THE Mount Gambier Cycling Club is set to host its premier event of the year, with the iconic 100 Mile Classic men’s handicap cycling race set down for Saturday.
The event will also feature the women’s 111km Classic and a Junior Classic event for Under 11/13 and Under 15/17 riders over 10km and 32km respectively.
Some of the best riders in the country, including members of the Australian Olympic teams, will descend on the Limestone Coast for one of the longest-running handicap races in the country, with a $14,000 prize pool up for grabs.
To complement to major event, Sunday will again see the Blue Lake closed to traffic for the South Australian Kermesse Championships, to cap off a huge weekend of racing.
The Classic was first held in 1933 over the 100 mile distance, now equating to 160km.
Few races are contested on open roads now but with the support from SA police, the 100 Mile Classic uses various major roads in the region, with the finish set for a fast run down Bay Road.
The women’s event uses the same finish line, with a different course to account for the shorter distance overall.
Both events attract big fields of spectators along the course, with the Bay Road finish providing an exciting spectacle for those keen to look on.
As a handicapped race, riders will be grouped and leave at different times with the hope they arrive together at the finish line.
The first riders will leave from White Avenue, near Millard Street, at 10am, with the fastest group leaving approximately 60 minutes later.
From there the riders proceed along White Avenue and Benara Road, turning on to the Kongorong-Tantanoola Road towards Millicent.
At Millicent the riders turn at Short Street and return along Millicent Road to Glencoe via the challenging Mile Hill Road.
From Glencoe, riders then proceed along Kangaroo Flat Road to Millicent Road, on to Jubilee Highway West, then Tollner Road, White Avenue and Grant Avenue.
From there is one of the toughest sections, as the rider head down Bay Road to Port MacDonnell and then turn for the return to Mount Gambier, with the conditions and hilly terrain providing opportunities for breakaway groups to make their moves.
Riders are expected at the Bay Road finish line near the police station at approximately 2.30pm.
The women follow the same course but rather than turn towards Port MacDonnell, will instead turn left at Bay Road/Grant Avenue corner and head to the finish line, expected to arrive around 2.15pm.
Some good vantage points include Millicent as the groups pass through, the top of Range Hill, Grant Avenue or as the groups start coming together near the Bellum Hotel.
The ultimate viewing position will be the downhill finish along Bay Road where the riders reaching high speeds as they jostle for the front position to claim the outright honours.
The focus will then shift to Sunday’s Kermesse Championships, with junior riders up early to set off from 8am, with the senior events to kick off from 9am.
The men’s event sees riders race for 75 minutes around a closed circuit, with two laps then to complete to claim the honours.
The women race for 50 minutes plus two laps for their title.
Riders to watch on both days include Conor Leahy, Graeme Frislie, Josh Duffy, James Moriarty and Blake Agnoletto, members of the Podium Potential academy.
The first four come off a successful track meet in Canada where they won a gold medal in the Team Pursuit, catching the Italian Team.
Leahy also recently broke Jack Bobridge’s Individual Pursuit record at the National Titles in Brisbane.
In the women’s Classic, Chelsea Holmes and Nicole Mitsigeorgis are both strong riders and the ones to beat.
From the Limestone coast, former winner Matthew Opperman will again line up, along with Rob Mann, Malcolm Tirabassi, Gerard Coote, Adam Kauer, Craig Andrae and Nick Kidman, with Hamilton rider and affiliate Mount Gambier club member Dean Menzel.
Harry Opperman and Sarah Dally will carry the local hopes in the Sunday Senior Kermesses.
There will also be various local Junior riders participating, including Niel van Niekerk, Patrick Langsmith and Jami Buckley in the Under 17 category, Elmer Buckland in U15, plus Molly Opperman and Eddie Buckland in U13.
They will be joined by other junior riders from around South Australia and Victoria.
