THE penultimate race in the Mount Gambier Cycling Club Summer Series was held at Tantanoola on Sunday, with the slight hill onto Canunda Frontage Road and the perennial wind providing a challenge for competitors.
The Junior race was held along a flat 10km out-and-back course.
Glenn Tye enjoyed a 2-minute, 45-second head start over Sean Tye and Eddie Buckland.
By the turnaround the chasers had whittled down the margin to just over one minute and Glenn was caught with 2km still to ride.
While Glenn tried to hold on as the riders passed, he was unfortunately dropped before the finish.
Eddie tried to lead out an early sprint but was unable to hold off a fast-finishing Sean, who finished in a time of 25:08, three seconds ahead of Eddie, with Glenn following a further 33 seconds later.
In the Seniors race, 19 riders signed on for the 25km course which included a climb over the Canunda range at the seven-kilometre mark and a return with eight kilometres to go.
The initial group to chase contained Jonathon Kidman, Jason Buckland, Ainsley Curtis and Dianne Major.
They were given a generous five-minute head start over the next group of Jen Buckland, Don Sforcina, Damian Buckley and Rick Heaver.
One minute later the group of Elmer Buckland, Spek Peake and Mike Bakker began their chase, followed three minutes later by Malcolm Tirabassi, Dean Zeven, John Cranwell and Phil Stasiw.
The second-last group of Rob Mann, Jami Buckley and Matthew Opperman waited a further three minutes before they began their chase, with Nick Kidman launching a solo effort at the back of the pack two minutes later, some 14 minutes after the initial riders had set off.
Out in front, the early groups maintained their cohesion along the flat part of the course but rode up the little hills at different paces, causing some splits.
Curtis was the strongest of the limit riders, pulling away from the rest of his group, with Heaver and Sforcina also putting a gap on their companions.
By the turnaround mark, Tirabassi, Cranwell, Stasiw and Zeven had caught Elmer Buckland, Bakker and Peake, with Elmer holding on to Tirabassi and Stasiw in their chase.
After the turnaround the combination of a false flat and headwind sapped the energy from the slower riders and many were caught before they could conquer the climb with eight kilometres to go.
At the foot of the climb it was still Curtis out in front, with Cranwell, Major and Jason Buckland holding on.
Just behind them Elmer Buckland saw the climb as an opportunity to try and put a gap on his rivals and flew past those ahead, with Tirabassi and Stasiw continuing to reel in the rest. Unfortunately for Elmer Buckland, the light weight that allows him to climb quickly, does not help him when the elevation drops and he was caught on the descent by Stasiw and Tirabassi.
Into the final flat kilometres, the faster riders continued their chase of those ahead but Tirabassi and Stasiw were not to be denied.
In the final rush to the line it was Tirabassi who crossed the line first, a welcome return to the winner’s circle almost 12 months to the day after a racing accident.
Stasiw crossed next, followed by Matthew Opperman.
Nick Kidman claimed fastest time honours.
The final race for the Summer Series will be a 25km race on the familiar Caves Road course.
