z10.3 October 21 Bleat

Post date: Oct 23, 2013 3:34:29 AM

Hello Vets,

In this week’s Bleat;

· From the Desk of the President

· Changes to Events

· Goulburn Track Racing

· The Big Red Ride Dinner

· Upcoming Events

· Racing this Week

· Race Report

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

Ian Morton.

From the Desk of the President

Members, again on the weekend we struggled to get marshals. Requests in the Bleat for Marshals is becoming an all too regular occurrence.

We need and want well organised racing. Marshals are a key element of that organisation. Referees need to have marshals organised well in advance of race day. Our duty of care to racers requires this. Our insurers require this.

Recently the Committee surveyed members and this issue was a key question. The Race Committee is considering a response to the suggestions made in the survey.

The general requirement is that all racers should marshal 3 times per year. Ultimately the Committee will consider how we can achieve that outcome.

Seeking marshals on race day is not appropriate. As well as race management plans, we have risk management plans and Referees need to involve marshals in pre-race organisation to ensure we meet all the requirements.

For the moment we will continue to rely on marshals volunteering. What I would ask though is that we each review the marshalling we have performed and nominate for forthcoming events accordingly. This way you can nominate for race days that suit your own program.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Rob Diamond

President

ACTVCC

Changes to Events

Due to some clashes, we will have to make some changes to the following events;

Criterium –12 November

SFP booked on the Tuesday so we will reschedule to Monday 11^th.

Goulburn Track Racing

For anyone who’s interested, Goulburn track racing commences next Friday 25/10/13. Sign on is usually open about 6.40pm and 1st race starts 7.00pm. We finish under lights usually between 9 and 9.30pm. The track is located at Seiffert Oval (which is part of Victoria Park) with the access off Faithfull Street, Goulburn. Our outdoor velodrome is just under 400m round with a gentle slope (a ‘flat’ track) & bitumen surface. Definitely no big banks like Narrabundah or Dunc Grey velodromes.

We usually have around 4 (sometimes 5) races throughout the night depending upon numbers, times etc and usually is a mix of shorter sprints (800m) and longer (8km) races with others in-between including a handicap race. We usually have 2 senior grades but would love to have enough numbers to make up a 3rd. Juniors are separate. A current Cycling Australia racing licence is required and the cost for the night is $8 for adults and $3 for kids.

We should be racing each Friday night (weather permitting of course) until mid December. Our track carnival is scheduled for Sat 11/1/14 which usually attracts 150+ competitors, after which we recommence our Friday nights until mid March.

For more information, contact Richard Davies, GCC track coordinator, 0438 648 030.

The Big Red Ride Dinner

There is a fund raising dinner for children living with Muscular Dystrophy (MD). The dinner will add to fund-raising already done by myself, my wife Vanessa and a few other Canberra riders as part of the Bondi to Katoomba MD Charity ride on 1 December big red ride.

Date: Friday 15 November 2013 from 6.00pm

Location: Hellenic Club, Phillip

Guest Speaker will be Brad McGee (Tour de France yellow jersey and Olympic Cycling Gold Medalist). There will be an auction including a signed Tour de France yellow jersey, Brumbies jersey and Wallabies jersey. Tickets $70 which includes a $35 tax deductible donation

Tickets available by contacting ride@pedal4pierce.com or calling Canberra Paralympian Robert Oakley on 0429 382 502.

Upcoming Events

Fitz’s Challenge – 27 October

Canberra's biggest and best-known long-distance one-day cyclo-sportive participation event on sealed rural roads in hilly terrain in the southwest of ACT.

Full details and registration at www.fitzs.com.au .

