2023 Results

The Hagley Hoggs Lane circuit was the venue for our final NVCC race for 2023. In perfect conditions the quality field of 15 riders was led out by new rider Georgina Sertori, followed at regular intervals by E through to B grade, with lone scratchman Nick Kerkham last to leave. All riders were making good pace and progress in the light winds with C Grade, driven hard by Keith and Duane, catching Patrick and Melissa before the 2nd ascent of Hoggs Lane climb. This soon spat Pete out and broke up the group allowing Keith and Duane to chase down the front markers. The very powerful 6 man B graders soon swept up these stragglers on Station Lane and with great pace set off for the final lap. A shadowy figure appeared soon at the back of this group and after a brief recovery, Nick rounded everyone up with a pace surge that immediately dropped Patrick and Pete, with Melissa bravely hanging on as they passed front marker Georgina.
With David and Michael desperately trying to hang on for the win, this machine of a group swept them up close to the line forming a fast and exciting bunch sprint finish. Nick out paced them for 1st and fastest, closely followed by Duane and Shane and the rest of the pack.
1st and fastest – Nick Kerkham
2nd – Duane Pitt
3rd – Shane Revell
Thanks to Martin Simpson for the great video finish post.
All riders then gathered for race presentation and a few pre Christmas snacks.
Keith presented gifts of wine and beer to several of our deserving helpers for 2023. Some were absent but these small gifts will come your way soon.
The club would like to thank the many dedicated helpers this year and they include the following (apologies if I have missed anyone).
Medical –
Di Ottaway, Lynette Mason, Noreen Hogan, Andy Hodgson, Roger Butorac, and Dee Hylton.
Trailer –
Ricky Allen, Leigh Pridmore, Brian Finn, Michael Dalton, Martin Simpson.
Roster and Maps –
Patrick Coe and Ric Easton.
Handicappers –
Mark Fyfe and Keith Gibson
President – Nick Lawrence
Secretary – Helen Finn
Treasurer – Michael Appleby
Thanks to Phil and Doreen Stevenson,Tim Burford, and Dean Mason for Marshall and lead car duties – I knew I would forget someone important😅
Merry Christmas to all riders, helpers and their families.
Please return to race in the New Year and bring a friend so we can have bigger fields and even better racing.
Best wishes everyone from the NVCC committee

A somewhat meagre field of a dozen riders were treated to exceptional conditions for today’s race from Deloraine on the Meander out & back course. No wind, pleasantly warm & a moody overcast mountain backdrop.
Simply stunning.
We’d not used this undulating course for some years, but it certainly proved to be a big hit with everyone, skirting around the edge of the western tiers, through some magnificent countryside.
15 minutes separated the go bunch of 4 to the 3 scratchmen.
By the time the front markers had reached the Meander circuit, new recruits Snadden & Murray had shed the other half of their group and still had a decent gap at the front of the race.
Behind them the gaps between bunches were fast diminishing.
The scratch group of Nevin, Simpson & Locke caught their 4 minute men as they emerged from the Meander circuit & headed for home. From that bunch, just Gibson & Allen were able to hang on to the fast men, as they then proceeded to ride through the majority of the rest of the field.
Up front, Snadden was now alone at the head of the race, with the bunch rapidly closing in as they turned onto the highway for the final few kilometres to the finish.
In the end, Snadden wouldn’t be caught, & hung on to take a solid & well deserved win.
In the race for second, Nevin won the sprint ahead of Locke and the rest of the A/B/C grade pack.
Results
1st Melissa Snadden
2nd & F/T James Nevin
3rd Colin Locke
Thanks to our volunteers & duty riders for ensuring no one got too lost, & all made it back safely.

A slightly diminished total of 18 riders fronted the starter for today’s final & longest feature race of the year, the Blackwood Creek Graeme Kearney memorial race.
Riders were treated to a perfect day for racing, with the rare trifecta of warm, overcast & still weather conditions.
There were 36 minutes from the front marker group to the lone scratchman on the 72km course.
A couple of gravel sections on Blackwood Creek road failed to upset any of the riders who saw them off with ease.
The D grade group (off 12.30) were the first to bridge across to the bunch ahead of them, catching the E graders (off 10 minutes) at around the halfway mark.
This made it hard for Ricky Allen who was by himself 3 1/2 minutes behind. He worked hard & made up plenty of time & had them in sight as they turned onto Elphinstone Rd.
Meanwhile the race behind was going full gas.
Margo had 4 minutes to make up on the B grade riders ahead of him & finally caught them as they crossed the finish line for the first time with 17km to go.
Around halfway around the final lap, D/E grade bunch caught the 3 front markers.
As the race turned into Armstrong’s Lane on the final lap, the whole race was on the same stretch of road , albeit with still a few substantial gaps to be closed down.
D grade riders Dadson & Cooper put the hammer down as they closed in on the final kilometres of Bishopsbourne Rd to put a few hundred metres into the rest of the front group.
As they came into the finishing straight they could almost feel the faster higher grade riders breathing down their necks, so there was no chance for any cat & mouse shenanigans here.
Peter Dadson opened up his sprint very early, but Gary Cooper was unable to respond, & Peter was able to open up a sizeable gap, & he took another big race win to continue his recent rich vein of form.
Gary held on for 2nd, with Scott Miller edging the sprint for 3rd ahead of Kaine Arkley in 4th.
A fine (mostly solo) ride by Ricky Allen saw him take the last spot in the money.
The remainder of the field were hot on their heels to cross the line within a minute or so.
Results
1st Peter Dadson
2nd Gary Cooper
3rd Scott Miller
4th Kaine Arkley
5th Ricky Allen
F/T Andrew Margison.
A great job by all our volunteers who freely gave up their time again for the club.
Phil Stevenson
Doreen Stevenson Noreen Hogan Belinda Arkley Keith Gibson & Brian Finn. Thanks all of you.

