Newspaper 2004

22 Dec 2004

The $10,000, 2004 Golden Wheelrace Carnival has yet again been a highly successful event with praise heaped upon the members of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club. Last Wednesday also saw the resumption of racing following the locust plague.

The Kidsons Cycles Golden Wheel Wheelrace saw 145 riders register for a fantastic weekend of racing. With racing for the pocket rockets all the way to the seniors, more than 100 races were run over a very successful weekend. The winner of the Golden Wheel was Shepparton’s Bradley Norton who rode in one of the very best handicap races I have seen in my short involvement with cycling. On the Sunday, Wagga’s Bill Robertson made it a highly successful weekend for the Black and Yellow colours with a fantastic win in the Rules Cub Wheelrace. The Marketplace Wheelrace was won by Parramatta’s Skye-Lee Armstrong. In the return of the locusts, ‘Grasshopper’ Jess Hume was a close 2nd and ‘Ironman’ Rob Housden 3rd in his maiden carnival. Rob was nearly bowled over by some not so gentle maidens in his introduction to open cycle racing. Nigel Irvine also won his fair share of the cash but I am still wondering why he was looking over his shoulder 10 m from the finish in the Rules Club Wheelrace where he ran 5th – was there some collusion!!

In the Pocket Rockets events, Angus South, Charlie Hamilton, William Bassett, Virginia Carroll and Jessica Marshall showed the cycling world why the Wagga Wagga club is so well represented nationally and internationally. The U11’s saw Maxy Pearse, Max Housden, Jimbo English and William Carroll all get into the money in a very strong field. In the U13s, Tommy Regan, Matty Garlan, Joe van Wel, Baden Housden and Isaac’Happy’ Gilmore did the club proud as did the girls Sarah English, Erin Doyle, Lucy Regan, Isabelle Mastroianni, Erin Doyle and Kate Bassett. Tommy Regan’s win in the U13 Wheelrace certainly had his mother doing cartwheels while trying to record the result. Liz, we are still wondering if, with those shorts, you are trying to take over Muz’s title!! Bryce Leske had a ‘cracker’ of a weekend as did Johno Ham in the U15 Mens category. Tommy Bassett, Jamie Green and Blocker Pearse also won their share of the cash. The U15 Girls were dominated by Megan Dunn with Tara Bryan doing well all weekend. Nomie Pinto finally woke up to win some money on Sunday.

The U17 category was star-studded in the Mens and Womens categories. The women’s division was dominated by Ellen Marks and Netasha Pearse with Netasha winning the Women’s Wheelrace and Ellen Marks running 3rd. Amelia Kerr and Elyce Payne also rode well over the whole weekend. The U17 Men were challenged by Wagga’s Paul Fellows and Dirk Roshier. A very high standard of racing in this category saw Paul fellows win the final scratch race over his nemesis Paul Fellows.

Today is the last club night for the year. Racing commences on the 12th of Jan 2005. Bob’s training concluded yesterday and commences on Monday 10th of Jan 2005.

12 Dec 2004

With the Cricket ground being overrun by locusts, unfortunately, racing was called off last Wednesday night. Fleeing from the locusts, Wagga’s resident ‘Grasshopper’ Jess Hume, travelled to Sydney on the weekend and had success on the Dunc Gray Velodrome. With the rest of the Wagga Wagga Club cyclists in town, numbers were good for the Tolland race on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, cycling was one of the many casualties of the locust swarms during the week. Despite successful training sessions at the Cricket ground, the general consensus was that it was too risky to race with the grasshoppers around last Wednesday. Hopefully, they will have moved on by the time the Kidson’s Cycles Golden Wheel Carnival commences on Saturday the 18th.

Jess ‘Grasshopper’ Hume travelled to the Dunc Gray Velodrome for the NSW U19 track championships. In a huge performance, Jess won bronze medals in the 500m Time Trial, the Sprint Derby and the Pointscore races. In the time trial, Jess beat World Junior Pointscore Champion, Amanda Spratt. I wonder if the grasshoppers can take some credit for this – they’ve been blamed for everything else!!

The Tolland race on Sunday was well attended by the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club. Paul Fellows took out 2nd place with Nigel Irvine 3rd and Steve Marks 4th . It was great to see the Wagga Wagga Cycling club’s newest member John Treloar rode an excellent race but just dropped off in the final sprint. Richard Moffatt won the fastest time (but was it locust assisted?).

The Kidson Cycles Wagga Wagga Golden Wheel Carnival is to be held on the 18th and 19th of December. At this stage, numbers are excellent for the event with some excellent riders registered for the carnival. . With $10,000 on offer, the racing should be excellent. If you are not racing and would like to see some great bike riding, make your way to the Cricket ground on the 18th and 19th of December. There will be plenty of catering available at the ground so why not come and have a bite to eat, a cappuccino and watch the big hitters go around in the Golden Wheel Wheelrace.

8 Dec 2004

Despite earlier inclement weather and some threatening cloud in the west, the track was dry enough for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club to hold it’s Wednesday night track meeting. Understandably, numbers were down but the racing was up to its usual high standard. Over the weekend, club members also headed to the Central Coast track for the Country Track Cycling Championships and had success on the fixed wheels and the free wheelers.

The Auto Panel Repairs Pocket Rockets races were a cosy affair, with 3 riders registering. Greg Westerman scooped the pool from Angus South and Joe Wallace. The Fearnes Coaches U11B’s were a larger group with Sam South, Johnathon Carroll and Cariad Wallace having wins. Placings went to Dylan McGirr, Joe Hindmarsh and Liam Moston.

The Rules Club U11A’s saw James English walk away with 3 wins. Placing went to Maxy Pearse, William Caroll, Erin Doyle and Alex Ross. It was a night for clean sweeps with Jonathon Ham winning all three U13 races. Placings were shared between Joe van Wel, Harry Lollback, Ashleigh Riley, Isaac Gilmore and Matty Garlan. The U15’s saw Jamie Green, Blocker Pearse and Caitlin Brooks having wins, with placings going to Netasha Pearse, Tara Bryan, and Dean Moston.

In the senior races, the 2 lap handicap was won by Nigel Irvine with Chris Willcox and Dirk Roshier sharing the placings. The 5 lap handicap went to Nathan Kelly from Nigel Irvine and Richard Moffatt. The 15 lap scratch race was won by Nathan Kelly from Dirk Roshier and Dean Hart, with Richard Moffatt doing a power of work in the middle stages of the race.

The juniors travelled to the Central Coast for the NSW Country Track Championships over the weekend. The races under contention were the 1 lap time trial, the sprint derby and the scratch race. Paul Fellows won a full set of medals in the U17 Mens events. Netasha Pearse won 3 gold medals in the U17 womens events while Ellen Marks won 2 sliver and a bronze in the same age group. Tara Bryan won a gold and 2 silver medals in the U15 Girls events and Tommy Regan won a silver medal and 2 bronze medal in the U13 Boys. Matty Garlan won a bronze medal in the same division. Others to ride in the championships were Lucy Regan, Jamie Green, Max & Brodie Pearse, Sarah and James English. James won the wheelrace in the afternoon session and did Jamie Green got a placing in his wheelrace.

The duathlon was a close affair with a good mix of seniors and juniors. The race was won by Mark Wilson who again managed to hold off the backmarker Tim Doyle. The Handicapper is catching up with you Mark!!!

The Kidson Cycles Wagga Wagga Golden Wheel Carnival is to be held on the 18th and 19th of December. At this stage, numbers look reasonably good for the event. With $10,000 on offer, the racing should be excellent. If you are not racing and would like to see some great bike riding, make your way to the Cricket ground on the 18th and 19th of December.

03 Nov 2004

Unfortunately high winds caused track racing to be cancelled last Wednesday. Despite this cancellation, there has been a flurry of activity away from the track with the club holding the AGM last Tuesday and the road season presentation night last Saturday.

The AGM was attended by the diehards with a number of positions up for re-election. Pat Robertson was re-elected as President with Bob Robertson the Vice President. The Treasurer is Dean Hart and Neil Pinto the Secretary. Quite a number of club members have volunteered for various positions as club officials.

The club held the road season presentation night with a function at Springvale. An excellent turnout of riders and families helped make the night a very successful one. Congratulations to the chef and his assistant for a delicious spit roast.

The results of the major trophies are:

Wagga Cycle Centre Sub Junior Pointscore James English

Bowditch Junior Pointscore Dirk Roshier

Bowditch Senior Pointscore Rob Housden

Best First Year Rider James English

Encouragement Award Isabelle Mastroianni

Pat & Betty Robertson Most Improved Rider Brodie Pearse

Coaches award Isaac Gilmore

Ben Henderson Memorial Club Rider Ellen Marks & Paul Fellows

Ben Henderson U17 Rider of The Year Jessica Hume

Junior Cyclist Of The Year Netasha Pearse

Senior Cyclist of The Year Bill Robertson

Track racing will be on as normal tonight, weather permitting. The duathlon is planned for approximately 8.00 pm. We would like to see as many tri club members as possible to attend the evening.

The next major event is the Country Track Championship Carnival to be held at Gosford on the weekend of 4 & 5 December. The Wagga Cycling Club’s Wheelrace Carnival is to be held on the weekend of 18 & 19 December. The Goulburn Track Carnival on the 8 & 9 Jan 05 will incorporate the Southern Division Track Championships. Registration for the Southern Division Championships is through Neil Pinto while the other events require an entry through the Cycling Federation. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

24 Nov 2004

A glorious night for last Wednesday brought out the spectators for another Wagga Wagga Cycling Club track meeting as 58 riders from around the district donned the lycra and headed for the Cricket ground. The duathlon movement seems to be building momentum with more newcomers and great interest o the part of the spectators.

The Auto Panel repairs Pocket rockets were fired up for their 3 handicap events. Newcomer Greg Westerman had 2 wins while Joe ‘Cool as a cucumber’ Wallace won the third race. Mr consistency Angus South placed in all 3 events with the other placegetters being Jessica Marshall and William Bassett. The Fearnes Coaches U11 B resulted in wins to Liam Moston, Joe Hindmarsh, Sam South and Isabelle Mastroianni. Placings were shared between Tommy Hindmarsh, Tristan Carruthers, Coota’s Liam Moston, Katie Bassett and Keiran Ricardo.

The Rules Club U11 A saw Maxy Pearse and Lucy Regan, again setting the fashion stake high with a matching blue outfit, having wins. Placings went to Alex Ross, Brooke Michalowski, Erin Doyle, the Collamon duo James and Sarah English and Alex Ross. The U13’s had some good racing with Matty Garlan, Baden Housden and Tommy Regan having wins while placegetters were Joe van Wel and Johnathon Ham putting in a big effort for his father and debutant racer, David.

Some brilliant racing in the large U15/17 group saw 4 different winners in the 4 races. The winners were Jamie Green, Dean Moston, Tom Bassett and Bryce Leske who, in Paul Fellows words, “Never gives up”. The placegetters were Mitch Harvey, Blocker Pearse, Tara Bryan and the ‘Patchwork Doll’ Ellen Marks back in good form after her tumble last week. .

The Open 2 lap event was taken out by Paul Fellows just pipping out Dean Hart and Nigel Irvine. The 5 lap handicap saw the backmarkers get up with Nathan Kelly, working back to his junior form, holding off a fast finishing Billy Robertson and the man with the heart as big as Phar Lap, Brendan Washington. The 12 Lap B grade scratch race was won by Bryce Leske riding up a grade, while Jess Hume and Luke Harvey took out the placings. The 20 lap A grade race was a tight tussle with plenty of attacks from Brendan Washington. The pack worked hard to prevent him gaining a break and in the sprint home, Nathan Kelly set sail 200m from home to take the sprint from Paul Fellows and Billy Robertson.

The duathlon was a fantastic affair with a number of new faces. It was great to see the juniors Gillian Measday, Joe and Tom Doyle as well as Billy Hindmarsh taking on the old boys and girls. The man of steel, Hilton Williams tested his fitness by racing raced fixed wheels and the duathlon. Winnings were shared between the junior triathletes. Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members rode in the Sunday morning Tolland race with Paul Fellows winning the race from Jess Hume, Dirk Roshier and Ellen Marks.

Don’t forget to register for the Country track championships to be held on the 4th of December. The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website is www.waggacyclingclub.com . All the club information can be seen on it.

10 Nov 2004

Following the cancellation of track racing 2 weeks ago, the fixed wheelers were jumping out of their skinsuits to spin the pedals around the Cricket Ground. 58 riders, from 5 different clubs around the district, kept ‘Dizzy Lizzy’ Regan busy, registering for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s weekly track racing night. A good turnout of triathletes also made for a good race in the duathlon event.

