Post date: Mar 25, 2013 9:14:52 AM

Hello Vets,

A BIG issue of The Bleat this week with lots of info on events and notices;

· Registration open for Gunning 2 Day

· From the Desk of the Handicapper

· Stromlo Forest Park – utilisation research focus groups

· Auction of Luke Durbridge jersey

· Cycling in the Pyrenees

· Free Threshold Power Testing

· Racing this Week

· Race Reports

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

Ian Morton.

Getting Ready for the Gunning 2 Day Challenge

Marshals

Bill Frost currently has 4 volunteers so far to help with Marshalling duties but he will need 9 or 10 on each day to run the event.

If you are willing to help, please contact Bill at: billfrost@bigpond.com

Registrations

The online registration site is now open for Gunning 2 Day registration..

ALL REGISTRATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED ON THE IMG WEBSITE PRIOR TO THE WEEKEND (EXACT CUTOFF DATE TO BE ADVISED).

NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY.

To register go to;

https://eventdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=2309&OrgID=10345

Click on;

Click Here To Register

Select either;

Individual

Tandem

Select the $30 entry fee then click;

Next

Enter your username and password. Note that this is the username and password that you received when you first registered for the IMG system. If you can’t find your site login, go to the site login page; https://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=login&OrgID=10244 and click the ‘Forgot your Password?’ Button. Enter your Email address (the one you used to register) and a new password will be sent to you.

One you have logged in, the system will show you details. Click;

Next

Confirm that you are entering as an Individual or Tandem then click;

Save

Click on;

Submit Now & Pay Online

Enter your credit card details and press;

Next

To confirm your payment, click;

Submit Payment

Your transaction will be confirmed and an email sent to your registered email address.

Once you have finished, click;

Logoff

to exit

If you have any problems, contact;

Phill.Coulton@essentialenergy.com.au

From the desk of the Handicapper

Criterium Grade Changes

· Brendan Chadwick - D Grade

· David McCook – A Grade

· Paul Clare – C Grade

Stromlo Forest Park – utilisation research focus groups

Territory Venues and Events is conducting research among users of Stromlo Forest Park. They have engaged Australian Survey Research to organise and conduct focus groups for members of the club to participate and share views on the current and future of the SFP.

The focus groups are scheduled for 9^th, 10^th and 11^th April from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Participants must be over 18 years of age (shouldn’t be a problem for our club). Participants will receive light refreshments and $60 reimbursement for their travel and time.

To register paste the following link into your browser address bar:

http://www.asr2.com/surveymanager/anon/1319.aspx

Note that only a limited number of participants will be selected from those who register.

Auction of Luke Durbridge jersey

The West Coast Masters CC is offering AVCC members the opportunity of bidding for a framed Championship jersey signed by Australian 2013 Time Trial and Road Champion LUKE DURBRIDGE that he recently won at the Australian National Road and Time Trial Championships. Click here for an image

Luke kindly gave this to the West Coast Masters CC, with the proceeds to go to the club.

The auction will start on March 14, 2013 at 09:00 AM WST (that's Perth time) and end on Monday April 15, 2013 at 07:00 PM WST, following the week-long festival of cycling in Perth. Click here to go online to place a bid.

Cycling in the Pyrenees

Some ACT Vets are heading to the Pyrenees in SW France this September and are looking for more to join and to share costs on a fully supported set of rides based out of a beautiful cycling lodge in the Ariege region, right in the heart of the Pyrenees, for 11 days then a 3 day mini-tour that includes the iconic passes and cols of the region.

Cost ~ $2,300, (land content) includes all accommodation, breakfasts, dinners with wine, road support, pick up and drop off in Toulouse. Road bikes can be hired from the lodge for 15 Euros/day or bring your own. What could be easier, what could be better value, could there be a better cycling holiday than this?

If you wish to know more, please e-mail either Peter Southgate atpeter.southgate@hotmail.com or Alex O'Shea at alexoshea@hotmail.com (put 'Pyrenees' in the subject line) and they will e-mail back a flyer with lots of details and costing.

