. 2006 licenses are now available at all CCCC events.
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 including full standings in the Inexa Series, go to www.carnegiecycling.com.au.
Results
A Grade - 1 hour + 2 laps 1 Jonathon Clarke (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Tommy Nankervis (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Andy Naylor (St Kilda) 4 Matt Chesum (Carnegie Caulfield) 5 Murray Spink (Dirt Riders) 6 Aiden McInernay (Carnegie Caulfield) B Grade - 55 minutes + 2 laps 1 David Comport (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Andrew Curtain (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Sam Salter (Footscray) 4 Troy McKinna (Carnegie Caulfield) 5 Wayne Andrew (Carnegie Caulfield) Women Nikki Matthews (Carnegie Caulfield) C Grade - 50 minutes + 2 laps 1 Bruce Trew (Mornington) 2 Brett Miller (Warragul) 3 Ron Gallagher (Footscray) 4 David Watson (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Kerrie Howard (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Gemma Goyne (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Rebecca Hanning (Coburg) D Grade - 45 minutes + 2 laps 1 Nick Robinson (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Michael Milewski (Carnegie Caulfield) 3 Robert Doyle (Carnegie Caulfield) 4 Sam Bullock (Carnegie Caulfield) Women 1 Natalie Howard (Carnegie Caulfield) 2 Melissa Nicholls (Carnegie Caulfield)
