Results

🗒️ RACE REPORT: EVANDALE – NILE RETURN HANDICAP
We had a change of start location for today’s race from Evandale to the end of Nile Road and back, starting this week in Evandale at the Prince of Wales pub and finishing as usual on the straight just before Nile Gun Club.
22 riders took the start and made short work of the ride to the turnaround assisted by a light cross tailwind. By the turnaround the field was separated by roughly 4 minutes with David Murray going clear of the E grade bunch and overtaking front markers Leigh Pridmore and Di Ottaway to reach the turn first.
Next to make the turn for home was the D grade bunch of Craig Burrows, Julian Clayton, Rod Johnson and Brenden Simpson-Kitt followed closely by C grade riders Kaine Arkley, Alex Robinson and Rob Wrigley with new rider Tom Faulkner just off the back.
The two groups merged soon after the turnaround and quickly swept up E grade and both markers. David was able to stay in the wheels while Di and Mal Tew managed to hold on for a few minutes to advance their position in the race.
As the group approached 10km to go, the gap to B grade behind had stabilised at around 90 seconds. The group of Ricky Allen, Lance Beaumont, Stef Shearer and Daz turner, had lost Pat Coe early so it was going to take something special to close a 90 second gap to the group of 7 riders up the road in the final 10km.
Behind, the chase of the scratch duo had faltered with Pete Jeffers on his own 50 seconds back and Dylan Forbes some way behind.
At the front of the race, Alex Robinson was driving the pace in the lead group. Entering the final kilometres, he attached off the front and Simpson-Kitt was dropped. Kaine Arkley took responsibility, bringing him back with a measured effort, that put Wrigley out the back over the crest before the final run into the finish.
Robinson kicked again and opened a small gap leading into the final 300m. Burrows was next to attack coming over the top with 200m to go as Robinson faded. Clayton came out of Burrows’ wheel as Johnson made a powerful acceleration in the saddle, hitting the front with 30m to go and taking the win ahead of Clayton in 2nd, Burrows 3rd, Arkley 4th and Robinson 5th.
Daz Turner was the best of the rest taking out the bunch sprint for 7th place.
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Rod Johnson
🥈 Julian Clayton
🥉 Craig Burrows
4th Kaine Arkley
💨 Peter Jeffers
🚴🏼‍♀️ Di Ottaway

RACE REPORT: SELBOURNE – BLACK LANE LOOP
The racing may have started in foggy and damp conditions but the fog was soon forgotten as the racing heated up at Selbourne on Sunday.
We had 25 entries for Sundays race and given the pretty cold and foggy conditions we were delighted to have 24 riders line up at the start.
This weekend we welcomed new rider Jason Rigg from Devonport who is well known on the open racing circuit and provided the perfect scratch companion to Nic Kerkham who was riding in his first race for a while.
Getting the race underway today was Di Ottaway and Sheri Leslie followed by the 5 man E grade bunch of Cooper, Oldham, Tew, Burford and Dadson, and soon after by D grade, including Johnson, Burrows and Clayton.
As the front groups were making their way around the course, back at the start line the fog was lifting and the sun was beginning to break though.
Next to go was the C grade duo of Smith and Miller, then the rest of the C grade bunch; Arkley, Beaumont, Coe and Revell some 3 minutes later.
Another 3:15 behind was a sizeable B grade group, including Richardson, Nevin, Forbes, Simpson and Jeffers. Finally, 28 minutes behind the first rider and 90 seconds behind B grade was Kerkham and Rigg.
Out on course there was little action until the Black Lane – Emu Plain Circuit. On the first lap Lance Beaumont suffered a puncture reducing his group to 3 riders. Kaine Arkley struggled after some time of the bike and sat up, preferring to keep his powder dry (read: legs not completely blown) for another day.
E and D grades combined around 20km in and set about working together to maintain their advantage over the chasing C grade riders behind.
On the 2nd lap the two C grade bunches combined and the B grade bunch, who were not hanging around, averaging 41.5km/h for the race so far, caught the C grade group as they turned on Meander Valley Road for the final time.
Up the road, Ottaway and Leslie still had a slight lead over the combined E and D group but they weren’t far behind. Johnston and Burrows were driving the group behind, with Cooper and Burford contributing well and Dason, Oldham and Tew rolling turns on the flatter sections.
On Selbourne Road, they passed Leslie and then Ottaway and after the bridge, with a clear margin to the chasers behind, Cooper was first to attack, quickly opening up a gap on the rest of the group.
Behind, the A grade riders rolled onto the back of the chasing group just as Scott Smith provided a final pull on the front. Simpson took the group over the bridge, followed by Jeffers, Richardson then Nevin and Simpson again.
It was time for Burrows and Johnson to make their move as they gapped the rest of their group and chased down Cooper in the run into the line. Johnson, who is proving to be a very handy climber was just to quick for Burrows in the final kick up to the line and and was Johnson who took the victory over Burrows 2nd, Cooper 3rd and Burford wasn’t far behind in 4th.
As the winner was crossing the line it was all kicking off behind. Kerkham attacked from the back of the bunch with Rigg following and Richardson the first to react. Jeffers was next to respond followed by Forbes and the rest of the field.
In the race for the line it was Kerkham who took the fastest time 3 seconds ahead of Rigg. Richardson finished the best of the rest another 5 seconds down. The fastest female went to Ottaway who rode away from Leslie on Selbourne Road and was only caught in the final kilometre.
All in all we had a really good race and the handicapping was very nearly spot on, thanks to some good work by Shane Revell and the handicapping committee. There was an inconsistency between the advertised race distance, which is used for handicapping, and the actual race distance so we will have a look at the race distance for the 2nd half of the season and make sure the advertised course length matches the actual course length.
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Rod Johnson
🥈 Craig Burrows
🥉 Garry Cooper
4th Tim Burford
💨 Nic Kerkham
🚴🏼‍♀️ Di Ottaway

