Spokes Cycle Club

Australia Day Criterium

2012-01-28T12:37:00.000+08:00

Australia DayCriterium

Lamingtons, lamingtons, lamingtons………….that was the impetusfor the riders who braved the Australia Day overcast and humid conditions torace the Rich Maslen Crit circuit.

Events began with a kids’ race which saw James Bishop in blisteringform taking line honours. He wasfollowed in by Nadia Richards in the same age category. Kayla Richards was next across the linefollowed by Noah and Wes Richard who dead heated at the finish line. Special mention to dad, Adam, who did a greatjob of guiding Noah and Wes around the course.

After presentations to the kids, it was time for a groupstart of Men, Women and Junior riders for the main event. Paul Baldock arrived just as the race wasabout to commence and offered excuses as to why he couldn’t ride. After a quick dose of ‘toughen up’ wasissued, he duly lined up for the start.

Max Nowrojee burst out of the blocks and set the pace for afast event, followed by Darryl Sheilds and Marissa Drummond. Drummond called on her experience to ensureshe slid easily into the group much to the frustration of Andrew Toovey who wasalso trying for the wheel of Sheilds.

First lap speed soon settled and Bec Swan moved to thefront of the group to assist with turns. Darryl Sheilds again upped the pace, taking the lead and the long lineof riders behind began to splinter leaving just Swan and Nowrojee hanging ontoSheilds at the front.

Reg Salmon and Eddie Muller continued to work hard to getback in touch with the lead group, as did Andrew Toovey and ReggieRichardson. Tom Thuijs also settled intohis race pace and rode consistently throughout.

Vicky Sheilds assisted Sharon Bell and Barb Glenister onthe course; both of whom had pre race nerves due to the fast cornering on thiscourse. They were followed by Rhonda Bradley, Sara Armitage, Jonty Calder andFleur Bishop.

Armitage and Calder spent much of the ride trading placesand this ensured both worked to their best throughout.

The late arrival of Paul Matthews to the event saw him jointhe lead group who still contained Sheilds, Swan and Nowrojee with Sheildscompleting all the work for this trio. Matthews peeled off and assisted Salmon and Muller to rejoin the bunch,with Baldock assisting Richardson further back in the field.

For the women and junior riders, the fifteen minute markhailed the bell and Swan continued at speed for the two lap finish, taking linehonours ahead of Richardson, Drummond, Glenister and Bell.

Jonty Calder remained strong throughout the ride and wasthe winner of junior event – it was obvious that he had given it everythingduring the race as he needed a little rest after the ride!

The men’s event continued through to twenty minutes andSheilds showed no sign of slowing. Hewon ahead of Nowrojee and a fast finishing Salmon.

Lamingtons were consumed in great quantities after theevent and then it was off to continue Australia Day Celebrations for all whoattended.

12km Pairs Time Trial - Waggrakine

2012-01-15T21:00:00.000+08:00

Collins Road, bring a hot, sweaty friend event.

Missive by 'Jennie Hastey', Event Manager standing in for Toovey who found better things to do at the last minute. Interesting pick Toovey, giving the first race to a new committee member who's knowledge of racing is stunted, doesn't know the big names and only rides to eat cake! You'll keep. I arrived three minutes early to be greeted by hands on hips and finger tapping on crossed arms. We had to make up for lost time....

Well what a glorious morning for staying in air conditioned comfort or submerging oneself in the neighbour's swimming pool for a couple of hours but alas their is a race schedule and many many perspiring cleanly shaven athletes arrived to paw at the start line, oh, and a few naive competitors that got pier pressured into having a go. 'Obs. and Gynae', welcome and nice to see you at the head end for some of the race. It was duly noted that one bearded member may have been holding up his team members with wind resistance problems and could perhaps be persuaded to wax before the next race. Anyone needing advice on wind should not see me as my legs are rather hairy at the moment. Anyone finding an advisor, let me know. Thank you.

I worked very closely with the photographer, well not that close really, he was across the road but we were able to converse loudly. And I'm sorry to say that this time 'Goliath' got the better of 'David' in the 'David and Goliath' team on every photo. Jonty we're sorry you're not on any photo's this time, well you are but you were behind Paul, so we will endeavour to put you with someone less camera friendly next time. We just wanted to acknowledge that you did compete. Well done.

Jonno. When isn't there something to say about Jonno? Hmmm I can't think. Twenty-six minutes and eight seconds late and he still wanted to start the race. His hyperactivity severely misguided is it not?. Jonno's 'Threesome' completed one lap and haven't been given a time, except a hard time. Now listen up! Everyone needs to get there earlier to sign on, oh including me apparently, or there will be grumpy committee members all over the place. Let that be a warning!

I have inside information and would like to use this opportunity to invite Tom the wonderful, talented, skilled, accurate accountant to join the committee, run the committee or just help Tim add up on race days. GREAT ride Tom. Doddo was our next choice... to join the committee that is... you won't have to add up, we just like your personality.

There must have been some overtaking here and there during the race because the riders didn't return in the same order we set them off. Tell a friend, get them out of the neighbours pool, how could they resist all that excitement? I got goose pimples just reminiscing.

And finally I conclude, you'll be pleased to hear: Congratulations goes to Andre and Pottsie they were the fastest. They are happy to pass on tips to anyone who is interested about how to ride so close together for least resistance. Everyone else came behind them.

Oh, and I've been told to say welcome to all new members, thank you to so and so, blah blah blah....and do come again...please.

Results - 12km Pairs Time Trial - Waggrakine

2012-01-15T20:50:00.000+08:00

The Picasa photostream to the right has also been updated with pictures from today's event

Jandanol Joy 19km Individual Time Trial

2011-12-14T20:45:00.000+08:00

Jandanol - a 'flat' course……….

Sunday 11 December saw the final event for Spokes Cycle Club season 2011 and with just 15 minutes to start time only three riders had registered and with one being Junior, one female and one male, race results were determined. With the day being quite steamy, and many having had a busy weekend "celebrating" the lead into Christmas, the three riders were pretty happy to take the win without actually having to ride……………….

Thankfully a last minute rush saw another six riders arrive and the handicapper assigned start times for the 20km Individual Time Trial. Rhonda Bradley was first to head off and having never ridden the circuit before she burst out of the start only to pause and ask over her shoulder about where to turn! Barb Glenister left one minute later and as always was happy to be on her bike and out on the course. Junior rider Jonty Calder was third to go and quickly slipped into his high cadence and speed.

From here time intervals spread out to two minutes with all of the male riders present able to hold good speed on this course. Mike Reymond headed onto the course at +4 minutes followed by Eddie Muller, Paul Dodson, Andre Eastough and Paul Matthews. Just after Paul Matthews departed, Tom Thuijs arrived having not realised it was an 8am start and so was the last onto the course.

Jonty Calder was first to complete the inaugural lap and was looking very comfortable. He was hotly pursued by Mike Reymond who had caught Barb Glenister and Rhonda Bradley and was riding strong until a puncture stopped him just past the start line. This caused Mike to have to walk back to the start area where he changed his tube and then restarted.

Rhonda was also having problems with her bike but a quick check and she was back on the road.

Eddie Muller and Paul Dodson came through very quickly and Andre Eastough and Paul Matthews were working hard with Paul M using tri bars to improve his aero position. Tom Thuijs rounded out the group and maintained good speed and composure given his unorthodox start.

The second lap of the course saw Eddie Muller puncture and as he was on the furthest point of the course it took him the remainder of the racing time to walk back to the start line! Dodson, Eastough and Matthews continued at speed overtaking Bradley and Glenister into the last lap. Calder rode very well and was only caught at the very end of the race - he has improved immensely since his first event and his training is well and truly paying off.

Dodson finished ahead of Eastough and Matthews with Calder next across the line. They were followed in by Glenister, Reymond and Thuijs. Unfortunately for Rhonda Bradley, she flatted twice in the last lap and had to get a lift back.

On corrected times Paul Matthews was fastest for the men in a time of 33:08 across the distance, averaging 34.4km/hr. Andre Eastough averaged 33.8km/hr and was last heard suggesting that the loan bike from Roger had cheap training tyres and this slowed him down. This comment did stem from the fact that Andre managed to sustain a flat tyre after the race and after changing the tube and pumping it up, it went straight back down and he had to abandon riding home in favour of a lift!

Paul Dodson was third fastest in a time of 35:06 at 32.5km/hr. Dodo was very chivalrous after the ride - he provided tubes to Eddie Muller so that he could ride home and then assisted Rhonda Bradley with changing her flat tyres before she packed her bike away. Unfortunately this left Dodo without any tubes for himself and so he was less than impressed when he realised he also had a flat tyre and needed help. "Who would have thought Jandanol would have so many flats" was Dodo's statement before being supplied a tube and getting ready for the ride home.

Many thanks to Tim for putting out signage and marking cycling lines on the corners and to Jonathan Tamm for marshalling. Special thanks to Barb for once again supplying delicious cake for all to enjoy.

A full list of results is below.

Spokes Cycle Club would like to wish all cyclists a safe and wonderful Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Results - Jandanol Joy 19km Individual Time Trial

2011-12-14T20:39:00.000+08:00

Spokes Presentation Night and AGM

2011-12-14T20:30:00.000+08:00

Spokes Presentation Night and AGM

Spokes Cycle Club held their Presentation Night and AGM on Friday 9th December 2011 and would like to congratulate the following Award recipients:

Mingenew Blue Ribbon Race Paul Hearne

King of the Mountain Paul Matthews

Queen of the Mountain Julie Firth

Time Trial Champion Paul Matthews

Criterium - Male Andre Eastough

Criterium - Female Theresa Pomery

Most Dedicated Rider Julie Firth

Most Improved Cyclist Mike Reymond

Junior Achievement - Events Jonty Calder

Junior Achievement - Mingenew Mitchell Crabbe

Junior Achievement - Sportsmanship Cameron Draper

Best Club Person Tim and Barb Glenister

Spokes welcomes their new committee for 2012:

President Andrew Toovey

Vice President Tim Glenister

Secretary Barb Glenister

Treasurer Dom Micono

Committee Bec Swan, Peter Johnson, Jennie Haste and Eddie Muller

Criterium de Meru

2011-11-23T21:07:00.001+08:00

Criterium Sunday 20^thNov

A very windy day made for tough riding conditions. A brave cluster of 10 riders fronted up readyto engage in battle. The club waspleased to welcome Michael Pardon as a new rider visiting from Perth and to welcomeback Theresa Pomery and Andre Eastough who clearly love riding crits.

There was a mass start for all riders who gave 100% over the20 minute criterium. Within a few laps PaulDodson, Andre Eastough, Roger Swan, Mike Pardon and Peter Johnson lead apeleton lapping at better than 1 minute per lap. The remaining riders stuck at their ride andmaintained a good pace throughout.

The sprint finish saw Andre take line honours followedclosely by Mike, Paul D and Peter J. Roger managed to keep the new bike on the same lap as the front runnersand went so hard in the last two laps that he missed the bell. It must have been the wind noise off thosefancy new wheels Rog!

Theresa won the women’s event and Jonty won the Junior’sevent with strong ride in his first Criterium. Well done Jonty. This was also RhondaBradley’s first “crit” and although her domestique [Darryl Sheilds] was heckledby the peleton, Rhonda said she learnt more in 20 minutes of riding than shehad in years on her own! Greatconcentration Rhonda. Tom Thuijs alsohad his first run at the Meru crit circuit and finished in the middle of thefield.

Well done to all the first time criterium riders and a huge effort was put inby all riders in adverse conditions.

Thanks to Bec for providing some wonderful prizes for the children’s andJuniors races.

Nukara to N.W.C. Highway & Return

2011-11-13T19:22:00.001+08:00

On our way out to the Nukara Farm, Burch made the commentthat the race may have been cancelled due to the heavy rain that morning. It had been discussed that at previous meetsthe rain wasn’t a factor. Having saidthat, we wondered how many riders would be competing. It soon became evidentthat some people were participating after we passed the old fella (aka PaulDodson), Eddie Muller and Johnny Barber riding out. “Well, there will be three anyway”.

On arriving there was a few more getting ready, so no doubtthere would be a race. By 9am we had 19riders and absolutely beautiful weather (apart from the little friendlieslooking for a home up your nose, in your eyes…..).

Welcome to few newriders, Garry Potter, Sara Armitage and some 2^nd timers Rhonda Bradleyand Gus Ruiz.

Burch and I sorted out the handicaps , created 4 groupsseparated by 5 min except for the scratchers who requested a smaller gap of 4min? The old man requested an earlierstart group as there were hills and these don’t apparently agree with him (thiswasn’t all he had to worry about as glass didn’t do his tyres much good,twice!).

The course went from Nukara farm gate, to NWCH and return,measuring 27km with 4 hills on the way out and guess what…4 hills on the wayback. Apologies, I shouldn’t keepbringing up the hills.

59min 58sec after the start John Barber and Eddie Mullerwere 1^st and 2^nd over the line followed by the powerhouseFirth and one of the new boys on the track Gus Ruiz with his new Giant (verynice if I can say so) with Simon Mulligan arriving in fifth position.

With adjusted times the order changed, with Simon Mulliganfinishing in a fairly unassisted time of 48 min 19sec (good riding bigfella). Second and third to Jonny Barberand Eddie Muller with 49.58 and Julie Firth in 51.11 sec followed in fifth @51min 21sec Gus Ruiz (that will cost you a bit of handicapping next time Gus),beating some more fancied riders Reg Solomon and Mr Wild West…..Paul Matthews.

A couple of old timers in Tom (Gravel) Thuijs, John Andrewsand Gary Porter (also on a very nice new Giant) held off the up and comingjunior of the club Jonti Calder. JennyHaste had just under 90 sec on Barb (I never win anything) Glenister who gotover the line in front of another new Giant (which developed brake issuesmetres away from the finish line????), of Andrew Toovey. Peter Burchill was next after assuming a fewteaching positions along the way and in front of Paul Dodson who had themisfortune of two flats and due to his experience changing tyres, onreflection, his time wasn’t too bad. Patrick Bettridge came in just after a fast finishing Dodson. A little way back Sara Armitage rolled in front of Rhonda Bradley, also ona new Giant. I think Rhonda was a lothappier on her roadie compared to the last meeting on her MTB.

The weather held out to be cool - warmish conditions minus afew flies and low to mild winds. Standing at the finish line was great listening to the bikes come downthe hill at a rate of knots, there is something to be said about the whirringof gears, chains and tyres on the bitumen. A good turn out to be involved in this a great race - can’t wait to havea go next year.

Many thanks to Paul Baldock and Cameron Dawson forofficiating and to Peter Burchell for event coordinating.

Results - Nukara to N.W.C Highway & Return

2011-11-13T19:18:00.001+08:00

Nabawa to Northampton and Return

2011-10-31T20:09:00.001+08:00

A change of course……………

Due to grain cartage starting early the scheduled Spokes event for Sunday 23rd October 2011 was re-routed to the Nabawa Northampton Road, removing the Chapman Valley and Morrell Roads from the route. Our decision to change the race was vindicated when we passed 6 grain trucks on the way out to the race.

