3.2 March 13 Bleat

Post date: Mar 13, 2017 1:9:7 PM

Hello Vets,

In the Bleat this week;

• Notice of Annual General Meeting 2017

• From the desk of the handicapper

• Autumn She Rides

• RIDER ALERT

• Racing this Week

• Race Reports

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

Ian Morton

Annual General Meeting

From the desk of the handicapper

Changes;

- Ben Healy C to B

- John Wilson E to D

- Matt Dyne D to C

- James Curran D to C

Congratulations to Peta Brill on her B grade victory on Tuesday 28th Feb. Peta becomes, I think, only the third woman behind Terry Moore and Janine Ridsdale to stand on the top step of the podium in B grade. Please provide other names if this is incorrect.

Autumn She Rides

Cycling Australia's She Rides ‘Together’ program is led again this year by Level 2 Cycling Coach and Vets member, Angie Wren. This course is for women who already have the ability to ride a bike for at least an hour and would like to learn more about group riding, fine-tuning their skills, and getting fit on the bike.

With a maximum of nine participants you will learn about all aspects of road cycling and how to implement a training program to maximise your fitness gains. The course starts with an introduction session on Tuesday evening, 14 March, and then continues for eight Saturdays, 7am - 9am, from 18 March to 20 May (with two weeks break in the middle for the school holidays). More information and registration instructions are at the following link:

http://www.cycling.org.au/Participation/She-Rides/Locations/Programs/canberra-act-together-roadtraffic

Angie Wren

RIDER ALERT

Event Name: Annual Daramalan College Charity Walk

Event Date and Time: Thursday 23 March - 9:30 am to 1 pm

What: 1,200 students and staff walking around Lake Burley Griffin western loop shared path.

Starts at 9:30 am at Lennox Gardens with walkers moving in a clockwise direction, finishing at Acton Park at lunchtime.

We hope it does not cause any inconvenience to those members who use this path as part of their daily commute or recreational activities.

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 14th March: Stromlo Criterium

Where: Stromlo Forest Park

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

Race Description:

E/F/G 20 m + 2 5:50 E/F/G 20 m + 2

A/C 6:15 A 28m+2, C 28m+2

B/D 6:50 B 28m+2, D 25m+2

Race Director: Ben Davis

Contact: Email: bdavis@internode.on.net Ph 0416014629

2 x marshals required for this event.

Wednesday, 15th March: Track Racing

The Program for Wednesday is as follows:

The Program for Wednesday is as follows: 5.30pm – 6.00pm: Warm-up and free practice; 6.00pm – 6.20pm: 10-lap graded scratch race; 6.20pm – 6.50pm: 2-lap Standing Start TT (Omnium event); 6.50pm – 7.10pm: 4-lap handicap race; 7.10pm – 7.30pm: Italian pursuit.

The 2016-17 Omnium Series of four races continues on 15 Mar with the 2 Lap TT.

Sunday, 19th March: Stromlo Forest Park Club Championship

Where:Stromlo Forest Park

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

Race Description:

Age Group Championships

*Age Classification is the Age that you turn on your birthday in 2017, eg a rider who turns 40 in December 2017 is classed as M2 (40-44) or W2 (40-49) for all events during 2017.

Women and men in age groups go off same times but race separately.

Race Director: Ben Davis

Contact: Email: bdavis@internode.on.net Ph 0416014629

1 x Marshal required

RACE REPORTS:

Narrabundah Track Racing – 8th March

Attendance for Session 18 of the track racing season was relatively good, given that several regulars were in Sydney for the national track championships. Fourteen riders attended, split equally between A and B grades. Unusually, the weather was quite cool. There was strong headwind down the front straight, an uncommon direction for the Bundadome.

Seven A grade riders lined up for the initial 10-lap scratch race. The race did not take long to become interesting. On lap 3 Ben Davis accelerated off the front, pursued by Dougal Torrance. The resultant split was slowly closed by Andrew Peel over several laps. By lap 8, the pack had fully consolidated. Shortly after this, Michael Langdon led a bunch of four riders out for the final laps. Michael set a hot pace and managed to hold off Ben Robey for the win. Andrew Peel followed in third place.

