Monday, December 23, 2013

New Team Website

The team has built a new website. For all future information regarding the Campos-Tele2 Cycling Team, please go to: www.campos-tele2cycling.com

You can also go to our facebook page or twitter for up to date information.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

2014 Season

The team is pleased to announce that Campos Coffee Queensland (www.camposcoffee.com) will continue to support the team for the 2014 season. After 3 successful years supporting the team, Campos will once again support cycling in Queensland.

We also wish to announce that Tele2 (www.tele2.com.au) will join the team as co-naming sponsor for 2014. The team is delighted that this local business from the Sunshine Coast will become a significant partner for the coming season.

Over the coming months, we will announce the complete list of companies supporting this great team.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Charles Coin Memorial Race

The Charles Coin Memorial race has been a happy hunting ground for the team in recent years, and with a strong team representing, the team was confident more success was possible. The 130km race started with an amazing solo break by Graeme Rose.

After approximately 5km, Graeme was involved with some early attacking, where he ended up getting away from the bunch by himself. For about 40km, Graeme surged away from the bunch and maintained a nice gap from the bunch. This strong move allowed the rest of the team to wait in the wings and follow the counter moves later in the race.

Once Graeme was eventually caught, more attacks began to occur, with Matt, Ben Chambers and Ben Cook all having ago off the front.

Finally, with about 50km to go, Dan McCulloch got himself into a 4 man break away. With Dan in the front group, the rest of the boys were able to sit back and see what happened. Meanwhile, the front group worked well together and managed to get a two and a half minute lead on the bunch and were certain to take the podium spots.

Into the final lap, the attacks began in the front group, with Mal Rudolph and Mark Laspina breaking clear. Dan and Liam McCarthy set about chasing the two riders up front, but weren't able to get back across. Dan was able to take 3rd place, while Mal Rudolph (Drapac) took the win.

Photos of the race can bee seen here. 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Cunningham Classic

This years Cunningham Classic included a number of very good riders, and was set to be one of the best editions ever. The weather was perfect, with just the right amount of wind present to make things interesting over the 171km course.

The race started as per usual, with a break away trying to get the KOM at 41km. This year, it was one rider away solo who stayed away to take the points. Once the KOM was passed, the real action started.

Leading into the first feed, the cross winds started to play their role, with many teams trying to take advantage of the wind. For several kilometres the cross winds meant that the race for many was cut short. Through this section, the team rode well to stay at the front and ensure a full team was present for the second half of the race.

After the first feed, there was 30km of head wind, that allowed a break of two riders get away. With TDU controlling the race, the break never gained more than 2 minutes, and were brought back once we turned for home.

As the race turned towards home, with 70km to go, the real attacks began. James Miller started to get amongst the action, but the group didn't want to let anything go. However, for more than 30km there were constant attacks, but still nothing got away.

Coming into the final 40km, the race headed east, and the wind had picked up. For almost 20km, the cross winds battered the field, and finally a break of 4 riders broke clear. Thankfully, our form rider Ben Cook made the split and allowed the rest of the team to wait for the finale.

As the front group came into the finish, Ben had an attack on the final hill of the day, 2km from home. Despite his best efforts, his break away companions counter attacked, where Ben held on to take 4th place. Anthony Collins had the power to take a great win.

Again with 2km to go, Matt counter attacked the moves being made in the chase group, and managed to slip off the front with Jayden Copp. The two stayed away, where Matt out sprinted Jayden to take 5th.

The team showed great patience to wait until the right time, to make our moves, where we we rewarded with some great results.

Check out some great photo's here at ESI Sports Photography

Monday, July 29, 2013

QRTS Round 4 - Kingaroy

The fourth round of the Queensland Teams Series was held in the Kingaroy region and the team was certainly at full strength to challenge for results.

Day One
The Saturday was located in Kumbia and featured 112km over a rolling circuit. The team was very aggressive throughout the race and rode at the front all day, making sure we were represented. All the team were very active and certainly made a good race of it.

