Race Report

Riders love to hate Hopeland Road—north or south—and, yes there were complaints today. The loudest was, in fact, coming from Neil McDougall's bike and you could hear it coming from the turn out of Rowe Rd, about 1500m away. But I was personally surprised and thought the road upgrade was just that: a considerable improvement, nice and wide, potholes gone and lacking the loose aggregate that covered it the last time I saw it, following 'The Gents' a month or so ago. I was even anticipating having to somehow 'run' out and replace the detection loop part of the way through the event today because it had been severed against the sharp edge of an underlying boulder. But all was good and just ask Teneal and Steff what they thought.

I don't think I have seen anyone at an event so pleased, overjoyed, ecstatic, glowing, as Steff when I got back to the Hopeland Hall. And well she might have been: a course record achieved with the biggest PB of the day. Well done, girl! I didn't see Teneal after she finished but I imagine she would have been similarly pleased—no PB in her case though, it was her first 2-lapper on the course. But her pace was almost 5km/h faster than her previous 40km ride here; not bad, I reckon. And she and Marion Mundt were racing off to the crit in Belmont (coach's orders!).
This is not to say the blokes were shamed—four PBs in the first-ranked five, one of the five couldn't qualify for a PB, a first timer, and Stu wasn't too far off the course record he's held previously anyway. We're left wondering what David Thompson might have done if he'd had a clear run—three times baulked at the turn into Karnup is just a tad unjust; a PB nonetheless.

The other bad-luck story belongs to Emily Mascaro: her return to racing after injury foiled by a bike that refused to co-operate—one lap of her intended four, a restart for a two-lap compromise and a repeat of the same mechanical problem …

It was a good morning's work though: Gary Ewen and Michael Backshall celebrated their fiftieth rides, Michael with a PB; and there was only ONE 'no-show' and that was most gratifying.

Nina White was the girl on the desk today (and thanks, Andrew, for the shortbread—very nice); Lorraine, Colin Rose and Rachel Thompson the team at the start and turn into Karnup; Nicholas Connan was the man in charge of ensuring riders didn't visit Sepentine and Mark Lommers made sure no one headed off to Mundijong. Ben Highfield kept me enthralled with a discourse on game theory (not the mathmatical discipline but equally obscure) and kept tally of bib numbers. Back-up is always needed but today only one transponder was missing from the action: Steve Knight saved a few grams overhead by leaving his at the hall but probably not enough to account for all his 1:03 PB? Alex Cairnduff and Kim VanA were out early setting up the course and there late packing it away and in the meantime getting a few more laps on two wheels to their credit. Thanks to you all, especially for the help squeezing all the finish line paraphernalia back into the UP!