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
A very strong field of 20 riders met at the start line for today’s 48km graded handicap at Whitemore.
The course was 2 laps of the Whitemore Rd/Meander Vally Highway/Station Lane/Blackhills Rd circuit.
Blue skies & sunshine belied a strong & gusty westerly wind, which was to play a significant role in today’s proceedings.
The handicapper split the field into 7 bunches, with 26 minutes from the go bunch to the lone scratchman.
The wind proved troublesome for many, especially at the front of the race, causing one minor spill & several early withdrawals at the end of the first lap.
This was certainly not the case for those stronger riders starting further back.
They made good progress, steadily gaining on those ahead.
By the second time along the MVH, they had the front of the race in sight.
Meanwhile 2 D graders had managed to catch what was left of E just after making the turn onto the highway & into the teeth of the monster headwind.
A combined group of B & C riders made the catch midway along Station Lane, with one or to of the previous leading bunch grimly hanging onto the back as they passed.
Then out of nowhere Margo blew past like an express train, catching many by surprise. A few passengers did manage to buy a ticket & get onboard, but only in the second class seats, and they would be left scrambling for the minor places.
Margo went on to take another phenomenal win & fastest time, with Phil Jarvie 2nd, Shane Revell 3rd & Pat Coe 4th.
Results (amended)
1st & f/t Andrew Margison (A)
2nd Phil Jarvie (B)
3rd Shane Revell (B)
4th Patrick Coe (B)
Thanks to our volunteers today for their hard work in putting the race together.

It was a cold October day for our NVCC 53km handicap on the Carrick circuit via Hagley, Cluan, Bracknell and Bishopsbourne. This is a solid course with many challenging undulations, not helped by a stiff North Westerly wind. Front markers Dean and Leaanne made a great start, putting some distance into the chasers. Leigh and Diane worked well in the chase with these riders not to be seen for 40ks. The D graders of Mark, Pete, Patrick and new rider Leo were soon caught by Ricky and Jim in Hagley, forming a strong chasing group. However, the demands of Hoggs Lane saw a gradual loss of riders with Pete the last to lose contact on Hoggs climb. Meanwhile the chasing B graders and lone scratchman Margo had some work to do to get to the business end of the race.
Pete made an all out effort to regain Ricky and Jim at Station Lane and they pressed on to find the front markers. Finally Di and Leigh could be seen up the Cluan road and were caught on the rolling climbs with Leigh showing much improved form to join the group on through to Bracknell.
Leaanne and Dean were finally sighted at the top of Bracknell Hill and the chase was on. Unfortunately Leigh was lost over the top of the climb but finally Mike in the lead car could be seen. A solid effort by these 3 saw them catch the front markers just before Bishopsbourne with 10ks to the finish ahead of them.
Over the final ks the backmarkers could be seen closing in so at 2ks out Ricky launched a final run to the line. This looked to be the winning move, however the magnificent Margo flashed past Jim and Pete 500m from home and had Ricky in his sights. Margo timed his run to perfection to nab the win from Ricky within the final few metres.
Jim and Pete hung on desperately to just grab 3rd and 4th by a couple of bike lengths from the chasing pack in another outstanding handicapping effort by Mark.
Thank you to all riders and helpers for making a great race possible today.
Results:
1st and Fastest – Andrew Margison
2nd – Ricky Allen
3rd – Jim Knott
4th – Pete Dadson

Great weather greeted the starters in today’s NVCC 45km handicap on the old Longford Bishopsbourne Bracknell and return circuit. Leigh Pridmore made great progress as front marker to get one lap of Bracknell loop completed before he was joined by the recently combined D/E group of Mark, Melissa, Michael and Mickey. Meanwhile the fast chasing C graders of Simon and Matt were closing in, making the capture over the top of Bracknell Hill on the 2nd lap. This pair really put the hammer down resulting in a steady loss of trailing riders and making it very difficult for B and A grade to catch them. The determined Mark Fyfe grimly held on until he was cracked over the Toiberry Hill climb and the front 2 were away for the final run to the line. Meanwhile Mark was hotly pursued by Martin and Shane, with the ever threatening Margo closing in. The sprint to the finish saw Matt edge out Simon for 1st. Some clear road back Mark was at max effort desperately hanging onto 3rd by a bike length to his chasers Martin and Shane, closely followed by Andrew Margison.
Over the next 90 seconds all remaining riders crossed the line in another great handicapping effort by Mark.
Thanks to all riders and helpers for supporting today’s race. Next Sunday we are racing at Carrick.
Results:
1st Matt Breakspear
2nd Simon Donovan
3rd Mark Fyfe

The hardier of the Northern Vets turned out at Evandale, eager to test themselves in the ‘slight northerly breeze’. In reality it felt like a hurricane on the exposed Nile road as most groups headed off at 40-50kph. That all changed on the left turn to Deddington as the cross wind and climbs caused the groups to splinter. The front markers started in a group of of 6. They gradually shed riders leaving Pete Dadson and Garry Cooper hanging on in the slog into the gale back to the gun club. Meanwhile behind , the 2 man C grade group – myself and Chris Colley, were making steady progress. B grade had splintered, hindering their chase. Margo, as usual was fast moving through the field. In the end Garry and in form Pete had just enough to hold on, finishing in that order. C grade were just behind but were caught by Margo 200m from home. He took no passengers as he flew past for a well deserved third place. Next week we are at Longford. Thanks again to the volunteers.