A small break of 4 got away, and so the team went to the front trying to bring the small break back. With 40 seconds between the peleton and the break with only 5km to go, Ben Cook made a strong move over the final hills to try and get across to the front.

Despite no getting across, he still held on to a top 10 finish, with Ben Chambers and Graeme Rose also featuring in the top 20.

Day Two
Sunday's race was a very hard 145km race, that included plenty of climbing. A

gain the boys were very active and worked hard to get into the selections that were sure to happen.

At approximately half way, the race was split by the cross wind, and it was the ever present Ben Cook who got across to the front group as it split up. Once the break was established, the rest of the team was able to sit in and allow the other teams to chase.

Meanwhile, Ben was left to fend for himself up the front, where he managed to keep making the selection, until 10 riders broke clear and were away to contest the finish. Ben was out numbered by other team's but still managed to get some KOM points and make a real race of it.

In the finale, the strength in numbers by the other team's saw Ben luck out, however he still held on for 10th, which was incredible for such a young rider. Well done!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Queensland Teams Series Round 2

Round 2 of the QRTS was held in the southern downs region, with day one in Stanthorpe and day two in Warwick. Please note that official results are still to come, so we don't know the exact results.

Day One
In the morning of day one, the boys had to contest a 32km Team Time Trial. The goal for the morning was to limit loses given the TTT has never been the team's strength. The boys averaged more than 40km over a pretty hilly course, which we believe was enough to finish mid pack.

In the afternoon, the riders had a 115km road race. Just in time, the wind picked up, and the clouds rolled in. The conditions were becoming testing for sure, which resulted in a very selective race. Within the first few km's, the wind, hills and relentless attacking quickly thinned the group down.

Ben Cook was very active early, forcing the pace and trying to get a break away. No breaks were to go however, with the first 40km being extremely fast.

After 50km, Matt followed two riders up the rode, and was very briefly allowed to gain a small advantage. However, the big teams wanted the bunch to stay together for a little longer.

With 20km to go, the real action started, with James Miller and Ben Cook making sure they were up the front and getting into the moves. Tried as they did, the winning break still managed to get away in the final 10km without a team rider.

Despite missing the break, the boys rode well to be in the main bunch into the finish.

Day Two
Day two was a very windy 130km road race. The boys knew it was important to be at the front, and from the gun, Matt attacked and formed what ended up being the winning break.

For the first 30km, the break grew from 3, to 5 and then to 10 riders until a crucial turn and subsequent cross wind broke the lead group up. Matt was split off the back with several riders and was forced to chase.

As the race went on, the wind whittled down the bunch, until in the finale, there were just ones and twos across the road. Ben Cook was able to persist with the small groups and managed to get himself into the front few groups.

Well done to Jack Anderson for winning all three stages.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Metropolitan Championships success

This years metro champs proved to be a very successful weekend for the squad, with the B grade team dominating both the criterium and road race.

Criteriums

The A Grade race was characterised by a long break away that went from the gun. For most of the race, the break was clear of the field, gaining up to 50 seconds on the chasing pack. As the laps went by, the gap did eventually come down after being stable at 40 seconds for much of the race.

With some strong turns at the front by Michael Hill, the gaps came down further, as the team set up Dan McCulloch for a sprint.
In the finale, the break was caught, and the usual counter attacks began. However, Dan showed great patience to wait for a sprint and work to his strength. Another large break did get away in the finale, however it came back together with 250m to go. This saw a messy sprint, which caused Dan to have to interrupt his sprint. Dan managed to hold on for 7th, but if the "racing incident" hadn't occurred, Dan would certainly have made the podium.

The B grade race was a demonstration of great team work. The team worked hard towards ensuring the race was to be a sprint, so they could set up form rider Jack Richards for the sprint. All the boys covered all dangerous moves and into the finale, made sure Jack was in position for the sprint.

In the final lap, Jack was dropped off by the team onto the leadout train of a rival team, and took full advantage of this lead out.

Jack had the power to open up his sprint and hold it to the line for a great win.