The Auto Panel Repairs Pocket Rockets had a good tussle over the 3 races. The handicapper made sure winnings were shared between the riders with Joseph Wallace and William Basset having wins. Placings wee shared between Angus South and Charlie Hamilton. The Fearnes Coaches U11B saw the Bassett’s on a winning streak with smiley Kate Bassett shutting her mouth long enough to win 2 races. Also on the winners list was Tommy Hindmarsh. Placings were shared between Iasabelle Mastroianni, Tristan Carruthers, Dyaln McGirr, Natasha McGirr, Sam South and Joe Hindmarsh.

The Rules Club U11A’s were also well handicapped with Lucy Regan, Erin Doyle and James English winning a race each. Also in the placings were Brooke Michalowski and Maxy Pearse. Following the break, the U13’s stepped up tp the mark with Matty Garlan having 2 wins and Harry Lollback winning the 3rd race. Riding well to be in the placings were Ashleigh Riley and Joe van Wel.

The U15/17 group was large enough to have an A and B grade. The 2 lap handicap was won by Rachel Gilmore with Bryce Leske and Lucas Rudd from Coota in her wake. The 4 lap handicap was won by Ellen Marks from Rachel Gilmore and Lucas Rudd. The B grade scratch race saw Jamie Green power away from the field with Blocker Pearse and Rachel Gilmore behind him. The A grade handicap was won by Bryce Leske with Netasha Pearse a close 2nd and Lucas Rudd 3rd.

With 20 seniors, we could gain have an A and B grade. Following elimination races, the 5 lap handicap was won by Nathan Keane in his first night of track racing. 2nd was Brendan Washington and Jessie Hume 3rd. The B grade scratch race was won by lanky Luke Harvey with Darren Toms 2nd and newcomer Mitchell Harrison from Griffith running 3rd. The A grade scratch race was a close one with the riders not allowing Brendan Washington to get out on his own. The race was won by Nathan Kelly from Bill Robertson and Nathan Keane.

The duathlon was raced by 10 triathletes with a close finish in the handicap event. The winner in the last lap was Geoff Hanckel from Paula Coller and junior triathlete Tom Doyle.

Lots more information can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

20 Oct 2004

What a start to track season! With the weather on our side, the first night of track racing for the 2004/05 season certainly set a high standard with 52 riders registering for racing. It was great to see 3 triathletes run and pedal their way around the track to the cheers of the spectators.

The Auto Panel Repairs Pocket Rockets events saw 4 riders tough it out over 3 races. William Bassett showed good early form, as did newcomer Charlie Hamilton. Also sharing placings were Angus South and Jessica Simpson. The four Microtech Super Rockets also had a good battle over 3 races. Tommy Hindmarsh and Tristan Carruthers had a good evening of racing with Joe Hindmarsh and Sam South also sharing placings.

The Fearnes Coaches U11B races saw the boys William and John Carroll as well as Keiran Ricardo up against the three girls Isabelle Mastroianni, Brooke Michaelowski and Kate Bassett, whose mouth was still in motion from the end of the last track season. The honours were shared evenly with William Carroll and Brooke Michaelowski having wins. The Rules Club U11A brought into action Wagga’s own Paris Hilton of the cycling world, Lucy Regan along with Sarah and James English, Maxy Pearse and Max Housden. The standout riders were Sarah English and Max Housden.

Joe van Wel took out the trifecta and Tommy Regan was just behind him in all three U13 races. Also in the placings were Matty Garlan, Kaitlin Brookes and Baden Housden. The U15 group was quite large with Bryce Leske, Netasha Pearse and Jamie Green all having good wins. Also in the placings were Tara Bryan, Caitlin Brookes and Coota’s Dean Moston.

13 Senoir riders battled out the A & B grade races. The outstanding ride was that of Brendan Washington in the opening scratch race. Luke Harvey signalled his comeback with 2 wins while Billy Robertson continued on from last year with a win in the closing scratch race. Other notable rides were put in by Paul Fellows, Missy Moffatt, Rob Housden and Jess Hume.

The three triathletes Reg Bollard, Mark Wilson and Peter Thaus put on a good duathlon race with the cycling fraternity looking on and enjoying the spectacle as well as the break. The race ran very smoothly and judging from the huffing and puffing at the conclusion, it presented a reasonable challenge.

The Road season presentation night will be held at 4 Mallee Road and will be followed by a spit roast dinner and bonfire (weather permitting). The event is to be held on Saturday 30 October at approximately 4.30 pm. Participating families will be asked to bring a salad or dessert. All cycling families are invited to attend and numbers will be taken at the track on Wednesday night. Alternatively, and E-mail message can be sent to me at ortho@wagga.net.au

Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

06 Oct 2004

With the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s road racing commitments concluded for 2004, one took advantage of the long weekend and the spring sunshine to pay some attention to the garden. Lurking in the back of one’s mind is the upcoming track cycling season and some very important club events.

Tonight, the club holds it’s registration evening at the cycle track at the corner of Kincaid and Beckwith Streets. Riders purchasing a licence now, will be able to use it for all of 2005. New riders are welcome and may even have access to a club bike. Club coach Bob Robertson will be running a training session from 4.30 pm. The registration session will be from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

The club’s AGM will be held on Tuesday 26 of October commencing at 7.30 pm at the Rules Club. All members are encouraged to attend and nominate for positions on the committee. This is the best way to have a say in the running of your club.

The 2004/2005 Track Cycling season commences on Wednesday 13th of October. Racing commences at 6.30 pm for the sub-juniors. Please try and register with the handicapper at 6.00 pm so that all the early season instruction can be attended to and racing can commence on time.

This season, the Wagga Wagga Cycling club is trialling a new concept in an effort to have some interaction with the Wagga Triants. The club is trialling a duathlon (run-ride-run) during the senior program. The event will officially be a timed training event with all participants to either be members of the Triants club or have a NSW Tri licence. It is possible that after the ‘teething’ races, handicaps could be organised. The event is planned to commence at approximately 8.00 pm and will involve a 1600m run, a 6km ride and conclude with a 1600m run. The entry fee is 50 cents and the event will be run within the confines of the cycle track.

Senior racing is to commence at approximately 7.30 pm and riders are reminded to bring along rollers, wind trainers etc to help them keep the muscles loose during the duathlon. Club members with the appropriate licence are welcome to enter the duathlon.

Club members wishing to receive early notice of happenings can send me an E-mail message at ortho@wagga.net.au . I will try and keep you updated during the very busy track season. Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a date for the club presentations, which will be held in late October. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

29 Sep 2004

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club was finally able to run the concluding leg of the Gold Cup series as well as the senior club championship races. Time constraints meant that the two events had to be run concurrently.

The 30km junior girls race was fought out by Tara Bryan, Ellen Marks and Netasha Pearse. The sprint finish was won by Netasha Pearse from Tara Bryan with Ellen Marks 3rd. The senior women’s 3okm race was won by Jess Hume fresh from her training camp in New Zealand. 2nd was Kate Hanckel and 3rd was Melissa Moffatt.

The B Grade men’s race was well won by Paul Fellows. 2nd was Steve Marks and 3rd was Rob Housden. The senior men’s race, also over 40 km, was won by Bill Robertson with Dean Hart 2nd and Geoff Hanckel 3rd. The results of all the time trials will be kept close to Bob’s heart until presentation night.

The final leg of the Gold Cup Series races was held concurrently with the Club Championship races. The series was won by Dean Hart. Just reward for all the hard work put in by Deano in running the club treasury. Billy Robertson was a close 2nd followed by Aaron Mathes and Rob Housden.

This concludes the road season for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club. Sunday morning road racing, run by the Tolland Cycling club, should commence in the near future. Commencing on Wednesday evening 13 Oct is track season 2004/2005. The evenings racing commences at 6.30 pm with the sub-juniors. The club is trialling a duathlon (run-ride-run) later in the evening to break up the senior racing. The event will officially be a timed training event with all participants to either be members of the Triants club or have a tri licence. It is possible that after the ‘teething’ races, handicaps could be organised.

Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a date for the club presentations, which will be held in late October. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

22 Sep 2004

In perfect spring conditions, the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club held the club championship races for the 6km and 17km riders racing for the senior riders. The club’s meeting was held and dates set for upcoming events.

In the 6km boys championship, James English won from Max Housden and newcomer William Carroll. The girls had a good championship race with Sarah English making it a quinella for the Coolamon clan from the ‘Fashion Queen’ Lucy Regan and Isabelle Mastroianni.

The 17km B race was hard fought with Matty Garlan having win from Happy (Isaac) Gilmore and Baden Housden. In the 17km a race, Blocker Pearse won from Jamie Green and Thomas Regan. The 17km Girls race was won well by Elyce Payne with Amelia Kerr 2nd and Nomie Pinto 3rd.

The senior race was well patronised with limit marker Hilton Williams having a good win in his first race for the winter. I guess he better get to know some of the scratch markers for next Saturday. Rob Housden was 2nd – his walking stick came in handy for warding off the marauding magpies. 3rd was the ‘young buck’ Paul Fellows. The ‘mothers club meeting’ prize was shared by Ellen Marks and Tara Bryan who were still chattering to each other as they came over the finish line. The fastest time was won by Billy Robertson.

This concludes junior racing for the winter. The 25th will see the final race of the Gold Cup series and the conclusion of the Club Championships for the senior (40km) riders. Senior racing will start at 12 noon. Juniors are welcome to come and have a ride.

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club will have track training and it’s sign on day on Wednesday 6th of October at the Cricket Ground from 4.30 pm onwards. 2005 licences will be available from the 1st of October. Track racing will commence on Wednesday 13 October at 6.00 pm. The club will be trying to run a sprint duathlon for those with triathlon licences. The AGM will be held on Tuesday 26 October at 7.30 pm at the Rules Club. Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a date for the club presentations, which will be held in October. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

15 Sep 2004

The wet and windy conditions once again caused the cancellation of Saturday afternoon club racing last weekend. Whilst our cyclists took it easy locally, Richard Moffatt has had the pedal to the metal in the mountains of the Northern Hemisphere.

Richard is still at a training camp in the Swiss Alps riding up to 200km a day in training. Some rides can involve four 30km climbs. I guess the Elizabeth Avenue ‘Wall’ and Gregadoo Hill will not quite be the same for him. He tells me that the tempo has been picking up in the 2nd half of the camp in preparation for racing in Europe and Australia.

At this stage Richard has 7 more races and then plans to return home in late September and race in the Sun Tour in late October. His mentors have had him concentrating on development this year with a step up planned for the next season in Europe.

In some late news, Richard informs me that he missed out on the sprint category by 1 point in the Tour of Switzerland. Richard, does this mean that we may see you doing some sprinting on those funny bikes with no brakes this summer?

The Australian team managed to get former Wagga Wagga Cycling Club member, Ashley Humbert up for a stage win the Swiss Tour. Ash has recovered well from his illness suffered last year and I believe that he may be on the verge of a professional contract with a European Team. Good luck Ash!

Those riders dusting their bikes for the upcoming summer, don’t forget to ensure your licences are current. Licences for 2005 should be available from the 1st of October .

After having been called off last week, Club Championships for the 6km and 17km riders will be held this Saturday – weather permitting. Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Senior racing will also be held on that day. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a date for the club presentations, which will be held in late September or early October. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

09 Sep 2004

Hello Wagga Wagga from Mooloolaba where the sun has been shining and the body surfing has been fantastic. In between the extra-curricular activities, I have been checking out the feats of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members representing the City at the Australian Road Cycling Championships.

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club was represented by Jess Hume, Netasha Pearse, Ellen Marks, Tara Bryan, Nomie Pinto, Dirk Roshier and Paul Fellows. They competed in the Time Trial, Road Race, Criterium and Club Teams Time Trial and did the City proud. In the Time Trial Championship held on the Saturday, the kids rode their hearts out, but in windy conditions, were unable to snare any medals.

The drought was broken on Sunday with Ellen Marks riding a fantastic road race in the U15 Womens category to take out the bronze medal. Despite dropping off the pack twice, she and Tara Bryan showed great character to fight their way back towards the front of the pack. Paul Fellows (4th) was very unlucky to miss out on a placing in his road race.

In the criteriums held on the Sunday, the Wagga Club members really stepped up to the mark. Netasha Pearse (U15W) rode a clever race to take out the silver medal in the bunch sprint home. This was followed by a bronze medal to Paul Fellows (U15M) in his race.

The final day of junior racing, was Monday, with the Club Teams Time Trials. Netasha Pearse and Ellen Marks (U15W) withstood a protest from the Queenslanders – still smarting from losing the State of Origin series – to win a silver medal. This was followed up by Paul Fellows and Dirk Roshier (U15M) taking out the bronze medal in their event.

The fantastic efforts of the riders are testament to the efforts put in by riders, parents and coaches Tommy Dawson and Bob Robertson. These efforts helped the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club gain 3rd place in the National Club standings after the completion of the junior events.

Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds riders to submit their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The Year awards. Club Championships for the junior riders will be held on Saturday September 11. Senior racing will alos be held on that day. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a date for the club presentations, which will be held in late September or early October. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

01 Sep 2004

In glorious sunshine, a good turnout of 20 riders made for interesting racing on the Forest Hill course. Handicapper, Bob Robertson set up a 6km, 17km and 40km race with riders keen to get in some racing before the club championships. The senior riders headed to Coootamundra for the Coota Open on Saturday and the Recovery Race on Sunday.

In the 6km race, the Carroll boys took out the quinella. William Carroll just beat his brother John with Max Housden 3rd and Lucy Regan, resplendent in her splash of spring colour, 4th.

The 17km race was a tough one as a wind change saw riders pedalling into a headwind on the outward and homebound leg. Baden Housden was a clear winner from Isaac Gilmore with Joe van Wel 3rd. Joe also took out the fastest time. Behind them were the girls Amelia Kerr and Nomie Pinto.

The 40km race was quite depleted as most of the usual competitors had headed north to Mooloolaba for the National Road Championships. The winner was Mick Marshall with Rob Housden 2nd and Steve Marks 3rd. Billy Robertson took out the fastest time. I am still trying to figure out whether it was a 40km or 40 year olds race.

The Coota Open on Saturday attracted a big field of 160 riders. The winner of the event was the scratchmarker and Olympian, Rob McLachlan from the Caravello Club in a time of 2:42:30. The recovery race on Sunday was held over 69km with 100 riders in the final sprint for the line. The winner was another Olympian and gold medallist Kevin Nicholls riding off 11 minutes. The fastest time again went to Rob McLachlan.

Unfortunately, the Wagga Wagga Cycle Club has to farewell a fantastic member in Thomas Atkinson who is heading to Queensland to live. We wish him all the best for the future and hope that he continues cycling up there.

Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds all that Saturday 11 September is the day for the Club Championships. He also reminds riders to forward their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The year awards.

Next Saturday, racing at the Forest Hill course is as normal with the 6km race starting at 1.00 pm and the Seniors starting at 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

25 Aug 2004

With the weather improving and the Olympic Games providing inspiration, cyclists were out in force at the Forest Hill course last Saturday. While the usual 6km, 17km and 40km races were run, the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club also hosted the final leg of the Riverina Pointscore Series race over 70km. Once again, Wagga Wagga riders ventured south to Victoria for their State Championships

The 6km race km race was won by James English who also took out the fastest time. 2nd was his sister Sarah with Isabelle Mastroianni, 3rd and Max Housden, 4th.

The 17km race belonged to Jamie Green who rode the fastest time just ahead of Baden Housden with Isaac Gilmore 3rd. Just out of the placings were Matty Garlan and Joe van Wel. Unfortunately, Elyce Payne took on a Bumble Bee and the bee won so she withdrew mid-race.

In the 40km race, the scratchmarker Paul Fellows was 1st home with the fastest time in his keeping. Behind him was Jess Hume with Dirk Roshier 3rd. Despite an early puncture, Rob Housden was 4th and Ellen Marks 5th.

The Pearse family migrated south to Wangaratta for the Victorian Road Cycling Championships over the weekend. Netasha came 2nd in the Time Trail and the Road Race while little brother Brodie, recovering from a bout of the flu, came 3rd in the U13 Boy’s Road Race.

The final leg of the Riverina Pointscore Series was run last Saturday with a good turnout of 35 riders from around the district. The limit markers worked hard however, they were caught just before the half way mark by 2nd limit. The bunch then drove hard to stay away from the others. As the pace quickened, riders fell off the pack until a group of five was left to sprint home. The winner was Brodie Whitticker from Albury.

The series winner was Allan Dudderidge from the Albury Wodonga Club with his team mates filling the next four places. The winning Club was also the Albury Wodonga Club. The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club would like to thank Barry O’Hagan for handicapping the series and our treasurer Dean Hart for tallying results. Complete results can be seen on the club website.

Club Coach Bob Robertson has decided on Saturday 11 September as the day for the Club Championships. He also reminds riders to forward their achievements for the junior and senior Cyclist of The year awards.

Next Saturday, racing at the Forest Hill course is back to normal with the 6km race starting at 1.00 pm and the Seniors starting at 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

18 Aug 2004

The weather again turned quite nasty last Saturday, resulting in the cancellation of Wagga Wagga Cycling Club races at Forest Hill. There is however lots more racing to come with the conclusion of the Pointscore series, the Gold Cup series and then the Club Championships.

Despite the cancellation of racing, Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members have still been in the news with the announcement of the State Road Cycling team to compete in the National Road Cycling Championships at Mooloolaba. Wagga riders filled 5 of the 16 places on the U15 and U17 State teams.

In the U17Womens, Jess Hume was selected after her 2 gold medals in the recent State Championships. Paul Fellows was selected on the U15 Mens team. In the U15 Womens team Tara Bryan, Netasha Pearse and Ellen Marks were all selected on the State team. A fantastic effort by the juniors and a testament to the work put in by their coach Tom Dawson.

The National championships are to be held on the Sunshine Coast in the 1st week of September and I hope to be bringing back news of more medals. Perhaps, in between working on my tan at the beach, I may venture inland to view some cycle racing.

Once again Club Coach Bob Robertson reminds all club riders to forward their achievements over the last year for the senior and junior Cyclist Of The Year awards. Next week, I hope to confirm a date for the club championships, the final race of the Gold Cup series and Club Presentation night.

Next Saturday, racing continues at the Forest Hill course with the 6km race starting at 12.30 pm and the final race in the Riverina Pointscore series starting at 1.00 pm. There will be a presentation and free barbeque at the Bridge Tavern after the race. The 17km and 40km races will start at 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

11 Aug 2004

There’s gold in them thar hills of Bargo! Not quite the gold rush of days gone by, but Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members certainly pedalled for treasure on the weekend with a successful assault on the NSW Road Race and Time Trial Championships at Bargo.

With only a 17 km club race held, Matty Garlan was 1st home with the fastest time. He was followed by Isaac Gilmore, Amelia Kerr and Joe van Wel. The seniors settled on a bunch ride.

The U13 Boys were represented by track specialist Jamie Green and rising roadster Brodie (Blocker) Pearse. In a very big bunch of riders, Blocker pulled off a bronze medal performance in the Road Race. He positioned himself well for a big bunch sprint finish and was 3rd over the line.

The U15 Women were represented by Netasha Pearse, Ellen Marks, Tara Bryan and Nomie Pinto. In the Time Trial, Netasha won silver, with Tara taking the bronze. The Road Race was an exciting affair and turned out to be a race in 5 with the sprint from 1km out. Netasha Pearse again took the silver with Ellen Marks pipping Tara Bryan on the line for the bronze.

The U15 men was a big group with Wagga Wagga represented by Dirk Roshier and Paul Fellows. Paul got up for bronze in the Time Trial and followed it up with gold in the Road Race. Dirk Roshier was unlucky not to add to his criterium medal just being pipped into 4th place.

Jessie Hume made a clean sweep of the U17 Women’s road championships with gold in the Time tiral and the Road Race. Following a rest, Jess and her club mates mentioned earlier will be heading to Maloolaba for the National Road Cycling Championships. She has been selected to join the Oceania training camp in New Zealand where she will ride the NZ Junior Tour.

Congratulations must also go to the coaches Tommy Dawson and Bobby Robertson for their untiring efforts with the kids. Once again Bob reminds all club riders to forward their achievements over the last year for the senior and junior Cyclist Of The Year awards.

Next Saturday, racing continues at the Forest Hill course with the sub-juniors departing at 1.00 pm and the seniors racing at 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

11 Aug 2004

There’s gold in them thar hills of Bargo! Not quite the gold rush of days gone by, but Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members certainly pedalled for treasure on the weekend with a successful assault on the NSW Road Race and Time Trial Championships at Bargo.

With only a 17 km club race held, Matty Garlan was 1st home with the fastest time. He was followed by Isaac Gilmore, Amelia Kerr and Joe van Wel. The seniors settled on a bunch ride.

The U13 Boys were represented by track specialist Jamie Green and rising roadster Brodie (Blocker) Pearse. In a very big bunch of riders, Blocker pulled off a bronze medal performance in the Road Race. He positioned himself well for a big bunch sprint finish and was 3rd over the line.

The U15 Women were represented by Netasha Pearse, Ellen Marks, Tara Bryan and Nomie Pinto. In the Time Trial, Netasha won silver, with Tara taking the bronze. The Road Race was an exciting affair and turned out to be a race in 5 with the sprint from 1km out. Netasha Pearse again took the silver with Ellen Marks pipping Tara Bryan on the line for the bronze.

The U15 men was a big group with Wagga Wagga represented by Dirk Roshier and Paul Fellows. Paul got up for bronze in the Time Trial and followed it up with gold in the Road Race. Dirk Roshier was unlucky not to add to his criterium medal just being pipped into 4th place.

Jessie Hume made a clean sweep of the U17 Women’s road championships with gold in the Time tiral and the Road Race. Following a rest, Jess and her club mates mentioned earlier will be heading to Maloolaba for the National Road Cycling Championships. She has been selected to join the Oceania training camp in New Zealand where she will ride the NZ Junior Tour.

Congratulations must also go to the coaches Tommy Dawson and Bobby Robertson for their untiring efforts with the kids. Once again Bob reminds all club riders to forward their achievements over the last year for the senior and junior Cyclist Of The Year awards.

Next Saturday, racing continues at the Forest Hill course with the sub-juniors departing at 1.00 pm and the seniors racing at 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

04 Aug 2004

The brilliant Saturday afternoon weather brought Wagga Wagga’s bike riders out in force. Following the cancellation of racing over the previous two Saturdays, riders took the opportunity to rub the suntan lotion on the legs and take in some sunshine on the Forest hill course. 37 riders registered for racing over 3 separate distances, with the handicapping maestro Bob Robertson tested to the max.

The midgets took off with their chaperones, only too happy to loosen their legs over the 5km course. The Carroll boys took out the quinella with Johnathon 1st and William 2nd. Third was Isabel Mastroianni, followed by Sarah and Max Housden. The fastest time was ridden by James English. As usual, Lucy Regan won the fashion stakes in a brilliant pink outfit.

The 17km course was a ridden by a combination of U13 and U15 riders. The winner was the scratchmarker Blocker Pearse who rode the fastest time of 32.48mins. In the sprint for the minor placings, Elyce Payne was too strong for Rachel Gilmore with Nomie Pinto 4th.

18 riders registered for the 4th leg of the 5 race Gold Cup series. The 40 km race was led out by Tara Bryan who was eventually caught by Rob Housden and Tash Pearse. Jim Hogan rode strongly on block to give Dean Hart the slip and catch the next bunch who then put their heads down to make time on the rest of the field. Scratch and second block came together at the top of the hill on Big Springs Road and closed down the gap on the leading bunches. Jim, Tommy Atkinson and Bill Robertson launched a savage attack leaving race hopefuls Deano, Aaron Mathes, Mick Frogley and Geoff Hankel behind. At the top of ‘The Wall’ they had caught Paul Fellows and Dirk Roshier and took them with them over the hill.

With 2 km to go, the hopefuls rejoined the scratchies and all was set up for a bunch sprint. The only problem was Rob Housden, Tash Pearse and Steve Marks were already home fighting out the major places. Rob finished with the win followed by Tash and Steve. Bill Robertson won the sprint for fourth and fastest time (1:01:54) followed by Paul Fellows rounding out the top five. The time trial was won by Geoff Hanckel’s team of Dean Hart, Aaron Mathes, Steve Marks, Mick Marshall and Rob Housden

The Gold Cup Series is currently led by Dean Hart (71 pts) with Bill Robertson 2nd (63 pts). 3rd is Aaron Mathes (54 pts) and 4th is Tommy Atkinson (50 pts). The big mover after the weekend is the multi-talented Rob Housden (47 pts) a former paddler turning his legs to speed on the road rather than the water.

Club Coach Bob Robertson has asked that riders disregard last Saturday’s pre-race information regarding a date for the Club Championships and the final leg of the Gold Cup Series. The dates will be finalised following this week’s club meeting.

Next weekend, the U13, U15 and U17 riders head to Bargo for the NSW Road Race and Time Trial Championships. Club racing will continue as per normal at the Forest Hill course with the sub-juniors departing at 1.00 pm and the older riders departing after 1.30 pm. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

25 Jul 2004

Once again, the inclement weather caused the cancellation of cycling locally. Most of the juniors headed north to Sydney for the NSW Criterium Championships and the Lidcombe-Auburn Club’s Open.

