Hitting his Peake on the Moorak circuit

AS the summer season of racing moves into gear, the Mount Gambier Cycling Club made its way to the Moorak circuit on Sunday for a three-lap race around a 9.78km loop starting and finishing at the Moorak school just south of Mt. Gambier.

Weather conditions at the Moorak circuit always play a key role in how the race unfolds as the course is basically a rectangle with the two longer sides running east-west and the two shorter sides running north-south.

The wind was starting to whip up coming from the south-east at start time at approx. 22km/hr this would give the riders a slight tail wind advantage for the first 3.5km on the out ward leg but by mid race the wind would swing to the east and increase in intensity to 25 to 30km/hr causing some pain to the riders as they headed into the wind for 3.5km along the back straight.

Chris Neave officiating for the day, began to organise the riders into their allocated bunches just prior to start time.

At the stroke of 9am he sent the limit bunch consisting of Spek Peake and Michael Dethmore on their way, there would then be an extended gap of 13 minutes to the second limit bunch of Tegan Kuhl, John DePree and Craig Dunn who was returning to road racing after about a 10-year hiatus.

Next to the line was the third limit bunch of Craig Andrae, Amali Judd, an up and coming junior, and Kane Polniak, from Naracoorte, they waited for a two-minute countdown before they began their chase for the two bunches ahead.

A further two minutes had lapsed before the second scratch bunch left the start line with senior rider Rob Mann (coach) Miles Kroon (apprentice) and Phil Stasiw who was moving up in grade after a strong performance the week prior, this would be an interesting bunch to watch.

Last to the line taking up the scratch position as a solo rider was the ever-strong Dave Bryant a further 90 seconds had lapsed before he could take to the course to chase down all riders ahead of him.

All bunches worked strongly on the first lap of the course with only the second scratch bunch breaking up early with Stasiw finding the going tough being up in grade and against the lighter frames of Mann and Kroon making him pay on the first short punchy climb at the completion of the starting straight.

Stasiw was unable to recover quickly enough as they crested the rise and lost ground, and he struggled to get back onto their wheel.

At the completion of the first lap it was clear to the handicapper that he may have been too lenient on the limit bunch riders as Spek and Dethmore powered past in a good time of 20:53, if they were to hold that pace they would be home before the other bunches could catch them.

Next to complete lap one was the bunch of Kuhl, DePree and Dunn in a time of 30:03, they had reigned in approximately four minutes on the limit markers starting gap of 13 minutes, arriving to the line next in a time of 32:05 was Andrae, Judd and Polniak even though riding consistently they had not been able to make ground on the bunch ahead.

Passing the line next in 33:15 was Mann and Kroon who had claimed just over a minute on the bunch ahead of them.

Thundering past the line next was the solo scratch rider Dave Bryant in a time of 33:55, eating into the advantage by 50 seconds of the previous bunch and having passed Stasiw just as they rounded the last bend at the Moorak school.

Phil passed the timekeeper only a handful of seconds behind Bryant but was unable to latch on to the scratch rider’s wheel, succumbing to a long day and now calling it a training ride.

Spek and Dethmore were still maintaining a consistent effort thru their second lap and recorded a slightly improved time of 40:30 as they passed the time keeper to take the bell for their last lap, moves were now starting to be made in the second limit bunch with Dunn pressing his advantage as the bunch climbed the longer hill into the wind on the back straight.

By the time they came to the timekeeper to complete their second lap, the bunch had splintered with Dunn passing the start/finish line in 46:55 it was then Kuhl next in 47:10 and then DePree in 47:40.

The third limit bunch were the next passed the time keeper with their bunch still intact but still not making ground on the splintered riders ahead as they recorded a time of 49:19.

Sailing passed the timekeeper next was Mann and Kroon holding a very consistently strong pace with a time of 49:32 now only 13 seconds behind the bunch ahead.

Bryant shot past next and had closed the gap to 22 seconds with the timer recording 49:54 as he went by.

The third and final lap would be telling for all riders as the wind was now gusting at full strength into the faces of the oncoming cyclists along the back straight, playing to the advantage of the stronger riders.

Spek made his move on Dethmore on the last hill on the back straight and had gapped him at the turn by about 15 bike lengths before the downhill run on Telford Rd.

Craig Dunn used his triathlon skills to advantage as he time trialed into the wind on the back straight gapping further away from Tegan Kuhl who was also working very strongly and opening up further distance on John DePree.

The remaining bunches were all starting to close up and finally came together on the last hill on the back straight as they started to jostle for position setting themselves up for the final run home.

As they climbed the hill Mann, Kroon, Andrae, Judd and Polniak caught up to DePree and as they crested the last hill and headed for the downhill on Telford Rd it was Kroon who emerged as the leader with Mann on his wheel and Polniak who jumped onto the train and had gapped away from Andrae, Judd and DePree.

Bryant was on his way to spoil the party as he was about 20 lengths behind and closing fast but he may have over done it climbing the hill to catch the other bunches, would he have enough left in the tank to overcome them in the last 1500m.

Spek Peake negotiated the last turn, powering into the finishing straight a clear winner with a time of 60:11 followed in by Michael Dethmore with 60:24 with a clear gap to the strong finishing rider in third place Craig Dunn in 63:41 – what a return to racing after 10 years out of the scene.

In fourth place, with some strong riding, was Tegan Kuhl 65:02, with the fast finishing bunch of Miles Kroon 65:15, Rob Mann 65:16, Kane Polniak 65:17, and then scratch rider Dave Byant in 65:38 clocking the fastest adjusted time, he got the job done on Telford Rd just getting ahead of the next bunch of riders Amali Judd 65:43, Craig Andrae 65:44, John DePree 65:45 and then rounding out a hard day Phil Stasiw crossed the line.

Personal Training for your Pooch was the race sponsor.

RACE 2 PLACINGS

1st Spek Peake

2nd Michael Dethmore

3rd Craig Dunn

4th Tegan Kuhl

5th Miles Kroon

6th Rob Mann

7th Kane Polniak

8th Dave Bryant(Fastest Time 47:08 adjusted)

9th Amali Judd

10th Craig Andrae