Race Report: Colliers International Kermesse, 23 July 2016

I am right at the end of a long and hard training block and was supposed to be on a nice little four day rest....but....as this was the biggest event on the Toowoomba racing calendar and in support of a fantastic charity, I thought I should suck it up and pin on a number. The event was a part of the Run Ride Race for Research day, which raised a truckload of money for cancer research. The organizers did a brilliant job with the multi-sport day at the new Toowoomba Airport at Wellcamp. 

There was $1,200 up for first place in each division so fields were always going to be competitive. Add to that, some of the fiercest winds I have raced in for a long time:

Left column is wind speed in km/h and right column is wind gust speed; not for the faint hearted!

I was racing in the Division 2 event (Masters A / Elite B combined) and we had about fifteen starters in the six lap, 50 km race. There is only one way to race in wind like that; in the front and in hard! The race didn't disappoint as the first lap was crazy! Multiple surges and attacks and an extremely hot pace. The main architect of the mayhem was 2014 Australian Masters Criterium champion Matt Ryan, who was extremely aggressive. Within a lap the bunch had blown to pieces with small groups everywhere. A group of five rode away and fortunately I made the front split. Tom Gough from Toowoomba was in there to keep me company. I burnt a few big matches to make that front split and to be honest, I felt like I never quite recovered after that point. 

Matt wasn't content to work with the group of five and starting hitting us again and not long after he took off on his own. A lap later another rider bridged across to him leaving two away and three chasing. Except for a lap where Tom attempted unsuccessfully to bridge across, that was how we stayed until the finish. I was genuinely disappointed and frustrated to be unable to go with the front two riders. 

(Credit Matt Hickey for the photo)

Matt Ryan ended up winning the event and I finished fifth, learning very quickly that you need to be in the front position coming into the sprint finish straight at Wellcamp. 

So in any case, I had a solid ride in awful racing conditions and have to be content with that. As I said, I am at the end of a tough training block and now it is time for a little rest. I have a four day coach-imposed break before getting back into the swing of things.

Next events on the calendar are the Cunningham Classic, postponed State Titles ITT and the State Titles Road Race; wish me luck!

Race Report: Charles Coin Memorial Road Race, 17 July 2016

The Charles Coin is arguably one of the most important races on the Queensland calendar. It is a race I have always enjoyed as the course suits me pretty well.

Funnily enough, this was only the fourth time I have ever done a Masters A road race. I know that sounds incorrect, but I was largely racing Elite A until July 2014, and due to a lot of the things that prevented me from racing at the end of 2014 and for most of 2015, there were not many Masters A road races completed. So to the race... 

Thirty-five or so of us headed off on a windy afternoon in Mulgowie to complete six laps of the eighteen kilometre circuit The first two laps I stayed very quiet, trying to hide as much as possible. A crash on the third lap caused a split. Luckily I was in the right spot by the end of all that mess, but between riders being dropped early, the handful who crashed and the other handful who missed the split, we were down to between twenty and twenty-five riders. 

On the fourth lap, a pretty serious break formed. Tim Hoy from the Gold Coast, Ben Manson from the University Club, another University rider and me, managed to get away and very quickly built up a good lead. The problem with this break was that the three teams with big numbers in this race (Mainline, Tineli p/b Crazy Lemon and QSM) all missed that break. They worked hard and pulled us back about fifteen kilometres later.

In the middle of the fifth lap, I had been staying near the front and keeping both Tim and Ben close. Tim had been very active at this point. About halfway through the lap I thought that the bunch looked very tired, so on a small downhill section when everyone was sitting up, I bolted off the front. I had a fifteen second gap pretty quickly. Tim Hoy came across to me and we worked together absolutely flat out on the difficult end section of that lap. 

