ToMR Stage 2 – Jon Hanson

I love a good road race and Stage 2 of TOMR was the best stage of the event to suit my abilities. 50 ks from Nannup to Greenbushes. I was looking forward to it. 9am start. Drive from Dunsborough wondering what the day is going to be like.

The day started hot and got hotter. Warm up with a few hill climbs around town to get the lungs hurting and the legs over their initial soreness.  The atmosphere at the SPR tents at Nannup was fantastic. Some on rollers. Ice. Bananas. It was all set up for us. Thank God for our vollies. All we had to do was ride our hearts out.

We lined up with the rest of D Grade that the Mens 2 team were in after our TTT result which put us slap bang in the middle of D. 3,2,1 on the SPR countdown clock and we were off. And we were lead out down the main street of Nannup by a motorcycle escort to the bottom of the climb.

The Mo, The Prez, The Crumpet, Tim, Ross and myself lined up behind the RTR team and just arrived at the bottom of the climb when “Bang” someone’s tyre blew. It was the RTR guy and he pulled off and rode back into town to change his tyre. But we had more important things to do. The climb was on. For the first few minutes everyone tapped away but as it got steeper the young and the strong started to take off.

Callum came round for Feathers and Scales. An RTR guy went then they came past in groups of two and threes. I was doing all I could but I couldn’t hold these strong men. But wait here comes Crumpy flying the flag for SPR. He’s not just the thinking woman’s crumpet he can also climb a hill. All that Zwift sweat over a hot computer was paying off. It was high point of my day just seeing him go with off with the leaders. We were never to see him again.

But for the rest of us it was just hard work. Later I saw that I’d got PBs for 5 minute and 10 minute power on that climb. Other riders I’ve spoken to got the same. So it was on for young and old.

Over the top there were a few riders with me including the Mo. I didn’t dare look and see who was behind. We rode across the top as the heat steadily rose. Try and encourage the guys to roll around. Try and encourage them to work. Luckily most of them we knew and could work with. Catch up to the slow C Graders who started 3 minutes ahead of us and encourage them to fall off the back.

Wattlab riding erratically as they do on our Sunday Hills rides. Joey Rawson eventually making up for a disastrous climb and riding away from us. A long brown snake starts heading across the road and we go to ride behind it then it changes its mind and we hurriedly change direction to let it slide away. Luckily we had the legs to get away from those who just wanted to sit on and do nothing.

It was scenic. Tall timbers. Creeks. Cows in pasture.But there was no time for looking around. There was work to be done. So we caught people and dropped people. We ate. We drank. We turned those pedals over. We climbed and we fell.

And we worked our way to the Kandalee Catapult – the last climb of the day.  This was made bearable by the Crikey Cadel Croc which had stationed himself at the top of the climb and was blowing his trumpet all the way up.

The Mo is a great photo bomber and his impetus for getting up the climb was to be first in Beardy McBeard’s shot of our group – a task he succeeded at. After that his day was done. Mission accomplished for The Mo.

Finally we were at the top and it flattened off again. Look around. Regroup. Work with the riders you are with. It was The Mo and I, Merv from West Coast Masters, a C Grade guy from En Time and a couple of others. We each took our turns though we were weary now.

I’d been criticising the organisers in the morning for giving us a 50K race when they could have given us a 100K loop that finished back in Nannup. I was eating those words as fast as I could now.

Merv blew first and disappeared. En Time kept rolling around. The guy in front of The Mo lost the wheel and that was The Mo gone.  En Time was riding away up the last climb. I let him go.

1km to the KOM said the sign and we all scoffed.

500m to the sprint said the sign and we laughed out loud. We had nothing.

Up over the top and it was a roll down into town – a sharp right hander and there was the finish chute. Down in the drops so the coach doesn’t get upset and over the line.

It’s sweltering as I catch up to Ross and The Crumpet who are parked in some shade. Catch my breath then off to find the SPR tent. There it is – an oasis. Shade under a tree, an esky full of cold cokes – the volunteers have saved our lives again.

Watch the other SPR riders finish and give them a cheer as they pass. Take off your shoes and buy a $5 burger with some money Tim lent me. A minutes silence as it’s remembrance day. Stand up for Advance Australia Fair. Help those who need an ice tube or a cold coke. Chat about the race.

Check our mate with the oxygen mask on who’d overexerted herself. Listen to Robbie McEwen and Matt Keenan and Gary Suckling chatting on the microphones about the finishers. Watch the WM3 team from the Netherlands as they finish as though it’s all been an easy stroll in the park.

