Urban Polaris 2009

Two teams of Sportscare girls attacked the Urban Polaris this year. For those not familiar an Urban Polaris is a navigation and points gathering exercise that attempts to take in the sights of host city. This years event included a stair climb up Black Mtn Tower and a brief dip in LBG to reach checkpoints.

Karen Burton and Erica Collins (far left, far right) finished 4th and first timers Maggie Percival and Michelle Greenwood (centre left, centre right) finished a very impressive 11th!!

Full results here

SP Net Tour of Bright

The Tour of Bright attracted its maximum number of entries this year as a reflection of how well run and supported this event is. TBC-SC had representations in Mens A, B, C and Womens C this year with some good results posted.

Of particular note from this years race was Frances McNamara and Emily Walsh both first timers who finished 3rd and 4th overall!

Full results available here which also allows direct comments to be posted. These guys are the business when it comes to event organisation.

Photos available courtesy of Greg Long who took some time out of a vacation to perform his snap work.

This face is all pain.

Wow.

We did it again. (cue Britney song)

BC-SC had quite the night again.   I'm most pleased we got through the night with no BC-SC casualties.  246ish riders for the first clockwise crit (history tells us this is the less-popular direction).

Check out fantastic photos by honorary BC member Greg Long at his website here.

Super star individual performance tonight goes to Sam Hemsley, a relative newcomer to road racing and making her A grade debut.  She made like it was 1999 and partied all the way into the winning breakaway.  Even TdF rider Steve Hodge commenting to our sideline cheersquad how well 'that lass in BC kit' was doing.  Sam immediately rolled through looking like she'd been there a hundred times before.  Not too many riders can say they beat Vicki Whitelaw ;).  A great debut - 4th.

Team effort of the season (to date) has to go to the B boys (see Dave N rap below).  On par with last years' late season C boys' effort, arguably even better.  The guys had the Vikings chasing, the QUON chasing, everyone chasing.  They were in every break, sometimes even having more than one in the breaks.  All the while there was BC-SC riders in the queue ready to make the next attack.  Poetry in motion is all I can say to describe the last three laps.  To the onlookeer it appeared that we had two guys up there in the mix - Dave Simp and Dave Naylor.  To those that new - we had a rocksolid BC-SC train.  Kicked off by Dave Simp, pushing out the watts before even the 2 lap board came out, then Dan Mcnamara (please stay) punted up and over the horn, down the back straight and around collarbone.  Then BeRad brought his junk to the yard, letting off the cannons around the dog bone really put everyone into hurt zone.  Dave Naylor sticking to his wheel like honey on hairy rambutans. With 150 to go DN finished it off while pointing out a curiously shaped cumulonimbus as he crossed the line. Just beautiful.  Oh yes, BeRad also held on for a very cool 5th too. Off the no-pointers list !

Other notable performances were;
- Tanya Saad for lining up in WA grade despite being in a lot of pain - just a dislocated rib "hopefully I'll come good"...
(and please excuse me for not wrapping the other races as I didn't see too many tonight)
- Maggie P for her first bunch finish in WB, Mac a PB 6th, Jessica 8th and Maddi for 9th in the same grade
- Michael Rice, Uncle Pete and Adrian (on the comeback trail) all off the NPL with top 10's.
- yours truly 7th on return to MA. (I do feel like a knob putting that in)

We now have an outright leader and three riders in the top 10 in theoverall Individual standings, with more to come I think.  Promo imminent I feel for DN, but gee one more week would be nice ;p

In the 'big trophy' division we've established an early lead, but it's far from over.  Hopefully, as the burglars get promo'd our depth will shine and I think we'll show who has the mettle.

 
Tour de Femme
To prove that TBC-SC is not entirely about racing and likes to just participate in all things two
wheeled, here's two shots from the recent Tour de Femme. This was Fi Hedgcoe's 'comeback'
as it's the first event she's participated in since Abbey graced us with her presence. Accompanied
by Maggie Percival who was taking part in her first mass start event.
 
 
Summer Season Crit Series: Race 1
Well done to the BC-SC riders who opened our account last night. In particular, Jason Mahoney (C) and
Erica Collins (WB) who both kicked off with WINS, and Johannes Beitzel (j) also gracing the podium.
 