Road Race
The road race the following day was highly anticipated with the team motivated by Jack's success.

The A Grade race was first off, with the boys looking to be aggressive on the selective road course.

On the first lap, a break of two riders went away and eventually established a gap of almost 3 minutes. As such, the team had to contribute to the chase to allow Matt and Ben to attack in the finale. As the gap reduced, Matt and Ben tried several times to bridge across, but the motivated peleton wouldn't let them go.

In the final 10km's, a small break bridged across to the front duo, which the team initially missed. Ben and Matt tried to get across in the dieing kilometres, but it was too late. It was good racing all the same.

The B Grade team was especially ready to go, with Justin Jelenkovic attacking early in the race. JJ gained an early lead, and was soon joined by four other riders, who set about increasing the gap to the peleton.

The break worked hard for the entire race, and was never to come close to being caught by the main group. As such, the break was able to indulge in some cat and mouse in the

finale, with JJ using some great attacking riding to get away from his breakaway companions.

JJ was strong enough to hold his lead and take a great win. JJ will now be promoted to the A grade squad. Well done!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Tour of Toowoomba

The second NRS event for the men's team was the Tour of Toowoomba. Renowned for it's hilltop finishes and brutal cross winds, this year's tour was no different.

Stage 1 for the team was fairly uneventful, with the boys just looking to get through the first stage and not loose anytime. First mission complete.

Stage 2 finished up the Bunya Mountains. The fact is, this climb is brutally hard, and ultimately shaped the GC for the rest of the race. Ben Cook did as good as he could to stay with the front group, but as the 7km climb continued, the Genesys team tightened the screws on everyone, and blew the race apart.

Ben did well to still finish in the top 20, and be 3rd overall in the Young Rider classification.

Stage 3 was a Team Time Trial. This wasn't the team's strength, so it was all about limiting losses and getting to the finish. Another box ticked.

Stage 4 was by all accounts, the hardest of the race. The wind was very strong, and from the start the attacks made sure those in bad position were to be left behind. Dan did well to stay in the front group, however Ben was dealt a tough lesson as he got caught at the back in the crosswinds. He did gain a valuable experience in positioning in such races.

Stage 5 was the usual Queens Park Criterium, which is the traditional finish to the race. The boys tried to feature in the race, but the big NRS teams made sure they had complete control of the race, and had the strength to ensure nothing dangerous was to get away. The boys did well to finish off a very hard tour.

Women's Race
For the first time, a women's race was included around Queens Park on the final day. Our form rider, Jasmin, made her way up to contest this inaugural event and did a great job. Early in the race, four girls broke clear and established a good gap. Jazzy was attentive enough to make this group and contribute to the pace making.

As the laps went by, it soon became clear the four leaders would stay away, so the cat and mouse tactics came to the fore. coming into the finale, the attacks began.

Ruth Corset made a strong attack, and was soon going solo. The three chasing girls couldn't bring her back, and started to fight for the minor placings. After a great effort, Jazzy took 4th behind a storming Ruth Corset.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Quick Update

It has been a very busy few weeks for the team, with loads of travel and racing being done.

The first round of the Queensland Teams Series was held in Gatton recently, where Ben Cook did a great job in coming 10th in the time trial and 7th in the last road stage. Meanwhile Condy and Dan got top ten placings in the road races as well. Overall, the team is sitting very well and have room to move up the standings.

The Team's series race was followed by Battle on the Border. Battle for this year was an NRS race for the women and A Grade men, so hard an fast racing was on the menu all weekend. All though there were no results of note, the team worked very hard to do as best they could, while ensuring plenty of fun was had along the way. I highlight of the weekend was certainly the team bbq on Saturday night. After four days of racing, the crew deserve some time off...if only.

The Tour of Toowoomba is next on the agenda.

Monday, April 29, 2013

ANZAC 25

The annual ANZAC 25 race at Lakeside Raceway is a great way to pay tribute to the diggers that have served the country so well.

