STOP PRESS!
Just visited Bill Bolton in RPA Hospital where he is recovering from the complications of a fall at the National Junior Track Series last Friday at Dunc Gray Velodrome. I'm pleased to report the swelling in Bill's knee is going down and he should be able to go home by Saturday if all goes to plan. See the scoop on the DHBC Juniors' performance in the NJTS by roving reporter Simon Bolton in full below & read all about Bill's first visit to hospital!:
DHBC makes its Mark at the NJTS -
by Simon Bolton
Chris Hageman seized the day when this new event was launched a couple of months ago, and entered a team of junior DHBC riders in the two available categories - U15 and U17. Tom Bolton was entered in the U15, with Alex Kapruziak, Bill Bolton and Chris himself entered in the U17 comp. The list of races which took place was different to those outlined in the entry - and comprised a "venue blaster", a flying 200m qualifier with sprint derby heats and final, an elimination, and a seeded final, with the A final in each age doing a points race, and B final doing a scratch race. There were about 80 riders present - a lot of them from other states (20 from Queensland alone) - and fairly evenly divided between age groups. At least a third of the riders were girls.
The first races immediately showed that it was going to be intensely competitive racing. Tom made it through the heat in the 8 lap venue blaster and then Chris did likewise in the first U17 12 lap heat. Alex put in a strong effort but the pace was hot in his heat and he got squeezed out. Bill, in a slow third heat, was looking strong going into the bell lap when two riders directly in front of him locked handlebars and went down. Four or five riders hit the deck and Bill was sent off to hospital with Mum to investigate a sore shoulder. That was the end of his racing for the day. The splintery hole in the track took 15 minutes to fix.
The pace in the venue blaster finals was blistering and both Tom and Chris found it hard going. Chris, who has ridden 700 road k's in the previous two weeks and whose legs will have been fairly tired going into this event expresssed his shock at the speed as he came off the track.
In the sprint event Tom managed 14.1 in the flying 200 and qualified for the sprint derby heats where he rode strongly but finished third of three. Alex and Chris's good times of 13.9 and 13.1 respectively were not enough to qualify them for the sprint heats in U17. During the sprint heats and finals spirits in the DHBC camp seemed a bit low, and not even Donna's mulberry muffins could help. Not being a tracky I had little good advice to offer and, as Crafty made hiw way around interviewing the adults accompanying the other teams - most of whom were either ex-national rep trackies or coaches or both, I felt more a bit inadequate to support the boys.
Alex was not feeling well and he and Tom both missed the Elimination race. Chris was eliminated early.
The final event was the seeded finals in each age category, and here things looked up. Tom was in the 15 lap B final - a scratch race. He had a great ride, holding good position in the first half of the field throughout the race, finishing in third with the first three crossing the line within a bike length.
In the U17 B final scratch race Chris was looking good for about five fast laps, but after there was a ferocious attack which split the field he sat up and let the bunch ride away. It was when the leaders got about half a lap in front that Chris noticed that the pace had dropped again. With a determined look he started manically chasing down the pack. Riding alone it took him at least a lap to get back on to the group of eight to ten remaining riders and once back on he picked his way towards the front. He was clearly riding at his absolute limit, front wheel wobbling and once appearing to touch another rider's rear wheel as he went through. It was terrifying to watch. Coming into the final lap he kept up the huge effort and forced his wheel through for 2nd place. It was a courageous ride - and a reminder that determination is a key ingredient in racing success. Chris, Tom and DHBC generally, got big raps from Crafty, who did a great job as always on the mic.
So, in short, this first big race day was a learning experience for the DHBC riders who took part. It will hopefully stand them in good stead for the track season to come, and particularly the last races showed that they have the ability and character to get some good results and have some fun over the next few months. The work of Michelle and others to build DHBC junior racing is clearly paying off, and as Michelle has pointed out, accessing expert racing and training advice for all the juniors will be a great and timely next step.
Bill got back from the hospital with his arm in a sling. Hopefully the prescribed second xray next week will confirm that he does not have a fractured humerous and he’ll be back on the bike soon.
Here's a link for photos from the NJTS: http://www.actionsnaps.com.au/index.php ... catid=3381
Training
Another pleasing turn out for training on Wednesday - we almost ran out of bikes. Welcome to Dirani our potential new member and particular friend of Mia Wallace. Good to see the Blunden brothers back too! Competition is certainly heating up. Keanu Blunden (who is also a speed skater) is proving strong competition for Tom Bolton in the U15s. Keanu made Tom ride hard in the scratch sprint, but in a well-timed break, Tom over took for a win. Neither rider (working with a punishing handicap!) could chase down the younger riders with Denali taking the race from Taku and Francis. Taku and Francis both improved on their previous 133m starts - congratulations to Francis who broke 18-seconds for the first time! Mia and Alison Wallace and Zeke Collins all worked really hard all session. Mia had fastest 133m start and firsts across the line (it should be noted big sister Alison - fighting a punishingly unfair handicap - would have won on time adjusted results). Zeke Llewellyn got another beaut 2nd in his two lap handicap and wore a look of sheer determination on his face each time he made for the finish line. Well done you! (full results have been emailed)
Membership
Those of you trying to obtain membership on-line should be aware that Cycling Australia's on-line membership page has been down. Here's hoping it's back up soon, as it's the surest and easiest way to obtain a cycling licence and club membership.
Junior Track Gearing
Here's a handy link from our friends at the Southern Cross C C to answer your questions about junior gearing restrictions:
http://www.southerncrosscc.com.au/index ... &Itemid=59
Road Racing
The Jayco Herald-Sun Tour is on in Victoria at the moment - here's a link to the website so you can keep up with the action from some of the best elite riders & rising stars:
http://www.heraldsuntour.com.au/
Thankyous & Medals
Clanking sparkly medals this week to Phil Kelly for top coaching & motorcycling skills, all the parents who bring the riders and help during the session, Bill for stoicism in the face of adversity, Alison for putting up with tough handicapping with such good grace, Zeke for riding with determination, Chris for his heroic 2nd at the NJTS, Alexander for making his first appearance representing the Club and a terrific 133m start at training, and Simon Bolton for finding his inner sports reporter.
Till next time,
Keep rolling,
Michelle Brown
DHBC Juniors
0412 442 550