BC-SC is in a very healthy position early only two points behind Team QUON, and we haven't really
unleashed fury yet.
 
Full results can be seen at CRITSonline;
 
 
 
 
Junior Wrap from DBR Canberra Tour
Michael Rice and Maddy Marshall rode in the Canberra Junior Tour over the weekend.   The tour consisted
of two road races, a crit and a time trial. The second road race and the crit also served as the ACT
championships.
The tour is very well attended with riders from across the country and across the Tasman.   In the JM15 and
JW15 grades that Michael and Maddy contested there were riders from WA, Tas, SA, NSW and Qld, with
just over 50 riders in the JM15 grade and 20 in the JW15 grade.
On a cold and windy Saturday, racing commenced with a road race down Uriarra Rd.  Maddy struggled
with the pace in the first few kms and found herself with much work to do and unfortunately never got back
on, finishing 15th, while Michael also lost touch with the lead riders and finished 21st.
As the wind blew up in the afternoon, Maddy, a little disappointed from her road race performance, was out
to see how her legs would go against this quality field on her favourite crit track.  In a short race of 10
minutes plus 2 laps an early break of 2 WA riders looked threatening and Maddy made her move into the
wind to chase them down.   After the race she said "It didn't seem to be going too fast and I looked around
and everyone looked to be suffering for some reason, so I decided that is was up to me to chase them
down."  For the next four laps Maddy managed to reel in one rider and they worked to try to catch the lead
rider, while behind the field was decimated... Unfortuately they never caught the first rider, but Maddy
easily won the sprint for the silver medal in the ACT championship and first ACT rider.
Michael's crit was also fast and furious, and with such a large field it was going to be hard for anyone to
jump away without someone chasing them down.  In the end there was a lead group of some 30 riders and
Michael weaved his way up through the peleton in the last lap with the confidence of a seasoned
professional.  With one corner to go Michael found himself riding on the grass as the jostling for positions
continued and he slipped back a dozen or so places and then surged forward a second time, coming over
the line in 9th and the first ACT rider to get another medal for his pool room!
Sunday's road races were held in better conditions, but Maddy again struggled with the hills just before
Coppins crossing and dug deep to come in 13th on the day and second ACT rider.  Michael did much better
on his second road race and arrived in the second bunch on the road to get 16 thand first ACT rider
(another medal for the pool room!!).
In the afternoon the wind started to pick up again, making the TT even more challenging.   Both Maddy and
Michael rode their single speed bikes in the 9.5km TT, with Maddy coming in 7th place and Michael in a
very respectable time and 12th on the day.  This gave Maddy a GC position of 13 thand Michael 16th.  A real
gutsy effort from both of BC juniors in a national standard field.
 
Juniors expanding racing horizons
Maddy raced the junior tour at Sepparton in her fist Victorian race. 
The tour was supposed to be 4 stages (2 Road races a TT and a crit), however the crit was cancelled due
to a double booking for the facility, much to Maddy's disappointment (she loves the crits).
There were 15 in Maddy's JW15 grade, including one rider from SA, and one from NSW. 
Saturday was a cold and windy day and in the first road race Maddy found herself with a bit of work
to do in the second half as she was off the back of the second bunch in 6th position.  
Working into the wind, Maddy caught back and dropped a number of riders in front of her and placed a
rewarding third for the stage. 
The second stage on Saturday was a 6km TT, riding out into a 30 knot head wind and back with a tail wind
that would be sure to spin out any junior gear.  Maddy powered into second place, catching 4 riders in
front of her in only 6kms, and only beaten by the gun rider from SASI (placing ahead of the best that
Victoria could offer).
After Saturday's flat stages, Sunday offered a hillier 35km road race and Maddy held on over the hills but
was a victim of some multiple Victorian attacks and ended up in 8th position on the stage.  Although she
lost her overall second place from Saturday, she had done enough to keep 3rd overall.  
 
Another GC podium for BC!!!!
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McDonalds Graded Criteriums - Wagga Wagga - 7th June 2009
The overnight rain caused some consternation for the prospect of racing on Sunday, we were however very fortunate
that predicted showers didn't occur during races. The 1.5km circuit is tight in the corners with open smooth roads
calling for lots of power efforts coming out.
 
