The winter chill finally arrived to cool down cyclists who headed out to the War Memorial Rest stop 50km towards Camooweal to contest the President’s Trophy – a 60km mass start for grades A and B in two loops and 30km one loop for C grade to be decided by known handicaps.
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Handicaps were allocated on results so far this year and there were plenty of groans among the A graders when the handicaps were read out before the start.
In this format, the onus is on those with small handicaps to put the power down early on to start distancing their handicap rivals.
The recipients of the better handicaps try to hang onto the pack as long as they could to increase the chances of a win after calculations at the end.
With the very first of the winter winds prevailing, the first of the 30km loops saw the bunch stay largely together for the first trip to the far end turn.
With Linda French, Frank Long and Lyn Roughan having dropped off abut 7km into the race, they made a pact to ride together to maximise the chances of the handicap winner coming from their group.
Up ahead, Jason Ahearn was ejected from the pack as those with small handicaps worked to try and put better handicapped riders under stress.
Luke Scard was also distanced for a time, but it was Denis Piltz who profited from a slow season start, who was the rider sitting in the front bunch as a danger to the peloton.
With a bunch of nine at the first loop turn, this dwindled to eight for the final push for home.
Piltz hung on with dogged determination and outlasted the attacks to finish with the lead bunch.
Stephen Derrick crossed first with the fastest time of 1:31:39 with Leon Bennett beaten narrowly.
Clayton Green had a good ride at 1:31:46 just pipping Matthys Labuschagne.
John Braithwaite just drifted a fraction at 1:32:19 and the pair of Luke Scard and Mace Bennett finished together on 1:33:18.
With the calculator out to deduct the handicaps, Denis Piltz scored a corrected time of 1:18:18 to add his name to the roster of winners.
Second was Mace Bennett on an adjusted time of 1:23:48 and Luke Scard taking bronze on 1:24:18.
The C Grade 30km race was contested by a trio of women riders in Simone Marsh, Rachael Palfreymen and Clare Lehmann.
They rode very solidly together in a bunch having little mind for handicaps and at the end, Lehmann won the sprint in a time of 53:55 with Palfreyman a half wheel second and Marsh a second later.
Unfortunately for the amigos, the handicaps had to come off and the C Grade trophy winner was Simone Marsh in a corrected time of 45:57, with Palfreyman maintaining second and Lehmann paying the price for improving form, coming third in the calculations.
The next race is one of the preparatory races for the Border Ride – a 92km one way ride from the Airport Start to the 100 km Rest Stop near Yelvertoft Station turnoff halfway to Camooweal.
The will be a 44km option for C Grade with the start at the War Memorial, finishing at the Yelvertoft rest stop as well.
The format will be a graded scratch race – A and B grade riding in their own bunches but not against each other.
This will be held on Sunday June 19 with registrations being taken from 7:30 am.
Check details on the club Facebook page – Copper City Cycling Club Mount Isa for upcoming training rides.
For all enquiries please email coppercitycyclingclub@gmail.com.
