AFTER stormy skies and lightning forced the cancellation of last week’s Mount Gambier Cycling Club racing, 19 riders prepared for the sixth race on the Summer Series calendar along Attamurra Road on Sunday.
Competitors faced not only fellow cyclists, but also a bracing southerly breeze over the 25km course.
With the Opperman family in Melbourne for the Bell Helmets Track Carnival, Glenn Tye, Sean Tye and Eddie Buckland prepared to duke it out for the 10km U13 race.
Glenn was given a three-and-a-half minute head start over Eddie and Sean, taking advantage of the wind at his back to create a handy margin for the other riders to chase.
In the end, the gap was too great for Eddie and Sean to make up, with Glenn claiming his second victory, 42 seconds ahead of Eddie, with Sean arriving a further 37 seconds later.
Following the Junior race, the Senior riders lined up, with a group of seven riders – John Kidman, Jason Buckland, Damian Buckley, Jen Buckland, Chris Hunt, Ainsley Curtis and Dianne Major – first to leave.
They hoped to take advantage of the tailwind to the turnaround to maintain some kind of gap over the chasing riders.
They were given a three-minute head start over a chasing group of Dave Delaland, Elmer Buckland and Mike Bakker, followed two minutes later by John Cranwell, Phil Stasiw and Gerard Coote.
A further three minutes later the second-last group consisting of Jami Buckley, Malcolm Tirabassi, Riley Hill and Craig Andre began their chase, followed two minutes later by the scratch group of Nick Kidman and Dave Bryant, some 11 minutes after the first riders had set off.
Within the first eight kilometres the second group had caught up with the leaders, with Jen Buckland, Curtis and Hunt managing to jump on the train as it headed past.
It became the leading group until the turnaround, where Delaland, Elmer Buckland and Bakker were able to open a gap once the wind was in their faces.
Most groups continued to work strongly, with the only casualty of the high pace on the outward leg being Jami Buckley who was unable to keep up with his group.
While the head wind on the return leg seemed to affect some, out in front the pace was high.
With approximately seven kilometres to race, Delaland, Bakker and Elmer Buckland were passed by Stasiw, Cranwell and Coote, with Buckland managing to hold their wheel as they came by.
With the faster riders still working hard to catch up, it was this group who were destined to fight for the race victory.
Battling the strong headwind to the finish line it was Cranwell who took the sprint, closely followed by Stasiw and Coote.
Bryant and Kidman arrived 43 seconds later, just overtaking Elmer Buckland before the line, with Bryant claiming fastest time honours.
This weekend will see racing return to Caves Road over a 25km course.
Further afield, some MGCC riders took part in events in Adelaide and Melbourne over the weekend, with Niel van Niekerk, Patrick Langsmith and Freya Miller competing in the South Australian State Criterium Championship in Adelaide.
Miller rode strongly in her U13 criterium, held over 15 minutes + two laps, to finish as the State Criterium champion for her age group.
Van Niekerk and Langsmith both raced in the U17M event, held over 20 minutes + three laps.
Van Niekerk claimed the bronze medal.
The Opperman family participated in the Bells Helmet Track Carnival in Melbourne, with many of Australia’s track stars in attendance.
Molly Opperman participated in U13 races, taking victory in the Scratch race and Tempo race.
In the one-kilometre Handicap race, Opperman gave up to 170m head start to the other riders and almost caught them all, finishing second.
Later in the day, Harry and Matthew Opperman participated in the D and C grade races, with each finishing fourth in their respective 2.5km Scratch race.
Following the heats of the Keirin, they also rode a 12-lap scratch race, both commended on their aggressive riding.
