This week we have guest race reporter Peter Canny as I was away doing 3 Peaks which took almost as long as writing the weekly race report. There are only two more races until the SKCC World Championships which are held on April 1^st.  Thanks to James McPherspon for the photos.

A Grade (45 starters)
1. Nicholas Walker (CCCC)
2. Aaron Salisbury (SKCC)
3. Cameron McDonald (SKCC)
4. Duncan Smith (SKCC)

Cam McDonald (Bike Gallery) in the break and on the wheel of a Queensman. Note the sock height difference, Cam scores a A+ for that.

A Grade Women (11 starters)
1. Nicole Whitburn (CCCC)
2. Kerrie Baumgartner (SKCC)

Duncan Smith AKA The Monster, he is the odds on favourite to win the SKCC World Championship in 3 weeks.

B Grade (53 starters)
1. Sam Pickering (SKCC)
2. Alistair Donohoe (Blackburn CC)
3. Mitchell Barry (Blackburn CC)
4. James Gray (Hawthorn CC)
5. James Dunn (SKCC)

No doubt these two are talking about the finer things in cycling like Campagnolo, Pinarello, Colnago, De Rosa, MOst, Sidi, EPS the list goes on.

B Grade Women (5 starters)
1. Nicole Schneller (SKCC)
2. Carolyn Fraser (Hawthorn CC)

The boys on the lookout for the 3 to go sign

C Grade (30 starters)
1. Brent Woodlock (SKCC)
2. Jason Cooper (SKCC)
3. Nicholas Kennedy (CCCC)

Asha and Dad

C Grade Women (17 starters)
1. Emma Scott (Geelong CC)
2. Katherine Taylor (3RP)

Willie Rasin-Shaw putting down the hammer

D Grade (32 starters)
1. Matthew Callahan (SKCC)
2. Mark Pausler (Brunswick CC)
3. Heath Christie (SKCC)

The A Grade bunch finish

E Grade (17 starters)
1. Jarrod Peck (Brunswick CC)
2. Scott Gigante (Brunswick CC)

The face of a champion. Allan Iacone is the former Australian Road Champion hence why he has the green and gold bands on his sleeves.

Pete Canny’s uncut and totally unedited and raw summary:

Mens
 
Racing started with the moon still hanging high in the sky. [pic above] the weather was crisp and clear with just a hint of wind.

Smaller numbers than other weeks due to all the other cycling events on the go this weekend
 
New GP like chicane feature on the back straight, kept us all alert.
 
Eddie directed the racing beautifully.
 
Announced Helmet inspections will commence soon [probably next week] under direction of CA or CV ….
 
Pro-Motion cycles from Ormond had the pit crew on hand for any mechanicals.
 
E ~ a group of eager starters raced well under the excellent guidance of Total Rush’s Dave Sewell [really communicated and instructed clearly and well, kudos to him] 
D ~ plenty of attacks… ave 40.1 hardly a rest between attacks
 
Back together with about 5 to go…. lots of bustling…
 
Tight finish 1st by a couple of lengths, 1/2 length between 2nd & 3rd and a tyre width to 4th
  
C ~ Together all the way, no breaks 40.6 ave  [found it on Strava ;-)] They may say it was different, but it looked kinda sleepy & boring.
 
Special mention to Gordon Duff. just up from D grade came 5th
 
  B ~ break of 4 for a while…I don’t think it held…didn’t see the end though, was I was a bit busy by that stage.
 
 A ~ A big break formed quite early and the field divided neatly into  2 x halves…which stretched to about half a lap apart. When I bailed at 11:05 there were about 30 seconds in it…and it was stretching by about a second per lap.
 
Patrick Drapac [that’s him with that moustache yeah?] tried to bridge it early on when the gap was still less than the start/finish straight, but couldn’t get across.
 
One only  [I think] O2 rider in the front, the rest were in the second group… don’t know who?
 
Womens 

Pretty small fields
 
C grade…not too sure
 
B grade 5 starters rode together and then had a sprint finish
 
A grade had a few attacks, without anyone holding for terribly long. It essentially went  to the line with Nicole Whitburn winning solidly.