A field of 24 committed looking riders tackled the chilly winter conditions with wet roads from earlier rain.
Ken Mansfield started quite early with the handicapper giving him a generous starting time of 38 minutes. Ken was well up the road when the other middle marker groups started their chase. Most of these groups working together till they started onto Larcombes Rd for the second time. The strapping scratch group of Xavier Coppock, Rick Buckwell, Dave Warren, Jeff Miller and Steven Richards where riding very well together and caught the 2nd scratch group not long after the Forest Rd turn around. These two groups combined well for the rest of the race. With some of the middle groups starting to break up on the way out Nobles Rd the combined scratch group started reeling, catching and passing all these riders, except for Vic Mason from the 10min group who finished very well till the end.
Ken still had 2.30 lead at the Forrest and Gray’s Rd Corner with a big bunch hunting him down, the result for Ken was inevitable being caught at the clubroom bend. Rick Buckwell did his usual solid finish up misery lane dragging the rest of the large leading group along. Xavier Coppock put in one final effort in Larcombe’s Rd to break away for a well earned win with a close finish for the rest of the placings.
Results:
1st and fastest time Xavier Coppock. 1:20.06 (37.47km/h) 2nd Carl Leahy, 3rd Tim Meaden, Dave Warren, Carl Judd, Nick Oakley, Rick Buckwell, Jeff Miller, Vic Mason, Steven Richards.
Next Sundays race is the Rory Wilson appeal handicap race.
Photo Di Howden
