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Carnegie Caulfield Women's Criterium Series

Round 2 - Sunday - 13th February -  Glenvale Crescent 

Series supported by Tri-Alliance Cycle Coaching and Smooth Ride Australia

Carnegie Caulfield Club Website

Tri-Alliance Website

Write-up

Carnegie Caulfield's 'home' circuit for Sunday morning criteriums was full of superstars this morning. Whilst World Track Champion in the pursuit, Katie Mactier opted to ride the men's race, the women's series which is sponsored by Tri-Alliance Coaching and Smooth Ride Australia was full of stars too. Four riders from the Swiss Univega team were there, taking a break from their training in the Melbourne area before the first road World Cup in February to pin numbers on their backs and get in some speedwork. Also in the elite women's race were Canadians, Jenny Trew (who has been on a racing holiday (or is that holiday of racing) in Australia for a few weeks now), Gina Grain (selected for the Canadian squad for the Commonwealth Games) and Alena Radomsky. Alos there were Austrians, Daniela Pintarelli and Bernadette Schober from the Uniqa Braz pro team.

The race was hard from the gun, with the "Univegas" riding fast and getting two of their starters into the break which was to be the race-winning move. The pair were Priska Doppmann and Christiane Soeder, also there was Jenny Trew (Kenda Tires), who worked hard to stay there and managed to hang on until a couple of laps to go, when the collective Univega foot went down even harder and Trew dropped back to the chasing bunch.

The "Univegas" crossed the line for the win together, with a double victory salute. The win was given to Soeder, but this had been very much a double act. Emma Rickards made it 1-2-3 by winning the sprint for third.

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Race Report by Carnegie Caulfield's Mal Sawford

The second of the three race Tri-Alliance Women’s Series was a welcome addition to the regular program at Glenvale Crescent this morning, allowing the A Grade men an extra twenty minutes in bed or another repeat ‘up the mountain’ for those with bigger goals in mind later in the season.

While the Elite Women’s race attracted only a dozen starters, with the peleton including Priska Doppmann, CCCC member Emma Rickards, Christiane Soeder and Sara Duster of the powerful Univega squad, Daniella Pintarelli and Bernadette Schober of Uniqua Graz and Helen Kelly (VIS), a member of the Australia’s 2005 World Championship team, the quality of the field more than made up for it. The girls are in Melbourne preparing for the opening round of the Women’s World Cup, with Doppmann in particular a regular visitor over the past few years during her early season training.

Ten minutes into the race, Doppmann and Soeder went on the attack, joined by Canadian Jenny Trew (Kenda Tires). The trio were still clear at the first intermediate sprint and crossed in that order, after opting not to fight for the cash, with the bunch still in striking distance. Trew couldn’t match the pace set by the Univega team mates and was reeled in by a chase group lead by Gina Grain (Canadian National Team) and Kelly before the second sprint.

Doppmann took the final intermediate prize ahead of her team mate, while local Nicole Whitburn (Quick Cycle Coaching) held off a late charge from Univega ticket collector Rickards to lead the bunch over the line in third place. In the final laps, Doppmann and Soeder lifted their pace and pulled away from the chase, and crossed the line side by side, with the win officially given to Soeder. Rickards had little trouble mopping up third place after an armchair ride in defence of her team mates, with Whitburn claiming fourth inches ahead of Grain.

The Sport Women took to the circuit at the same time as the Elites, and after a brief neutral period to adapt to the novel demands of Women Only racing, were quickly up to speed, lapping the 1.2km circuit in very similar times to the professional Women.

Among the pace setters were Gemma Goyne, Michelle Murrell and Clare Vlahopolous, with the evenly matched field pretty much together for most of the distance. Melissa Kah took a leaf out of husband Danny’s playbook with a strong attack at the bell, but the attentive field reeled her in along the back straight.

Michelle Murrell hit the lead early in the dash to the line, and held off all challengers for the win with an impressive sprint. Kerrie Howard (Fitzroy Cycles) matched her second place finish at the Karak Classic, just ahead of Christine Kelly (Terry Hammond Cycles) and Meaghan Godfrey.

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Other Carnegie Events

Carnegie Caulfield Criteriums continue with Tuesday Twilight racing at Sandown Racecourse. (Melways map 80J6). Racing at Sandown runs until the end of March, with the Sandown Road gate opening at 6pm for a 6.30pm race start for all grades. Sunday mornings are at Glenvale Crescent (Melways map 80B2) with new start times for 2006: B, D and E Grades start at 9am, while A and C Grade ride at 10am.

All holders of current Cycling Australia licenses are welcome (don't forget to bring your license or receipt!) and non-members can have a go by taking out a day license for $20. 2006 licenses are now available at all CCCC events.

For first time competitors and the younger juniors, Tokyo Olympian Mick Hollingsworth conducts novice racing clinics within the E Grade race at Glenvale Crescent. For further details, go to www.carnegiecycling.com.au.