The A Grade Men's team was well represented and eager to go. The boys had discussed about going for the primes, and then setting things up for Dan in the sprint. This mostly worked out in our favour, with Ben Cook and Matt Murray both getting a prime each.

Ben took his prime by attacking with almost 2km from the line. After the whistle for the prime blew, Ben waited until the first hill on the circuit to launch an attack that no one responded too. He managed to power away and take the first prize solo.

Matt then was able to wait until the final of four primes, where he followed an attack by Brad Nightingale. The two opened a gap 2km from the line, but were joined by two other riders about 1km to go. Matt played it smart and allowed the other two riders to come across, where he managed to wait until the final climb to attack the small group. With no response to his attack, Matt was able to also solo to the prime win.

The boys then went about setting Dan up for the sprint, where things went well until the final kilometre. The boys had Dan in 5th wheel going over the final climb, but by the bottom, Dan was at the front with 400m to go. Dan was forced to lead out the sprint, and was unable to get the result he was capable of.

It was a succesful day none the less.



Saturday, April 13, 2013

Qld State Criterium Championships

The Sunshine Coast Cycling Club was host to the Queensland State Criterium Championships for 2013. The tough circuit was to ensure a worthy winner in each category was to come to the fore, and the team was ready for action.

Elite Women's Title

The women's team was certainly the strongest of the day, and the results will reflect that. Jazzy continued her amazing form to win with ease, while Lou showed her form was also on the improve, by taking 3rd. Sally was also in the action by doing a great job of softening the field up and also monitoring any dangerous moves.

The race started with Sally attacking the first time up the hill. This allowed for Jazzy to counter attack, which proved to be decisive. Jazzy quickly opened a gap and looked to be riding away solo. However, Jemma Brown quickly decided to try and bridge across, and soon made contact with Jazzy, where they worked to build a lead.

The gap opened up quickly, and it was obvious the win would be from these two. In response, Sally and Lou traded counter attacks, with Lou managing to get away and begin a solo journey.

Jazzy was able to escape on the final lap for a great win, while Lou soloed in for third place. Another dominant display.

Elite Men's Title

With a previous winner in Dan and Matt taking second last year, the Elite Men's Title had every chance of coming the teams way. With a depleted team, and some local sunshine coast teams present, the race would be difficult to control.

Immediately the race was aggressive, with the new Tineli team sending rider after rider off the front in the hope a break would stick. Dan did plenty of good work to control the race, while Matt waited for the right move.

After much attacking, it came down to a two man break that formed in the final 5 minutes of the race. With 3 laps to go, Matt attacked in an attempt to bridge across to the two up front. Despite his best efforts, Matt couldn't make the final junction, and was taken up by the fast moving pack.

Into the final lap, there was a significant crash, which halted many riders progress, while one of the break away riders held on to win, as the remainder of the bunch took the rest of the podium places.



Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Sizziling Summer Series Round 3

The final round of the SSS was to be a showdown across all the grades. The A grade men's team was seeking to break the control of Budget, B grade was trying to get Mark Pierce into another winning position, while the girls wanted to dominate with a stage win and overall victory.

Women's race
Unfortunately Sally was unable to race due to illness, so it was left to the more than capable Corissa, Lou and Jazzy to fly the flag.

As predicted, the Pensar team were aggressive to begin with, trying to force a break. Thankfully Corissa was ever present near the front and able to keep any dangerous moves in check. Meanwhile, Jazzy and Lou were able to bide their time for the action to come.


As the race progressed, Pensar again tried to get Jenelle (Pensar) into a move, but with Lou and Corissa working tirelessly for Jazzy, it was sure to be a sprint.

With two laps to go Jenelle went solo, but Corissa and Lou brought her back, where Lou then went into leadout mode for Jazzy, which she now seems to have perfected. Coming into the last corner, Jazzy was dropped off into the perfect position, where she could open her sprint and win by over a length.

 
 
This rounds win meant Jazzy took 2nd overall. Great work by Jazzy and all the girls who really worked well together.