The NSW Criterium Championships were well supported by the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s army of junior members. In the U9’s Wagga had James English, in his first race on the State criterium circuit, got in some good practice for future assaults. His sister Sarah also had a good ride in the U11 group along with Maxy Pearse. Unfortunately, Matty Garlan had a fall and had to pull out. In the U13 Boys, Blocker Pearse had an excellent ride to just miss out on a medal in the final sprint home.

The U15 Girls race was a great success for Wagga with three Wagga girls in the sprint home. Netasha Pearse was third with Ellen Marks 5th and Tara Bryan 6th. Nomie Pinto was Wagga’s other rider in the event. In the U15 Boys race, Dirk Roshier led the pack into the last corner and held off for a bronze medal.

The star of the afternoon was the quiet achiever Jess Hume. She was in the leading pack all through her race and did her fair share of the pace setting. Jess was third into the last corner and sprinted home strongly to take the gold medal in the U17 Women’s race. Jess has also been selected to join the U17 Oceania Development Training Camp and compete in 3 Day NZ Junior Tour to be held in September. A fantastic honour for a very unassuming young lady.

The Lidcombe-Auburn Open was held on Sunday and a number of Wagga riders stayed over to compete. James English got in some early practice the stood him in good stead for the U9 race in which he took out 1st place. Blocker Pearse took out 3rd place in the U13 Boys race. In the U15 Girls race, Netasha Pearse and Tara Bryan took out the quinella for Wagga with a 1st and 2nd place. Dirk Roshier followed up his good form with another 3rd place in the U15 Boys race.

Coach Bob Robertson reminds all riders to forward their achievements for the last track season and current road season for the Senior and Junior Cyclist of the Year award.

Regardless, the Gold Cup Series continues on the 31st of July with a road race and a team time trial. Don’t forget the $100 prizemoney on the event. The Gold Cup series is being led by Dean Hart (53 pts) followed by Bill Robertson (46), Aaron Mathes (40), Tom Atkinson (34), Jess Hume (30) with Iain Hume and Rob Housden tied (26). Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

21 Jul 2004

Well, even cyclists feel the cold sometimes. Racing was called off on Saturday afternoon due to the inclement weather yet a few diehards still turned up to test themselves.

The Riverina Academy of Sport Cycling Squad returned from their camp in Bargo and from all accounts, they had a great time and even behaved themselves. Coach Tommy Dawson and Manager Iain Hume did not seem to have any more grey hairs upon their return home. They had to cease riding on their last morning due to snow. For a much-earned break, they had a play in the white stuff in Goulburn.

Richard Moffatt informs me that he is still in camp in the Swiss Alps doing many 200km rides through the mountains with up to four 30km climbs in each session. His medium term plan is to race in Europe until late September and then return to Wagga Wagga for a rest before competing in the Sun Tour in late October. At this stage, being the youngest in the squad, he is the first reserve for the World Championships. If one of the older guys pulls out, Richard will get a berth on the team.

Congratulations to Tolland’s Josh Collingwood on his marriage to Fiona over the weekend. The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club would like to wish Josh and Fiona all the best with their plans for the future

With the Gold Cup series race cancelled over the weekend, the Club’s executive will decide whether to re-run the race or cancel it and reduce the number of races in the series. Regardless, the Gold Cup Series continues on the 31st of July with a road race and a team time trial. Don’t forget the $100 prizemoney on the event. The Gold Cup series is being led by Dean Hart (53 pts) followed by Bill Robertson (46), Aaron Mathes (40), Tom Atkinson (34), Jess Hume (30) with Iain Hume and Rob Housden tied (26).

Good luck to the juniors heading to Sydney for the NSW criterium championships. Hopefully there will be a few medals to mention in next week’s article. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

13 Jul 2004

The weather held out just long enough for the Wagga Wagga Cycling club to conclude a most successful Riverina Championship Road Race and Time Trial. With 75 riders from Southern NSW and Northern Victoria riding, four grades were able to race with the $800 in prizemoney shared by a large number of riders. Some how, Bob still found time to handicap 2 junior races.
In the 6km race. Maxy Pearse won the race and took out the fastest time. He was followed by Sarah English with Isabelle Mastroianni third. The 17km race was closely contested with Yarrawonga rider Matt Clarke taking out first place and the fastest time. Second was Rachel Gilmore followed in by a fast finishing Baden Housden.
In D grade, the U 15 and U17 riders contested a handicapped 30km Road Race followed by a 5km Time Trial. At the conclusion of racing, the leader on 15 points was Dirk Roshier. Tied for 2nd were Netasha Pearse and Paul Fellows. Having won the Time Trial, Paul won 2nd place.
C grade was a very competitive affair with 20 riders in this category. The overall winner was Allan Dudderidge (Albury) With Brad Clarke 2nd and Vaughan Mudge 3rd (Cobram). B grade saw a win to Jason Minato (Griffith) with Paul Clancy 2nd (Griffith) and Michael Coles 3rd. The 13 A Grade riders had a great battle all day coming home in a close bunch after the 54 km scratch race. The overall winner was Allan Seiper (ACT) with 2nd place to Trent Perry (Albury) and 3rd place to Nigel Dunstone (Leeton). The local riders had a tough time in the face of some stiff out of town competition.
The Riverina Point score Championship is in full swing with the Albury.Wodonga riders dominating the field. The top three positions are held by Trent Perry, Robert Wilson and Brodie Whittaker from the border town. This year’s Point score Administrator – The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club – has decided to present the winner of the series a sash at the conclusion of the series.
The Gold Cup series continues this weekend with a road race and a team time trial. Don’t forget the $100 prizemoney on the event. The Gold Cup series is being led by Dean Hart (53 pts) followed by Bill Robertson (46), Aaron Mathes (40), Tom Atkinson (34), Jess Hume (30) with Iain Hume and Rob Housden tied (26). Next week I shall have some information on Richard Moffatt. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

30 Jun 2004

Call it character building, call it dedication to duty, I call it just plain madness. Who else would venture out to Forest Hill for cycle racing last Saturday afternoon with the sleet and biting cold wind.. One would have to say that Wagga Wagga Cycle Club members and parents are certainly dedicated – if not a tad on the wrong side of ledger – when it comes to road racing. The only smart on was Trish Fellows who stayed in her car with the engine running and heater full bore. An excellent turnout of 30 riders made for some excellent racing over 3 distances as well as the 3 leg of the Gold cup series. After having lost weight recently, a fit looking Cl;ub President Paddy Robertson was even mistaken for one of the riders. Word is that he has been sneaking in a few k’s on the bike before work.

The U9’s had an excellent tussle over 6km. First home was James (Jimbo) English just ahead of Max Housden. 3rd was Lucy Regan once again making her fashion statement on the road with socks even brighter than her permanent smile. 4th home was another smiley face - Sarah English. Fastest time went to Jimbo in 14.11 minutes.

The 17 km race was a keenly contested affair with 10 riders putting themselves in handicapper Bob Robertson’s hands. First home was Jamie Green who also took out the fastest time with Matty Garlan 2nd. In 3rd place was Isaac Gilmore – a little less one eyed about life – having recovered rather well from his black eye acquired earlier in the week. The nasty weather took its toll on the riders with 3 riders opting for a ride home on 4 tyres rather than 2. All riders gained some valuable training and acclimatisation for the assault on the Kowalski Canberra Junior Tour next weekend.

With the preliminaries over, all was in readiness for the 3rd leg of the Gold Cup Series. 5 separate groups of riders departed on the 40 km race. The second limit group of Ellen Marks, Netasha Pearse and Rob Housden set a cracking pace to catch the limit marker Tara Bryan at the 3km mark. Despite some hard riding by this group, they were caught by the next group comprising Dirk Roshier, Steve Marks, Melissa Moffatt and Jessie Hume 2km before the turn. A light shower of rain made the going quite difficult and caused Tara to fall back. Rob found himself struggling and dropped off just before Gregadoo Road. Block – Aaron Mathes, Luke Harvey, Brenton Crawley and Dean Hart - caught the leading bunch just after ‘The Wall’ making for an exciting conclusion to the race.

In the sprint home, Dean Hart had a popular win with Aaron Mathes 2nd, Ellen Marks 3rd, Jessie Hume 4th and Dirk Roshier 5th. The scratch Bucnh of Jimmy Hogan, Thomas Atkinson Geoff Hanckel and Bill Roberston failed to catch the leading bunch by less than a minute.The fastest time went to Bill Robertson in a time 1:03:38. Dean Hart won $18 with the other placegetters winning $13, $8, $6 and $5. Thanks to Rob Housden for his notes on the race.

The time trial with its prize of $40 was won by Tom Atkinson’s group which included Brenton Crawley and Rob Housden. The Gold Cup series is being lead by Dean Hart (53 pts) followed by Bill Robertson (46), Aaron Mathes (40), Tom Atkinson (34), Jess Hume (30) with Iain Hume and Rob Housden tied (26). The final 2 legs of the Gold Cup series are to be held on the 17th and the 31st of July.

News from Richard Moffatt is that he is not getting much time for sightseeing. Big Kev tells me that Richard is training hard in the Swiss Alps on the Swiss-Italian border. He reports that the scenery is beautiful but the training is quite hard.

Club racing for seniors and juniors is on every Saturday in winter commencing at 1.00 pm. Training is on for all at the track on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4.30pm – 6.30pm with road bikes. Don’t forget the Riverina Road Championships with prizemoney of $800 to be held on Saturday 11 July. Entries to Neil on 69212343; Bob 69223659 or Paddy on 69215772. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

23 Jun 2004

The arctic weather sent most of the local riders into hibernation for the weekend. The more adventurous travelled north to Sydney for the NSW Country Road Championships and the Southern Cross Open. Escaping the cold change is Richard Moffatt who has been racing and training in Europe.

The cold weather resulted in racing being called off locally. A few diehards – Aaron Mathes, Luke and Mitch Harvey, Matty Garlan Jess Hume – still turned up to give their legs a workout. In future, an announcement will be made on radio station 2WG. .

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club was well represented at Waratah Park in Sydney for the NSW Country Road racing Championships over the weekend. While the weather was quite pleasant on the Saturday, it turned nasty on Sunday. In the U9 event, James English showed the rest a clean pair of heels, or should I say, a clean rear tyre, to win the Gold medal..In the U11 age group, Maxy Pearse won the bronze medal while Sarah English was pipped into 4th place. Blocker Pearse and Jamie Green had a tough race in the U13 boys group and finished just outside the placings. In the U15 Womens race Netasha Pearse took out the silver medal and Ellen Marks won the bronze medal. The U15 Mens race Paul Fellows won a gold medal and Dirk Roshier won the bronze medal. Not a bad haul of medals for the weekend. .

The Southern Cross held it’s Junior Open event last Sunday. Again, the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club riders had a lot of success. Paul Fellows was in the money with 2nd places in both his events. In both races, Dirk Roshier was just out of the money. Netasha Pearse also got 2nd placings. The in-form James English capped of a brilliant weekend with a 1st and a 2nd place. .

Richard Moffatt has been in contact with some news from the Northern Hemisphere. He recently finished 5th in a world Cup Race. The 90 km race was held in Slovenia. Richard worked hard to get in with a breakaway group of 12 riders early in the race. With some hard work, the group managed to stay away from the bunch for the remainder of the race. In the sprint finish Richard ended up in 5th place. From all accounts Richard and the AIS are extremely happy with the result. Last weekend Richard competed in a 1 day race in Italy and then he is off to Switzerland with the rest of the team for 3 weeks of training. After the camp, it is back to racing for the second half of the season. .

The next races in the Gold Cup series will be held on Saturday 26th of June. The format will be a road race with $60 prizemoney. This will be followed by a team time trial with $40 prizemoney. The final two races will be held on the 17th & the 31st July. Do’nt forget the $300 Pot of Gold at the conclusion of the series. .

On July3 is the Coota to Coolac Open 80 km race run by the Cootamundra Cycling Club. Entries are to be put through the NSW Cycling Federation. On 10 July are the Riverina Championships run by the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club. Entries can be put through me on 69212343 (bus.). This event is part of the Riverina Pointscore Series. .

Club racing for seniors and juniors is on every Saturday in winter commencing at 1.00 pm. Training is on for all at the track on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4.30pm – 6.30pm with road bikes. Lots more info can be seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacyclingclub.com

15 Jun 2004

In contrast to the club race last Saturday, the weather took a turn for the worst. It was cold and windy with times a lot slower the previous week. It was not half as windy as here in Melbourne where I have just seen our beloved Wallabies overpower the Scots and the mighty Wendell Sailor score a try. Despite the weather, we had a fantastic turnout of 28 riders made for excellent racing over three distances. Richard Moffatt has also been in touch with news from Italy.

The 6km race was tough with the little racers learning that it pays to ride smarter and not harder. The winner was Lucy Regan who just out sprinted Sarah English to the finish. In her own words, she drafted on Sarah and then sprinted past her to win the race. Isabelle Mastroianni was 3rd and James English 4th. James had the fastest time. Unfortunately the English’s tooth fairy will not be paying the kids a visit as PBs were not broken.