RACE REPORT: BISHOPSBOURNE – ARMSTRONGS LANE LOOP
As Pat Coe said today we had 1 in 100 years weather conditions for Bishopsbourne. Aside from the glorious sunshine, the usual headwind on Armstrongs Lane and on the approach to the finish were completely absent, leading to faster than usual times across the field.
20 riders tackled the course with 3 in E, 4 in D, 4 in C, 4 in B and 5 in A. We also welcomed new riders Malcom Tew who recently moved to Tassie from Canberra and Andy Howell who you will know as one of our feature race sponsors and a handy rider too.
Laurie and David moved to D grade this week and rode well with Gary and Peter. Combing well they caught the front-marker trio of Di, Leigh, and Sheri on the 2nd lap, close to Armstrongs lane, with Di managing to get on the wheel for a while before they got away.
On the Armstrongs Lane climb, David dropped his chain and couldn’t get back and Laurie eventually found herself off the back before the turn onto Bishopsbourne Road.
By Lap 3, Julian, Rod, Craig were closing in on Garry and Peter. New rider Mal had been distanced on the 2nd lap and it looked like they might make the catch over the top of the Final climb of armstrongs lane, however Garry and Peter were fully committed now and pressed on, maintaining their small margin over the group behind.
Turning on Bishopsbourne road and still with an advantage of 150 metres they both expired the tank to the line. Garry went for it with 500m to go and quickly opened up a gap over Peter. Garry started to fade in the final 100m and Peter nearly got him on line but it was Garry who took the win by a half a wheel.
Hot on their heels was Rodney who accelerated away from Julian and Craig to claim third with Julian next to cross with a similar margin of Craig in 5th.
Behind, the B grade riders – Robbo, Pat, Lance and Keith – rode exceptionally well, averaging around 37km/h and were caught by A grade – new rider Andy Howell, Chris Brinkman, Mike T and returning rider Pete Jeffers – who averaged 40km/h 2km out.
Following a move over the top of Armstrongs lane, Andy Howell only had a small gap remaining as he rounded the corner onto Bishopsbourne Road for the final time and catching Robbo, Pat, and Lance, who had lost Keith in the final kilometres.
As Andy wound it up, they were joined by the rest of the A grade bunch keen to contest the sprint for fastest time. Accelerating clear Michael took the sprint followed by Pete, only for the pair to be relegated following a review of the sprint after the race. Meaning Chris Brinkman was awarded fastest time.
It was good to have another 2 new riders today and to have 3 female riders. Thank you to everyone for a good race and for understanding that we have to race in accordance with the AusCycling technical regulations 🫣
Well done Garry on a deserved victory especially backing up after racing yesterday 💪🏼
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Garry Cooper
🥈 Peter Dadson
🥉 Rod Johnson
💨 Chris Brinkman
🚴🏼‍♀️ Laurie McKeon

