Club Races
Hetherington Takes Out Pack Finish
Fyans Creek 46km Handicap
Sunday 30th September 2012

	Rod Hetherington

Renown sprinter Rod Hetherington burst from the pack with 150 metres to go to take out the Grampians Vets 46 kilometre Fyans Creek handicap, held last Sunday.

Riding as part of the five strong scratch bunch, Hetherington teamed with fellow scratch riders Shaun Blackie, Sean Prins, Peter Wemyss and Frank Kean to power through the field and grab the lead in the closing stages of the race.

Light winds made for great riding conditions, but the limit riders Linda Howlett and Shirley Hetherington struggled to hold off the chasing riders, and at the half way turn were only one and a half minutes in front of the twelve and a half minute riders Tom Eldridge, Peter Mayo, John McIntyre and Meg Parnaby.

Another four and half minutes behind were the three and a quarter minute riders Crystal Wemyss, Brian Howlett, Stuart King, Dean Hayward and Wayne Klauss, but just before the turn Crystal punctured and this bunch lost one of it’s strongest riders.

Without Wemyss, the scratch riders started to make up time rapidly, with the two bunches coming together near the Green Hole, with about 10 kilometres to go.

Passing Mount Dryden with seven kilometres to go, the twelve and a half minute riders still had a minute and a quarter lead over the chasing combined bunches, having themselves reeled in the limit riders along the Sandbar Road some time earlier.

With the chase to line favouring the large chasing pack, the twelve minute riders were caught two kilometres from home. Into the final straight the pace was high, but Hetherington bided his time and shot from the pack in the final few hundred metres to score a clear win from Peter Wemyss and Stuart King.

Hetherington recorded the fastest race time of one hour and ten minutes and forty-five seconds, and average speed of 39 kph.