The series was also some of the best women's racing seen in South-east Queensland. Well done girls.


A Grade Men
With the domination of Budget over the previous two rounds, the team was set to try and ruffle some feathers. All the boys were very active in trying to get into anything that might resemble a break away. Steve, Matt and Jimmy were all briefly involved in some breaks, however the teams with the best sprinters were keen to see the group together.


With four laps to go, Mick sensed an opportunity and followed a group. A reasonable gap quickly grew and it looked as if the break might stay away until the end. Unfortunately the strong Budget team did a good job in bringing them back and setting up a fast sprint.


Dan and Condy were well positioned and both managed to get into the top 10.

B Grade Men
The B grade race was always going to be hard to control. The boys had a plan to put Mark into the best position possible for the sprint. As such, the rest of the team did a brilliant job at controlling most of the race, allowing Mark to save his legs for the finale.

Throughout the race there were many attempts to cause a split in the bunch, but with the tireless JJ and Adam Barron ensuring nothing dangerous got away, it was looking like the plan would come off.

Despite the teams great work, with three laps to go a small group of three riders snuck away almost unnoticed. The team was late to respond, with Ben Chambers trying his best to get across. However it was not to be and the three riders stayed away to take the podium.

Meanwhile, Mark Pierce was able to take 7th, which is still a great effort.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Mt Cotton Kermis

It was hot at the Mt Cotton Kermis, which saw some hard racing unfold. The A grade and B grade men's teams were both represented, and did well in the trying conditions to achieve some reasonable success.

A Grade Men

In temperatures close to 35 degrees, the A grade boys rolled off in the hope of improving on Condy's second place from last year. Early on Graeme did well to monitor some early moves, which weren't given much space to begin with.

Matt then also tried to get away, but was countered by what was the big break of the day. With 20 minutes done, a group of 6 riders eased off the front and immediately got a good gap. Unfortunately the team was not represented, and as such, we had to contribute to a long and taxing chase.

With the help of other teams who missed the break, the boys managed to keep the gap at not more than 45 seconds. As the boys sacrificed themselves, the gap slowly came down, and with 20 minutes left to race, the break was finally brought back.

Thankfully Condy was safely in the front group and managed to not have to spend any energy on the chase.

With only a few laps to go, two riders (Corey Edmed and Daniel Fitter) slipped off the front after countering a solo move by Liam McCarthy. In the finale kilometre, Brad Nightingale also got away for third, while Condy took the sprint for fourth.

B Grade Men

The B grade team did a great job in animating the race, with aggressive rides by George and Adam Barron. This took the pressure of Ben and JJ who were able to wait for the finale to try for a result.

Although there were many attacks, the race was altogether coming into the final kilometres. The boys did a great job at ensuring Ben and JJ were in position to contest the finish. With the final part of the course being a little tricky, Ben and JJ did well to get third and fourth respectively.


Another successful weekend of racing indeed!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Sizziling Summer Series Round 2

Round two of the criterium series saw the squads greatest day of results, with two wins and top ten finishes as well as aggressive riding that paid off in spades.

Women's Race

With two of the team struck down with illness, it was left to Lou and Jazzy to fly the flag for the women's team. Given their reduced numbers, the girls decided the best form of defence was attack, and that's exactly what Lou did.

Lou was able to escape on a strong solo move, where she was able to clean up the primes on offer, but more importantly, force the other teams to chase. As the chase wore down the other teams, Jazzy was able to benefit from Lou's great work and got a free ride into the finale.

Once Lou was caught, she then set about defending Jazzy's position by controlling the peleton and ensuring Jazzy was well placed for the sprint finish.

Due to Lou's great help, Jazzy was perfectly positioned for the sprint and was able to come away with a great win for the team. Very well deserved!

More photo's can be found here

A Grade Men's race

The A Grade Men's race was a well controlled affair, with the Budget team doing a great job at ensuring their leader Jesse was well placed to consolidate his lead.

Despite the strength of Budget, many attempts to break away were made from the teams that don't have a great sprint option. Unfortunately many of the attempts to get away were inevitably brought back by the storming Budget team.

