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Results and Reports for May 25-31, 2002

Australia

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Murwillumbah Cycle Club

May 25, 2002

By Phil Ruge
Overcast skies with a hint of rain greeted the 53 riders who turned out to compete in the Murwillumbah Cycle Club's road race on Saturday 25 May 2002.

This week's race was Bald Mountain, a course that is some 57 kilometres long and takes riders to the foot of Bald Mountain and then across country to Numinbah before returning back through Chillingham to the finish at Dulguigan. As usual hills are a feature of this course but for once they did not prove to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the day's races - perhaps the riders are improving their fitness as the road racing season progresses!

The nine riders in A Grade wasted no time in getting down to business with a fast pace on from the start. Despite the speed and inevitable attacks this group managed to stay pretty well together throughout the race. This of course set things up nicely for a sprint finish where Jon Cantwell took the honours with Dave Costanzo second and the consistent Craig Reston in third place.

A larger group of 12 riders also got down to business quickly in the B Grade race. Graeme Harvey was first away after Boat Harbour and stayed clear until the bunch caught up again at Crystal Creek Further attacks followed but apart from dropping a couple of riders none of these survived with the bunch lining up for a sprint finish. First home after a strong ride was Graeme Harvey with Paul Howard a close second and the wiley Wilf Hubac in third place.

C Grade also had 12 riders in its group which included Sara Rota who was having her first race at this level. Not to be outdone this group also got down to business fairly quickly. A fast pace coupled with a surging pack every time the road went upwards saw a few riders off the back but couldn't really break the bunch up. Once past Numinbah the race settled down for a quick trip home where the affable Stuart Ellick showed that he was the fastest to take out the win with Shane Conlon second and Ian Weymouth third. Sara Rota rode a great race to take fourth place and confirmed that she will be a rider to look out for in the future!

D Grade boasted the largest field of the day with 15 riders. After a steady start this group decided to get serious once into the hills. The quick pace and consistent efforts by a number of riders including Lindsay Crisp, Rolli Tombilis and Frank Schirmer gradually whittled the bunch down to just over half by the turn around at Numinbah. Despite further attacks the bunch got back together again each time as no one was going to give in on the homeward run. At the end Frank Schirmer outgunned 'fast' Freddie Mason to take first with Rolli Tombilis third and the venerable Tom Allen fourth. Hot on their heels was Ros Powley who put in a great ride for fifth place.

A smaller group of five riders contested E Grade over a shorter 36 kilometre course. This also proved to be a quick event with three riders away for much of the race. On the line it was Stan James first with Brian Porter second and Melanie King riding very well to take out third place.

Racing next week is the monthly handicap over the full Tyalgum course. Riders are requested to be early to assist the handicapper and help ensure a prompt start at 2.00 pm as the days are getting shorter at this time of the year. The new club clothing is expected shortly and members will be advised when it is available. Enquiries and orders can be directed to Phil Ruge on race days.

Results

A Grade - 57km
 
1 Jon Cantwell (CATS)                1.27.00 (39.3 km/hr)
2 Dave Costanzo (Murwillumbah)
3 Craig Reston (Murwillumbah)
 
B Grade - 57km
 
1 Graeme Harvey (Murwillumbah)       1.29.00 (38.4 km/hr)
2 Paul Howard (Murwillumbah)
3 Wilf Hubac (CATS)
 
C Grade - 57km
 
1 Stuart Ellick (Murwillumbah)       1.35.00 (36 km/hr)
2 Shane Conlon (GoldStars)
3 Ian Weymouth (GoldStars)
4 Sara Rota (CATS)
 
D Grade - 57km
 
1 Frank Schirmer (Murwillumbah)      1.41.00 (33.9 km/hr)
2 Fred Mason (CATS)
3 Rolli Tombilis (Murwillumbah)
4 Tom Allen (Murwillumbah)
5 Ros Powley (Gold Coast)
 
E Grade - 36km
 
1 Stan James (CATS)
2 Brian Porter (Canada)
3 Melanie King (Murwillumbah)