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GRAFTON CYCLE CLUB WINTER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD AT COUTTS CROSSING ON SATURDAY 29TH MAY 2010.
After heavy morning showers the day turned out to be sunny, warm and a gentle north to northwesterly breeze. 33 Starters registered, including:
A GRADE (9 riders) To do 5 laps of the nominally 10 kms course:
Dion Wilkes, Jye Reardon, Matt White, Eddie McLane, Tony Brindle, Dallas Parker, Garry Reardon, Erin Hennessy and Paul O’Connor.
B GRADE (7 riders) Facing 4 laps of the 10 kms course:
Adam Sydenham, Peter Grainger, Bruce Phelps, Nigel Blake, Chris Cropper, Mitch Monkhouse and Brian Elvery.
C GRADE (2 riders) To do 3 laps, racing with D Grade:
Rikki Corcoran and John Harrison
D GRADE (5 riders) To do 3 laps racing with C Grade:
Jon Ingram, Andrew Weatherstone, Greg Robertson, Michael Harding and Stuart McPherson.
E GRADE (4 riders) To do 3 laps:
Craig McKenzie, Vince Breen, Wayne Monkhouse and Mark Hackett.
UNDER 17 (6 riders) to do 3 laps:
Lockie Oberg, Brady Ingram, Zack McKenzie, Mackenzie Monkhouse, Maddy Davis, and Lachlan O’Reilly.
RACE REPORT –
Weather was fine after morning showers, and a gentle breeze drifted in from the north -west. In all 33 riders raced for the Championship medals and lots of bragging rights. All grades were keenly contested with many hard luck stories, and some plain too hard stories by the end of the racing.
A Grade Champion is again Dion Wilkes with Eddie McLane and Jye Reardon filling the minor placings. This trio had created quite a gap back to the remainder of the A grade field, with a vicious attack by Dion in the 4th lap on the Kangaroo Creek side of the course, that took some riders by surprise. Dallas and Erin led the remainder of the group home. Tony Brindle hardly left the start line before he had a mechanical that finished his afternoon early.
In B Grade the strong field was always going to test each other over this pretty course. In the end it was the kick of Chris Cropper that just prevailed over the fast finishing Peter Grainger with Nigel Blake holding off the rest of the pack for the little prize. Bruce Phelps tested the bunch with a hard attack on the second lap but the bunch were on to him, having suffered at his hands before, and pulled him pack to the bunch. The bunch welcomed Brian Elvery back with absolutely no thought of giving him a soft ride and Brian was ride there to the finish.
C Grade and D Grade rode together, for a little while at least, although Andrew Weatherstone missed the start completely. Someone said he was up at the shop buying lollies. John Harrison won C Grade with Rikki second, but Jon Ingram managed to win the C/D bunch sprint, narrowly from Michael Harding and Greg Robertson.
All agreed it had been a great day’s Club racing with a couple of new faces, one or two old faces and quite a few tired legs.
Men’s Race winners, L to R Jon Ingram, Chris Cropper (rear), Zac Mackenzie, John Harrison,
John Harrison, Dion Wilkes (rear), Wayne Monkhouse
2010 GCC Women’s Road Champion, Mackenzie Monkhouse
Winning Times
A Grade: Dion Wilkes: 1:11:04
B Grade: Chris Cropper: 58:53
C Grade: John Harrison: 47:12
D Grade: Jon Ingram: 47:07
E Grade: Wayne Monkhouse: 50:33
U17: Zac Mackenzie: 47:22