40 minutes + 2 laps
9 ladies on the line, about 9C and blowing a gale!
OK, so first up for the non-cyclists, here is the wikipedia definition which sums it up pretty well:
"A criterium, or crit, is a type of bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets. Race length can be determined by a total time or a number of laps, in which case the number of remaining laps is calculated as the race progresses. Generally the event's duration (commonly one hour) is shorter than that of a traditional road race. However, the average speed and intensity are appreciably higher. The winner is the first rider to cross the finish line without having been "lapped.""
The purpose of Stromlo Ladies Night was to introduce local women to Crit racing on our purpose built track at Stromlo Forest Park. Despite the atrocious weather there were heaps of women out to have a go, which was great to see. This was a great initiative by Vikings Cycling Club, and hopefully we'll see a few more in future.
On to the race report. Being the "premier" grade they saved us until last . Originally we had been scheduled for 40 minutes + 2 laps, but earlier in the week it became apparent that there wasn't going to be the daylight to go that long, so we were down to 30 minutes + 2 laps. At 7pm we rolled down to the start line, only to realise that the the majority of the girls who normally would race A had stayed home, did I mention it was freezing and windy! So with 9 of us on the start line, it was decided that 20 minutes + 2 laps would be more than enough in the conditions- that worked out to 1 lap per person, + the 2 laps at the end!
The race unfolded like this, Vicki attacked, we went with her, Vicki attacked, we went with her... someone else might have attacked, we covered... you get the idea. Then Susie attacked, we covered and Vicki promptly counter-attacked- nice move Vic. So, Vicki took Chloe Hoskings and Bron Ryan with her and I decided to let that one go. Individually, bad move Bec, but Bron is newly recruited to OnyaBikeBelco, so nice team move Bec ;).The rest of the race involved Jessie McLean, Susie and I rolling around together, while Vicki, Chloe and Bron did the work up the road. In the end, Bron did too much on the front, and Chloe rolled them both. Official results:
1. Chloe Hoskings
2. Vicki Whitelaw
3. Bron Ryan
4. Bec Barwick
5. Susie Boer
6. Jessie McLean
7. Myfanwy Galloway
8. Laura Medley
8. Kathleen Miles
Welcome home Vicki and thanks for shaking up our bike race!
The highlight of the night was watching the twins- Jacqui and Alex- in B in only their second crit having no idea what to do (I shouldn't laugh, that was me 12 months ago really) and coming home with a win and third place!
Photos (top to bottom): Contemplating the weather at the start with Laura; Chloe getting the better of Vicki; Jacqui on the way to her first crit win, Alex took third (this photo from Vikings Photo Album). 
1 comment:
Awesome ideas! And so right. Go straight to know more about ladies nights.
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