Gearing up for a close finish

Northern Beaches Cycling Club’s (NBCC) overall lead is under serious threat from Team Brooks, although wins by Team Brooks in A and D grade were offset by podium placings by NBCC.

Lawrence Fahey successfully navigated wily tactics in E grade to claim first place in Wangara on Sunday.

Newcomer David Wimbridge displayed a superb sprint to claim third in D grade. In C grade, Chris Jackson rode a strong race to finish fifth.

In B grade, Justin Schultz proved a team player, leading out Tim James to take second. Schultz was pipped for a podium placing to finish fifth.

Mark Welford personifies the club’s spirit; a latecomer to the sport who is sometimes maligned for not having an elite racing background, he has nonetheless progressed through the grades.

After strong results in B grade, Welford found himself elevated to the elite A-grade race. Without the benefits of a team structure and team race tactics, Welford had a daunting task ahead of him.

With half the field being dropped, Welford was impressive finishing with the peloton in 21st place.

With two criteriums and a road race remaining in the points count, the title of overall best team for the summer series will come down to the wire. All team members will need to work together.

I would like to thank all outgoing committee members of NBCC and welcome our new committee, which has the task of co-ordinating the diversity that is our club.

We welcome new riders and passionate volunteers in areas such as social riding, youth training and racing, women cycling, masters racing, mountain biking, road safety, and facilities development.

This weekend sees the UCI Gran Fondo World Series event come to Perth, attracting riders from across the globe attempting to qualify for the World Championship.

There will be road closures impacting on the Mitchell Freeway southbound and Reid Highway on Sunday morning. See the Main Roads website for more details.