16 riders faced the start on a calm, warm morning, welcoming a new rider Rhonda Bradley on her mountain bike. Two juniors Jonty Calder and Cameron Napper, started with Rhonda and Peter Burchell. The juniors left their elders behind and rode strongly throughout the circuit.

The next group to ride off was made up of experienced riders Tim Glenister, Mort Harslett, Julie Firth, Jon Tamm, Mike Reymond and Reg Salmon. Julie and Reg lead the riders out and maintained their turns on the front for most of the race. Mort hung on behind with Jon Tamm who eventually fell off the pace and Mike Reymond moved between leading the group up the hills and joining the centre of the peleton. This group maintained a strong pace and caught Rhonda and Peter just before the turnaround point at the Northampton Wheat Bins and set sail for Jonty and Cameron who they passed on the long climb out of Northampton.

The final group to set off, with the daunting task of catching the others, was made up of the “big boys” Mike Paxman, Peter Johnson, Richard Quinlan, Johnny barber, Andrew Outhwaite and Simon Mulligan. The group set a fast pace and pulled in first group. Andrew’s flat tyre took he and Johnny Barber out of the contention.

Tim Glenister with Mike Reymond, Mort and Julie hot on his heels burst around the bend to the last 200 metres. Tim managed to hold the sprint and crossed the line first. Julie rode strongly and it was disappointing for Reg and Julie to be pipped at the post. This group finished the race in 1:23:30

Eight minutes later Mike Paxman, Johnno, Richard and Simon sprinted across the line in a final time of 1:15:20. A strong ride, that would have been even faster if they’d had a sniff of the second group who they were chasing down.

Jonty and Cameron dashed across the finish line in a fine time of 1:45:44. Jon Tamm came across the line on his own with Andrew and Johnny 5 minutes behind.

Rhonda and Peter came in finishing strongly. It was delightful that Rhonda rode her longest ride supported so well by Peter.

The consensus of the riders was that this is a route to be repeated in 2012 with enough challenge for all ability levels.

Corrected times have Mike Paxman, Richard Quinlan and Peter Johnson as fasted in a blistering 1:15:20 with average speed of 37.4km/hr. Full results are below.

Many thanks to Tim and Barb Glenister and Reggie Richardson for putting out the signs, marshalling and timekeeping.

Results - Nabawa to Northampton Return

2011-10-31T20:05:00.000+08:00

Wild West Bike Tour - Results

2011-10-26T12:08:00.000+08:00

This is a link to a short movie of the race to King Of The Mountain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4WlguNw3W4

Introduction To Wild West

2011-09-03T07:13:00.000+08:00

Course gets the thumbs up…………….

The Spokes Cycle Club Introduction to Wild West on Sunday 28th August 2011 was ridden by five teams and one solo rider who just wanted to 'check out the course'. The Club was thrilled to see a junior team compete and the combination of Lucas Meyer, Bryce Meyer, Cameron Draper, Jonty Calder and Jacob Lee set off at a rapid pace which they managed to retain for the whole 100km, despite their restrictive gears. This team finished in an impressive time of 3:36:20 averaging 27.7km/hr.

Club stalwarts Tim and Barb Glenister were joined by friends Paula Purcher and Reggie Richardson as the next team to depart with Tim looking quite pleased to be surrounded by ladies for his ride into the countryside. Peter Johnson rode as a solo and set off some 6 minutes after the Junior men's team. He cycled well to catch them and then rode with the team to the finish line supporting them across some of the more interesting terrain.

Spokes welcomed the team of Matthew Johanson, Chris Worthington, Ken Smith and Steve Kang to their first Cycle Club event and it was evident that this team had been training hard for the upcoming WWBT in September. The gentleman rode well and used the event to hone their tactics and gain valuable course knowledge.

Andrew Outhwaite, Johny Barber and Reg Salmon were led by Julie Firth and with a 12 minute handicap this team showed their strength by catching all those in front of them whilst also staving off a fast finishing run by Paul Matthews, Megan Dunphy, Dave Rakuscek, Paul Burkinshaw and Jarrod Bell. Just 47 seconds separated the two teams across the line, however on corrected time Matthews' team were just over two minutes ahead.

All cyclists agreed that the course is fantastic and it bodes well for Stage 1 of the WWBT in September. The unsealed sections of the course provided a challenge for each team and offered variety to the event.

A full list of results is below.

Many thanks to Ian Andrews, Andrew Toovey, Mike Reymond and Eddie Muller for their event management.

Spokes next event is a Teams Ride from Binnu to Giles Park - this is another excellent opportunity for teams to train and work on their combinations and strategies.

Results - Introduction to Wild West

2011-09-03T07:11:00.000+08:00

Individual Road Race - Jandanol

2011-08-18T03:04:00.000+08:00

Jandanol Joy……..nothing joyous here….

Sunday 14th August 2011 dawned and both the Event Managers and cyclists were pleased, and surprised, to see the raining skies clear to beautiful sunshine and a mild breeze thus allowing the Jandanol 39km Individual Road Race to commence.

Inspection of the course brought some concerns as the beautifully swept corners had been weather affected and were now puddled and muddy 'features'. Spokes marshal - Peter Johnson - was undeterred and with determination got the main corner swept and a beautiful riding line was found.

Fourteen riders lined up to the start and were split into A, B and C grade categories with handicaps assigned. C Grade saw Junior cyclist Jonty Calder ride with Spokes for his first event and he soon showed his riding abilities by leading out the more experienced riders of John Andrews and Patrick Bettridge. Calder's fast cadence and required spinning style saw him averaging 10 minute laps for almost the full 39km. John Andrews has only recently returned to riding after time off the bike to kite surf and his experience assisted Calder in maintaining speed.

The large B Grade contingent of Reg Salmon, Julie Firth, Johny Barber, Gerald Laurent, Eddie Muller, Dave Rakuscek, Lisa Greeve and Mike Reymond left at 8 minutes and quickly settled into 'peloton' style with Johny Barber completing a mountain of work on the front. This pace saw Greeve and Reymond lose touch on the first lap when the uphill took all by surprise. Laurent was the next to go dropping from the back of the group during the second lap and spending the rest of the race on his own.

A Grade riders Paul Hearne, Simon Mulligan and Paul Matthews departed at 15 minutes with Mulligan looking very strong from the start. This group was expected to ride at around 8 minute laps and they didn't disappoint. Hearne and Mulligan proved too fast for Matthews and he was unable to maintain contact after the second lap.

With all riders on the course, placings changed regularly however the core groups within each grade continued to pass the starter at a maintained average speed. Julie Firth rode exceptionally well to remain with the B Grade group until halfway through the distance when an injection of speed by Johny Barber on the climb saw her struggle to remain in the slip stream.

Patrick Bettridge retired with just one lap to go and given this was his first ride back after a holiday and illness, he did very well and the starter was happy for the company!!

As the bell went for the final lap the race picked up intensity as all riders were heading for the finish and all eyes looked to see if Hearne and Mulligan would catch the remaining B Grade group of Barber, Salmon, Rakuscek and Muller to take line honours.

Reg Salmon rode the last climb very well and was able to take line honours ahead of Dave Rakuscek, Johny Barber and Eddie Muller. Hot on their SPD heels was Paul Hearne who had dispensed with Simon Mulligan on the last lap. Mulligan crossed shortly after and had given the ride everything - he has really improved this season and it is great to see his training coming to fruition.

Corrected times show Paul Hearne as A Grade winner and fastest time. Reg Salmon won B Grade and Jonty Calder won the C Grade event and crossed the line with John Andrews.

Many thanks to Johno and Lisa Greeve for assisting with event management and also to Johno for his delicious morning tea.

A full list of results is below.

Results - Individual Road Race Jandanol

2011-08-18T03:00:00.000+08:00

Jandanol Bring a Friend Pairs Event

2011-07-04T11:09:00.000+08:00

A cold and wet start saw a small field of 6 pairs, with three riders new to Spokes. Mitchell brought his mate Liam who had only ridden a racing bike once before. They achieved a courageous three laps and were interviewed by GWN at the end.

Gabrielle has just started riding for the year and did extremely well to stay on John's wheel all the way. Gerald and Peter finished strongly and Gerald was amazed at the riding fitness he is developing. Kylie supported Jo, who was riding a loan bike and new to gears and racing did very well finishing in a steady time. Jo hopes to ride a bike that fits her better next time.

Paul and Paul set a steady pace from the start and finished strongly to win the race in the fastest time of 45.32 minutes.

Ian and Jenni started at scratch and maintained a good speed to finish 3rd.

It required bravery and determination to complete the circuit in the driving rain and blustery conditions.

Results - Jandanol Bring a Friend Pairs Event

2011-07-04T11:03:00.001+08:00

Jandanol 20km Individual Time Trial

2011-06-09T20:23:00.000+08:00

A shake up………

With winter well and truly on us, and the cooler mornings lending themselves to a sleep in rather than a ride, it was heartening to see 26 keen riders sign on for the Jandanol 20km Individual Time Trial on Sunday. There would have been 27 keen riders but Reg Salmon had misread his calendar and attended the circuit the previous day…………….

The Club welcomed many new riders to Spokes - Robert Lynas, Richard Houwen, Robert Melville and Lance Jarvis all rode their first cycle only event and Pete and Deb Millard brought their bikes up from Perth to challenge the locals.

Deb Millard's new 'Scott' road bike soon became a talking point amongst everyone with many an envious glance from fellow riders. Very nice indeed!

With registration complete the first 17 riders were set off at 30 second intervals with the last 9 being stretched out to 1 minute to ensure all were challenged.

Paula Alsop headed the challenge and was followed onto the course by Mitchell Crabb, Barb Glenister, Kylee Crabb and new rider Robert Lynas. Kylee Crabb quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm and looked to be enjoying the course and the cooler conditions.

Jennie Haste was next to go and was pursued by Reggie Richardson and Ian Andrews. Reggie Richardson was a surprise start as was not feeling the best and unfortunately after one lap she was not able to continue. Ian Andrews also succumbed to the flu and withdrew going into the final lap.

Richard Houwen, Robert Melville and Lance Jarvis all completed their first ever Spokes ride but with this trio having been regulars at Tri they were aware of what was needed to ride alone and with no opportunity to draft.

Deb Millard and Kate Watson had hoped to ride together but the two were set off apart and were pursued by Tim Glenister, Julie Firth, Di Mahoney and Johny Barber. This group ended the 30 second intervals and Andrew Elliot was the first to wait a full minute before setting off to chase JB.

Elliot was followed by a fully colour coordinated Duane Crabb, looking resplendent in Spokes kit with matching bike, gloves and shoes….word at the line is that Crabb-e is concerned that his cycling sunnies don’t match so we may see a new purchase for the next event…….

Gerald Laurent, Peter Johnson, Jon Tamm and Paul Spackman were the next in line and all looked strong riding away from the start line. Visiting rider Peter Millard was a little shocked to still be at the starting line with only three to go, and his excitement at starting was evident by the impressive wheelie he pulled - not an easy feat on a road bike! Millard was followed onto the course by Paul Matthews with the last rider to leave being Jamie Rowe.

With all the riders on the course each lap brought changes in position on the road with the Meadowcroft St hill challenging some and really benefiting others. The sweeping downhill on Jandanol Road saw riders exposed with places once again changing in favour of the stronger cyclists.

Going into the last lap Deb Millard was seen walking up the hill having flatted on the course, this left just 23 riders on the circuit after the retirement of Millard, Richardson and Andrews.

Kylee Crabb was first across the line having ridden an exceptionally strong and consistent time trial. She was closely followed by Johny Barber and Andrew Elliot with Jennie Haste and Julie Firth rounding out the first five to cross the line. All riders finished within 12 minutes of each other showing that many handicaps had been made up throughout the ride.

Corrected times show Mitchell Crabb as the first Junior Rider in a time of 48:36. Julie Firth was the fastest Female Rider in 38:25 (this also placed her 7th overall) with Kylee Crabb second in 41:27 and Kate Watson third in 41:35.

Paul Matthews showed that his training is well and truly paying off by winning the Men's event in 33:38, pipping Jamie Rowe who finished in 34:17. Rowe was just one second ahead of Paul Spackman's 34:18 ride.

A full list of results is posted below and the Picasa photostream to the right has been updated with photos from the event.

Many thanks to Tim and Barb for arranging the road to be swept and then personally sweeping again the day before the ride. Special thanks also to Terry Wellman for his continued support as a marshal - Terry has been at most events this year and we really appreciate his assistance.

Spokes next event is the Yuna Teams Event - full details will be emailed out to all riders - get your teams together and come along for a fantastic ride!

Results - Jandanol Individual TT

2011-06-08T20:19:00.000+08:00

Vija Jackson

2011-06-04T14:43:00.000+08:00

Vale: VIJA JACKSON

On 18^th April, 2011,Vija Jackson lost her fight against cancer. Vija, was only 62.

Vija and her husband, Brian and sons, Dylan, Nic and Troy were all members of Spokes Cycle Club in the early 90’s, with Vija and Brian continuing on riding in the club into the early 2000’s after the boys had left home.

Early on, Vija had decided that a history of the club needed to be kept and for many years, collected all calendars, newspaper articles and photos, which she diligently archived. Throughout the 90’s, Brian acted as club handicapper and he and Vija served on the committee with Vija holding various positions over the years. Vija was also instrumental in helping raise many thousands of dollars for the club over the years by maintaining the drinks esky. This was a monumental task as, in the early years, Spokes held races every Sunday and mid week crits for part of the year.

By the time the early 2000’s came around, Vija and Brian’s sporting life changed direction and they joined the Aussie Masters, while also maintaining an active association with the Geraldton Harriers and Geraldton Tri club.

Life was looking good!

Then two years ago, Vija was diagnosed with cancer and knowing that time was limited, Vija and Brian packed in as much living and travelling as possible around their trips to Perth for treatment.

I had the pleasure of riding with Vija a lot throughout the 90’s. She was a good, honest rider. But she was also gentle lady. She was also strong and uncomplaining, with a deep love for her family and friends.

She will be truly missed.

Mingenew to Bootenal 90km Individual Road Race

2011-05-24T06:37:00.001+08:00

Perfect conditions see fast paced event…..

Thirty four riders were blessed with a tail wind and lovely sunshine for the Blue Ribbon Mingenew to Bootenal 90km Individual Road Race. Once all were registered, event Coordinator Dom Micono assigned handicaps, and junior cyclist Mitchell Crabb was the first to set off, accompanied by mum Kylee Crabb, both of whom had never attempted the distance before.

