Mens - David Keith on 49 points

Ladies - Evelynn Keetelaar on 24 Points

David Kieth

49

Steve Bright

48

John MaCague

41

Evelynn Keetelaar

24

Melissa Chiappazzo

22

Leigh-Anne Dynon

20

01/03/09

The final race of the series was held on Sunday 1st March in relatively mild conditions compared to what the riders have face across the series. There were 50 riders in total and plenty of spectators out to enjoy the final race event. With double points up for grabs and potential aggregate winners positioned in each bunch there was some extra incentive to strive for the win.

Limit were off 16 minutes followed by a series of groups 1 to 1 ½ minute apart with good sized bunches across the field. A bit of a stiff head wind challenged riders through to the exchange corner with most groups managing to reduce their gaps along the way. The tail wind through to the turn around provided some extra speed and little opportunity for the back markers to have a big impact on their respective gaps.

After the turn around, and although the gaps had narrowed, there was no sign of any bunch looking to take control of the race. The strong and in form riders off scratch had a big gap of 1.5 minutes to close in and with the drive from John MaCague, Tony Jones & Nick Shipp combined they had 2nd scratch soon after the turn around. With some extra legs they soon reeled in the 3rd & 4th scratch groups before the exchange. The short stretch in the cross wind before caused a few to drop off unable to maintain the pace with a lack of cover.

Into the exchange hill there was 3 main groups of rider stretched over the climb with a combined limit group and one smaller chase group still ahead. By the time scratch had got to the top of the hill they had closed the gap between the 3 groups and shifted their focus to the remainder of the front markers.

Just before the corner into the stretch for home, scratch had accounted for the next group with only a couple still only just away. Managing to just hold off the fast finishing scratch group and taking out the race was Steve Bright in his first win with the club closely followed by Trevor Pell in 2nd and Dave Keith 3rd. John MaCague took out 4th, Leigh Bailey 5th, Tony Jones 6th and Sheridan Hall 7th. First Unplaced Lady was Fran Medina and John MaCague in another strong ride took out fastest time.

With the help of the double aggregate points, Dave Keith took out the overall men’s aggregate with a total of 49 points, followed by Steve Bright with 48 points and John MaCague with 41 points. Eve Keetelaar took out the overall ladies aggregate with 24 points, followed by Melissa Chiapazzo with 22 points and Leigh-anne Dynon with 20 points.
Special thanks to the sponsors of the series:
Dale Lowe Signs
Ruffell’s Family Jewelers
Greater City Tyres
Tweed Sutherland Real Estate
Valentine & Murphy Accountants

We look forward to seeing everyone back next summer for another great series of racing!

2nd

Trevor Pell

3rd

Dave Keith

4th

John MaCague

5th

Leigh Bailey

6th

Tony Jones

7th

Sheridan Hall

Fastest

Unplaced

Fran Medina

Lady

Fastest Time

John MaCague

25/02/09

51 riders in another solid turnout for the series in, yet again, very trying conditions. Whilst the heat wasn’t an issue the gusty southerly winds certainly provided some problems. Large bunches made up the field with gaps across at 1 to 2 minutes through to the lone limit rider off 18 minutes.

The stiff head wind greeted all of the groups as they headed through to the exchange. The conditions tested those on the edge, with some riders not making it past the exchange corner. With the breeze on their backs through to the turn around the pace was pretty hot. Again, the riders who struggled to stay with their group to the exchange found the surge of pace to the turn around a bit too challenging, most groups losing a rider or two.

At the turn around the limit rider still held a solid lead with the chase group 4 minutes behind not having too much impact on his margin. Surprisingly, it was the 7 minute group with the least number of riders that combined well together and had chipped away at gap ahead to bring in and combine with the 9 minute group. With the benefit of numbers working into the wind they kept the chase groups at a safe distance. Whilst the gaps had closed considerably across the rest of the field none had yet combined.

The head wind on the journey home provided some serious obstacles for those in pursuit. Scratch had just combined with a large 2 minute group but didn’t look like threatening the depleted 4 minute group who were closing in on the 6 minute group. At the exchange hill the 4 minute group closed the gap to the 6 minute group and had them just over the top. The combined scratch and 2 minute group were too far back to have an impact at this stage. The combined 7 & 9 minute group held a pretty solid margin as well.

With the strong tail wind on their backs none of the groups lost too much ground into the home stretch and any effort to close gaps was ineffective. With a solid gap still in hand Ricky Mitchell off 18 minutes took out 1st place. The battle for placings was set between the combined 7 & 9 minute group who had managed to ride through the groups in front and take control of the finish. Gordon Donaldson took out 2nd place, Gary Leech 3rd, Terry Medcalf 4th, Carl Louchard 5th, Paul Stucco 6th, Ricky Lovell 7th, Steve Bright 8th, and Fastest Time was John MaCague with Cindy Magro first unplaced lady.

Sunday 1st March is the final race of the summer series with racing commencing at 9.30am. Please register by 9.00am. There will be a BBQ after the race followed by the series aggregate presentations. Remember it is double aggregate points for the final race of the series, so even if you haven’t won or placed in the series you may still have a chance with the aggregate if you win on the day!

2nd

Gordon Donaldson

3rd

Gary Leech

4th

Terry Medcalf

5th

Carl Louchard

6th

Paul Stucco

7th

Ricky Lovell

8th

Steve Bright

Fastest

Unplaced

Cindy Magro

Lady

Fastest Time

John MaCague

18/02/09

Another good roll out of riders with 50 or more up for a race, and without a breath of wind in the air the conditions were perfect for a quick race. Bunches of 6 to 7 riders were spread across the field from 1 ½ minutes through to 14 minutes, with 1 limit rider off 18 minutes. Scratch, once again were limited to just 2 riders, Tony Jones & John MaCague. After riding through the field to take out last weeks race they were given no favors this week with a 1 ½ minute gap to chase and quality bunch ahead.

