Glen Park road race

The Glen Park - Longs Hill Road circuit is part of BSCC's King of the Mountain series, but as Doug Garley, former Euro pro and one of the club's great living assets, points out, this is not a pure climber's race like Warrenheip.  Its defining feature, the Longs Hill climb, is less than 4 minutes, and less than 10%, so the race is a kermesse, like the brutal circuit races that are the bread and butter of the Flemish racing scene that produced Merckx, Van Looy, Musseuw, and more recently Boonen and Devolder. The riders who win these races blast up power climbs, they time-trial, sprint, handle their bikes, and above all they deal with pain. 

There was plenty of pain in the combined A-B grade event on Sunday.  A grade were racing five laps, B grade four.  With the club's other elite senior riders at the Country Championships or winning State Series 6-hour mountain bike races, Rob Doyle was the clear favorite.  The question was, would the place behind Rob go to the pure climber, Joel MacAllister, head and shoulders above the others at Warrenheip; to the canny, in-form uphill finisher Jonny Townsend; to visiting track powerhouse Hamish Taylor; or to an all-round hard man like Garley or Guy Fella?  The B-grade field featured a similar mix of talents.  Climbers included Ben Clark and Warren Faneco; sprinters Matt Smith, Ryan "Ripper" Robinson and young gun Mitch Brogden; and all-rounders Matt Albiston and Peter "Engine" Walker.  The race started at a pedestrian pace.  Jonathan Lacey decided to trade his poor climbing for his greater comfort on the flat, and accelerated on the first turn.  He was joined by powerhouse riders Matt Smith and Matt Albiston, who had the same thought.  Their plan partially worked.  Doyle led the charge up the climb the first time and flew past the trio near the top.  Lacey clung to the back.  The two Matts were not so lucky. 

There was a partial regroup on the false flat, and then the Flatlanders' Plan was put into action again.  Garley took off just before the corner, followed again by Lacey.  This time it was on in earnest.  Garley drove the escape at a furious pace towards the bottom of the climb, and waited for Lacey on the slopes.  Once again, Doyle charged across over the top.  This time, only two came with him, Townsend and MacAllister.  Behind them, the field was in tatters.  As the third lap began, the front group had different objectives: Doyle to remind the others who was boss, MacAllister and Townsend - the finishers - to keep out of the wind, Garley to hurt the finishers, and Lacey to stay away from the rest of B grade.  Behind them, a small chase group had formed, and from this, in the most spectacular ride of the day, Taylor launched himself across to the front group at astounding speed.  Just behind him, Faneco, Brogden and "Engine" Walker drew steadily closer.  On the third climb, Lacey dropped from the front group back to the pursuers.  At the start of the fourth lap, the five A grade leaders had 15 seconds on the four B-graders.  On the front, Garley kept up the pace, assisted now by the huge engine of Taylor.  The B-graders worked steadily, and did not lose ground on the front group, but did not gain either: fatigue had set in.  On the climb for the last time, Faneco's inevitable acceleration came on the last steep section, and only Walker stayed with him.  Faneco sped to a comfortable win, the first of many, we suspect.  Brogden held on for a strong third.  Ben Clark, a firm B grade favorite on this course under normal circumstances, put up a tough fight through a heavy cold to finish solo in fifth, with "Ripper" Robinson, also solo, behind him in sixth. 

Meanwhile, the A grade leaders stayed together over the fourth climb, and started their final lap.  Garley and Taylor sensed that MacAllister's climbing legs were struggling into the wind, and they attacked mercilessly and repeatedly.  Taylor's last titanic acceleration split the group, with Garley and Doyle in front, MacAllister and Townsend behind, and Taylor himself falling back to the second group.  On the final climb, Doyle finally set sail alone, and hard man Garley grimly held off a fast-finishing Townsend for second place. 

Don Stewart writes:

The reputation of the Glen Park circuit had an influence on the entries for C grade.  Peter Canny and Stu Brien mysteriously came down with a flu type virus in the last few days before race day.  They both deny it was Swine Flu .. but we all know what they are like when they get on the front of a training group .. so I think it is hard to believe it wasn't the dreaded "Piggy Flu."  [Stuart has produced a medical certificate ... ed.]  Also Peter Kyatt and Jeff Filip actually insisted they marshal a corner on the day .. even when their respective wives offered to substitute for them!  Craig Lightfoot although entered and didn't turn up, so we can only surmise what sort of nightmares he was having regarding the course. There were also quite a few members who decided to take part in the recreational ride instead of showing what they were made of and taking on Long's Hill.

So to the race itself and the gladiators who took up the challenge.  Darryn Murphy, after a great ride at the Fred Icke, was promoted to C grade, along with Kylie Zelley.  Wendy Ross and young Sam Smith (11 years old?) joined in to turn over their legs for at least a few kilometers.  The race started off in perfect conditions for racing, with only a slight head wind, as the group headed north to Wattle Flat Road. Turning south towards the White Swan dam the speed lifted with a nice tail wind. Roger Bade did a strong stint at the front before dropping his water bottle and from then on was psychologically beaten.  He lasted to the hill but had no legs to take him to the top, even with the weight of his water bottle gone.

Stuart Grigg led the pack up the hill for the first lap at a steady pace with Bade, Zelley , Ross and Terry Collie dropping off.  Again there was a slackening of the pace until the the turn south.  This time Peter Norman and Charlie Stebbing tried to stretch the group with speeds hitting 55 km/h.  Michael Veal and Don Stewart used their superior weight to fly down the hill in front of the White Swan dam. They hatched a plan to ride abreast up the next climb with arms out wide to keep the climbers at bay.  This worked until the top pinch where Grigg, Stebbing, Beth Canny, Rohan Allen and Murphy (the whippets) found the narrowest of gaps and took their chance to put some pressure on the heavyweights. This turn of speed stretched the pack again with with Veal and Sam Edwards just bridging the gap, but Stewart was left in the red zone and off the back.

This race really was the tale of the climbs.  On the third ascent another heavyweight, Peter Norman dropped off, along with Veal.  Edwards' younger legs just kept him in contact.

So it came down to the last climb.  By then legs were starting to feel the early pace but the cream rose to the top, literally, with Grigg putting in a big effort at the front followed by Murphy and Stebbing.  Beth Canny and Rohan Allen (built to climb) found the pace too much and watched from a distance the last struggle to the line.  With only 500 metres from the top of the hill to the finish line, there was no time to catch your breath, so Grigg and Murphy decided to fight for the win from that distance out.  Stebbing, having a bit more racing nous, decided to hang on and watch the dueling pair until closer to the line.  When Stebbing made his effort, he made it big, and took the win by a tyre width from the courageous Murphy.  Grigg rolled in for third a bike length away, totally spent.

In almost spring-like conditions, about 70 people hung around for the presentation and BBQ.

Ed: we also received another unofficial report on the same C grade race, from a correspondent who will remain anonymous.  It is very brief and to the point.  It is posted not for its factual content, but to answer those who say that cyclists are just pedal-mashing machines.  It reads as follows: "The C-grade race was a mis-matched affair between some fair dinkum blokes, some ladies, and a bunch of magical teeny weeny little fairies who flew up the climb on the backs of ladybirds."

Please click HERE for a report on the recreational TTT that took place on the same day and course. 

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