The volunteers have been shuffling cars all day to try and get all 42 of us home.

It’s a slow job but they’ve done brilliantly. Eventually our lift arrives though it’s not without some trepidation that we leave as we can see there are still SPR riders who won’t get home till 5.

On the ride home we pass numerous groups of racers riding the hilly 50K route home. We can’t quite believe the sight.

We got home to Dunsborough for a quick dip and see that we’ve moved into last place in Group D. A position we proudly hold till the end. Rossco cooks up some chicken for dinner. The Mo fires up the coffee machine. We have a Little Dove and wind down.

It’s been a brilliant day. Everything I hoped for.

ToMR Stage 1 – Amanda Nabi

Our journey to stage 1 started 6 weeks prior to the ToMR with weekly practice sessions.   A fortnight out from the tour we were on top of our game and confident we were going to achieve our first goal for the Tour…to make it into the top Division of the ToMR to race with the A grade women.  Unfortunately, our beloved Louise McKay had a mishap on the bike and was unable to continue her adventure with the team.  We grieved our loss and committed to continue on with a team of 5.   At the last minute we were blessed with the offer to have Veris Racing Team rider Stefanie Van Amerongen ride with us…we naturally snapped her up.  At this stage we only had one opportunity to practice our team time trial as a new team but that only built our confidence as we discovered that Stefanie was the perfect fit both on and off the road. The team was now eager for our long awaited adventure together to get underway.

Hot, hilly and smooth pretty much sums up Stage 1 of ToMR for Women’s Team 1.  Day 1 of the Tour arrived and it was unexpectedly a stinker of a day.  We adjusted our planned warmups accordingly to allow for the heat.  Before we knew it we were lining up at the start line, downing a gel and we were off!   Everything went to plan with the team rolling out steady for the first few kilometres before upping the pace slightly and settling into a smooth rhythm.  The confidence built as we passed a couple of teams.  Holden Women’s Racing passed us as we expected with little impact on the team…the pace and rhythm remained consistent.

We weren’t the quietest of teams on the road…we didn’t care as our aim was to ‘communicate’ and ensure that all our rider were supported and together.  As a team we wanted to have our less strong riders with the team for as long as possible.  Thus, we had them taking shorter turns and when they were struggling sitting at the back moderating the pace.

All was going perfectly until a kilometre or so from the turnaround point when I dropped my chain…arrgh!  I dropped to the back and told the girls to keep going, I’d get back on…this I did and the girls took the surprise in their stride.  We hit the turnaround point with Michelle leading the team in and out of the hot dog turn smoothly and with a good line.   As we picked the pace back up the second chain drop occurs…Vanessa this time.  Just as quickly as she called it she had it sorted with only a few seconds lost before we got back into our rhythm.

As we were getting closer to the finish it was evident that some of us were starting to tire whilst others were eager to push to the finish draining it all.  A couple of our riders were dropping off the back but Michelle was quick to read this behaviour calling for the front few to ‘ease up’ and her dropping back to pull them back on knowing we need 5 to finish with.  Minimal time was lost with Michelle’s savvy approach having us all back together.

Vanessa selflessly told the team to go heading into the final long climb…this was timed perfectly and the remaining 5 of us pushed hard to the finish before waiting for Vanessa to re-join us.

Stage 1 was done and that evening we celebrated the achievement of our first goal…qualifying for Women’s Division 1.

In reflecting, we had a magical combination for stage 1…hills climbers in Corrie, Stefanie and Michelle leading us up the climbs, Oleysa and I to take us down the descents and Vanessa guiding on wind direction and the best way to roll and echelon.  Most importantly though we were all ‘team players’ wanting to contribute what we could for the betterment of the team.

SPR Chicks. Strong.

 

ToMR Stage 1 – Ashley Brown

So I’m back from the 2017 Satalyst Tour of Margaret River, my first ever stage race event and I’m feeling a strange mix of feelings. There’s more than a healthy dose of fatigue, having driven back first thing in the morning and with around 200kms of racing completed over the three day, four stage event. But the overwhelming feeling is of withdrawal – I want to be back there, enjoying the experience of working as a team on (and off) the bike. I want to be back amongst that SPR comradarie, that almost family kinship.

