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Results and Reports for May 11-17, 2002

Australia

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Mildura-Coomealla Cycling Club

May 11, 2002

By Peter Winton
Another fantastic day on Saturday, May 11, in sunny Sunraysia. All you coastal people are definitely missing out on what good weather really is! The Mildura-Coomealla Cycling Club conducted a 70km graded scratch race at the Riverside (long) circuit on Saturday afternoon. With 27 riders in attendance it was difficult to find a place to hang your bike at our bike racks. An unbelievable turn out and we still haven't sighted Kevin Tankard, Ian Brade, or Ken Joy and Arthur Anderson was unavailable. The club welcomed new member Adrian Lloyd to it's ranks.

Handicapper Pollock arranged three divisions comprising seven riders in the promotional / new comer group, ten riders in the B/C grade group and a further ten in the A/B grade. Div 1 (A/B) sent out first (70km), followed by Div 2 (60km) with Div 3 (40km).

It was lap two and the Div 1 group came across the Div 3 riders already spread out over about four kilometres of the course. With the A grade members of the Div 1 group not launching into any attacks this group maintained a steady but not always comfortable pace around the 10km long circuit. Attacks did come but from the B grade riders in attempts to draw out one or two riders to form a breakaway. Alas, not one was successful with wiser heads aware that Chris Baudry, fresh from the Canberra Tour, and a wily Adam Wightwick biding his time, could tear the bunch apart at any time it was a case of waiting in nervous anticipation of the A grade surge.

Further B grade attacks continued, patience not being a well honed attribute of some but still the A grade riders wouldn't budge. McNally rode down Mills while Wightwick rode down Taggert and the whole bunch left Winton out on his own for more than three kms before he came to his senses. Lokan tried to get away but Taggert wouldn't assist in that effort, sitting on, and that attempt was scuttled. With the finish line looming it was Lokan and Winton yet again forming a tag team bunny and indecision as to how fast to lead the group up probably cost both riders a higher finishing position. The dodgy last turn leaves riders with approx 300m to go and with rear derailleuers working overtime the pace was on. As one could have predicted it was Chris Baudry too good for Adam Wightwick with Rob McNally holding off a determined Michael Shipsides.

In the Div 2 group Harvey Dwyer was able to control the race over some older heads and some newer riders with a bunch sprint also happening. Good performances coming from Mark Phillips, Ralph Morrish Harry Robbins and Kev Gregory. In the handicap races to come it will be interesting to see how the race fitness levels of these riders compares with the those B grade riders racing in the higher group during graded scratch races. Some interesting finishes are sure to occur. I can see some cagey ones listening to the little devil on their shoulder saying "sit on and come round for the easy win" rather than heeding the advice of the more angelic one urging the rider to "do a turn my son". We'll see!

In the novice group Claude Bilacaglia pedalled around in his comfort zone to easily account for the other contenders. It has been many years though since this club has had enough interested ladies to form a group of their own and with the 5 women from Saturday's event and a few others yet to come we could finally have enough for a ladies competition.

Next weeks event is an 81km handicap commencing at the "Orange World" tourist café on Link Road (opp Stanley Winery, on the Silver City Highway, Mourquong).

Results - Graded Scratch race

Division 1
 
1 C Baudry                 1.57.14
2 A Wightwick
3 R McNally
4 M Shipsides
5 N Welsh
6 P Winton
7 B Taggert
8 B Pollock
9 P Mills
10 J Lokan
 
Division 2
 
1 H Dwyer                  1.44.17
2 M Phillips
3 R Morrish
4 H Robbins
5 K Gregroy
6 M Vaughan
7 A Lloyd
8 R Doyle
9 D Priest
10 M Koopman
 
Division 3
 
1 C Bilacaglia
2 M Knudsen
3 L Hicks
4 L Jones
5 S Tanner
6 V Cranwell-Smith
7 B Wass