Matt Matiera, Mike Reymond, Reggie Richardson and Catherine Brosnan were next to leave and were accompanied by experienced Spokes cyclists Barb Glenister and Bec Swan. The group soon settled into an even pace with emphasis for Brosnan and Richardson being on the ride rather than the race. Reymond and Matiera pulled away from the group after the first couple of climbs with both then riding the remainder of the event as solo riders.

Alison Simkin, Ros Johnston, Donna Meneguzzo, Jennie Haste and Tim Glenister were joined by new riders to Spokes Andrew Outhwaite, Kate Watson, Peter Newman and John Byres with this large group combining well to quickly pull back the 5 minutes handicap assigned over the previous group.

The first half of the ride saw places within this group change frequently and it was the strength of Tim Glenister, Johnston and Watson which prevailed in the latter stages of the race. John Byres showed ingenuity when deciding he needed his granny ring for some of the climbs and in the absence of a front derailleur he found reaching down with his left hand and lifting the chain over was equally as effective!! Interesting…………………

Barb Glenister was quick to jump on with this group as they passed and rode with Andrew Outhwaite to the finish. Outhwaite actually completed a dual event as he and Johny Barber cycled over that morning for the ride - that’s a very long warm up!

Some 15 minutes after this group Simon Mulligan, Jonathan Tamm, Julie Firth, Reg Salmon, Duane Crabb, Johny Barber and Darryl Sheilds departed with Mulligan, Salmon, Firth and leading the charge. The trio dropped Crabb and Sheilds on some of the bigger climbs with Tamm and Barber next to go. Crabb and Sheilds kept each other company for the majority of the ride with Tamm and Barber leap frogging groups in front.

Richard Quinlan, Peter Johnson, Jarrod Bell, Paul Baldock, Paul Matthews, Dave Rakuscek and Eddie Muller were given just five minutes off scratch and powered away from the start line. This group was well organised and quickly settled into a fast paced ride which saw them reigning in the cyclists in front of them with ease. Dave Rakuscek and Eddie Muller struggled to sustain the pace, losing touch with the group by the halfway mark with Muller spending much of his ride alone. Rakuscek benefited from Reg Salmon having a puncture to team up and catch Barb Glenister, Andrew Outhwaite, John Byres and Donna Meneguzzo on the road to the finish line.

The remaining bunch of Quinlan, Johnson, Bell, Baldock and Matthews powered across the undulating terrain, joined only by Mulligan as they passed.

Paul Hearne, Jamie Rowe and Richard Correy were the last to leave Mingenew however these experienced cyclists were expected to maximise the optimum conditions and they didn’t disappoint. This was Correy's first ride with Spokes for the year after a busy tri calendar and his enjoyment of their wind up the night before took its toll with him being dropped at Depot Hill. Rowe and Hearne showed great teamwork in backing off the speed a couple of times to allow the three to regroup however Correy advised he was happy to enjoy the scenery leaving Rowe and Hearne to continue on, taking turns and constantly increasing in pace.

With all the riders on the road there was much shuffling within groups with some pushing too hard early and suffering in the later stages and others riding a constant and improving as the distance to the finish line reduced.

In amongst all of this Mitchell Crabb and Kylee Crabb rode on and were never caught by the groups behind them. They took line honours in a time of 3:00:39 with Mitchell outsprinting Kylee at the end. This is a fantastic achievement for a junior rider with Mitchell showing restricted gears won't hold him back.

Quite ironically it was the most Senior rider of the day, Mike Reymond, who was next across the line, closely followed by Richard Quinlan, Peter Johnson, Jarrod Bell, Paul Baldock, Paul Matthews and Simon Mulligan.

Corrected times show Paul Hearne taking handicap win and fastest time in a staggering 2:00:12 at an average of 44.9km/hr and finishing just one second faster than Jamie Rowe. This is an improvement of 13 minutes on his time from the previous year and despite the ever humble Hearne attributing it to the tail wind, he is riding exceptionally well and continues to be a force on the bike.

The group of Catherine Brosnan, Reggie Richardson and Bec Swan were joined by Darryl Sheilds with about 15km's to go with Swan and Sheilds using their experience to guide Brosnan and Richardson to the line. Eddie Muller was the final rider in and despite spending most of the ride on his own he still managed an impressive 37.1km/hr for the 90km.

Julie Firth was first female home, riding a blistering 40km/hr for the event. She was followed by Ros Johnston and Kate Watson for the top three placings amongst the ladies.

Many thanks to Paul Hearne and Paul Baldock for riding back out to accompany the last few cyclists on the road to the finish line.

Special thanks to Dom Micono, Paula Purcher and Megan Dunphy for their event management and to Barb and Tim's family for putting out and collecting the signs.

Thanks also to Johno and Richard Quinlan for towing bike trailers over and to the many support vehicles on the road for their encouragement and handing out of water bottles.

A full list of results is below and the Picasa photostream to the right has been updated with pictures from the event.

Spokes next event is a 20km Individual Time Trial on Monday 6 June 2011. Further details will be provided over the next week.

Results - Mingenew to Bootenal 90km Individual Road Race

2011-05-24T06:34:00.000+08:00

Bootenal to Wind Farm Return

2011-05-16T20:44:00.001+08:00

Battle of strength

Despite the ever present wind, 26 riders lined up to start the Bootenal to Walkaway Individual Road Race. Ros Johnson was a little uncertain as to how she would fare and convinced the starter to set her off early. Johnson was followed by Duane and Mitchell Crabb with junior rider Mitchell easing into the slip stream and out of the wind. Jonathan Tamm brought along his tandem and he and his daughter set off across the flats to Walkaway.

The large B Grade contingent were given just 5 minutes start on A Grade but with experienced cyclists Peter Burchell and John Andrews in this group, strength was given to Frank O’Donovan, Kylee Crabb, Reggie Richardson, Matt Matiera and Barb Glenister.

Matiera struggled to find a place in the pack that kept him out of the wind and lost contact on the way to Walkaway. Burchell and Andrews worked tirelessly to keep their group together whilst also providing advice and guidance for the newer riders within the pack.

The large A Grade group of Paul Dodson, Peter Johnson, Mike Paxman, Dave Rakuscek, Julie Firth, Johny Barber, Paul Baldock, Jamie Rowe, Jarrod Bell, Tim Glenister, Simon Mulligan, Paul Spackman and Eddie Muller were quick off the start line and immediately set a blistering pace. Paul Hearne remained on the line, asking the starter for an extra minute so that he could challenge himself a little more and despite the pace of the bunch in front, Hearne had caught them as the group sped towards the climb to the Wind Farm.

B Grade rider Ros Johnson was first to start the climb and used her fitness to power up the hill. Mitchell and Duane Crabb were next onto the climb with Mitchell seen pulling ahead of dad Duane towards the top of the hill.

The early speed of A Grade became too difficult for Tim Glenister and Eddie Muller with both suffering and losing contact with the pack between Walkaway and the base of the hill. With A Grade catching the main B Grade group as the climb started, Hearne led the charge and injected speed, causing many to separate and lose touch. Eight riders remained from the original A Grade group and it took the full length of the ride to the Wind Farm visitor centre for this group to capture the Crabb duo and Ros Johnson. The tandem bike was spinning up the hill but unfortunately suffered a puncture which saw the two riders having to abandon the race. Barb Glenister dropped her chain early on the climb but despite the set back, she was quick to recover and resume her ride. She wasn't the only one to suffer this fate, with Jamie Rowe also losing his chain and needing a quick fix - Rowe benefited from his group slowing to enable him to rejoin - a really lovely display of sportsmanship.

At the turn around point Hearne, Rowe, Baldock, Bell, Rakuscek, Dodson, Mulligan and Paxman were working hard to maintain contact with each other and Ros Johnson tried to jump onto the back of this group but didn’t quite have the speed.

The descent was fast and exciting and the more confident riders were quick to benefit. By the time the riders had the finish line in sight they were spread across the course. Paul Dodson, Paul Hearne and Jamie Rowe had powered away from their group and from a distance they resembled Cancellara, McEwan and Schleck in stature with similar tactics being applied by all three.

The sprint to the line saw Hearne taking line honours from Rowe and Dodson in a fast paced event of 34.2km/hr. An ever improving Jarrod Bell took fourth place with Paxman and Baldock crossing just under a minute later to round out the top six places for A Grade.

Ros Johnson won the B Grade event, a minute and a half ahead of Frank O'Donovan who outsprinted Kylee Crabb, Peter Burchell, John Andrews and Reggie Richardson in a close finish.

A full list of results is posted below.

Special thanks to Jennie Haste for marshal and timekeeping and to Terry Wellman for marshalling and acting as the turn around point.

Our next event is the Mingenew 90km Individual Road Race on Sunday 22 May 2011. Further details will follow.

Results - Bootenal to Wind Farm Return

2011-05-16T20:34:00.000+08:00

Bootenal Five Stage Tour

2011-04-16T10:02:00.001+08:00

Bootenal 5 Stage Tour

A very blustery morning saw 10 riders front up for 5 challenging stages around the Edward Rd and Georgina Rd circuit. Two new riders, Andrew and David were welcomed.

In stage 1 Paul Matthews blitzed the field with a fast 5.44 mins with Paul Dodson 6 seconds behind, followed by Paul Baldock, new riders Andrew O….. and David ……. Julie Firth rode a rapid 6:48 leg.

Stage 2 was into a stiff easterly breeze for the first half and wind assisted on the return leg. The mass start kept the group together into the wind until the turn around point when a break away group took the lead and spread the group out to the finish line. Paul Matthews lead in Paul Dodson, Jon Tamm, Paul Baldock and Eddie Mueller. Julie Firth was just behind Eddie finishing the leg in 13:36mins.

Stage 3 was a very quick wind assisted sprint for King/Queen of the Mountain. The first four over the line were only 21 seconds apart. Paul Matthews was first in 6:36mins, Paul Baldock, Reg Salmon, Eddie Mueler, Julie Firth and Paul Dodson were in the lead group. The next set of riders of Jon, Andrew, David, and Duane were spread out.

After a short recovery the steep hill into the wind was attacked for stage 4. The group stayed together for most of the hill until Paul M and Paul D broke away. A game of “cat and mouse” emerged as all the riders tried to draught and conserve their energy into the wind. The sprint finish was strongly contested. 41 seconds separated Paul M, Paul D, Eddie, Reg, Julie and Andrew. The hill challenged Paul B, Jon, David and Duane.

Stage 5 was wind assisted with Paul D, Paul B, Jon, Eddie, Paul M, Reg, Julie, Andrew, Duane and David crossing the line in quick succession.

The complex scoring system brings out three categories of winners: fastest time with time bonuses allocated, top points and King of the Mountain. Julie Firth won uncontested in the women’s section for all three categories and came fourth fastest overall with the men. Paul Matthews was fastest man winning 4 stages. Paul D, Eddie, Reg and Andrew took up the 5 top places. Only 10 minutes separated the whole field.

On points Julie won with 25 points, Paul M, Paul D, Paul B, Eddie and Jon took up the 5 top places.

25 King of the Mountain points were shared by Julie and Paul M followed by Reg, Paul B, Eddie, Andrew and Paul D.

Well done to all riders in very difficult conditions.

Results from today's event are posted below.

Results - Bootenal 5 Stage Tour

2011-04-16T10:00:00.001+08:00

Jandanol - 25km Individual Road Race

2011-04-05T18:14:00.000+08:00

Jandanol offers a little something for everyone……….

The warm easterly breeze has been with us for some time now and it didn't disappoint the seventeen cyclists who lined up to start the 5 laps of the Jandanol circuit on Sunday 27th March 2011.

Event Coordinator Bec Swan announced a silent handicap to all present and so a group start of both A and B Grade riders commenced at 8am sharp. The circuit is a fantastic course of tight corners, fast descent and uphill climb and not surprisingly it was the climb that sorted placings out as the race progressed. After the first lap Paul Hearne and Paul Matthews looked comfortable in front with Jarrod Bell having worked really hard to stay in touch with the lead pair. They were followed by Julie Firth and Tim Glenister who supported each other throughout the race to keep the speed constant.

Duane Crabb and Darryl Sheilds cleared the hill shortly after with Paul O'Mara following. Reggie Richardson remembered lessons from her last ride on this circuit to follow soon after and combined well with Patrick Bettridge throughout the event. New cyclist to Spokes, Matt Matiera rode his first event with the Club and bravely chose Jandanol for his maiden voyage. Matt has obviously been completing some secret training and this combined with advice from Club stalwart Barb Glenister saw him gain momentum throughout the event and retain his position.

Peter Burchell supported Shannon Mitchell for the ride whilst Catherine Brosnan had Kylee and Mitchell Crabb chomping at her back wheel. Shannon Mitchell and Catherine Brosnan have really improved since their first ride at Jandanol with Brosnan knocking over 2 minutes off her last ride time and Mitchell taking a massive 7 minutes off her time!

Placings remained fairly steady across the 24km circuit with the exception of Darryl Sheilds who used his experience to reign in Duane Crabbe - Sheilds average lap times showed he is constant for the full distance. Kylee Crabb encouraged son Mitchell throughout the event and Mitchell completed the full five laps of this demanding course. Mitchell is riding very well for his age and will be a force to be reckoned with in future years.

Hearne and Matthews dropped Bell on the second lap and powered around the circuit, averaging 35.4km/hr for the event which is impressive given the rougher road surface and climb. The pair had a sprint finish with Hearne taking line honours just half a bike length ahead of Matthews. Jarrod Bell's commitment to training paid off with him finishing third across the line at an average speed of 33.5km/hr. Bell was followed in by Firth and Glenister, and Sheilds and Crabbe.

In the B Grade results, Reggie Richardson powered to the line in a time of 52:51 which is also a fantastic improvement on her last ride. Richardson had pushed Bettridge throughout the ride and was able to maintain pace to the line. Third across the line for B Grade was Matt Matiera - congratulations Matt on a great ride and welcome to Spokes! Soon after Barb Glenister crossed the line with Shannon Mitchell, Peter Burchell and Catherine Brosnan jut behind. Kylee Crabb paced son Mitchell to the line with the two dead heating at the finish.

The application of silent handicap provided an interesting slant to the results - handicap was applied by the timekeeper at the half way point of the event with time gaps between riders at this time then taken off at the end of the event. A Grade remained fairly static on handicap however B Grade saw a shake up with Catherine Brosnan first on handicap and Mitchell and Kylee Crabb equal second!

A full list of results is available below and the Picasa photo stream on the right has been updated with pictures taken by Vicky.

Special thanks to all who assisted on the day, especially Vicky Sheilds for marshalling and taking photos and Terry Wellman for marshalling.

Spokes next event is the Bootenal 5-Stage Tour on Sunday 10th April 2011.

2011-04-05T18:10:00.003+08:00

Giles Park “Light My fire” Individual Road Race – 32kms

2011-03-26T12:52:00.000+08:00

A strong field of 23 riders faced the starting line on a windy morning of 13^th March.

