RIDERS from the Mount Gambier Cycling Club gathered at the Kongorong Primary school for the eighth race in their summer series on Sunday.
A beautiful morning with a light southerly breeze greeted the 19 riders who were looking forward to a four-lap race around Kongorong.
Before the senior race, the junior riders had a 10km ride, with Matthew Opperman continuing their education in riding and racing on the road.
Molly Opperman and Ethan McKenny then competed for the sprint over the final 500m where McKenny overtook Opperman just before the line.
Following the completion of the junior ride, the senior racers began to line up for their handicapped start.
The first group of riders consisted of Jason Buckland, Dianne Major and Charlie Jenkin – who was competing in his first long-distance race at the club.
They were given a three-minute head start before Jen Buckland, John Kidman and Don Sforcina began their race.
The next group consisted of Ethan McKenny, Dave Delaland, Bruce McLaughlin and Dave Tye.
They left five minutes after the second group and there was a further six-minute wait before Spek Peake, John de Pree and Dean Zeven began their race.
After another seven minutes had passed, the final group, which consisted of Gerard Coote, Jami Buckley, Colin Weatherill, Patrick Langsmith, Elmer Buckland and Matthew Opperman, began their pursuit.
The 21-minute gap between the first group and final group meant the first two groups were already more than 8.5km ahead.
At the 10km mark, the first two groups joined together and Jenkin latched onto the back of Sforcina and Jen Buckland as they began to edge away from the rest of the pack.
The trio remained in front and as the finish line at the Kongorong Primary School came into sight, the pace lifted.
Jenkin managed to pass Jen Buckland to snare the victory with Sforcina finishing third.
McKenny was the next to finish, ahead of Tye and McLaughlin, before Delaland, Peake, De Pree and Zeven completed the top 10.
In the race for fastest time, Buckley finished ahead of Matthew Opperman, followed by Major, Jason Buckland, Kidman, Langsmith, Weatherill, Buckland and Coote.
The ninth race of the summer series will be a 30km handicap on the familiar Caves Road course which will be held on Sunday.