The pace was solid across all groups’ right through to the turn around with only the 7 & 8 minute groups combining and starting to close the gap to the front markers. At the turn around 2nd scratch latched onto to 3rd to form a larger chase group with scratch struggling to make any dent in the 1 ½ minute gap. With the 5 minute group in sight the combined back markers bunch maintained a steady pace in an effort to catch. The combined 7 & 8 minute group at this stage held a pretty solid advantage and were riding well slowly accounting for the front markers.

Into the final leg, the combined 7 & 8 minute group had the race sewn up with the 5 minute group unable to bring them in and the 2nd/3rd scratch bunch the same. Scratch was still in chase with the prospect of winning fastest time looking in doubt.

In the final sprint it was Bruce Baldwin in 1st, 2nd Cindy Magro, 3rd Trevor Miles, 4th Hudson Crothers, 5th Tony Gellatly, 6th Greg Payne, 7th Nick Walsh, & in 8th was Gary Leech. First unplaced Lady was Sam Smaggars. Tony Jones took out fastest time by only 3 seconds.

2nd

Cindy Magro

3rd

Trevor Miles

4th

Hudson Crothers

5th

Tony Gellatly

6th

Greg Payne

7th

Nick Walsh

8th

Gary Leech

Fastest

Unplaced

Sam Smaggars

Lady

Fastest Time

Tony Jones

11/02/09

There were a total of 50 riders for last night’s race in very windy conditions. It was a sensational ride by the 2 scratch riders who started 1 ½ minutes back of the next bunch of 6 riders. They did well to catch a combined group of 12 riders from the 2nd and 3rd scratch bunches at the halfway mark. They worked with the group through to the exchange until they applied the pressure and commenced to ride through the rest of the field. A lot of riders struggled to cope in the windy conditions and battled their way home off the back (me included).
1st & fastest time John MaCague - 2nd Tony Jones - 3rd James Thompson - 4th Steve Monagetti - 5th Greg Payne - 6th Peter Harper - 7th Mick Lavery - 8th Paul Stucco
First Unplaced Lady Cheryl Barker
On Saturday, the vets are holding a 56km handicap race at Woodstock starting at 2.00pm. The pool from entry is to be donated to the fire relief fund so we would like to get as many riders out on the day to raise some money for the bush fire victims. Try riders are welcome, so if any one is thinking of having a try at racing Saturday will be good day to start.

2nd

Tony Jones

3rd

James Thompson

4th

Steve Monagetti

5th

Greg Payne

6th

Peter Harper

7th

Mick Lavery

8th

Paul Stucco

Fastest

Unplaced

Cheryl Baker

Lady

Fastest Time

John MaCague

04/02/09

After a couple of weeks of blistering heat and another hot day riders were still keen to give the series course a go; 40 riders in total and very warm conditions. Although there are still plenty of new riders joining up and have race our handicapper has had the opportunity to measure most now and evening up the field.

Through to the exchange on the first leg a couple of riders were dropped early finding the conditions too tough. The 8 min group at this point making considerable ground on the bunches in front. At the exchange corner the three scratch riders had reeled in the 1 minute gap and had combined with a handy 2nd scratch group. After the turn around the front makers still held a strong lead, and was looking well positioned, the 8 minute group eroding away at their margin. The other chasing bunches had moved closer together and some had combined. In the stretch before the exchange the combined scratch group caught the 2 ½ minute bunch and were hot on the heels of the other chasing groups. The limit riders still had about a 2 minute lead and looked like a chance if they could hold off the 8 minute bunch. The exchange hill proved too challenging in the conditions and the 8 minute group quickly reeled them in. Scratch had accounted for the rest of the field on the exchange hill and set about heating up the pace through the climb shedding a good number of riders. The move took the sting out of the field with only a few of the stronger riders committed to chasing down the leading riders with a good 1 minute gap ahead.

New member Tony Gellary stretched the others in his group with a strong finish to take out first place followed by Peter Harper 2nd, Dave Keith 3rd, Steve Bright 4th, Trevor Pell 5th. Tony Jones took out 6th and fastest time finishing strongly followed by Nick Shipp and John MaCague also off scratch. First Unplaced Lady was Melissa Chiappazzo.

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Fastest

Unplaced

Lady

Fastest Time

21/01/09

With last Wednesday nights race cancelled because of the heat this week would be the first race of the series since Christmas. A very warm night with a moderate breeze was going to add more pain to the already tough course for the race. A total of 41 riders rolled up to have a crack, and to add to the already difficult task of handicapping the field, for 25% of the field it was their first race of the series and for more than half of those it was their first race with the club. Given the heat of the evening and the large number of new riders the handicappers opted to bolster up the bunches with some numbers hoping they would work well together in the testing conditions. This move would prove to be wrong as the race unfolded. The lone limit rider started the journey off 17minutes followed shortly by a small bunch off 14minutes, then the girls all off 12 minutes. The remainder of the field was of 10 min, 7 min, 5 min, 2 min and scratch with groups of up to 8 in each bunch.

The heat and the cross wind took its toll in the first leg through to the exchange corner and saw some riders falling off their groups early. The rolling hills just before Eppalock Primary School proved to be too much for quite a few of the riders when the stronger of their groups applied the pressure shedding riders again. By the stretch into the turn around most groups had lost at least 2 of their riders, both the heat and pace proving too much. Most of the carnage happened in the first half of the race and after the turnaround things settled and the remaining riders and their groups combined well to make a race of it. New rider Glen Farrow and Brian Steen were working well together driving along strongly picking up the front markers with only the stronger managing to hang on. In pursuit was the combined 5 & 7 minute group, followed by a strong 2 minute group. At the back of the field driving hard was the remaining 2 scratch riders Tony Jones & John MaCague, too strong for their co-markers dropping them well before the turnaround.