I’m addicted to the social feeds, trawling through photo after photo, post after post of people capturing the moment in many diverse and personal voices. Greg’s email informing me that I’ve been nominated to capture a race report on behalf of the mixed team arrives a bit unexpectedly. I feel honoured …but nervous; I hope I’m up to the task and can capture a little insight to our shared experience in the SPR Mixed team.

I think it’s fair to say that Stage 1 was an experience for all of us. None of us had done ToMR before, and although prior to the start we all had some racing experience, for a lot of our team this was a relatively recent development and for the most part, we are still relative newbies! So a multi-stage event with a huge roster of competitive teams, not to mention a healthy spattering of pro tour riders, was a little daunting to say the least! Let alone the concerns about the physical dimensions of the race itself; the undulations of those team time trials, the length and gradient of some of those climbs on Stage 2 and 3, and the cumulative distance over 4 stages…. how would our bodies hold up?

And so, our Tour actually started the night before. After we had checked into our lovely beach shack at Dunsborough, unpacked our bags and got dinner out of the way, we gathered around Shane’s Surface Pro on the breakfast bar to watch the YouTube’s and take in some time trial tips from 7x world champion Marianne Vos. We studied the stage profile charts for the millionth time, talked tactics and positioning. Tea spoons came out – models of our paceline were debated. We were so pro!

We woke early Friday morning to take in some breakfast, finalise our packing and make our way in convoy to the tour village at Nannup. The SPR tent was directly adjacent to the start line, with plenty of familiar faces around – volunteers and riders alike – helping to calm the nerves a little, people pinning on numbers, warming up on trainers and getting into the zone. It was fantastic to be immersed in that feeling of support; little words of encouragement here and there, along with the freedom that comes from being surrounded by a whole group of people each approaching the countdown to the start in their own personal, focussed way.

With our race prep and warmup out of the way, we made our way to the starting line for Stage 1 – a 42 km Team Time Trial along an undulating out-and-back course along Mowen Road from Nannup. We posed for a few happy snaps, then lined up on the starting line as the countdown rolled down… then we were off! The stage commenced with a steady roll out through town, with Cap’n Deb on the front, then we crossed the bridge out of town and hit the first of many little hills of the day.

Anyone who raced will tell you it was an intensely hot day, possibly exacerbated by the late arrival of spring and us all being used to the cold, but even in an objective sense it was pretty warm out there…. Figures have been debated… it was probably 38° or 39°c, but my Wahoo bolt says it was 40°+ probably reflecting the heat coming off the tarmac.

The stage was quite an undulating course. None of the hills were individually tough, but you were either going up or down for most of the stage. In our debriefing with other teams after the stage, we began to learn that it wasn’t just us; it was tough for all teams to keep the paceline tight… One minute we were on each other’s wheel in a nice, tight formation. The next we were inadvertently creating multi-bike length gaps and dropping riders. Luckily, we kept up pretty good communication between everyone in the team, with plenty of “ease up!”, “faster!” and “steady!” calls helping us correct the inevitable breaking up of our bunch. It may not have been as smooth as the spoons, but it felt pretty good!

And so the kms ticked away. There was such a great atmosphere out on the road, especially as the green and white flashed by us, with plenty of “Go SPR!” being called out, to us and from us to other SPR teams. There was a tremendous feeling of comradarie amongst the entire SPR squad that wrung that extra little bit of effort out of our legs. The halfway turnaround point brought a surprising but very welcome light breeze which seemed to help us lift a little bit more.

By this point, the heat was starting to take its toll. We started to regroup and consider the options that we knew would come into play at this point…. the team time and points would be set from the time of our first 5 across the line. Should we push on hard and let one of us drop off at this point? Wisely, we stuck to our Plan A; we were going to finish this as a team of 6. And so it was, those that were feeling good did longer stints on the front, with someone rotating to act as a backstop and help keep the communication up. We kept it together and powered down the final straight in line, as per our race plan, crossing elatedly under the arch as a team.

There was a brief window where the results on metarace showed us netting 3 points in J division, only to lose them when I & J div were later merged! But that was of no consequence to us; we had completed Stage 1 and had ridden well, we were placed in the right division for us and we finished as a team – what more was there to ask for! Perhaps a massage, some dinner and a lie down? After all we had the lumpy Stage 2 road race ahead of us on Saturday!

