ON Sunday Tamworth riders rode in a few criterium events with a difference as organisers decided to change it up a gear.
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The first event was a miss and out event, where a five- rider race has the last rider eliminated every lap until there are only two.
Whle the race was different, the result wasn’t, with pro rider Sam Spokes taking out the A Grade from Dylan Sunderland and Ben Clark.
John Clissold took out B Grade from Michael Foster and Adam Jollife, with Peter Nash winning C grade from Malcolm Nash and Ann Saunders.
The second event was a mystery lap format where riders would ride ten laps before a number between one and ten was drawn out of a hat for remaining laps, with race tactics very important and dependent on the number of extra laps.
Again, Spokes took out the A Grade from John Frieberg and John Saunders.
B Grade was won by Malcolm Ellicott with John Clissold and John Nash behind, and Peter Nash took out the double with a win in C Grade from Olivia Saunders and Ann
Saunders.
It wasn’t the only success Olivia Saunders tasted over the weekend, taking out the U13s 11km Kirmesse race in Kurri Kurri on Saturday.
Spokes placed fifth in the 77 km Elite Men’s A grade race, while Graham Lewis, who is now based in Maitland but still rides for Tamworth Cycle Club, was fifth in the Men’s E grade.
It has been a good season, Tamworth Cycle Club president Ray Griffin said, of the criterium racing.
“We’ve had good numbers and a few new members riding as well,” he said.
“The racing has been very good, very quick and we’ve also had different types as well.
“So all that has been pleasing.
“Now we head onto the road racing season after Easter.”
The Tamworth club has also celebrated another national representative this year, with Tori Saunders winning a berth in the Australian women’s junior team to ride in the World Junior Track Championship in Kazakhstan later in the year.
“She joins Sam Spokes as one of our national junior representatives,” Griffin said.
“It was a special achievement by a talented young rider. She’s also a first year Under 19 but won medals in the national championships.”
Griffin said a NSW Under 19 Road Racing Championship comes Tamworth’s way later in the year too.
“That will be based at Loomberah and will draw a couple of hundred people for the three days.
“The Nemingha-Nundle-Nemingha Tour is also one of our highlight races this year.
“The 100km race has become something of a favourite with riders in the region because it is such a hard race.
“You climb all the way to Nundle and then it gets pretty quick on the way back.
“We also have the Gunnedah to Tamworth again this year.
“It is the day after the Sundowner (Coonabarabran to Gunnedah) and is a handicap race this year.
“We just don’t have the volunteers to run six races as we have in the past.
“So we’ll run that as a handicap race.”