The exchange hill saw new rider Glen Farrow ride away from his co markers in a bid to take the race. About 1 minute separated the combined 5 & 7 minute group from the 2 minute group who had just been reeled in by scratch. A quick journey home and things didn’t alter too much with Glenn Farrow taking out the win in his first ride by about 40 seconds followed by Brian Steen 2nd and David Keith in 3rd. a tight bunch sprint for the minor placing saw Phil Bone take 4th, Grant Jones 5th, Greg Payne 6th, and Trevor Miles 7th. First Unplaced Lady was Cheryl Barker and John MaCague took out fastest time.

2nd

Brian Steen

3rd

David Keith

4th

Phil Bone

5th

Grant Jones

6th

Greg Payne

7th

Trevor Miles

Fastest

Unplaced

Cheryll Baker

Lady

Fastest Time

John Macague

14/01/09

10/12/08

Another great turnout for the Wednesday Summer Series with 47 riders rolling up for the challenge. Conditions were quite mild but a stiff head wind was going to greet the riders for the first leg of the course. The breeze appeared to increase in intensity as the evening progressed. The lone limit rider was off 18 minutes this week with a significant gap behind. Most bunches were made up of 5 or 6 riders with time gaps of 1 to 2 minutes across the field. With a couple of the “Big Guns” missing this week from scratch, the scratch group was made of a combination of the traditionally strong 2nd scratch riders accompanied by Nick Shipp and Phil Sawyer.
The stiff head wind on the first leg tested all of the groups as they left the start line, most of the bunches struggling to hold a consistent race line with the breeze shift direction through the course. The scratch group quickly made ground on the 2nd scratch bunch in the first 10km of the race driven by some strong riding from Nick Shipp. The rest of the field had only marginally bridged their time gaps through to the turnaround having been aided by a strong tail breeze after the telephone exchange on the way out. Scratch had combined with 2nd scratch just after Eppalock Primary School on the way out, and were riding strongly with the assistance of the tail wind.
At the turn around riders were turned back into a very stiff head wind which saw some of the groups start to loose some of that ground they had managed to hold for the first half of the race. At Eppalock Primary School on the way back the gaps in the field had reduced considerably with the only bunches to have been combined being scratch and 2nd scratch. Through to the exchange the whole field from front to back was in a 1 km line with several of the bunches beginning to merge. At the exchange hill this 1 km gap had halved with scratch at the foot of the hill and the front markers driving to stay away at the crest.
With the aid of a strong tail wind after the exchange hill, a handful of riders drove hard to try and keep away from a fast finishing scratch group with Nick Shipp & Phil Sawyer continuing to drive the pace of the bunch. With heavy traffic ahead the back markers started to move through field just before the turn into the finish line. At the turn into Emu Creek Road with only 500 meters to go the whole field had come together with scratch moving through the traffic towards the finish. A handful of riders managed to hold off the field and take race with less than a 10 second gap to the sprint for fastest time. Brad Wakefield took out the win by only half a wheel to Leigh-Anne Dynon 2nd, Gary Leech 3rd, Dave Boak in his first ride grabbed 4th followed by Brian Steen 5th. Phil Sawyer took out the sprint for fastest time and 5th place with Chris Draper snapping at his heels in 7th. Jack Trickey held on for 8th place and Cait Fraser was the first unplaced lady with a strong ride off scratch.

2nd

Leigh-Anne Dynon

3rd

Gary Leech

4th

Dave Boak

5th

Brian Steen

6th

Phil Sawyer

7th

Chris Draper

8th

Jack Trickey

Fastest

Unplaced

Cait Fraser

Lady

Fastest Time

Phil Sawyer

3/12/08

51 riders in total turned up for another Wednesday evening race in quite pleasant conditions, although we were back to the traditional head wind for the first leg of the race. With the mid filed stacked with riders of similar ability it was a pretty hard task to handicap the race; 11 bunches in total with most only separated by 1 minute, the opportunities were there for the taking. The lone limit rider was off 17 minutes and in chase was the 14 minute bunch. The first leg of the race tested the strength of each bunch with the steady uphill grind into a stiff head wind. Some found this too much and struggled only to be picked up by the next chasing bunch. After the exchange the stronger riders of each group put on the pace with the tail breeze to assist. The 4 minute bunch driven by Cait Fraser quickly made ground on the next group and drew away from the 2nd scratch bunch. At the turnaround the 4 and 5 minute group had combined, the hard chase proving too much for a few who fell off the back after a surge of pace out of the turn. The 6 and 7 minute group had also come together and riding strongly toward the remainder of the field. With a 2.5 minute gap to close scratch had yet to reel in the 2nd scratch group of riders. The trip home proved to be pretty testing into the wind until the exchange and saw plenty of riders struggle to hang on. At Eppalock Primary School scratch had reached the 2nd scratch group. The combined groups ahead were working well together and with the benefit of numbers they managed to prevent the powerful scratch group from closing too much of the gap, leaving them only the opportunity for a fastest time contest. At the exchange hill the combined 4 & 5 minute group caught the next combined bunch of riders and powered strongly towards home; again with Cait Fraser putting pressure on the bunch with some strong riding. Still ahead was the rest of the field, only holding a very narrow lead. At the base of the climb before the turn for home the field had come together, Stuart Muller attacked the climb to stretch out the chasing riders before the sprint for the line. Only those with the strength or fortunate position were able to contest the sprint to the line. In the tussle for the finish Dale Stemmer took out 1st followed by Darren Ellis 2nd, Russell Gilbey 3rd, Stuart Muller 4th, Cait Fraser 5th, Mal Balnaves 6th, Murray Rankin 7th and Roger King 8th. Fastest time was Nick Shipp and Leigh Anne Dynon the first unplaced lady.

