A NASTY crosswind and hot temperatures made the Footscray Cycling Club’s Max Campbell Memorial Criterium in Hoppers Crossing a case of survival of the fittest.
A Grade’s race was a corker from the start, with 17-year-old future star Lachlan Doak earning the respect of his peers with a stunning win.
Early on in the race Stuart Morgan attacked and Doak saw it as a good opportunity to “soften up the bunch”.
“We had a go and dropped a few guys and then had another really big dig and we got a break of six guys,” Doak said.
This meant that most of the starters had been stretched beyond breaking point and were unceremoniously dropped, leaving the spoils of victory for the remaining six.
B Grade’s race resembled a prize fight, with riders subjected to a barrage of attacks from the start, with the likes of Remo Munaretto and Phil Tehan delivering blow after blow to the peloton.
These attacks saw a steady flow of quality riders being spat out the back. The crosswinds afforded riders no protection and no chance to recover.
With riders on the rivet and with little in reserve at the 25-minute mark, Ben Ryan and Phil Tehan delivered the fatal blow with one final attack that no one could follow, the pair quickly built up a half-lap lead.
Eventual winner Ryan knew this was the do-or-die moment
As riders were dropped, it became clear that the two class riders of the day were not going to be caught by the three remaining chasers.
Maidstone’s Ryan, 38, and Tehan, 58, crossed the line first and second respectively, with Mark Micallef crossing for an exhausted third just ahead of Munaretto and David Young.
Only six riders weathered the hectic pace that C Grade set, with the bunch spending lap after lap in the gutter in an effort to thin down the field, with Travis Small and Tim Robertson launching many blistering attacks.
But Darren Payne looked the class rider of the field all day, taking the sprint from an in-form Michael Young and Small.
D Grade winner, 29-year-old Altona resident James Bell, endured a “long, tough race with a crazy headwind” to take a strong win from Simon Greed and veteran Ross Liley, after finding the right moment to establish a break.
The inexperienced Bell made a wise choice to come into the headwind sprint as third wheel and came out with a satisfying win, and said he was looking forward to moving up a grade.
