Weatherboard Scratch Racing - 21st May 2023

Graded Points races were the order of the day at Learmonth on Sunday 21st May.  Competitor numbers were impacted by the gravel gran fondo at nearby Creswick where close to one thousand riders battled the elements, including a healthy swag of Eureka members and Nick Locandro was racing in China.  Nevertheless, eighteen riders still pinned on numbers and ventured out onto the breezey Weatherboard circuit overlooking Lake Learmonth.

Divison 3 - report by Patrick Cashin

The race started off with a chase as Julie Connellan had cheekily snuck away from the start line without anyone noticing.  Any delusions of grandeur were snuffed when Roger McMillan and Patrick Cashin made the catch before the end of the Avenue, followed in quick seccession by the fair southerly cross wind on Weatherboard.  This was enough to see Julie out the back and into solo time trial mode for the remainder of the race.

McMillan and Cashin pushed on, with the former doing most of the work into the wind, primarily because his adversary doesn’t provide much of a sit.

With the pair destined to finish 1-2 the race was devoid of much excitement.  Cashin took out the first two sprints for points, before McMillan turned the tables on lap 3.

To this point in the race, the highlight was McMillan dropping his chain and Cashin riding back to make sure they could continue competing.

Both riders were feeling the effects of the wind as the set out on the fourth and final lap and they rode into the home straight side by side and sticking together.  Onto the Henderson Road rise and McMillan surged to the lead, with Cashin falling away as thirty odd kilometres of running the previous day (whilst umpiring footy matches) took their toll on his legs.

McMillan’s sprint a formality as he streaked away to double points and the win.

Divison 2 - through the eyes of Geoff Edwards

It was an ecletic group of eight riders which found themselves facing each other in Division 2.  

Out on course they shared the work in the unremarkable first lap until they reached Henderson’s Road, where Greg Ley launched from well before the rise.  Geoff Edwards responded and that was enough pressure to cause Ley to pull his foot in the sprint.  Edwards taking the 3 points from Josh Harvey, with Ley hanging on for third.

The leading trio promptly blew apart as they raced up the Avenue the second time, with the differences between combatants clearly obvious.  

Matt Favaroni and Rick Calvert were next on the road and chasing hard, while further back  Jeremy Humber and James Knipe were working turns to limit their losses after the third member of their mini group - Peter Livitsanis - had punctured out.

Harvey lost contact in the cross wind up to the highpoint of the circuit at Weatherboard.  Edwards and Ley continued building their lead and were well up the road after the second lap, in which Edwards had won the sprint.  Edwards also took out the sprint on the third lap, which was enough to take overall victory if he could finish the race.

Ley rode the smarter final lap and waited until the rise to get the jump on Edwards.  He opened a space and held on for the double points, which took him to eleven points, just one point shy of Edwards.

Further back, Calvert finished alone to collect the remaining points and secure the final place on the podium.

Division 1 - courtesy of our man on the spot

The Division 1 riders had to wait a few minutes beyond the advertised start time for the arrival of the current Club Champion - Shane Nankervis - who had endured a flat tyre on his ride out to Lake Learmonth.

Finally the race was away, with Jason Hendry and Damien Larkin keen to set a fast pace or, maybe it was to warm up after having to wait at the start line for so long...

Dean Wells was next in line and Jason Birch was hot on his wheel, with Stu Brien close at hand and Nankervis and Tony Mirabella sitting at the rear, as the tail wind threw them northwards on the Avenue.

Larkin did a lot of work on the first lap as he towed the field towards the first sprint.  All the action happened on the Henderson’s Road rise when Nankervis launched from midfield and opened a few lengths gap.  Wells followed the jump and the pair shot clear of the pack.  Nankervis taking the first points with ease.  Wells next and Brien a long way back in third.

The fury of that first sprint was enough to reduce the field with Larkin and Mirabella both bowing out.

On lap two the field was much more wary about setting the race up for the Club Champ, which resulted in something akin to a cafe bunch ride for eight kilometres, before becoming almost farcical in the leg down Burrumbeet Road.  Eventually Hendry took up the pace, which enabled Nankervis to launch from even further out and claim another easy victory, with Hendry second and Birch third.  Brien and Wells were way out the back, with the latter taking almost the full Avenue leg to rejoin the pack.

Brien attacked as the bunch rolled over the highpoint at Weatherboard.  Nankervis and Hendry both invited the other to chase, which enabled Brien to get about fifty metres up the road.  The pack eventually brough him back on Burrumbeet Road and it was all set for another sprint on Henderson’s Road.

Brien ramped up the pace some 500 metres from the finish line and Hendry did well to keep Nankervis boxed in as they hit the rise and started the short climb.  Over the top and this time it was Hendry striking an important blow.  Nankervis in second and Birch overtaking Brien for third place.  

This time through the line, Nankervis rolled the dice and kept going.  Hendry was caught out by the move and there was quite a gap to Birch and an even larger gap back to the last rider on the road - Wells.

*Brien pulled out of the race as he passed through the finish line - apprently to take over performing corner marshal duties, but we’ll never know if that was the real reason...

In scenes reminiscent of his Club Championship Race win some six months earlier, Nankervis was out on his own and moving further ahead with each pedal stroke.

Birch and Hendry linked up and started working together, but the pair sensed the writing was on the wall and settled down to duke it out for the second step on the podium.

It was Nankervis all the way on the fourth lap and he kept it going for the fifth and final lap as well.  Hendry picked up second in each of those laps and Birch took the last remaining points.  

As always, the committee and riders kindly thank those who made the day’s racing possible - racing officials Bill Goldfinch and Graeme Parker, road marshals Michael Pierce, Rob Forsyth and Beth McSparron (nee Canny) with baby in tow.  Also many thanks to Lois Goldfinch and all the post event assistant cleaners at the club rooms.

Weatherboard Points Race results

Division 3 (40 Km):

1st - Roger McMillan, 13 pts

2nd - Patrick Cashin, 12 pts

3rd - Julie Connellan, 5 pts

Division 2 (40 Km):

1st - Geoff Edwards, 12 pts

2nd - Greg Ley, 11 pts

3rd - Rick Calvert, 3 pts

Division 1 (50 Km):

1st - Shane Nankervis, 17 pts

2nd - Jason Hendry, 13 pts

3rd - Jason Birch, 5 pts

Next Sunday (28th May) Eureka is staging a 45 Km handicap on the famous Mount Misery circuit, which will be the perfect lead in, to the prestigious GP Doug Garley (43 Km handicap) on Sunday 4th June.