Despite some prerace frost still evident in the paddocks, Railton turned on another magnificent sunny morning for our 43 km Supervets handicap race over 3 laps of this excellent but undulating course. Even with a couple of late scratchings we still had a promising field of 12 keen cyclists, spread over 5 groups, line up for the start – the temp now a balmy 7 degrees. It was pleasing to have riders from far spread regions of the northwest coast as well as several from the Launceston area, including a few new faces.
Adam Goern and Andy Hodson headed off at go with an eight-minute start over group 2. Adam was having his 2nd ride and Andy was keen to see how he would manage this course. Next off were riders Di Ottaway and newcomer Racheal Tabart, both making solid progress in pursuit of the leaders. At 17 minutes our previous winner Laurie McKeon, now managing a more solid handicap, raced off with new rider Steve Weir. Steve was a bit of an unknown quantity for handicappers Tim and Pete who hoped this was a fair mark for Steve.
At 22 minutes Tim Burford and Pete Dadson started their pursuit, this time joined by Peter Cameron – who proved to be a strong and worthy addition to our crew. No time was wasted in settling into a smart tempo as some ground needed to be made up. Finally at 30 minutes from go our scratch riders Rodney Johnson, Stephen Grubits, and newly promoted backmarker, Ross Jenkins, set off down the Kimberley Road with a massive task ahead of them to catch the field and make the podium.
Di and Racheal were riding exceptionally well and had caught the front markers by the completion of the first lap. However, Andy – who had admitted he was a little down on training and form – found the going a bit too demanding and withdrew from the race. As the girls and Adam pressed on it became evident that Adam had gained significant form since his previous attempt and he began to pull away into the lead.
Tim, Peter and Pete were in their stride now, and on the Merseylea flats on lap 2 they caught a glimpse of Laurie and Steve, pursuing them with serious endeavour. For Daddo, this meant a familiar scenario of grinding over the climbs several bike lengths behind super climber Tim and the very capable Peter, to then chase back the gap and return to the group rotation. This group made the catch at the 25km mark, and with the pace maintained, only Laurie could tack on – lasting for several kilometres. Meanwhile the scratch riders were making steady progress in closing the gap to all those in front, but perhaps their solid handicap was going to prove too much for the catch to be made.
Well into the final lap, Tim, Peter, and Pete – now without Laurie – upped the tempo and could see riders ahead over the final few kilometres. A solid chase saw them capture Di at the 39km mark, and then a couple of ks later, Racheal – who was putting in a very impressive ride. As they hit the final climb off the bridge no scratch riders could be seen, but also, Adam was still out of site and in good shape to hold everyone off. Over the top of the climb Adam was a mere dot in the distance and with only 2 ks to go he was out of reach. Adam crossed the line for a fine win with significant daylight to the chasers. This meant the sprint was on for the minor placings and with a surprising kick Tim went for it. Peter Cameron and Daddo chased hard, but Tim secured 2nd place from Peter, with Daddo half a bike length behind in 4th. Not far behind came Racheal into 5th and first lady in an exceptional ride. A few hundred metres back came Di, then Laurie, and Steve.
Finally, the scratch riders entered the home straight for the sprint for fastest time with the evergreen Rodney Johnson taking out the honours from Stephen and Ross.
Results:
1st – Adam Goern
2nd – Tim Burford
3rd – Peter Cameron
First Lady – Racheal Tabart
Fastest Time – Rodney Johnson
Special thanks must go to our worthy helpers and officials today –
Edgar Elliot, Peter Philp, Adrian Yong, and Deb Rowlands.
Without their help on the course today this race would not have been possible.
Presentations and coffee were had at Limestone Café, Railton. All riders seemed very happy with how the day went and were keen to return for the next edition of this event.

Railton Supervets Handicap Race 5.6.2025
Despite some prerace frost still evident in the paddocks, Railton turned on another magnificent sunny morning for our 43 km Supervets handicap race over 3 laps of this excellent but undulating course. Even with a couple of late scratchings we still had a promising field of 12 keen cyclists, spread over 5 groups, line up for the start – the temp now a balmy 7 degrees. It was pleasing to have riders from far spread regions of the northwest coast as well as several from the Launceston area, including a few new faces.
Adam Goern and Andy Hodson headed off at go with an eight-minute start over group 2. Adam was having his 2nd ride and Andy was keen to see how he would manage this course. Next off were riders Di Ottaway and newcomer Racheal Tabart, both making solid progress in pursuit of the leaders. At 17 minutes our previous winner Laurie McKeon, now managing a more solid handicap, raced off with new rider Steve Weir. Steve was a bit of an unknown quantity for handicappers Tim and Pete who hoped this was a fair mark for Steve.
At 22 minutes Tim Burford and Pete Dadson started their pursuit, this time joined by Peter Cameron – who proved to be a strong and worthy addition to our crew. No time was wasted in settling into a smart tempo as some ground needed to be made up. Finally at 30 minutes from go our scratch riders Rodney Johnson, Stephen Grubits, and newly promoted backmarker, Ross Jenkins, set off down the Kimberley Road with a massive task ahead of them to catch the field and make the podium.
Di and Racheal were riding exceptionally well and had caught the front markers by the completion of the first lap. However, Andy – who had admitted he was a little down on training and form – found the going a bit too demanding and withdrew from the race. As the girls and Adam pressed on it became evident that Adam had gained significant form since his previous attempt and he began to pull away into the lead.
Tim, Peter and Pete were in their stride now, and on the Merseylea flats on lap 2 they caught a glimpse of Laurie and Steve, pursuing them with serious endeavour. For Daddo, this meant a familiar scenario of grinding over the climbs several bike lengths behind super climber Tim and the very capable Peter, to then chase back the gap and return to the group rotation. This group made the catch at the 25km mark, and with the pace maintained, only Laurie could tack on – lasting for several kilometres. Meanwhile the scratch riders were making steady progress in closing the gap to all those in front, but perhaps their solid handicap was going to prove too much for the catch to be made.
Well into the final lap, Tim, Peter, and Pete – now without Laurie – upped the tempo and could see riders ahead over the final few kilometres. A solid chase saw them capture Di at the 39km mark, and then a couple of ks later, Racheal – who was putting in a very impressive ride. As they hit the final climb off the bridge no scratch riders could be seen, but also, Adam was still out of site and in good shape to hold everyone off. Over the top of the climb Adam was a mere dot in the distance and with only 2 ks to go he was out of reach. Adam crossed the line for a fine win with significant daylight to the chasers. This meant the sprint was on for the minor placings and with a surprising kick Tim went for it. Peter Cameron and Daddo chased hard, but Tim secured 2nd place from Peter, with Daddo half a bike length behind in 4th. Not far behind came Racheal into 5th and first lady in an exceptional ride. A few hundred metres back came Di, then Laurie, and Steve.
Finally, the scratch riders entered the home straight for the sprint for fastest time with the evergreen Rodney Johnson taking out the honours from Stephen and Ross.
Results:
1st – Adam Goern
2nd – Tim Burford
3rd – Peter Cameron
First Lady – Racheal Tabart
Fastest Time – Rodney Johnson
Special thanks must go to our worthy helpers and officials today –
Edgar Elliot, Peter Philp, Adrian Yong, and Deb Rowlands.
Without their help on the course today this race would not have been possible.
Presentations and coffee were had at Limestone Café, Railton. All riders seemed very happy with how the day went and were keen to return for the next edition of this event.

