Team Update

This time of year is always busy with sponsors and team riders. Allot has happened on both fronts, with plenty of positive steps being taken over the last few weeks.

On the sponsor front Campos Coffee Queensland have kindly continued to support the team for 2012. Campos are showing just how much they value the ever expanding cycling scene in SEQ and the team is very appreciative of their ongoing support.

Meridian Minerals are a new sponsor who are also very valued by the team. We hope we can ensure Meridian's first involvement with a cycling team is very positive and that an ongoing relationship can be established.

Ashgrove Cycles will continue to provide great technical support. We can't get the bikes out on the road without them.

Promotion Products are also new sponsors to the team and again we hope we can represent Promotion Products well for 2012.

Champion System once again will be providing top quality support to the team. We will no doubt be the best looking squad on the circuit in our great Champion System kit.

The Mill Pharmacy again support the team. Their award winning barista's always turn out a great coffee.

Maxxis Tyres again will provide some of the best tyres around to train and race on. Their on going support of the team is appreciated.

Ronde will also ensure our feet and hands have the best socks and gloves around.

Negotiations are ongoing to finalise the team, but the following riders are confirmed so far:

• Darren Condon


• Matt Murray


• James Miller


• Michael Hill


• Stephen Handreck


• Andy McAfee


• Aidan McKenzie

Campos - Meridian 2012

The 2012 season is set to be bigger and better for the team. With the support of existing and new sponsors, the team will be expanding its roster and racing capability. More details are to follow.

For now, the 2012 jersey:

Matt takes solo win at Lakeside

After taking second a couple of weeks ago, Matt was confident he could improve and take a win at Lakeside.

After the usual early attacks, the race settled into a rhythm which saw Matt get into a big break. This was eventually brought back and so the bunch worked hard towards the Prime. Matt sat in through the sprint, but then put the hammer down through the main straight to cause another split.

With about half an hour left to race, Matt and a breakaway companion started to gain time on the rest of the bunch. The two worked well together and managed to maintain their advantage. With 5 minutes to go, it looked like the bunch might catch Matt in the break, but the two increased the tempo to make sure they entered the last lap with enough gap to fight it out for the win.

On the second last climb, Matt tested the water with a big acceleration, but this wasn't enough. However, on the final climb, Matt put in an all out attack to ride away from his breakaway companion and ride in with plenty of time in front of the bunch to take a solo win.

Matt takes second in Lakeside Kermis

The Hamilton Pine Rivers Wheelers always ensure the local racing scene is well serviced by excellent racing. The regular Lakeside Kermis (Kermesse) at the Lakeside Raceway is one regular event that always draws a crowd.

On a warm spring morning the race was well attended and the action started from the gun with numerous attacks. After 10 minutes, Matt worked his way into a significant break of 7 riders, who worked well to create a good gap on the group.

The break worked hard and the whistle for the intermediate sprint sounded. Matt attacked up the backside of the course to cause a split in the break and caused 3 riders to ease off the front. Matt was in second wheel for the sprint but couldn't come past his rival for the Prime.

The break reformed and continued to stay away. However, with 15 minutes to go, two riders broke off the front and gained a good gap on the breakaway. Matt soon tried to bridge across, but couldn't get across, with the bunch now about to bring the break back. Matt sat up and allowed the bunch to work towards bringing the two breakaway riders back.

With 2 laps to go, there was only one rider left on the front and Matt waited for the group to bring him back. Up the final climb, the solo rider was within touching distance, and up the final climb, Matt attacked hard out of the group in an attempt to get across to the solo rider. He wasn't able to bridge, but did enough to ride solo across the line for second place.

Qld Teams Series - Finale

The final Teams Series race was held at Murarrie for a 60min criterium. The team was ready to lay it all on the line and make the race as hard as possible. Once again, the wind was going to play a big part with big gusts causing havoc across Brisbane.
At the start, Matt went immediately on the attack in the attempt to cause a split. A small group formed, howver it was shut down soon after. Then it was the turn of Taylor and Tom to do some one-two attacking to again try to cause a split - but again no luck.Callum was then able to spend two laps off the front in a solo bid to take the prime. Callum rode strong to hold off the pack, but team Budget was keen to contest the Prime and brought Callum back.

