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.

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.

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.



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.

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.

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!

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

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