Reports

Glenvale Crescent Crits February 3
Mulgrave
Feb 03 2008
Mal Sawford

A Walker Family trifecta

There were good sized fields in all grades this morning on a perfect morning for racing; fine and warm, with little wind. Riders of all levels of ability were in action - from established Euro pro's like Will Walker (Rabobank) and Priska Doppman's Cervelo-Lifeforce squad, to a group of women getting their first taste of Criterium action.

Thanks to Suzanne Lawrence (www.Velophoto.net) for a bumper crop of photos covering all the day's action.

A Grade

The opening laps of the A Grade race flew by at a frightening pace, and there was little let up for close to 40 minutes. Despite the rapid tempo, the strongest riders still forced their way clear, including the Walker clan: Will, John (South Australia.com-AIS) and Nick (Jayco VIS), Andrew Stalder (Promains/Richmond Cyclery), Peter Barnett (CCCC/SHM Elite), Pete Johnstone (Inexa Race Frames/VIS), Pat Shaw (Jayco VIS) and Daniel Nelms.

Small groups repeatedly went clear, but were never able to get much more than ten seconds clear, and each were chased down within a couple of laps. With 20 minutes remaining, the pace finally eased a little, and a series of attacks and counter attacks saw violent reactions within the bunch, forcing a number of early retirements.

As gaps began to open, Will and John Walker took full advantage, breaking clear with Stalder, Shaw and Danny Kah (CCCC/SHM Elite), and opening an advantage that could not be closed. After working well to establish the break, Will showed his strength when the ‘3 to go' lap board came out, and powered away from his companions to take the win. Stalder won the sprint for second ahead of Shaw, John Walker and Kah, with the final place going young Nick's way after he joined a last minute six rider counter attack and proved the quickest of the six.

B Grade

The B Grade race followed a very similar pattern to A Grade, with a constant stream of attacks unable to break the shackles to a hungry bunch. An early attack by Hugh Forrest, Rick Jones and Cam Rotter (Datacom/Burnley Finance), Scott Berry (Hampton Cycles), James Broadway (Fitzroy Cycles) and Sara Duster (Cervelo-Lifeforce) looked the most promising, with Duster's team mates patrolling the front of the bunch, but there were too many willing strong men for the break to succeed.

The father and son pair of Russell and Brent Nelson combined twenty minutes later in a break of six, and with Christiane Soeder representing the professional women, the ingredients once again looked right for success, but the result was the same, and after the capture, the big bunch kept the pace high enough that escape was nigh on impossible.

Steve Morrow, Rotter and Jones all made solo efforts in the final minutes without success, as the field headed for a bunch sprint. Lined out in single file for the last three laps, the Cervelo women looked well positioned to set up Emma Rickards, their CCCC rider, for a repeat of her 2007 bunch sprint win, with Doppman and Rickards third and fourth into the first corner on the final lap.

Unfortunately, the rider who led the field through the corner couldn't make the turn and hit the deck. Doppman made it past, but Rickards' evasive action saw her end up on the grass. The re-shuffle at the front of the bunch that resulted saw Robert Koroknai capitalise and sprint to a clear win ahead of Will Livesay, Russell Nelson, Cormick and Dean San Filippo, with Sarah Duster next home to take the ladies prize ahead of team mates Pascale Schnider and Caroline Steffan.

C Grade

Danny Weatherley took the C Grade bunch sprint, in a great result for the rider who took a year off racing and is just getting back into things. Fergus McLachlan showed the benefit of track training with Hilton Clarke's High Performance Junior squad as he sprinted home in second place ahead of Daryl Beovich and Alan Beveridge.

Liv Gluchowska, another trackie, took the women's sprint.

D Grade

A six rider break just after the half way mark dominated the D Grade race, with James Kladouris (The Freedom Machine) joining Roger Lancaster, Brett Gartner, Eric Sheppard, Bob Quirk and Peter Dean at the front of the race.

Kladouris ran out of steam after ten minutes, as the remaining five extended their lead with every lap, to eventually finish over a minute clear. Lancaster led out the sprint 300 metres from home, and looked good, but was overhauled in the final metres by Gartner. Sheppard beat Quirk and Dean for third place, while back in the bunch, Susan McCarthy was too strong for Tuesday night winner Sue Cox and Penny Charles.

Women's Coffee Crit

The Women's Coffee Crits are a new initiative from CycleSport Victoria to make racing more accessible to the growing number of serious recreational women riders with a series of ‘Coffee Crits' at Melbourne's three biggest weekly criteriums. While non-competitive, the format simulates race conditions and draws on the successes of CCCC's well established novice programs in that the women are accompanied by experienced mentors to give them hands on instruction on the finer points of bunch racing.

Despite some confusion over the scheduling of the session this week, which saw Coffee Crits run at two venues, the women at Glenvale had a fun session under the control of Kerrie Howard, Melissa Nicholls and Bec Domange, and were also joined on the track by one of Australia's top female professionals, Emma Rickards (Cervelo-Lifeforce). All enjoyed free drinks and muffins, during the detailed debrief that followed and then watched the tactics displayed by Rickards and her international team mates during the B Grade race with an expert eye. Two of the girls put their new found skills and confidence to good use straightaway, and raced with the mixed D Grade field.

CCCC will host a third Coffee Crit on March 2. For a full list of dates and venues, check http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/ regularly.

Carnegie Caulfield Criteriums continue on Tuesday evenings at Sandown Park raceway. Entry is via Sandown Rd (Melways map 80 B10). Gates open at 5.45pm, with racing from 6.30pm.  Sundays are at Glenvale Crescent (Melways map 80 B2). B and D Grades start at 9am, while A and C Grade ride at 10.15am.

For first time competitors and the younger juniors, Tokyo Olympian Mick Hollingsworth conducts novice racing clinics every week at Glenvale Crescent at 8.30am. For further details, go to http://www.carnegiecycling.com.au/.

All holders of 2008 Cycling Australia licenses are welcome (don't forget to bring your license or receipt!) and non-members can have a go by taking out a day license for $20. Licenses are now available at all CCCC events. All returning riders must resume in the grade they last raced in, unless prior arrangement has been made.

Results