The 17km race was keenly contested with 7 riders heading out to Gregadoo Road and back. The winner was Blocker Pearse with Elyce Payne just behind him in the sprint home. Blocker also had the fastest time of 34.43. 3rd home was Matty Garlan with Isaac Gilmore 4th. Blocker caught the front markers coming back down ‘The Wall’ and then tussled with Elyce all the way home. The final bunch home was Tommy Regan, Mitch Harvey and Maxy Pearse.

The 40km race was an excellent event with 16 riders registering. The girls Ellen Marks, Jess Hume and Melissa Moffatt toyed with Steven Marks who thought he had the finish line covered with 50m to go. Jess sprinted past to win from Ellen Marks with Steve 3rd and Melissa Moffatt 4th.

Limit markers, Ellen Marks and Tara Bryan, set off hard but were caught by second limit at the start of Big Springs road. Ellen managed to hang onto the pace and worked turns with Melissa Moffatt, Jess Hume and Steve Marks. Jim Krebs suffered a nose bleed and couldn’t help his block bunch who were caught by scratch bunch on the hill on Big Springs Road. The middle markers lost Dirk Roshier after the turn and despite working hard Iain Hume and Paul Fellows were never going to make an impact on the well oiled out markers machine in front. The sprint was won by Jess Hume from Ellen Marks, with Steve coming third and Melissa fourth. Paul and Iain managed to hold scratch off by 30 seconds. Fastest time went to Bill Robertson in 1:01:51.

It was good to see three old faces back road racing this week. Kate and Geoff Hankle back from the world Triathlin championships and Jim Krebs finally getting a Saturday off. Thanks to my assistant Dr Hume for this senior report.

Following up on her recent win, Netasha Pearse recently travelled to Sydney to receive her U15 Cyclist of the Year award. Well done Tash.

Anybody interested in a 100km training ride (med to high pace) on Tuesdays can contact Melissa Moffatt on 69223608 or Tommy Atkinson on 69264753.

After nearly pulling off a stage win in Japan, Richard Moffatt has been back in Italy and has been in 2 major races. He finished in the top 20 in both. This week the Australian team leaves for the Tour of Italy. This is a 10 day race around Italy and is the hardest and biggest race the team encounters. He has missed out on a start in this tour, due to his age. The AIS feel he might be too young to start such a big event and have indicated that they want to look after him for next year - a problem no dissimilar to that encountered the author in recent years! The end of this month marks the half way mark of Richard’s trip. He leaves on the 25th for a 3 week training camp in Switzerland. This 3 weeks will just be training and a time to re-focus on the last half to the year and look onto the World Championships in late September. Hopefully, we will have another Wagga Wagga World Champ soon. Go get ‘em Richard.

Club racing for senior and juniors is on every Saturday in winter commencing at 1.00 pm. Training is on for all at the track on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4.30pm – 6.30pm with road bikes. Don’t forget the Gold Cup Series races. The next races in the Gold Cup series will be held on the 26th of June, the 17th & the 31st July. The Riverina Championships (Pointcore Series race) will be held on Saturday 10 July. Lots more info can bee seen on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website at www.waggacycling.com

09 Jun 2004

With the now picturesque Elizabeth Avenue course bathed in sunshine, 31 riders registered for the Saturday afternoon club race. The 15 senior riders were possibly chasing the rainbows present earlier in the week searching or the pot of gold in the 2nd of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s ‘Gold Cup’ Series. While the locals were busy chasing gold, Ellen Marks ventured to Sydney to tackle the St George Open.

The 6km ride saw 6 riders handicapped by Bobby, with much behind the scenes wheeling and dealing, for chaperones. Perhaps the conversation on route to the finish line is just as important and the race. The combination of weather and company inspired all the little mites to ride personal best times. First home was Sarah English, followed by Brooke Michalowski and Max Housden in 3rd place. No one could miss Lucy Regan in 4th place with her bright pink socks with ‘Mr No Nonsense’ James English just behind her taking out the fastest time of 13.17 minutes. Next home was new club member William Carroll having his first ride. Welcome to his brother Johnathon who has also joined the club and is waiting for his club bike to be prepared. Following the race, more wheeling and dealing came to light with the tooth fairy, Theresa, rewarding the English kids for breaking their PB’s. Little does she know that the kids had stitched up a deal with their chaperones to time them.

No deals done in the 17km race. The competition was fierce, with a magnificent bunch sprint of 5 riders to the finish line. In the sprint home, Jamie Green took the honours with Blocker Pearse 2nd and Thomas Regan 3rd. Just missing a place were Joe van Wel and Matty Garlan. The bunch was followed by Baden Housden and Isaac Gilmour, with Nomie Pinto and Rachel Gilmour keeping Maxi Pearse company. The fastest time was won by Blocker Pearse in a time of 34:27 minutes. Nomie was not impressed when a certain rider, who shall remain nameless, told Bob that she went out of sight and waited for the others. Thomas, I’d be watching your back this week!!

With baited breath, all was in readiness for the 2nd leg of the very successful Gold Cup series of 5 races. 15 riders registered, with some new faces in Tolland’s Andrew Delaney and David Smith throwing their helmets in the ring. In the 40km road race, David Smith drove the block bunch hard to catch the front markers on the return trip down Big springs road. He worked hard to keep the group away from the fast finishing scratch bunch. Treasurer Dean Hart looked to be the winner 50 metres from the line, only to be rolled by Aaron Mathes and Andrew Delaney on the tape. Behind Deano was Mick Frogley, David Smith and Jess Hume. The prizemoney was $18, $13, $8, $6 & $5 on the road race. The time trial prize of $40 was won by the team of Tommy Atkinson, Mick Frogley, Aaron Mathes and Iain Hume in a time of 8:08 mins. Current standing in the Pot of Gold series are: Dean Hart (37 pts); Bill Robertson (35 pts); Iain Hume (26 pts); Aaron Mathes & Tom Atkinson (25 pts). To date 20 riders have gained points in the series. The next races in the Gold Cup series will be held on the 26th of June, the 17th & the 31st July

Ellen Marks ventured to Sydney for the St George Open and had some success over the weekend, winning some petrol money for the trip home. She was third in the time trial and 5th in the crit. Ellen also got a 4th and 2nd in the 2 handicap races. News from Richard Moffatt is that he finished about mid-field in the Tour of Japan with the Australian team finishing 8th overall. He has headed back to Italy, with the rest of the team, for more training and racing.

The next major event on the Wagga Cycling Club calendar is the Riverina Championship to be held on Saturday 10 July. Club training continues at the Cricket ground on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm for senior and junior riders. Club racing commences at 1.00 pm every Saturday at the corner of Elizabeth Ave and Inglewood Rd. Lots more information can be seen at the club website www.waggacycling.com

2 Jun 2004

With over 120 riders competing in each event of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s $5000 double header weekend, one would have to say that the format has been a great success. Thanks to the sponsorship by Wagga Motors and Microtech, the club was able to stage a fantastic weekend of racing. While there was a busy program in Wagga Wagga, yours truly was in Melbourne watching Australia secure 2 gold medals and one bronze.

The Wagga Motors Open held on Saturday 29 May, saw 126 riders handicapped into 8 bunches depart the CSU grounds at 12 noon for a finish 109 km later in Harris Road. While the sun was out, the wind made the going quite tough. The winner was U19 rider Josh Wall from the Illawarra Club with a time of 2.35.06. 2nd was Robert Cater from Randwick and 3rd was Ben Yates from Griffith. Josh broke away from the pack just before Malebo Hill and was never headed after that. This was despite losing his chain on his way out up Malebo Hill. The fastest time was won by Trent Stevenson (2.34.43) from Shepparton with Sydney’s James Fowler winning the first sprint. Robert Cater won the 2nd sprint and Josh Wall won the King of The Mountain. Tommy Atkinson was the 1st Wagga rider home.

The outmarkers broke up at Malebo Hill and stayed away till the 1st sprint. They were caught by the 18 min bunch which then combined with the 23 min bunch and were going quite well. The 6.5 min bunch made very good time through the whole race and after turning for home at Currawarna, sat on about 50kmh and ‘drove’ the race home. The eventual winner Josh Wall, riding off 6.5 mins, rode the last 10km on his own - riding at about 45kmh. Unfortunately the scratch bunch could not make up the time to catch the 6.5min bunch.

On Sunday, riders traveled to Collingullie for the Microtech Butch Menz Memorial Race over 70km to The Rock and back. The weather was perfect with the scratch bunch failing to catch the winners by 36 seconds. The winner was Daniel Silveri (1.39.30) making it a double for the Illawarra Club. Second was Grant Patrick from Southern Cross. 3rd home was Lynne Vaughan from Southern Highlands – she was also the 1st lady home. Rod Holder from Coota was 4th with another U19 rider Jesse Featonby from Albury 5th. Tolland’s Jimmy Hogan was 7th. The fastest time went to Sam Lee from St George. All in all it was a great weekend of senior racing with the southern highland clubs coming away with the money.

The juniors raced on Sunday at Collingullie with Max Housden taking out the U9 category. In the U11 group, Matty Garlan was 1st and also had the fastest time. 2nd was Max Pearse with Baden Housden 3rd. In the U13 group, Happy Gilmore was the winner with Blocker Pearse coming 2nd and taking out the fastest time. Baden Housden was 3rd. Netasha Pearse won the U15 race from Ellen Marks with Tara Bryan 3rd. Paul Fellows took out the fastest time.

Club riding resumes again next Saturday on the Elizabeth Avenue course. The new start time of 1.00 pm is working well with the older riders chaperoning the sub-juniors. Club training continues at the Cricket ground on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm for senior and junior riders. The next 2 major road races coming up are the Riverina Championships and the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s race in the Riverina Pointscore series – both events to be held on the weekend of 10 and 11 July. Lots more information can be seen at the club website www.waggacycling.com

26 May 2004

Pleasant weather again made for a great afternoon of club road racing. 3 races were handicapped with 26 riders presenting for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s assault on Elizabeth Avenue.

The 6km race was won by Coolamon’s James English who also took out the fastest time. Not far behind was Lucy Regan with Max Housden beating Brooke Michalowski into 3rd place. The finished just ahead of Sarah English and Isabelle Mastroianni. The 17km race was keenly contested with Rachel Gilmore setting the pace and winning the race. The bunch came in behind her with Nomie Pinto taking 2nd place and Tommy Regan in 3rd. Tommy also won the fastest time by 0.03 secs.

12 riders tackled the 40km course brilliantly handicapped by Bob Robertson. The bunch sprinted home With Billy Robertson taking the money in 1.02.53. 2nd was Paul Fellows with Dirk Roshier 3rd. The others in the bunch were Mick Frogley, Stuart Hume and Jimmy Hogan.

The new start time of 1.00 pm is working well with the older riders chaperoning the sub-juniors. Club training continues at the Cricket ground on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm for senior and junior riders. The next 2 major road races coming up are the Wagga Motors Open and the Microtech Open on the 29th & 30th of May. Lots more information can be seen at the club website www.waggacycling.com

19 May 2004

A very pleasant Saturday afternoon was complemented by an equally fantastic 32 riders who presented for the first leg of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s Gold Cup Series. Coach Bob set the handicaps for 6km, 17km and 40km races as well randomly selecting the teams for the teams time trial leg of the Gold Cup. To cap off the superlatives, a very fit looking Greg McCurdy turned up on his bike, proudly sporting his black & gold cycling top dating back to the Police Boys Club days. In keeping with the many awards won by local riders, Netasha Pearse has again taken out a Rider of the year title.

The 6km handicap race was won by mighty Max Housden who also rode the fastest time. He beat scratchmarker James English for the fastest time by 3 seconds. Between these seasoned racers was Brooke Michalowski, with an excellent ride to take 2nd place. The 17 km race was well handicapped by Bob with all 13 riders coming in very close together. The winner was Blocker Pearse who won the sprint home and the fastest time of 33.45. Mitch Harvey was secong followed in by Matty Garlan and Max Pearse.

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s eagerly anticipated Gold Cup Series was launched with 16 riders presenting for the 1st of a 5 race series. The road race was over 40km with Ellen Marks sprinting home from Rob Housden to take the honours. Third was the scratch marker from Albury, Brendan Washington who caught block on the Big Springs Hill. Brendan drove the pack all the way to take third place from Tommy Atkinson followed by Bill Robertson, Dean Hart, Mick Frogley and Jimmy Hogan all in quick succession. Brendan won the fastest time and prize of $10. The cash breakdown for the Road race was $18, $13, $8, $6, $5. The Team Time trial was held over 5km with 4 riders in each team and $40 to the winning team. The winners here by 10 seconds was Bill Robertson’s team of Dean Hart and Ian Hume taking $13.3 each.

