7.2 July 9 Bleat

Post date: Jul 10, 2012 1:39:35 AM

Bonjour Vets, welcome to another special issue of Le Bêlement in honour of Le Tour. Sacrebleu, how many crashes can you fit into one race!!!! Having said that, we had our own Le Tour moment on Saturday with a couple of A Grade riders going down. In this week’s issue;

· Racing cette semaine – Tidbinbilla

· Dalton – Directeur de Course’s report.

· In this week’s Profil de Membre we look at Paul Angelatos.

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

Ian Morton.

Racing Cette Semaine:

Saturday, 14^th July: Tidbinbilla Graded Scratch

Where: Car Park opposite entrance to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve off Tidbinbilla Rd.

Note: For road safety reasons, please DO NOT park at the corners of the intersection.

When: 1:30 pm.

Sign on: 15 mins before scheduled start time wearing your registered number.

Race Description:

Tidbinbilla - Flints Crossing - Geals Ck - Flints crossing - ABCD into Tracking Station - EFG do not turn to Tracking Station - Finish.

Race Director: Steven Dean

Contact: Email: Steven.Dean@au.unisys.com Ph (02) 6255 6110

Help Needed on Saturday: Steve will need four road marshals and helpers at the finish line to run the race. Please contact Steven if you can assist.

Don’t forget to bring your helmet with you when you signon

To meet new AVCC rules, the club will be required to meet the following conditions for racing;

· Helmets – All members must wear helmets that meet Australian Standards. Competitors must present their helmet for inspection prior to the race to confirm it has one of the Australian Standards approval labels (shown below) and is in good condition.

· Bikes – Bikes must be roadworthy. Bikes will be checked for independent front and rear brakes and fitted with handlebar plugs.

· Racing Jerseys must cover upper arms and shoulders.

· Race Number: All riders must wear race numbers. To assist in an emergency, contact details should be recorded on the race number.

Dalton, Directeur de Course’s report

For a change it was a perfect day for racing at Dalton with a fine, windless day and track good except for, it would seem, the usual broken road out to Rugby. There was an excellent turn out of 72 riders. The uphill sprint to the finish was hotly contested in all grades so it appears our handicapper is doing a good job.

In A Grade 6 riders finished in a tight bunch but it was Scott Sparkman who was triumphant closely followed by Paul Angelatos and Peter Young. It was also a quick time of 1 hour 32 minutes, which bettered the time of the last race at Dalton in April by 1 minute and 16 seconds when Ian Downing was victorious. Unfortunately the A Grade race was marred by a crash not long after the first turn at Gunning emulating some of the scenes seen in ‘Le Tour’ in the last week. Both suffered some nasty injuries and we hope they both make a speedy recovery.

In B Grade, Neil Skipper crossed the line first, then Robert Langridge and Chris Nolan while in C Grade in the closest finish of the day, only 5 seconds separated the first 7 riders. Dave Hennessy prevailed with Alex O’Shea and Ray Skinner right on his wheel.

D Grade was won by Bradley Selwood who managed in the final sprint to pull slightly away from Mal Rimes in second place. Linda Banks, who was racing up after a win in E Grade last week, finished a very creditable third.

In another close finish in E Grade, Kevin Hennessy was able to hold off Lloyd Bennett and Geoffrey Ellacott while in F Grade Adrian Pridden was victorious with a hard working Ian Morton finishing second and Bob Egan third.

Bruce Jones continued his winning ways in G Grade with David Gould challenging strongly in second and Bernie Crowe coming home third. It was good to see G Grade cross the finish line before C Grade this week although to be fair they did have a shorter course and started their race earlier than normal.

Many thanks to the lead and trail car drivers Kim Malcolm and Lee Hopson, as well the marshals Ross Robinson, Yvonne Poels, James Meredith, Pauline Thorn, and of course Henry Beaverstock, all of whom made a significant contribution to a great day of racing. A special thank you goes to Lee Hopson whose expertise as a first-aid officer and part-time ambulance driver unfortunately was required, but greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Ian Shaw for Race Directing.

