Dirt Crits Cross Country - finally!
Seventeen racers at Dirt Crits on Tuesday night for a Dobson-organised XC night.
A-grade did four laps.
Ant Bateup started well but was overcome by a bunch of far-too-energetic-for-their-own-good teenagers until Ryder Chadd punctured.
Charlie Dobson took the win ahead of Archie Smith with Bateup hanging on for third. Elijah McGuigan took fourth ahead of comeback kid Bruce Halket.
In B-grade, Asha managed to arrive late for A-grade so she streeted the field and ensured he won’t be allowed in B-grade again. Reuben Bateup was second ahead of Rylan Fox, Dave Bock, and Charlie Hall.
Next week it’s back to Gravity racing.
Here are the results.
Brownie Takes the Bakker Plumbing Handicap
By Mick Pearce
It was the Bakker Plumbing Handicap at Jamieson on Thursday last week - the highlight of the MMBCC season and the most popular 28km race track in the High Country.
In the calm (before the storm?) 27 degree conditions at the start, all the groups huddled separately discussing tactics, while my group of Darren Bakker and Janine Appleton discussed what to have for dinner at the Jamieson Brewery afterwards.
Handicapper Dave Moore… nice job! 16 riders, 7 groups; a fast race loomed for sure.
Tony Copland, the Commissionaire, was busy doing safety checks of riders and bikes to ensure a safe course to race on. Kudos to you and the other officials and helpers who made the night a success.
At the halfway mark we were going ok but it looked likely we’d be caught by the chase group behind us - Steve Brown, Bruce Halket, and Steve Duke.
We didn’t see much of the Scratch group; Andy Garrett had to do most of the race on his own after Jake Lay punctured early on. (Huge kudos to both Andy and Jake who drove all the way from Euroa to race!)
And we didn’t see much of the Block group either! Chris Miller rode mostly solo after Ryder Chadd’s legs succumbed to a big day of school sport.
Front markers Tony Morris, Micala Jacob, the Two Daves (Jagger and Bock) then Craig Wilson and Adrian Dowd (welcome to the club mate) had pace but couldn’t match our speed on the way back to Jamo.
So Brown, Halket, Duke, Bakker, Appleton, and myself were left to battle it out for the last 2km.
Steve Brown took the win (in the fastest time of 47.10) ahead of me in second. Then came Steve Duke in 3rd, Darren Bakker 4th with Janine Appleton 5th seemingly riding effortlessly.
The rest of the top ten were Halket 6th, Wilson 7th, Dowd 8th, Miller 9th, and Andy Garrett 10th.
Great finish to the night with a presentation, dinner, and a beverage at the Brewery.
Many thanks to Tony Copland and Jenni Sparnon for the images and here are the results.
Next week sees the MMBCC racing on the Whitfield Road, turning at Long Lane, heading around the Barwite Loop, and finishing on Graves Road.