Be-Rad was off at 10:25 in D grade as the organisers were still trying to dry out the corners with leaf blowing
machines. Being one of the stronger hitters in this field and known from the previous days 2nd placing Be-Rad was
marked early. The ACTAS girls wouldn't let him get away even though he tried on several occasions to instigate a
break. Be-Rad was beaten both times for the sprint primes from just being in the wrong position on the lead up lap.
A pity they weren't paying 2nd places in the sprints. With the last lap bell your editor took a snap with Be-Rad
again on the front driving.
 
 
At the next corner Be-Rad forced another rider through to the front so that he could recover a little and was
sitting pretty over the next few hundred meters. At the back straight the ACTAS girls made their move and so did the
other hopefuls, swamping our representative and sending him into a slight panic. Be-Rad fought his way out of the
pack but, couldn't position himself well enough for the sprint. He fought off a fast finishing group to keep 5th and
another photo op.
 
M.C. Spark was always going to have a tough race in B grade with a strong showing from Suzuki/UNO. The early start
nearly caught him out after a last minute pit stop and the early pace found Scotty at the wrong end of the field for
the first 10 min while he found his legs. In the lead up to each of the sprints M.C. Spark moved slowly towards the
front but, with the dominance of Suzuki/UNO (and 'rough' tactics) Sam Genge won each of them. The effort to remain
in the front 5-10 proved to be too draining as the constant fighting for wheels and corners made the race extremely
frustrating.
 
 
Several breaks were attempted but, they were either all the wrong riders, or not strong enough to stay
away. They also seemed to be at the wrong time for M.C. Spark to be in the mix with them. With the pace on the last
lap starting to stretch the field, the movement within the bunch became frenetic and with this being the last race
of the 'season' M.C. Spark decided that staying upright was the better option than contesting for 4th or 5th. A
frustrating way to finish about 18th but, being the sole TBC rider makes it tough.
Solid hit out for the end and big thanks to the support/recovery crew that made the trip all that more enjoyable.
 
 
McDonalds Handicap - Wagga Wagga - 6th June 2009

The Saturday dawned with a chill in the air and a grey, overcast and foggy morning, perfect for Canberra riders to
show their stuff to the locals. Two lots of races were run with an 84km and 116km rolling hill treat for Be-Rad and
M.C. Sparkman. Assuming media director duties for the race your editor drove up the road for a Captain Cook at the
early stages of the 84km race with the intention of catching the longer one further up the road.
With Be-Rad being given a very good handicap in the 84km race he didn't have a lot of work to do in order to stay
in touch for the overall sprint at the end. The 'midway' mark at 35km (where I happened to get to in the car .ed)
saw him sitting in the middle of the bunch protecting his legs. It looked like there were some good drivers in the
block bunch that meant there wasn't a lot of work the Be-Rad had to do. There had already been some early
casualties on the way north from Oura to the turn for Junee, 6 or 7 stragglers after scratch gone through that had
lost about a minute. Be-Rad was sitting comfortably with a 1 1/2 minute gap to scratch and a 3 minute gap to catch
limit. Looked like scratch was going to get up.
 
With some difficulties with a rogue bottle cage holder Be-Rad spent a lot of time off the back of his bunch trying
to fix it or break it properly!! At 5km to go the bunch sat up because they were nearing home and this gave Be-Rad
the chance to get back on and stay there. With a crash at 2km to go the bunch started to get very nervous and two
Albury boys took off up the left hand side. This left the right hand free and enough time for Be-Rad to catch the
small break and have enough in the tank to recover. As it turned out the tactic of sitting in the bunch to let
others drive worked a treat, Be-Rad picked up second overall!! Top effort, they won't let you off so lightly from
now on methinks.
 
Meanwhile M.C. Sparkman was getting spanked in the 116km version. The block group very quickly caught the two
groups in front of them including M.C. Sparkman who performed the ultimate reverse breakaway at the 65km mark where
your editor happened to have positioned himself at the top of a hill.
Scratch was still 3 min down at this point and didn't look like catching them with only the Praties team driving. The first bunch came in as a group of 23
with Bathurst leading out a team mate for the win. Adam Phelan was up there but, faded in the last to finish 4th.
Crits to come on Sunday...
 