Two groups, A and B, were created by the handicappers with the B group enjoying a 15 minute lead on the stronger A group.

As the B group set off Paul O’Mara took an early lead followed closely by Jennie Haste, Donna Meneguzzo, Reggie Richardson and Kylie Crabbe. Duane Crabbe supported his son, Mitchell, who is becoming stronger by the week. Darryl Sheilds provided ongoing coaching to a new rider, Shannon Mitchell ensuring she chose best gears for each section of the ride. This group spread out over the undulating Morrell Road with Barb Glenister finally catching the lead group of Haste and co. This group stayed together until the hills claimed Crabbe, O’Mara, Glenister and Richardson. Meneguzzo and Haste increased their lead and rode strongly over the course.

The A group set off in hot pursuit of the B Grade riders. A very swift group of Paul Dodson, Paul Hearne, Peter Johnson, Paul Matthews, Andre Eastough (who is back on his bike again) and Jamie Rowe rode in formation with Dodson and Matthews creating a fast chase. Jonathan Tamm, Jarrod Bell, Julie Firth and Reg Salmon were on their heals with Tamm and Dodson joining force towards the end of the race when Dodson was dropped by the leaders. The climb up the cutting saw place changes in both Grades with the fast downhill an opportunity for some who had struggled to once again gain momentum.

Andrew Toovey supported new rider Megan Dunphy and kept her focused and riding strongly around the course. Cameron Dawson missed the start with his foot refusing to grip into his clips. He stayed at a disadvantage for the remainder of the race and braved the course on his own, finishing well.

The finish was exciting with Meneguzzo taking the lead from Haste at the very end. The chaser’s group of Rowe, Hearne, Matthews, Johnson and Eastough were very close behind. A thrilling sprint saw Jamie Rowe pip Paul Matthews at the finish line taking the prize of the Fastest time. O’Mara found a second wind and came in strongly with Richardson close behind gradually bridging the gap for the final 10kms.

Sheilds, Crabbe and Mitchell picked up a tired Glenister and powered across the finish line with Mitchell putting in a tremendous sprint gaining the lead from Crabbe and Glenister in the final seconds.

All other riders dug in deep to do their best over the challenging course.

$50 vouchers were provided to:

Jamie Rowe – Fastest Time

Donna Meneguzzo – first across the line

Reggie Richardson - most courageous

Duane and Mitchell Crabbe – great teamwork from Dad.

Results - 32km Barb Glenister 'Light my Fire'

2011-03-26T12:51:00.001+08:00

25km Individual Road Race Jandanol

2011-02-28T20:42:00.003+08:00

It’s only 25 kms! These were the words that would come back to haunt the 18 keen cyclists that tackled the new Jandanol circuit on Sunday and despite the early 8am start, the heat and humidity had well and truly set in for the day.

A grade riders, Paul Hearne, Paul Matthews, Paul Dodson, Reg Salmon, Eddie Muller and Julie Firth were the first to leave with Hearne and Matthews setting a fast pace along the flat section of the course. Meanwhile back at the start line, timekeeper, Darryl Sheilds waved goodbye to the large B grade group some of the riders having only ridden with the club a couple of times before. Veterans of the group, Peter Burchell and Andrew Toovey decided early on in the ride that they would offer their experience and assistance to the newer riders, hoping to make the ride a little more enjoyable. Michael Reymond made an early break, with Allison Simkin chasing hard to keep him in her sights knowing that Donna Meneguzzo was not far behind. With the long hard climb on Readhead Rd before them, Reggie Richardson, guided by Toovey kept her cool and made the summit for the first time. She was soon followed by Jenni Hastie, Paul O’Mara, Catherine Brosinan and Kylie Crabbe. Peter Burchell, Mitchell Crabbe and Shannon Mitchell were the last to tackle the hill.

Each lap at the base of the climb, Hearne would up the pace just enough to put his fellow rider, Matthews into debt and then on the third lap, Hearne made his move and by the top of the hill, he had a sizable lead, which he was to hold to the finish line. Dodson, who had ridden the whole race on his own, was able to hold off a fast approaching Salmon who had also left his riding companion, Muller on the climb. Despite spending the entire race chasing the men, Julie Firth still managed a huge smile as she conquered last climb of the day and headed for the finish line.

Back on the course, Reymond was still holding onto his early lead and with the last climb under his belt he headed for home confident that he had done enough work to hold off Simkin, who with a bit more riding experience might just show Reymond a clean set of wheels at future rides!

Donna Meneguzzo, exhausted after the hard climb, chased hard from the top of the hill and although she was unable to catch Simkin, she had done enough to take out third. Toovey and Richardson were next across the line, with Richardson completely spent after giving her all on the last lap in an attempt to close the gap between herself and Meneguzzo.

A huge effort was made by young Mitchell Crabbe (12) in managing to keep his mother in his sights for the three laps of his race.

Kylie Crabbe has improved in leaps and bounds and is now showing a new confidence in her riding, while Paul O’Mara, who has only ridden with the club a couple of times, is quickly learning the complexities of riding in a group and it won’t be long before he will be a threat!

A look of pure relief was on the face of Brosinan as she climbed the last hill of the day and headed for home, thankful that she had the guidance of Peter Burchell to help her along the way.

It was a very weary Shannon Mitchell who made her way onto the hill for the last time and was heard to say half way up “this is just so hard!” Sadly Jenni Hastie punctured on the last lap, denying her the chance to cross the finish line after all her hard work – don’t worry Jenni, there is always next time!!!

The Picasa Photostream has also been updated with pictures from todays event and the results are below.

Results - 25km Individual Road Race Jandanol

2011-02-28T20:40:00.002+08:00

15km Individual Time Trial - Deepdale Feb 2011

2011-02-14T12:58:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness it was only 15km…….

On a hot and windy Sunday morning, seventeen keen cyclists lined up to race against the clock and themselves. The 15km Individual Time Trial sounded like a reasonably short distance to some but after the first lap all agreed they were happy for the smaller circuit. First off the line was Vicky Sheilds and Shannon Farden - this was Shannon's first ride with Spokes and under Vicky's guidance she rode a very strong race. Mitchell Crabb left just 1 minute later with mum Kylee Crabb hot on his tail at 2 minutes. The wind wreaked some havoc right from the outset with many riders struggling to hold any kind of speed across the back straight.

Barb Glenister was next to leave and was followed by Reggie Richardson, Jennie Haste and new Spokes cyclists Cameron Dawson and Gus Ruiz. Cameron was accidentally set off at 6 minutes when this was perhaps a bit unfair - the handicapper hadn't realised that Cameron was riding a hybrid with thicker tyres until he lined up! Gus Ruiz powered from the start line and considering he hasn't previously raced with Spokes, he showed strength throughout each lap of the Deepdale Circuit.

Mike Reymond left at 8 minutes, followed by Julie Firth with this signalling the last of the minute intervals for start. Jonathan Tamm left just 30 seconds after Julie Firth, followed by regular riders Tim Glenister, Reg Salmon, Duane Crabb and Eddie Muller. As a result of his excellent form in the Australia Day race, Jamie Rowe was stretched out to a minute after Eddie Muller and was quick to settle into a high cadence and relaxed riding style.

The first lap saw placings change however Vicky Sheilds and Shannon Farden managed to hold off an attack from Mitchell Crabb to remain the first team through. Crabb was only a few seconds behind the duo and their placings would change throughout the race. Kylee Crabb was a bit concerned that Mitchell was still out in front and put in a determined effort to catch him. Gus Ruiz had a fantastic first lap and had caught many cyclists in front of him, a trend he continued into the second and final lap. Reggie Richardson was a little nervous about the corners, but with encouragement from Peter Burchell she upped the pace as the time trial progressed, improving on every lap.

Everyone suffered in the heat and the wind, albeit no-one seemed to have told Jamie Rowe about either of the elements and he continued at speed around the course. Mike Reymond did very well in his first time trial, maintaining a steady speed for the whole race. Jennie Haste was enjoying her lovely new bike and Cameron Dawson was a inspiration to everyone racing around the course on his hybrid.

Placings on the road continued to change and everyone was happy to hear the bell for the final lap. Julie Firth was overtaken by Reg Salmon and Eddie Muller reigned in Duane Crabb. Jonathan Tamm had fitted tri bars for the occasion and was very smooth and relaxed throughout the ride. He held off the majority of riders behind him to finish in the top five. There was some discussion at the start line about the benefits of tri bars with a certain Spokes member commenting that as much as he would like to use them he was reasonably sure his physique wouldn't allow the aero position........

Corrected times saw Jamie Rowe the the fastest time at 26:53 and an average of 34.1km/hr. Reg Salmon was second fastest in a time of 29:49 (30.8km/hr) and Gus Ruiz in his first road race was third in 30:11 (30.4km/hr). Full results are available in the table below and the Picasa photo stream has been updated with an array of pictures from today's event.

Many thanks to Tim and Barb for putting out and collecting the signs and to Roger and Tooves for marshaling.

Our next event is a Team Time Trial on the new Jandanol circuit. Full details of this will be sent to all members in the coming week.

Results - 15km Individual Time Trial

2011-02-14T09:51:00.000+08:00

Results - Australia Day Individual Road Race 2011

2011-02-01T20:21:00.000+08:00

Pairs 15km Time Trial - Bring a friend

2011-01-18T21:24:00.000+08:00

Some fast friends……………

Spokes Cycle Club started its 2011 calendar with a Bring a Friend - 15km Pairs Time Trial on the Deepdale Circuit. Some old and some new friendships were formed and eleven teams lined up in preparation for the handicap start. It was great to see a mixture of teams with many experienced riders teaming up with newer cyclists - Bec Swan and Kylee Crabb were one such team and headed off first. They were closely followed by experienced duo Darryl and Vicky Sheilds and then Duane and Mitchell Crabb. This was Mitchell's second ride with the Club and as a junior he rides with more restrictive gears, not that this slowed him down!

Barb Glenister and Paula Purcher joined forces with Barb excited to be out on her new bike! Roger Swan introduced fellow mountain biker Tim Rogers to the joys of road riding and were next to leave - this was Tim's first event with the Club and having now seen him in lycra we reckon he is a natural! They were followed by Patrick Bettridge and Jarrod Bell. Rumour has it that Patrick and Jarrod had got talking after seeing each other out training and consequently teamed up for the Spokes event. The more experienced teams were next to leave with Tim Glenister and Julie Firth joining forces, followed by Reg Salmon and Dave Kakuscek, and the very speedy duos of Paul Matthews and Gav Keyser and Paul Dodson and Paul Hearne. Johno teamed up with close friend Paula for the event and this was her first introduction to cycle racing - welcome Paula and we hope to see you at future events.

With all the teams on the road the pace was on and really varied amongst all. The strong winds made the back straight of the Deepdale Circuit quite tough and this is where the experienced teams really benefitted. The placings of the teams continued to change as the race progressed and those that were able to work together maintained consistent speed throughout. Bec Swan and Kylee Crabb were reigned in early by Darryl and Vicky Sheilds who went on to cross the line first.

Tim Glenister and Julie Firth were held up by a grain truck and were given a 20 second time alteration by the very generous timekeeper. Roger Swan got a flat tyre which he tried to blame on wife Bec as she had pumped the tyres up pre race. Roger's team mate, Tim, was pretty happy for the rest albeit he did think Roger could have been a little slower in effecting his tube change to allow for a longer break!

Second to cross the line was Bec Swan and Kylee Crabb - this duo was excited to have held off the extremely fast finishing Paul Matthews and Gav Keyser and Paul Dodson and Paul Hearne. Matthews and Keyser averaged 35.8km/hr for the event with Dodson and Hearne extremely quick at 37.0km/hr around the circuit. These are great speeds when viewed against a strong and warm breeze - it's also fair to say that Dodo probably didn't benefit too much from using Hearney as a wind break considering Paul's slightly smaller stature.

Tim Glenister and Julie Firth were next to finish and they were followed in by Patrick Bettridge and Jarrod Bell, and Reg Salmon and Dave Rakuscek who averaged 32.8km/hr. Barb Glenister and Paula Purcher combined really well to cross the line with an average of 28.2km/hr and they were followed in by Duane and Mitchell Crabb, Roger Swan and Tim Rogers and Johno and Paula.

The announcement of corrected times following the race identified one clear winner in the Crabb family and that was Kylee - it might be time for Mitchell to ride with mum as she was faster than dad around the circuit on this occasion! Many thanks to Barb for her delicious slice post race - much appreciated by all.

Thanks to Ian Andrews, Dom Micono, Peter Burchell and Sharon for running the event, marshalling and timekeeping and to Tim and Barb for putting out the signs. A full list of corrected results is below.

Our next event is the Australia Day Individual Road Race - this is an exciting 20km race around the Deepdale Circuit with prizes for placings and also novelty. Please stay around for a lamington after the ride!

Results - Pairs 15km Time Trial

2011-01-18T21:07:00.000+08:00

25km Individual Road Race - Deepdale

2010-12-13T13:26:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness for the southerly……….

A warm Sunday morning dawned and eleven keen cyclists lined up for the 'Farewell to 2010' 25km Individual Road Race around the Deepdale circuit. The heat from the road was felt by all and it was probably the first time ever that cyclists almost welcomed the southerly, albeit only for its cooling efforts!

The pace was on from the start with the lead group of Paul Dodson, Paul Matthews, Reg Salmon, Paul Baldock, Eddie Muller and Mark Greene combining well to ensure good speed was maintained. Julie Firth was just a few bike lengths behind after the first lap, followed by Donna Meneguzzo in her first ride with Spokes, Jennie Haste, Barb Glenister and fellow newcomer Paul O'Mara.

The teamwork of the lead group took its toll on Reg Salmon into the second lap who was unable to remain in touch with the pack, dropping off to ride a few seconds behind. Dodson, Matthews, Baldock, Greene and Muller continued with their turns and by the fourth lap they had started to set their sights on picking up some of the individual riders who were struggling in the breeze on their own.

Donna Meneguzzo rode consistently throughout each lap , with only a slight variation in time for each 5km circuit. Paul O'Mara improved as the ride progressed and was able to overtake Barb Glenister in the fourth lap of the event.

Julie Firth had been confused at the start of the ride about how many laps she needed to complete (Jules had thought it was a handicap start 15km race rather than the 25km group start event!) and so seemed pretty happy to receive the bell going into the last lap.

The lead group reigned in Barb Glenister and Paul O'Mara and continued working all the way to the finish line. Paul Baldock tried for a very early lead out, attacking the group with 1500 metres to go. Baldock couldn't maintain the pace and was soon picked up again by Dodson, Matthews, Greene and Muller. Matthews, Greene and Dodson then started to inject further speed and effort about 300 metres from the finish and with just a few metres to go, Dodson was able to out sprint Matthews to take line honours. Greene was next across the line followed by Muller and Baldock. Dodson once again showed his experience and strength and it appears he is unbeatable on this course. Eddie Muller has had a stellar year having only joined Spokes in 2010 and improving consistently to now ride at scratch pace.