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

Fastest

Unplaced

Lady

Fastest Time

26/11/08

Sponsored by Dale Lowe Signs.
51 riders rolled up to tackle the course in pretty pleasant conditions with a slight breeze; although the breeze provided no advantage at any stage of the course coming from the side or head on. It was great to see good numbers again with a lot of new and older riders joining in. Limit were given a good start off 17 minutes with only 2 riders, followed by 4 off 14 mins, 5 off 11 mins, 5 off 9 mins, 6 off 7 mins, and similar sized bunches off 5.5, 4, 3 & 1.5 minutes, scratch had 4 riders with the return of Darren Casey to Veteran Racing.
With a little advantage from a tail/cross breeze on the way out, the stronger bunches took advantage and heated up the pace to make an impression on their time gaps. This proved too much for some who were shed before the exchange corner. Into the head wind after the exchange the race settled and again it was the stronger bunches utilizing their strength to reduce the gaps again. Scratch had 2nd by Eppalock Primary School on the way out and combined to bring the gap back from the 3 minute group. By the turn around the 4 min & 5.5 min group had combined, and the 7 & 9 min group had combined too. Carl Lochard had ridden away from his co limit marker and held a handy lead and was managing to hold off the 14 minute group who had the combined groups breathing down their neck.
By Eppalock Primary School on the return trip the combined Scratch & 2nd scratch group had caught the 3 minute bunch. A surge of pace out of the corner at the school saw scratch and only 2 of the 2nd scratch riders jump up the road and drop the rest of the group. The race had formed into 3 groups and 1 rider of limit still away by the exchange; scratch, 4 & 5.5 mins, 7 thru 14 mins, then Carl off limit. The pace coming home and the stiff head wind proved too much for some riders with a lot not able to maintain the speed through to the finish. A strong ride home saw Carl Lochard take out his first win by only 15 seconds to the combined group from 7 & 9 mins who contested for the minor placings. Roger King took out the sprint to the line with 2nd place followed by Phillip Bone in 3rd, Melissa Chiapazzo 4th, Steve Auld 5th, Peter Harper 6th, Aileen Obrien 7th and Mick Lavery in 8th. Only 15 seconds behind these guy’s was a fast finishing combined bunch from 4 & 5.5 minutes closely followed by scratch with a strong ride by Darren Casey in his return to take out fastest time. 1st unplaced lady was Fran Medina.

2nd

Roger King

3rd

Phillip Bone

4th

Melissa Chiapazzo

5th

Steve Auld

6th

Peter Harper

7th

Aileen Obrien

8th

Mick Lavery

Fastest

Unplaced

Fran Medina

Lady

Fastest Time

Darren Casey

19/11/08

John Macague

Last nights race saw only the brave show up with the weather looking a bit on the dirty side and the prospect of some much needed rain. 19 riders in total lined up to race and although surrounded by the threat of showers, it was quite pleasant with virtually no wind and little rain to dampen the spirits. There was a lot to be gain by some riders by simply turning up and riding to get their valuable aggregate series points. Evelyn Keetelaar gained an extra point on the womens series leader to now tie in first place. John MaCague has also made his intentions known dragging himself up to the leader’s position joining Rob Gibson and David Kieth. With few riders to handicap for the race it still proved a quite difficult task because of the diversity of the field and just to make it a little harder we had a couple more new riders roll up for a ride. 2 riders were off 12 minutes to make up the limit mark followed by bunches of 4 at 8 minutes, 5 ½ minutes, 3 minutes, 45 seconds and then to scratch made up of only 1 rider, John MaCague. All groups started well managing to keep their gaps from being closed in too quickly by their chasing bunches. John MaCague dug deep and rode well latching onto the back of the 2nd scratch bunch about 2km after the telephone exchange; a long and painful 10km no doubt. At the turn around all groups had managed to reduce their gaps by around half, with the exception of the combined 2nd scratch & lone scratch rider still trying to close a 2 minute gap. On the way home past Eppalock Primary School, probably on of the more testing areas of the course, the gaps between the groups had been reduced considerable and the strong 3 minute group appeared to have the race under control. Coming back from Eppalock Primary School, John MaCague started to light up the pace in his group sensing that the race may be getting away from them. This pressure saw his group struggling to hold his wheel although they were giving it their level best. Just before the exchange corner all groups except the back markers had combined with limit struggling to keep away. On the climb through the exchange hill the 2nd scratch group urged John to bridge the now 1 minute gap on his own realizing that they didn’t have the horsepower to close with the gap with him. With a short burst of power John had them by the top of the exchange hill and combined with the strongest rider of the combined groups. Jumping from a fairway out John almost lost the sprint to a fast finishing Ric MaCintosh. Holing onto to win by half a wheel John MaCague took out 1st & Fastest time followed by Ric MaCintosh 2nd, Ricky Lovell 3rd, Mick Lavery 4th, new rider Paul Lomax 5th, Grant Jones 6th and Leigh-Anne Dynon 1st unplaced lady.

2nd

Rick Macintosh

3rd

Ricky Lovell

4th

Mick Lavery

5th

Paul Lomax

6th

Grant Jones

Fastest

Unplaced

Leigh-Anne Dynon

Lady

Fastest Time

John Macague

After the first 4 races we have some clear leaders in both the mens and ladies aggregate. That being said there are some great opportunities get in the points and win the series; points are awarded to every rider who turns up and races. Each rider gets one aggregate point for racing. So simply turning up and contesting each week will give you 17 points over the series, consistency is the key to success in the aggregate series so don’t miss out on your opportunity to gain some valuable points.