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
The weather could not have been more perfect for today’s annual running of the Longford to Campbell Town feature race.
Cool & clear with a strong Northwesterly tailwind saw the riders get to Campbell Town in near record time.
7 small bunches with an overall gap from front to back of 24 minutes had an easy day out as the wind blew at their backs all the way through to the finish.
All bunches were still working well together as they passed through Cressy & on into the beautiful Tassie landscape beyond.
The small rolling hills in the second half of the race saw a few riders get distanced as bunches started to merge at the front & middle of the race.
40kms in and the lead bunch of F, E & D graders who had joined forces, still had a very handy gap of 7 or 8 minutes over the large bunch of around 8 B & C grade riders that had just come together.
At the back of the race, the scratch bunch of 2 were working their socks off & closing in steadily from behind.
As we neared the hill at 10km to go, riders from both of the big bunches were really starting to wilt in the punishment being dished out by those on the front.
The catch was made on the hill, & a 3 man group of Rob Wrigley, Ian Hodgins & Shane Revell punched over the crest with a very handy lead from the rest, & the scratchmen still out of sight.
These 3 could not be separated over the rolling hills near the quarry & came to the 200m flag together.
Revell was first to launch his sprint, with only Hodgins able to respond, Unfortunately for him however, the mountain of work that he’d done throughout the race to bring back the other bunches had taken its toll, &
despite sprinting in the hoods(!) all the way to the line, Revell took the win comfortably, ahead of Hodgins & Wrigley.
Less than a minute behind, Margo had reeled in the rest of the field to take 4th & fastest time by nearly 3 minutes.
Peter Dadson continued his fine run of form to claim 5th with another solid ride.
Results
1st Shane Revell
2nd Ian Hodgins
3rd Rob Wrigley
4th & F/T Andrew Margison
5th Peter Dadson.
Presentations were held at the Campbell Town Hotel, & there were plenty of smiling faces, as everyone enjoyed the post mortum over a beer & a party pie.
A last minute reshuffle of volunteers did a great job for us all out there today.
Thanks to Brian Finn, Sheri Gibson & Noreen Hogan for their help.
Special mention to Mark Fyfe for another great job on the handicaps.
A massive thank you also to our very generous sponsor of this event, Ben Mather & My Ride Launceston.

14 brave souls greeted the starter at Bishopsbourne today for the tour de Blackwood Creek.
It was clear, sunny and mild, but riders had to contend with a brutally biting breeze from the west, which didn’t let up all race.
The lone F grader Leigh Pridmore was away first with a handy gap of 30 minutes over the lone A grade scratchman Andrew Margison. Between them the other small bunches of 2s & 3s had fairly even gaps.
It was hard going all round. Margo had caught his 2 minute men by the time they’d reached Richardson’s Cutting & left them in his wake on the 10km descent of Blackwood Creek Rd. Ahead of them, the rest of the field were steadily closing down gaps.
Fortunately, all riders managed to safely negotiate the unexpected rough gravel section of road works at the bottom of the downhill. Doubtless there would’ve been a few nervous/clenching moments.
At the front of the race Leigh was still powering along on his new steed, into the brick wall of a headwind along Elphinstone Rd, with Margo seemingly untroubled by what the elements were throwing at him, passing C, D & then E grades.
It had looked for a while like Leigh might hold on to the finish, but he too was eventually caught & passed halfway along Greenrises Rd.
Margo eventually took the win by several minutes, showing again what a champion rider he is, after coming back from his recent health issues.
Meanwhile the race for 2nd place was certainly up for grabs, with Ricky Allen leaving his C grade bunch behind on Armstrong’s Lane & closing in fast on Leigh who’s legs must’ve been burning up as they came to the line.
In the end, Leigh just held on for 2nd, just 5 seconds ahead of Ricky in 3rd.
Results
1st & f/t Andrew Margison
2nd Leigh Pridmore
3rd Ricky Allen
Thanks to our volunteers today, Di, Ricky & Tracey.

With good numbers and great weather two laps of the Carrick – Westwood loop were enjoyed by all (maybe not all). There were some tired legs in the bunch today as a few were backing a big race on Saturday. Congrats to Peter Dadson on the Deloraine to Launceston race put on by the LCCC, it’s fantastic to see one of ours get the win in such a prestigious race.
The C’s and B’s combined on the first lap and managed to work their way through the field holding off the two scratch rides by approximately 1 minute. Duane Pitt had save enough in his legs to have a great sprint and get the win with Shane Revell and Iain Hodgins close behind.
1st Duane Pitt
2nd Shane Revell
3rd Iain Hodgins

Tassie turned on the sun and the Northern Vets enjoyed another fantastic race today at Hagley. With 3 laps of the Meander Valley Rd, Selbourne Rd, Black Ln, Emu Plains Rd, Beveridge Ln circuit everyone would have thier work cut out for them today. Groups worked well early on with the Patrick Coe – Matt Breakspear pair smashing themselves to quickly close the gap to the group in front of them. That group combined and worked well to keep the chasing scratch group at bay as they rolled through the field. Their efforts were rewarded with a sprint for 2nd place as no one was able to reel in Karen Tepper, she had a TT ride that suprised and impressed everyone including the handicapper. Congratulations on an amazing effort Karen. 🙂
1st. Karen Tepper
2nd. Susan Hogins
3rd. Chris Colley