 

Wow. What a weekend. The Tour of Margaret River has come and gone for another year and for SPR ToMR Central, it’s time for race@SPR to switch off and recharge for a bit. As was reported in the previous post, this was a large operation. In fact the biggest Club coordinated race event we’ve attended, the biggest contingent the EVENT has had and a big o’l lump of cash money budget that we had to manage – it outspent the purchase of the SPR Van. The previous post was a gold mine for those who love numbers……

What was made more memorable and enjoyable – as well as more complex and busy – was the addition of one Annemiek van Vleuten – current world number 1, current world ITT champion and quite possibly one of the nicest superstars of cycling you’re likely to meet. Annemiek and her buddy Kim traveled out from The Netherlands as guests of ToMR, with Annemiek assigned to SPR as a Pro Register Rider. Annemiek has requested to be selected with a non-elite, up and coming or development-type team (sorry SPR W1, you are too fast!).

And I think that sums up Annemiek completely. She and Kim were so generous with their time and energy throughout the weekend. From emailing with them ahead of time, then meeting Annemiek and Kim at the airport, they were so relaxed and engaging. Not everything we expected, but so much more than we had hoped. Casually showing a UCI Rainbow jersey (“It’s a new one, but I don’t get to wear it at Margaret River!”), chatting about backpacking through Australia previously (with Marianne Vos, as you do) to talking about the importance of long friendships like Annemiek and Kim share going back to 3 years old in Kindergarten.

Kim too is a gem. She had a crack at racing a few stages as a guest of ToMR as well, albeit on Jordan’s old bike (with which I have a personal history, but that’s another story!). We had pledged to get Annemiek out of Dutch Orange and into Green, even if only briefly, and we even pulled this off successfully by the Team BBQ. It was like they had been with the Club for years. But maybe that says as much SPR as it does about the Dutchies. Needless to say, what you see in the photos with Annemiek and Kim was just that – a snapshot. The banter and the laughs and the chatter and the smiles were there throughout the whole weekend.

SPR entered seven teams of six racers each this year, with three women’s, three men’s and one mixed. Being a Teams-focused event, the results were aimed at a points-based Teams format, with the TTT times based on the 5th and 4th rider times and the road race results based on the combined time of the first three riders from each team. It is a unique format for WA racing and really forces the teams to embrace a team mentality.

The event this year was based out of the town of Nannup and raced over four stages:

• Stage 1 – 42km out and back Team Time Trial over constantly undulating terrain
• Stage 2 – 50km Road Race with some significant climbs
• Stage 3 – 72km Road Race with rolling hills and a 1.2km VERTICAL WALL for a finish
• Stage 4 – 42km Team Time Trial down the undulating Nannup-Ballingup Rd – a top ten ranked “Best Drivers Road of Australia”, un-ranked as a final TTT stage after 200km of racing, though

All the teams rode hard and proudly all weekend, but there were some very near misses on big results for the teams SPR M1 and SPR W2.

SPR Men’s 1 had the lead all the way from stage 1 in Division B and held it until the last moment, getting pipped by one point in the final TTT to get the closest of 2nd places. The guys rode out of their skins and thoroughly deserved the win – just check out the Beardy McBeard photos here of award winning pain faces from M1! John Carnicelli and Elar Kalda both gained top 5 finishes over the Road Race stages. We’ll hear from Elar in the Race Reports to come.

SPR Women’s 2 had a tough but hugely successful weekend out. Sitting 2nd after stage 1, 3rd after stage 2, back to second after WINNING stage 3, and it was just 90 seconds difference in the final stage 4 TTT to take second place overall in Division. Stage 3 saw a big crash in the Women’s Division L, with several of the SPR W2 and W3 riders brought down, and two of the Veris Women’s Development team treated by the ambulance as a result. Seeing the surviving Veris girls dig deep and take the stage win was pretty impressive, while the bruised and battered SPR W2 girls fought hard for second place, battered bruised and two of them on borrowed or Frankenstein-ed bikes. Claire Tyrrell is contributing to the Race Reports as well.

Outside of the SPR teams, there were some very big results for SPR members riding in other teams. Matt Champtaloup, Brian Sing and Patrick Saccani-Williams racing for the Santic-GDT team took the overall Teams win for Open Division A, and Matt won the individual overall for the Open categories. Dome Coffee Cycling Team came second overall in the Teams with Dave Hind, Jarrad Anderson and Richard Langsford placing well individually. Adam Ralph’s team won Division D, and Feathers and Scales with George Rolt and Ken Nicholls contested hard in D as well.

Coming in third overall for the Women’s Division K were “The Leftovers” featuring our Dianne McAuliffe.

Full event results are available here .