Condy and Matt then got themselves into a small break. All of the leaders were in the break and it looked like this might be the move. But again the bunch came back together.

Soon after the break was brought back, the peleton split in the cross winds and caught many by surprise. Unfortunately none of the boys made it across and a chase ensued. The break was too good and stayed away.

Condy was fast enough to take the sprint from the chasing group.

Next stop: Ipswich Open

Quick catch up

Just to fill in some details of the teams progress over the last couple of weeks, it can be proudly announced that Callum took the Bronze medal in the Qld Elite Individual Time Trial Championships. Callum motored around the 40km course in 56:37. Weel done!

The team also travelled to Maryborough for the 6th round of the Teams Series, where Taylor took 5th in the morning criterium and Tom and Sam got into the top 20 of the afternoon road race.

Elite Qld State Champs

The Elite race was the following Sunday after the Masters race, and Condy backed up from his win to support the team. The weather was perfect and the team was ready for the 150km championship race.

The team were well prepared and marked the early moves. The first break was a solo effort from Tinelli racing, who gained a 4:30min lead. The team worked with others to bring this back, and after 3 laps the break was caught and the real racing began.

Matt was very active and at the halfway point the race split over the big climb of the day, with Matt in the front group. The chasers caught back on after 5km and more moves started to go up the road, with Matt being present in each group that formed. Meanwhile Callum, Tom and Condy waited in the wings patrolling the chasers. Despite Matt's efforts, the group was always brought back and with 30km to go it was evident nothing was going to get away. Callum and Tom set a great tempo to bring back some small breaks in the hope Condy had his sprinting legs back after his win on Saturday.

With 15km to go a small crash split the bunch, with Matt and Condy having to chase back to the front group, after which the steady tempo brought the group into the finale. The last 5km were spent at a high pace, with Tom and Callum pushing the tempo. With 700m to go Matt attacked but couldn't get away. Condy waited for the sprint and got boxed in and managed to get 5th. Not bad after his earlier win.

Condy Wins Queensland Masters State Championship

Condy is the newest member of the team, but also the one with the most experience and on Saturday he lined up for the ultra competitive Masters Queensland State Championship in Warwick. This race was a part of his steady come back to competitive cycling and it ended with a great result.

The weather in Warwick was atrocious with heavy rain and strong wind pelting the course. The race was going to be a race of attrition, with the winner being one who could tolerate the bad weather the best. Luckily Condy is a good Irish lad and knows a thing or too about cold, wet and windy bike racing.

After the first windy section of the race a selection of 15 riders had already been made, with Condy being comfortably in the front group. The weather slowly took its toll and as the laps went by, the front group dwindled until only three were left.

On the last lap the front three watched each other as the sprint finish came closer, however Condy has been showing good for in sprints of late and was confident he could get past the other two. With 200m to go, the sprint opened up and and Condy quickly got a gap and won the state Title with ease.

Well done Condy. Next stop the World Championships in Austria next year!!

Warwick - Teams Series 5

Warwick was looking on paper to be a pretty straight forward event. The course only had a few small climbs in it, with most of the course being flat. However, as the morning progressed, the wind slowly built up and by the time the race reached the back part of the course, strong cross winds were causing problems with the pelton.

From the start, the team was looking to get into some early moves, however Tinelli and Budget were controlling the bunch for the Sprint and KOM. After 25km, the race turned left and the cross winds cut through the field. For those not strong enough to be in the front group, the race was already over, as a group of 10 riders went off the front, with another group of 10 riders chasing. The rest of the peleton were already minutes down.

Thankfully Condy made it into the front group with Matt making it into the second group.

Matt's group chased for 40km and finally made across to the front group. However, Condy became sick during the race and had to abandon.

Matt was left in the group of 20 riders and knew as the group approached the cross winds, that someone would drop the hammer. Knowing this Matt moved up to the front of the group as they sprinted into the left hand corner. Unfortunately Matt had burnt allot matches to get across to the front group and couldn't hold the pace. He came in a few minutes down on the winning group.

Budget again took the top three positions.

Cunningham Classic

The Cunningham Classic is probably the one race of the year which a rider wants to win. It’s the hardest, longest and oldest race on the calendar with a win in this race being a very prestigious inclusion on anyone’s palmares.

Conditions this year were perfect and the team was well prepared to take on the challenge.