12/11/08

David Keith

15 min

This week was the first of the sponsored races in the series, this week supported by Tweed Sutherland Real Estate. Thank you for your generous support of the series. Approximately one in every three races will be sponsored so, again, we thank those supporters for their contributions to the club.
Conditions for the race were again contrary to the norm? Pretty warm and the wind disappeared just before the racing commenced making conditions very pleasant. Once again, a terrific turnout of riders with 53 riders eager to contest the race. The limit markers were given 15 minutes with bunches at 10, 8, 6.5, 5, 3.5, 2 and scratch. With a slight tail breeze to kick us off the pace was considerably quicker than usual through to the exchange. That advantage soon disappeared along the flatter stretches of the course and through to Eppalock Primary School. At the turn around none of the bunches had yet combined and all had closed their gaps enough to keep them chasing. Not too far after the turn around a few of the stronger riders from some of the groups put on a bit too much pressure and some of the groups began to loose some riders. At Eppalock Primary on the return home a few of the bunches had got together and were chasing each other hard, it was still anyone’s race at this stage. On the exchange hill limit still held a good lead of 1km and were working hard to maintain the pace. The remaining front bunches had come together as had the 3.5 & 5 min group, with scratch only accounting for the 2 minute group at this stage. Just before the turn into the home straight limit had only a 100 metre lead and were being hotly pursued by the combined bunches of 6.5 to 10 mins. Only 50 metres off their heels was a very fast finishing scratch bunch who had just reigned in the combined 3.5 & 5 minute groups. Limit fought hard to win only by a very narrow margin with a strong ride from David Keith in 1st place, followed by Steve Bright 2nd, Wendy Bennett 3rd, Les Yates 4th, David Hare 5th, Leigh-Anne Dynon 6th and Roger King 7th. Fastest Time was John MaCague finishing fast only 20 seconds off the winner.

2nd

Steve Bright

15 min

3rd

Wendy Bennett

15 min

4th

Les Yates

6.5 min

5th

David Hare

6.5 min

6th

Leigh-Anne Dynon

8 min

7th

Roger King

8 min

Fastest

Unplaced

Fran Medina

Lady

Fastest Time

John MaCague

Scr

05/11/08

The third race of the series saw another great line up of rider with 45 turning up to have a crack at the course. The conditions were again relatively mild and calm making the race a little smoother around the circuit. Limit markers were off 15 minutes with groups of around 6 riders spaced at 12 mins, 9mins, 7mins, 5mins, 3 mins, 1.5mins and scratch. With all bunches out on the circuit the four riders off scratch set a scorching pace and had reeled in the 6 strong 2nd scratch group after only 10km! Not backing off the pace they had the 3 min bunch hanging off their heels not long after the turn around. The remainder of the field had reduced their margins and the 12min and 9 min groups were closing in on the limit markers rapidly. By Eppalock Primary School limit had been caught by the chasing 2 bunches who still held a considerable lead over the back markers. The rest of course saw scratch reeling in each group one by one and as they headed into the foot of the exchange hill, the front markers were just rolling over the crest of the hill. The gap would prove to be too far for the backmarkers to close in by the finish, the combined numbers of the front markers worked well together to hold off the fast finishing field and take out another win for the front markers. In only his 2nd race Darren Ellis took out 1st place followed by another new rider Philip Bone, in 3rd was Peter Ladd, 4th Terry Medcalf, 5th roger King, 6th Gary Leech. First Unplaced lady was Fran Medina and with another fastest time was Matt Wallace.

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Fastest

Unplaced

Fran Medina

Lady

Fastest Time

Matt Wallace

30/10/08

After urging everyone to get used to the blustery conditions that have been typical throughout the series, the conditions certainly proved my theory wrong and were perfect for the race; very little wind and a warm to mild temperature. I must first of all pass on my congratulations and support to our handicapper Carl Phillips in doing such a terrific job in putting together the race with only 10 minutes up his sleeve. Well Done Mate!
With a field of 57 riders, plenty of new riders and limit markers off 15 minutes we were ready to roll. Good sized bunches and the pleasant conditions added to the speed of the field. Considering the relatively fast pace none of the groups had lost any of their riders through to the turn around at Mannis Road, and the two limit bunches still held a pretty commanding lead that would be a big ask for the back markers to close in. The gaps between the rest of the field had begun to close in at the turn around, but none of the bunches had yet combined by the return past Eppalock Primary School. Just before the exchange corner scratch had accounted for the 2nd and 3rd bunches, as 4th & 5th had also come together 300 metres up the road. The front bunches would be too far in front at this point to close in and had the race pretty well sewn up. With only a few of the stronger scratch riders driving the large combined group home they chased the combined 4th & 5th bunches to just take them on the line. In the sprint for fastest time we saw new veteran rider Matt Wallis take the honors in his first ride with the Vets. It was a fight to the finish for the front makers with Mellissa Chiappazzo in 1st place followed by Eve Keeteelaar 2nd Richard Wright 3rd , Kel Arnett 4th, Terry Metcalf 5th and Trevor Miles 6th.

Just a reminder for everyone; if you are running a little late and intend to race you can text your entry through to Carl Phillips on 0437 876985.

 

2nd

Eve Keeteelaar

3rd

Richard Wright

4th

Kel Arnett

5th

Terry Metcalf

6th

Trevor Miles

22/10/08

Robert Gibson

4 min

The first race of the series was held in what could only be described as challenging conditions, with a very stiff head wind to test riders through the first stages of the course. Given that this was pretty much the norm in last years series, riders should be prepared for similar conditions again this year. With a very strong mid field the back markers certainly had their work cut out for them. This week the course proved somewhat too difficult for some of the riders as they started to be shed along the way. A strong 4 minute bunch took advantage of their numbers and progressed their way riding through the field reeling them in bunch by bunch, with only the stronger of those caught managing to hang in there. Scratch and 2nd scratch didn’t come together over the course and only managed to marginally reduced distance to the strong 4 minute group. A strong attack on the home straight and subsequent lead out from Brett Fischer brought up the field to contest what would be a very fast finish. Powerhouse rider Robert Gibson took out first place with an impressive win following his return to cycling after a recent spinal injury. He was followed by Graeme Pilcher, Mick Anderson and Shane Wall, all from the 4 minute group. In next for 5th position was Sheridan Hall, then Dale Lowe and making 7th was Roger King. Robert concluded his return to form was attributed to his elite 5.30am training bunch?