The next race in the Gold Cup series will be held on the 5th of June with the other legs planned for the 26th of June and 17th & 31st July. Each event will involve graded scratch races and a team time trial (or handicap) with cash prizes to individual riders. There will be $100 on each race and a $300 pot of gold at the conclusion of the series with the winner taking $100 and prizes to 5th place. All seniors are welcome to participate in a very enjoyable series of races with our club riders and officials only too happy to accommodate new riders.

Congratulations to Netasha Pearse who won the NSW U15 female Rider of the Year for 2003. Tash had a great road and track season winning many State and one National medal along the way. Latest news from Richard Moffatt is that he is just departing for 10 days of racing in Japan. We look forward to some information in the next few days.

The next race in the Gold Cup series will be held on the 5th of June with the other legs planned for the 26th of June and 17th & 31st July. Each event will involve graded scratch races and a team time trial with cash prizes to individual riders. There will be $100 on each race and a $300 pot of gold at the conclusion of the series with the winner taking $100 and prizes to 5th place. All seniors are welcome to participate in a very enjoyable series of races with our club riders and officials only too happy to accommodate new riders.

Note the new start time for Saturday afternoon racing with the 6km race departing at 1.00pm. Bob will try and have the sub-junior races completed before the seniors depart. Senior riders are welcome to accompany the juniors as part of their warmup. Club training continues at the Cricket ground with road bikes over the winter period under club coach Bob Robertson. Training is held on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm for senior and junior riders. The next 2 major road races coming up are the Wagga Motors Open and the Microtech Open on the 29th & 30th of May. Lots more information can be seen at the club website www.waggacycling.com

12 May 2004

Following a most successful Junior 2 Day Tour, club racing got back to normal with 25 riders presenting for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s regular Saturday afternoon handicap event. Our senior girls Melissa Moffatt and Jessie Hume traveled north for open events and Richard Moffatt has been in touch from Italy.

On the ‘Elizabeth Avenue’ circuit, handicappers Bob Robertson and Dean Hart were kept quite busy with a good turn up of riders. The 5 km race was won by Brooke Michalowski who just held out a fast finishing Lucy Regan and Isabelle Mastroianni. James English just managed to hold out his sister Sarah to take out the fastest time. Well done to Sarah who has managed to balance her time between her role in Les Miserables and cycling over the past few weeks. .

The 17km race had a good mix of U11, U13 and U15 riders. The race was won by Thomas Regan with Blocker Pearse taking 2nd place and fastest time. Behind him was U11 rider Baden Housden with a fantastic effort to hold out Max Pearse, Isaac Gilmore, Luke Harvey, Matt Garlan, Jamie Green, Amelia Kerr and Nomie Pinto. .

The Seniors had a fantastic race over 40 km into Gregadoo and Big Springs. On the homeward run, after entering Elizabeth Avenue, Tash Pearse broke away from Ellen Marks and looked to set sail for home. Ellen then made a mighty effort to get on the back of the scratch makers as they overtook her and caught Tash with 5km to go. The final sprint home was between a group of 6 riders with Dean Hart leading out with 250m to go. Strongman Billy Robertson sprinted up on the outside to win the race while Paul Fellows squeezed between the two to take 2nd place with Deano shaking his head in disbelief as he passed the judges to take 3rd place. Aaron Mathes, in his first race, had an excellent ride to take 4th place. Nigel Irvine, having his first ride for a long time, was 5th with Ellen Marks in 6th place. Netasha Pearse then led in Steve Marks and Dirk Roshier. .

Jessie Hume headed north to the Bathurst Ladies Tour and took out the Queen of the Mountain. While Melissa ‘Missy’ Moffatt, Tommy Atkinson & Mick Frogley headed to Cootamundra for their double header weekend. Melissa got some excellent racing over the weekend with an 80km race followed by a 40km race. Tommy Atkinson had an excellent ride to finish with the leading bunch on Saturday. State Handicapper Doug Wallace tells me that Missy, Mick & Tommy equipped themselves quite well over the 2 races. Richard Moffatt tells me that having just completed the ‘Tour de Regionni’ the Australian team is heading to Japan for more racing. I am lead to believe that Richard and Ashley Humbert are riding into some good form. We look forward to some more news in the coming weeks. .

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s Gold Cup series of 5 races commence with the 1st race this weekend. The other races will be held on the 5th & 26th of June and 17th & 31st July. Each event will involve graded scratch races and a team time trial with cash prizes to individual riders. There will be $100 on each race and a $300 pot of gold at the conclusion of the series with the winner taking $100 and prizes to 5th place. .

Riders note a change of schedule for Saturday afternoon racing with the 6km race departing at 1.00pm. Bob will try and have the sub-junior races completed before the seniors depart. Senior riders are welcome to accompany the juniors as part of their warmup. Club training continues at the Cricket ground with road bikes over the winter period under club coach Bob Robertson. Training is held on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm for senior and junior riders. The next 2 major road races coming up are the Wagga Motors Open and the Microtech Open.

5 May 2004

Despite the welcome rain on Saturday, the 9th Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Wagga Junior 2 Day Tour was a success. Yet again the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members – Senior and Junior – contributed magnificently to ensure the success of the weekend. The riders also played their part providing all with some fantastic road racing. With the changing requirements for road racing , the Wagga Junior Tour is one of only 3 country based junior road races on the winter calendar. Being the premier NSW junior road event, we had a good entry of 130 riders from NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Undoubtedly the local stars of the weekend were U5 rider Ellen Marks and U9 rider James English, who both won their categories over the 4 events.

While Ellen won the U15 Girls category, not far behind her was Netasha Pearse in 2nd place and Tara Bryan in 4th place.In the U17 Womens group, Jessie Hume worked hard all weekend as did Paul Fellows and Dirk Roshier in the U15 Mens category. The U13 Boys group had some stiff competition with The Wagga Club represented by Blocker Pearse, Thomas Palmer, Joe van Wel, Jamie Green and Isaac Gilmore.

The U11 group competed for their NSW Road and Time Trial Championships with Matty Garlan winning the bronze medal in both events. Max Pearse and Baden Housden rode well to be just out of the placings. The two Wagga girls Lucy Regan and Isabelle Mastroianni were the local reps in the U11 girls race with Lucy taking 1st place overall and Isabelle taking 2nd place. In the U9 category, Wagga was again well represented by James (Jimbo) English, Max Housden, and Brooke Michalowski. ‘Jimbo’, won overall with Bluey Housden in 3rd place. Brooke Michalowski won the girls event.

Thanks to all the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club members who helped run this event and you can rest assured that all the entrants still regard it as the premier road carnival on the winter program. Our visitors’ only request was for more sunshine next year. Thanks to the RAAF Base for the use of Base facilities to run the U9 and U11 races as well as all the Criterium races. Everyone was full of praise for the use of this facility.

While we were busy down under, Richard Moffatt was also busy in the Northern Hemisphere. He rode the Tour of Northern Italy as part of the Australian team – Kev Moffat’s Italian is not yet good enough to give me the Iatalian name of this event. Fantastic riding by Richard helped the Australian Team run 5th in the tour.

Club training continues at the Cricket ground with road bikes over the winter period under club coach Bob Robertson. Training is held on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. All riders are welcome and will be catered for. Club racing continues every Saturday afternoon commencing with the seniors at 1.30 pm with excellent cash prizes up for grabs. The next 2 major road races coming up are the Wagga Motors Open and the Microtech Open.

28 Apr 2004

The chill in the air and the icy wind were well and truly counteracted by the warm welcome as an excellent turnout of riders presented for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s ANZAC weekend club race. As our junior riders finalise their preparations for the upcoming Fearnes Coaches Junior 2 Day Tour, the senior riders had some excellent road racing.

In the 6km, U9/11 race, the Coolamon connection of James and Sarah English matched the efforts of the Coolamon Grasshoppers to take the quinella. The winner was James, followed by his sister Sarah with Max Pearse third. Not far behind were Lucy Regan and Max Housden. James English also took out the fastest time. The 17km race saw scratch marker Jamie Green take line honours and the fastest time. Close in behind him were Matty Garlan and Blocker Pearse with Baden Housden, Thomas Regan and Mitchell Harvey not much further back.

The Senior race Saw 13 riders depart on a 30km journey into the wilds of Gregadoo and Big Springs – country uncharted by cycle racers for the last 12 months. 13 riders departed with a search party planned for the late finishers. The winner, in an exciting sprint home, was Netasha Pearse with Ellen Marks a close second. In third place was Dirk Roshier with Paul Fellows on his new machine, running 4th and Luke Harvey picking up 5th place. Mick Frogley risked his winnings by just pipping the Club Treasurer and Handicapper for the fastest time. Cash was paid down to 5th place and for fastest time.

Bill Robertson represented NSW in the National Masters Road and Track Cycling Championships held in Sydney last week. Bill got a bronze medal in the 3000m pursuit. Unfortunately he had a fall in the scratch race but still managed to finish 4th. Well done Bill.

Club training continues at the Cricket ground with road bikes over the winter period under club coach Bob Robertson. Training is held on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. All riders are welcome and will be catered for. Club racing is held every Saturday afternoon commencing with the seniors at 1.30 pm with excellent cash prizes up for grabs.

The Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Junior 2 Day Tour is to be held on the 1st and 2nd of May. The event is for riders from U9 to U19 level, with $4000 in prizemoney. The club will also be looking for as much help as possible over the 2 days. We will run the U11 State road championships as part of the event.

21 Apr 2004

The start of the road racing season has been slow due to the Easter holidays. This has given the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club to take stock of things after an extremely busy track season and prepare a strong base for the upcoming road season. We have also received some snippets from Richard Moffatt in Europe.

The first club road racing day turned out to be a training day as quite a few riders were away for the holidays. Despite this, the club has been busy preparing for a potentially taxing road season. The weekend saw the club run a traffic controller course to qualify traffic controllers to supervise corners during road racing. Given the current requirements, this appears to be one of the most important positions associated with road cycling.

While road racing has been slow locally, on the other side of the world, all is in full swing. Richard Moffatt has been in touch with some news from Europe. He tells me that recent AIS/MAPEI fitness testing indicates that he is well on the way to peaking for the upcoming 10 day Tour of Italy. He will be riding this event as part of the National Team. Later this month, he will be riding a 7 day tour in Northern Italy through some mountainous country. It will also include a 15 km time trial. Good luck for your summer Richard and think of us while you enjoy your cappuccinos between your training and racing schedule.

In an effort to ensure the safety of junior cyclists, the club continues to run winter training on the track at the Cricket Ground with road bikes. Training starts at 4.30 pm with Club Coach Bob Robertson supervising training. All junior and senior riders are welcome.

The Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Junior 2 Day Tour is to be held on the 1st and 2nd of May. The event is for riders from U9 to U19 level, with $4000 in prizemoney. The club will also be looking for as much help as possible over the 2 days. We will run the U9 and U11 State road championships as part of the event. Entries close in mid April so check the Cycling NSW website for further information.

21 Apr 2004

Well hello from the land of the long white cloud and trout as big as Murray Cod. While cycle racing is the furthest thing from my mind, I have noticed the hills here are just a tad bigger ‘The Wall’ and Gregadoo Hill. Sorry folks, but last week, the E-mail message did not get through. Despite typical Southern Highland weather, the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club was well represented at the NSW Southern Division Road Championships held at Breadalbane two weekends ago. While the weather here was quite warm, the wind was howling in the hills with riders coming home into a very strong headwind.

In the U11 category, Lucy Regan won the girls event while Matt Garlan won the boys race with Baden Housden coming in 3rd place. Wagga Wagga was well represented in the U13 Boys race with Jamie Green winning the gold medal. Brodie Pearse came second followed by Thomas Reagan, Joe van Wel and Isaac Gilmore. Paul Fellows won the U15 Boys race with Ellen Marks winning the U15 Girls race from Tara Bryan in 2nd place.

In the Open events, Wagga Wagga had 2 riders in Tom Atkinson and Steve Marks both riding in C Grade. Tom unfortunately had a fall, putting an end to his chances. Steve Marks in only his 3rd race did well to stay with the pack until the last hill close to home.

Congratulations to Melissa and Nigel Irvine who have just had their 3rd child, William. I guess we will soon be seeing William, Olivia and Darcy racing around the track.

Good News! The club has just received NSW Police Service approval to run Saturday afternoon Club Racing at the Elizabeth Avenue course. Thanks Garry Gaffney from the Wagga Wagga City Council and to the local Traffic Operations section of the Highway Patrol for their hard work in gaining the Club this approval. The next club road race will be held on Saturday 24 April 2004. The seniors will start at 1.30 pm with the juniors starting after the seniors depart. All licensed riders are welcome.

The Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Junior 2 Day Tour is to be held on the 1st and 2nd of May. The event is for riders from U9 to U19 level, with $4000 in prizemoney. The club will also be looking for as much help as possible over the 2 days. We will run the U9 and U11 State road championships as part of the event. Entries close in mid April so check the Cycling NSW website for further information.

 

31 Mar 2004

Although track season has concluded locally and the local road season has not officially commenced, Wagga Wagga Cycling Club riders have been getting in some criterium practice at Lockhart. Our riders have also been competing in Sydney at the NSW U19 Track Championships held at the Dunc Gray Velodrome over the weekend.

Last weekend, The Verandah Town, Lockhart, held it’s Festival of sport. 17 junior Wagga Wagga Cycling Club riders competed in two composite races, with the Lockhart Lions Club putting up $200 in prizemoney. In addition, 7 of our seniors competed in the senior crits as part of the pointscore series.

In the U9/U11 Girls category, Brooke Michalowski won in a close finish from Lucy Regan and then Isabelle Mastroianni. In the U9 Boys division, James English rode hard to peg back the leaders in the last lap to win from Max Housden. Charlie Prigg won the U11 Boys division from Baden Housden and Max Pearse. In the U13 Boys group, Blocker Pearse won from Jamie Green with Thomas Reagan 3rd followed closely by Joe van Wel and Isaac Gilmore. Ellen Marks rode hard from the start to win the U15 Girls class from Tara Bryan, Nomie Pinto and Rachel Gilmore. Ellen Marks and Jamie English won the Girls and Boys overall prizes respectively.

In the C grade crits, Wagga had Steve Marks, Chris Prigg, Paul Fellows, Mick Frogley and Bill Neyland flying the flag. Bill and Mick finished with the leading bunch. Unfortunately, Steve punctured late in the race although he rode well to stay with the bunch all the way. Paul Fellows had a fantastic race only losing touch in the last lap. In B Grade we had Tommy Atkinson riding after his warm-up riding from Wagga to Lockhart. Unfortunately, the warm-up may have taken too much out of Tommy. Bill Robertson rode well in A grade to take out 6th place.

Melissa Moffat rode off for the bronze medal in the U19 Girls individual pursuit at the NSW Track Championships. She rode well to finish fourth overall. Her brother Richard has been riding races down on the Italian coast. He must be enjoying the cappuccino strip as we have not heard from him this week.

Melissa and Nigel Irvine have just had their 3rd child, William. Congratulations and I guess we will soon be seeing William, Olivia and Darcy racing around the track. Congratulations as well to Geoff Breese, Geoff and Kate Hanckel and Paula Coller on their selection to represent Australia in the World Triathlon Championships to be held in Portugal in May.

The Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Junior 2 Day Tour is to be held on the 1st and 2nd of May. The event is for riders from U9 to U19 level, with $4000 in prizemoney. The club will also be looking for as much help as possible over the 2 days. We will run the U9 and U11 State road championships as part of the event. Entries close in mid April so check the Cycling NSW website for further information.

24 Mar 2004

Last Wednesday was the last night of track racing and yet again the lights went out prematurely. Recent discussions with council have come up with a manual system of turning the lights on and off so winter training should not be affected by the same problem that has dogged us since December 2003.

With a good field for the last night of track racing, a full program of events was held. In the Microtech Super Rockets, placings were shared between Ben Farrell, Tristan Carruthers, Dylan McGirr, Jack Albert and Liam Moston. Ben and Tristan had some good wins. With a big field in the U9/11 B, Brooke Michalowski and Joe Hindmarsh were the stars. Hot on their heels were Isabelle Mastroianni, Sam South, Josh Rhodes and the ever-smiling William Rorrison. The U11 A saw Ashleigh Riley, Lucy Regan and James (Jimbo) English have big wins. Charles Prigg and Max Pearse were in the placings.

Another big field in the Marketplace U13 group saw the veteran Thomas Regan and newcomer Harry Lollback share the wins. Brodie Pearse, riding very consistently, was in the placings along with Matty Garlan and Dean Moston. It was good to see Johnathon Ham, another newcomer to the sport, mixing it with the old stagers. The U15/17, on the wind down, had a small field with Dirk Roshier, Ellen Marks and Tara Bryan sharing the wins. In the seniors, Bill Robertson, building up for his assault on the National Championships, won all three events from Tommy Atkinson. Third place was shared between Nigel Irvine, Luke Harvey and Paul White.

Congratulations to Melissa and Nigel Irvine on the birth of their third child William, born on the 3rd of March. He was 10lb 6ounces and from all reports mother and baby are doing very well. It should not be long before we see Olivia, Darcy and William racing around the cycle track.

. Congratulations as well to Geoff Breese, Kate Henckel, Geoff Henckel and Paula Coller on their selection to represent Australia in the World Triathlon Championships to be held in Portugal in early May. The two Geoffs and Kate are members of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club. It is not often that 3 members of one club are selected to represent the Nation.

The club is yet to finalise approvals to race on Saturdays however Council and the NSW Police are working towards granting this approval in the near future. News on this matter will be published in this article and will be posted on the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club website in the near future. Club training will still continue at the Cricket ground on Monday and Wednesdays between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm. PLEASE BRING ROAD BIKES ONLY.

The Fearnes Coaches ‘Gwen French Memorial’ Junior 2 Day Tour is to be held on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of May. The event will cater for riders from U9 to U19 level with approximately $4000 in prizemoney. The club will also be looking for as much help as possible over the 2 days. We will also be running the U9 and U11 State road championships as part of the event. Entries will be closing in mid April so keep an eye on the Cycling NSW website for further information.

17 Mar 2004

Wagga Wagga Cycling Club riders have again been traveling the countryside winning medals at State championships and performing with distinction at National level. Somehow they have found time to ensure that Wednesday night, club racing, has been a success despite the lights being turned off prematurely.

Over the weekend, Nigel Irvine, Bill Robertson and Breton Crawley rode at the NSW championships at the Dunc Gray Velodrome. Bill won a silver medal in the 20 km scratch race and a bronze medal in the 3km individual pursuit in the veteran category. Nigel, also riding in the vets came 4th in the 3km individual pursuit. Brenton Crawley won a bronze medal in the U19 Keirin.

Last week, Jessica Hume, Paul Fellows, Netasha Pearse and Nomie Pinto returned from representing NSW in the National Track Cycling Championships held at the Silverdome in Launceston. Unfortunately, Netasha Pearse had a nasty fall in the final laps of the scratch race final and suffered some painful injuries that severely hampered her in the Sprint Derby and Time Trial. Paul Fellows made the scratch race final. In the Sprint Derby he had to put up with more body contact than playing rugby to be put out of the quarter finals. Jessica Hume, riding in the U17s had a steady campaign against some very tough competition. Nomie Pinto had a nervous start to the program but recovered well to beaten in the ride off for the bronze medal in the U15 Sprint Derby.

At club level there were some excellent performances last Wednesday night. Some of the star performers were Ben Farrell, Tommy Hindmarsh, Blocker Pearse, Avalon Burkett and Maggie Hume in the juniors. In the seniors, Bill Robertson, Catherine Robinson, Luke Harvey and Tommy Atkinson had some big performances.

Richard Moffatt has been training in Italy with the Australian U23 squad. While we have been batting scorching temperatures recently, Richard has had to endure freezing temperatures and blizzards just to get in some training. Over the next few months, I hope to keep our readers informed of Richard’s progress in Europe.

Tonight is the last night of club track racing. Training will continue at the track on Monday and Wednesday nights from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Road racing will commence in the near future at the corner of Elizabeth Avenue and Inglewood Road. The Southern Division Road Championships will be held at Breadalbane on Sunday 4th of April. Don’t forget to nominate.

3 Mar 2004

With the track season coming to a conclusion, last Sunday, the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club held it’s presentation at the Murrumbidgee River Cruises grounds on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. It was an excellent choice of venue by club President Pat Robertson. This was borne out by the attendance of over 150 club members and family. Thanks to the efforts of Pat and club coach Bob Robertson in organizing the event. Those that attended also enjoyed the boat rides and barbeque thanks to the generosity of Greg Bannon and the club’s Ladies Auxiliary.
The bulk of club championship results were published last week. The time trial results were kept a secret until presentation. The winners were Jack Albert (U7); Brooke Michalowski (U9G); Max Housden (U9B); Sarah English (U11G); Baden Housden (U11B); Erin Doyle (U13G); Jamie Green (U13B); Nomie Pinto (U15G); Paul Fellows (U15B); Jess Hume (U17W); Bill Robertson (Vets); Catherine Robertson (Open W) Richard Moffatt (Open M).
The McDonald’s Restaurants’ MAC award was won by Paul Fellows. The most improved rider was Bryce Leske. The Handicappers Award went to Isaac Gilmore. The winner of the Ladies Auxiliary all round sportsmanship award was Lucy Regan. Matt Garlan won the Junior Pointscore while Bill Robertson won the Senior Pointscore. Bill Robertson also won the Senior Best and Fairest award.
This week Richard Moffatt heads to Europe for six months to train and compete with the Australian U23 squad. A great achievement for the fine young man who, less than six years ago, was a gangly young newcomer to the sport of cycling. I will be keeping our readers posted of Richards achievements in Europe.
This week Jess Hume, Paul Fellows, Netasha Pearse and Nomie Pinto travel to Tasmania as members of the NSW Track Cycling Team to compete in the Australian Track Cycling Championships. We wish them luck and hope they enjoy the experience. The club’s U9, 11 and 13’s travel to Dubbo for the NSW Junior Track Championships. Thanks to Audrey Fearne for the use of a bus for this event. Good luck to Bob Robertson’s band of juniors.
The NSW Southern Division Road Cycling Championships are to be held at Breadalbane on Sunday 4 April 04. Entries are to be indicated at the judges’ desk on Wednesday nights. Track Cycling continues on for another month before we start thinking of heading out to Forest Hill for Saturday afternoon road racing.

25 Feb 2004

With a number of club championship events held last Wednesday night, we were all running to a very tight schedule to try and beat the lights. The senior time trial was finalized and then the Sprint Derby as well as the Scratch Race championships were finalized. Despite the schedule, riders were also able to get a couple of handicap races.
The Auto Panel Repairs Pocket Rocket’s scratch race championship was won by Jack Albert with William Bassett taking 2nd place. The Microtech Super Rockets championship was won by Ben Farrell who had to fight hard to keep out Dylan McGirr and Tristan Carruthers. Brooke Michalowski took out the U9 girls event while Max Housden recovered from the weekend’s fall to win from James English and Sam South. .
The U11 Girls scratch race was won by Sarah English with Lucy Regan 2nd and Natasha McGirr 3rd. Matt Garlan won the U11 Boys event from Baden Housden and Max Pearse. Erin Doyle was the winner of the U13 Girls events. In the U13 Boys group, Jamie Green won the Sprint and scratch race while Tom Regan and Blocker Pearse shared 2nd and 3rd. The U15 Girls sprint and scratch race were won by Netasha Pearse from Tara Bryan and Ellen Marks. .
Paul Fellows was too strong in both U15 Boys events with Bryce Leske and Dirk Roshier sharing the placings. In the U17 Girls events, Jessie Hume won from Rachel Gilmore. Melissa Moffatt won both U19 women’s events from Catherine Robertson. Sam Stevenson, making his big comeback, sprinted clear of Tom Atkinson and Richard Moffatt to win the Sprint Derby while Tom Atkinson took out the scratch race from Luke Harvey and Stuart Hume. In the Vets events, Bill Robertson won out from Nigel Irvine and Dean Hart. .
Don’t forget the Track Presentation night on Sunday 29 Feb at 2.00 pm. The venue is the Murrumbidgee River Cruises Barbeque area just near the Eunony Bridge. We look forward to a great turnout. It will be a good opportunity to say goodbye to Chris Willcox who will be departing to join the RAAF.

17 Feb 2004

With yet another hugely successful carnival under its belt the whole of the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club membership walking around with sore backs – sore from all the pats on the back from our out of town visitors. While one group was busy locally, Brenton Crawley was making his mark in Sydney. Despite a busy schedule, the club was still able to commence the Club Track Championships.

Last Wednesday, due to storm activity the program was cut short. We were able to complete all the junior time trial events on the Club Championship agenda however, the seniors will be run later today. The U9 & U11 will have their Sprint Derby while the U13, U15 & U17 will have their Sprint Derby and Scratch Race Championships. The Seniors will complete their Time Trial, Sprint Derby and possibly the Scratch Race.

With the $4000 RSL Club Junior Carnival successfully out of the way, the club can relax for a few months. The carnival was a big success with 90 entries including most of the NSW team to compete in the Australian Junior Track Cycling Championships. The star of the weekend was Jessie ‘Grasshopper’ Hume who took on allcomers in the U17 Women category. Jess won 6 of her 7 races. She came 2nd in the Sprint Derby only because her foot came out of the pedal in the final sprint. Other outstanding performers were James English, Brooke Michalowski and Max Housden in the U9’s. Sarah English, Lucy Regan, Natasha McGirr and Tommy Hindmarsh rode well in the U11’s.

