West Coast Masters CC - Two Day Tour 2015 (Sept 27-28)

The thank-you section is usually at the bottom of my race reports, this time I'm turning it around. It goes first. I've raced with West Coast Masters CC since first coming to Perth in November last year with my bike, and I've always been impressed with their events. From traffic management, electronic timing, $1 cans of Coke, though to great race photos posted online. If you're ever in Perth with your bike (and you hold a vets license) pay them a visit. You won't be disappointed, and you'll likely have your legs torn off with the quality of the competition across all grades.

Last weekend was their annual Two Day Tour, a highlight of their road season consisting of four stages over a long weekend. Two new courses to race around and one I'm familiar with from last year in Kewdale. 

The tour is points based, with the lowest points at the end of the tour deciding the places.

Stage 1 Prologue ITT Herne Hill 9.5km

Road bikes only for the prologue ITT. Handy as the roadie is the only bike I have with me here in Perth. The course was square, windy, and only 9.5km long. It wasn't long enough to go out too hard, if you do, you'll be across the finish line in no time at all, so no problem! :)

I had a good ride on each section of the course and the numbers were good. 12:41 on the Garmin, 12:45 official, quick enough for the stage win. That was the stage I was targeting, the pressure was off and the next stages were bonus kms. :)

A Grade Top 10
1  24 Shane Miller 12:45.326
2  25 Sam Smith 13:10.153 24.827
3  4  Tom Ford 13:37.209 51.883
4  2  Carlos De Oliveira 13:50.398 01:05.072
5  9  Eddie Hollands 13:52.535 01:07.209
6  18 Doug Stewart 13:55.412 01:10.086
7  6  Chris Glasby 14:04.412 01:19.086
8  7  Kim Halliday 14:12.532 01:27.206
9  1  Brent Cochrane 14:15.633 01:30.307
10 22 Michael Tapscott 14:19.037 01:33.711

Full Results - All Grades
Lots of great photos by Rebecca Schultz

Stage 2 Graded Scratch Herne Hill 85km

The wind had died down and we were all set for 8 laps... that turned into 9 through some random act of cruelness by WCMCC. Sam Smith was the first to launch an attack at 6km that I latched onto with seven others making the split. With the lead bunch in A Grade down from 23 to nine, we were all in a good position for GC points.

Two more break carvings took place with attacks at 42km (down to four), and at 73km in which left Sam Smith and I off the front heading into the final lap. My turns on the last lap had less punch than a Freo Dockers supporter. I'd dug a hole committing to making the breaks stick and was more than happy to take 2nd when Smith rolled me convincingly to the line. He was looking strong all day and didn't look like he even broke a sweat. 

Rolling 

Rolled!

I only knew Smith from looking up race result sheets. It was good to spend some kms with someone so committed to ripping up the road and racing hard all day.

Full Results - A Grade

Lots of great photos by Rebecca Schultz 

Stage 3 Graded Scratch Pickering Brook 68km

Hills! Finally some hills! Von and I drove the course before we rolled out in our bunches for stage 3, and we liked what we saw.

The pace was either on or off on the first lap. Riders down on GC contention were trying their luck to get away. Doug Stewart spent some time off the front solo, before the they let me off the leash and hung me out for a lap on my own, hoping for company that never came across.

I eased up and waited for the counter attacks.... which went nowhere fast on the downhill. 30km in Sam Smith counters after another hill climb surge, I launch across and hear behind me "F*#K it boys, let them go, don't chase"... That's all I needed to hear to keep driving it across to Smith. I got across a few 100m later and let him know they'd let us go.... and off we went again on a two-up journey up the road.

Smith again showing his strengths on the pedals and commitment to the race by pulling solid turns. It was good to be back into the hills after months of flatland work around Perth.

Into the final few kms I couldn't take Smith to the line fresh, he had me covered yesterday in the sprint. I threw in a few attacks towards the line that didn't result in any gaps worth trying to hold to the line. The cat and mouse started 800m from the line, with Smith leaving me in front and initiating the final jump to the line. He had me by at least a bike length but I didn't want a repeat of yesterday and I didn't die wondering. We crossed the line side by side not sure who took it.