Reg Salmon finished some four minutes after the lead group and was followed in by Julie Firth, Donna Meneguzzo, Jennie Haste, Paul O'Mara and Barb Glenister. Spokes Cycle Club would like to welcome Donna Meneguzzo and Paul O'Mara to the Club - both rode very well in their first ride with us.

The event was followed by a try on of sample sizes for the Spokes Cycle Club jersey and knicks - remember if you wish to order these items then you will need to contact the Club as soon as possible.

Special thanks to Barb Glenister for putting out and collecting the signs, Deb Greene for marshalling, Paul Baldock and Roger Swan for assisting Barb in collecting the signs. The picasa photostream on the right has been updated with pictures of the event courtesy of Roger at blackswanphotos.com

Spokes Cycle Club would like to take this opportunity to wish you, and your family, a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing you in 2011.

Results - 25km Individual Road Race

2010-12-13T13:19:00.000+08:00

25km Team Time Trial - Deepdale

2010-11-14T20:50:00.002+08:00

Reunited in speed.....

The team time trial saw regular Spokes riders unite with new cyclists and friends whose bikes have been gathering dust with interesting results. First out of the blocks on the 25km ride were the only all female team of Barb Glenister, Gabrielle Andrews and Bec Swan. These three ladies are all experienced cyclists, albeit they are only recently re-introduced to their bikes and were there more for the ride than any attempt at speed! The three soon settled into a good rhythm and ensured they were each looked after at times that they were suffering on the windy and warm course. Two minutes after the pink ladies started, the team of Reg Salmon, Julie Firth, Dean Carroll and new rider Jarrod Bell took off and the combination of experience and new cyclist easily gelled into an excellent team.

Paul Matthews and Peter Burchell guided Stu Hopkins through his first cycle race, charging out of the starting blocks and settling into a cracking pace. This trio was followed by the team of Mort Harslett, Jonathan Tamm and Eddie Muller who proved strong across all five laps of the circuit and ended up with fastest time in 43:36 and a pace of 35.1km/hr. Roger Swan and Paul Baldock towed Andrew Toovey around the course and despite his best efforts to the contrary, Toovey finished with his team in a time of 44:03 claiming second overall on corrected time.

The Deepdale course is a 5.l km circuit which allows for fantastic racing as the event progresses and the team time trial was no exception. Reg Salmon, Julie Firth, Jarrod Bell and Dean Carroll took just over three laps to catch the ladies team of Barb Glenister, Gabrielle Andrews and Bec Swan and it wasn't until the run into the finishing line that Paul Matthews and Peter Burchell, having released new rider Stu Hopkins in the final lap, overtook the ladies to take second across the line, but third fastest on corrected time. The ladies claimed a lack of chivalry but this is racing after all!

All other positions remained the same on the road and the handicapper was impressed to see that his time gaps saw everyone completed within two minutes of each other. The effort of every rider was plain to see at the finish line with some slightly flushed faces and some exhausted looking people. The team time trial was once again billed as a great event, with riders commenting that they always work harder when riding in a team. Full results are listed below. Thanks to Peter Burchell and Tim Glenister for putting out the signs and to Tim and Ian Andrews for timekeeping and marshaling.

The ride was followed by a morning tea and Spokes Cycle Club AGM at the home of Dom and Denelle Micono. Many thanks to Dom and Denelle for welcoming everyone into their home! Minutes of the AGM will be distributed to all current members this week however we are pleased to announce the new committee:

President: Andrew Toovey

Vice President: Tim Glenister

Treasurer: Dom Micono

Secretary: Barb Glenister

Committee: Bec Swan (Events and Publicity)

Peter Burchell

Ian Andrews

Paul Matthews

Spokes also has a sub committee for the new season who will be arranging a specialist cycling event for late 2011 - further details will be distributed as the year progresses. Congratulations to the new committee and many thanks to those who have served Spokes so well in season 2010.

Don't forget the Presentation Night on Friday 3rd December 2010. A flyer will be sent this week with full details.

The next event is a Criterium on Sunday 28th November 2010.

Results - 25km Team Time Trial

2010-11-14T20:45:00.000+08:00

Bootenal 5 Stage Tour

2010-10-31T19:00:00.002+08:00

Thirteen riders met in somewhat windy conditions to contest the Bootenal 5 stage tour on Sunday 31st.

The first stage, a 3.1km time trial saw youngster, Mitchell Crabbe lead the way with his mum, Kylie to follow only 30 secs later. Julie Firth would then join the race followed by John Tamm, Gerald Lambert and a nervous Roger Swan, who was concerned when his arch enemy on the bike, Andrew Toovey, nominated to chase Swan in the Time Trial! 3 ½ minutes after Mitchell’ start, Dean Carroll was waved away by time keeper, Dom Micono and the countdown was on until Paul Matthews was allowed to start his race. He was soon joined on the road by Paul Dodson, Dwayne Crabbe, Eddie Muller and Reg Salmon bringing up the rear. However, it was a very ‘in form’ Matthews who set a blistering pace to take the win over Dodson with Muller in third.

The second stage saw all riders head off in a mass start – straight into a head wind before the turn around at the 3.3k mark. With the wind behind the pack and speeds creeping up, the pack started to split into smaller groups and as the finish line quickly loomed, it was a tightly contested sprint between Matthews, Dodson, Tamm, Swan and Toovey with Matthews managing to hold on to take the win.

Stage three, while wind assisted, was to see the riders, again in a mass start, head west along the Georgina Rd and into the climbs with the race finishing at the top of the second long hot drag. Dark horse, Swan made an early move and took line honours some 20 seconds ahead of Muller and Salmon crossing the line in third place holding off an exhausted Matthews.

Every cyclist knows that at the top of every hill climb, there is a downhill and this was the case as all riders would now meet at the bottom of the hill in order to start the next stage…..climbing back up the hill before a punishing ride back to the Walkaway Rd finish line while again pushing into a head wind! “Was it my imagination or was the wind getting stronger – it was a bit hard to tell from the inside of time keeper, Mort Harslett’ air conditioned car!” Again Matthew showed his superiority by out sprinting Salmon and Swan to cross the line first.

With the end of the tour in sight, riders would mass start and race the final 3.1kms along the straight, flat Walkaway Rd with a blistering tail wind to assist! Riders jostled for positions in the pack as speeds reached the 50k mark. With 150 metres to go, Swan attacked out of the pack with Dodson hot on his wheel, however with just enough fuel left in his tank, Dodson powered through to cross the line first.

Results - Bootenal 5 Stage Tour

2010-10-31T18:05:00.004+08:00

Barb Glenister 'Light my Fire'

2010-10-17T18:20:00.001+08:00

Summer is here............Despite being outnumbered by about 400 to 1 by the flies, sixteen dedicated cyclists signed on for the Barb Glenister 'Light my Fire' Giles Park Cutting 32km Road Race. This course takes in undulating road across to Chapman Valley Road, before challenging climbers with a ride over the cutting and then ending with pure speed down the hill and across Morrell Road back to Giles Park. With the breeze blowing a warm North Easterly and the sun beating down, everyone was poised and ready for handicappers instructions.

Kylie Crabb rode her first Spokes event, choosing a tough course for her introduction to cycle racing. Kylie set off on her own into the headwind and soon settled into a steady pace. Ten minutes later Paul Wilson was ready to start and after some negotiation Dean Carroll convinced the starter that this would also be a good time for him to leave. The two were heard discussing 'tactics' - that is if encouraging other to do all the work on the front counts as tactics!

At fifteen minutes Eddie Muller, Andrew Toovey and Seb Moore burst out of the blocks. Seb was on his second ride with Spokes and had shown strong riding in his maiden race. This group was followed five minutes later by the experienced Mort Harslett, Johny Barber, Roger Swan and Julie Firth. Firth has recovered very well from her fall in the previous event and despite some pre race nerves was looking strong and ready to go.

At twenty five minutes the strong group of Peter Johnson, Mike Paxman, Paul Baldock, Paul Matthews, Duane Crabb and Paul Dodson departed. The depth and speed within this group is excellent, albeit there is a mixture of straight speed with ability to climb and so it was important for riders to settle into their strength early on. Mike Paxman travelled in from Kalbarri for the ride and it was fantastic to see him again. Baldock seemed a little concerned to be set off with this group having recently returned from holidays where no cycling had occurred however after careful consideration the handicapper and starter decided some TUC was all that was needed and Baldock was ready to go!

The ride across Morrell Road saw the majority of the placings remain as handicapped, however the cutting hill sorted groups a little more. Seb Moore pulled away from Eddie Muller, having already left Andrew Toovey and then accelerated down the hill and back to Giles Park to take line honours and finish in a corrected time of 1:01:54. Roger Swan and Johny Barber combined well to pull away from Mort Harslett and Julie Firth although both Mort and Julie rode hard all the way to the line to try and reign them back in. Swan and Barber completed the race in 58:30 at a speed of 32.8km/hr.

The scratch group worked hard for the whole race before Paul Dodson was able to finish just ahead of Mike Paxman, followed in by Paul Matthews and Peter Johnson. This group were only separated by 10 seconds across the line. Dodson's time was fastest at 56:04 with an average speed of 34.2km/hr - an excellent result in very trying conditions. Paul Baldock came in just over a minute later closely followed by Paul Wilson and Dean Carroll who were bragging about how awesome their next handicap would be due to this result............the pair finished in 1:12:26 averaging 26.5km/hr which actually sits just 1km/hr less than predicted!
Kylie Crabb rode very well in her first event, crossing the line ahead of Andrew Toovey and husband Duane. Both Andrew and Duane had suffered early in the ride with their usual fast pace not able to be retained across the rolling terrain leading to being separated from their respective groups and subsequently riding alone. Toovey further suffered when results were announced and he realised that his usual 'team mate' Paul Wilson had actually beaten him by 4 seconds. It looks as though Wilson will be expected to ride on the front in future events.

All riders were happy to see the finish line and enjoy a cool drink and one of Vicky's delicious biscuits. Special thanks to Darryl for helping to put the signs out and marshaling and to Tim Glenister for marshaling. The full results are available below and the Picasa Photostream to the right has been updated with some very average photos taken by Bec - photography is not my strong point!

The next event is the Bootenal 5-Stage Tour on Sunday 31st October 2010, starting at 9.00am. This is a fabulous event which challenges all riders - don't be deceived by the distance of each stage - this ride is both exciting and demanding. We look forward to seeing you there.

Results - Barb Glenister 'Light my Fire'

2010-10-17T18:17:00.001+08:00

Click results to enlarge.

Walkaway Return 40km Individual Road Race

2010-09-16T15:15:00.000+08:00

And the road wins…….

The hint of wet weather and ever increasing wind didn’t deter thirteen dedicated riders from lining up to start the Deepdale to Walkaway Return 40km Individual Road Race.

Barb Glenister and Jennie Haste were joined by new riders Seb Moore and Gerald Laurent as the first group away with Seb showing great speed and enthusiasm straight from the go. Moore, Laurent and Haste pulled away from Glenister early in the distance and combined well to keep good speed. Haste utilised her experience to assist Moore and Laurent in benefiting from team work when riding in the elements. Jennie was trialling a new bike for the race and was very happy with the results and her ride. Laurent suffered a mechanical problem with his pedal which subsequently resulted in him having to abandon the race.

Julie Firth, Johnny Barber, Reg Salmon and Eddie Muller set off at +5:00 minutes with Muller racing on a gorgeous new Kuota. The strength in this group was evident with them working hard together and catching the first group on the outward leg to Walkaway.

At +10:00 minutes Paul Matthews, Tim Glenister, Duanne Crabb, Paul Dodson and Andrew Elliott burst from the starting line and soon settled into great speed and team work to haul in the riders in front of them. Elliott brought his road bike along for a run and showed that he is one to watch in future events.

The rain and wind played havoc when the groups started to catch each other and unfortunately this resulted in an accident which saw Julie Firth come down at speed. Thankfully Julie is okay, she has some bruises and cuts which required stitches but no severe injuries which is good news. Reg Salmon and Johnny Barber stopped to care for Julie (and her bike) with Johnny then accompanying Julie to the hospital for treatment and assessment. Jennie Haste and Seb Moore also stopped to assist and then continued with the race once they knew Julie was being looked after. Special thanks to Terry Wellman for taking Julie to the hospital. Julie has posted a message about the accident which is listed below.

With all remaining riders now grouped together, the strength of the scratch group came through. Andrew Elliott crossed the line in a blistering 1:07:17 which is a cracking pace when viewed against the pouring rain and strong wind. Elliott was closely followed by Paul Dodson at 1:08:12, Duanne Crabb at 1:08:25, Paul Matthews at 1:08:29 and Tim Glenister at 1:09:42.

Jennie Haste and Seb Moore were next across the line in corrected time of 1:22:09 with Eddie Muller and Barb Glenister finishing soon after.

Final rider in was Reg Salmon who completed the race as a solo rider after assisting Julie. Full results are listed below and the Picasa Photostream to the right has been updated with pictures from the event.

Many thanks to Peter Burchell for coordinating the race and for collecting bikes at the road side, Terry Wellman for marshaling, Wayne Hosking for timekeeping, Paul Dodson for delivering Johnny and Julie’s bikes to them and to Tim and Barb Glenister for putting out and collecting the signs.

A message from Julie: For those that saw me kiss the bitumen on Sunday's Walkaway race, I just want to let you know I am o.k. Nothing broken, just bruised and cut up various eight places with a few stitches. I am going to look pretty colourful tomorrow. I hit Johnny's back wheel and come off. Lucky no one was behind me. The wee green machine actually fared better than I did. My helmet broke, thankfully it wasn't my head.

Anyway I want to thank everyone for looking after me and the bikes. Have appreciated the calls and hospital visits. A special thanks to Johnny, Terry, Reg and Paul. See you back on the road soon.

Results - Walkaway Return 40km Individual Road Race

2010-09-16T15:00:00.004+08:00

15km Individual Time Trial Deepdale

2010-07-20T20:10:00.000+08:00

The race against the clock....
The Tour de France inspired thirteen cyclists to take to the road and race against themselves and the clock in the 15km Individual Time Trial. Christine Kerr was the first to head off on her reclining bike and was accompanied on the loop by Zane D'Mello with the two completing the ride together. At one minute intervals, Barb Glenister and Dom Micono were next off the mark with this event marking the first road race completed by Micono after a hiatus due to back problems. Micono maintained great speed and finished with an average of just under 30 km/hr.

Julie Firth took off at +03:00 minutes followed by Tom Glenister, Johny Barber, Peter Burchell and Dave Rakuscek. Riders weren't too sure who Johny was at the start as he had pulled out his secret weapon - a road bike! Johny is usually seen on his hybrid and the lighter frame and slick tyres of the roadie made him a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of new bikes, Andrew Toovey had temporarily retired his trusty Cadex and emerged on a Giant TCR that looked remarkably similar to that usually ridden by Roger Swan........Tooves headed off at +08:00 minutes with Johnathan Tamm and Deb Carlyon following. Reigning time trial winner Paul Dodson was the last to leave the starting area and immediately settled into an aero dynamic position and fast pace.

