02 June 2010

KENNY SPRING Junior Womens Team continues to impress

Following a solid 2 day tour at Wagga two weeks prior where the Team riders were on the podium with a Hollee 1st in the Time Trial and Emma 4th in the opening stage. As the tour continued the last race proved to be an aggressive race with a crash taking Cyntarah down, making an almost impossible chase back to the peloton to place 4th in the final sprint, \just behind Emma in 3rd. Over all General Classification placed Hollee, with enough time salvaged from the Time Trial in 3rd, while Emma secured 4th just 4 seconds behind Simons. Cyntarah 6th, Jes 8th and Meg 9th overall.

Two weeks is a long time in Junior Cycling………

The Goulburn 2 Day Tour is set in undulating country with some challenging climbs specially the last 1km to the finish.

Rain and low temperatures were the order of the weekend. Stage 1 Prologue was a super fast flat time trail with average speeds close to the 40km/h for the 6km course. Time Trial specialist Hollee Simons again took the first stage from the more fancied Josie Talbot ( Illawarra Academy of Sport) by 4 seconds, with Emma Apolony 4th, closely followed by Jes Marshall 5th, Cyntarah 7th and Meg Coffee 9th out of the twelve strong field.

Stage 2 was turning point for the Team. Having being exposed to the combined efforts of the Illawarra Academy riders in the previous tour where they placed 1,2,3 in one of the Road Races, the Kenny Spring Girls rode a tactical race and kept the pace high. Emma unlucky to just miss 1st form Talbot ( Illawarra) Hollee 3rd, Meg 5th, Cyntarah 6th and Jes 7th in the fast finishing bunch.

Day 2 Sunday stage 3 again and individual Time Trail along a hilly 6km course. With conditions worsening the field started in reverse GC order with overnight leader Talbot (Illawarra) last away. Meg made the return journey in 13:20 8th, Cyntarah 13:02 6th, Jes 12:42 5th, just one second off Emma 12:41, Talbot (Illawarra) 12:30, Mullany ( Illawarra) 12:26, and riding out of her skin Hollee 11:59 , 27seconds faster, and elevating her into 1st on General Classification with one Road Race to run.

Emma Apolony had potentially the most to gain from the final road race, only 21 seconds off 3rd place on GC. With a 15 second time bonus for the win, mathematically it was possible for her to climb onto the podium. While Simons had to limit any potential loses, and cover any attempts to break away and have the 2nd and 3rd placed riders gain more than 15 + second at the finish. The 20km race under way, Talbot and Mullany’s strategy had to be attack early to form a gap over Simons & Apolony. The atrocious conditions were an added obstacle, the wet roads slippery and contributing to a fall by Meg Coffee, who valiantly continued despite nasty injuries, effectively ending her chances to finish in a high position. The pace continued to ratchet up at the front of the race with riders unable to follow and one by one dropping off the lead group of four, Talbot, Mullany, Apolonly and Simons.

Neither of the 4 girls able to make a decisive break and Simons profiting from staying with the group, while controlling the pace on the last climb to the finish. Emma made a last ditch effort to put time into Mullany but to no avail, and a bunch spring was to be the final decider. Talbot again proving the strongest on the line only a bike length ahead of Emma, with Hollee 3rd amd Mullany 4th and in a separate battle further down the road Cyntarah powered over Lara Batkin (Illawarra) for 5th with Jes Marshall soloing in for 7th and Meg missing a large amount of skin at the end of the race.

The time bonus reduced Hollee Simons’ overall lead to 17 seconds, still enough to take the 1st Place on general Classification, Josie Talbot ( Illawarra) 2nd , Bridget Mullany 3rd, Emma Apolony 4th, Cyntarah Micarelli 5th, Jesica Marshall 6th and Meg Coffee 7th nursing some nasty injuries.

Team Manager Mick Coffee said “ It was a great weekend of racing, the Girls are defiantly learning how to race, using their heads and their legs. It’s a great result for the Team and a good lead up to Tamworth in a few weeks time”

Mark Simons
Team Manager