Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

•  From the Desk of the Handicapper

•  Racing this Week

•  Race Report

 

Please send me your contributions at: TheBleat@actvets.cc

 

Ian Morton

From the Desk of the Handicapper

The Handicapper's prognostications for this week;

Des Brown D to C
Jason Parkes A to B
Allan Bontjer B to C
Tony O'Conner B to C

 

Rob Langridge

 

RACING THIS WEEK:

Saturday, 11th July: Uriarra Homestead Graded Teams Race

Where: Uriarra Homestead, intersection Uriarra Rd and Brindabella Rd.
When: 1:30 pm
Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.
Race Description: This involves splitting each grade into teams of about five. Teams will wear coloured ribbons, except one team will be identified by not having a ribbon. There is only one aim and that is to get ONE of your team's riders to the highest possible placing i.e., to win! The second rider of the same team doesn't count. All team finishers get the points from the placing of their first rider but must finish the race to get points. Team tactics are up to the team to organise.
The course will be at Uriarra doing short laps from the short turn to the top of the crossing. Turns will be neutral, of course. ABCD (45km) will do three laps; EFG (30km) will do two. Overall aim is to have a tactical/competitive race on a flattish course.
Race Director: Steve Schwenke
Contact: Email schwenkes@homemail.com.au Ph  0412485729 or 62829775

The nominated marshals for this event are;

•  Kevin Hennessy

•  Denis Jessop

•  Kim Malcolm

•  Sean Smith

•  John Wilson

 

The nominated marshals for upcoming events are;
- Jul 18 @ Dairy Flat: Bruce Griffin, Andrew Murrell + 1 more volunteer required
- Jul 25 @ Dalton: Johnathan Chowns, Richard Gorrell More volunteers required
- Aug 01 @ Dog Trap Road: David Gunther, Michael Langdon, Ross MacPherson, Steve Hosking, Jonathan Chowns
- Aug 08 @ Lookout Hill: Dale Teddy, Des Brown, Kirsti McVay, Rowan McMurray

The latest Marshal Roster has been uploaded on to the club website at;
VETS 2015 Marshall Roster.xls

 

RACE REPORT:

Old Federal Highway Graded Scratch – 4th July

On a sunny but cold and occasionally windy afternoon, fifty-three riders lined up to punish themselves with laps of the Old Federal Highway between Shingle Hill and the Lake George Lookout. With some confusion as to the course and laps in the lead-up to the race, in the end A through D did four laps of the course with E through G doing three laps. But as we were missing the special ”Timing Henry”, everything became a bit confused at the end of the race, and due to my incorrect start-up sequence of the time clocks, neither of the clocks would print the times. Afterwards in the van, this resulted in much head scratching as to how to recall the split times from the two timers (still not solved). Throw in some random riders who decided to have a spirited ride across the line before we realised they had no race numbers, and a few strange numbers in the chute sheet (please, everyone, wear your numbers on the OUTSIDE of the wind vest, next time you may be recorded as a DNF!), it was a while after the finish before we could work out the grade finishing order for those riders who had waited .

Anyway - a big thanks to all of the marshals, Bob Perkins, Ally Roche, John Thorn, Darren Garnon, Ben Davis, Alain Arbout and Sean Ifland for assisting and to all of the riders for not doing anything which required medical services!

ps - we also had a visit from the local Police as we were packing up, who had been called by a concerned citizen that was worried that one of our group might get hit by a car. Isn’t it nice to know that there are caring people out there? (I’m sure the call to the Police was more along the lines of “bloody cyclists” - but we can always hope).

 

Michael Fawke