Craig Lee takes GP Doug Garley

EUREKA Cycling Club staged the GP Doug Garley in sunny and calm conditions on Sunday at Learmonth.

The short 43km handicap included 13km of dirt road as the riders vied for the coveted cobblestone trophy. Each edition of the race is keenly contested.

This year was the first time that the scratch bunch tasted success in the GP Doug Garley. They reached the head of the race with 8km remaining and stayed clear.

Six riders fought out the race with Craig Lee and Jason Hendry drawing away at the line for a close finish.

Doug Garley raced in Europe and represented Australia at international level during the 1980s.  During his career, he was a member at Blackburn, Caulfield-Carnegie, Ballarat-Sebastopol and Eureka Veteran cycling clubs. Track and road events are staged in his honour each year.

Results – 1st – Craig Lee (Scratch), 2nd – Jason Hendry (Scratch), 3rd – Jason Shipcott (Scratch), 4th – Scott Keating (7 min), 5th – Shane Clarke (Scratch), 6th – Stu Brien (3 min), 7th – Dean Wells (3 min).

Fastest time – Craig Lee (Scratch) in 1h 6m, ave. 39.3kph.