The event made more mainstream Cycling media as well, with CyclingTips posting a great article here. Ben Thorman features with yet another special wheelie pic up the Ballingup finish climb, which was super impressive until Robbie McEwen did it no-hands! Graced with the ever professional Matt Keenan and Robbie playing commentary,  an event-long home base at the Nannup Event Village, a bonfire and aBloc beers available (yes please!) it was a very slick production this year, and congratulations must go out to Rebecca Cotton and Brendon Morrison. You and your crew ROCK!

Our own race – well SPR Mens 2 outgunned ourselves on Stage 1 with a strong Team Time Trial netting us 36th overall and a place in Division D. We were front to mid-pack all weekend, but failed to get three to the line together effectively, and the team results in the Road Race stages suffered accordingly. Having suffering like dogs, and el Prez will attest to this, it’s still probably the most fun I’ve had on a race event away. SPR Mens 2 was a powerhouse of humour, ribbing and banter. And Crumpet. And we probably rocked the best team photos out on the road…… You’re welcome!

Organising the event was not without its’ challenges. Accommodating Annemiek and Kim was subsidised by all the ToMR squad. A few of the team members missed out on chances to more spend time with Annemiek and Kim, which was unfortunate. Our hard-as, extremely understanding Mixed team were left without transport back from a hot stage 2 – crappy and avoidable. But you’d not know it for the spirit in which these legends rode their hearts out – we’re so sorry SPR Mixed!!!

Of SPR the volunteers that we had with the teams, there were some huge standout efforts.

Bryan “Poodle” Thurstan, on 2 days’ notice and nursing an almighty Melbourne Cup hangover, answered the call to step up to be SPR Team Manager. In an effort to replace Stuart Gee who was forced to withdraw after his nasty crash just days out, Jon Hanson was the ONLY person with time available (he was already travelling as Team Manager) and race fit to step in – and we tried EVERYONE. Taking over at such late notice required a solid handover (handover, not hangover, this time) from Jon, which with his exceptional planning was a doddle.

Michelle Bonner. Wow. On Day 2 Michelle clocked up approximately 600km of driving picking up the slack for vehicle transfers from the start to the finish line – a point to point stage. Legend.

Cathi Dixon, who was a ToMR Event volunteer this year, drove from her accommodation in Nannup to SPR digs in Dunsborough both Friday and Saturday nights to provide SPR racers with massages. And get a free feed, apparently! Good Karma.

Of course, the SPR Slave Labour – Fiona and Andrew Williams. We pawned them out as ToMR Event staff with the SPR Van (it LIVES AGAIN!) in return for Annemiek. You two, Dear Williamseseses, are one of the major reasons we were graced with AvV and Kim for the weekend, and this can never be thanked enough. The Williamseseses even claimed that they enjoyed themselves being immersed in the event as staff. Maybe they just took note of the state of us racers and thought “hell no”. Whatever the fact, thank you, thank you, thank you.

And lastly, Jon Hanson. Passionate, diligent, generous, hilarious. Mate, this year wouldn’t have happened without you. Staging The Beverley and then ToMR takes a lot of time and effort and without yours, we would have struggled. Identifying and recruiting 23 replacements alone (yep, twenty three…..) to cover withdrawals is no easy feat. Despite the circumstances around your late nomination, I’m glad I got to race with you. If we weren’t drinking coffee from the Rocket, marveling at the effortless charm of The Crumpet, or coordinating transport and people, then we were laughing at the expense of each other or calling #FTS. I raise a Fairbrossen to you!

Over the next few days we will publish SPR Team Members accounts for each of the four stages to give you the inside line on how ToMR 2017 went down. No doubt you’ve possibly stumbled across an image or two from the event. We’ll collate all that we can and post them up in a gallery. Please be mindful of the rights and ownership of any images before posting and sharing. Do the right thing by the snappers that give their time to capture us in all out glory.

The Tour of Margaret River 2017 is on this week. Just in case you missed the ToMR SPAM to date. This is the biggest Pro-Am cycling event in WA, and SPR have been there since Day 1. This year we are sending the biggest Club contingent in SPR’s history, and indeed the event’s history.

These are the numbers of SPR’s ToMR squad 2017:

• $30K budget
• 65 nominees
• 41 SPR racers
• 10 event volunteers
• 7 SPR teams
• 3 Womens teams (YAY!)
• 1 broken pelvis
• 6 broken ribs
• 1 broken scapula
• 7 stitches
• 2 back strain injuries
• 3 cracked frames
• 1 case pneumonia
• 1 Annemiek van Vleuten

For clarity, none of the injuries were mine, and none of were Andrew Ballam’s. I know, right?