At the end of the first lap all cyclists were flying and the gaps between each remained consistent. This altered slightly into the second lap with some gaining time and using this to spur them into the final lap of this 5km circuit.

Paul Dodson claimed fastest time finishing in corrected time of 26:27 and averaging an impressive 34km/hr. Given the many corners in this circuit this is a great time. Johny Barber was second fastest and Tim Glenister third.

Julie Firth was the first female home in a time of 28:29 and an average of 31.6km/hr. Firth was followed by Deb Carlyon and Barb Glenister who averaged 30.9km/hr and 28.3km/hr respectively.

Many thanks to Paul Wilson for coordinating the event, Damon Angelatos for timekeeping and Scott Cox, Jennie Haste and Ian Andrews for marshaling. Thanks also to Tim and Barb Glenister for putting out the signs.

A full list of results is listed below and the Picasa photostream to the right has been updated with photos from today's event and courtesy of blackswanphotos.com

Spokes' next event is a mountain bike ride from Lavendar Farm, followed by a lunch at the Farm. Full details will be sent out next week.

Results - 15km Individual Time Trial

2010-07-20T20:00:00.004+08:00

Yuna to Geraldton Teams Relay

2010-06-21T17:12:00.002+08:00

The Yuna Team Relay saw ten teams, and one solo rider, line up at the Yuna silos eager to start the race and enjoy the perfect cycling conditions that Mother Nature had bestowed. At 9.00am, timekeepers Paul Dodson and Zane D’Mello sent off ‘Team Tri Ladies’ comprising Christine Collins, Fiona Galvin and Jayne Laurent who were riding in their first ever Spokes event. With three minute intervals between each team the next to go was ‘If you want cake, don’t overtake’ a team made up of Barb Glenister, Jennie Haste and Sonia Davies. Barb and Jennie are renowned for their yummy cakes, slices and doughnuts and as such this was a very apt name. The third all female team left at 6:00 minutes and saw Jane Benson race away cheered on by team mates Jacinta Potts and Bec Swan.

‘The Blockheads’ team of Fred Block, Steve and Penny Davies were next to leave followed by ‘Boobs on Bikes’, who are better known as Julie Firth, Gabe Andrews and Deborah Wake. The ‘boobs’ were hotly pursued by solo rider Peter Johnson and team ‘Geraldton Golf Guys’ being Duane Crabb, Tim Glenister and Paul Matthews. Andrew Toovey, Roger Swan and Paul Wilson looked amazing at the start line in their fully matching kit and ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentleman’ were very happy to stand around and be admired before setting off at +18:.00 minutes.

Jonathan Tamm, Paul Baldock and Max Nowrojee were ready to depart three minutes later and were followed by John Andrews, Ian Andrews and Peter Burchell. The final team to leave was ‘Team Train Low’ – Damon Angelatos, Richard Quinlan and Scott Cox, who were perhaps not appropriately named considering the experience and speed within this group.

The first leg saw teams racing from Yuna to Nabawa with some riding it as a relay and others choosing to have their whole team on the road for the duration. The pace was fast amongst all and the time gaps closed as teams neared the finish line in Nabawa.

It was excellent to see due consideration being shown during change over to ensure that riders were able to ride clear lines. First across the line was ‘If you want cake, don’t overtake’ with everyone very relieved to know that this win meant that cake would be on offer from Barb and Jennie!

The team of Jane Benson, Jacinta Potts and Bec Swan were next across the line and were closely followed by Fiona Galvin, Jayne Laurent and Christine Collins with all other teams crossing soon after. Corrected times show a blistering pace for ‘Team Train Low’ with Damon, Richard and Scott averaging some 41.4km/hr for the leg and taking fastest time. Next fastest time went to Tim Glenister, Paul Matthews and Duane Crabb who averaged 39.6km/hr and it was solo rider Peter Johnson who recorded the third fastest time, averaging 38.5km/hr across the 36 kilometre distance.

After a twenty minute break in which cyclists enjoyed fruit cake, doughnuts and chocolate slice (many thanks to Barb, Jennie and Johno) the event moved to the first of the three individual stages. Each team nominated their riders and timekeeper Paul Dodson proceeded to call out the starting order, albeit not in order!

The 15.6km leg heads out of Nabawa toward Geraldton and sees cyclists riding undulating terrain for the entire distance. With cyclists given just one minute interval the racing was exciting with position on the road changing constantly. Damon Angelatos was fastest completing the ride in 23:45 and averaging 39.4km/hr. Andrew Toovey showed all that he didn’t just look good in his team kit, but that he could also ride taking second fastest time and averaging 36.9km/hr for the leg. The fact that he required a lie down at the end of his ride was irrelevant, Toovey giving his all whilst on the bike. Deborah Wake had a brilliant ride and came in with third fastest time and an average of 36.3km/hr.

Fiona Galvin also rode a very strong leg, averaging 34km/hr – an outstanding ride for Fiona’s first attempt at road racing. She will be a force to be reckoned with at future events.

The second individual leg was a 12.9km ride up the cutting and then back down toward Morrell Road. The hill climb was a decisive factor for this stage and Paul Baldock claimed fastest time completing the distance in 21:29. Baldock was closely followed by Paul Matthews in 21:44 with Steve Davies coming in third in a time of 22:33. Bec Swan showed that lack of fitness is irrelevant when it comes to having a chat, managing to get enough breath to offer some support to a fellow cyclist whilst passing on the climb. Minor placings were all very close together and there was much anticipation ahead of the final stage of this fantastic event.

Teams moved onto Morrell Road for the start of the final leg – a 9km ‘time trial’ to Giles Park. Paul Wilson unveiled his time trial bike for the occasion with many keen to see how this would assist him. The pace was on from the first rider and every rider could be seen giving it their everything. Fastest time went to Duane Crabb who averaged 36.7km/hr for the leg, Gabe Andrews demonstrated her strength and speed taking second place and averaging 35.5km/hr, with Paul Wilson coming in third at an average of 35.4km/hr.

Teams then moved to Golden Pond Retreat for a much needed buffet lunch with the timekeepers compiling overall results whilst the riders and their support crews enjoyed the meal. Fastest time went to ‘Team Train Low’ – Damon Angelatos, Richard Quinlan and Scott Cox with a number of novelty prizes also awarded.

A full list of cycling results is listed below and the Picasa photo stream to the right has been updated with numerous pictures taken by Vicky.

Many thanks to Darryl and Vicky Sheilds for putting out and collecting the signs, Barb and Tim Glenister for arranging the signs, Paul Dodson and Zane D’Mello for timekeeping and Dom Micono for marshalling and providing rider support.

Novelty Prizes were awarded as follows:

Jacinta Potts - Having an excited pit stop right on the side of the road only to have

Dom ride past on his motorbike whilst still in all her glory…….

Paul Wilson - Proudly showing off the fact that his physique ensures that Paint n

Quip was the most prominent logo on his new team kit……Paint n Quip covers the stomach region of the jersey!

Christine Collins, Fiona Galvin and Jayne Laurent - Riding their first ever Spokes Event and choosing one of the hardest – welcome ladies and we hope to see you again.

Richard Quinlan - For asking Bec Swan if her birth mark developed during primary school and being surprised when Bec pointed out she had had it since birth…..

Peter Johnson - Being a solo rider at a team event!

Paul Dodson - For easily being the most confusing time keeper…….

Gabe Andrews - For always looking classy and stylish when on her bike!

Results - Yuna to Geraldton Teams Relay

2010-06-21T16:48:00.000+08:00

Yuna to Geraldton Teams Relay

2010-06-17T12:26:00.001+08:00

Yuna to Geraldton

Teams Relay Ride

Spokes Cycle Club invite you to form a team and to take part in this annual Event. Whether you want to set the fastest time or just complete the distance, we guarantee fun for all.

EVENT: A three person team relay from Yuna Tavern to Moonyoonooka Bridge. There are Four separate Stages, the first stage is from Yuna to Nabawa. In this section, teams can either ride a relay or have their full team out – one, two or three can be on the road.

The Rest of the event consists of three separate Stages run consecutively, each rider in the team is required to complete one leg only.

WHEN: Sunday 20^th June 2010

Starting 9:00am outside Yuna Tavern

FORMAT:

STAGE ONE: Yuna Tavern to Nabawa Tavern [36.4 km] (Team Event)

Morning smoko

[Stage two starts 20 minutes after the last team finishes the first stage]

STAGE TWO: Nabawa tavern to Urch Road near Murphyll Farm [16km] (Rider 1)

STAGE THREE: Urch Road farm to Narra Tarra Bridge via Fig tree crossing and Waggrakine Cutting. [13.9 km] (Rider 2)

STAGE FOUR: Narra Tarra bridge to Moonyoonooka Bridge [9km] (Rider 3)

Presentations and Lunch at Golden Pond Retreat at end of Event

with Family and Friends Welcome!

RULES:

Teams must have three riders.

Teams will be started off at intervals.

Each team must supply support vehicle.

No drafting of other teams or vehicles allowed.

Teams will be responsible for providing food and refreshments during the event for team riders.

Contestants must conduct themselves in a sportsman like manner.

Riders must abide by all road rules and directions from event marshals and Race

Results - 20km Individual Time Trial

2010-05-31T20:33:00.002+08:00

Mingenew to Bootenal 90km Individual Road Race

2010-05-20T15:53:00.005+08:00

Depot Hill helps to decide....

Sunday morning dawned and the slight chill in the air didn't deter twenty three keen cyclists from making their way to Mingenew to race the 90km ride to Bootenal. Johnny Barber emerged from the Mingenew pub having ridden across the day before so after adding him to the list, handicaps were assigned and twenty four starters lined up.

Barb Glenister and Eddie Muller were first off the rank and the duo combined to maintain good speed across the unforgiving first 55kms that is the start to this fantastic event. Some fifteen minutes later a group of eight experienced riders set off - Andrew Toovey, Paul Wilson, Jonathan Tamm, Julie Firth, Deborah Wake, Scott Cox, visiting cyclist Clayton Gunning and Duane Crabb burst from the start line and immediately established turns to keep the pace high. There were murmurs of disbelief amongst those waiting to start at Crabb being set off so early but Duane ignored these and enjoyed the support of the handicapper.

The group of Roger Swan, Paul Dodson, Gavin Keyser, Paul Matthews, Reg Salmon, Peter Burchell, Andrew Elliott and Dave Rakuscek set off at twenty five minutes with Keyser completing the event on his mountain bike as preparation for the upcoming Gibb River race. Elliott raced his mountain bike as well and the strength in this group emerged at the first hill climb with Swan, Keyser and Elliot working to ensure that the group remained together for as long as possible.

At the thirty minute mark Peter Johnson, Richard Quinlan, Mike Paxman and Johnny Barber set off and quickly settled into a fast cadence in order to catch the groups in front. Johnny Barber was a little bemused to have been placed with the trio that had successfully raced together previously but the handicapper felt his overnight rest gave him a slight advantage and decided to challenge the man with the 'best legs' in Geraldton.

Paul Hearne and Damon Angelatos were the last to leave, having been given the imposing handicap of forty minutes to make up. This strong and fast pair were expected to set a cracking pace and that is exactly what happened.

Many riders suffered on the early hills and allowed those riders who enjoy the climbs to complete the majority of the work. It appeared that the larger groups had agreed to keep together for as long as possible as the usual splinters didn't materialise until Depot Hill.

Unfortunately for Paul Matthews he flatted, as it appears did Jonathan Tamm, with this causing both riders to lose valuable time crossing the line some time after the others. Scott Cox and Duane Crabb rode off the front of their group working well together until the final stages of the event. Crabb was able to out sprint Cox to take line honours.

Peter Johnson, Richard Quinlan and Mike Paxman once again worked incredibly well together pulling away from Johnny Barber and managing to overtake the group immediately in front of them without picking up riders. The trio then descended on the group of Toovey, Firth, Wake, Gunning and Wilson however the experience of Toovey and tenacity of Firth saw them jump onto the back of this fast paced group and enjoy some support to the line. Julie Firth was first female across the line and also fastest female for the race.

Eddie Muller pulled away from Barb Glenister and completed the event as a solo rider, crossing the line not long after the group of Johnson, Paxman, Quinlan, Toovey and Firth. This was a particularly good result for Eddie considering he had ridden most of the way to the event that morning.

Roger Swan, Gavin Keyser and Dave Rakuscek's pace over the Depot Hill climb was too much for the rest of their group with the trio leaving Matthews, Dodson, Burchell, Salmon and Elliott to fend for themselves. Keyser didn't seem to notice that he was on a mountain bike instead of a roadie and worked well with Swan and Rakuscek at keeping a good pace. Barb Glenister was happy to be picked up by this group on the road into Walkaway and the four crossed the line together.

Hearne and Angelatos demonstrated good strength across the hills with Hearne emerging the stronger of the two, pulling away from Angelatos and crossing the line just after Swan, Keyser, Rakescek and Glenister. What was outstanding about Hearne's place across the line was that he had made up some fifteen minutes on Swan, Keyser and Rakuscek and even more impressive thirty minutes on Glenister.

Dodson, Salmon, Burchell and Elliott were next to finish with Angelatos closing in all the way to the line with Wilson, Wake and Gunning crossing some ten minutes later.

Corrected times show Paul Hearne as fastest time with a superb pace of 40km/hr. Full results have been emailed out to all and show the excellent speeds of all that participated, especially when matched to the terrain covered.

Special thanks to Tim and Barb for putting out the signs, Domenic Micono and Jennie Haste for coordinating, time keeping and marshaling the event and to all of the support crews who drove the cyclists out to Mingenew so that they could race. From speaking to competitors it was agreed that this race is tough and challenging, but also a most enjoyable ride. Thanks also to Fiona Della-Sale for the pictures.

Results - Mingenew to Bootenal 90km Individual Road Race

2010-05-20T15:50:00.003+08:00

Anzac Weekend Criterium

2010-04-26T19:50:00.003+08:00

Cyclists give it all.....

The Anzac weekend Criterium was billed as being a great spectator event and that is exactly how it turned out. Eighteen riders lined up on the start line to contest the tight circuit and make or break corners. The group was split into A and B Grade with B Grade completing 15 minutes racing against the clock before the bell signalling their two laps to finish. A Grade completed 20 minutes against the clock before receiving the bell. Many riders had never ridden a criterium race previously and so there were some pre race jitters about cornering at speed.