Threshold Power Testing - Vets Cycling Free Promo Sessions

As mentioned last week, Dave Gunther is running some free trails for ACT vets on his computrainers. Below is a report that Dave Gunther and some other clients (whose names have been changed to protect the guilty) produced;

Cycling - Functional Threshold Test 2013-3-18 - 25 Minute warm up - then 20 Minute actual TEST

David has allocated a couple of upcoming Saturdays for Vets Cyclists to come in and do the test, free of charge. You can come along from 10:30am on either Saturday 30th March, or if you are away for Easter, you can come on the second open session also at 10:30 am on Saturday 13th April.

If you would like to come along to either of those sessions, email David at train@funfitness.com.au so that Fun & Fitness can have an idea of numbers, make sure they have a bike available for you, and be able to provide you with other details to help make this fairly rigorous test as enjoyable and as useful as possible for you.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 26^th March: Stromlo Criterium

Note that this the last crit race of the 2012/13 season

Where: Stromlo Forrest Park

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

Race Description: G Grade@ 5:45 - 8min + 2 laps; A/B Grade@ 6:02 - 20min + 2 laps; C/D Grade@ 6:28 - 14min + 2 laps; E/F Grade@ 6:50 - 11min + 2 laps

Race Director: Pat Rooke

Contact: Email: pat_rooke@yahoo.com.au

Crit Marshals and Helpers needed

Pat will need a couple of helpers on the night. If you are racing you can still get there early or stay after your race to help out.

Important Information: Late Arrivals

It is a condition of our Insurance that all riders receive a referee’s briefing before the commencement of racing to ensure that they are aware of racing conditions.

All riders need to ensure that they arrive in sufficient time to sign-on and be briefed before the commencement of racing.

Thursday, 22^nd March: Track Racing

Where: Queanbeyan Track

When: 6:00 pm

Details:

Thursday is the last week of the Track Season for 2012-13.

We will hold a scratch race to be followed by the presentation of medals and trophies.

The presentations will be - Overall Trackie and Roadie of the season, The Omnium Champion, and the Most Improved rider.

Then the club will have Pizza in the Park with soft drinks. Bring your own Chair and alcohol.

Everyone is welcome.

Sunday, 31^st March – Easter Weekend

No racing.

RACE REPORTS:

Lookout Hill – 24^th March

The day broke and it was time to begin the endless poetry in motion that bicycle racing embodies. A beautiful crisp morning, with just the ends of the fog and the sun shining through the still cool air, greeted the Racers on Sunday.

O.K., enough about poetry let’s hear some more about the motion. 60 race hardened riders took the field at Lookout Hill.

G grade was away first (yes I do remember G Grade) and tore out of the marshalling area at a speed that could only be described as, …. indescribable. Fine performances by the entire Grade which resulted in podium placing’s all round. James, Bruce and Leon crossing the line in that order. Aren’t you glad James, that I didn’t talk you into Marshalling?

A bunch of fives in A grade. All the Marshalls reported over the radio that A were setting a blistering pace as they zipped by. A nice duel at the end of the race between Brendan who just piped David on the line, followed closely by Aaron.

A large field of 13 in B grade got away finely from the marshalling area. Evidence of Gruppo Compacto was witnessed each time the peloton passed the start/finish point. Seconds only separating Peter, David and Roger as they duked it out on the last little climb to the finish line.

The C Grade Massif of 12 riders set out on their last race before the Gunning 2 Day, with reputations and new kit being put to the test. Despite attacks, counter attacks and gratuitous shopping online for bike bits, I counted 7 riders approach the last upward sprint for the finish line. Bryan, David and Owain coming in with only seconds between them.

An experienced cadre of tough nut D Graders and their tandem friends went off looking to avoid the heritage listed pot hole near Apollo Road and previously sighted Tortoises on the roads in the district. However, no time was wasted on geographic features of interest or mega fauna as the peloton ripped along the roads. A convincing win by Richard over Mark followed very closely by the Gunning Race Director Bill Frost.

E grade looked strong and ‘loaded for bear’ as they swung out of the Marshalling area and headed for the hills. No bears in evidence on the road, the peloton had to content themselves to slugging it out with each other on the Namadgi roads. Ian, Matthew and Liz came in in that order but there wasn’t much of a time difference to the other riders in the lead bunch of sixs’ rush for the line.

F Troop went off as only they can do. With remarkably little car traffic to distract them, I suspect it probably enhanced F Troops group singing of their Grades theme song as they ground up the road past Mount Tennant. As the all singing, all dancing Troop pulled into the finish line it was Graham then Garry then Barb who took the first 3 places.

