THERE was a sense of urgency about Footscray Cycling Club’s criterium at the Victoria University track in Hoppers Crossing on Thursday night.
Nineteen-year-old Gisborne resident James Butler took out the A Grade race ahead of Dom Dudkiewicz and Shaun Gatter.
Josh Zammit attacked early, and was joined by Adam Murchie as the bunch worked hard to bring the boys back.
Once Zammit and Murchie were caught, the rain made the second half of the race a tricky affair, with many riders choosing to pull out once the grip level on the corners became negligible.
Butler broke away and spent most of the race driving hard through the rain on his own, winning the shortened race in a bunch sprint over Dudkiewicz and Gatter.
Paul Sheean’s win in B Grade showed that he is on a fast track to A Grade.
The 30-year-old Kingsville resident made a strong showing for the entire race and was impressive in the bunch sprint.
Sheean felt strong for the whole race, and was up to the task.
“It was a short race because of the rain, it was a little slippery, but I had good traction. I got onto the right wheel coming out of the last corner, and stayed protected until half way down the straight,” he said.
Sheean took a narrow win over Murray Crawford and Iain Clark, with seven riders finishing within a second of each other.
Eager to make this a race worth watching, C Grade obligingly put on an entertaining show, with Tim Robertson showing some very strong form by launching attack after attack that saw many riders dropped.
One rider who nearly got dropped early was eventual winner Simon Didderich. The 34-year-old Belmont resident was in distress early.
Didderich finished just clear of Darren Payne and Paul Young, with Tim Cameron the first D Grade rider to finish in this combined race.”
