Giddy up! Round 3 of the AusCycling NSW & ACT State CX Series heads to Sun Valley Pony Club
This is a race report that was sent in to us by cross aficionadoes Andrew Dunstall & Claire Aubrey - thanks to them both for taking the time to put it together.
Thanks also to Rich Scriven for taking the photos you’ll see on this article.
If you’d like to see a race report from your local club round here on CX Down Under, feel free to email us at cxdownunder@gmail.com!
Western Sydney Mountain Bike club hosted round 3 of the NSW-ACT CX Series on the June public holiday. The junior riders once again challenged the adults, and this time tipped the scales in their favour in muddy but fine conditions.
The Course
The race was hosted at Sun Valley Reserve, an open grass slope just off the ridge at Springwood in Sydney’s outer western suburbs. The course utilised gravity for fast off-camber dives into the bottom of the reserve, but riders then needed to negotiate the steady drag back up the course. As the Reserve is also home to the Sun Valley Pony Club, there were equestrian features and a muddy gully crossing to add technical elements, and a snaking ride through the dressage sandpit challenged skill on a soft surface.
Kristoffer Grande (CORC) negotiates the dressage sandpit at Sun Valley Pony Club.
Photo: Rich Scriven
The final obstacle on each lap was the barriers at the end of the final uphill drag, which led into the final corner – a critical position that would help decide more than one race on the day.
The Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club round has been a June long weekend staple for several years now, and the club once again delivered a fine event.
Women’s grades
Women once again raced in their own race, with the three senior grades starting a minute apart.
Claire Aubrey (Ride and Thrive) took the early lead in A grade. Former road professional and Olympian Oenone Wood (Batch Brewery x Seight) went hard early but it was her teammate Kate Mathewson who really put the hammer down to catch Aubrey, setting the fastest lap of the race with a 5:14 on lap 2. Although she was able to make the junction, Mathewson faded later in the race to leave Aubrey the solo winner by 1:03.
Kate Mathewson rode strongly to finish 2nd in Women’s A Grade.
Photo: Rich Scriven
The most exciting of the women’s battles was unfolding B Grade not far behind. Two junior riders, Juno Smith (Western Sydney MTB) and Sylvia Dagg (Northern Sydney CC) stepped up to race the senior grade. They went head-to-head throughout, reaching the barriers at the same time on the final lap. Dagg cleared them fastest and remounted cleanly, sealing the victory with her technical prowess. Richella King (Newcastle Hunter CC) came in for a very honest third, and Laura Brienesse (Lidcombe Auburn CC) finished fourth. There was no mistaking that the leading two juniors are more than up for racing with the grownups - with lap times not far shy of those in A Grade, they’ll soon be making the like of Aubrey and Mathewson very nervous!
C Grade had the deepest women’s field and it was inspiring to see a mix of experience and inexperience on the start line at Sun Valley. Annalisa Meryment (Manly Warringah CC), a crosser from way back, took the win and it was a tight battle for second with Allison Thomas (Northern Sydney CC) and Roberta Salvatori (Harlequin Wheelmen) finishing in that order with only 15 seconds separating them.
Juno Smith (in black) and Sylvia Dagg (in red) battle it out in women’s B grade.
Photo: Rich Scriven
Men’s and Junior grades
A strong C grade field lined up, with Juniors starting a minute behind. Under 15 rider Jett Stokes (Southern Cross CC) once again smoked through the field, setting a sub 5-minute lap. The fact that there were eight riders in the Under 15 men’s field alone show the promise of cyclocross for rider development, and the uphill drags on course tended to suit lighter riders.
Not to be outdone, Under 17 rider Jens Lucas (St George CC) set a best lap of 4:54 on his way to taking out that category.
In C grade, Ben Ebbeling (Western Sydney MTB), Kieren Brown (Southern Cross CC) and Mitch Dixon (Manly Warringah CC) battled for the win throughout the 25-minute race. Mid-way through all three were locked together, however Ebbeling found himself gapped after struggling with the barriers. Brown would go on to win in a time of 26:10, while behind Ebelling was able to rally, finishing just a second ahead of Dixon to take the middle step of the podium. Notably the Junior men’s leaders, Stokes and Lucas had overtaken the C grade field, consistently laying down lap times 15-20 seconds faster than the adults in C grade.
Heading into the afternoon, attention turned to the top men’s grade. National Champion Chris Aitken (MAAP Sixpence CX) took the early lead, but Nick Smith (Duke Flanders Racing) bridged, and the two battled all the way to the barriers on the final lap.
The front row of men’s A grade is all business.
Photo: Rich Scriven
Aitken was able to box Smith against the tape running out of the last barrier and took a slim lead to the line. Behind the pair Finn Kane (Criterion Racing) rode strongly to third, while U17 rider Oliver Grande (CORC) placed 4th after challenging the top trio in the opening laps.
In the final race of the day, men’s B grade, series leader Rab Drummond (Peloton Sports) set the pace on his cross bike, but the family pair of Lindon and Peter Milostic (Penrith CC) riding on mountain bikes, along with Oliver Rutherford (Western Sydney MTB Club), rode Drummond down in some incredible racing. After 41 minutes of furious racing it was Lindon Milostic won solo, ahead of Peter Milostic and Rutherford.
This was the second of four races in the NSW/ACT series, which is jointly held by NSW between Camden CC, Parklife CC, Randwick CC and Western Sydney MTB, as well as Canberra Off Road Cyclists in the nation’s capital. The next round of the series is round 4 in Canberra on July 30th, which you can enter here.
Riders can also secure bonus points for the NSW/ACT state series by racing in rounds 5 and 6 of the AusCycling Cyclo-cross National Series, which will be held at Heffron Park and hosted by Randwick CC on July 20-21.
The following week (July 28th) the joint state championship for both NSW and the ACT.will be hosted in St Ives by Turramurra-based Peloton Sports club.