Mirabella wins rising sun trophy

EUREKA Cycling staged the sixth Rising Sun Trophy on Sunday, 18 April on a new circuit for 2021, with thirty-one riders contesting the event.

Overcast conditions, with a light west breeze made for fast racing which set up for an exciting finish.

The race started east of Learmonth with one lap of the famous Windmill circuit, then headed out through Blowhard, Coghill’s Creek and Glendaruel, to the turnaround point near Mount Beckworth.

Riders then retraced their path back to Addington-Creswick Road before finishing over The Wall – a steep section near Mount Bolton.

The six-minute group was the largest of the day and had the race lead with 12 kilometres remaining, after picking up riders from other groups along the way. The combined strength of the three-minute group and scratch, cut the gap to less than 30 seconds as the race headed inside the last five kilometres.

The race changed drastically inside the final kilometre when it reached The Wall.

The combined scratch bunch caught the peloton at the same time that Stuart Brien, Greg Ley, Tony Mirabella and Darryn Reed all broke away on the short sharp hill.

Cresting the highpoint with just 300 metres remaining, the six-minute men launched their sprints and stormed back to the front in time for Tony Mirabella to take the victory.

With four former Eureka Club Champions in the top seven placings the legend of the Rising Sun Trophy continues to grow.

Proceeds from the event are donated to the local community. Over $1500 has been distributed to groups since 2015, including Friends of Learmonth, Glendaruel-Mount Beckworth Fire Brigade and Learmonth-Addington Fire Brigade.

Rising Sun Trophy, 54 Km handicap results – 1st – Tony Mirabella (6 mins), 2nd – Stu Brien (6 mins), 3rd – Darryn Reed (6 mins), 4th – Craig Lee (scratch), 5th – Greg Ley (6 mins), 6th – Shane Clarke (3 mins), 7th – Tim Canny (scratch), 8th – Shane Nankervis (scratch), 9th – Michael Pierce (scratch), 10th – Jason Shipcott (3 mins). Fastest Time – Craig Lee (scratch) in 1h 16m 30s, ave. 42.1kph

 

– BY DEAN WELLS