Message #2499

[Metro Commuter]

Olaf was moved from E grade to C grade - correct in my view.  He punctured very early.  Seldo punctured at the 70 k mark, and shortly after Seldo fixed his puncture Olaf came past, and Seldo said Olaf did not drop below 40 kph for the final 30 km.  Pretty impressive effort from Olaf, and by Seldo holding Olaf’s wheel – especially when Seldo consumed his body mass in rum the night before. 

There were other grading changes.  Dave Walsh, Commuter, Darren T and Seldo were moved to D grade.  Snedden was moved to B grade.

E grade race was fun but not all that challenging.  It was a bit slow and frustrating.  No one wanted to attack or do a turn.  It was a bit like a long Vets C grade race 

I spent a fair bit of time on the front for the first 50 km, and it was not hard because those few people who were taking turns were not prepared to spend all their jellybeans dragging the wheelsitters around.  A few half arsed efforts after the left turn in to Werris Creek Rd, but they were soft as my belly. 

It was funny when some of the people who had not made it anywhere close to the front surged to the front on the long climb up Werris Creek Rd, but all that did was put them up the front.  Needless to say I was not going to take a turn as we approached the finish.  The last 10km were slow as no one really was willing to attack, and those that did were promptly chased down.  Some guys seemed unable to get off the front. So it came down to a bunch sprint.

Bunch sprint was chaotic – people who could not pull the skin off a custard (mmmm – custard) thought they were Mark Cavendish and had a go – so you had widely different rates of acceleration, people panicking, people not holding their line. I am amazed there was not a crash.  One person told me he actually said to a female cyclist “are you really going to sprint?” – this same woman had trouble accelerating with a half baked attack 10 km out.  I stupidly let myself get a little bit too far back and then decided not to sprint, but a Metro sized gap (so a wide one) opened up on the right so I did an 80% sprint, not too sure where the finish was.  I think I came somewhere about 10th – stopped counting (and pedalling) when I saw 5 people crossed the line.  Dumb finish by me – I seemed to be catching the winning 5.

Kevin Murray (KOCC) came first in E grade – towelled up two Tamworth guys in the sprint.  Other local results were:

A:  Josh Taylor (KOCC) 1st
B:  Snedden (HDCC) 3rd or 4th (can’t remember which  – sorry Chris).
F:  Anna Mountford 5th

There was another local result in C or D grade but it escapes me at the moment.