RACE REPORT: CRESSY – BLACKWOOD CREEK
Yesterdays race report is finally here. I’d like to say it’s taken a long time to pull together which is why I’m writing this on Monday night at 8 o’clock but on this occasion it’s because everyone shot off to do other things yesterday and here we are!
Given the weather, which was pretty chilly still at 10am, we had a bumper field of 22 riders. It was an overcast morning with a moderate wind that didn’t seem to provide a tailwind at any point on the course. The conditions were likely to favour the backmarkers, who traditionally maintain higher average speeds with a headwind than the front markers.
We were pleased to welcome 2 new riders, Racheal Tabart and Harley Aiken who travelled from the northwest to race with us and special mention should go out to the Hobart crew who all made a special effort to come up and race this weekend. It was great to see so many new and familiar faces.
New rider Racheal, Sherri and Leigh were our front markers and worked well, staying together and sharing turns until Green Rises road, where Sheri was distanced after suffering a mechanical and was distanced.
Leigh and Racheal were caught by the E grade bunch of Tony, Pat, Laurie, Michael, and David on the Liffey Road climb just before the steep descent to the Blackwood Creek Road intersection. Attacking down the hill and onto Blackwood Creek Road, David Murray made his move leaving the others to get organised behind.
As the front of the race was speeding towards Richardson’s Cutting the C grade bunch of Brenden, Rod, and Julian, combined with the D grade bunch of Peter, Tim, and Garry on Blackwood Creek Road. Over the cutting, Peter was dropped with Garry eventually following. The combined C and D grade riders soon began closing in on E grade, less David Murray who was well out in front.
B grade riders Phil, Shane and Dylan were working well, albeit having lost Scott Miller early to post holiday blues. Over the cutting Phil and Dylan were too strong for Shane and pulled away over the top. Descending Blackwood Creek Road and turning onto Saundridge Road, they begun working their way through the field.
Behind, Martin was caught and passed by Harley who had been set a big task to close down the front of the race. He was riding a disciplined TT effort and it looked like it might be close by the line.
As the combined group of Rod, Julian, Tony, Tim, Pat, Laurie and Brendon entered the final kilometres Phil and Dylan were within touching distance and at around 4km to go hit the front of the main field with David still out in front and Harley closing behind.
The break was finally reeled in with 2 km to go and the elastic finally snapped. Phil and Dylan moved off the front with those behind trying to follow, as the race accelerated into the final kilometre. Harley was overtaking riders going off the back, moving into 6th, into 5th, into 4th with 1km to go.
In the kick for the line, it was Phil Jarvie who was the strongest, crossing the line several bike lengths ahead of Dylan, followed by Harley. It’s been a while since Phil has been on the podium so it was good to see him cross the line in first place.
The rest of the field was not far behind and there were some really exceptional rides, particularly by riders who were caught and able to stay in the bunch till the final kilometres. Laurie had a great ride to take out first female, staying amongst it and finishing in the top 10.
Most combative on the day has to go to David Murray. What a ride! Chapeau David.
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Phil Jarvie
🥈 Dylan Forbes
🥉 Harley Aitken
💨 Harley Aitken
🚴🏼‍♀️ Laurie McKeon

17 Northern vets braced the cold start at Exeter. By 10 am conditions were actually quite pleasant and sunny as the 4 groups took on the hills of Flowery Gulley on a 39km out and back course. Front marker Laurie McCkeown rode strongly, breaking away on the hills. She teamed up with the D graders Pete Dadson and Patrick Oldham on the return. This group led till 32km but scratch were going quite nicely behind. The catch was made at 32km and a powerful burst from the scratch bunch meant that no other riders were able to jump on. This 4 man group were then able to coast to the finish were a sprint finish ensued. Michael Truscott went strong and early to take the win from Ricky Allen followed by Lance Beament and Gene Finn. First Lady Laurie McKeon. Fastest time Michael Truscott.

There was a decent turnout for the 50km NVCC handicap at Whitemore. 5 laps of the Adelphi circuit made for a tough race with a few sharp hills and varying degrees of crosswind. Riders were divided into 4 groups with the large 9 rider C/D group looking good if they could stay together and cooperate. Up ahead were Michael Dalton and Tony Savage off go. Behind were a 5 man B grade group and then Martin Simpson, Kalem Richardson new rider Nick Kaine off scratch. The 5 rider B grade group were well matched and worked well together averaging 37kph+. Up ahead the large 9 rider group was gradually disintegrating. Behind Marty was suffering a European hangover and Nick was suffering after a heavy training week. Kalem rode admirably doing most of the work but was unable to make inroads to the B graders on his own. The remaing C/D graders were caught by the B grade group about 5km from home. Rodney Johnson and Craig Burrows were able to latch on. However, up ahead Savage and Dalton were going well. Dalton went on the last lap and made it over the line by a whisker, 50m ahead of the chasing pack, for a well deserved win.
1st: Michael Dalton
2nd(and fasted time): Dylan Forbes
3rd: Rodney Johnson
4th: Craig Burrows