Many thanks to the friendly and ever helpful race Marshalls - Henry, Graham, Jing, Pat, François, Stu, Gordon, Michael and junior Marshal Aidan without whom the race would have been just another training bunch.

Thanks to Lee Hopson for Race Refereeing.

12th March Criterium Race Report

Well, what can I say, perhaps the most perfect evening for racing at Stromlo I have ever experienced, with conditions being very light breeze, warm and good light.

G Grade

As is the tradition G grade opened proceedings with a comparatively large field, by recent G grade standards, circulating at a steady pace. Angelika Mauch took responsibility at the head of the bunch in the early laps, while we the Marshalls speculated on whether Bruce was just foxing or getting ready to put in a blistering attack at an opportune moment. Unfortunately for Bruce there was no attack, but he managed a creditable third behind the front runners of Angelika and Leon, in the sprint for the line, with Angelika being rewarded for her hard work throughout the race with a 1st place.

E & F Grades

As with most of the grades this evening E & F both set steady pace maintaining relatively compact bunches, while we the Marshalls decided to apply some technology to recording events, resulting the in the photos below, taken by the “Official Bell Boy” and A Grade aspirant – Dave Gunther.

Barbara worked very hard to keep in touch throughout the race with Vince Collins in F Grade, but found it hard going in the final lap, with a strong ride by Vince resulting in 1st place, Barbara hanging on for 2nd, and Amir Masoumi in his very first race a creditable third place.

In E Grade a tight finish saw Brendan Chadwick hold on to finish in front of Aaron Rockey and Alex Sommariva.

C & D Grades

Sadly the race reporting gets a bit light on at this point as the technology and the “Official Bell Boy” seemingly failing to record the details. We were probably not assisted by the fact that we were all going slightly mad listening to the stop watch incessantly beeping, despite pushing every combination of buttons possible – Henry finally putting it down to the stop watch warning us of a low battery.

Suffice to say that D Grade maintained a tight bunch throughout the race, whereas C Grade was noticeably strung out each lap in the elastic band effect up the back straight on exiting collarbone corner.

D Grade finished with an entertaining sprint finish and Paul Clare taking the honours, while in C Grade on the bell lap Bryan Hollaway put in an impressive effort up the back straight to set up another strong sprint finish to the line, with Bryan’s momentum and the strength he had shown on the back straight getting him over the line in 1st place

Post race a complaint was made that in C Grade on a number of occasions riders at the front of the bunch entered collarbone corner then braked, causing mayhem for those following. While we the race officials couldn’t see the detail, this was clearly the reason we saw C Grade consistently exiting the corner and strung out up the back straight. I will just mention that in the pre-race briefing the issue of sudden braking in front of the bunch was specifically raised as a safety issue, so all riders please give extra consideration to this in the future, so we can all race safely.

A & B Grades

When the big boys come out to play – Well it really was a pleasure to be in the middle and of course and watching A & B grades race. It was clear early on the A Grade were not taking prisoners with Paul Scherl making early breaks, which the A grade bunch countered, but most impressively the smaller and more compact A Grade bunch had lapped B Grade by the 12 minute mark, the overtaking manoeuvre completed safely and consistent with the safety briefing.

In B Grade which fielded the largest group on the evening with 21 riders, early breaks were made by Alain Arbaut and James Jordan, but closed down by the group. As is expected in these grades the pace slowed and quickened consistently though out the race, with pressure applied a number of times up the back straight.

In A Grade the early efforts of Paul Scherl appeared to have taken their toll, but it was clearly a conspiracy by the “Paul’s” with Paul Angelkatos and Paul Connor holding off Graeme Albon to finish 1,2 & 3.

In B Grade another strong sprint finish saw Simon Junakovic, John Thorn and Alain Arbaut fill the first three places in that order.

Finally a BIG thankyou to the “Official Bell Boy”, Dave Gunther who finished 9th in D Grade (should have stuck to ringing the bell Dave), and to Janet Hanson and Vince Collins who both joined me in the middle to Marshall following their own races. Finally, a special mention to Henry, for supporting and guiding me throughout the evening’s racing.

Safe riding – Dave C