DAN Wilks is hoping to finally capture that elusive McDonald’s Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic title when he contests the 54th staging of the historic race today.
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The Inverell Cycle’n’Tri president has three times finished runner-up – twice in B grade and once in C grade.
Last year he was second to brother Paul.
Paul isn’t riding today, leaving Dan to fly the family flag.
He won’t be solely flying it though, with younger brother Mark competing in C grade.
“He’s never done the race before,” Wilks said.
For Wilks, today will be his seventh, and hopefully the year he finally finishes on top of the podium.
“That’s ovbiously the goal,” he said.
“But every time you line up you know it’s a big ask.”
“You’ve got to have a good day and have everything go right if you’re going to try to get on the podium.”
It looks a strong field, with a couple of Queenslanders and Victorians there who have dropped back from racing A grade in other races, but Wilks is just as wary of the lesser-known riders.
“There are a couple of riders you’ve always got an eye on but it’s the ones you don’t know who always seems to be the one,” he said.
The race is widely recognised as the toughest one-day race in the country.
Part of the reason for that is the climb up the Gibraltar Range.
“You don’t win the Grafton there but you can lose it,” Wilks said.
“You’ve got to get to the top of the hill with the lead bunch to be in contention.”
That will be his plan anyway.
Wilks’s preparation has been mostly training.
He’s done a few local races but there isn’t too much around of that distance locally.
“I feel like I’ve done enough,” he said.
“Now just hopefully I can have a good day.”
He expects the heat to be a factor.
Today will be one of the hottest races for a while, with temperatures around 30 predicted.
“Food and water will be the big one,” he said.
You get that wrong early in the piece and it could hurt you in the last 30km.
Around 250 cyclists will line up at the starting line in Grafton, with the A grade field departing at 8am followed by B grade at 8.15 and C grade at 8.30am.
The A grade race will double as the final round of the Subaru National Road Series.
It is going down to the wire, with series leader Joe Cooper taking in a three-point lead over Tim Roe.
