Lachlan Doak has emerged as a future star after his A Grade win on the weekend. 67664
TALENTED 17-year-old Lachlan Doak showed he was a star of the future with a strong win in Footscray Cycling Club’s A Grade race on Saturday.
Doak showed a level of skill that could see him reach cycling’s elite level.
With a light breeze and sunny skies, riders were treated to unusually pleasant weather for the latest round of cycle racing held at the notoriously hilly and difficult She Oaks circuit in the Brisbane Ranges, with A Grade absolutely hammering from the get-go.
Because of the light conditions it was hard for riders to get away, but the first serious climb of the day saw the bunch split up according to Leopold resident Doak.
“Ben Johnson and I drove it hard up out of Steiglitz ’til there were only six guys left, and then on lap two we dropped Will Wheaton (Ballarat CC) so it was down to me, Ben, Jeff Robertson, David Tozer and Brett Hickford,” Doak said.
Doak and Johnson then piled on the pressure on the last climb of the day and got clear, Doak getting the better of Johnson in the sprint, with Hickford, Port Fairy CC’s Simon Walsh and David Tozer coming in one by one over the next two minutes.
“I just love this circuit because I love a tough climb,” said Doak, who is currently completing Year 12. “I had a handy partner in Ben Johnson, who was very strong.”
Having competed in B-Grade for quite a while, 44-year-old Williamstown resident Adrian Rafferty finally got the monkey off his back, taking his maiden win on what is easily the most difficult circuit to conquer.
“It was surprisingly calm first, but as we started the first serious climb of the day my legs felt terrible and I thought… I’m going to struggle”, Rafferty said.
“But I got better and better as the race went on.”
With Jeff Robertson down from A Grade and Geelong CC rider Leigh Clifford both piling on the pressure on the last lap it looked like this race may break apart, and on the final climb Clifford launched a commanding attack that may have succeeded if Robertson hadn’t rallied the troops and led the shell-shocked bunch back onto his wheel.
Clifford continued to attack all the way to the finish, and Rafferty saw this as an opportunity.
C Grade’s Bernie O’Sullivan took his second win in a row in a very strong field of riders, and with multiple riders piling on the pressure at each climb, this constant pressure just kept putting rider after rider under stress. By the last lap, the bunch was seriously depleted in numbers, and the remaining five riders were led home by O’Sullivan who took the sprint over Ben Coull and Michael Young.
D Grade rider Gerald Lieu led home a seriously broken up pelaton, with Lieu grinding his way to the line clear of Aaron Liley, who was 40 seconds clear of Peter Bloink and Mick Wells, who finished several minutes down and thoroughly exhausted in fourth.
