Season Opener – 29 January 2017
Graded Scratch
Windmill circuit – 53 km
As the lazy days of summer holidays
draw to a close,
The attention of the cycling world,
once again turned,
To the start of a new cycling season,
at Eureka. ?
With great anticipation,
the class of 2017 assembled,
Kit bags emptied of old bananas,
and leftover sandwiches,
Clean shoes and freshly laundered jerseys,
with hair washed and neatly parted,
but for one notable exception. ?
What glory would the new season bring,
Who is in form,
And,
is that a new bike?
The anxious needn’t concern themselves, cycling is a sport that you get out what you put in, (problem is, most put in blood, sweat and tears and get the same in return).
In glorious sunshine an expansive field of 25 were organised into four grades for a three lap season opener around the Windmill circuit.
A new year brings new riders, and this year Eureka are pleased to welcome Jeremy Vanderklift, Stephen Birem and Tim “Junior” Canny. All acquitted themselves well in today’s affair and are most welcome to their new club. Good hunting gentlemen.
We also welcomed back our prodigal son – Greg “Cadel” Curnow – recently returned from his extensive world tour as a psychology lecturer, also Brad “Crit Monster” Eppingstall who was perhaps looking for a shorter and flatter parcour to break in his new bike (and his old legs).
A Grade
Tim “Junior” Canny looks barely old enough to shave let alone be signing on for a vets race, or perhaps the rest of us are just getting older. Nevertheless Tim brings an injection of cycling talent into A grade and Eureka is better for it, and today his maiden outing with his new club proved very successful.
A relative small field of 4 class riders challenged for the first A grade event of 2017. As is their want, A Grade avoided an attacking style of racing instead settling for essentially a time trial training event with placings settled on the last lap.
Fear not, this was no social outing with tea and scones, Dean “all sunglasses and thighs” Wells, Matt “Riff Raff” Bowman and our club champ Greg “Marathon Man” Ley all excel at this style of racing and managed to average close to 40km/hr – for a scratch race – insane.
No attacks of any description on the first two laps, however Riff Raff was reacquainted with the rear of the field going up Quarry Hill on the second lap. Matt got back on and the “team time trial” continued.
Third lap and the fun and games started with the race going straight into the gutter. Little if any wind virtually eliminated that tactic, so Bowman took a fly off the front 400 metres before Quarry Hill. Wells wasn’t worried, he knew that together with Canny and Club Champion Greg Ley they would easily reel Bowman back in by the top of the climb. Canny wasn’t so sure though – having witnessed Bowman ride off and not get caught in Ballarat Sebastopol CC races – so he gave chase. Wells and Ley both had to commit to bridge the gap. Ley made it just as they reached the hill but Wells was still off the back and couldn’t rejoin.
Racing through Blowhard and Bowman attacked again. Ley attacked going up Cricks Hill, then Canny opened a small gap.
Holding just a few lengths, he gradually ramped the pace up.
The gap eventually opened to 100 metres and try as they might Bowman and Ley couldn’t shut it down. Bowman made a late solo effort, but Canny held a comfortable 50 metre advantage to the line…averaging 40 kph for the race.
Results:
1st – Tim Canny
2nd – Matt Bowman
3rd – Greg Ley
B Grade
His golden locks streaming out behind him, Rick “Rapunzel” Calvert is cultivating a new image for himself, however if he’s not careful “Rapunzel” might become “Catweasel”.
Today Rick provided never ending nuisance value, insisting on a little spurt every time the race went uphill. The chagrin of the field was mild as they drew him back into the fold each time with relative ease.
Tour director of the TdU training camp for hopeful elder Ballarat riders, the original Canny – Peter – favoured a low profile approach to the race, never on the front unless by mistake, he bided his time somehow foreseeing a bunch sprint for glory.
The story was much the same for Matt Ayres, who never professes to being fit but manages to stay with what ever field he’s placed in and then whip them in the sprint.
After a fractured 2016, Grant Smokey Dawson has returned seeking to impose himself once again as the hard man in the bunch, he only has two speeds, go and stop and today it was all go as he ensured an honest pace to test the rest.
New member Jeremy Vanderklift was welcomed to Eureka with a start in solid B grade company, many of whom contested last year’s club championship race. The rest of the bunch were wise to treat him with caution as Jeremy proved to be yet another hard riding ring-in from the east.
Rob Phillips has reached a stage in his life where he never ages and never goes out of form, finely tuned, and sinewy he seldom exceeds 80 rpm and has forgotten what the top of his cassette is for.
