No Dirt Crits this week due to the heat policy. So it’s straight into Thursday’s road race…
Ryder rides away!
By Ant Bateup
It was a challenging night for racing with hot temps, wind and a finish on the Coombesberg.
Dave Bock was the first of 18 riders to set off, followed by Dave MacDonald and Craig Wilson at 3’30. At 5’30 Steve Curnow was going solo until the 8’30 group of Adrian Dowd and Oliver Hall, the 9’30 of Steve Duke, Simon Hall, Simon Mulvihill and Mick Pearce, all merged to form a large group by the turn around.
The 11’30 group of Darren Bakker, Ryder Chadd and Ant Bateup were working well together to advance on the lead group and holding off the 12’45 group of Bruce Halket, Chris Miller and Damian Grundy. Little did they know that Chris retired from the race with a puncture and Bruce was feeling the hurt after a week of dead lifts and squats in the gym with Wardy.
Andy Garrett was the lone Scratch rider, setting off at 13’30. Andy was gaining on the field at the turn around but couldn’t quite bridge the gap.
After the turn into Barwite Rd, the larger “lead group” was fast becoming the “splinter group”, allowing Ryder, Ant and Darren to work their way through the field. Ryder had his sights locked onto the lead riders and was carving his way through the field, determined not to carry any potential sprinters with him.
At the turn into Old Tolmie Road, Ryder, Steve D, Oliver and Simon were starting to look around to see who had something left in the tank for a sprint finish. Ryder proved too strong and bridged a gap up the climb, maintaining this to the finish to take the win by 3 seconds.
In the background, Mick had put in a huge effort to get back on the lead group and drag Ant with him. It was then a sprint for newspaper article rights, with Ant narrowly getting 2nd, Mick 3rd and Oliver in 4th, all on the same finish time. Closely followed by Steve D, Simon, Damian, Darren, Steve C and Bruce. Damian continued with his current good form, riding fastest time for the night.
Thank you to all the marshal’s and Tony again for the photos. Here are the results.
Next week is one of the highlights of the MMBCC road calendar, the Bakker Plumbing Handicap at Jamieson. Keep an eye on the club WhatsApp feed early in the week to find out about RSVPing for dinner and presentations at the Jamieson Brewery afterwards.
Other news…
The above image is how Elise Empey’s practice ended at Red Bull Hardline at Maydena in Tasmania. While her right arm is a bit black ‘n’ blue, thankfully she’s ok.
Talia Appleton still leads the points for both the Overall and Under 23 in the Women’s ProVelo Super League after coming 5th in the Women’s Warrny on Sunday.
One more week left to order club kit from the Ventou MMBCC Portal. Now it even includes aero socks and gloves! Email Bruce for the code.
The first round of the Victorian Enduro Series was held at Falls Creek over the weekend. Congratulations to:
Ant Bateup - 6th in Veteran Men.
Adam Baker - 18th in Masters Men.
Finn Baker - 19th in Under 21 Men.
Ryder Chadd - DNF in Under 21 Men; he broke his rear rim.
Lots of MMBCC bikes for sale at the moment! There’s a 52cm Liv Langma, a newly-listed 56cm Cube and a coffee bike!