Personally – since the last ToMR in 2016 I’ve covered 13366km, climbed 102047m, 5 races, 6 weeks injury time off (thanks to best medical malpractice lawyer in Austin for their help in claiming the injury compensation) the bike, 1 Europe trip, 1 track session, 1 pretend wedding, 1 Beverley Handicap. No wonder it felt busy!

Speaking of The Beverley Handicap, this year saw 27 of our ToMR nominees race (and suffer in the unseasonable heat) and total of 20+ SPRouleurs (including 13 of them ToMR nominees) volunteering over the course of the weekend. Growing.

For the Committee, and especially Jon Hanson and I, the time it takes to organise this event is sizeable. On top of real world, full time, big boy jobs, racking up 20+ hours a week for the past 8 weeks on this event alone (discounting The Beverley!) comes at a cost. A cost to partner time, to family time, to sleeping time. But never riding and training time. Never. Ever. One could hire attorney for wrongful death cases in case of accidents or any other injury cases. If people have undergone Cpr Training Waterloo, it would be much more helpful in case there are any serious injuries.

Travelling with SPR this year is the biggest contingent we have sent. Staying in accommodation arranged by SPR, in teams selected by SPR, with a detailed timetable and Squad Handbook drafted by SPR, paid and accounted for through 180 separate incoming payments and 54 outgoing payments. We are dealing with a $30K+ budget for this event. Or three Beverley’s worth of SPR cashola. And all this takes time and passion to do on a volunteer basis.

SPR have not hosted a ToMR Pro rider previously, so hosting Annemiek van Vleuten – as the current Womens World #1 Road Racer, 2017 Womens ITT World Champion, 2017 La Course by TdF champion and as of Sunday night World Cup Track Silver medallist – is a first for the Club. And with it comes some new and extra organisation. Airport transfers, loaner bikes, catering, transfers to and from stages, Dutch beers (possibly, we’ll find out!) and managing outside demands on Annemiek’s time all factor. Our plan is to enjoy it – and so is Annemiek’s.

When Jon and I kicked off this year’s activities, Jon’s stated primary goal was for us to require nothing, nada, zilch, zero from Pete. Pete is to enter, enjoy and get out of our way, allowing others in the Club to make the magic. I know its’ not easy for el Prez to do so, and the fact that he has trusted us enough is a big thank you in its’ self.

So I’d like for SPR to recognise the efforts of Jon, and our Green Army of volunteers making this event crank (see what I did there?).

As we apex the last corner at speed into the finishing straight in full flight, Chapeau to you all.

Late Note: After a series of late changes to teams, we heard that Stuart Gee had been involved in a crash this morning, cleaned up by a car in Kings Park. The last withdrawal. Stu has had an amazing year racing. Second on the line at Collie Donnybrook to Gary Boylan, and then a very, very narrow third to Gary Boylan’s second (Gary again!!!) in Lorne for Amy’s Gran Fondo. We’re so sorry to hear the news, Stu and wish you the speediest and easiest recovery. We’ll miss you at ToMR.

Last weekend with a sophomore appearance, SPR again staged the revival of “The Beverley” –  a 114km handicapped Road Race on an out and back course starting and finishing in Beverley township. First, a bit of history……

This year marks 120 years since the very first running of what became “The Beverley”. That’s 120 years of WA cycling legacy we’ve been entrusted to care-take, and as one of the youngest Cycling Clubs in WA. Something we’ve taken on wholeheartedly.

 

This year a mighty field size of 170 entries including 37 female entrants, and a lot of SPR green, made up our peloton. Starting at 12:07 with the Limit group at 44 minutes we saw 14 groups in all hit the course. And it was a hot day out there. Very hot. 31 deg in October…… seriously?!?! Under the Handicap format, groups are “graded” according to their previous race average speeds, and matched up as start groups. As the early groups were caught and absorbed by the faster groups, there were riders some popped off the back, and some made to work harder to stay on.

At the turnaround point, it appeared that the pace had been pretty fierce in some groups. A mix of the 31, 33 and 36 minute groups seemed to be working together strongly, and held off the fastest groups on their tail. While the Scratch group were yet to get within sight of the leaders on the road, the Commissaire’s radio reports indicated there wasn’t a lot of cooperation in the chasing groups.