 

2nd

Graeme Pilcher

4 min

3rd

Mick Anderson

4 min

4th

Shane Wall

4 min

5th

Sheridan Hall

8 min

6th

Dale Lowe

4 min

7th

Roger King

8 min

Fastest Time

John MaCague

Scr

05/03/08

1st

G Hartland

2nd

P Ladd

3rd

P Dynon

4th

R MaCintosh

5th

M Anderson

6th

R Monogatti

7th

T Metcalf

8th

K Wilson

F/T

J MaCague

A big thank you to Greater City Tyres for their support and sponsorship of the series and we certainly hope that their support is rewarded through some return business. Also, a reminder that there is a break up and gathering to close off the series at the McIvor Road Caravan Park, Sunday March the 16th for a BBQ lunch. Presentations for aggregate awards will be made at this function. Thank you to Kel Arnett for the use of his facilities. Over 100 riders have entered and raced over the course of the series with numbers constantly above 40 for each race making this years series the most successful to date. Special thanks and mention to Carl (bear) Phillips for his support of the series and being handicapper each week, and also to all of the other people who gave up their time to come and support the series.

Once again the race drew some pretty big numbers; 50 riders, some with their sights on the aggregate and some for a win in the final race of the series. Warm, calm conditions for the night would make this a fast race and prove a disadvantage for the back markers who thrive in tougher conditions. The big field had the handicapper thinking and with most bunches around six riders and gaps of 1 to 2 minutes they were ready to roll. The pace was quick, as expected, through to the exchange with the 4 minute bunch holding off the backmarkers and making up considerable ground on the 6 and 8 minute groups. At the turn around the gaps had closed in with the 4 min bunch combining with the 5 min bunch and just off the heels of the 8 min bunch. Scratch had combined with second and were closing in on the 3 min group who were not making any ground on the combined bunches ahead. At Eppalock Primary School the combined 4 min bunch still had 4 minutes to chase down for the win. At the exchange hill we saw all bar the limit riders being reeled in by the combined 4 min group who were still holding a winnable lead. With the back markers still to far out to win the 4 min group chased the remaining few down hard. Some aggressive riding before the final straight caused a split in the group which provided an advantage for those who hung on. Some hard chasing in the final leg had the limit riders caught with 100m to go. For his second win of the series and a strong sprint Graham Hartland grabbed 1st place Pete Ladd took out second followed by Paul Dynon, Rick MaCintosh, Mick Anderson, Steve Monagatti, Terry Metcalf, and Ken Wilson. Fastest time again went to John MaCague.

27/02/08

1st

Rod McCredden

2nd

Cindy Magro

3rd

4th

5th

6th

F/T

John Macague

A record field of 51 riders braved the windy conditions of the 2nd last race of the very successful Wednesday Night Series.

Major sponsor Greater City Tyres drawing the extra riders chasing victory.

The windy conditions caused alot of carnage out on the road and from Eppalock Primary School onwards, many found the going tough and dropped through the bunches. The scratch riders joined with second and third at the turn around, but it was obvious that the front markers had grouped and were in a race of their own.

Working well, the large front group dwindled as the stronger riders applied pressure through the hills. Turning into the home straight Red Rocket McCredden led from start to finish in the sprint to earn a well deserved win, with Cindy Magro roding well for a close second. The minor placings were filled in a sprint finish which was so close that the judges had to re-confirm the placing.

Once again John the “Ducati” McCague sprinted strongly to take fastest time honors.

All entries for the O'Brien classic have to be in by Monday.

20/02/08

1st

Rosemary Britton

2nd

Sabrina Smythe

3rd

Naomi Fountain

4th

Dale Stemmer

5th

Andrew Pascoe

6th

Kate Fraser

F/T

John Macague

This race was again, one of the feature races in the series sponsored by Greater City Tyres-Bendigo. Thank you to Greater City Tyres for their support and sponsorship for this series.

Although the weather cleared up and presented perfect conditions for the evening’s race, the prospect of damp condition did keep some from showing and 40 riders rolled out for the event. Tight gaps between the bunches were up again with 1 minute gaps consistent throughout the field, and bunches of 4 or 5 riders. As per usual, riders were greeted with what always feels like a stiff head wind through to the exchange, followed by a comfortable tail breeze to the turn around. At the turnaround the gaps had closed considerably across the field with the 4 & 5 minute bunch merging only 100 meters after. The 2 & 3 minute bunches and scratch had not yet come together, and were still holding each other off quite well with the combined 4 & 5 minute bunch riding strongly. By the exchange corner the combined 4 & 5 minute bunch had accounted for the rest of the field with only the limit bunch ahead with still a commanding lead. A tactical and powerful move from Kate Fraser and Murray Rankin saw them shed 80% of the riders as they drove it hard through the exchange hill. Only those in good position and a wake up to the move managed to hang on to them over the top. With limit still away and a depleted bunch in chase, the move may have been a bit too early in the race. In the finish it was limits race with the ladies dishing it up to the men on this occasion. Rosemary Britton took out 1st followed by Sabrina Smythe, then new rider Naomi Fountain. In 4th place was Dale Stemmer followed by Andrew Pascoe and in 6th was Kate Fraser. With John MaCague taking out fastest time.

13/02/08

1st

John MaCague

2nd

Tony Jones

3rd

Nick Shipp

4th

Phil Sawyer

5th

Peter Ladd

6th

Dale Lowe

7th

Chris Weatheritt

F/T

John Macague

This race was one of the feature races in the series sponsored by Greater City Tyres-Bendigo. Thank you to Greater City Tyres for their support and sponsorship for this series.