Tim and I worked very well together and by the middle of the last lap had over a minute lead. Tim is a current Australian Masters (MMAS4) champion and he was in great form. I was worried about him on the last hill of the race, less than two kilometers from the finish. He hit me very hard on that spot and I couldn't stay with him. We stayed like that to the finish with Tim winning by about ten or fifteen seconds. Ben Manson managed to escape the bunch and finish third on his own, over a minute behind. 

So all in all, a performance and a result I am very pleased with. I have had a long period of time now with no crashes, surgery, injury or anything more than a sniffle and I think the benefits of that consistent time on the bike is starting to show.

(Credit Michael Owen for all the photos)

Race Report: Toowoomba Cycling Club Travel Medicine Alliance 2-Day, 9 & 10 July 2016

The Toowoomba Cycling Club hosted this great two day event a week or so ago. They did a superb job of running it and deserve plenty of kudos for the innovative concept and the slick management. I would also like to thank Travel Medicine Alliance for sponsoring the event. That gesture was much appreciated by all who competed. Around fifteen riders lined up in A grade which was the biggest local field I can remember for a long time. 

Day 1 was a 40 minute + 2 lap criterium at Glenvale on the full circuit. I had good legs and rode aggressively until a winning break finally stuck around halfway when Tom Gough (fresh back from the Australian Junior Championships where he finished eighth in the Individual Time Trial) came across to me. There was a third rider in the break who conceded that the pace was too high and sought permission to sit back and take third. Tom and I gave each other a bit of stick but were left together at the end to sprint it out. I led out hard but Tom came over me and won by about a wheel. 

Day 2 started with a 9.2 km time trial at Bunkers Hill that was basically downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back. I felt pretty good and clocked 13 min 18 sec to come second behind Tom Gough again. The overall classification was calculated on points so I was obviously second overall at this stage. 

Day 2 concluded with a 55 km road race on the Bunker's Hill circuit. Both Tom and I rode aggressively all day but there were still fifteen or so riders left as we approached the final pinch of the day. Tom then hit us with an extremely hard attack and there were only six riders left contesting the finish. The sprint started very (very) early and Michael Curley had positioned himself perfectly as he took the win. Tom followed him in to second and I was third. 

So I ended up second overall after the three stages. I didn't come in to this weekend with fresh legs so I am especially happy with my form. 

(Credit Peter Trezise for all the photos)

Race Reports: Murwullimbah Club Race, Gold Coast Club Criterium, 2 & 3 July 2016

I am on holidays at the moment and keen to race, so spent the night on the Gold Coast so I could do the two days of club racing on offer. It was a great weekend and well worth the trip.

2 July: Murwullimbah Club Race (A Grade) - 4th

It was only a small field of seven riders, but there was some absolute talent in there including the current under 23 Australian Criterium Champion and last year's New Zealand Elite Road Race & Time Trial champion. The 60 km course was flat at first and then undulating. I can't remember a harder 60 km for a long time. The first 20 km felt like a team pursuit ! The race broke up just after halfway and it ended with two in a winning break and I was in the next group of three. As hard as it was, I am very happy with how I rode. 

3 July: Gold Coast Club Race - Nerang Criterium (A / B Grade) - Bunch

I love the Nerang Criterium course, which basically involves climbing up to halfway and then descending down the other side. There were six in A grade and eighteen in B grade, so it was a combined race, with A grade chasing down a one lap gap to B grade. This was really hard work but we managed to close the gap just before half way (the race was 55 minutes + 3 laps). My legs were definitely tired from the day before but I was still riding okay. I must admit that the last lap of the race didn't go to plan. I was in the wrong spot to follow the winning break of three that slipped off the front and then in the bunch sprint I had to take some serious evasive action to avoid having my front wheel taken out from under me. Anyway, it was a great hit-out and I ended up around 8th or so (not sure).

(Credit - Andrea Abbassi for the photos)

So all in all, a great weekend of Gold Coast Club racing. The Toowoomba Cycling Club is holding the Travel Medicine Alliance Stage Race (Criterium, Individual Time Trial, Road Race - over two days) this weekend, which I am very much looking forward to.