In fine and mild April conditions 30 dedicated vets riders fronted for our annual Quamby Classic over 2 laps and 68km of this demanding course. At race briefing the course was detailed, however it became apparent all riders new what lay ahead of them in terms of 2 serious climbs over Roseburn hill, plus the many other unavoidable rolling hills.
Di Ottaway led out the field early with a 2 minutes advantage over Leigh Pridmore. The remaining E graders of Tony, Matt, and Pat were away in pursuit at around 10am. The D graders of Tim, Pete, and Mark set off 6 minutes later with only a 2-minute advantage over Rodney, Brenden, and Craig. This D+/C- group merged at the 18k mark near the Quamby golf course and settled in to rolling solid turns at a good tempo that would see them eventually catch the front markers and survive until the 55km mark of the race before capture by the chasing bunch.
The depth of talent in next 16 riders created some challenges for handicapper Ricky, however he was able to sort them into 3 groups C+/B-/B+ at 24, 27, and 29 minutes from go. There were some big hitters in these groups, including Gene Finn, Kaine Arkley, Mike Walsh, Shane Revell, Lance Beament, Ricky Allen, Patrick Coe, Alex Robinson, Scott Smith, and Simon Donovan. The B- group rode strongly on the first lap and caught the C+ riders at the 40km mark. After more pressure riding by B+ these 3 groups, with some attrition, combined after the 50 km mark and could see Tim, Rodney, Craig, Pete, and Mark ahead and latched onto them at the 55kms on the Bridgenorth Road about 4 ks short of the turn for home on Roseburn Road. This large group pushed on at great speed put some pressure on one or two D graders hanging on in survival mode.
Meanwhile a sterling effort by scratch riders Paul McKenzie and Dylan Hill enabled them to make contact with the bunch approaching 60ks into the classic and with the race determining climbs ahead. The tempo and elevation proved too much for Pete and he was spat off the back. Impressively, our elder statesman of the peloton, Tim Burford, remained in the bunch as they climbed the final monster hill.
The race was still a podium option for many riders, however on the rolling final hills Macca attacked the bunch, catching Dylan out of position at the back of the pack, and he powered away over the final ks to record a fine victory, successfully defending his title from last year and claiming fastest time honours. Dylan managed to gap the remaining riders for a strong 2nd place with Gene Finn coming in 3rd in an excellent ride. Kaine was next in 4th and Lance rounded our the podium with 5th – all great rides on this tough course. Ricky came in 6th and Simon 7th, also finishing strongly. Special mention to Di who toughed out the course on her own as our lone female rider today.
Results:
1st and Fastest Time – Paul McKenzie
2nd – Dylan Hill
3rd – Gene Finn
4th – Kaine Arkley
5th – Lance Beament
Special thanks to our key helpers today – Ricky, Kaine, Janelle, Andy, and Julian. Also, thanks to Leigh for his assistance with set up.
Presentation of the trophy, sash, and placegetters proceeded soon after the race and the remaining riders and helpers then enjoyed the Banjos goodies provided by Kaine.

15 of the hardiest northern vets turned up to face the strong NNW wind for the Carrick to Exton return course race this morning.
5 groups had a spread of 17min 30s. The ride out was a battle of attrition into the wind. The front 2 groups of Mickey Dalton, Leigh Pridmore, Matt Bonham and Tony Savage pushed off into the stiff headwind, trying to gain some advantage on the chasers in these tough conditions. Julian Clayton was strong and gapped his fellow D graders at the 10km mark – not helped by a strong wind gust that blew Pete and Tim off his wheel and put Tim in the gravel. At the turn, Tony and Matt had been caught by Pete and Tim, but Julian, Leigh and Mickey were already up to max speed and heading for home.
No A graders appeared today so at the rear of the race the ‘mighty mouse’ scratch trio of Gene Finn, Ricky Allen and Kaine Arkley were chasing the very strong and capable group of 4 ahead consisting of Rodney Johnson, James McKee, Patrick Coe, and Simon Donovan. Very strong riding from Pat Coe delayed the catch by scratch until Westbury on the return. By this time this larger group was making significant inroads on the front markers. Up ahead Michael Dalton gapped Leigh Pridmore but was caught by the chasing Julian Clayton. Meanwhile Tim, Pete and Matt were closing in on Leigh, with Tim producing a powerful effort on the Quamby Rise climb to catch the unrecovered Leigh. This effort put Pete under the pump and dropped Leigh and Matt. Tim and Pete then slowly started to gain on the leaders but it was becoming apparent at Heazelwoods Lane that they might just fall short.
Mickey and Julian then hammered into Carrick with about 100 metres up their sleeve and hit the line together – with Michael Dalton taking a fine win. Into 3rd about 20 seconds back came Tim wining a tight sprint over Pete to take 3rd in an impressive ride from this ‘supervet’. Scratch crossed about 30 seconds further back led in by Ricky Allen who put in an outstanding ride for fastest time.
Results:
1st Michael Dalton
2nd Julian Clayton
3rd Tim Burford
Fastest time Ricky Allen
Thanks to all volunteers today, including Chris Colley who stepped in at the last moment to cover our missing turn Marshall position. A big vote of thanks for former president Luke Moore who came along to give a much-appreciated hand at the Hagley roundabout.

