Canberra Cycling Club
Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/03/2014
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location
Pierces Ck
Location: This course uses the roads between Pierces Ck (above the Cotter) and Tidbinbilla nature reserve
Timing: Course set up will commence at 8.00am with racing to commence at 9.00am. Racing is expected to conclude at approx. 11.30am and pack up completed by 12.00pm.
Start/Finish: Riders start at the top of Pierces Ck (approx. 1.9kms up from the Cotter crossing). They head south past Discovery Drive, past the nature reserve, past the Corin Rd intersection to the turn which is just before the drop down to the intersection with Pt Hut road (approx. 1 km up from the intersection). Riders then return along the course from which they have come to the Finish at the top of Pierces Ck. Total distance is approx. 50 kms.
Car Parking: Competitors will park at the Cotter.
Results:
A bright warm Saturday saw 51 riders take-on the hardest course in the combined calendar. 22% were recorded as DNF.
At the same time, some hard riders were revealed: Sam Hill and Henry Thomson both won their grades having been off the front for almost the entire race.
Across the grades, the rolling course invited attacks early on and each of the bunches were soon splitting up
In the combined A/B field, Sam Hill went clear on the first lap, with the subsequent chase soon splitting the bunch into two groups. With the final lap splintering these two groups further – with Sam Hill taking the win.
In C grade, an early attack by Will Clarke was soon joined by Henry Thomson – and the two dangled off the front for over a lap before Henry soloed on. The bunch sought to bring him back on the third lap, with Paul Welsh driving the bunch hard up the hill past Paddys River and finally slipping off the front with just over half a lap to go to finish just by Henry, and Paul Franckom winning what remained of the bunch sprint for third.
WA, WB, MD and ME combined on the start line but also soon broke up across the grades within the bunch.
Andrew Schofield opened his account for the Falling Leaves award this year with a dip in the road throwing him and his bike down. Fortunately the injuries are skin loss and bruising and the medical assistant, Simon, had him bandaged up and walking before the race was finished. Thanks to Marty Mullin and Felix Pirie who stayed with the injured riders whilst help came. Marty Robinson and Chris Short also stopped, but after ensuring no serious injuries were back chasing their bunch.
And the Race Commissaire would like to remind riders in a bunch sprint that they sprint in a straight line and not force riders beside them or behind them to slow or change direction. In future offending rider will be relegated or disqualified.
Special thanks to Race Marshals Beck Wiasak, Allison Rice, Ailie McDonald and John Warren ensuring a safe event. All get full points in the points competition.
And thanks to Peter Gough for bringing the van out, and overseeing the running of the event. First to arrive and last to leave!
