FOR the last time this season, riders came to Hoppers Crossing to contest the Footscray Cycling Club’s criteriums held at the VU Sport/FCC Criterium Track; with one more round to be held next Sunday at Drake Boulevard in Altona to mark the end of a great summer of crit racing.
The A-Grade race was dominated by a two-man breakaway from the middle of the race, with 42-year-old Ascot Vale resident Miles DaCosta taking a strong win in what has been a stellar season for the A-Grade breakaway specialist.
DaCosta knew he was going to try for the break, but the trick was who to take up the road.
“It started off a little reserved, with people shutting down every break,” he said.
“When the bunch brought back Trevor Hutchings’ break, I attacked on the hill and put it into the gutter. I saw Ben O’Leary coming, so I waited until he got to me and then we just pulled turns all the way till the end.
“Every time the bunch surged, we put in a couple of hard turns to answer theirs. You cannot ask for a better guy to be in a break with. Ben just worked hard and at the end we had an unspoken gentlemen’s agreement.”
DaCosta took the win from O’Leary, with Travis Small holding off the bunch after attacking with three to go to stay clear for third place.
The B-Grade race was an evenly matched affair, with riders throwing in a multitude of attacks, but each and every attack was shut down almost before they could form by the hard-chasing bunch. But a lack of motivation and foxing saw 41-year-old Newport resident Antonio Marino escape the bunch and take the win, at one time having a lead of three-quarters of a lap.
Marino finished well clear of the bunch, which pretty much gave up and just jockeyed for the sprint for the last 15 minutes.
Brunswick CC’s Tim Feltham took out the bunch sprint and was closely followed by Arron Liley, who came second.
