Footscray Cycling Club’s A Grade winner Steve Pilson. 68988
STEVE Pilson returned to form to take out Footscray cycling Club’s A Grade’s race at the You Yangs on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Ivanhoe resident attacked with a lap to go to win convincingly ahead of Paul Anders and Brett Hickford.
“The bunch were willing and chased every breakaway down and I thought this race would be quite negative and end with a bunch sprint, so I attacked with a lap to go,” Pilson said.
Pilson spent the lap with Trevor Hutchings, who worked with him until about 2km remained.
At that time Chris Zucchet was driving the bunch who were closing in on the pair, but a final hard dig from Pilson sealed the win.
B Grade guest rider and Yarraville resident Kris Hopkins may be relatively new to racing, but he proved that he was ready to move up to A Grade with a very strong win.
“This was my sixth road race and only my second race in B Grade,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins broke away for a lap in the middle of the race and quickly established a 45-second lead, but the 31-year-old saw the bunch pegging him back, so rather than risk running out of puff he sat up and recovered.
With constant attacks from the bunch and plenty of willing chasers to bring them back into the fold, it looked like the race would end in a bunch sprint, until Hopkins launched another attack with 5km to go, this time remaining clear of a strung out bunch, with Les Kennett faring best out of the chasers to come home in second.
After a string of podium finishes, Paul Sheean took out the C Grade race to earn himself a spot in B Grade this Saturday.
For the entire race riders would break away and the bunch would pick up the pace and chase, leading to a few riders being spat out of the back of the peloton. On the last lap the remaining 10 slowed right down and waited to see who jumped, at which stage it became a drag race to the finish line. Sheean just beating home Daniel Lucas and Gerald Lieu in a close finish.
D Grade saw a 46-year veteran of cycle racing return to the winner’s circle, with 61-year-old Graeme “Porky” Wilson taking a well-deserved win.
Wilson, from Hoppers Crossing recently returned to racing after a long sabbatical, racing on and off since 1964. In his heyday Wilson won several big open races, raced the Sun Tour several times, got fastest time in the prestigious Melbourne to Warrnambool and cleaned up on the track in six-day racing and the Madison.
