Mataura Report and Results
Expectations were high for a fast race with good weather and favourable winds in the three lap 69km handicap race.
Sixty three senior and twenty five junior riders made up another large field. Six groups started with the gap from Limit to Scratch being 35min.
Scratch were confident to pass the field before the end but the limit riders had other plans. They (limit) worked well together completing the first lap in 42:32min, scratch were on target taking 12min off their lead. A large bunch of first and second break riders made better time in the second lap to be only 12min behind limit.
It looked like it would be all together in the final kilometres. No one predicted the strength of limit riders Amy Marshall, Marcus White and new rider Andrew Holden who dug deep into their energy reserves.
Rain falling in the later stages may have reduced the chase efforts of the chasing riders who failed to close the gap.
Turning onto the main street on Mataura limit must have felt good that they had managed to stay away, a big sprint finish from Holden gave him the victory over Amy Marshall and Marcus White, ten riders finishing within 2minutes of the winners.
Three minutes later the rest of the field arrived and began to pick up speed for a sprint finish. A large group of riders on a wet road going fast is always scary and it was!
Results:
1st Andrew Holden 2:09:28
2nd Amy Marshall
3rd Marcus White
4th Mark Day
5th Sam Kopae 2:10:13
6th Jamie Cunningham
7th Paigan Marshall
8th Tony McAra
9th Shirlene Rollo
10th Max Anderson
11th John Archer 2:14:10
12th Tony Raggett
13th Tim Maynard
14th Wally Kopae
15th Karl Watson
16th Allan Milne
17th Allan Strong
18th Ray Robinson
19th Steve Brough
20th Brehan Cairns
Fastest time Brehan Cairns 1:40:13
First Female Amy Marshall 2:09:45
Valuable Lesson his week:
“A weaker group working together can make better time over a strong group of individuals racing for themselves”
Welcome new riders this week Karl Watson, Peter Cox and Scott Cunningham.