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐲… 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧
It was heartening to see 20 riders greet the starter for today’s 51km graded handicap around the Bishopsbourne/Armstrong’s Lane circuit.
We welcomed one new rider, and several riders who’d not raced in a long while back to the club. Thanks for the support everyone.
The weather was dry & clear, as forecast, though the biting wind meant that the 12 degree temperature didn’t seem quite so balmy when it had you in its teeth.
That wind also meant that the handicapper’s job was a nigh on impossible task. The field of 5 bunches of 4 riders were split across 18 minutes.
The conditions put many riders into difficulty quite early, & before long bunches were whittled down to twos & threes, as the wicked cross wind forced splits to appear almost everywhere.
By the second time up the hill on Armstrong’s, the 2 strongest D graders, Dadson & Grubits had caught the front of the race, & were putting the front markers under a lot of pressure, until they were finally jettisoned just before the completion of the lap.
Meanwhile behind, all groups had blown apart & the strongest riders were making good progress though the stragglers who’d been left behind by their grades.
On Greenrises Rd on the final lap, the leaders were caught & quickly dropped by the strong C grade duo of Miller & Robinson. It wasn’t long before these two had established a handsome gap to put the chasers out of sight as they crested Armstrong’s for the final time.
In a long headwind sprint Scott Miller really had the wind in his sails, & left the rest in his dust, eventually taking the win by a few bike lengths ahead of Alex Robinson. Daylight was third.
A minute or so later, the sprint for the minor placings came through, with Darren Turner too strong for Dylan Forbes to fill the rest of the podium places.
A strong ride from returning rider Kristy Grubits saw her be First Lady home.
All in all it was certainly a day for the strongmen & women of the club.

Results
1st Scott Miller (C)
2nd Alex Robinson (C)
3rd Darren Turner (B)
4th Dylan Forbes (C)
Thanks to Phil Stevenson & Doreen Stevenson, Lynette Mason, Noreen Hogan & Mark Fyfe for their volunteering duties today.

It was a ripper of a day for racing today! Sunny skys, no wind, and a challenging circuit greeted the 15 brave souls who would not be detered by the fresh temperature this morning. James Nevin alegedly got a flat tyre very early on leaving Nic Kerkham on his own, the reduced HP made it a tough day of training for Nic as he wouldn’t be able to close the 5 minute gap to B grade on his own. B grade dug in hard to close the gap to C making for a decent group chasing down the other grades, but there were still two solo riders up the road. Duane Pitt had dropped his group around the halfway point of the race and was not to be caught, but even further up the road was Leigh Pridmore who rode an amazing race surprising the handicapper and everyone chasing him. Well done to everyone and thank you very much to our volunteers today Roger Butorac, and Stef Shearer.
1st Leigh Pridmore
2nd Duane Pitt
3rd Martin Simpson

Today’s NVCC handicap race at Hagley saw 11 hardy riders, including 3 from Hobart, set off in full sun and crisp air for 3 laps of the Hogg’s Lane circuit totalling 49kms.
Front marker, Leigh Pridmore, settled into a good tempo to make early ground and set a challenge for the chasers.
The climb up Hogg’s Lane is tough for the climbing challenged and 2 of our riders in Martin Simpson and Chris Colley, who may have put in too many hard ks this week, decided retirement from the race was the best option.
Meanwhile a strong chasing group of B and C grades were making good progress.
From the comfort of my lead car driver’s seat I could see Mark and Annie in the distance as we approached the climb for the 3rd time. However, Leigh rode strongly over the top and held onto his lead in the run for home.
I didn’t quite see the fast chasers who hit the climb hard causing Jim Knott to lose touch at this point.
Heading into Station Lane, I had my first glimpse of the tail car flashing light and the race was on in earnest.
The pack caught Mark, who had lost his strong partner Annie on the climb. Then at about 3 ks to go they swept up Leigh and put the hammer down for the finish.
At this point I had to speed the car up to 50kph to keep in front.
Heading into the final straight, powerhouse Stef Shearer made his move and the sprint was on at full speed. Despite a determined chase by Shane and Kaine, Stef once again showed his dominance and crossed the line 1st, just ahead of B graders Shane and Kaine, with Scott Miller from C grade on their tail. Ricky Allen was a short distance back, followed by Mark Fyfe of D grade a little further back.
Within 2 minutes Annie, Leigh, and Jim crossed the line in another great handicapping job by Mark.
It was observed that the 200m yellow flag placement on the wrong side of the finish line may have confused the directionally challenged, however we like to keep riders on their toes.
Thank you to today’s duty staff of Di, Phil, and Mark for your efforts, and congratulations to all riders on another great and competitive Vets race.
Results:
1st – Stef Shearer
2nd – Shane Revell
3rd – Kaine Arkley

