Gunnedah’s DJ Morrison leads Gavin Inglis into this turn before Sunday's A & B Grade criterium was abandoned. Photo: Barry Smith 030313BSA01
TALENTED teenagers Lewis Chapman and DJ Morrison were hoping to continue their preparations for the Oceania Championships at Goddard Lane on Sunday morning.
However the pair of Year 11 students at Tamworth’s Carinya Christian School had that race ended a lot sooner than they had hoped when half the combined A and B grade field fell after just 12 minutes of the scheduled 30.
The shocking crash left four of the riders, including Gunnedah’s DJ Morrison, sprawled across the Goddard Lane bitumen.
Dave Rugendyke, Fraser Ashford, Alan spokes and Morrison all came down.
“It was a bad fall,” said Fraser Ashford.
“Luckily there were no broken bones just plenty of skin lost.”
Mitch Carrington was at the back of the peloton and didn’t see how it happened and was happy he was able to just miss the carnage.
“I don’t know how it happened, but I was able to miss it all.
“Thankfully there was only a bit of skin lost.”
He said the fall stopped the race in its tracks with the four remaining riders stopping to make sure their fellow riders were okay.
“It was a bit of a shock to us. A bit funny but the race just stopped and we didn’t start again.”
With a small field the race finished after just 12 minutes.
The C Grade race did finish earlier though with Matt Carrington winning that from Josh Nash and Nick Reid.
For Lewis Chapman and DJ Morrison the Oceania Championships, mid-month, loom large.
Both should ride well, Carrington said.
“Lewis is riding pretty well,” Carrington, who is off to ride in Belgium again later in the year, said.
“DJ rides all right too although I haven’t seen much of him and didn’t see much of him this morning either.”
While the Oceania Championships are held in Adelaide the Tamworth Cycling Club’s criterium club championships are also fast approaching and will be raced on March 24.