As per usual, early breaks went to try and get the KOM prize that come up early in this 176km race. After 40km, the KOM was contested once the early break was caught on the lower slopes of the climb. A counter attack saw a small group ease off the front, with the bunch setting an even tempo up the climb. With about 750m to the top, more attacks occurred and another break away formed off the front. This round of attacks also saw a large part of the peleton get dropped from the race and the first selection was made.

On the decent the groups consolidated at the front again and the next climb at Pilton came upon the group. It was here in this more exposed and steeper climb, that a big attack saw another group break away and gain some time.

For almost 50km this break was kept in sight and no one in the group was panicking. However, at the turn at Leyburn it was apparent the gap had blown out to more than 2 minutes. Still no one panicked.

On the run into the second feed, the group became more animated and a chase began. Coming into the second feed the gap was more than 3 minutes. This was not good news for the chasers.

For the final 40km the chase was on, but the front group had too big a lead and were not brought back. Pete Thompson took the win.

The team did well to stay in the chase group, with Condy taking the group sprint for a top ten result after Matt and Brendo tried to break away.

Charles Coin Road Race

The Charles Coin Road Race is always a speacial and traditional inclusion on the racing calendar. Uni CC have run the race for many years out at Laidley and is always a great race. The course is generally flat with a few small hills breaking things up.

The team knew we needed to keep an eye on the Tinelli team with their great season so far making them marked men. Knowing this, the boys made sure we tried to get one of us into any move that a Tinelli rider was in.

For the first 40km there were many attacks, with a few small breaks getting away, but nothing staying away for long. After 50km however, a group of 5 riders got away and built a bit of a lead. Unfortunately we didn't have a rider in the break, and so the chase had to be done.

Callum and Brendo did amazing work on the front to slowly bring the break back. These two animals worked together with a little help from others for more than 50km to finally bring the break back. At this point, the counter attacks were to start. This is when Tom Collier attacked solo to build a big lead.

With less than 40km to go, the race split and things started to get serious. Callum was ever present in the front group, with Matt and Taylor working hard to get Condy up into the front group with Callum. Meanwhile Collier's lead built.

As the rest of Tinelli attacked, Callum was able to sneak away in pursuit of the leaders to get 5th, while Condy sprinted in for 8th. Well done boys.

Tom Collier won solo - very strong!

Teams Series 4 - Kingaroy

The 4th round of the Teams Series saw the inclusion of a new rider to the team, Darren "Condy" Condon. The rest of the team were also there to try an improve the teams standings in the series, which they managed to do.

The course was very hard, with several small climbs and one larger 2km climb punctuating the course. After the first lap, the bunch had already dwindled and several breaks forming.

Callum, Taylor and Darren made it into the second chase group, with the leaders building a good lead. As the laps past, more and more riders dropped off and the chase group became more select.

Callum and Darren managed to stay in the second group and get top ten results, while Taylor came in soon after to ensure the team moved up a spot on the team standings.

Good work boys!!

Tour of Toowoomba

The Tour of Toowoomba is the first National Series event for the team and it proved to be a big test for the team. The race was to include all of the best teams and riders and was no doubt going to be a hard race.

The wind was to ultimately going to play the biggest part in the tour, with over 40 km per hour cross winds slicing through the peleton.

Stage one was eventful with Taylor and Mat getting punctures and Mat getting sick late in the stage. Callum, Sam and Brendon finished in the fractured groups that formed, while Matt and Taylor struggled home.

Stage two included more incredible wind and fast racing to again cause havoc with the pelton, that again fractured into many groups. The final climb of more than 25% gradient, certainly tested the will of the team.

Stage three was set to be an easier affair with no wind or large climbs. However, after 20km Sam was involved in an horrific crash and had to abandon, while other team riders ended up in hospital. Sam looks to be not seriously injured and will hopefully be back soon.

The final stage was much welcomed and was an opportunity for redemption after tough weekend and lots of bad luck. Taylor and Brendon rode well to be up the front and showing off the team jersey infront of the great crowds.

Round 3 Qld Teams Series

This round of the Teams Series included a criterium in Miles and a road race from Chinchilla to Bunya Mountains. The criterium was uneventful, however the road race was a true classic.