A small but quality field completed today’s NVCC 49k handicap on the Bracknell Cluan circuit. The field was bolstered by 3 dedicated Hobart riders showing great support for our club.
A very cool but brilliantly sunny winter morning made for a bracing first 10ks until legs and engines warmed up.
Leigh Pridmore led the field away and made great progress with his early advantage. At the other end of the race the formidable backmarkers of Patrick Coe and Shane Revell worked hard to catch the C grade combo of Scott Miller, Stef Shearer, and Brendan Hanigan on Oaks Road early into the 2nd lap.
Meanwhile the D graders Mark Fyfe and Pete Dadson were making steady progress closing in on Leigh.
However, as Leigh was in sight, the chasing group caught D grade at the Cluan corner and made quick work of catching Leigh.
From there it was a fast and furious final 7 ks all the way to the Bracknell finish with Scott pulling some massive turns.
The last climb before the finish saw Mark and Daddo lose ground on the group but a another last ditch effort saw them regain the pack 400m from the line.
At 220m out Daddo made an ambitious and desperate sprint for the line only to be reeled in by the powerful Stef and Shane.
Stef crossed the line 1st, closely followed by Shane, with Daddo just hanging on for 3rd.
It was great to see 3 different graded riders on the podium, demonstrating another excellent handicap effort by Mark.
Thanks to all the duty staff today, Mark, Michael, Di, Tony, and also Phil who just turned up to help out.
Congratulations to all riders on another great and competitive race on a brilliant day. Special thanks to the Hobart riders for their commitment and continuing support.
Results:
1st Stef Shearer
2nd Shane Revell (and fastest time)
3rd Pete Dadson

Today’s race at Carrick was initially in doubt due to low numbers entered by Saturday, however for the 11 Warriors that fronted up it was a great hit out on a very challenging course.
Patrick Coe showed his class and determination to take the win after starting solo and taking a harder handicap demonstrating great sportsmanship.
Patrick caught the 2 D graders at the turn for Bracknell and then nabbing E grader Leigh who had to soldier on alone after Leaanne had to retire due to a tricky knee problem.
Patrick and his hardy passengers, Tim and Pete, caught a glimpse of Di and Mark on the run through Bracknell, catching them on the solid climb out ot the town. Di was a last minute starter after a generous offer by Andy to cover tail car duty. Thanks Andy.
The run to the line over the final 15 ks was fast and furious with Burf and Pete managing a few short turns to assist the dominant Patrick. At the line Patrick took a great win over Tim and Pete, beating home scratch riders James and Andrew by a small but comfortable margin.
Big thanks to Margo for racing today and adding some serious grunt to scratch.
Di and Mark (also tricky knee) bravely finished next, followed by Leigh who had a tough ride today.
Adam Clayton unfortunately took a wrong turn, highlighting the value of making the race briefing for course instructions.
Michael Appleby had prepared maps, however they did not make the briefing due to some oversight by other officials who shall remain nameless.
Due to similar oversights, the cash box was unavailable, so volunteers will need to collect their well earned petrol money next time we see them at the races.
Thanks to all volunteers and riders for their support today enabling a great and hotly contested race to be had.
Results:
1st – Patrick Coe
2nd – Tim Burford
3rd – Pete Dadson
Fastest Time – James Nevin

It was a crisp clear morning with 19 brave souls lining up into a harsh little headwind this morning. The groups all worked well together, but those hills heading into Deddington put plenty of us under pressure. The scratch group was on a mission and they steadily rolled through the field, JUST managing to catch Belinda before the finish.
Thank you very much to everyone helping today, without your efforts these races would not be possible.
Results:
1st. Nic Kerkham
2nd James Nevin
3rd. Belinda Arkley
From everyone at the club Nick Lawrence speedy recovery mate, hopfully the rehab goes well and your feeling better soon!

A good field of 22 riders contested today’s NVCC Quamby Classic out of Selbourne.
The forecast came good for once & we were treated to a perfect autumn Tassie day with clear skies & barely a breath of wind.
For logistical reasons, it was not the usual Quamby course, but certainly a challenging 60km nonetheless.
The front marker F grade pair were first away, with E at 17 min, D 20 min, C 27 min, B at 30.30, with the lone A grade scratchman at 31.30.
Leaanne Szmekura rode away from her fellow front marker early in the race, & smashed along solo for the remaining 55 or so km.
It was a similar story in most of the other grades, with riders being shelled from their groups as the fatigue levels built up.
C grade had started with the biggest bunch, but had by far the highest rate of attrition, as legs gave way under the relentless pace being set by Patrick Coe, with that bunch gradually whittled down until there were only 2 left.
B grade were a man down due to a no-show but worked together very well to hold off James Nevin, despite the scratchman’s best efforts to chase them down.
On the final lap of the Black Lane circuit, the race was starting to come together, with the what was left of C grade bunch catching what was left of D & E combined. Phil Stevenson was the only rider able to hang on to the 2 C graders as they came past, & these 3 still had a 5 minute deficit to Leaanne to make up as they turned onto the Meander Valley Highway for the final time with around 14km to the finish.
Meanwhile B grade had managed to stay together, & were gradually winding in the field.
Up ahead, the three chasers were making up ground quickly on the leader, but were fast running out of road.
In the end, Leaanne went on to take a marvellous solo win on the hilltop finish near the hall, with Pat Coe the best (by far) of the rest in 2nd, & fellow C grader Nick Lawrence 3rd. Shane Revell out-sprinted the other B graders on the hill for 4th & fastest time, with Keith Gibson rounding out the places.
Congratulations to everyone who raced today on what was a very tough course, which saw 6 DNFs.
A great win by Leaanne who has had more than her fair share of adversity to overcome recently. Bravo.
Results
1st Leaanne Szmekura (F)
2nd Pat Coe (C)
3rd Nick Lawrence (C)
4th & F/T Shane Revell (B)
5th Keith Gibson (B)
Thanks to everyone who helped out today, & got us all home safely.

