Dirt Crits tonight
Despite the cancellation of last week's race due to a bushfire, and despite a section of the park being damaged and still closed, Dirt Crits will go ahead as planned tonight!
A reminder that Junior Dirt Crits will be held at Mirimbah. The All Terrain Cycles shuttle will be at Riflebutts at 4pm to take a load of bikes and riders out there.
Road Race Thursday 3 December
A field of 20 signed up for racing Last Thursday on the Whitfield Rd to Graves Rd Handicap Race. Conditions were warm, as expected, and the challenge of “the Coombesberg” (Coombes Hill) loomed toward the end of the race.
Tony Morris started 1st closely followed by Louise Hopwood; these two were nearly 3 ½ minutes ahead of the larger group of Ian Conrick, Rod Manning, John Esiner and Wil Wilson; a minute back from them was David Jagger, David Bock and Allan Gerrans; then a further two minutes to Will MacDonald, Jason Parker and AnthonyPlummer; then a further minute to Dave Moore and Alex Green who were followed at another minute by the “Block “group of Darren Bakker, Tom MacMunn and Rob Skinner. Josh Hopwood held the Scratch position on his own which is always a tough ask.
Rob Skinner suffered a mechanical just prior to the start making the challenge for the block group a little harder.
After the turnaround at Long Lane, things came together pretty quickly at the front with the Conrick, Eisner, Manning and Wilson group catching Louise Hopwood and Tony Morris, and they in turn were caught by the Jagger, Bock and Gerrans group. Out of this a new group formed before the turn onto the “Coomsberg”, with Eisner, Wilson, Manning, Bock and Jagger working together. Bocky took a flyer up the Coombesberg “I thought you were all with me, but I looked back and you weren’t there” he stated later. Bocky was reeled in before the Mt Battery junction and this group, was looking good to challenge for the sprint.
At about that time Tom MacMunn and Dave Moore, who had formed up out of the Block and second block groups, cruised onto the back of the group and showing a quality turn of speed, claimed first and second across the line. A very creditable third was John Eisner, emulating the exploits of Bakker and Ross in previous races. Fourth was Wil Wilson and in 5th place was David Jagger. Fastest time on the night was Josh Hopwood with a blistering time for the 22km of 39.36.
Racing next week will be a team time trial on Mt Buller Rd, come down and join us on Thursday night at the race start (BP Roadhouse); helpers are always welcome. Or maybe join us all for the de-brief and presentations at the Delatite Hotel from about 7.15pm.
So with Christmas just around the corner and better weather here, it must be time to “get on your bike.”
More detailed results can be found here.
The Cycling Glossary Word of the Week
Belly Breathing // Excusing a gut as a breathing technique.
The assertion that one is not sporting a protruding gut but is in fact using a highly sophisticated respiration technique called diaphragmatic breathing.