The race was on from the outset with both the A and B Grade riders jostling for position. The group of Roger Swan, Peter Johnson, Paul Dodson, Paul Spackman, Gavin Keyser, Wayne Hosking, Dean Carroll, Andrew Toovey, Johny Barber, Peter Burchell, Duane Crabb and Tim Glenister established a quick break and after a few laps started to string out. Paul Baldock and Johnathan Tam struggled to maintain the speed of the main group and dropped off the back, soon followed by Peter Burchell, Johny Barber and Duane Crabb. Andrew Toovey showed that he was a dark horse for Crit racing, with the B Grade rider easily keeping himself in the main pack for the majority of the race.

The remaining B Grade riders of Eddie Mueller, Julie Firth, Sonia Davies and Barb Glenister rode strongly with those who were nervous about the corners improving as the race progressed.

Gavin Keyser punctured early into the race and was fortunate that fellow competitor Duane Crabb had brought along a spare set of wheels - Crabb was kind enough to offer the spare prior to the start of the race and so Keyser effected a quick change and was soon back on the circuit.

The wind picked up as the race progressed making some sections of the course even harder and consequently the B Grade group were very happy to receive the bell and commence their final two laps. Toovey easily took line honours, followed by Firth, Mueller, Davies and Barb Glenister. It is fair to say that Toovey can expect to be elevated to A Grade for future criterium races.

The A Grade group worked very well together with Johnson completing the lion's share of turns. Johnson was assisted by Swan and Dodson who regularly came to the front and helped ensure the pace remained high throughout the event. The short circuit saw riders moving in and out of groups however the main A Grade bunch of Johnson, Swan, Dodson, Spackman, Hosking, Carroll and Glenister remained together with all but a few minutes to go. Carroll lost contact coming out of a corner and Glenister ran out of puff just before the bell lap. This left Johnson, Dodson, Swan, Spackman and Hosking to contest the sprint. The pace lifted into the final lap with Johnson, Swan and Dodson being out sprinted by Hosking and Spackman. Hosking was first across the line, closely followed by Spackman and Dodson, with Johnson and Swan finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

Many thanks to Paul Wilson for time keeping, Tim and Barb Glenister for putting out the signs and Bec Swan for marshalling and ensuring that business owners on the circuit were aware of the event.

The picasa photostream has been updated with pictures from today's event.

Bootenal to Walkaway Wind Farm and return.

2010-04-11T20:06:00.005+08:00

Great ride by trio….

Spokes launched the calendar into April with a 43.9km individual road race from Bootenal to Wind Farm and return. This event starts and finishes on long flat roads but it is the middle 10km which really challenges cyclists - a long winding hill up to the wind farm before the turn around for high speed descent.

The mass start saw a large lead group form, with many riders enjoying the pace and ‘sit’ provided by the stronger and more experienced cyclists. The long flat roads leading to Walkaway allowed for Peter Johnson and Richard Quinlan to combine with Mike Paxman, ensuring a firm pace was set. Julie Firth and Eddie Mueller tucked themselves into the lead group utilising position to their best advantage.

The good pace and strong wind started to take its toll on some riders with Peter Burchell being the first to lose touch with the main bunch. A further injection of speed from Paul Dodson saw Andrew Toovey exposed to the wind and no longer able to hang on. Toovey was soon joined by Roger and Bec Swan and Paul Wilson who formed their own bunch behind the leaders.

Paul Baldock, Ian Andrews and Patrick Betteridge missed the jump at the start and this saw Andrews and Betteridge struggling to maintain contact. Baldock showed strength by riding up to the group of Toovey, Wilson and the Swans, and then powering away from them up the hill.

Johnson, Quinlan and Paxman dominated the climb pulling away from Dodson, Firth and Mueller. The trio accelerated to the top of the hill and then completed a fast descent to power back to the finish line.

Baldock was able to pass Mueller before catching Dodson and Firth. Roger Swan left Toovey and Bec Swan on the climb but then waited at the top to re-join his group and ensure that all finished together. Eddie Mueller was also caught by this group but was able to complete the descent and race to the finish with the other three.

It was the effort of Paul Wilson on the climb that deserves special mention. Wilson seemed to be struggling at the bottom of the hill but amazed all with his magical appearance at the top, completely overtaking all but the lead trio – perhaps some secret training of sorts or was it outside assistance?

Burchell, Andrews and Betteridge were the final cyclists over the hill with both seeming very happy to turn around and complete the descent.

At the front of the race Johnson, Quinlan and Paxman worked extremely well together and all vied for line honours. Johnson was able to out sprint Quinlan and Paxman in a very tight finish.

Next across the line was Dodson who was closely followed by Baldock and Firth. This was an excellent ride by Julie Firth who maintained contact up and over the climb to remain at the front of the event.

The group of Toovey, Roger and Bec Swan and Eddie Mueller rode well, completing turns and keeping the pace at a good level. Bec Swan attempted a lead out some distance from the finish only to be caught by Toovey and Roger Swan before then being ‘allowed’ to finish ahead of her group.

Burchell, Andrews and Betteridge finished shortly after with all cyclists agreeing that the race was tough but extremely enjoyable. As always the wind made things very interesting, albeit the usual Southerly was replaced by a North Easterly. This provided a pure head wind for the climb and saw the pace fluctuate amongst all.

Thanks to Mike Paxman, who travelled from Kalbarri to ride his first race with Spokes – welcome Mike and we hope to see you at future races. Special thanks to Peter Burchell for putting out the signs, Darryl Sheilds for timekeeping and Terry Wellman for assisting with marshalling and sign collection.

Results are below and the Picasa Photostream has been updated with photo's taken today by Darryl.

Results - Bootenal to Wind Farm and return.

2010-04-11T20:05:00.001+08:00

Summer / Autumn Calender

2010-04-03T18:39:00.002+08:00

Click on calendar to enlarge.

Bootenal Five Stage Tour

2010-03-21T16:41:00.005+08:00

Mixed riding and mixed fortune

Despite the lower than expected attendance, the contesting of the Bootenal 5-Stage Tour was exciting and challenging for the cyclists who took part. Paul Dodson took the opening time time trial ahead of Duane Crabbe and Paul Baldock (new owner of TBE), showing that his more mature status is no limit on ability. Dodson was able to carry this into Stage 2 with a great win following a mass start and the pack all jostling for a place at the end of the Georgina East return loop. Julie Firth easily won both stages in the women's division finishing with the lead group in Stage 2.

Stage 3 saw an end to the flatter parts of the course and Roger Swan dominated the first of the hill climbs to take both this Stage and maximum King of the Mountain points. Swan was followed by Paul Baldock and Duane Crabbe on Stage 3 with Julie Firth placing a credible 4th on the hill overall - this also saw her take line honours in the women's division once again, a pattern that would remain for the tour.

Stage 4 started with a 600 metre climb with Baldock, Firth, Crabbe, Muller and Swan all clearing the summit within seconds of each other. Baldock led the group over the climb, claiming maximum King of the Mountain points. Swan and Firth accelerated across the remaining undulations placing 1st and 2nd with Crabbe coming in 3rd ahead of Baldock in 4th.

Eddie Muller was the dark horse of the climbs, easily riding both of the hill stages and showing that this type of course suits his riding style. Paul Dodson was unable to retain his form into the hills and slid to the back of the pack, competing with Andrew Toovey and Jonathan Tam in a separate battle to that of the climbers.

The last Stage was a road race from Georgina Road back to the Bootenal Tavern and was an opportunity for the flat stage riders to emerge once again. Jonathan Tam proved he was now warmed up out sprinting Paul Dodson and Duanne Crabbe to take line honours. Julie Firth rode incredibly well to finish 4th across the line - easily winning the women's event.

The men's event was a more closely fought race with the time bonuses for Stage wins seeing Duane Crabbe and Roger Swan finishing equal first, albeit Crabbe was fastest on overall time. Paul Dodson took third overall.

Special thanks to Darryl Sheilds, Arlia Toovey and Bec Swan for officiating and putting out the signs.

A full list of results is available below and the Picasa Photostream to the right has been updated with pictured of today's event.

Results - Bootenal 5 Stage Tour

2010-03-21T16:40:00.002+08:00

Results - 32km Barb Glenister 'Light My Fire'

2010-03-12T10:31:00.003+08:00

Photos from the event can also be viewed in the 'Picasa Photostream' to the right of the page.

The Barb Glenister 'Light My Fire' Classic

2010-03-02T09:01:00.004+08:00

Barb Glenister ‘Light my Fire’

Individual Road Race

Giles Park & Cutting 32km Road Race

8.00am Sunday 7^th March 2010

(Please note the earlier start time for summer!)

SPOKES CYCLE CLUB MEMBERS WILL PAY JUST $2.00 NOMINATION PER RIDER.

Non Spokes Members are invited to participate and be covered under a $10 Day License Fee.

This is an individual road race testing speed and hill climbing with each rider completing the 32km event from Giles Park, along Morrell Road, over the cutting and back to Giles Park.

Riders will be handicapped ensuring an exciting finish.

Location:

The ride will start and finish at Giles Park, just near the corner of Giles and Narratarra/Moonyoonooka Roads. Registration opens at 7.20am with all cyclists to be signed on and assembled at the start line by 7.50am.

Please refer to the map in the posting below for access to and from Giles Park. Please be aware that the Geraldton Mount Magnet Road is now accessed via the Southern Transport Corridor - unfortunately Google maps doesn't yet show this!

What to Bring

* $2 for Nomination / $10 Day License Fee for non members / $70 Full Member Fee

* Helmet (essential to be permitted to ride)

* Water Bottle and $$ money for cool drink

* Sunscreen / Sunglasses / Hat for after ride

* Tubes, pump etc

We look forward to seeing you at the inaugural Barb Glenister ‘Light my Fire’ event with the ride proudly sponsored by Barb.

If you are interested in becoming a member of Spokes Cycle Club then please email spokescycleclub@gmail.com and a membership form and event calendar will be sent to you.

25km Team Time Trial

2010-02-23T14:04:00.004+08:00

Race day dawned and a multitude of excuses for not riding saw the 25km Team Time Trial easily the most well marshalled event to date. There were sore backs, torn heart muscles, spider bite, and a sore throat to mention just a few. The upside of all this was, marshals on all corners and separate jobs for bell ringers, timekeepers, and photographers at the finish.

Nineteen riders in seven teams faced Ian Andrews, event co-ordinator for the day, for five laps of the Deepdale circuit. A strong south easterly saw riders reaching over 50 kph along the finish straight.

The first three teams finished within 40 seconds of each other. Peter Burchell, Gavin Keyser and Steve Davies managed to outgun Mort Harslett, Max Nowrajee and Jon Tamm to win by 14 seconds. Paul Dodson and Reg Salmon were third, a further 26 seconds in arrears. Paul Matthews and Duane Crabbe weren't too sure if they were riding as a pair or team of three as Dave Rakuscek floated back to ride with arch enemies Burchell, Davies and Keyser for a while before then riding back up to his team for the finish.

Mark Greene rode with junior rider and friend Tim Lendic who hadn't ridden with the Club for a while and they placed a respectable fifth. However the real battle was between sixth placed Julie Firth and Deb Wake and the Andrew Toovey led group of Barb and Tim Glenister and Jenny Hastie. Even though the final time difference was only one second, the duo started fast and closed to within 22 seconds after the first lap, but Toovey’s experience held the group together and this showed with the group recording negative splits with every new lap.

Thanks to John and Gabe Andrews and Gerald Westerik who were the official marshals for the day and to the many others who sacrificed their race in order to assist.

Spokes next event is the Barb Glenister 'Light My Fire' Giles Park Cutting Lap. This is a 32km Individual Road Race starting at 8am from Giles Park on Morrell Road, Moonyoonooka. The Club already has allocated marshals for this event so get your bike ready and we will see you there!

Results - 25km Team Time Trial

2010-02-23T14:00:00.000+08:00

15km Individual Time Trial

2010-02-11T17:41:00.002+08:00

No wind………in Geraldton?

Sunday morning dawned and the usually windy and hot summer of Geraldton had been replaced with an overcast and almost still day -excellent conditions for an Individual Time Trial.

There was a good mixture of men and women to contest the 'race against yourself and the clock', with the twenty riders set off at one minute intervals. The tight circuit saw many changes of position and some very close finishing times. Paul Dodson's secret training well and truly paid off with him recording the fastest time of 25:51 for the 15km circuit, averaging some 35.5km/hr. Duane Crabb was second on corrected time of 26:39 and Mort Harslett celebrated his recent 70th birthday in style by claiming the third fastest time of 26:43 and an average of 34.4km/hr. Some comments after the event suggested that tri bars were obviously beneficial for time trials, however not all competitors felt that their physique would allow them to achieve such aero dynamic positioning! The remainder of the mens field were very close in time with just a couple of minutes separating all cyclists.

The womens event was hotly contested; new rider to Spokes Deb Wake was the fastest female in a time of 28:24, beating Julie Firth by just one second. Gabrielle Andrews came in third in an excellent time of 28:47 and an average if 31.9km.hr. Chris Kerr beat her previous time by 7 minutes on her reclining bike and was easily the most improved at the event. Paula Purcher and Barb Glenister were both keen to test themselves against each other; unfortunately the result will have to wait for the next time trial as Paula flatted into the last lap and was forced to withdraw.

Spokes had a special presentation at the conclusion of the time trial, recognising the commitment and dedication of Darryl and Vicky Sheilds to both the Club and cycling in the Geraldton and Midwest area. Darryl and Vicky don’t like to be made a fuss of however the Club was keen to ensure that their efforts over so many years were rewarded with a contribution towards their planned travels. Spokes wishes them well in their future adventures and looks forward to seeing them out on their bikes once hand over has been completed.

The Bicycle Entrepreneur is now officially in the hands of new owners Paul and Sarah and Spokes Committee and Members wish them every success. Spokes encourages all members to visit the shop and continue to enjoy your member discount.

Special thanks to Tim and Barb Glenister for putting out the signs and to Jon Tamm, Darryl Sheilds and Dom Micono for marshalling.

Full results are available below and the picasa photostream to the right has been updated with pictures from the event.

Results - 15km Individual Time Trial - Deepdale

2010-02-11T17:40:00.000+08:00

Australia Day Individual Road Race - 20km Deepdale

2010-01-27T12:39:00.004+08:00

Australia Day dawned and thirty four keen cyclists lined up for the first individual road race of season 2010. The main group were quick off the line with many playing their cards close to their chest, choosing to remain within the pack rather than make an early move. The near perfect conditions allowed for the majority of the mens contingent to ride as a bunch until the final lap. New members Daniel Matthews and Scott Cox rode extremely well in their first Spokes Cycle Club race contesting the finish strongly. Spokes regulars Roger Swan, Tim Glenister, Jon Tam, Max Nowrojee, Mort Harslett and Mark Greene worked hard to ensure the pace remained fast for the full 20km's, testing the legs of many.

Damon Angelatos was in blistering form and just into the bell lap accelerated and opened up a small gap over the chasing bunch. The main group then had some catching up to do but Damon managed to stay ahead just enough to keep the pressure on.