Windy conditions again couldn’t keep the 44 riders from having a crack at the race; probably the windiest conditions for the series to date. The handicapper tightened the gaps a little more in an attempt to provide a closer result for the night, with most gaps towards the back of the field around the 1 minute mark. The tough head wind out to the exchange proved a big challenge for the front markers and created some opportunities for the strong scratch bunch to make some ground. The big tail wind from the exchange to the turnaround made for some very fast riding with the speed pushing all bunches to their limits; pressure from some of the stronger riders off the back marks caused some to give up and turn for home. By the turn around the gap across the bunches had closed considerably with a couple already combining and scratch looking like they were going to make it their race. Just before the exchange the 5 min group had reeled in the rest of the field and had scratch closing in fast with only a 50 meter gap to be made up. The exchange hill proved again to be a bit of a benchmark in the race with only the stronger riders able to hang onto the powerful scratch bunch. In the end it was the in form John MaCague with 1st and fastest time followed by Tony Jones, Nick Shipp and Phil Sawyer, with Peter Ladd taking 5th place, Dale Lowe 6th and Chris Weatheritt in 7th.

06/02/08

1st

G Hartland

2nd

C Magro

3rd

D Stemmer

4th

T Wallace

5th

R Lovell

6th

A Berry

7th

S Auld

F/T

J MaCague

Gusty, windy conditions were obviously no deterrent for the riders this week with the numbers continuing to grow week by week; 51 riders lining up to contest. The large number of riders allowed for good sized bunches making up the field. Limit starting off at 16 minutes and the rest of the field spread apart with 1 to 2 minute gaps, most bunches had about 6 riders each to share the load. At the start of the race the riders were greeted with a very stiff head wind which proved to be a bit much for some, dropping off their bunch early. The field had slowly come together by the turn around with only a couple of the groups merging. The 8 minute group had combined and with some solid riding, were still holding a strong gap. Scratch were gradually accounting for the rest of the field with yet again another strong performance. At the end the scratch bunch finished within 1 minute of the winning bunch. Taking out first place with a strong ride was Graham Hartland, followed by Cindy Magro, Dale Stemmer, Terry Wallace and (serial place getters?) Ricky (I’m in the money every week) Lovell, Andrew (me too) Berry and Steve (the new Ricky Lovell) Auld. Fastest Time was yet again! John MaCague.

Next weeks racing will be a feature race in the series sponsored by Greater City Tyres.

30/01/08

1st

S Marsden

2nd

H McCormick

3rd

C Waddington

4th

T Wallace

5th

S Spencer

6th

G Pilcher

F/T

J Mollison

 

23/01/08

1st

S Muller

2nd

S Auld

3rd

S Hall

4th

K Waddington

5th

A Pascoe

6th

A Berry

F/T

J MaCague

 

16/01/08

1st

P. Dynon

2nd

E. Keeteelarr

3rd

A. O’brien

4th

L. Dynon

5th

T. Miles

F/T

J. MaCague

The first Wednesday nights race for 2008, although in tough conditions, had a lot of riders roll out for the event. With over 40 riders in the field it made for larger bunches but with the windy and blustery conditions ahead there was not to be too many places to hide. Limit set off into the wind off 16mins with the rest of the field leaving about 2 minutes apart. The first stage of the race through to the exchange corner saw some riders from most bunches suffer under the conditions and drop from their bunch. The pace quickened through to the turn around and the gaps had closed making it anyone’s race at this point. The front bunches had joined together and held a pretty solid break at the exchange. By the time the back makers crossed the exchange hill there was only 100 meters separating the 3 groups with scratch closing in fast. By the final turn the front makers had managed to hold off the field with Paul Dynon taking out 1st and Evelyn Keeteelarr grabbing 2nd, Aileen O’brien 3rd, Leigh-Anne Dynon 4th and Trevor Miles 5th. A fast finish saw John MaCague take out fastest time.

17/12/07

1st

Evelyn Keeteelarr

2nd

Paul Dynon

3rd

Steve Auld

4th

Rick Mitchell

5th

John MaCague

F/T

John Macague

Like last week, the conditions were quite warm and blustery with the prospect of some storm activity. Not quite as many riders fronted to test themselves in the conditions with this being the last race before Christmas. The front markers left off 18 minutes and were hotly pursued by 6 other bunches. Most bunches lost at least one rider along the way either with mechanical problems or finding the conditions and pace of the race to hard. By the turnaround scratch had combined with 2nd scratch and had closed the gap considerably on the rest of the field. Limit still held a commanding lead which was going to take a big effort to close. At the exchange hill only limit and the front bunches were still away. With not far to go Evelyn Keeteelar rode away from her co-marker to steal a comfortable victory. Paul Dynon & Steve Auld attacked on the final climb breaking up their group to finish with 2nd & 3rd positions. Rick Mitchell hung on to take 4th and a fast finishing John MaCague took out 5th position and fastest time.

12/12/07

1st

John Macague

Scr

2nd

Tony Jones

Scr

3rd

Justin Mollison

Scr

4th

Mal Balnaves

Scr

5th

Ray Colwell

9 min

F/T

John Macague

Scr

Blustery warm conditions greeted the 32 riders entering the evening’s race. Previous weeks results have had the mid field and front markers winning and leaving the back markers with what seemed an almost impossible chase. This week the handicapper made some adjustments to the marks to give the back markers a shorter gap to chase. The tough head wind and smaller bunches made it pretty hard going for most groups through to the exchange corner. Whilst most of the bunches hadn’t lost any riders at this point, the tough conditions took the sting out of some groups allowing the stronger groups to close the gaps by the turnaround. Soon after the turn around, scratch had accounted for 2nd & 3rd scratch with most riders struggling to hold the pace of the fast paced scratch bunch; Mal Balnaves was the only rider from the 2nd scratch group able to hang in there. The scratch group then rode through the rest of the field with the exception of the 9 minute group. At the exchange corner an attack led by Ray Colwell saw a small bunch of riders break away from their main group to try and steal the win. A strong and persistent ride from John Macague, Tony Jones & Justin Mollison was well rewarded when they caught and rode away from Ray’s break away group with 500 meters to go. A strong finish saw John Macague, yet again, take out another 1st and fastest time, closely followed Tony Jones, Justin Mollison & Mal Balnaves. Ray Colwell hung in there to take 5th place.

