Halls Gap VVCC Open 2010
Eureka Rider finds Gold!
Halls Gap - Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st November

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!

View the race photos here

One could be forgiven for thinking it was Ladies Day at the annual Grampians Vets Halls Gap Open, with six out of the first ten placings going to women.

Cyclists from across the state enjoyed the calm, sunny conditions that prevailed over the weekend of the 20th and 21st November, with 60 entries for Saturday’s graded scratch races, and over 100 for the main event on Sunday.

Shirley Hetherington

In Sunday’s 60 kilometre handicap, the calm conditions favoured the limit riders, with 36 minute riders Shirley Hetherington and Lester Campbell reeling in 40 minute front markers Brian Long and Anne Austerberry soon after the first leg to Pomonal, picking up Long as they went past.

The 29 minute bunch, powered along by local riders Meg Parnaby and Frank Stokes, and Colac rider Murray Mathews, were closing the gap slowly but surely. These two bunches remained out in front until the closing stages of the race, while behind them the other ten bunches were starting to converge.

The scratch riders, hauled along by the awesome power of Leigh Egan, soon caught the 2 minute bunch on the stretch across to Mokepilly, past Lake Fyans, but seemed to lose their way a bit after the two bunches combined, and failed to catch the other bunches.

Ahead of them, the 5 minute riders, including local powerhouse Shane Clark, had combined with the 7 minute riders on the stretch from Mokepilly to Illawarra, and set off in pursuit of the 9 minute riders, whom they caught with about 5 kilometres to go, picking up local riders Dean Hayward, Sean Prins and Peter Wemyss in the process.

At this point, the 12 minute riders, with local riders Danny Monaghan, Alan Barnett and Crystal Wemyss, were working hard and maintaining their independence, but were finally caught about 1 kilometre from home.

Meantime the 16 minute riders, supported by local rider Stuart King, had also caught the 18 minute riders on the stretch from Mokepilly to Illawarra, picking up local riders Tom Eldridge, Tony Rathgeber and Peter Mayo in the process. However, the bunches ahead of them remained an elusive blob in the distance.

The 21 and 24 minute bunches, containing locals Damian Rabl and Les Power, had combined on the stretch along the Sandbar Road, but were still well behind the leading two bunches.

Back at the front, the limit riders Hetherington, Campbell and Long were still riding well, but the 29 minute riders Parnaby, Stokes and Mathews were gaining, and with 5 kilometres to go, were still in with a chance, until disaster struck 3 kilometres from home. Mathews clipped a wheel, and went down, with Parnaby only managing to stay upright by a miracle, but putting her bike out of action in the process.

With their main challengers out of the race, Shirley Hetherington, of the Ballarat Eureka Club, went on to a well earned and popular win, sprinting to victory ahead of Lester Campbell from Warrnambool, with Brian Long of Geelong third.

With good prize money paid down to 10th place, the next bunch in was the combined 21 and 24 minute riders, producing a frantic sprint for the minor placings.

Noel Austerberry (Goulburn Valley) was 4th followed by Mandy Hosking (Geelong), Kerry McCredden (Central Vets), Jack Trickey (Central Vets), Fran Medina (Central Vets), Sabrina Smythe (Central Vets), and Wendy Bennett (Central Vets) in 10th place.

The first three ladies home, sponsored by St Lawrence, were Shirley Hetherington, Mandy Hosking, and Kerry McCredden. A special thank you to St Lawrence for supporting women’s cycling.

Les Power was the first Grampians rider home.

The winners time was 1 hour 51 minutes, while Leigh Egan recorded the fastest race time of 1 hour 20 minutes.

Handicap Results

1st Shirley Hetherington(Eur), 2nd Lester Campbell (W), 3rd Brian Long(G), 4th Noel Austerberry (Gv), 5th Mandy Hosking (G), 6th Kerry McCredden (Cv), 7th Jack Trickey (Cv), 8th Fran Medina (Cv), 9th Sabrina Smythe (Cv), 10th Wendy Bennett (Cv).

Fastest Time Leigh Egan 1hr 20 minutes

1st Grampians rider was Les Power.

1st female rider Shirley Hetherington, 2nd female rider Mandy Hosking (G), 3rd female rider Kerry McCredden

Starting list is here.

Scratch Races Results

Division 1
1st Steve Young 2nd Marty Taube 3rd Andrew Weightman

Division 2
1st Peter McDonough 2nd Geoff Bennett 3rd Malcolm Lloyd

Division 3
1st Richard Taube 2nd Phillip O'Toole 3rd Garnet Bateson

Division 4
1st Stuart King 2nd Craig Halliday 3rd Crystal Wemyss

Division 5
1st Mandy Hosking 2nd Robert Logan 3rd Noel Austerberry

Division 6
1st Graeme Lockwood 2nd Sabrina Smythe 3rd Les Power

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 VVCC race officials and handicapper who always do a magnificent job beforehand and on the day.