Into the final straight the pace again lifted and it was Angelatos who took line honours just ahead of Hosking, with a brilliant ride by Paul Matthews and Duane Crabb resulting in them crossing in third and fourth spot respectively, all being credited with an average speed of over 37 km/hr.

The remainder of the main group were close behind finishing within seconds of each other.

Barb Glenister, Paula Purcher, Sonia Davies, Bec Swan and Lesleigh Stewart teamed up at the start and rode very well as a group, completing turns and ensuring that new member Lesleigh was looked after. The group picked up Chris Cooper on the second lap and then Andrew Toovey on the third lap, growing stronger with the extra riders. The pace increased into the finishing straight with a last dash at the line by Barb Glenister resulting in her being first female rider to finish.

President Darryl Sheilds rode with newcomer Patrick Bettridge and Vicky Sheilds, Gerald Westerik and Gabrielle Andrews ensuring that Bettridge and Westerik were well paced and provided with some valuable insight into the benefits of drafting. Darryl's group was joined by Richard Correy during the race, who arrived a little late, having got the start time confused.

Special mention must be made of Jessica Micono, who completed the circuit with dad Dom and reminded everyone of how much fun it is to be out on your bike.

Thanks go to Johny Barber and Julie Firth for timekeeping and marshalling at the finish line and to Reg Pomery for marshalling on the first corner and ensuring everyone was kept safe and informed of traffic.

Spokes Cycle Club's next event is the 15km Individual Time Trial which will be held on Sunday 7th Feb 2010, starting at 8.00am (take note of the time Richo!) We look forward to seeing you there.

The Picasa Photostream has also been updated with photo's taken at the event by Julie Firth.

Results - Australia Day Individual Road Race

2010-01-27T12:38:00.001+08:00

Click to enlarge

Pairs Time Trial - 15km Deepdale

2010-01-10T20:04:00.011+08:00

Unlike the warm easterly winds and temperatures of nearly 40 degrees of the last event of 2009, the 16 teams who set off at minute intervals for three laps of the Deepdale circuit enjoyed near-on perfect conditions (what’s a little wind in Geraldton) for the opening event of 2010. Chrissie Kerr and Deb Greene were first to face the starter, with Jacinta and Jason Potts (on the mighty Cannondale Tandem) partnered by Wayne Hoskins last to leave.

New rider to Spokes Paul Burkinshaw and Southern Corridor race “veterans” Gerald Westerik, Paul Matthews,

Chrissie Kerr, Zane D’Mello and Andrew Toovey all enjoyed the Deepdale Circuit and the anticipation in the air saw riders setting off at warp speed only to be bought back to reality at the first corner as they rounded the bend, straight into the brisk Southerly.

Peter Johnson was late, as usual, and ended up partnering his old friend Andrew Toovey (one of the Foundation members of Spokes, sparked back into riding after his early pre mid life crisis). Andre Eastough, another name from the past made a welcome return to the club partnering Tim Glenister (the story is told that Andre, having been passed by team Potts and wanting to assert his superiority on the bike, put the hammer down and overtook them again with the desire to inform them of his prowess, only to find he was unable to talk!) Word on the line is Fred Block could easily get an acting job in Hollywood if his finish was anything to go by.

Having given his all in the race, he quickly found a large tuft of grass where his breakfast made a re-appearance!

Big thanks to Terry Wellman and Angel Sotiroff for manning the corners, Tim and Barb Glenister for putting out the signs, and Bec for getting everything in order before the start and taking all the registrations.

A big birthday congratulations to Reg “Arnie” Pomery and Angel Sotiroff….does this mean you guys are Twins?

Results - Pairs Time Trial

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000+08:00

Click to enlarge

2010 Kick Start

2010-01-04T16:58:00.003+08:00

Pairs Time Trial

-Bring a Friend-

Deepdale 15km Road Team Time Trial

8.00am Sunday 10^th January 2010

(Please note the earlier start time for summer!)

SPOKES CYCLE CLUB MEMBERS WILL PAY JUST $2.00 NOMINATION PER RIDER.

Non Spokes Members are invited to participate and be covered under a $10 Day License Fee.

Teams are to consist of 2 riders each. The event will be handicapped with each team setting off at 1 minute intervals.

Each team will complete 3 laps of a 5km circuit and both riders are to be on the road at all times.

Location:

The ride will start and finish on Arthur Road, Deepdale. Registration opens at 7.20am with all cyclists to be signed on and teams assembled at the start line by 7.50am. Please refer to the map for access to and from Arthur Road.

What to Bring

* $2 for Nomination / $10 Day License Fee for non members

* Helmet (essential to be permitted to ride)

* Water Bottle and $$ money for cool drink

* Sunscreen / Sunglasses / Hat for after ride

* Tubes, pump etc

So grab a friend and come and ease back into cycle racing for 2010!!

If you are interested in becoming a member of Spokes Cycle Club then please email

spokescycleclub@gmail.com and a membership form and event calendar will be sent to you.

______________________________________________________

Map of Arthur Road Circuit Deepdale

2010-01-04T16:55:00.002+08:00

Click on map to enlarge.

2010 Summer/Autumn Event Calender

2010-01-01T17:07:00.003+08:00

Click on calendar to enlarge.

Membership Application Form 2010

2010-01-01T17:05:00.003+08:00

Click forms to enlarge and then you can print them off in the usual way.

Caffine Rush......

2009-12-20T20:33:00.003+08:00

Breaking news for cyclists who enjoy a good ride and a strong coffee - Bella Vista have just announced that they will now be open on Sundays from 8am - 12pm! Yippee.......fantastic coffee, delicious food and cyclists are ALWAYS welcome.....brilliant!

My taste buds are already looking forward to a post ride cuppa and poached eggs and cheers to John for giving us the heads up.

Feeling hot, hot, hot...........

2009-12-14T15:03:00.006+08:00

A warm easterly wind and temperature of nearly 40 degrees didn't deter 32 keen riders from lining up for the start of the Spokes Farewell to 2009 ride at Deepdale today. The difficult conditions led to the committee reducing the distance, with teams completing 3 laps of the 5km circuit. Each team comprised 2-3 cyclists set off at 1 minute intervals, resulting in some hard racing and very close finishing.

Paula Purcher, Deb and Mark Greene took line honours having gained 5 minutes across the ride to overtake the teams in front of them. The three worked well together on the hot and windy circuit. Spokes Vice President Tim Glenister combined with new club cyclists Paul Matthews and Duane Crabb to take fourth place on corrected time, an excellent result condering the team had never ridden together prior to today's race.

Claire Tutton and David Geqwin rode as a pair team and backed up their form from the Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor Opening ride with another good performance today.

The shorter course led to the top five placings only being separeted by a mere ninety seconds. Designated winners on the day were Reg Salmon and Peter Johnson, who were announced as the fastest time. The two rode hard from the outset, holding off the team of Mort Harslett, Max Nowrojee and Jonathan Tamm, and although final results suggest a slight variation, the announcement of the day stands.

Jacinta & Jason Potts were the workhorse pair for the day, riding the event on their Cannondale tandem, ably assisted by the strength of Paul Hearne, Richard Correy and Ian Beard. Richo had a little rest halfway through the event and was seen by many enjoying a cold beverage on the finish straight whilst his team soldiered on in the heat, wondering where he had gone......

Roger Swan and Paul Wilson finished strongly and with their matching glasses the pair took out the prize for 'looking good'. Father and son team, Dean and Matthew Carroll, showed the rest of the field how well the combination of senior and junior rider can fare with Dean riding in front and Matthew again competing on a fixed wheel bike.

Sonia Davies, Jennie Haste and Shane Turner managed to hold off a fast finishing Darryl Sheilds, Andrew Toovey and Barb Glenister with the two teams only 20 seconds apart. Fleur Bishop and Bec Swan rode together, enjoying the event and the chance to be back out on the road!

Full results are available in the post below.

Thanks to Anita for timing at today's event, Dom for marshalling and to Jennie for her hospitality, welcoming riders to her house for pancakesand home made jams after the event. Well done Pancake Turner and Hannah - very nice! Thank you also to Barb for providing delicious scones after the ride.

Spokes have now finished their riding calendar for 2009, however training will still leave from Red Rooster at 6am Monday to Friday over the festive period.

Watch this space for the 2010 calendar and membership form.

The President and Committe of Spokes Cycle Club would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year of no wind and cooler temperatures!!

Results - 15 km Farewell 2009

2009-12-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

What a ride.....

2009-12-06T16:59:00.023+08:00

The Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor Opening Road Race attracted fifty-nine keen cyclists and the mass start saw the field quickly stretched out along the not yet opened road. Main Roads and Abi-Group had done a brilliant job of ensuring the road was swept and the turn around points clearly marked and at 8.00am the race was on. This one off opportunity to ride on a brand new road wasn't one to be missed!

The pace was on from the outset with many groups of like speed riders settling in to work together for the 24km event. The lead group of Paul Hearne, Damon Angelatos, Richard Correy, Gavin Keyser and Peter Johnson set a cracking pace and never looked like being caught. Hearne and Angelatos upped the ante into the second lap putting some space between themselves and Correy and Keyser, with Johnson slipping off the back.

Riders in groups behind took turns to help keep their speed high with many sprint finishes seen. Mark Greene and Deb Greene rode well together, combining strength to their advantage. Michael O'Farrell took time off his mountain bike to join the road race, riding very well in his first race. However it was the return of Andrew Toovey to road racing that is perhaps most amazing. Former Geraldton Guardian front cover favourite, Toovey shone (literally) on his well polished retro bike with matching clothing. It was great to see Toove's, and many previous Club members who were thought lost, back out on their bikes and enjoying the race.

Sonia Davies rode very well for someone who has only recently taken up road cycling, completing turns with Deb Carlyon before assisting Shane Turner across the finish line.

Junior cyclist Matthew Carroll rode a fixed wheel bike and brought along dad Dean, to show him how it was done. Matthew rode two very strong laps and impressed all with his fitness and skill. A number of female riders combined to ride together which resulted in close finishing between Anna Kosch, Terri Quinlan and Paula Purcher.

Road specific bikes were joined by a hybrid bike and a hand bike, ridden by Tom Thuijs and Chris Kerr respectively. Both rode very well finishing in good times.

Club stalwart Vicky Sheilds encouraged those cyclists who were struggling into the wind and ensured that all finished within the allotted time frames.

Spokes would like to sincerely thank Hosemasters Geraldton, Geraldton Family Gym at the Greene Room, Paint'n'Quip, The Bicycle Entrepreneur and Bayer Crop Science for their generous donations of prizes.

Top three placings were as follows:

Men

1st Paul Hearne (fastest time) 2nd Damon Angelatos 3rd Gavin Keyser

Women

1st Deb Greene (fastest time) 2nd Anna Kosch 3rd Terri Quinlan

A full list of results is available below. See you all next week for the Farewell to 2009 ride - 9.00am start from Arthur Road, Deepdale.

The Picasa Photostream to the right has been updated with photo's from today's event, enjoy........

Results

2009-12-06T16:55:00.000+08:00

It’s all about the team……..

2009-11-15T20:45:00.004+08:00

Spokes kicked into summer today with a 25km team handicap in Deepdale. It was brilliant to see seven teams of between three and five riders taking part, albeit one rider didn’t seem to be too sure about which team he was on! Teams were set off at one minute intervals which made for a very close finish. The experienced team of Max Nowrojee, Mort Harslett, Tim Glenister and John Tam took line honours and also claimed the fastest time, averaging an impressive 32.7km/hr on quite a windy course.

The next five teams crossed the line within two minutes of each other. Experience, novice and those returning to cycling worked hard with Ian Andrews, Scott Andrews and Jennie Haste coming in second and the team of Suzie Otterson, Sharon Barneston and Bec Swan crossing the line with the third fastest time.

Reg Pomery, Roger Swan and Paul ‘2 seconds’ Wilson rode well to hold off a determined Deb Greene, Paula Purcher, Donna Menneguzzo and Deb Andrews, and a fast finishing Paul Hearne, Barb Glenister and Claire Tyrrell. The team of Reg, Roger and Paul actually started with a fourth member, Dave Rakuscek, however he went missing during the event and surfaced on the fastest team – the jury is still out as to which time he is attributed with………

However it was Darryl and his Harem who really embraced the team-spirit for the ride. Darryl and Vicky Sheilds encouraged previously regular cyclists Fleur Bishop and Angel Sotiroff to dust of their bikes and also welcomed new member Sonia Davies to the Club and road riding. The smiles of all at the end of the event really summed up how much we all love to ride and how nice it is to ride with friends. A full list of team averages is below.

Special thanks to Barb for her delicious cake, and for ‘jumping ship’ at the last minute so that teams were evenly matched. Thanks also to Jennie for her yummy slice and to Peter Burchell for marshalling and time keeping.

Don’t forget the end of season BBQ at 7pm, Saturday 28th November 2009. The BBQ is fully catered by the Club so ensure your name is given to Bec Swan so that we have ample supplies.

Team, Finish Time and Average speed

Darryl, Vicky, Fleur, Angel and Sonia 59:07 26.3 Km/h

Paul, Barb and Claire 52:01 28.8 Km/h

Deb, Donna, Paula and Deb 51:45 29.0 Km/h

Roger, Willo and Reg (and Dave) 51:23 29.2 Km/h

Suzie, Sharon and Bec 51:16 29.3 Km/h

Ian, Scott and Jennie 50:48 29.5 Km/h

Max, Mort, Tim and John (and Dave) 45:54 32.7 Km/h

Coffee, pancakes, oh.......and a ride

2009-11-08T13:50:00.002+08:00

It was such a beautiful morning for cycling and there was another great turnout for the social ride around Geraldton today. Barb headed up the pack and did a great job of keeping everyone together, setting a pace that catered for every ability. The sunshine and very slight wind meant the 30km distance passed very quickly and the majority of the pack were keen to continue enjoying the weather by partaking in a coffee afterwards, with a couple also partaking in breakfast.

The main topic of conversation during the ride and cuppa was the club's 25km team event around Deepdale next Sunday (15th Nov 2009) with five teams sorted by the time the coffee cups were emptied. Teams so far are as follows:
1. Darryl, Fleur and Angel
2. Jennie and the flying Andrews men (Ian and Scott)
3. Tim, Max and Mort
4. Roger, Paul '2 seconds' Wilson, and Reg
5. Barb, Suzie, Bec and Sharon

Now is the time to dust your bike off and whip out the Lycra so get your team together and come and join in some good fun cycling. The event starts at 9.00am on Arthur Road, Deepdale with registration closing at 8.40am. To get there you head out on the airport road, turn right onto Deepdale Road and then left onto Arthur Road. Start and finish line is about 500m up the road. Barb has promised to bring her delicious slice and from personal experience, that is enough to get me there!

If you need help getting a team together then please let us know as don't want you to miss the ride.