A magnificent sunny morning at Railton greeted the supervets cyclists that entered the inaugural edition of this new race on the NVCC calendar. Tim had surveyed the course and placed the signs, Deb was good to go in the first aid equipped tail car, and Pete had provided all riders with their numbers and checked all licence requirements were met.
After a welcome, safety briefing, and course description it was time for the front markers to head out on this undulating bur scenic loop of the Railton and Merseylea district. First away were Grant Goodwin and Adam Goern, setting off down the Kimberley Road 4 minutes in front of Laurie McKeon who had a 10 minute advantage over the next group.
The first 5 ks to the Merseylea junction provided a few solid rises to negotiate, giving riders a good leg and lung stretch early in the race. At 14 minutes the chasing group of Tim Burford, Ross Jenkins, and Pete Dadson set of in pursuit with Ross pushing some big watts from the start, alerting Tim and Pete to the expectation of a challenging ride ahead. Ross later informed us he had ‘done a bit’ in preparation for Track Nationals in Brisbane next week – and it showed.
Last away were our scratch riders Scott Miller and Rodney Johnson who despite their significant cycling pedigree had some time to make up on the other riders. Well done Scott for making the trip up from down south.
The back of the course provided a few kms of fast flat riding that kept all riders in the hunt on the first of 3 15km laps, however the approach to Railton presented a couple of solid climbs before returning to the town. This proved a little demanding for yours truly, and I found myself chasing hard to regain Ross and Tim’s wheel after each climb.
Into the second lap, Laurie was riding exceptionally well and had caught the front markers. Her tempo was maintained and it was evident that she would be a hard catch for the chasers. Tim, Pete and Ross pushed with much effort through the second lap with no riders yet in sight, however Ross was really stretching our group to the limit by now. Scott and Rodney powered on, closing the gap somewhat, but it was clear that any chance of a win was to made on the final lap and would take exceptional effort.
Tim’s group finally caught Adam and Grant on the last approach to Merseylea, shaking them off our wheels before winding up speed on the back of the course. Ross had become unstoppable at this point and all Tim and Pete could do was try and keep him in sight.
Over the last long climb and on the run to the finish line on Native Plains Road, it was Laurie with consistent power and strength who first greeted Line Judge and lead driver Adrian, gaining an impressive win in the first supervet event. Ross was chasing hard but didn’t quite catch her and came in second. Some distance back now came Tim and Pete who settled in for a tight sprint to the line with Pete gaining the honours for third place. Finally, not far behind came our scratch riders with Scott able to take line honours for fastest time.
All riders and helpers then reconvened for coffee, cake, and pies at the Railton Cafe where Tim presented the placegetters with their winnings and thanked everyone for their support in enabling this supervets race to happen. He very much hoped that we can build on numbers for next month’s race.
Results:
1st: Laurie McKeon
2nd: Ross Jenkins
3rd: Pete Dadson
Fastest Time: Scott Miller.
A big thanks to all riders and helpers, and also the NVCC committee and other club members for their support with this race. Special thanks to Kaine Arkley for his considerable assistance to Tim and I in the final push to make this race happen.

🗒️ RACE REPORT – EVANDALE-DEDDINGTON ROAD RACE
We had about 20 riders today for a quick 39km out and back to Deddington via Nile. It was a fitting course for the morning after Milano San Remo because this course with its ‘Duo Capi’ is perhaps not difficult enough for the very best riders to get away over the climbs and for everyone else there is the prospect of a long flat run in to the finish with a bunch sprint from a high speed, the most likely outcome.
We started the day opposite the Nile Gun Club in fine conditions with a 10km southerly providing just enough resistance to benefit the more powerful riders before the turn onto Deddington Road. The road from Evandale to the turn is long and straight and so each group on the road had plenty of motivation to close the gap to the group in front.
Ottaway was away early with an 8 minute gap to the next bunch and a 20 minute advantage over scratch. Behind, Pridmore, Bonham, Murray, and Dalton were being pursued by Clayton, Dalton and Oldham. The next group on the road was the group of Donovan, Beaumont, McKee, Johnson, Gibson and Simpson-Kitt followed by Jarvie, Arkley, Miller, Allen and Wrigley, and 2 riders off scratch in Richardson and Simpson.
This is a good race for the handicapper to bring the race together after the turn around and after the two little bumps on Deddington Road and that was the script for the days’ racing.
The benefit of an out and back course is that the riders can measure where they are relative to the chasers behind or to the groups in front. If the pursuers are approaching the turnaround and the groups in front haven’t passed in the opposite direction, the belief that the chasing groups might get up grows with each 100 metres.
Nearing the turnaround, it seemed like every rider was on the same kilometre of road, although in reality it was more like three. Wrigley was the first to be caught by the scratch duo on the second climb of the day, followed by Miller who joined the group and passed Simpson-Kitt soon after. The Pridmore group passed in the opposite direction, followed by Ottaway, and a few minutes later the Clayton group. Within 500m of the turnaround around, the McKee group passed and on the turnaround the Allen group was caught.
There was a brief respite for the scratch riders before the pursuit continued, now with added firepower, if a little tentative before the last test over the two ‘capi’. Ricky Allen was lively, animating the chase up the climbs and Kaine Arkley was paying close attention without over committing. Kalem Richardson was contributing to the pace making, picking it up when Allen lifted the accelerator.
On the 2nd climb, Bonham and Oldham were caught and with Miller and Simpson just about hanging on over the crest, the McKee group was in their sights. Rolling off of Vivian’s descent the McKee group was swallowed up and Peter Dadson was passed shortly before Nile Road.
The group of around 13 riders was moving quickly now but with the winner of the race likely to come from this group, there was less impetus to give 100%. With 5km to go, David Murray – the last of the Pridmore group was caught.
Still there was no sign of Clayton, who was the only rider left out in front. With around 3km to go, and perhaps unsure of the distance to the line, Richardson attacked off the front. Responsibility fell to Arkley to close the move down, then Miller who sought to lift the pace again as the lead car came into sight.
Simpson was next to take over on the front as the group passed Clayton with 1.5km to go. With 500m to go Jarvie came around to lead out the sprint. Richardson was first to launch with Beaumont next to go, then Simpson and Arkley, taking a moment to wind up their diesel engines.
Simpson was out and Arkley took 3rd wheel, McKee moved into 4th and Richardson was relegated to 2nd with an impressive kick from Beaumont which he held to the line to take a hugely deserved win.
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Lance Beaumont
🥈 Kalem Richardson
🥉 Kaine Arkley
💨 Kalem Richardson
🚴🏼‍♀️ Di Ottaway

