Road: Scott Keating is the 2010 BSCC Road Champion

September 15 2010

Scott Keating won the 2010 BSCC Road Championship at Gordon on Saturday afternoon, September 11, in a photo finish from Phil Orr.  The race was calm for the first two kilometers, and then the attacks started, and didn't let up until the finish.  Rhys Gillett, whose ankle is still damaged after his crash at the Tour of Gippsland, kept the pace high, as did Orr and Weightman, who is also suffering the after-effects of a crash.  Their mission was to dislodge gun sprinters Damien Keirl and Scott Keating.  Keirl has been stronger this season than for many years, and Keating has been quietly building form over the past few months.  The ferocious pace split the race a number of times, with what appeared to be the decisive split on Egerton-Ballan road on the final lap.  Keating and Gillett were in front, chased by Orr and Weightman, then further back to Keirl and Conaughton.  Orr and Weightman made a huge effort and dragged their way back to the front two, and these four approached the finish at Gordon together.  Orr led out the uphill sprint, a tactic that has worked for him many times before.  Gillett, whose ankle is sufficiently healed to work straight up and down, but not enough to deal with the sideways motion that often happens in a full-power sprint, accelerated, then stopped as his ankle gave way.  Keating waited, then charged, and threw his bike at the line.  It took the judges five minutes to decide that Keating had just edged out Orr, with the ever-strong Weightman third.  Keirl crossed the line fifth, followed closely by a fighting Ciaran Conaughton, who took the M19 champion. In one of the top rides of the day, Clive Silcock was next to finish, followed a minute or so back by fellow young guns James Crafter and Charles Martin.

(Masters 1-3: see below)

For the first time this year, a separate Masters 4-7 (45-plus) championship was run.  The club has a number of strong riders in these age groups, including Gary Gullock, Tony Mirabella, Matthew and Adam Smith, Doug Garley, Guy Falla, Peter Kiel, Les Bilney, Tim Oliver, Peter "Engine" Walker and Bob Braszell.  All of these riders would be strong contenders in a combined masters' championship, and were expected to fight out a tough 45+ race.  As it turned out, Matt Smith was the only one of these riders who raced, and only Shane Butler, Don Stewart and Jonathan Lacey joined Smith.  They turned on a solid race, but the tactical options are severely limited with such a small field, so it's not clear if this experiment will be repeated next year.  Stewart, the only MMAS6 competitor, put up a courageous fight against his younger rivals, and clawed his way back into the race  time after time on the climbs, but was eventually dislodged on the second lap.  On the third lap, fearing the in-form Matt Smith's well-known finishing power and experience, Butler and Lacey piled on the pressure up Mount Egerton and on the climbs on the Ballan road.  Smith was hanging tough until a puncture ended his race, leaving Butler and Lacey to fight out the title.  They were very evenly-matched, and Lacey was lucky to catch Butler by surprise with a kilometer to go and skip away.  The gutsy Stewart ground out thirty tough kilometers on his own to claim a deserving third. 

In the women's championship, Melissa Keirl, Damien's sister and open champion Scott Keating's wife, added another sash to the family's vast collection by taking the title from Gail Oliver and Jenny White. 

Here's what happened in the Masters 1-3 championship, from competitor and Ballan resident Stuart Grigg:

2010 was the first time the BSCC masters club championships had been split into two groupings and there was a degree of nervousness on the start line. The course was rough in a few spots, a stiff north westerly met the starting seven and Volker counted us down – go on 4,3,2,1 and we were away. The group consisted of the powerful sprinter Townsend, triathlete Gilbert, hill climber Clark, Grigg on his home course (Ballan resident – ed.), hard men Polkinghorne and Cody (the latter suffering from a bout of illness) and the wily Baker.

We rolled off the start line at a moderate pace, some friendly chit chat began, but quietly everyone was looking around, nervously waiting to see who was willing to make the first move. It was Townsend, who tested the waters many times in the first lap, rolling off the front, but no one was prepared to go with him, so back he came. Gilbert and Clark continually came to the front to make the pace. They opened a gap along the Ballan-Gordon road, until Polkinghorne closed it down with Clark, and pulled us up the steady climb alongside the Gordon footy ground. As the climb up the final rise to get our first look at the finish line began, Townsend again rolled off the front, but the group was never going to let him get far.

Polkinghorne upped the pace towards Egerton and the group strung out. Some deep breathing could be heard. Grigg hit the front on the descent out of Egerton, not wanting to be caught up following wheels, and popped up the first part of the climb before everyone came across to him. At the top it was all together until Townsend again tested the waters but nothing was to come of it. We hit the head wind along the Ballan-Geelong road, and Grigg and Townsend dropped off the back momentarily to refuel until Townsend pulled the duo back across. The dead road between Gordon and Ballan made it slow going. Gilbert and Clark again opened a gap of 40 meters until Grigg pulled the group back. Gilbert again towed the group along at a steady pace in typical tri style. Townsend tested his legs up the climb up into Gordon to begin the third lap.