At the 18km to go mark, the Commissaires announced it looked unlikely Scratch group would catch the leaders, and it started to get exciting out on the road. At the Finish line there were radio updates coming through: “There’s a small group breaking away at 10km to go”; “There’s a solo break getting away at 6km to go”; “It looks like he’s clear over the top of Lennard Hill”.

And he was. Roger Blow from the Cove Legal team had got clear and rolled in for the win. Solo. Fifteen seconds back saw Anthony Smithson (also of Cove Legal), Michael Morris, Peter Hammond and SPR’s Adam Ralph sprint in for second through fifth from the chase group of seven. A group that also included SPR’s Yaro Volkov. First Woman was won by Ruth Murdie from East Goldfields CC, and First over 45yo went to Antony Smithson. Fastest time on the day went to Logan Calder with 2:36:16 – at an average speed of 43.77km/hr!!

There are heaps of great photos available to view and purchase. Search out Zac Willams (ZW Photography on FaceBook) and Daniela Tommasi (official event snapper). Check them out, buy some killer shots.

For the inside view we have invited a few of the SPR racers to contribute a Race Report – Debbie Bertolatti 5^th in Womens D grade, Faye Dalglish-Jones 5^th in Womens C and Adam Ralph 5^th overall.

Debbie Bertolatti

It came as a complete surprise to learn I’d placed 5th in the women’s D grade at Beverley. A few weeks ago I’d signed up for this event to gain experience for TOMR having never raced 100kms nonstop.

It was the perfect testing ground to see where my fitness was sitting and more importantly the mental endurance needed to push on when all you want to do is stop.

As Saturday the 14th dawned we were greeted with blue skies and the first really hot day of 30 degrees. After a pleasant drive to Beverley it was wonderful to be greeted by all the SPR volunteers which helped allay the nerves somewhat. With registration done it was time to head off to the muster area for the riders briefing and head off to the start line for a 12pm start.

The D grade women’s group was fairly small with about 8-9 in total, we set off at a comfortable pace with some good roll throughs happening. The first 20kms of the race were the toughest for me as the heat of the day felt intense and there was a slight headwind and that little devil on my shoulder started whispering “if you’re struggling already there’s no way you’ll finish”!

But than something happened I’d made a promise to a team mate that we would ride together and I knew she was suffering more than me. If there is one thing I’ve learned from SPR is there has always been an angel in green for me when I’ve wanted to quit or thought I couldn’t do it. If it’s been “the look” from David Menarry, a wheel from Faye Daglish or a helpful push from Peter Mah.

It was my turn to pay it forward and well…suck it up! By the halfway point it was hurting with cramping in my feet probably due to the heat but thankfully we had some cloud cover and a much appreciated tailwind.
Rationing of hydration and gels was crucial as many riders had hit the wall by this stage.

The last 10kms into Beverley with one last small climb were fantastic and to see the finish line sweet relief.
The encouragement on the day was amazing from every SPR rider that yelled out as they sailed past to every support vehicle with hoots and waves.

I knew I hadn’t finished the race in a particularly good time but more importantly I was able to support a fellow club member and feel much more confident about ToMR. I felt surprisingly good after 114kms in the saddle so good in fact I’ll be back next year!!

Faye Dalglish-Jones

The day started with a cruisey drive through lovely soft green hills into the town of Beverley. After a cold & wet few months & all the recent rain we had been having, race day looked like it was going to be a hot one.

In fact, according to my Garmin, it was a cracking 42 degrees when we started just after mid-day (Note to self, next time bring your camel pack). The route was a straight out & back ride (114kms) with a few lumps thrown in for good measure. I started tentatively due to the heat, not wanting to over cook myself too early.

I spent most of the ride attempting to work with groups coming through (ok it was more like just hanging on). It was great to see Meegan’s friendly face along the way & she really helped me out. A highlight was when Jon came through with a bunch of guys and for a time we were doing 55km and it felt easy, for a brief moment.

I still did a fair bit of time solo, riding as aerodynamically as I could to conserve energy but when fatigue hit, I felt more like an out of balance washing machine.

Whilst still being new to racing, the best bits for me, were the words of encouragement & the offers of taking a wheel from many friendly SPR faces. It really spurred me on & made the ride so much more enjoyable.  A seriously big thank you to all those that spent so many hours organizing the event, and for all those who volunteered on the day and some even the next day.

It truly is an amazing club!