The 10-Lap B grade scratch race started at moderate pace and began to hot up around mid race. Lap 7 saw the first rider dropped with a second rider dropped as the final lap approached. Tony Beasley put in an early attack approaching the bell lap. He soon had a substantial gap on the field. John Lowe pursued, but to no avail. Tony took a comfortable win over John Lowe and Phil Anderson, in that order.

The evening’s second event was a 200 metre, flying start, time trial. This is an exhilarating event, though quite technically demanding. Ben Robey lined up with aero helmet and took a bit of good natured ribbing on the start line. Ben had the last laugh with the best A grade time and the only run under 13 seconds. Michael Langdon and John Paul De Sousa set the second and third best times in A grade. In B Grade, Steve Dean set a scorching time (13.92 seconds) that would have been good enough for fourth in A grade. John Lowe and Ian Drayton set the second and third best times in B grade. John is rapidly settling in to track racing and becoming a strong performer in B grade.

The next event was a 2 Lap handicap race. In A grade, Michael Langdon put in a great performance from the scratch mark. From the start, he accelerated quickly and surged around the field in just over a lap. He soon locked onto John Paul De Sousa, by then, the lead rider. John Paul was not intimidated by Michael’s surge. He held a scorching pace over the final half lap and gave Michael little chance to overtake. This was a good win by John Paul with Michael taking a well deserved second. Dougal Torrance took a creditable third, his first podium in A grade.

In B grade, Graeme O’Neill led out from a good handicap. Graeme’s handicap was reduced following his last 2-lap handicap win. However, a slight error by the starter delayed the pursuing bunch and provided Graeme with an opportunity for a second win in this event. John Lowe and Steve Dean emerged from the pursuing bunch to take second and third places, respectively.

The final combined Italian pursuit had six riders, drawn from A and B grades, on each team. This was a great event and the closest team contest so far this season. Both teams made good starts with Team 1 establishing a very slight lead. It soon became clear that this would be a close contest, with the two teams circulating almost in lockstep. As the final lap approached, Team 1 had, by then, eked out 1 – 2 metres advantage and looked the best prospect for a win. However, Ben Robey, the team 2 anchor rider, found inspiration from a good racing session. He rocketed around the track gradually closing on Michael Langdon and taking him on the line by no more than 100mm. Team 2 were, naturally, jubilant. Regardless, Team 1 were still very satisfied with such a great race.

Major place getters were as follows:

10-Lap Scratch: (A Grade) Michael Langdon, Ben Robey, Andrew Peel. (B Grade) Tony Beasley, John Lowe, Phil Anderson. 200 m Fly TT: (A Grade) Ben Robey (12.94s), Michael Langdon (13.17s), John Paul De Sousa (13.82s). (B Grade) Steve Dean (13.92s), John Lowe (14.36s), Ian Drayton (14.84s). 2-Lap Handicap: (A Grade) John Paul De Sousa, Michael Langdon, Dougal Torrance. (B Grade) Graeme O’Neill, John Lowe, Steve Dean. Combined Italian Pursuit Winner: Team 2 (Ben Robey, John Paul de Sousa, Andrew Peel, Dougal Torrance, Tony Beasley, Ross Scutts).

Current Season Points Score Leaders:

Michael Langdon (289), Phil Anderson (277), Steve Jones (260), Ross Scutts (258), Tony Beasley (223), Alec Millett (220), Graeme O’Neill (179), Kerry Knowler (174).

Current Omnium Points:

Steve Dean (8), Michael Langdon (8), Ben Davis (6), Ross Scutts (6), Kerry Knowler (5), Dougal Torrance (5), Phil Anderson (5), Ben Robey (5), John Paul De Sousa (3), John Lowe (3).

Graeme O'Neill