14 riders greeted the starter at today’s graded handicap at Carrick for two laps of the Westwood Rd course over 48km.
Another great autumn day for us, with cool & dry conditions, but a steady westerly breeze.
The small field meant small bunches spread over a 14 minute overall handicap.
The 5 man combined D/E bunch were first away & worked well, however 5 soon became 4 as the gradients on Westwood Rd & the steady headwind began to bite.
C grade had 4 but were heavily reliant on returning rider Andrew Brown to drive the bunch, & sure enough were caught by the two remaining B graders before the end of the first lap.
For once Nick Kerkham had some company from scratch, with James Nevin making his racing return.
After the scratch win last time out, the handicapper may have been a little tougher on them this time, & despite working well together the whole race, they wouldn’t get to see the front this week.
The B/C grade bunch had combined well & were really motoring, but they too would fall short.
In a very close finish, Peter Dadson used all his experience & guile to outsprint his fellow front markers to take another win, just half a wheel ahead of Mark Fyfe in 2nd & a couple of bike lengths back to Richard Fyffe in 3rd & Michael Dalton 4th.
Results
1st Peter Dadson (D)
2nd Mark Fyfe (D)
3rd Richard Fyffe (D)
Thanks to everyone who turned out to help put on the race by giving their time to the club by volunteering.

15 riders greeted the starter for today’s graded handicap at Hagley covering 3 laps of the Selbourne Rd/Black Lane/Emu Plains Rd/Beveridge Lane/Meander Valley Hwy circuit, for 44km.
Perfect autumn conditions of mild temperatures & no wind made for great racing.
The handicapper divided the field into 7 groups, with a generous 23 1/2 minutes from go to scratch.
The E grade bunch had been split in two, but had regrouped before the end of the first lap chasing hard to make up time on front marker Tracey Kirby who was the sole F grader.
Meanwhile behind, both D grade & the two C grade bunches seemed to suffer from some directional misjudgements on the first lap, with a couple of riders somehow missing the turn into Black Lane.
The two man A/B scratch bunch made no such mistakes, & were making up time with every pedal stroke.
By the end of the second lap, the C grade bunch had come together & were beginning to fancy their chances.
That illusion was soon to be obliterated when scratch caught & passed them on the final time up the Selbourne Rd drag.
Three of the C graders somehow managed to hold on to the top, so a 5-man bunch came together as they turned into Black Lane for the run home, & by now they were really traveling, driven mainly by Kirkham & Shearer
Up ahead, Dadson & Fyffe in D grade had already caught & mostly passed E on Beveridge Lane, and now had Tracey in their sights. They made the catch just as they turned on to the Highway for the final few kilometres to the finish line, to have the win within their grasp.
It was not to be. Nick Kerkham off scratch had been laying down some serious watts in the chase, with first Lawrence, then Breakspear, Shearer & Cruse from the charging bunch being left in his wake.
In a mammoth effort, he’d ridden through the entire field to hit the front within sight of the finish line to take a stellar victory, ahead of Peter Dadson & Tony Savage, who made up the rest of today’s podium.
Presentations saw plenty of animated discussion about what might have been had things worked out differently on the day.
Thanks to our great volunteers today, with special mention to Mark Fyfe for not only doing a great job as handicapper, but also sign on desk, lead car & trailer duty with course set up & pack up. And line judge.

Today we finally got to run the 2022 Blackwood Creek Graham Kearney memorial feature race, after being postponed late last year.
22 riders were treated to exceptional early autumn conditions for the start at Bishopsbourne. Cool but not cold & a gentle southeasterly breeze.
It would’ve been 23 riders were it not for a late withdrawal by one of our Hobart crew, having made the long journey north with the wrong wheel.
Being the longest race on the Vets calendar at 71km, there was a time gap of 39 minutes between go & scratch; certainly creating a quite a headache for the handicap committee.
Lone scratchman Nick Kerkham had a minute to make up on 2nd scratch, and made the catch as they crossed Richardson’s Cutting, that timing putting some riders into considerable difficulty.
Meanwhile further up the road, the two C grade bunches had united very quickly after there had been some late arrivals to the start line.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for them though, as a very sharp lip onto a bridge created some havoc, with lost bidons & a couple of flat tyres ending the chances of two unfortunate riders.
C eventually caught D grade on Greenrises Rd with around 25km to go, however the front of the race was still out of sight.
E grade had also been split in to two small groups chasing the solo F grader.
These riders combined at the front of the race, somewhere around the 1st circuit of Armstrong’s Lane & punched well above their weight to hold onto a substantial lead going into the final 10km.
By this time, the C/D bunch had been caught by a mixture of A & B graders on the first ascent of the Armstrong’s Lane rise, with Kerkham distancing the rest, save for Kaine Arkley who doggedly managed to hold on until the final few kilometres.
It was going to be a close call as to whether the front markers would be caught.
In the end, Kerkham ran out of road & finished around 150m behind the winning group.
Up ahead, Michael Appleby took a very strong win, pipping Leigh Pridmore who put in a fine performance for 2nd, Sheri Gibson 3rd, Diane Ottaway 4th
With Nick Kerkham making 5th place & fastest time.
Congratulations to you all. Great to have two ladies on the podium.
Results
1st Michael Appleby
2nd Leigh Pridmore
3rd Sheri Gibson
4th Di Ottaway
5th & FT Nick Kerkham
We had an exceptional turn out of volunteer help today.
The club & riders really appreciate your contribution everyone.

