Milne holds off fast finishers

TWENTY-ONE riders nominated for the Mount Gambier Cycling Club’s annual feature race ‘The Soldiers Memorial Race’ keeping with tradition, on ANZAC Day as a mark of respect to the service men and women who lost their lives while serving our country.

Many clubs were represented with nine visiting riders, two from Portland, two from Warrnambool, two from Pt. Fairy and one from Hamilton, Geelong and Norwood, as well as 11 riders from the Mt Gambier Cycling Club.

The race was held over a relatively flat and fast 42km out and back course.

The day’s event was being officiated by Commissaire Tina Opperman.

She marshalled all riders and spectators to the start line just prior to the race beginning. MGCC member Navy serviceman Dave Tye recited the ‘Ode to the Fallen Soldier’, the Last Post was played, and a minute’s silence was observed.

Amelia Milne would be the first rider to take to the course as the only limit rider.

She would certainly have her work cut out having to complete the full 42km in a solo effort.

Ten minutes had elapsed before the next bunch presented at the start line.

The bunch was reduced in size from three as Spek Peake scratched from the race leaving just Mike Bakker and visiting rider Peter Grivell to take up their positions at the start line.

The next bunch assembled at the start line and waited six minutes before John Cranwell, Amali Judd, Tegan Kuhl, and visiting riders David Tuppen and Barry Warren were given their starting order and set off in pursuit of the bunches ahead of them.

The third scratch bunch of three riders were the next to the line to await their countdown.

Kane Polniak, Chris Neave and Portland rider Ben Eichler waited four minutes before they could take up the chase of the riders ahead.

Five minutes elapsed before the largest bunch would take to the course consisting of six riders Matt Opperman, Miles Kroon, Craig Andrae, Phil Stasiw and visiting riders Craig Taylor and Dean Menzel.

The scratch bunch was last to take up their positions at the start line with only three riders and all coming from visiting Victorian clubs Daniel Falcone, Danny Hunt and Wayne Collins, these were considered the fastest men on course and gave up 26 minutes to the first starting limit rider.

Once on course all bunches took advantage of the strong side/tail wind that was blowing over their left shoulder.

At about the 10km mark the second scratch bunch had its first casualty with Andrae receiving an angry bee sting and pulled over for assistance from a spectator to receive some first aid treatment, meanwhile the scratch bunch sped past him, with the sting removed he resumed the race but had lost too much time to catch back onto the disappearing bunches ahead, he quickly realized his fate was sealed for a long day at the rear of the field.

Now with the reduced man power in the second scratch bunch the cracks began to appear with Stasiw starting to find the pace a bit hotter than he was used to as the bunch tried to keep the gap from the pursuing scratch bunch.

The scratch bunch was powering on trying to reel in the bunch ahead and close the one minute starting gap.

Falcone was pushing the pace with Collins able to work with him, but Hunt was finding the pace above his threshold and not long after passing the sidelined Andrea, Hunt began to tail off the back of the group with Falcone and Collins now opening a gap to him.

Meanwhile Stasiw was going the same way as Hunt and was starting to find it difficult to hold the rear of his bunch and at about the 12km mark trailed off.

Within only a few hundred metres the scratch bunch powered past Stasiw who hadn’t recovered enough to be able to latch on to their rear wheel as Falcone and Collins continued in hot pursuit of the bunch ahead.

The bunches ahead of second scratch had made the righthand turn onto Border Rd at the 15.5km mark of the race without incident and were all working well together, and now with a full tailwind hitting their backs had increased their pace to take full advantage of the North Westerly.

At about 16km the bunches crest a small hill and pass thru some ess bends into a slight downhill and into the area known as Honeysuckle with the wind at their back, speeds were pushing up over 50km/hr and now some of the riders would just need to hang on to the faster riders within their bunch.

By the time second scratch hit the Border Rd intersection with only four riders left – Opperman, Kroon, Menzel and Taylor – they had been caught by the fast moving scratch bunch of Falcone and Collins who now could adjust tempo and recover from the hard work they had put in to close the gap.

Milne was the first to make it to the turnaround marker at the 21km mark and was still holding a good time gap over the chasing bunches.

Once all riders were on the return journey to the finish line they were battling a strong headwind and trying to hold off the pursuing bunches and while there was plenty of action in the secondhalf oft he race, Milne held on to take the line, in a race sponsored by The Fat Frog Kitchen & Cocktails.SOLDIERS MEMORIAL RACE Placings

1st Amelia Milne (MGCC)

2nd Daniel Falcone (PCC)

Fastest Time 63:20

3rd Miles Kroon (MGCC)

4th Craig Taylor (PtFCC)

5th Wayne Collins (WCC)

6th Dean Menzel (HCC)

7th Matt Opperman (MGCC)

8th David Tuppen (PtFCC)

9th Kane Polniak (MGCC)

10th Ben Eichler (PCC)

11th Amali Judd (MGCC)