There was a hive of activity at Conders Bend for this evenings ride and the weather had vastly improved from that of previous weeks. Ray and Mitchell from Cycle World had a Specialised demo going on and some of the riders took advantage and borrowed bikes for the duration of the ride. It turned out to be a pretty good ad for the brand as demo bikes were first and second at the end of the day. Mitchell in mechanic mode set up the bikes for each rider, Justin included, and then in race mode he demolished the field with some fast lap times. Justin also put in some impressive laps but could not hang on. Don’t know if the set-up was to blame, sabotage is such an ugly word.
It was an impressive sight at the end of lap 1 with Joel just keeping out Mitchell and Justin, but lap 2 was incredibly fast for Mitchell and Justin. New committee member Fraser had been working on the track and it was much improved and better defined, but there are still areas where it will become quicker with the same care and attention. The good work will continue as time permits so lap times could dip under the 14 minutes before too long.
Kris Ross was enjoying the track, his lap times decreased with every circuit and he overtook Joel and a very quick David on the 4th and last lap. Ten riders completed four laps in the time allowed, an excellent effort. Khan had a wee pit stop after lap 3 to debate whether or not to extend himself for a fourth. He had already put in some good work cycling to the venue into a stiff head wind. Joining him were Connor and Bayley who both pulled the pin after three laps ready for the trek home. The bad news was that the wind had fallen away so no assistance on the return to town.
Good to see newcomers Luke and Joe, Luke managed to get guidance from someone familiar with the track, but Joe not so fortunate and obviously took a wrong turn. Mikey Luff had his serious face on and put in three good laps, Logan’s third lap was a short one, and young Cody rode a couple of short ones too. He did not stop riding all evening until Mum stepped in and called an end to activity.
So some riders will have put something from the new Specialised range on their Christmas list, but for those with a smaller budget Andrew is preparing a push to sell the club’s own cycle clothing. This is good quality gear made by Ultimo and would make an ideal gift, especially to yourself if nobody loves you that much.
Next week we will be back at the mountain bike park and with daylight lasting longer we can sign on from 6:30 to 6:45 for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Lap times attached.
O.T.R.