The road race was 150km, with a 10km climb to the finish. This climb was always going to be decisive, especially with the 20% ramps that featured on the climb. As a result, the race was fairly subdued for the first 50km as the bunch anticipated the tough finale.

Once the first hour was raced, the bunch became very active with many attacks taking place on the flat and fast course. It was difficult for a break to get away, but finally after 50kms of racing a break of about 15 riders finally got away and would stay away until the foot of the final climb
The team was thankful that Taylor was able to make it into this break, which allowed the rest of the team to sit in while other teams chased. Along the way, Taylor was strong enough to get points in both the King of the Mountains competition and the Sprint competition.

As expected, the break was caught at the foot of the climb, which is where the real race started. The climb started with a hard 20% ramp, which splintered the remaining group. Those who were left simply had to do would they could to get to the finish as the climb slowly broke rider after rider.

Peter Herzig was the strongest rider of the day and won in strong fashion. Meanwhile, the team all managed to finish the tough race, with all the boys getting themselves into good positions (results still pending).

Next round – Kingaroy

Next race – Metro Championships

Battle on the Border

Stage 1
The first stage was a short 5.5km TT. This stage had little influence on the overall race, with both Matt and Sam putting in decent times to be within 50 seconds of the lead. After this short test, it was important to save the legs for stage 2 in the afternoon

Stage 2
This stage was a hard 150km hilly stage around Mooball in northern NSW. With several large climbs and the distance, it was always going to be a hard race. Interestingly, there were no significant breakaways, and with 10km and two large climbs to go, there was still a large group together and a bunch sprint was to ensue. Sam managed to stay in the front group and finished up the front and was 18th overall. Nick Schultz too a great win considering he’s only 17. He also took the overall lead.

Stage 3
Stage 3 was 120km with several good climbs. Matt decided he would lay it on the line and try and get into some kind of breakaway to try and take the pressure of the rest of the team. Matt got into a couple of small breaks, but with 20km to go, the race was still mostly together. Over the last climb and with 10km to go, two rider slipped off the front and gained a good lead. Sam got into a small chase group who tried to bridge up to the front pair. Although they didn’t catch the front group, they maintained an advantage on the main group and Sam managed to get himself into 8th overall. Michael Hoskings took the lead.

Stage 4
The last stage was a tight 45min crit around Salt. Sam hoped to maintain his 8th spot and did a great job to hold onto the front group and managed to move up one spot in the overall to get 7th, which is a great effort for his first multi stage race.

Michael Hoskings took the overall win.

Video footage

Here is some footage of the team in the ANZAC 25 race and the Foodworks Teams series - Round 2, courtesy of SBS - Cycling Central. Please follow the links:

http://vimeo.com/22914412

http://player.sbs.com.au/cycling#/cycling_08/race_highlights/race_highlights/playlist/FoodWorks-road-team-series/

ANZAC 25

To pay tribute to the ANZAC’s, the Hamilton club puts on the annual ANZAC 25 race around the Lakeside circuit. This is a popular and difficult race, with the list of winners being compiled of many of the great riders from the SEQ area.

With the rain around and the wet roads, the first part of the race was spent in a state of caution, with no real breaks being let go. After the second prime, the race started to become more animated, with Sam getting into a small break. But the field didn’t want to let anything go and brought his group back.
Matt anticipated the counter attack and managed to get into a small break of three just before the third prime. This small group gained a gap and it looked like Matt and the others in the break would contest the prime. As they approached the climb that punctuates the course, Matt sensed the others in the break were weakening and attacked hard over the climb and got a significant gap. Matt was solo coming into the straight, but ran out of legs close to the line, with one rider bridging across then coming past him to take the prime.

From this point on many groups tried to get away, with Matt and Sam making sure they were in any group that got off the front. However, no groups were to be let go and a bunch sprint was to ensue, where Jono Cantwell once again took a good win, with Sam placing in the top ten.

Round 2 Foodworks Teams Series

The second round of the teams series was set to show which teams were versatile enough to be both a good TT team but also a good road racing unit. The course was very difficult, as it included a tough 1.5km climb that was very steep, with sections close to 20% in gradient. This climb had to be done twice, so we knew the second time over the climb would be crucial. The race was to be 133km in length.