Race results on the RMS: http://rms.actvets.cc/

For anyone who wants the detailed times, you can get them from http://www.actvets.cc/results/2012-winter-season-results

Profil membre des anciens combattants

This week we look at Paul Angelatos;

How long have I been a member of ACT Vets?

I joined the Vets in Simmer season of 2008. I skipped the bulk of the 2009 season and then started again in 2010 although sporadically.

What is my favourite course in the ACT Vets racing calendar and why?

I think I have raced them all now. I’m not a fan of long steep climbs. I enjoy the Gunning Course and do like the crits.

What Grade did I start in with the Vets?

My first race was in F Grade. I think I joined about the same time as George Pongracz and Steve Schwenke. We had some great battles up through E, D and then into C grade. I’m now racing in A grade but find the road races a challenge more so than the crits.

How long have I been cycling?

I rode a bike as a kid (to and from school etc). I took up Triathlon in my early 20’s and had some success. I come from a running background so getting on the bike was a pleasant change from pounding the pavement. I didn’t have my first bike race (outside of Triathlon) until I joined the Vets.

What got me interested in cycling?

The question is really “Who got me interested in cycling?”. I met Steve Hosking through work in early 2008. I heard the stories about Chloe’s achievements. It seemed that every weekend Steve was heading off somewhere for a cycling event either racing himself or supporting Chloe. At that point in time I hadn’t done any form of exercise in over 6 years and was ridiculously unfit and overweight. He invited me out for a ride one morning, it nearly killed me but I became hooked. I think we rode 3 times and I decided to join the club.

What was my most memorable ride?

Unfortunately it was not a road ride, but I rode with Andy Friend on the last 3 days of his epic ride from Cooktown to Canberra. It was only 250km in 3 days, on MTB’s, but it was such great fun and with a fantastic group of people.

What is/was my favourite bike?

I must confess to having a stable of bikes. I like all of my bikes and find it difficult to part with any of them. My most comfortable bike, which is great for long rides is my S-Works Roubaix, but the bike I seem to spend mots time on at the moment is my Trek SSL 6.9, very fast bike!!

Where do I work?

I own a Management Consultancy business, Providence Consulting Group, located in Deakin.

How do I find the time to train?

I train most morning before work. Occasionally in Winter I’ll head out at lunch in lieu of the icy start.

Do I have a special training regime?

I mix it up a bit. I do the Hour of Power on Tuesday’s and Wednesday bunch ride. I throw in an interval session during the week and try and get a longer ride in on the weekend.

What does my family think of my cycling?

They are very supportive. It gets hard to juggle with kids sporting commitments. I also coach Rugby so getting to races on Saturday’s in Winter is problematic. The family see that I am happy and much healthier than previously.

An interesting fact about me;

I’m pretty boring really!! Tough question – I was a marathon runner up until my early 30’s, I was the first Australian soldier into Somalia back in Oct 1992.

Race Referees

The other change required by the AVCC is that all future racing must be conducted by club registered Race Referees. The race committee is asking for volunteers to take on the role. The Referee should be knowledgeable in the rules of the AVCC, and the club, and be willing to enforce those rules to the benefit of the club and its members.

These members will be put on a rotating roster to undertake their duties throughout the year, with consideration given to obligations. Each referee will receive their membership for the year that they are roster at the clubs expense.

As everyone has already joined for this year we will wave all future race fees for the rest of the year for all this years rostered referees in lieu. The need for volunteers is a matter of urgency and we must be able to meet this requirement before the start of the winter season when the new policy will take effect.

The important question to be asked is what happens if we don’t get the minimum number of referees. The race committee will be forced to reassess the calendar and reduce the number of races.

If you are prepared to take on this role, please contact James at handicapper@actvets.cc

First Aiders

One of the other items that the Race Committee need to follow up on are those members who are current holders of a First Aid Certificate who are will to register to aid the club in this role.

This does not preclude the rider from racing, or performing any other duties, but it is a requirement of the insurance that we know who these people are should we need to call on their services.

It is also important to note that should anyone wish to get their certificate the club will pay the costs involved.