This time Clark opened it up to Egerton and strung us all out behind him. He kept the pressure on all the way to the turn off. We descended through the East Moorobool crossing for the final time with Grigg putting in the challenge and forcing the pace up the first step of the climb, but he was never going far. By the top Clark had popped off the back, but we were unaware of this and he managed to rejoin the pack after putting his head down. We hit the head wind and no-one wanted to go the front. Finally it was all too much for Gilbert, who by this time had already done about 40% of the work on the front, and he again rolled through to take the lead. Gilbert settled into his TT position and everyone tucked in and waited for the pace to increase, but he maintained a steady tempo. Some positioning had begun as we nervously hit the first rise into Gordon all together. The order on the flat was Gilbert (still on the front, now he’d done about 50% of the race out there), Polkinghorne, Grigg, Clark (the front man for 25%), Townsend, Cody and Baker. Gilbert upped the pace, and it was time once again to tuck in and conserve. The final tortuous climb started, Polkinghorne hit the front and the tempo increased drastically, the road flattened briefly with Polkinghorne still out there. On the final pinch Townsend was off, Grigg was late out of the blocks and got boxed in. Cody jumped. The Cody and Grigg might was no match for Townsend who had it over them as he drove across the line a few lengths in front. Baker and Polkinghorne came in a little way back followed by work-horses Clark and Gilbert. An average speed of 34 km/h showed how nervously the race played out.

Time to wait for the big guns ...

Thanks to all for marshalling and organising a great day on a course that is challenging and keeps everyone honest.
 

Here's Chris Liston's version of the events:

Great Scott! Keating Claims Championship at Gruelling Gordon

In one of the most exciting finishes in its history, the 2010 Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club Championship was clinched by Scott Keating in millimetres at the line. Eight-time title holder Phil Orr looked poised to wrap the race up in the tough uphill finish. Orr had a gap on his rivals with under 100m to go, when Keating made a late charge up the outside. Keating was carrying momentum as Orr tired. After some deliberation, the judges awarded the title to Keating by less than a tyre.

Rhys Gillett made the first move of the race on lap two of four, on the Gordon – Mt Egerton Rd. The bunch took turns at the front to keep him in sight, and left him in the wind for most of the lap before regrouping. On the last lap, Gillett went again on the Mt Egerton climb. Keating and Orr went across to him. Orr, who wanted more riders and more chaos at the finish, stopped working to allow Weightman to power his way back on the climb. As Weightman rejoined, Gillett attacked, Keating went across, and the pair turned onto the Ballan-Gordon Rd ahead. Orr and Weightman worked hard and caught the leaders. Coming into Gordon, the foxing around allowed Damien Keirl and Ciaran Conaughton to close in, but the four real contenders were decided. It was a matter of tactics and brawn. In the end, Andrew Weightman took third, Gillett forth, then Keirl, then U19 Ciaran Conaughton claimed sixth and the M19 Championship. James Crafter finished second in the U19’s after dropping his chain on the Mt Egerton road descent. He lost contact with the main group and finished with track specialist Charles Martin.

 Phil's in front, but here comes Scott ...

Nothing in it.

Another Scott, Scott Townsend, took the Masters 1-3 81 km championship well in front of the bunch. Shane Cody was runner up with Stuart Grigg on home territory taking third. Seven contestants for the title finished in the main bunch with the whole field completing the course. Masters 4-7 saw a small field also travel 81km. They circulated together for the first two laps and then it was on. Jonathan Lacey moved well ahead of the field, splitting the bunch apart. He claimed the sash, and Shane Butler took runner up. Don Stewart took third, after Matt Smith punctured.

Melissa Keirl pulled off the daily double for the Keating family. Partner to Scott Keating, Melissa got the jump on Gail Oliver on the climb to the finish and sprinted ahead to the line to take the women’s title. Oliver, Keirl and Jenny White made up the lead group for most of the two laps. White lost the lead pair on the Mt Egerton – Ballan Rd hill descent and had to settle for the bronze as the lead pair duelled out the 20km to the finish.

For more of Kate Grigg's photos, please click HERE.  Log in with email ballaratsebascycling@gmail.com, password ballaratcycling.

Official results

Club Champion 108km
1st Scott Keating
2nd Phil Orr
3rd Andrew Weightman

 

4. Rhys Gillett

5. Damien Keirl

6. Ciaran Conaughton

7. Clive Silcock

8. James Crafter

9. Charles Martin

M19 108km Championship
1st Ciaran Conaughton
2nd James Crafter
3rd Charles Martin

Women’s 54km Championship
1st Melissa Keirl
2nd Gail Oliver
3rd Jenny White

Masters 1-3 81km Championship
1st Scott Townsend
2nd Shane Cody
3rd Stuart Grigg

4. Tavis Baker

5. Ben Clark

6. John Polkinghorne

7. Grant Gilbert

Masters 4-7 81km Championship
1st Jonathan Lacey
2nd Shane Butler

3rd Don Stewart
 

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Updated Saturday morning

Here are the senior and masters entry lists, as of Thursday:

