THE second race in the Mount Gambier Cycling Club’s Summer Series kicked off on Sunday, with a 25km handicap event on the familiar flat farmland course along Attamurra Road.
Four junior riders, some who were more familiar with riding on the velodrome than on the road, greeted the commissaire, were assigned their chaperones and began a 10km out-and-back course in one-minute intervals.
First rider away was Glenn Tye, followed by Molly Opperman, then Sean Tye and finally Charlie Jenkin.
With help from their chaperones, riders learnt the appropriate ways to swap turns and ride in a bunch.
Opperman arrived at the finishing line in first place, with Jenkin out-sprinting Sean Tye for second place and Glenn Tye came home in fourth.
Following the juniors, 20 riders lined up for the senior race.
First riders away were Jason Buckland, Dianne Major and Graham O’Gorman, followed five minutes later by Ainsley Curtis, Dave Delaland, Michael Dethmore and Jen Buckland.
A further four minutes elapsed before David Tye and Bruce McLaughlin began their chase, followed a further two minutes later by John Cranwell, Spek Peake, and Phil Stasiw.
The largest group was next to leave, four minutes later, consisting of Colin Weatherill, Patrick Langsmith, Gerard Coote, John de Pree and Matthew Opperman.
Three minutes later Jami Buckley, Nick Kidman and Niel van Niekerk left, a total of 18 minutes handicap to the first group.
While the wind was relatively calm, the riders enjoyed a tailwind out to the turnaround marker, with the wind picking up as the riders made the turn back toward the finish line.
Each of the groups were working well together to the turnaround, but the headwind on the return leg made it difficult for those feeling the pinch to hang onto their grouping and they slowly fell away from their bunch.
The first group away managed to hold on to their lead until the final 2km, when they were overtaken by the group containing Jen Buckland, Deathmore, Curtis and Deleland.
They were never headed and contested the sprint, with Delaland sprinting to the line ahead of Buckland and Dethmore.
Jami Buckley claimed the fastest time.
The next race in the Summer Series is a 30km handicap race on Caves Road.
Sign on will be at the clubrooms in the Blue Lake Sports Park.
