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!

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