With a large turnout of riders, the Armidale Cycle Club conducted a 30km graded scratch race event on the Dangarsleigh Road on Saturday afternoon.
In the A grade race John Scott-Hamilton made a break from the rest of the field after only 3km, and although he put an outstanding effort on his own for most of the race, he was eventually reeled in by the main bunch of riders towards the end of the race. He was beaten to the line by Pat Ainsworth, and was followed by Cody Burton, who came in 3rd. The race was held in windy conditions which made it hard work for all the riders.
The B grade race became a four man show early on in the race, and they stayed together for most of the 30km. In the end it was the sprint specialist Dave Jenner who came out on top. He was closely followed by Wilfred Keller and Peter Creagan. Bob Murison was the fourth rider home and it is good to see Bob coming back to form after his operation.
It was a father and son combination that finished 1st and 3rd in C grade, in a race that saw the field completely strung out over the course. The father – Bob Weston was too strong for the rest of the field and he rode away from everybody to record and easy win. It was a sprint finish for the minor places, and it was Craig Burton who claimed 2nd place, ahead of Brent Weston.
With the weather warming up it is good to see numbers increasing for the junior races which are held at the criterium circuit. They compete in a number of events and it is all about friendship, learning riding skills and the thrill of competition. We have new members joining the club and a big welcome is extended to them all.
As daylight savings started on Sunday morning, the times for racing will change as well. During daylight savings, the juniors will race at the criterium course at 3pm, and the senior races will start at 4pm on the Saturday afternoons.