The team was eager to move up in the overall standings and were set to ensure we had three good finishers to register a good aggregate time. The race started very quickly, with the first 30km done averaging 50km per hour. No real breaks were let go, and the field hit the climb for the first time together. Many people were caught out by just how hard this climb was, with many having to walk up the climb. This first climb already ensured many would lose contact early, with many groups splintering over the climb. On the decent, some groups reformed with a peleton of about 50 left.

After 45km, the break of the day finally formed, with about 10-12 riders gaining about one and a half minutes on the main chase group. Sam was able to get himself into this group, while the rest of the team were able to sit back in the main peleton and allow the other teams to chase.

We knew the second time over the climb would be important. As the break hit the climb for the second time, the chasing peleton caught the break, except for two riders – Reuben Donati and Michael Cupitt. They would continue to ride hard over the climb, as the main peleton exploded across the road with a lead chasing pack forming.

Matt Murray was strong enough to make it into the front chasing group and sat in, with plans to attack in the finale. Meanwhile, Cupitt and Donati continued to forge ahead of the chase.

With 10km to go, it was evident that the front two would not be caught, and as such, Matt was now looking to try and get 3rd place. With 7km to go, the group started attacking each other, and Matt put in his first big attack. The group let him go for several kilometres, but then brought him back. Matt sat in for a kilometre and then attacked hard again. This attack was countered by Kristian Juel, which the group let go. Matt attacked again to try and bridge across to Juel, but again, the group didn’t want to let him go, and so Matt sat in for a sprint.

Matt got himself into the top 15, while Donati took the win ahead of Cupitt and Juel. Tom Szollosi finished in the second chase group, while Brendon Beavon (guest rider) finished several minutes down to complete our 3 riders.

This should mean we move up in the team standings. It was a great day for the team and means we will now look to move up again next round at Miles and Chinchilla.

Round 1 - Foodworks Teams Series

The first round of the teams series was an Individual Time Trial and a Team Time Trial. With Sam's triathlon background and strength in TT's, the team was hoping for a good result from Sam in the ITT. Unfortunately Sam punctured in the first 3km of the itt and his race was over. All of the other boys put in reasonable performances considering TT's are not their strong points and waited for the TTT.

TTT's can be for some, the hardest race they'll ever do. The pace is always fast and sometimes it becomes too much for some to hold. With some illness and inexperience in the team, the TTT was not what the team hoped for. The team also had to contend with some bad ran conditions, which other teams didn't, which really slowed the boys up. Unfortunately the time was several minutes down on the top teams.

What good came of this race was however the realisation of who the stronger riders in the team are and now we can focus on supporting these riders for the future races, which are likely to suit the team much better.

Round 2 of the series is next week at Beaudesert, and should be a great race.

Mt Cotton Kermis

With wet weather greeting the team at the start line, it was likely today’s race was to be one to be at the front. The Mt Cotton course is a great circuit in the dry, but in the wet, there are several corners that make things very dangerous. As the rain continued to fall at the start line, thoughts of self preservation crossed the riders mind.

From the gun, Matt attacked and broke clear of the group, hoping to form a breakaway. A few riders bridged across to Matt, but the small group was shut down. The attacks continued to occur, with Sam and Taylor covering these early moves. Meanwhile, the rain continued and the puddles and water across the road got worse.
The pace never let up and the corners were getting taken faster and faster. Many people were being tailed off and with Matt’s back wheel sliding all over road and Taylor being caught behind crashes, it was left to Tom and Sam to stay in the front group.
About a third of the way into the race a three man group formed off the front that included Darren Rolfe, Hayden Brookes (Fly V) and Rueben Donati (Data 3). This trio worked well together and formed a good break. Sam back in the group was getting nervous and drove the chase group hard to try and close things down, but suffered a puncture not long into the second third of the race.
Tom was left to fend for himself and was looking very comfortable in the chasing group. Unfortunately the leading three had extended their lead to two minutes and looked to have the race won.

As such, Tom rode a smart race to try and get into the top 5, but was caught behind a crash on the last corner and had to settle for a minor placing. Still, it was a great ride and show’s that Tom is coming into some good form.

Darren Rolfe and Hayden Brookes got the one-two, while Donati came in for third.

