Club Races
Limit Holds on to Lead
Polkemmet Road Handicap
Sunday 15th November 2009

	Meg Parnaby

A small field of riders rolled up for the 54km Polkemmet handicap. An 8am start due to the club’s heat rule caused some confusion with several riders arriving late, thinking the start time was 8.30am.

Meg Parnaby and Tom Eldridge headed off first, making good time with the help of Eldridge down wind. Peter Parnaby and Tony Lloyd were to follow eight minutes later, but Peter Mayo arrived with six minutes to go, and got organised in time to join them, so they left nine minutes after the limit riders.

With hindsight, that should have remained at eight minutes. These three riders worked well together, but did not sight the limit riders until about 8 kilometres to go, too late to have a chance to haul them in.

Meanwhile, scratch riders Danny Monaghan and Gerard O’Brien were working hard to try to reduce the 3 minute gap to the bunch in front. They had them in sight by the halfway mark, but struggled to make too much more of an impression on the tough homeward leg into a head wind.

Meg Parnaby took out first place ahead of Tom Eldridge, still about a minute and a half ahead of the following riders. Peter Parnaby took out the sprint for third place ahead of Peter Mayo, while the scratch riders were a further minute and a half back.