The expressions tell the story.

The throw won it with only 0.014 seconds in it. We were now 1-1 for head to head sprints. 

Stage 4 Graded Criterium Kewdale 45min + 2 laps

Into the final stage, Smith and I were well ahead on GC points. He just needed to put his wheel in front of mine to take the overall, so the crit was a tactical affair. I had a few numbers marked, turns out one of them wasn't the right number, but it kept things interesting. Chris Glasby and Magnus Rudisele lapped the field moving Glasby into 3rd overall.

I was expectedly worked over by the locals in the sprint with Eddy Hollands leading-out Smith and closing the door on my run back at him. Smith still had me covered regardless, so I guess if that's the only doing over I got this weekend, it was a pretty good few days. 2nd on GC and $200 to put towards more race entry fees. Happy days! :)

Full Results - All Grades

There's a hundred other race stories across all grades from the weekend. I've tried to keep this short and sweet, and I look forward to reading a few other war/race stories from the other grades.

Just over a week left for us in Perth, I'm hoping Melbourne can put on weather this good when we get back. 

West Coast Masters CC - Neerabup. A Grade. Sept 20th 2015

With anther perfect Perth sunny day on the cards, Von and I ventured just north of Perth to Neerabup for the West Coast Masters CC scratch race.

11 laps of an almost undulating 7.8km circuit. 'Almost' as the hills were pretty tame. The stiff Easterly along the southern section of the course provided more of a challenge than the hills.

A Grade had a good field of teams and individuals represented. Some just back from the UCI Masters Worlds, and some getting in a final tune-up race before the Australian Masters Nationals this week in Queensland.

Nick Foster was the first to move, rolling off the front in the first few 100m. I only managed a short warm-up before the race so I jumped across to wake the legs up before the inevitable hard work started. We weren't allowed too far up the road and were joined on lap 4 by a split A Grade field.

As soon as we were caught, Matt Upton went on the counter-attack. Upton doesn't mess around in races, his is a wheel you want to be on if it goes up the road. And I was glued to it. The bunch wasn't having any of that and we were back together for the next 2km.

I lifted the pace on a small rise and was allowed some space. A few minute later I was joined by Upton and one other rider who drilled the downhill for us and wasn't seen again. Out of nowhere, Eddy Hollands appears. To make it three of us off the front.

The next 56km was just the three of us rolling turns, and pulling a few sneaky moves on the last lap that didn't eventuate. After a small amount of cat-and-mouse I managed to take the win in a three up sprint.

A Grage Top 10

1 5 Shane Miller       
2 11 Mathew Upton               +00.158
3 12 Eddie Hollands             +02.128
4 28 Christian Singleton +03:54.705
5 21 Magnus Rudisele      +03:58.060
6  16 Doug Stewart            +04:13.086
7  27 James Dunphy            +04:13.096
8  19 Scott Sanders           +04:15.100
9   3 Jaimie Kirkwood         +04:16.496
10  9 Phil Deisel             +04:51.460

Full Results 

Top day out with two very well known and respected riders here in Perth. The wind even dropped off as we finished... great timing wind! WCMCC always put on a great show and had pulled a rabbit out of the hat with having a coffee cart there for us!

Collie Donnybrook Classic 2015

We made the trip down south from Perth this weekend to take part in the 90th running of the Collie to Donnybrook Cycling Classic. The 104km handicap is Western Australia's oldest handicap race, starting back in 1925. Lots of history, prestige, and a large cash incentives for all 200+ riders to make a real race of it.

My day involved a few ups, downs, and wtfs. All up it was a well organised event from start to finish. One I'd do again myself and recommend it to anyone who's able to come over here to take part.

The lengthy registration line.

Here in WA they do things a little different to what we're used to back in Victoria. The race registration process didn't provide the ability to request a handicap or provide suggestions to assist the handicapper. The handicaps weren't published prior to the event either.

Given my last few ATTA results and recent West Coast Masters race over here, I was hoping for scratch. Even if that meant being out of my depth after only 1/2 the race, it'd have been a privilege to roll turns with a few of the local pros and contribute what I could.