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Goulburn 2 day Tour - Juniors still going
 
Our 2 juniors rode the Goulburn 2-day tour last weekend.  This year the tour did not have a crit (much to Maddy's disappointment), but instead had 2 time trials and 2 road races. 
After only 4 weeks since getting back into the racing following his tonsil op, Michael Rice was certainly showing his competitiveness in the road stages in the A-grade JM15s, with strong bunch finishes in 6th and 9th out of a field of 16 (it was great to see him attacking early in the finish of the last road stage, scaring the field into a reaction!!).  His time trial results were a significant improvement on his Wagga results 4 weeks earlier, showing that he is getting back into the form that we have come to know from him, finishing 11th and 10th.  Excellent results in the competitive field as only a first year U15, finishing 9th overall.
 
Maddy had the same overall position as Michael, 9th (out of 15).  Her first TT was good with 4th, just 2 seconds off a podium, but she struggled in the first road race, coming in 9th and well off the back of the bunch.  Her second TT was again competitive, coming in 6th and only 20 seconds off the gun rider from Tamworth (the closest she has been to her!!).  In her last road race Maddy came in 5th after getting dropped at the turn with 2 other riders and chasing the bunch of 9 down for 7kms.
 
Maddy is off to Shepparton in a weeks time to try out against some Victorian riders....
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Top results from Mick Rice & Maddi Marshall on the track in Wagga

Michael and Maddi had a hot weekend's racing in Wagga on the 7th and 8th of Feb, flaming hot 44 degrees, but that did not deter any of the riders (full participation) and they put in real hard efforts .

The BC crew did pretty well  - Michael's age group was broken into A and B grade. He was in A grade with 7 other riders. Earned a 1st in the handicap and a 3rd in the motorpace.  Just off the podium in his other races - 4ths. Maddi did well  - she picked up a 2nd and a bag of 3rds. Allison had some great racing as well picking up a few 1st places.

Maddi's best race was a wheelrace (handicap) where they had JW15s and JW17s in together (15 riders).  The JW17s caught the JW15s and Maddi was the only one on Saturday to hold on, going 'round a few JW17s in the finish to get fourth on the line.  Official results table to come.

Smiles all 'round.
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NSW Track Championships - Bike Culture juniors on fire!

Congratulations to the Bike Culture juniors who kicked butt at the NSW Metropolitan Track Championships (Southern Cross Track open) at Tempe Velodrome on Saturday.
 
Michael Rice, in a field of 12 competitors: 3rd in the wheelrace, 3rd in the Derby, and 3rd in the elimination.
Maddi Marshall, in a field of 9 competitors: 2nd in the Wheelrace, and 3rd in the elimination.
Alison Rice (SportsCare/BC); 3rd in the scratch race, and 3rd in the derby.
  

From the NSW Cycling web

U17 Women Scratch Race  
1st Kelly Mackie
2nd Kayla Salopek 
3rd Allison Rice

JM15 Derby    
1st Travis Smedley
2nd Peter Lewis 
3rd Michael Rice

JW17 Women Derby    
1st Kelly Mackie
2nd Kayla Salopek 
3rd Allison Rice

JW15 Wheelrace    
1st Sari Spokes
2nd Maddy Marshall 
3rd Laura Triggs

 

JM15 Wheelrace    
1st Nathan Bradshaw
2nd Peter Lewis 
3rd Michael Rice

JW15 Elimination    
1st Sari Spokes
2nd Rebecca Peters 
3rd Maddy Marshall

JM15 Elimination    
1st Jack Edwards
2nd Nathan Bradshaw 
3rd Michael Rice



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Maddi Marshall stirs things up at Goulburn junior track racing

Maddi's results from yesterday at Goulbourn where there were 12 girls in the JW15:
Race 1 - 4 lap scratch - 4th (that's where Maddi learnt that she chose the wrong wheel based on the quality of the bike (Pinarello) not the rider).
Race 2 - 2 lap handicap - 6th (a much tougher handicap than she has ever had and she put time in on the scratch marker).
Race 3 - elimination - 7th
Race 4 - 6 lap scratch race - 2nd (on the podium!!!!!). Tactically a brilliant ride and giving 1st a real run for her money right to the line.