Given the dearth of club races over the next couple of months, I though I’d reacquaint myself with the Veterans “club” (West Coast Masters Cycling Council) this weekend. Their advertised race said that it included a finish at the top of a hill at Brigadoon. Revolutionary.

Plenty turned up despite the cold and the 1500 metres of sometimes 10% gradient promised at the end of 80 or so km of racing for the A and B grades. 32 riders entered for the A grade including a lot of the usual suspects from the State Road titles a couple of weeks ago. And Eddie Hollands. Warm up was a bit of non-event as riding around in the cold was counter-productive and sitting on the bike in the queue in the sun seemed to work much better as far as the muscles were concerned. Luckily we were off last, about 20 minutes or so after the Bs had left.

The pack was kind at the start, allowing everyone to get warm on the flat rectangular Herne Hill course before the attacking began. Odd little groups of one or two were allowed to get their 100 metres or so off the front until counter-attacks began and they were quickly brought to heel. That is until one Mr Hollands decided to get serious on the 3rd lap of 8 and he got away with a series of sustained bursts that quickly opened up a couple of hundred metres. No-one really had the intent to try to bring him back and he used a couple of the other grades’ packs to conceal just how well he was going.

Lap 4 saw another series of twos and threes get mini-breaks to form a breakaway group of about 8 (including Lamond, Glasby et. al.) and they started to work well together. They gradually opened 150 metres or so on the main group until the chase was on. I guess many could see their chances disappearing so it quickly became a very democratic operation. You could tell the pressure was on as a couple found themselves riding down the gravel verge as they’d been getting rather ragged when holding wheels, including F. Landon who seems to have a habit of getting himself into sticky situations. Luckily no-one came down as they managed to hop themselves back onto the hard surface.

After a couple of laps of chasing, everything was back together and the last lot of counterattacks began. I began to notice that the legs were in pretty good nick on the little rises on the back straight, despite contributing to the chase, so I was hopeful of getting to the bottom of the hill in a good position then letting nature take its course. A couple of half-hearted solo efforts were restored by the bell, and pace went out of the bunch as they prepared themselves for the final onslaught.

One rider took advantage of the hiatus to try a last semi-hearted attempt to build up a bit of a buffer before the final climb. No-one was interested, so I thought I’d put in a half-effort to keep him close. It seemed to be the right time (that hesitation time that seems to come in the last kilometres when the serious breakaway attacks have finished and everyone is waiting/watching – or stuffed) as the peleton let me go on the back straight ‘rises’. I was away again and with another strong rider for company, so we soon bridged and formed a happy triumvirate. Now these other two were good power riders with rumps that you can show widescreen video presentations on, and they were intent to stay away this close to the finish, so the team time-trialling speed came on. News from the roadside was that Hollands was 3 minutes up the road, so we were racing for second. I was torn between wanting to maintain our good gap over the bunch and not wanting to cook the legs prior to the hill. Climbers are not meant to break away on the flat before the hill, after all.

The final hill came with a reasonable gap back to the bunch. I managed to drop both my helpers on the steep section, but one had settled into his rhythm about 50 metres back, and the lactic acid began to take its toll near the top. I couldn’t pull away any further before the false flat came with 300 metres or so to the finish. Neither of us knew where the exact ‘Arrivee’ line was, but he was certainly stronger on the level and I was beyond arguing about it. He looked younger than Ryan anyways. We finished just over 2 minutes behind Eddie Hollands, but with a clear gap to 4th.

Results: 1st Eddie Hollands, 2nd Steve Smith, 3rd Mike Bonner, 4th Richard Woods, 5th Andrew Brierley, 6th Paul Lamond.

Please find full results here: http://www.wcmasterscycling.asn.au/raceresults/Results%202009/Results%207%20June%202009.htm

The Australian Veterans Council National Championships are in Perth this year this coming November with a time-trial, track races, criterium and road race (Chidlow). Perhaps this explains the bigger fields and the more adventurous courses and racing.

Michael B.