To my surprise I'd been slotted into the 5 minute group. Not block, not the 3rd group, but the 4th. That wasn't a welcome decision for some I overheard discussing my mark, and to the guy who yelled out "THAT GUY, THERE, THAT'S HIM" when I rolled to the start line. I went over to say hello, and was given fresh air....


On to the race - The conditions were perfect for a fast race. It as around 24°C, with no wind, and the sun beaming down. There was a $1400 bonus up for grabs if the course record was broken on the day. The conditions and calibre of the scratch bunch meant this was a big possibility.

My day was split into a few distinct parts.

Rolling out and to the top of the climbs at 10km was done at tempo pace, not what I was expecting. 300W 36.5km/h. It was going to be a long day.... or a short day trying to stay away from the chasing bunches.

Down the hill and towards Donnybrook we were still at tempo pace as we waited to be swept up by the chasing groups. 221W for almost 1/2 an hour meant the catch was very quick. The first group to catch us boosted our speed by 3km/h. 10 minutes later the scratch bunch rolled through like a steam train. 43 riders now in the group with 55km still to go.

The philosophy seemed to be "If you're caught, you don't need to work". My philosophy was "Fuck that! I want to race". I wanted to test myself against these scratch markers. If the course recored was going to be set, I wanted to be a part of it. Was I kidding myself wanting to be off scratch? I made my way to the front and went to work. If the legs held up, I'd keep pushing through to the 80km mark when the road hit the hills to the finish.

The next 30k was what I'd come for. Riding hard and rolling turns with other riders committed to the chase. The majority of the group didn't appear to be interested in reeling in the front markers with only about 5-6 riders rolling turns at the front.

Travis Meyer (Drapac) was seen rolling a turn or two about as often as his team mate Graeme Brown would attack the group with Meyer on his wheel, only to get reeled in soon after. This took place about three or four times on the way out of Donnybrook. There's no doubt these boys were aiming for fastest time and were going to light it up on the climb at 80k, but the attacks were beyond my understanding. A highlight of the day had to be Brownie having a crack at me for not rolling over him, after blasting past us again, and after near on 30km of busting my arse on the front. Sure, I was racing with a saddle bag, a pump, and I was only some random from the 5 minute group, but fuck me, I was on the front helping them pocket some serious cash. I could only laugh.... as I rolled to the front with a few others.... and they again sat in for the ride.

Race had become more like a scratch race than a handicap. Riders pulling turns were were rolling off the front and a few others started attacking as most of the bunch tried their best to keep out of the wind and as fresh as possible for the inevitable slaughterfest up the climbs at 80-90km.

10km from the climbs the pace was up and down, riders rolling off the front, with very few rolling though. I'd had enough of the games. I cracked the shits, and sat in. I thought maybe I'd make it over the climbs if I backed if off for a while. hah! I soon found out that wasn't going to happen.

Like clockwork the fresh legs in the group hit the climb at full gas and smoked away. We hadn't swept up the all the out-markers so they'd need to keep on the gas all the way to town if they were going for a clean sweep of all the prize money on offer.

I spent the last 20km ticking away with whatever I had left in the legs, dodging follow cars, and rolling with other riders who'd been shelled in the final run to the line. Doing the math on the race time I could tell the lead group would have set the new course record.

The last kilometre was the most memorable. I was shelled out the back of the scratch group, there was nobody around, and I was rolling in on smooth quiet roads. I was totally spent, my legs had nothing left, and I loved every second of it. Had I raced smart? No. Had I raced the hardest I could? For the most part, yep. And that was what I'd pinned a number on for.

Turning into the main straight the crowd was still kind enough to acknowledge riders finishing behind the winners. The claps and cheers may have been simple politeness, I like to think it was for the work done out the road, well out of sight, and a world away from the 92nd place I rolled in for.

David Wessels (16 minutes) won the event with Brown (Drapac) taking fastest time and setting the new course record by over 7 minutes.

Official results, photos, and race report links still to come.....