🏁 RACE RESULTS – MORGAN TIMBERS FINGAL 50 CLASSIC
🍫 A worthy winner takes a 2nd Fingal 50, 10 years after the first!
💨 Today’s conditions were smokin fast.
While it was windy it was conditions that provided for fast and exciting racing.
It can be tricky to write a race report sometimes – often I have no idea what’s happened infront or behind from week to week.
This week we had a really good turn out for a race that’s a little further from home and starting a little later in the day. But it is a course that suits everyone except the smallest or riders or those masochists who prefer riding UPHILL!
We had 23 riders today and again, we had really bumper numbers mid-pack which led us to have B1, B2 and C1, C2 groups. The gap today from front to back was 24 minutes and 10 seconds which gave the scratch risers something to chase and with only 2 minutes between some groups there was incentive to form a larger bunch and work together to stay away.
For the riders in C1, C2 and D grades, that was exactly the way it played out. In the back half of the race the C1 bunch picked up nearly all of the riders in front, forming a group of Scott Miller, former winners Alex Robinson and Scott Smith, Keith Gibson, Rod Johnson, James McKee, Emily Walker, Peter Dadson and Julian Clayton.
The chasing scratch group joined the B1 riders soon after the turn around and later around half way to the line the group was joined by the B2 bunch to form a second group on the road comprising Nic Kerkham, James Nevin, Martin Simpson, Dave Bingley, Darren Turner, Dylan Forbes, Phil Jarvie and Stef Shearer.
Coming together too late to make substantial inroads and with the gap not closing quickly enough the chase faltered in the final kilometres leaving the the riders at the front of the race to race for the line without worrying about the pursuers behind.
In the closing kilometres, it was Alex Robinson’s relentless attacking to try and get away that saw a couple of riders put out the back and others sat up as the trio of James McKee, Emily Walker and Scott smith sprites for the win with Scott smith coming from 3rd wheel to take the win ahead of James McKee and Emily Walker who also took first female.
Crossing a just second behind was Keith Gibson and Julian Clayton. Taking fastest time with a powerful acceleration out of the chasing bunch in the final 200m was scratch rider Nic Kerkham.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Congratulations to our Morgans Timber Fingal 50 Classic winner Scott Smith taking the win today 10 years after his first of 4 Feature races in one season.
🏆 RACE RESULTS
🥇 Scott Smith
🥈 James McKee
🥉 Emily Walker
4th Keith Gibson
5th Julian Clayton
FF Emily Walker
FT Nic Kerkham

We had another bumper turn out for yesterday’s race so thank you to everyone for participating and to Pat, Ricky and the race day team for putting on an exciting race.
🏆 Congratulations to podium finishers Leigh Pridmore🥇finishing just in front of Laurie McKown🥈on her first ride with the club and Paul McKenzie🥉who managed to make his way through the rest of the field over the course of 2 laps.
📋 We will work out the series leaderboard and get that up later today. For now, see below for yesterdays results in full👇🏼
🏆 RACE RESULTS – CARRICK RACE 2/3:
1. Leigh Pridmore
2. Laurie McKeon
3. Paul McKenzie
4. Nick Kerkham
5. Michael Truscott
6. Dylan Forbes
7. James McKee
8. Rod Johnson
9. Alberto Garcia
10. Scott Smith
11. Brenden Simpson-Kitt
12. Tony Savage
13. Matt Bonham
14. Kaine Arkley
15. Ricky Allen
16. Keith Gibson
17. Dave Bingley
18. Tim Burford
19. David Murray
20. Mark Digney
21. Matt Breakspear
22. Simon Donovan
23. Peter Dadson
24. Sheri Leslie
DNF James Nevin
DNF Pat Oldham
DNF Kalem Richardson
DNF Emily Walker
DNF Tim Watson
There were a few riders who did not finish the course this week for one reason or another – returning to racing, a tough handicap, mechanical/puncture. For anyone who found it hard going this week, please bear with us while we find out where everyone is able to ride. We will keep working on it to get each person’s handicap just right.