The Classic Adelaide Veterans Series – January 2014

· Sat 18th Road Race - Graded at The Range Willunga

· Mon 20th Time Trial - 5 yr age div – Woodchester to Langhorne Creek return

· Wed 22nd Hill Climb – 6 kms - 5 yr age div – bike track Mt Barker Rd Glen Osmond

· Thurs 23rd Criterium – Graded – Victoria Park Criterium track Adelaide city

Registration including an early-bird incentive will be on the www.savca.org.au website soon.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 22^nd October: Stromlo Criterium

Where: Stromlo Forrest Park

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

Race Description:

Due to the limited daylight currently available, we will be running a Modified Super Crit format:

5:45 pm: G Grade – 10 mins + 2 laps

6:04 pm: C/D Combined – 19 mins + 2 laps

6:29 pm: E/F Combined – 14 mins + 2 laps

6:49 pm: A/B Combined – 26 mins + 2 laps

Race Director: Michael Fawke

Contact: Email: mjfawke@internode.on.net Ph 0414685464 or 62232291

Reminder

Crit Marshals and Helpers needed

Michael 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, 24^th October: Track Racing

Where: Queanbeyan Track

When: 6:00 pm

Details: 3 – 4 short events per session with a mixture of scratch, handicap, sprinting and team events;

Sunday, 27^th October – No Race

Fitz’s Challenge weekend.

RACE REPORT:

Stromlo Criterium – 15^th October

It may have been windy, and it was our first 'Supercrit', but nothing was going to deter riders from the first Crit of the season. There were 95 starters in all.

The plan was to give all riders a longer Crit notwithstanding the sun still going down a little early at this time of the year. The plan started well with EFG getting 20 minutes and 2 laps. However after that the numbers were too great to run the event as planned.

With 30 riders EFG stayed together for a while but with each lap the elastic band started stretching and eventually snapped with riders being lapped just after the half way mark. The winners of the EFG group were Kelvin Alley, Andrew Welsh and Pauline Thorn

The call then went out for ABCD to come to the line and this is where it became interesting. 65 riders came forward! This was too many to run a safe race as the tents and infrastructure for the Scott 24 hour race was all still perilously close to the track.

So thanks for the forbearance shown by ABCD who we split into two groups, giving each a fast and furious race. Needless to say the fields split pretty quickly in both the races. At times there were bikes from one end of the straight to the other. Winners on the day were Matthew Kinch and Mark Langman in AB and Paul Frankcom and David Johnson in CD.

Thanks to Rob Diamond for Race Refereeing.

Dog Trap Road Scratch – 20^th October

Murrumbateman laid on a beautiful morning for a bike race and 52 riders registered to start.

Unfortunately only 51 started as club stalwart Graham Hendrie kindly agreed to forgo his ride to drive a race trailing car as required in NSW. The lack of marshals also meant that we had to amend to course to take out the southern turn. The lack of marshals meant that we were probably close to having to cancel the race - which given the ideal conditions would have been a tragedy. Please volunteer to marshal - it makes the running of events much easier if the club knows well in advance of the event if there are enough marshals for the race.

There were generally bunch sprint finishes in most grades - apart from G grade where Bruce Jones was baulked at the bridge just before the finish by a big roo he reckons was at least "2 metres high" (and presumably about 100kg) giving Lindsay Graham an easy win.

F grade was won by Mike Corke ahead of Bob Kent and Ian Albury while first race rider Rob Quilty overpowered Angie Wren and Liz Lowe in E grade for a clear victory. Welcome also to Gareth Miller who had his first start in E grade also.

D grade hopefully learnt that taking Terry Danaher to the finish is not a good move as Terry still has the sprinter's fast twitch muscles to win from Phil Walker and Kev Hennessy.

A less than confident on the start line Mark Taylor proved himself wrong by finishing ahead of David Stewart-Thompson and Dale Teddy in C grade.

Bruce "welcome to A grade" (according to his B grade colleagues) Luckham edged out Paul Welsh and Pat

McNamara to take B grade (please take note club handicapper if you want to survive in any upcoming B grade bunches ...)

In Bruce's new grade, Matt Kinch got the better of Steve Crispin and Tom Hartley.

So what cycling axioms were proved true:

1. you can buy speed? Mark Taylor's new wheels might have given him the edge ...

2. if you have a proven track sprinter in your grade - don't take them to the finish ... burn them off on the hills well before you get the finish line in sight.

3. does throwing a drink bottle at the start of the final lap give you a winning edge? Maybe, but it didn't work for Ian Morton. Maybe the club could run a course on "bidon throwing" ... to assist members in the fine art of discarding a bidon?

Thanks to the people who helped make the race happen:

Henry Beaverstock, Graham Hendrie, James Meredith, Paul Angelatos and Stu our first aid officer.

Thanks to Malcolm Paterson for Race Refereeing.