Footscray Cycling Club’s round 1 of the 2015 winter road season saw a strong field of riders head out to Balliang in the Brisbane Ranges.
Riders raced to the base of the dreaded Granite Road hills in perfect early-season riding conditions.
A grade breakaway specialist Miles DaCosta attacked the bunch as they climbed towards the hills, only to be caught on the flats. However, he hit the bunch again as they approached Staughton Vale. DaCosta stayed away for the last lap all the way to the finish. He won ahead of the bunch sprint, which saw Mark Ferguson pip gun sprinter Matty Heath and signal his return to the pointy end of racing.
In B grade, Josh Ryan took a strong win in a race filled with attacks from the likes of Mark Micallef, Trevor Perry, Rod Stormonth and Graeme Cole and some serious pace-setting on the front from Ryan, Stormonth and Michael Dam. With about half the bunch dropped, it came down to a hotly contested bunch sprint, with Ryan in the box seat behind leadout man Dam. Ryan crossed ahead of Bernie O’Sullivan and Trevor Perry to take the win.
In C grade, Elsternwick resident William Hamilton used his trademark breakaway pace to stay clear of the bunch and take a well-deserved win.
Ash Lehmann took off on the second climb and stayed clear for quite a while, and a whole series of riders attacked and at various times there were breaks of two and three riders, including a definitive move from James Bell, Ian Duff and Hamilton. Swapping turns, the trio stayed away for some time; the breakaway started breaking up on the home straight, and with the bunch closing in, Hamilton crossed the line clear of the sprinters to win ahead of David Macpherson and Craig Brindson at the head of the chasing pack.
After two climbs through Staughton Vale and numerous riders getting shelled, veteran racer Eddie O’Farrell won in D-Grade’s road race; O’Farrell just holding out two very experienced sprinters in Dennis Hobbs and Graeme Wilson in an entertaining bunch sprint.
Results
A grade: 1st Miles DaCosta, 2nd Mark Ferguson, 3rd Matthew Heath, 4th Ben Coull, 5th Tim Kirkham.
B grade: 1st Josh Ryan, 2nd Bernie O’Sullivan, 3rd Trevor Perry, 4th Mark Micallef, 5th Rod Stormonth.
C grade: 1st William Hamilton, 2nd David Macpherson, 3rd Craig Brindson, 4th Ash Lehmann.
D grade: 1st Eddie O’Farrell, 2nd Dennis Hobbs, 3rd Graeme Wilson, 4th Tom Moloney, 5th Barry Cram.
