Northern Sydney Cycling Club added 3 new photos.

3 days ago

Beauie Worlds Sunday 15th July

Well this morning was a day for the hard women and men who turned out in big numbers at Beauie. The riders were given a Minus 1 degree welcome as shivers replaced the normal race nerves. Despite the freezing weather the racing was red hot and the large bunches in each grade went full gas from the gun.
In A grade the race started with a break which was quickly reeled in. A few more pop gun attacks were also quickly neutralised before a three man break including Manly’s Chris Taylor who was turning the clock back to show he still has some sting in the legs. But eventually this break was also shut down by Angus The Enforcer Calder, who was bossing the bunch and controlling the race.
It was clear that Angus was aware that his Nero Team mate Chris Powell was one of the gun sprinters and he could be set up for a bunch kick.

Late in the race there was another mini-break with Angus and Dan Newman, but by the final lap it was all back together and the question was who could win the sprint. At the bottom turn Matt Garnon went from last to first and gunned it, but by the rise past the bus depot, the smart riders had him covered and as they cames into the final straight, it was Chris Powell who turned on the gas and outsprinted the two Dans - Cranfield and Newman - for a smart win.

B grade was a massive field, especially given the weather, and from the gun it was on. Matty Johnston went off the front on the first lap and that set the tone for the entire race. The pace was ridiculous for a B grade race and several riders have been earmarked for A grade the next time they appear at Beauie. The race average speed was actually faster than A grade and attack after attack, eventually splintered the bunch with many dropping out at the half way mark.

After another full gas attack, Matty J sat up to look around and then a counter-attack saw three burglars gap the field to create a clear break. The NSCC boys - Logan, Teseriero etc - tried to get organised to bring it back together, knowing they had sprint king Chris Hinds ready to pounce. The Suvelo women, esp Jennifer Dermody, were also mixing it up, showing the boys that they had plenty of grunt to pull at the front. However the break worked so well together - A grade next week boys - that they actually put time into the bunch and lack of organisation meant the race was over with 5 laps to go.

Alexis Kaless took over the job of patrolling the back of the bunch when yours truly got dropped, and he did a fantastic job watching for any sock-height violations from his rear vantage point. The 3 man break was temporarily disrupted with a mechanical but regrouped to work cohesively until the 2nd last lap when Chris Ball and Jacob Wilson went away, but these three filled the podium as the bunch was left to sprint for bragging rights of 4th place.

In C grade another big field kept the pace high but there were no real breaks throughout the race and the bunch all maintained a high tempo with a quality C grade field keeping each other honest. NSCC were always active and the King of Hart, Richard Measures was doing plenty of work to get lots of TV time. Rich gassed it on the bottom turn but burned his matches by the finish straight and had to watch the finish from the back of the bunch.

In a tight sprint finish, NSCC- trained and fed rider, now MWCC turncoat Jeff Tippett, outsprinted Beauie virgin Adam Buttenshaw for the major placings.

Results as follows:

A Grade
1st Chris Powell St George CC
2nd Dan Cranfield CCCC
3rd Dan Newman NSCC

B Grade
1st Chris Ball MWCC (defo and A grader)
2nd Jacob Wilson ParkLife
3rd George Peppou Suvelo

C Grade
1st Jeff Tippet MWCC, formerly NSCC
2nd Adam Buttenshaw NSCC
3rd Sam Dwyer HCC

Thanks to the volunteer traffic controllers and commissaire Phil Youdale, and to Matt Garnon who had to set up the course then pin on a number in A grade. Also thanks to the Suvelo latte sippers and riders from the inner west for making the pilgrimage to the spiritual home of Sydney crit racing. ... See MoreSee Less