Footscray Cycling Club riders took to the VU Circuit in Hoppers Crossing on Sunday to contest the biggest club race of the summer.
In their sights was the time-honoured Eric Turner Memorial Criterium Championships, and for the first time in the club’s 120-year history there would be both male and female club champions crowned.
In A-grade, it was 33-year-old Melton resident and current club champion Dom Dudkiewicz who got his hands on the coveted No.1 jersey for another year, taking out his third consecutive title after an early race break-away that stuck.
“There were a few surges in the opening laps, nothing too dramatic, but then I put in one lap at full gas in the gutter,” Dudkiewicz said.
“I looked around expecting to see it strung out behind me, but I didn’t realise I had a gap. I saw Miles DaCosta in no-man’s land between myself and the bunch, so I eased up and waited for him because I knew it would be better for both of us.
“Once we were together, we put our heads down and swapped turns. It was Miles and I, then a chase group of about six riders, and then a few groups behind them.
“We were up about half a lap when I knew we were not going to get caught, so I went again and lapped the field before the last lap.
“I wanted to defend my title and attacking is always the best way to do it.”
Dudkiewicz powered to the championship with half a lap breathing space from DaCosta and Andrew Bonello, who took the bunch sprint to claim third.
Sarah Dam, a 41-year-old from West Footscray, etched her name into the history books as the first ever FCC women’s club champion, in an exciting race.
“We got down to four, and then three of us over the course of the race,” Dam said. “We just kept the pace high and worked hard together.
“I was on the front for the last lap and I thought I’d give it a go early and went before the last corner.
“I kept thinking about whose name would be in the history books as the first female club champ, and that just gave me that little bit extra I needed to hang on.”
A delighted Dam took the narrow win from Tamara Riddell and Gina McVicar.
In the other races, Little River resident Darren Payne showed his sprinting qualities late on, storming to the finish line in first, ahead of Michael Dam and Andrew Naughtin in B grade, while Alastair Delooze (C grade) and Steve Harris (D grade) were other winners.
Mark Micallef