In the U15’s Paul Fellows locked horns with his former clubmate Tommy Palmer, for great cycling. Bryce Leske made it his job to keep these two flyers honest. Ellen Marks, Tara Bryan, Netasha Pearse and Nomie Pinto worked hard in the U15 Women’s group. I believe every rider took home some prizemoney thanks to some excellent handicapping and some even better race programming. The commentators Tom Dawson and Geoff Marks certainly lifted the whole carnival. One can only marvel at the magnificent offers of help from all quarters of the club – thanks to all the members and parents. Thanks again to the Wagga RSL Club for some fantastic sponsorship.

At the Dunc Gray Velodrome, Brenton Crawley was making his mark with a fourth place in the NSW Senior Pointscore Championships. He also rode an excellent scratch race, later in the day. We are all looking forward to seeing him ride locally in the future.

Don’t forget the Track Presentation night on Sunday 29 Feb at 2.00 pm. The venue is the Murrumbidgee River Cruises Barbeque area just near the Eunony Bridge. We look forward to a great turnout.

11 Feb 2004

With the end of the holidays, numbers have picked up for the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club’s Wednesday night track Cycling meetings. The tempo has also been increasing for the group that headed to the NSW Track Cycling Championships at the Dunc Gray Velodrome last weekend. Between Wagga Wagga and Sydney, in the hills around Canberra, Richard Moffatt was battling the extreme heat in the Tour of Canberra.

With Wednesday nights back on everyone’s agendas a full book of racing was held last Wednesday night. In the sub-juniors, the stars were Josh Williams, Jake Brooker, Liam Moston William Bassett, Joe Hindmarsh, Dylan McGirr, Jack Albert, Ben Farrell and Brooke Michalowski. The U9/11 group saw Natasha McGirr, Sam South and James English score wins. The Housden s ( Max & Baden) as well as Erin Doyle and Max Pearse raffled the U11A group. In the U13s Dean Mostaon had three wins with Joe van Wel, Joe Doyle, Thomas Regan and Matty Garlan in his wake.

The U15/17 group was dominated by Bryce Leske, Netasha Pearse, Rachel Gilmore Elyce Payne and Tara Bryan. Hilton Williams did well to take out the senior 2 lap handicap while Mick Truscott took out the 5 lap handicap. The B grade scratch race was won by the NSW U17 scratch race champion Paul Fellows with the veteran Bill Robertson winning the A grade scratch race.

Last weekend, Jessica Hume, Paul Fellows, Dirk Roshier, Bryce Leske, Netahsa Pearse, Elyce Payne, Tara Bryan, Ellen Marks and Nomie Pinto trekked to the Dunc Gray Velodrome for the NSW Track Cycling Champiosnhips. All the Wagga Wagga riders did their club proud and between them, they won 13 of the 48 medals on offer. Jess Hume won a gold medal and three silver medals. Netasha Pearse won 2 gold medals, and 2 silver medals. Paul Fellows won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. Nomie Pinto won a gold and a bronze medal. These 4 riders were also named in the NSW team to compete at the Australian Track Cycling Championships to be held in Launceston in early March.

In the Tour of Canberra Richard Moffatt had a fantastic first couple of stages with single figure finishes. In the final stage, he succumbed to the heat to drop off the leading pack in the last hillclimb. An excellent effort considering only 47 of the 120 starters fronted for the second day of racing.

Don’t forget the $4000 RSL Club Carnival that commences at 6.00 pm next Saturday evening. The Southern Division Road Championships are to be held at Breadalbane on Sunday 4 April 2004. Remember track cycling every Wednesday night at 6.30 pm.

4 Feb 2004

With school holidays coming to an end numbers certainly improved for the club’s Wednesday night track meeting. Races were held for the 5 year olds all the way up to the veterans.
The Auto Panel Repairs Pocket Rockets had a great tussle over 3 races with Josh Williams, William Bassett and Liam Moston all having a win each. The winners in the Microtech Super Rockets were Jack Albert and Brooke Michalowski. Place getters were Tristan Carruthers and Ben Farrell. The Fearnes Coaches U9/U11B saw Sam Dore star on his new bike in the one lap handicap. Kate Bassett won the 2 lap handicap and Isabelle Mastroianni won the scratch race. Alex Albert, Sam South and James English put in strong performances.
The U11A group saw Isaac Gilmore star with 3 wins in 3 races. Placegetters were Lucy Regan, Max Housden, and Baden Housden. The U13 age group saw Brodie Pearse and Dean Moston brace the finishing line first. The placegetters in this group were Joe van Wel, Matty Garlan, and Thomas Regan. Bryce Leske and Paul Fellows shared the wins in the U 15/17 category. Others to ride well were Tara Bryan, Ellen Marks and Thomas Bassett.
In the senior events, Paul White won both, the 2 and 5 lap handicap races with Chris Prigg and Jesse Hume behind him in the 2 lap race. In the 5 lap race, Stuart Hume and Bill Robertson were the placegetters. The B Grade scratch race saw Hilton Williams win from Jesse Hume and Dirk Roshier. Bill Robertson won the 20 lap A Grade event with Paul White second and Sam Stevenson third.
On the 14th and 15th of Feb, the club will be holding the $4000 RSL Junior Carnival.All are welcome to come and watch some top class junior track racing.

21 Jan 2004

With most of the local riders preparing for their state championships, the tempo is starting to pick up especially in the very competitive U15/17 age group. Also on the medal chase is Richard Moffatt who has just completed the National Road Championships in Ballarat.
Richard Moffatt has again done us all proud with some excellent performances in the Australian Road Championships in Ballarat. On Saturday, he won a silver medal in the U23 Time Trial. Not bad for having only just turned 19. On Sunday, he rode an excellent race in the 180 km Road Race. Early in the event there was a breakaway of about 8 riders with some of the big guns. Richard worked hard to get his FDJ teammate Matt Wilson close to the leading bunch. Matt Wilson went on to win the gold medal. Richard now heads to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under.
With numbers still down due to the school holidays and the speedway, a number of the sub junior divisions had to be combined. It was pleasing to see the Moston’s and Don Raye from Cootamundra as well as Jono Cridland from Sydney’s Southern Cross club and Nigel Dunstone from Leeton. Many thanks to Don Raye for Marshalling for the juniors. In the Microtech Pocket Rockets group, the honours were shared between Brooke Michalowski, Sam South, Liam Moston and Josh Williams. The under Rules Club U11B group also saw the honours shared between James English, Isabelle Mastroianni, Sarah English and Sam Dore. James English had an excellent night with wins in the 2 lap handicap and the scratch race as well as receiving as special award for making an effort to ride safely.
In the Marketplace U11A group, Jamie Green won the 2 lap handicap and the scratch race while Charlie Prigg took out the 3 lap handicap. Placing were shared between Matty Garlan, Dean Moston and Baden Housden. The RSL Club U15/U17 group was quite large with 8 riders registering. Nomie Pinto won the 2 lap handicap while Paul Fellows won the 5 lap handicap. Netasha Pearse won the 8 lap scratch race and the Pointscore race. Placings went to Bryce Leske, Ellen Marks, Thomas (Big sore foot) Bassett, Elyce Payne and Jono Cridland.
The seniors kicked off with A & B grade elimination races. A grade was won by Leeton’s Nigel Dunstone from Tom Atkinson with Bill Robertson 3rd. B grade was won by Jessie Hume from Ben Turner with Hilton Williams 3rd. The ‘all in’ 2 lap handicap was won by Chris Willcox who hung on from a fast finishing Luke Harvey and Tom Atkinson. In the 5 lap handicap race the backmarkers got up with a win to Billy Robertson from U15 rider Paul Fellows and then Nigel Irvine. The B grade 12 lap scratch race was again won by Chris Willcox with Ben Turner 2nd and Jessie Hume 3rd. The final event of the night – the 20 lap A grade scratch race - was won by Bill Robertson from Tom Atkinson and Nigel Dunstone took 3rd place.
On the 14th and 15th of Feb, the club will be holding the $4000 RSL Junior Carnival. Entries close on the 30th of January. Don’t forget to enter with the NSW Cycling Federation for this event. It is open to U17‘s and younger. Club racing is on again at 6.30 pm this Wednesday at the cricket Ground. The next club management meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd of Feb at 7.30 pm at the Rules Club. Come and have your say in the running of your club.

14 Jan 2004

The Wagga Wagga Cycling Club held it’s first track meeting for 2004 last Wednesday with an excellent presentation of riders. A handful of diehards then donned their oxygen mask and headed for hills to tackle allcomers at the Goulburn Track Open. While our club riders have been tackling the local events, Richard Moffatt has been setting his own records interstate.
Despite the sprinklers coming on during the senior program, spirits were not dampened and a great night was had by all who rode. Newcomer to track cycling, Hilton Williams burst on the scene with a win in the senior B Grade Sprint Derby and a 3rd in the 2 lap handicap. ‘New, old faces’ Troy Brooker and Mick Truscott also placed in the sprint Derby while Bill Robertson won the A Grade derby and scratch race followed by Tom Atkinson and U15 gun, Paul Fellows, in both events. The 2 lap handicap was won by Stuart Hume with Tom Atkinson 2nd and Hilton Williams 3rd. The 5 lap handicap was won by Bill Robertson with Tom Atkinson 2nd and Mick Truscott 3rd. It was good to see that James Krebs return to track cycling having recovered from a broken collarbone.
The juniors were well represented despite the holiday period. In the Midget/Pocket Rocket category, William Bassett, Broke Michalowski, Isabelle Mastoianni and Ben Farrell rode well. The U 11 group saw Isaac Gilmore, Matty Garlan, Max Pearse and Joe van Wel revel in the warm weather. The U13 race saw good battles between Thomas (Big Foot) Bassett, Jamie Green and Blocker Pearse. The strong group of U15 riders saw some good racing between Netasha Pearse, Tara Bryan, Bryce Leske, Mitchell Harvey and l’il Gilly (Rachel Gilmore).
Matty Garlan, Ellen Marks, Nomie Pinto, Paul Fellows and Bill Robertson from the Wagga Wagga Cycling Club and Tolland’s Paul White headed to Goulburn last Saturday for the first Track Open for 2004. All had great success winning a bagful of money over the afternoon. Bill Robertson nearly made a clean sweep of all his events missing out by a whisker in the Country Energy Roller Derby. Paul Fellows had a great tussle with his former teammate and now ACT rider Tom Palmer all afternoon. In the final scratch event, he ‘jumped’ Tom in the final sprint and won an exciting finish by a wheel. Matty Garlan cleaned up in the U11 category, winning all his events. Ellen Marks and Nomie Pinto also enjoyed success in a tough field of U15 girls.
Richard Moffatt has been in Adelaide and now Ballarat for fitness testing over the past week. He tested highest of the U23 squad in terms of power output - only 15 watts behind Bradley McGee. Next Friday, he starts the National Road Championships in Ballarat with the time trial followed by the 180km road race the next day. Following this, he heads to South Australia for the Tour Down Under. Good luck Richard.
On the 14th and 15th of Feb, the club will be holding the $4000 RSL Junior Carnival. Entries close on the 30th of Jan. Don’t forget to enter with the NSW Cycling Federation for this event. It is open to U17‘s and younger. Club racing is on again at 6.30 pm this Wednesday at the cricket Ground. The next club management meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd of Feb at 7.30 pm at the Rules Club. Come and have your say in the running of your club.

7 Jan 2004

Happy New Year to all the cycling fraternity and I hope the training schedules have not been put too far back over the holiday period. While some have been celebrating, others have traveled the countryside, chasing track cycling carnivals in Victoria and Tasmania.
Richard Moffatt, Tom Atkinson and Dirk Roshier organized their passports, travel visas and injections and ventured south to Tasmania to take on allcomers on the Christmas circuit. Richard, riding for the FDJ team finished in the middle of the field having helped his teammate run fourth in the criterium event. Tom gained some great experience that should hold him in good stead for the future. Dirk also had a successful trip culminating with a win in the Hobart Wheelrace.
The Victorian circuit was tackled by the Pearse trio Max, Blocker and Netasha, Stuart and Jessica Hume, Paul Fellows and Ellen Marks. Ellen and Nomie Pinto then tackled the Victorian Country Championships last weekend. All the riders tasted success with the group having to hire security for their gold laden trip back to Wagga Wagga.
On the 14th and 15th of Feb, the club will be holding the $4000 RSL Junior Carnival. Entries close on the 30th of Jan. Don’t forget to enter with the NSW Cycling Federation for this event. It is open to U17‘s and younger. Club racing will commence at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 7th of January at the cricket Ground.