This did however allow our team riders to follow the tempo and wait for what was always going to be a sprint finish.

Into the final few laps a crash interrupted Dan's move towards the front, but as ever, Condy was well placed to contest the sprint, where he managed to get 7th place, which puts him into 4th overall.

Next week we'll seek to get Condy onto the podium.

Photo's can be found here

B Grade Men's race

The B grade Men's team also showed some great tactical ability in being able to win what was a hectic and difficult race to control.

The team had a plan to work towards a sprint to set up Ben Chambers, but the other teams had other ideas and set about creating an aggressive and fast race. Mid way through the race, a dangerous move formed, which Adam Barron was able to be apart of and monitor things for the rest of the team. Being the clever rider that he is, Adam managed to get the prime.

Into the finale, the attacks continued and the race was hard to control. Thankfully the boys managed to stay near the front and take advantage of the opportunities as they came. As such, a chaotic final lap saw Mark Pierce take advantage of a late attack with a great counter move and sprint clear for a great win.



More photo's can be found here

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sizziling Summer Series Round 1

The annual Sizzling Summer Series is when the real racing kicks off in the greater Brisbane area. All of the new teams and kit are out on display, and eager to get some early season results.

As seems to be usual now for this criterium series, the rain was persistent across the whole day, with none of the races being dry. Despite this, there were no crashes and the riding was safe and fast. The A grade race still managed to average 47kph in the pouring rain with no crashes. Well done boys!

Women's Race

Sunday 3 March saw the start of the Ausenco Summer Series, a three race series that will see the girls race 45min + 3 laps at Wayne Goss Drive in Crestmead. Race 1 saw a great line up of elite women despite wet roads and the threat of torrential rain.

Typically keen for some aggressive racing Jazzy kicked-off the first attack of the race, getting a small break away which was countered by Lou and once brought back countered by Sally. Sally’s attack resulted in a breakaway of five riders including Janelle Crooks, Brittany Lindores, Nataile Langer and Jemma Brown.

Concerned by the fast gaining bunch, driven by Marianne Westacott & Alex O’dea, Sally attacked again to sustain the break, only Jemma and Janelle were able to follow. With one rider from Pensar, QSM and Campos-Avalon-Champ Sys in the breakaway, team tactics prevailed and the battle was too tough for lone riders to bridge the gap. This provided a great opportunity for Corissa to observe and practice what is involved in controlling the bunch when you have a teammate up the road.

The rain came down hard, the break lapped the bunch, it rained a little more. Jemma led into the last lap with Sally on her wheel, Sally kicked from the last corner and got a gap on the other girls, Janelle came back strong and pipped Sally on the line for the win.

The team is looking forward to going into race 2 on Sunday 10 March. The girls are excited about working together to try and attain the leaders jersey, the battle for the series win will be interesting given the strength of the Pensar team and the developing team tactics of the QSM team.

A Grade Race

The A grade race was the second squad to race, and the rain really started to pour down for this event. Some early break away attempts, saw the race start very fast, but no early break was allowed away. Budget Forklifts really controlled the race well and managed to ensure Jessie Kerrison was well placed to take out three of the four primes. Given the strength of the Budget team and the overall speed of the race, it was very difficult to get away.

While Condy waited for the sprint, both Dan and Matt tried to get into some small moves, but these were never allowed much latitude. As such, the team just made sure Condy and Dan were able to be in position for the inevitable sprint.

Budget lead the sprint out and managed to get Jessie the win, while Condy was able to get 5th, with Dan in 8th. The boys did well to get into the points, and can build on this platform for hopefully better overall results.

B Grade Race

The B grade race was also held in wet conditions, but this didn't stop the race from being aggressive. Early on it was JJ and Gleggy who did plenty of work to try and get into a bit of a move off the front, but the group didn't want to see any big splits in the peleton. This suited the versatile team, as they were prepared for a sprint if it were to come to that.

