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Queensland criterium championships
Brisbane, June 18, 2006
Jeremy Betts wins Queensland criterium title by John Flynn
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Twenty-nine year old Team Merida sprinter Jeremy Betts credited his team-mates with executing the perfect race plan, after lunging to the line to claim the Queensland Criterium title at Brisbane's Nundah circuit today.
Betts timed his sprint to perfection, getting over the top of Flight Centre's Matthew Wood in the final five metres of the lengthy finishing straight, with Australian track scratch race champion Grant Irwin (QAS) storming home later than he might have liked, to claim the bronze medal.
Racing in wet conditions on Brisbane's new purpose built, super-fast criterium circuit, Betts relied on his team-mates to chase down the moves, then set it up in the final lap of the 60 minute (plus three laps) State Title race.
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"The team did an awesome job of leading out and keeping the pace up so nobody could come past," Betts told Cycling News before collecting his gold medal.
"A few guys went early and I was able to launch and come past Matty Wood towards the end."
The day wasn't as enjoyable for the younger of the Betts Boys. Team Triple Play's Dave Betts, always among the race favourites in any Queensland based criterium, looked to be in sharp form, but suffered from an old fashioned dose of Murphy's Law.
Leaving his spare wheels in a team car, the marquee rider of Queensland's SEQ Tour suffered an early puncture. Betts returned to the race after two laps out, but was pulled from the championship with three laps to go - in line with the rules which stipulate spare wheels must be left in the designated pit area prior to the race.
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Title honours could easily have belonged to Betts' Triple Play team-mate Craig Mackie, who true to form, set the early pace and wasn't about too die wondering. But despite continual efforts to get the moves going, it turned out to be a day for the sprinters.
Returning from an off-season lay-off, Australian track scratch race champion Grant Irwin showed he hasn't lost anything in the speed department. The Rockhampton chippie (now Brisbane based) hammered it home in the lengthy finishing straight to add another State Title medal to what's becoming a crowded mantlepiece.
"Not bad, I think I left my kick a bit late," Irwin later admitted.
"Just a training ride for me at the start of the season, sort of getting back into it. I 've had a pretty decent break."
Silver medalist Matthew wood regretted leaving his arm warmers at home on a cool, wet and generally miserable Brisbane day… one where could have ended in a State Title victory had the cards fallen his way.
"I backed myself in the kick," Wood told Cyclingnews, "coming up to the line I saw Bettsy coming and he just rolled me."
Edwards Blasts Home To Win Women's Criterium Title
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The Queensland Women's Criterium Championship featured several of Australia's emerging talents, including Jocelyn (Josie) Loane and Kate Mercer, who were competing in their last Australian race before joining the A.I.S. Team in Europe.
Loane looked impressive in the State title race, spending much of her time on the front of the pack, and initiating several moves, but it was Rockhampton's Anouska Edwards who upstaged everyone.
Queensland's track endurance champion produced a powerful finishing burst at the end of the 30 minute (plus three laps) criterium, with none of her fancied rivals strong enough to emerge from the slip stream.
"I thought I've got a good spot here [heading into the straight] and I've just got to make sure that no-one comes around me," Edwards told Cyclingnews of her thoughts entering the finishing straight. I couldn't have got a better sit than behind Josie [Loane]."
Queensland Flavour For A.I.S. Team
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The Australian institute of Sport team to contest the Women's Giro is likely to feature as many as four Queenslanders with Emma Mackie, Candice Sullivan, Josie Loane and Kate Mercer all on the team list.
Loane and Mercer have been picked up by the A.I.S. as development riders and are both looking forward to the representing their country on the the biggest international stage of Women's Cycling.
"Big opportunity, want to make the most of it," an enthusiastic Mercer told Cyclingnews shortly after claiming a silver medal at the Stat Championships. The biggest races I've done is Geelong and new Zealand (World Cups), I imagine this is going to be another step up again."
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Loane, a former triathlete, is tipped to have a big future in cycling, after coming along in leaps and bounds in the first six months of this year, "I just wanted a good hitout before we go," Loane said after missing out on the medals at the Queensland Championships. "In four days I'm off to race the Women's Giro in Italy, we do another day race in Italy later on, then we're doing Thuringen with the A.I.S. squad. I think half the AIS team for the Giro is from Queensland," she said.
Thuringen is sure to be an emotional occasion for the new look A.I.S. team. For Q.A.S. coach Liz Hepple, there's some comfort in knowing four Queensland girls will be racing with the A.I.S. given one of her riders, Lorian Graham, who was injured in last year's terrible accident, won't be making it back this time around.
The new crop of women's cyclists has emerged from a talent identification program, which appears to be bearing fruit. "With respect it's like a development year, but it's just fantastic for the Queensland women," Hepple said, "There's plenty of talent here, probably with the talent search program going on last year, it's encouraged people like Josie Loane to come out of retirement from triathlon."
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Results
Elite Women 1 Anouska Edwards (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 2 Kate Mercer (Balmoral Cycle Club) 3 Kate Pourteous (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 4 Angeline Papajcsik (Balmoral Cycle Club) Elite Men 1 Jeremy Betts (Victor Broncos) 2 Grant Irwin (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 3 Matthew Wood (Kangaroo Point Cycle Club) Men Masters 10 1 Vincent Nucifora (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) 2 Federico Mason (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) 3 Patrick O’Brien (Gold Coast Goldstars) Men Masters 9 1 Ted Mathot (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) 2 Donale Jaenke (Sunshine Coast Cycling Club) 3 Stewart Goodman (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) Men Masters 8 1 Ron Grant (Victor Broncos) 2 Larry Greenhalgh (Sunshine Coast C.C.) 3 Jim Loyden (Hamilton Pine Rivers Wheelers) Men Masters 7 1 Mick Patton (Sunshine Coast C.C.) 2 Chass Matters (Victor Broncos) 3 Mike Griffen (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) Men Masters 6 1 Peter Gumbley (Hamilton Pine Rivers) 2 Roy Jelley (Victor Broncos) 3 Richard Douglas (Wynnum Redlands Cycling Club) Men Masters 5 1 Jeffrey Liddell (Sunshine Coast Cycling Club) 2 Ray Davis (Balmoral Cycle Club) Men Masters 2 1 Paul Butler (Hamilton Pine Rivers) 2 Ross West (Ffast Cycle Club) 3 Stuart Monk (Gold Coast Golstars) Men Masters 3 1 Harold Hetherton (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) 2 William Ayres (Hamilton Pine Rivers) 3 Steve Greig (University Cycle Club) Men Masters 4 1 Greg Sands (Gold Coast Goldstars) 2 Brett Youdan (Balmoral Cycle Club) 3 Timothy Bartlett (Hamilton Pine Rivers) 4 Colin Richards (Ipswich Cycle Club) Masters Women 2 1 Sonya Keay (Hamilton Pine Rivers) 2 Melissa Anderson (Hamilton Pine Rivers) Masters Women 3 1 Helen Griffiths (Gold Coast C.A.T.S.) 2 Linda White (Ffast Cycle Club) 3 Tess Prince (Ipswich Cycle Club) Masters Women 6 1 Desrae Cameron (Victor Broncos)
Local results 2006