So as predicted by the soothsaying Canny, the race came down to a sprint and Matt Ayres proved to have the juice to account for rivals, out-gunning Phillips and crafty Canny for the win.
Results:
1st – Matt Ayres
2nd – Rob Phillips
3rd – Peter Canny
C Grade
The handicappers keen eye sees all, he had studied the entrails and consulted the cycling gods and as a consequence James Gretton was elevated a grade as penance for pre-season training. He joined 8 others in a new look C Grade. James is riding well and had little difficulty slotting into the race.
Roger McMillan has also cemented his spot in faster company, although today he looked like the poor orphan having to borrow an old Eureka pyjama jersey from the lost property basket, he rode comfortably and featured in the finish – for all the wrong reasons.
Mark O’Callaghan had just dried himself off from his summer triathlon training and looks in superb nick.
The race began with a flurry of furtive attacks as riders tested each other but soon settled to a solid tempo until Danny Fidel Whelan took exception to riding with so many people and decided on a long range solo attack. He was quickly joined by visiting rider, the diminutive and geographically challenged Noel Said, together the pair separated themselves from the bunch by 50 metres, and that’s where they stayed for the next lap or so.
The bunch were organised into a holding pursuit by Bob Muncher Morley, who was determined to let the pair fry out the front – it also calmed the rest and eliminated further attacks.
After having completed the first lap, Noel “Goldfish” Said missed a left hand turn, by the time he recovered the bunch had sped passed still chasing Fidel.
Without Noel to regulate his enthusiasm Fidel’s madness expanded as he surged past B Grade and continued with his futile escape. Eventually the bunch had had enough of his antics and by the quarry it was all back together and settled for an inevitable final sprint finish.
That’s when the “Scarlet Pimpernel” Brian Lee emerged from cover – most had forgotten he was even in the race – not keen on sprints Brian tried one of his trademark drawn out drags attempting to ride a few out of his wheel. As he began to fade, Stephen Biram wound up from the back of the bunch and exploded off the front in a spectacular “skyrocket” attack (lots of speed and fire, then – poof!).
Into Donovan’s Rd all together and everyone jostled for wheels, some good, some not so.
With 500 metres to go – just like Easter eggs in Coles in January – Roger opens the sprint far too early.
It did catch a few by surprise and fractured the bunch. Mark was thanking his lucky stars for such a well organised, professional and sacrificial lead out and went around the fading Roger and looked home, until the renaissance man Muncher Morley surprised him with a late gut-busting burst to pinch victory on the line.
The powerful Biram unleashed a commanding sprint and distanced the rest to finish third.
It’s been a long time between drinks for Bob and Ken stretched the presentation out to keep him waiting a bit longer for his podium glory.
Results:
1st – Bob Morley
2nd – Mark O’Callaghan
3rd – Stephen Biram
D Grade
If the measure of a cyclist is his/her ability to persevere then the assembled D grade were draped in greatness amassed from years of “ordeal by veto”. Their halcyon days may be fading memories, but these are tenacious and competitive sportsmen that fear no pain and never shy away from a contest.
John Faulkner has spent so much time this summer recruiting new riders that he just forgot about pre-season training, apart from a few quick trips to the shops for milk and bread his training has just consisted of today’s race. Nothing like racing to get race-fit, and his abbreviated outing today will help.
Brad “Crit Monster” Eppingstall is also eyeing off future targets as he re-acquaints himself with racing, a new bike is a clear indication of renewed enthusiasm. He was also a DNF today, but the endurance and power are likely to return quickly.
After a year he’d rather forget it was great to see a rejuvenated and eager Rob Young suited up and ready to go. So today it was mostly a race in four, Graeme Parker, the evergreen Terry Collie, princely Rob Young and the venerable orator of Eureka Greg Curnow.
A fairly evenly matched quartet with no grand designs to attract the handicapper’s attention early in the season with foolish solo wins off the front.
Down to the line and Collie opened up his sprint first, instantly opening a gap on Parker and Curnow, however Young was tucked in behind.
Rob swung out with 50 metres to go and powered over the top for a two length clear victory.
A tight tussle for third saw a determined Curnow just edge an ambivalent Parker.
Results:
1st – Rob Young
2nd – Terry Collie
3rd – Greg Curnow
200 Race milestone
Eureka also celebrated the new inductees to the prestigious 200 Race club –
Bob Morley, Peter Livitsanis and Terry Collie join Tony Mirabella on the honour board.
Congratulations to these club stalwarts.
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