Once again we got lucky with the weather for today’s graded handicap from Bishopsbourne to Blackwood Creek. One of the toughest courses we use IMO.
Riders were even treated to a little section of Strada Bianche through the white gravel of the roadworks at the bridge over the Creek. Not quite Tuscany, but hey, near enough.
After the overnight rain had cleared, damp roads soon dried out in the gentle breeze, which gained strength & swirled around somewhat during the race.
17 riders greeted the starter & were divided into 5 groups by the handicapper.
F grade were first off, & had 7 minutes start on E; with 19 minutes back to the scratch bunch, unusually made up of mainly C grade riders as there were no A graders & only 1 from B. The 6 C graders had been split into two groups.
Riders headed off into the southerly headwind which was starting to strengthen.
All bunches stayed together for the most part, until they rounded the turn & headed back up the false flat of Blackwood Creek Rd. The grind back to the crossroads saw several of the early bunches dropping riders, with D grade getting caught by the 3 man 2nd scratch (C grade) bunch of Lance Beament, Ricky Allen & new rider Matt Breakspear, who had made light work of their 3 minute gap. Most of the D grade bunch were able to hang on though as they were passed.
By this stage the wind had turn westerly & the crosswind made for a tough ride back to the finish.
The new C/D grade 6 man bunch must’ve worked very well together, as they managed to ride through the most of the rest of the field, & stay well out of sight of the 4 man scratch group, who had chased hard, working smoothly for the whole race.
By now the combined bunch were flying & picked up race leader Michael Appleby in the final few kilometres.
In the run in to the line, Matt Breakspear laid down some serious power to get a winning gap of a few bike lengths on Lance; with a similar margin back to Peter Dadson who hung on for a creditable 3rd place, with Ricky, new rider Ken McLean & Michael very close behind.
Results
1st Matt Breakspear(C)
2nd Lance Beament (C)
3rd Peter Dadson (D)
Thanks to everyone who helped out with duty & volunteering today.

🌟🌟🌟𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 🌟🌟🌟
A pleasing field of 21 riders greeted the starter for today’s graded handicap on the Cluan circuit at Bracknell.
Despite the ominous forecast & heavy overnight rain, for once the weather gods looked favourably on our race today, & granted us dry roads & light winds.
Old mate Farmer Palmer had other ideas though & his irrigator saw everyone get a good soaking on Whitemore Rd on the 1st lap.
The handicapper had split the field into 5 bunches, with the 2 strong F grade off go, and E grade at 7 1/2 minutes behind them; D at 12 minutes; C at 19 & the combined A/B at 23 minutes.
Steady riding from all groups saw the gaps gradually reeled in as the race progressed.
That is except for the 7-man A/B who set a furious pace on the first lap to close the miserly 4 minutes to C even before starting the second & final lap.
Fortunately for them, all 4 C graders were able to hold on & enjoyed a free ride to the finale.
E eventually caught F on the Cluan Rd & still held a solid gap back to the chasers.
By this stage the 10-strong chase bunch were closing very quickly on D, & made the catch just before the final turn onto Bracknell Rd, with about 2.5km to the finish.
By now this huge A/B/C/D chasing bunch had their quarry in sight & this gave them the impetus they needed to chase them down with just 200m to go.
In a frenetic finale contested by 13 riders,James Nevin was 1st to break from the pack on the uphill sprint finish. He was overhauled metres from the line by a 4 strong group lead by Shane Revell & Stef Shearer, who was traveling at a fair old clip.
In the end it was Shearer who won it by a couple of bike lengths, followed by Revell, Lawrence & Gibson in that order.
In a master stroke of handicapping, riders from all grades crossed the line within 20 seconds of the winner.
Results
1st Stef Shearer(B)
2nd Shane Revell (B)
3rd Nick Lawrence(C)
4th Keith Gibson(B)
We were as always well looked after by our duty riders & volunteers. Thanks everyone.

𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇!
15 riders greeted the starter at today’s graded handicap race at Bishopsbourne for 3 laps of the Armstrong’s Lane circuit.
The weather was warm & dry, but a very challenging & gusty NNW wind picked up early & was relentless in its efforts to disrupt the race.
It really caused some havoc with the handicapping, and made for a very tough race for all riders.
The E grade bunch put in a very solid & determined ride, & used their 7 minute head start over the 6-strong D grade to great effect & held off the rest of the field until well into the third & final lap.
Meanwhile the 2 man C grade had ridden a very hard 1st lap to make up the 2 1/2 minute gap to D, to catch them as they crossed the finish line for the first time. Only Ricky Allen from D was able to jump on and take advantage of the great pace being set by Phil Jarvie as he roared past.
The 3-strong A/B combined scratch bunch had started at 16 1/2 mintutes from go and were gradually eating away at the advantage of the bunches ahead of them on the road.
The savage crosswind on the 3rd time down Liffey road saw Ricky lose touch with his 2 C grade mates, before they eventually caught & passed the two remaining E grade with around 10km to go.
Once at the front of the race, C grade never really looked like being caught, & so it turned out, with Phil Javie taking a very well deserved win ahead of his passenger, Nick Lawrence in 2nd. Ricky grittily held on for 3rd, his 1st podium since his racing return, just ahead of another returning rider Michael Dalton, who had also put in a great ride.
Results
1st Phil Jarvie (C)
2nd Nick Lawrence (C)
3rd Ricky Allen (D)
Thanks to our awesome volunteers on the day who ensured a safe & enjoyable race in what were very challenging conditions.
Racing was followed by refreshments & the club AGM. Thanks to all those who attended the meeting.