There was a good turnout of 29 riders for the second race at the NVCC Carrick 3 race series. Conditions were a bit tougher than last week with a strong SE breeze and the hillier course taking its toll.
Good to see a few new riders and a few faces who hadn’t raced for a year or two. The B grade bunch of Michael Trusscott, Alberto García Gómez and Kalem Richardson rode strongly on the first lap, Michael and Alberto catching the C1 group about 10km into the second lap. Only Dylan Forbes could hook onto these two. Meanwhile, the scratch bunch were making ground behind. Nick Kerkham and Paul McKenzie rode strongly to catch B grade just a few hundred meters from the finish.
However, the F grade group of Leigh Pridmore, Laurie Mckeon and Sheri Leslie had been riding valiantly at the front. Leigh and Laurie manage to stay just ahead of scratch, finishing in that order, with Paul McKenzie third. Series standings will be calculated in the week and listed and posted before next weeks race.
Thanks to duty riders Julian Clayton Alex Robinson. Also Pat Coe for doing race director and Kaine Arkley trailer.

The opening race of the season saw one of the largest fields we’ve had in a while.
We have made a few changes to the structure of the roster this year including a 3 race series at Carrick to start the season followed immediately by Bishopsbourne and the AGM and culminating in the Fingal 50 before we take our first weekend off. The season will finish with a 3 race series at Hagley and the presentation of awards for the 2025 season after the 3rd race.
We have also opted to start at the earlier time of 9am which has been well received based on the entries for this weeks race and for Race 2 next weekend.
While we are on the subject of entries, don’t forget to sign up for Race 2 and 3. If you can sign up early it encourages others to sign up and it helps us to get the preliminary handicaps together ahead of any last minute entries and entries on the day.
This weekend we had a bumper field of 28 riders including Rodney Johnson and Mark Digney, who are both making a return to racing with the club after 12 and 10 years away respectively, Kalem Richardson who was racing for the first time in 3 years and for the first time with NVCC, and Sheri Leslie who was racing for the first time(!).
Sheri set us off at 10 mins to 9, followed by 6 in E grade, 6 in D grade, 6 in C grade, 4 in B grade and 5 in A grade. The bunches were generally well matched and worked together to close down the front markers in near perfect warm and calm racing conditions.
At the end of the first lap, the gaps were coming down across the field. The E grade bunch was reduced to 3 riders as they turned into Oaks road to start the 2nd lap. Tony found himself in difficulty, and was distance by David and Pat before Pat ended up off the side of the road and the 3 were reunited. As the group turned into Pitts Lane spurred on by Pat’s near miss, all of the pursers were now on Oaks Road.
Before Pitt’s Lane, the D grade bunch of Tim, Mark, Melissa, Pete, Julian and Brenden, was caught by the C grade bunch of Simon, Kaine, Dylan, Ricky and Rod. After a fight to get in the wheel, Brenden and Melissa were able to get on and put some distance between them and their bunch mates.
The group turned onto Liffey Road with Tony and Pat in their sights and caught and passed them as they exited Bishopsbourne. A touch of wheels at the back of bunch on led to Brendon and Melissa being dropped and passed by the B grade bunch of Walshy, Gene, Michael, and Phil.
Meanwhile, the A grade bunch of Jimmy, Brinkman, Macca, Nick and Kalem was entering Bishopsbourne Road and overtaking Sheri, who rode exceptionally well in her first race. B grade was quickly closed down and A and B were together before the elastic really started to stretch on the approach to the rise before the descent to the highway overpass.
45 seconds up the road, the C grade bunch had the finish line in their sights and it was clear they weren’t going to be caught today. Kicking clear out of a 3 man sprint for the line, it was Simon Donovan who took the victory and looks to be in fine form early in the season.
Congratulations Simon on a great ride. Right behind him it was Kaine Arkley who has continued to improve from last season and was very close to taking the win today. Dylan taking 3rd place today was Dylan Forbes who also looks to be in a good place after his recent strong performance in the Gilmore Cycling Classic. Next to cross the line was Ricky followed by Rod.
Making it into the split fighting for a place in the top ten, Michael Trusscot managed to get away with the A grade riders and racing for the line it was Nick Kerkham who took 6th place just in front of Paul McKenzie. The top ten was rounded out by Michael, Chris Brinkman and Kalem, each crossing the line a few seconds apart.
Great riding everyone. It was hard just watching it from the car!
Next week we are at Carrick for Race 2 which is 2 laps of the Westwood loop. Head over to EntryBoss now and register 👉🏼 https://entryboss.cc/calendar/nvcc
Please check the roster at https://www.northernvetscc.com.au/roster/ to see when your volunteer duty is coming around. If you can’t make it, please arrange for someone to cover you and let us know in the comments below.
TOP TEN AFTER CARRICK RACE 1/3:
1. Simon Donovan (30)
2. Kaine Arkley (29)
3. Dylan Forbes (28)
4. Ricky Allen (27)
5. Rod Johnson (26)
6. Nick Kerkham (25)
7. Paul McKenzie (24)
8. Michael Truscott (23)
9. Chris Brinkman (22)
10. Kalem Richardson (21)