Open

Phillip Orr
Andrew Weightman
John McLachlan
Thayne Turley
Clive Silcock
Scott Keating
Simon Wallis
Damien Keirl
 

M19

James Crafter
Charles Martin
 

Women

Gail Oliver
Melissa Keirl
Jenni White
 

MMAS 1-3

Ben Clark
Shane Cody
Grant Gilbert
Stuart Grigg
Scott Townsend
John Polkinghorne
 

MMAS 4-7

Jonathan Lacey
Matt Smith
Greg Nunn
Doug Garley
Shane Butler
Don Stewart

B grade support event

Ben Lohse
Dave Peters
Matt Turner
Craig Lightfoot
Sam Turley
Peter Walker
Sam Edwards

C grade support event

Scott Denno
Peter Martin
Ryan Kerr
Paul Crack
Vince Mader
 

From Phil Orr, Chris Liston, and the BSCC Road Race Committee

Here's the format for Club Championship day, Saturday September 11.  All the races will be at Gordon, starting at 12 noon. 

Senior Club Championship, 108 km (4 laps), open to all riders, men and women, U19 and above
MMAS1-3 Championship, 81 km (3 laps)
MMAS4-7 Championship, 81 km (3 laps)
M19 Championship, 108 km (4 laps)
Women & WMAS Championship, 54 km (2 laps)

Junior Championships U9-U17, over various distances

For the first time this year, we will also hold up to three support events, graded scratch races in B, C, and D grades, over 54 km (2 laps).  These are aimed at riders who don't want to ride the championship events, but still want to race on the day.  These races will not be championships.  They will be run on the same course as the championship events, but they will be run as separate races - the fields will start separately. 

Entries for all events, championships and non-championships, close with 80,104,105,108 at 5 PM on Wednesday, September 8.  There will be no entries on the day.  Entry lists will be posted here before the race. 

The races will be run according to the relevant club rules.  They are HERE, and also under Events > Rules and Code of Conduct on the left-hand menu.  One rule to note is about Qualifying Rides (clause 11).  We're extending the exceptions deadline to Wednesday at 5 PM.  So if you have not done 3 club races this season and you want to ride a championship event, write to 80,104,105,108 by 5 PM Wednesday and explain the reasons you haven't done your three qualifying races (injury, travel, etc.).  As usual, we'll use common sense in applying the rules.  For example, if we only have a few entrants to a particular championship race, we'll consider combining it with another championship race over the same distance - e.g. M19 with the open race, MMAS1-3 with MMAS4-7.  This will be done in consultation with the riders in both events. 

As Jedi told us weeks ago, presentations for the championships will be held at the club dinner on Saturday night.  So if you're entering any championship event, please come to the dinner! - and buy your ticket today (Saturday 4 September).  Podium photos look better without missing people. 

See you next Saturday!

The road race committee is: Phil Orr (chair), Chris Liston, Don Stewart, Rob Doyle, Ben Clark, Charlie Stebbing.  Scott Denno has agreed to join the committee, starting in October.  If you have ideas about club road racing, and the time and energy to make them happen, please get involved!  Please contact 80,104,105,108 about joining the committee. 

**********

Updated again 31 August:

The format for the September 11 road race champs - events, distances, start times - will be published here on the Tuesday before the event.  Our unofficial guess - and it's just a guess - is that the main event, the open road championship, will be 4 laps, like last year; M19 riders will ride the open event; and the masters event will be a separate race over 3 laps, like last year.  These are just guesses.  We don't even have guesses about the women's or junior events. 

Stay tuned for the official word on Tuesday. 

Updated 29 August: an updated version of the BSCC road race fixture, including these changes to the dates of the club road championships, is now available for download.  Please click HERE to download it.  It's also at the top of every page of the on-line calendar.  If you plan your races using a paper copy of the fixture, please print this one and re-cycle the old one now.  (If you're the parent of a junior rider: yes, we know, we went through this just a few weeks ago.)  Nobody will be happy if people show up to the club championships a day late. 

Phil Orr, BSCC road racing ruler, writes:

We have confirmation from the Moorabool Shire to have the date for the BSCC club road championships changed from Sunday September 12th to Saturday September 11th.  The races are at Gordon, on the same circuit as the last few years.  Details of the events and distances will be announced soon.  The schedule for the club championships is this:

Saturday September 11

12 noon: BSCC 2010 road race championships, Gordon: junior, senior and masters events

6 PM: BSCC 2010 club dinner. 

Sunday September 12

10 AM: BSCC 2010 junior individual time trial championships, Cuthberts Road West

Saturday September 18

2 PM: BSCC 2010 senior and masters individual time championships, . 

This means the club dinner will be the evening after the biggest club road race for the year, the club road championships. (Hooray! - ed.)  We will award the club road championships, and the junior ITT championships, at the dinner.

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