It was a day for the front-runners yesterday on Boorolong with Jo Wauch and Jacqui King claiming an excellent one-two finish over the 30km hilly course. Starting off four minutes, Jo caught Go rider Jacqui on the return leg and the two combined well to keep the chasing packs at bay, ultimately crossing the line just over a minute ahead of third-place rider Josh Denham. Jo started with San Remo who continues to make steady progress on his return to form.

Chasing them were half a dozen riders at nine minutes, with Dr John tagging on the back like a kid at Christmas time, so excited to be back on two wheels. This group was going well with strong riding from PC, Clint, Haydo and Chris Belson who hung on gamely to the end, smashing his previous PB by over four minutes.

There were another two half-dozen riders ahead, at twelve and fourteen minutes, and the race was rounded out by the Scratch pair of Houlty and Rob a further minute back. Scratch caught their minute group just after Dumaresq Road but apart from picking off a few stragglers along the way, they had some serious work to do to catch the two bigger groups ahead. Josh and Holly were providing great support and by the turn, they’d made good inroads on the 12 minute group who’s advantage was down to 40s. There was then a big gap of 45s on top of that to the powerful-looking nine minute bunch and it seemed they might snatch it if they could keep their momentum on the downward leg.

The Scratch-Block combo caught Bourkey’s group at the top of Blacks Hill and, with good smooth riding, now assisted by Col and Inverell’s Alwyn Miller, they set about reeling in the four riders ahead. Clint, PC, Chris Belson and Haydo were still making good progress though and it wasn’t until 4km from home that they were caught.

Despite continued hard chasing on the front, Jo and Jacqui remained out of sight and it ended as a two-way tussle for the win which Jo achieved by a couple of bike lengths. Behind them the usual build-up for the RROTY bonus points was starting with 12 riders jockeying for position. Hammy Williams came to the fore and emptied the tank along with Houlty before Josh decided to take the bunch on, still some way out. Alwyn Miller chased hard but couldn’t close the gap giving Josh a comfortable third place and a Boorolong PB by almost a minute.

Many thanks to Phil Hess for putting the signs out and running the race and congratulations to Jo on a good chase and a well-earned win. Jacqui’s performance shouldn’t go unnoticed however – aside from recording a course PB, she’s now just 5s shy of cracking the hour.

At the top of the RROTY league, there isn’t too much change with Alex and Chris both out of the points on a tough day. PC sneaks up into 3rd place and Jo into 6th with plenty to play for in the coming weeks.

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Note: In accordance with RROTY rule 1.4.3, Inverell Rider Alwyn Miller does not receive bonus RROTY points even though he finished in the top 5.  As stated in 1.4.3.1 bonus points are therefore awarded down to 6th place.