Masters cycling, Reed all about it!

EUREKA Cycling Club staged a handicap on the time-honoured Windmill circuit on Sunday, 16 October.

This was a bonus event for club members, which only came about after the Victorian Road Cycling Championships at Burrumbeet were cancelled, leaving the date open for the local club to race.

The Windmill circuit was in a reasonable state, with no debris, and just the usual amount of pot-holes for riders to contend with.

Eighteen riders pinned on numbers as the cloud cover thinned out to realise a cool, yet pleasant, sunny morning.

Time gains out on the course were hard won, with a constant south westerly breeze effectively nullifying the race and giving larger groups the slightest advantage.

The 10-minute group of Luke Taylor, Darryn Reed, Peter Livitsanis and Peter Lamb all put in solid rides to claim the race lead with just seven kilometres remaining.

Dennis Shaw from the 16-minute group was able to latch on as the younger men sped past. Taylor tried to split the group with some massive efforts inside the final few kilometres, however Livitsanis, Reed, and Shaw kept finding a way back.

Reed jumped with 300 metres to go and opened a big enough margin to take the win from Shaw and Livitsanis.

The two-minute group of Stu Brien, Jarrod King, Dayne Pearce, and Paul Tabbitt put on a powerhouse display to increase their gap over the scratch bunch and catch all but the first four men, with King taking fastest time at the line.

Our volunteer race day team were able to deliver the event with precision.

Windmill 52.5-kilometre handicap – 1st- Darryn Reed – 2nd -Dennis Shaw – 3rd – Peter Livitsanis – 4th – Luke Taylor – 5th – Jarrod King.

Fastest Time – King, one-hour, 20 minutes.