Jack and Mark were left to look after Ben for the pending sprint and help bring back any late moves. As the laps went by, the sprint looked more and more likely, which meant Ben was preparing himself for a went and dangerous finale. Coming into the final lap, Ben was well placed in about 6th wheel, but into the final bend, fell back a bit and managed to take 4th place.

The results means he is well placed to improve his overall standings and no doubt contest for the overall win.

Stay tuned for next weeks results

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Girraween Open Criterium

The Sunshine Coast Cycling Club hosted the inaugural Girraween Open Criterium over the newly constructed cycling facility near Noosa. The circuit was a great race track, with some elevation changes and good facilities, so the racing was going to be hard.

Women's Race
The girls were first to race, and the rain stopped just in time to allow a dry race. The girl to beat was always going to be Shara Gillow (Orica - Greenedge), who was clearly in good form. From the gun, Shara hit the bunch with a huge attack and was straight away off the front solo. As such, the girls had to chase. All the team worked well to maintain the gap to something manageable, but due to the tough climb and wind, the going was hard.

The hard conditions allowed Shara to build her lead. Meanwhile, Lou Betts was able to break away in pursuit with another girl, but Gillow was too strong and was never to be caught. Lou held on to get third place.


A Grade Race
The men's race started off with a bang, as new recruit Graeme Rose attacked from the gun. This aggressive start cause major stress in the bunch, with riders struggling. As Graeme was caught Jimmy Miller then had a go off the front and spent some time solo. As the other teams chased him back, Matt then also counter attacked, but wasn't let go for long.

The race settled into a rhythm for a while, until the attacks began again, which saw a group of three sneak away. Matt and Graeme chased, but weren't able to get across and had to settle for a place in the bunch.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Success at Brisbane Blast

The first big open road race for the three squads was the Brisbane Blast, which was to be used as an unveiling of the teams on the road. It was especially exciting to see the debut of the women's team and the first full force race for the B grade team. It also saw the debut for some new riders in the A Grade team.

Women's Race
The women started the day off in style. With a great line up of female talent, the race was anticipated to be an aggressive race. The four girls went out to be aggressive from the start and started the race with some strong riding by Lou Betts and Corissa Smith. Sally Cowman then put some pressure on the field, which softened things up for Jasmin Hurikino to follow a counter attack.

This counter attack saw a group of four girls ride off the front, where Jazzy then worked well to establish the gap. The finale saw some more attacks, but in the end it was a three girl sprint, where Jazzy was able to take third place. Great work Jazzy.

B Grade Race
The B Grade team were almost at full strength and really did dominate the race. Aggressive riding early on by JJ and Gleggy allowed Adam Baron to get a gap and force the other teams to chase.

Coming into the finale, Mark Pierce and JJ were able to support Ben Chambers in holding position and controlling the race. This allowed Ben to time his effort in the final 500m to go solo to the line for a fine early season win. Good work Ben.

A Grade
The final race of the day was the A grade team. The class field of top quality riders saw the race average incredible speeds from the gun. The field was always strung out with limited opportunities to attack being presented.

As such, the race was one of attrition, with many riders dropping off. In addition, a large crash mid way through limited the chances of some of the team, however Mick Hill and Dan McCulloch were able to get through the crash to contest the final. Despite Dan crashing, he was able to dust himself off and be in contention for the sprint, where he was able to take a top ten finish. Not bad considering the 49kph average speed and crashes.

Monday, January 14, 2013

2013 Team Launch

The recent team launch was a great success. It was an opportunity to get all three squads together and gave all of the team riders a chance to bring family and friends along to meet all of our great sponsors and team mates.

Campos were kind enough to host the event again at their Wandoo Street cafe, and put on some excellent food and drinks. The cold beers were a hit, given the extreme heat, and allowed the big gathering of supporters to enjoy the evening in comfort.

Now that all the official presentations have been made, and the team is officially launched, we're now gearing up for the first race of the year, the annual Tyalgum Cup. Stay tuned for updates on how the team goes on our twitter updates and facebook page

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