Final Crestmead

On Sunday afternoon the depleted team contested the final Crestmead Crit. Unfortunately due to Callum's broken collar bone and Taylor's toe problems, they were unable to race. What they missed was a wet and dangerous race, which the team was glad to have finished alive.

Matt was able to win one of the mid race sprints, but other than that, it was just a matter of staying upright and getting to the finish, which all of the boys did.

The team is now very motivated to start the road races and show our real colours. Mt Cotton next week should be good.

Taylor 3rd at Lakeside Kermis

A few of the team were out at Lakeside today to have a hit out before the last crestmead crit tomorrow. Lakeside is always a hard race with the two small climbs on the 2.3km circuit. With the first half of the race being pretty sedate, it wasn't until the prime that things started to heat up. Taylor had been in a break leading into the prime, but was caught on the final straight, however Matt was well placed to go for the sprint, but wasn't able to come round Matt Ryan and Nick Schultz, and took third in the prime.

After the prime there were plenty of attacks and Matt got into a small group, but was brought back soon after. With only 15 minutes to go, Taylor got into a group of 6 riders who worked hard and built a good gap. The rest of the team were able to make sure no moves got across the the front group.
Taylor worked well in the group and they stayed away to contest the finish. In the sprint Taylor was able to take 3rd place.


Matt broke away from the peleton on the last climb to take 7th.

Well done Taylor.

Round 2 – Sizzling Summer Series

With the wind being as strong as we’ve seen in recent races, the team was very certain there would be no bunch sprint today. A race of attrition was what unfolded.

Tom and Sam were very active in the first part of the race and were able to work themselves into small groups trying to get away. Not longer into the race, Sam was able to get himself into a good group who stayed away to contest the first Prime of the day. Sam was strong enough to beat the likes of Hayden Brookes (Fly V pro) to the first Prime. The wind was relentless and was quickly weeding out the weaker riders. The team was super strong today and we maintained a good presence at the front of the race, knowing this was the best place to be. Half way through the race Ruben Donati attacked hard and was away solo. Matt and Hayden Brookes set off in pursuit and spent several laps off the front of the race trying to bridge to Donati. This move caused a big split in the race with only the strongest (or smartest) riders left in the front group. With ten minutes to go Matt and Sam were left in the small front group of twelve riders, saving energy for a last minute attack late in the race. With one lap to go Matt was caught behind a weaker rider who couldn’t hold the wheel and had to leave Sam in the front group to fend for himself with 1km to go. Coming into the final sprint it was going to be hard for Sam to beat the likes of Malcolm Rudolf, Darren Rolfe, Peter Thompson and Bevan Mason in a sprint, but Sam did really well to hold on for a top ten finish. Today was one of the hardest crits contested recently, which was evident of the quality riders left in the small group at the finish.

The team is very proud of their efforts today and we know that once we start doing some of the longer harder races which are more suited to our riding style, we’ll have some great success.

Round 1 – Sizzling Summer Series

Round 1 of the Sizzling summer Series kicked off the 3 race criterium series this weekend. The race was held late on Sunday afternoon, which meant the heat was going to be a big factor. The team was looking to get one of us into a break and try to avoid a bunch sprint.

From the start there were numerous attempts to cause a break, however with many teams wanting a bunch sprint, it was hard for a break to get away. Despite this, at about half way through the race, the field split in two, with a large 25-30 man group riding off the front.
This type of thing is unusual and before the remaining 30 riders in the back group realised it, the front group had caused a big gap and were away. The back group tried to get across but was too late.

In the end, this large front group contested a bunch sprint, which saw Jon Cantwell take another fine victory.

Next week the team is looking to have a full compliment and really make a go of the race. Stay tuned for an update.

Pimpama Road Race

On Sunday was the Pimpama Road Race, which is run by the Gold Coast CATS club. This race always proves popular and is a great race for a club event. The circuit is a 10km loop (done 7 times) with several small power climbs across the course, which always make for hard yet fun racing. This is very much like the belgian kermis style of racing with not quite as much distance.

From the gun Taylor attacked and had one other rider to help him. This early break lasted for about 10 or so km's until it was brought back. More break were made and more breaks were brought back. All of the team was active today, with each break having a Campos rider in it. This made it easy for the rest of the team to sit and counter attack once these breaks were brought back.

Late in the race both Doug and Tom were very active in trying to break the race up, however there was little luck.