Ps: Mick Brady did race this week but for some reason didn’t win???

05/12/07

1st

Mick Brady

(9min)

2nd

Grant Jones

(9min)

3rd

Aileen O’brien

(11min)

4th

Paul Stucco

(11min)

5th

Andrew Berry

(11min)

F/T

John Macague

Scr

With 34 riders lining up to race, the new Emu Creek circuit is certainly proving to be a popular race amongst the competitors. With the still conditions for the afternoon it was proving ideal for what would be a pretty fast race overall. The diversity amongst the field with a lot of newer riders on older riders returning had the handicapper deliberating over the marks for some time. Limit were again given a very sizable start at 18 minutes which was always going to be a big gap to close by the back markers. The remainder of the field was set at 11 min, 9, min 7 min, 5 min, 3 min, 1 min & Scratch. The pace was quick right from the start with the aid of a very slight tail wind. By the turn around scratch had caught and combined with 2nd scratch, the 5 & 7 minute group had combined and the 11 & 9 minute groups had combined also. Limit still held a reasonable gap and several of the bunches had lost some of their riders along the way. The combined 11 & 9 minute group accounted for the front markers about 4 km from the finish and still maintained a significant gap from the depleted 5 & 7 minute bunch. Scratch had combined with the 2 bunches in front and had set a very fast pace but were still too far back to account for the next group ahead. In the end it was another well deserved win from Mick (I win every week) Brady, Grant Jones 2nd, Aileen O’brien 3rd, Paul Stucco 4th, Andrew Berry 5th , with fastest time being taken out by John MaCague at an impressive average speed of just under 42Kph.

28/11/07

1st

Brad Wakefield

2nd

Neil Hinton

3rd

Evelyn Ketteelaar

4th

Norm Giri

5th

Paul Stucco

F/T

Justin Mollison

A field of 37 riders turned up for Wednesday night’s race despite the prospect of some predicted thunder storm activity. The limit bunch headed off leaving an even spread of bunches to chase with scratch needing to make up an 18 minute gap. The conditions were consistent with previous races, with a head wind to start and some tough riding through to the telephone exchange. None of the bunches appeared to be making any strong gains on the field at this point. The pace quickened through to the turn around with the assistance of a tail breeze. A few riders struggled in the conditions and couldn’t stay with their bunch weakening their group and allowing the chasing riders to catch. At the school turn most bunches had combined to form 3 or 4 larger bunches with limit still holding a commanding gap. By the climb up the exchange hill scratch had accounted for all but the couple of groups of front markers. At the finish it was a depleted limit bunch taking out the race with Brad Wakefeild 1st, Neil Hinton 2nd and Evelyn Keettaalarr 3rd, this was followed 100 meters behind by the chasing bunch with Norm Giri 4th and Paul Stucco 5th. The remainder of the field finished not too far back With Justin Mollison taking out fastest time.

21/11/07

1st

Mick Anderson

2nd

Steve Spencer

3rd

Gordon Donaldson

4th

Graham Hartland

5th

Andrew Berry

F/T

John Macague

The 3rd race of the series was held in testing conditions with 19 riders turning out to brave the elements and test out the new finish 1.5km before the last turn.

Limit riders set a cracking pace down the back straight looking to gain an advantage on the field. This was not to be the story of the night with all bunches also taking advantage of the blustery conditions and the advantage deplete.

With most bunches discovering quickly the only way to escape the wind was to work turns, there seemed to be fewer riders dropped than previous weeks highlighting the handicapper’s attentiveness. After the turn around it was evident the race was going to be between front markers and back markers. A much depleted scratch bunch worked well as they picked up riders along the way highlighting their class and keeping them in contention for fastest time honours.

Much to the vocal disappointment of members of a hard working 3rd scratch bunch, they were red flagged at the primary school with a late turning local. Their efforts squandered, it made it easier for scratch to pick them up but doing so it was great to see riders doing their best to keep the pace up.

After a hard climb through the exchange the front markers battled out a tightly contested sprint with Mick Anderson proving too strong storming to the new finish line whilst John Macague showed his fitness and powered away from the back markers to win easily.

Great work all riders, handicappers and officials in testing conditions.

14/11/07

1st

Chris McCormick

12min

2nd

Murray Rankin

9min

3rd

James Thompson

12min

4th

Murray Cordell

12min

5th

Grant Jones

9min

F/T

Tony Jones

Scr

Another large field of 36 riders lined up to race in the warm and breezy conditions; and once again the tough conditions would test the riders. After last weeks result our handicapper made some fine adjustments to the bunches, varying the intervals from 1 mins to 4 mins, with the limit markers off 17 mins. The 12 min bunch struggled to hold the wheel of Chris McCormick who rode away from his bunch before the exchange corner. At the turn around the gaps had closed considerably with each bunch within sight of each other. Chris was still riding strongly on his own and a certainty to take the win. On the crest of the exchange hill there was only 100 meters between scratch and the 5 min bunch, with the 9 & 12 min riders still away. In the Chris McCormick took out a comfortable win followed by Murray Rankin (9 min), James Thompson (12 min), Murray Cordell (12 min) and Grant Jones (9 min), with fastest time being taken out by Tony Jones.