Footscray CC Graded Scratch Race – 14 April 2012

By Footscray Cycling Club

Round 3 of the Footscray Cycling Club’s Winter Road Season saw riders embark upon the Club’s first foray into winter crits at the VUT circuit in Hoppers Crossing as part of the Road Season, and with moderate Northerly winds, blue skies and temperatures in the mid 20′s, conditions were perfect for racing. Unfortunately, the A-Grade race was cancelled at the half-way point after a multi rider pile up on Turn 4 that left a very expensive pile of broken carbon fibre and several injured riders, with guest rider Matt Lane faring the worst.
Williamstown resident Glen Hutchinson took out today’s B-Grade race by using his trademark sprint to good effect after bridging the gap to a breakaway. After an endless series of attacks, Anthony Rebesco and Antonio Marino managed to get clear of the peloton, and set about building a 150 meter lead. This two man break was boosted as it began to falter when firstly Mark Micallef, and then eventual winner Hutchinson, managed to bridge the gap. Once the foursome were together, it became much easier for the breakaway to stay clear; 53 year old veteran racer Hutchinson managed to hold off the hard charging Marino in a close sprint. In C-Grade, veteran rider Daryl Davis weathered all manner of attacks for three quarters of the race, and then threw caution to the wind as he set out on a solo breakaway, building up an unassailable lead that saw him cross 300 meters clear of the bunch, with Damien Chester taking the bunch sprint.

A: Cancelled due to incident @ 30 minutes.

B: 1st Glen Hutchinson, 2nd Antonio Marino, 3rd Mark Micallef, 4th Anthony Rebesco, 5th Bob Shannon.

C: 1st Daryl Davis, 2nd Damien Chester, 3rd Joe Caruana, 4th Ian Duffin, & 5th John Paxton.

CLUB MESSAGES:Coming Up: Some of the best cyclists in Victoria will be racing on Anzac Day with one aim in mind – winning the coveted 52nd Bob Robson Memorial Trophy. The Bob Robson Memorial is one of the major races on the local cycling calendar that has been won by some of Australian Cycling’s great champions over the years. The continued support of the Williamstown RSL, the Robson Family, the Hobson’s Bay Council and the Footscray Cycling Club has ensured this high quality event is a spectator’s delight, with many vantage points around the street circuit ensuring fans to get up close and personal as riders race around this tight and demanding circuit around Williamstown High School. The circuit and racing are a photographer’s delight; the event perfect for action shots, and local residents are encouraged to walk down to the carnival and enjoy this high quality, free entertainment. Racing starts at 1:30pm around Williamstown High School.