With 2 laps to go, a small group formed, which included Jono Cantwell, Brendan Brooks, Pete Thompson and Brad Nightingale among others. This group looked dangerous and with 2km to go, Matt attacked the peleton and rode across to this powerful front group. At the foot of the final climb with 1km to go, Matt attacked the front group and was away solo. Matt quickly got 100m with less than 1km to go. However, with the head wind and large peleton remaining, he was reeled in at the top of the final climb.

Taylor was then well positioned on Cantwells wheel to try to contest the final sprint but was unable to come around some of the more powerful sprinters.

Pete Thompson took the win in front of Cantwell. Not bad for someone who hasn't got any form yet.

Oakey Kermis

Last weekend was the first open road race of the year for the team, which was the Oakey Kermis. Oakey is a small town 2 hours west of Brisbane and has been running the Oakey Kermis for many years. This race is traditionally the season opening road race and always proves to be a hard race. The course has a small 600m long climb in it that averages about 5-6%, so after doing this climb 10 times, it tends to get harder and harder each time, especially when riding over it at close to 40 kph. The back side of the course is always exposed to the wind, with cross winds pushing people into the gutter and breaking the field up. The race is 10 laps of a 6.7km course, so the 67km covered doesn’t seem like much, but is very intense.

The team was super motivated for a good result and we knew that it would be on from the gun. As the race headed out of town for the first time, Ruben Donati attacked hard up the climb, and caused a group of 8 riders to break away early. Our man Callum O’Sullivan was strong enough to work his way into this quality group and settled in for a long day in the saddle.

The rest of the team covered all attempts to bridge across to the break and made sure that we were ready should the break come back.

Roughly half way into the race Callum and several other riders in the break were unable to stay with the front group, and as such, the team had to chase and/or try and bridge across to the front group.

Matt Murray spent a large proportion of the race at the front trying to reduce the gap and set up Sam Volkers for the finale. Unfortunately the break was over 2 minutes up the road and was therefore too far ahead for the chase to make much of an impact. It became clear with about 3 laps to go, that the break will have its day and the rest of us in the group were racing for 5th.

Given the teams hard chase, there was little energy left for us to go for 5th, which wasn’t paying any money anyway, so we did what we could to be at the front and roll in with the group.

Fly V Australia professional rider and state Time Trial Champion, Darren Rolfe, won the race easily with an impressive solo victory.

All in all, it was a good day for the team as we learnt a few lessons about how a race unfolds and realise how a race can sometimes be decided from the first break of the day, which is highly unusual.

Sam does it again at Synergy Park

Following on from the previous post, we just want to congratulate Sam for another great result over the weekend with his 3rd place at Synergy Park criterium. Sam was in the money on both Saturday (4th Nundah) and on Sundays race.

Good work Sam.

More team success

This weekend has proven to be another successful weekend of racing for the team...all thanks to Sam. On Saturday the team turned up to Nundah for the local club crit, where the team raced really aggressively. From the gun, Taylor attacked and took a small group with him. This was brought back soon, but from that point on it was attack after attack.
Matt was active through the whole race, always forcing the pace and softening the pack up so that Sam could then get himself into a break at the end of the race.

Sam got himself into a good working break in the finale, and put in some more of his famous big turns at the front and made sure his break stayed away. For the last 10minutes of the race, the break worked well together and with the rest of the team monitoring any moves that might try to get across, it looked good for a result.

Sam's group stayed away until the finish, but with not the strongest sprint, Sam came in for fourth place, so the Campos Coffee was on him.

To back this great effort up, Sam raced out at Synergy Park Criterium on the following Sunday and managed to get himself 3rd place.

With the Oakey Kermis next week, it's clear Sam has plenty of form.

Twilight Series Finale

Wednesday evening was the final round of the annual and popular Twilight Series held at Nundah. Following on from Callum's 4th place the previous week, the team was confident in getting a better result this week.

It was a hot evening, yet the field was really big. Nundah is infamous for being a windy circuit, which always results in a hard race. Tonight was to be no exception. The boys put in a great effort, with Sam marking all of the early moves. Several times Sam got himself into in a break with Malcolm Rudolf (Jayco-Skins rider and u23 National Rep), yet the two combined was too much of a risk for the pelton, who brought these dangerous moves back each time.