Adam Ralph

Did that really just happen?  Nah, must be delusional, heat stress clouding my thinking, need water … I think I did ok, pretty happy to have finished with the first group … “What’s that Ginny, fifth?”  How??? … Wow!!!  That’s incredible … One of the best feelings ever!

Whilst my day finished on the highest possible note, it certainly didn’t start that way!  This was to be my third ever race and my only reason for entering, my only objective, was to learn more about race craft.  It was time to overcome my hesitations, pin on a number and give it my best.  Well, sort of my best.  I’d been traveling during the week, not training whilst away, eating ok but not great, and flight delays meant about four hours sleep on Friday night.  Plus, I was committed to riding with my son on Saturday morning for his first ever taste of SPR (supporting his interest was a higher priority for me than my race).  A nice steady Trannies Ride turned bad when Ash went down hard (so glad that he’s ok!), and the awesome support by Leigh, Bree and everyone else went straight into action.  After getting Ash into the Ambo, my son and I had to hi-tail it home so I could get to Beverley.  Running really late, would I make it on time?  Panda sorted the rego, Ginny and Sarah kept me moving, and I was almost dressed as Cathi called us to the start pen.  Wow, talk about cutting it fine!

After a casual roll to the start line, chatting to Doug and Glenn, I was already huffing and puffing!  Glad for the rest, I immediately felt reassured by the strong SPR presence. A bit of banter with David and Ross, chatting to Alan, waving to Faye and Meegan, allowed the morning’s chaos to dissipate and the pre-race nerves to stay away.  Still, it was hot and I knew it was going to be tough.  Dr J provided a reassuring presence and my wife offered moral support.

Wow, so lucky to be part of the SPR family … What a great group, I hope I can learn from this experience and race like these guys.

Niceties concluded, off we rolled.  It was hot … very hot.  It was fast … very fast.  And it was really, really hard!!!  The group started to work together at the front, then stopped, and then started again.  A few of the stronger riders worked hard to maintain the roll throughs, and whilst it took some encouragement for some others, those that could did, those that couldn’t genuinely couldn’t and would eventually be shelled.  I was burning matches rapidly.  Cooperation and working together was the key.

Do your turns, not too much, not too little,  keep playing your role. Watch for the group accelerating when rejoining at the back of the train.  C’mon Al, dig deep buddy … Argh, watch the pacing, learn and don’t get caught out and get gapped.  Focus, Aaron has already punctured, hang in there and focus, racing is said to be unpredictable.

It was still fast and hot.  With our group working well and keeping a rapid pace, we hunted down earlier groups.  Soon we’d caught all of the riders ahead of us, picked up some that were really strong (I think first and fourth were from earlier groups), and approaching the turn I was feeling ok.  Hoping for tailwind on way home, it started to feel great just after the turn.  Not sure if it was downhill, downwind or purely psychological.  Either way, it was really hurting again by 70 kms. I kept trying to hang in there, doing what I could when it was my turn and recovering when I could.  A solo break went off the front but we kept a cohesive pattern.  Let him bury himself and we can still catch him.  It took another 25kms before he came back into range!  Then a rider (second place getter) bridged over whilst his mate sat on the front slowing us down (the ultimate winner).  One unsuccessful chase down, some frustration in the group and I decided to try to close down the break.

“C’mon fellas, he’s protecting his mate and not working. We’ve got to go around him!”  Go hard and deep, great, got them.  OK, that’s me done.  Go get them Yaro, you’re smashing it mate!  I just need to try and hang in there a bit longer, don’t let them get away, hold that wheel.  A little bit longer.  No one’s going to catch us now, just go as long as you can.

It was a proper race now, attacks firing off the front, the group closing them down … exciting to watch and incredible to be part of it.  The end came around very quickly after the bridge, having let the winner get away to a strong lead.  Nearing the line I sat in third wheel readying myself to wind up.  I timed it as best I could, went around and gave it everything, only to watch two on the outside plus one more on the inside best me. All very deserving to do so, they were stronger and I had nothing more

Key learning: my sprint really, really needs work. Crits will be a great place to learn more.  This group worked so incredibly well together, that allowed us all to have a great race.

The hugest thanks and kudos to Greg, the SPR Committee and the dozens of selfless volunteers that made it such a professional and well organized event.  Finally, many thanks to my loving family for tolerating my Lycra fetish, SPR Ride buddies for pushing and supporting me, and my wonderful Soigneur wife for everything!  If you haven’t pinned on a number yet, why not give it a try?  You just never know how it might go.

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