An encouraging number of 24 riders took to the start line for today’s graded handicap race on the Hogg’s Lane course at Hagley.
They were once again treated to near perfect conditions for racing, with dry roads, barely a breath of northerly breeze, & 20-something degrees.
Several riders who’d not raced in a while made a return to the club, in slightly lower grades than they’d raced previously, & we welcomed one new rider.
With no A-graders, B were once again the scratch bunch, 24 minutes behind the all girl F grade bunch, off go.
In many ways, racing this course is all about who best manages the three efforts up Hogg’s Lane hill; and so it proved today, with the hill taking its toll on all bunches, each shedding riders as the laps progressed.
On the second ascent, the 3 B graders had already caught all of the C grade riders, who had been split in two bunches 2 minutes apart by the handicapper.
Those who were able, hung on & followed the FHaT train all the way along Station Lane to the finish. Stef Shearer was the engine driver, ably supported by chief engineer Andrew Brown, with help from Kaine Arkley who was also an honorary FHaTie in orange kit as well.
More passengers were picked up on the final lap as D & E grade were caught & passed.
A bunch of around a dozen came into the finish straight to contest the sprint, which was a very hotly contested affair. Shearer used his strength to great effect to edge it by a bike length from Brown, with daylight next to Shane Revell.
In the end though, it was only the minor placings up for grabs, as a great ride by returning rider Sherry Gibson, saw her break away from her F grade mates on the last lap to ride to a magnificent solo win, all while resplendent in her NVCC jersey. All the zwifting must be paying dividends for her. Well done.
Results
1st Sherry Gibson
2nd Stef Shearer
3rd Andrew Brown
4th Shane Revell
A great job by our volunteer crew today, Noreen, Lynette, Brian & Rod. Thanks guys.

As predicted, the weather really turned it on today, with conditions as good as it gets, for the 46 km race of 2 laps of the Devon 80 circuit at Deloraine.
Unfortunately a last minute scratching meant that 18 rather than 19 riders greeted the starter, setting off in 5 small bunches, with the 3 man A/B scratchmen at 14 minutes.
It’s a tough course if you’re not right on top of your game, and sure enough, the hills on the first lap saw many riders scrambling to stay in contact with their bunches.
The 7-strong C grade, which had been separated by the handicapper into two smaller bunches was quickly back together after strong work from the 2 Pats, Coe & Cruse, who were mercilessly driving the chase.
Meanwhile D grade managed their efforts well to stay together, until a well timed move by NW coaster, Ross Jenkins, saw him jump away off the front, never to be seen again. Ross rode very strongly, in a solo breakaway, to round up those ahead of him, & take the overall win by a couple of minutes.
The handicapper will be having a close look at him before next week I think.
An equally impressive ride by new rider, Kaine Arkley, who’d started in the 2nd C grade bunch, saw him catch & pass the remainder of D grade within sight of the line, to take a well deserved 2nd place.
Great to see Ricky Allen back in the saddle, & his nouse & climbing ability earned him a strong 3rd.
The scratch bunch only just missed out on the honours, being a few hundred meters back, but with a fine view of the minor places sprint just ahead of them.
Results
1st Ross Jenkins (D)
2nd Kaine Arkley (C)
3rd Ricky Allen (D)
Great to see the club spirit alive & well, with several volunteers stepping up at the last minute to help us out. Thanks Bob Mason, Julian Clayton & Tim Burford, your efforts are very much appreciated.

The 2023 race season got underway this morning, with a field of 16 riders taking on the 38km out & back course from Evandale to Nile.
The balmy summer weather was enough to bring several riders we’d not seen for a while out of retirement for a welcome return to racing.
The 2-man E grade bunch were the first away, with a healthy 8 1/2 minute gap back to the large contingent of D graders.
C grade were a further 90 seconds behind them, with B (made up entirely of our 3 Hobartians) at 13 minutes & the A-grade scratch duo at the distant 15 minute mark. Maybe we’ll rename B grade H grade next week.
All grades rode very well together, with C catching D just before the turn. This larger bunch relied heavily on the fire power of returning C grader Patrick Cruse who did most of the heavy lifting to get them almost in sight of the finish line.
Meanwhile A had caught B sometime after the turn and caught the big group around 4km from the finish.
However neither bunch yet had the lead car in sight; Tony Savage had ridden brilliantly in a largely solo effort, to stay off the front of the race until the chequered flag was in sight.
As it was, the fast finishing a A/B/C group passed him with a couple of hundred metres to go.
In the long, tail-wind assisted sprint, Nic Kerkham timed his run to the line to perfection to take the win by several bike lengths, ahead of Shane Revell, who was a similar distance ahead of James Nevin in 3rd. The remainder of B, C & D all finished within 30 seconds of the leader, in a noteworthy job by our handicapper Mark Fyfe.
Results
1st Nic Kerkham
2nd Shane Revell
3rd James Nevin
As always we are all very grateful for a stellar job by our volunteers on the day, especially Jenny Butler who came from G-Town to cover 1st aid for us.