With no successful break being able to get away, the race was coming down to a bunch sprint. Dougie then started to organise a lead out train for Callum, and proceeded to put in massive turns to keep the pace high. Unfortunately there were too good a sprinters in the field, with Matt Ryan taking the win. There's always next week.

Sam finds early form

The team turned out to the Murarrie Criterium on Saturday morning and knew it would be a hard race given the strong wind around Brisbane. We knew it would be important to ride at the front from the start so that we could stay out of trouble, which would be guaranteed with the wind.

From the gun a move went and Matt Murray was in the break. The bunch let this group go and for the first 20min of the race, the group worked really well to stay away. This group gained an advantage of more than 30 seconds, however this was all the chasing group wanted to let get away. Just before the Prime, this first break away was brought back. Matt then settled into the group to try and recover for the last part of the race.

Soon after the Prime, another break with some strong riders got away and Sam was there with them.

Sam was super strong today and did some great work in the break to make sure it stayed away. In the closing stages, Sam new he was going to have to attack if he was going to beat the likes of Jon Cantwell (Aussie Crit Champ - Pro rider) and Jack Anderson (Pro Rider) in a sprint. So with 1km to go, Sam attacked hard with Cantwell. Unfortunately the other riders in the break didn't want to let this go and Sam was brought back to the group. The race was then decided in a small group sprint with Cantwell taking an easy win. Sam came in for 5th, which was a really good result.

Callum Gets the Points

On Wednesday night Hamiltopn Pine Rivers Wheelers had the 4th round of their popular Twilight Criterium Series, at the Nundah Crit circuit. The 4th round was a points race with 2 points being provided to the first rider across the line on each lap. with a big field including Australian Crit champion, Jonathan Cantwell, it was always going to be a tough evening in the saddle.

New team rider Callum O'Sullivan lined up with the team for what was going to be a fast race and came up with the goods. Callum got equal 4th place after winning 3 sprints and collecting 6 points.

Good work Callum! The first results for the team in 2011. No doubt Callum and the team will continue to bring in the results.

New Champion System kit

So now that the team has been announced, we are now able to get on with the season ahead. There will be loads of racing this year and we'll be in plenty of comfort while wearing our new Champion System kit. Over the weekend we received our new kit and it looks great.

Everything about this kit is first class. The colours are perfectly matched, the cut is sensational and the comfort is better than any kit I've ridden. In particular, the "Endurance" chamois is like a pillow - just what you want for thouse 6 hour trips through the hills.

I can also attest to the kit being a good race kit. On Sunday, the team headed out to Synergy Park for a charity race to help raise money for the flood victims. There was a great turnout and I'm sure the Ipswich CC raised much needed funds for the flood appeal. So while the team supported a good cause, it was also the first time we were able to race in the new kit. All I can say is that I didn't notice it, which is the best compliment I can give a kit, because that means it did just as it was supposed to and didn't give me any discomfort.

Thanks again champion System!!

The Team

We can now proudly announce the list of riders who will represent Campos-Ashgrove Cycles, presented by Champion System. The riders for the 2011 season will be:

1. Matt Murray
2. Tom Szollosi
3. Taylor Charlton
4. Sam Volkers
5. Doug Freeburn
6. Callum O'Sullivan

Over the next few weeks we'll start providing some rider profiles, pictures and other details of the team equipment and racing schedule.

We are also looking forward to preparing for the season ahead, with the Foodworks Teams Series being a big goal for the team. This new teams series is set to be an awesome series of races, which will include hard road races, time trials, team time trials and criteriums. There will be at least 15 teams involved, so the competition will be of the highest quality.

New Team Jersey - 2011 season

Finally we can show you the new team jersey for the 2011 season. We are very proud of the look that we've established and can't wait to get out on the road in our new Champion System kit.

We would really like to thank Champion System for their great help in putting all this together and designing such a professional looking kit.

We now hope to be able to announce the new team for the 2011 season as soon as we can. We are still negotiating with a few riders for 2011, so as soon as we can we'll announce the team.


With the new Foodworks Team Series to be held in SEQ, we will now have a 6 man team. This will mean we can now represent in all of the major races across the region and always be competitive.

Also stay tuned for some small changes to the look of the blog as we seek to update with new team colours and team riders.