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Halls Gap
VCV Open 2009
Vallins Leads Scratchmens
Charge
Halls Gap
- Saturday 30 and Sunday 31st August 08
NOTE - The
following race description was gleaned from various
sources, and is an approximation at best. Please
overlook any minor inaccuracies, as it is not possible
to see the whole event as it unfolds. Feel free to
contact us if there are major errors in facts!
Veteran cyclists from all over Victoria
competed for $4600 in prize money last weekend, when
the Grampians Veteran Cycling club held their annual
two day cycling carnival at Halls Gap.
Forty-six kilometre
graded scratch races on Saturday afternoon saw over
90 entries, with local riders Stuart King and Les Power
taking out first and second place in Division 5.
Sundays
handicap attracted 130 riders, but flooding of the
Mount William Creek at Mokepilly forced a change from
the normal 60km course. Overcast but mostly dry conditions
made for good racing, with an exciting finish to top
it all off.
The 25 and 23 minute riders combined
after the first 20 kilometres, with local riders Meg
Parnaby, Tania Walter, Tony Rathgeber and John McIntyre
providing much of the firepower to propel the group
along.
With 12 kilometres to go, they still
had a good lead, but the scratch riders were blasting
their way through the field, and had picked up the
combined 4 to 10 minute riders, creating a 40 strong
chasing bunch. Eight minute Grampian’s riders
Drew Heard, Daryl Elliott, and Dean Hayward, along
with 10 minute rider Gerard O’Brien, were swept
along in the charge.
Between the limit riders and the
large chasing bunch was the remnants of the 12 to 17
minute bunches, with local riders Alan Barnett, Peter
Mayo, Stuart King, Tom Eldridge and Les Power working
hard to try to hold off the chasing hordes.
However,
there was no holding back the scratch riders, who broke
free of the large pack over the closing stages of the
race, overtaking the limit riders only 2 kilometres
from the finish.
George Vallins from Colac took took
out the sprint and fastest time (1 hour 21 minutes),
with John Macague (Central Vets) second, and Mark Winnen
from Warrnambool third.
First female home was Leigh-Anne
Dynon from Central Vets, and Drew Heard was the first
Grampians rider home.
Handicap Results
1st George Vallins(C), 2nd John Macague
(C/V), 3rd Mark Winnen(W), 4th Jeff McLean (W), 5th
Richie Belliville (W), 6th Marty Taube (C), 7th Andrew
Weightman (G), 8th Roy Clark (E), 9th Adam Smith (Eu),
10th Wayne Hatley (W).
1st Grampians rider was Drew Heard.
1st female rider Leigh-Anne
Dynon, 2nd female rider Mandy Hosking (G), 3rd female
rider Fran Medina
Scratch Races Results
Division
1
1st Jamie Goddard 2nd Roy
Clark 3rd Scott Keating
Division
2
1st Mark Winnen
2nd Doug Garley 3rd Damien Bourke
Division
3
1st Jeff
McLean 2nd Rick Buckwell 3rd Ray Russo
Division
4
1st
Ivan Howes 2nd Neil Maurer 3rd Leigh-Anne Dynon
Division
5
1st Stuart King 2nd Les Power 3rd Steven Bright
Division
6
1st Robert Logan 2nd Sabrina Smythe 3rd Kate
Winnen
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
The Grampians Club would like to
thank all those who helped make the event run as smoothly
as it did, and who helped on corners, with salads etc
on the day. A special thank you to Tony Lloyd who was
the main organiser behind the scenes, and to the VCV
race officials and handicapper who always do a magnificent
job beforehand and on the day.
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