I have at long last updated the website and all the action from the day 1, 2 & 4 is now up on the website.

I apologies for the delay but it has been very busy here, nevertheless the shots are up and you might recognise some of the big and not so big stars of the sport through out the galleries. Enjoy the viewing and I look forward to receive your feedback as usual.

Keep on Riding,

Arnaud Domange Photography

It is a great pleasure for me to announce that a number of my pictures have made it to the great Ride Magazine edition number 47 (Ride Cycling Review) www.ridemedia.com.au

Most of the shots come from Revolution 5 and the Melbourne World Cup in Melbourne. Rob Arnold very kindly selected some great moments for you that I captured last year.

I hope you all enjoy this edition of Ride which is always full of great articles and amazing photographs of your favourite sport.

A bientot

Arnaud Domange Photography

There is something about Jenny…

The town of Geelong provided once again a beautiful backdrop to the 2009 Women’s Victorian Open Criterium Championships run in conjunction with the National Road Series. 61 riders from around the country entered the competition, which took place in the familiar Eastern Garden over looking the bay. The occasion and the skills of the women taking part in the event were surely going to provide some action to the spectators who came to watch on this beautiful sunny afternoon.

Throughout the 15 laps of the 2.3km circuit if one thing were to be remembered then it would be the work that some of the teams provided in order to maintain a relative control over any potential break aways. Whether it was the NTID or the WA FLEET team with at times the help of some individuals no body was allowed more than a few bike lengths. Even the 6 bonus sprints along the way were not enough to shake up the motion. Simone Grounds from Balmoral Cycle Club proved the most regular in the exercise and took the overall sprint championship well in front of Myra Moller of Carnegie Caulfield CC and Davina Summers from Northern Districts WA.

With the pace kept above 40KPH throughout the event, it was going to be a matter of finding the right wheel for an inevitable mass sprint to the finish. In the last lap the RACE team leader Jenny MacPherson showed her Jersey near the front supported by team mate Chloe McConville and Nicole Whitburn although the VIS and the NTID team came to affirm their desire to launch their respective leaders as well.

As the bunch approached the bottom of the downhill section just before the rise to the line, the spectators watching with excitement were treated with a scene you would rather not witness, a mass crash at over 50KPH! From the finishing line it looked like a bomb had exploded in the middle of the peloton. Bikes were flying in the air and the all too familiar domino effect was supported by the screams of horror coming from the public and team staff. Somehow in the midst of this 17 woman pile up the lucky ones came through and it was no surprise to see Peta Mullens VIS and the experienced Jenny MacPherson RACE, battling for the title.

As it has happened many times before in such circumstances MacPherson, RACE was too strong for her younger rival Mullens, VIS as she managed to hold on to the win by the narrowest of margins. Davina Summers Northern Districts WA rounded up the podium with a strong finish as well.

If it was all smiles for the RACE team and Jenny, others had to contend with various injuries, Ballarat’s Beth Canny (multiple minor injuries), Hawthorn’s Emy Huntsman and West Australian Rebecca Halliday both with suspected clavicle fractures were treated at the scene before being ambulanced to hospital. The other riders involved managed to walk away from the scene with relatively minor cuts and grazes.

Congratulations to Jenny MacPherson, 2009 Victorian Criterium Champion and we wish a quick recovery to all the injured women on the day.

Arnaud Domange Copyright

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/Geelong%20State%20Crit%20Champs%202009.html

Hi everyone,

Jono lovelock won the 1 in 20 Time Trial today bettering his time by one second over the distance compared to last year’s chrono. 13min 47sec!

Although it was really foggy around the city of Melbourne, the Dandenongs offered ideal sunny conditions for the riders.

Some pictures of the morning hill climb are available on the site as usual.

A bientot everybody and enjoy the Tour de France coming.

Arnaud

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/1%20in%2020%20Time%20Trial%20June%202009.html

Sorry for the delay in updating the website following the 2009 Metropolitan Road Championships, but I was caught up in between a rugby union game last night and a conference on cycling injuries today being Sunday. Nevertheless, the pictures are up and I hope you enjoy the viewing.

It was another cold and sort of wet day for the Metro Champs but the organisation of the event run by the Castlemaine Cycling Club made up for it. I believe the day went well and on time. The atmosphere in the little town of Newstead near Castlemaine was as always very friendly. 

Across all grades the nasty little hills of  Muckleford Yapeen Road proved very tough for the riders and allowed the strongest to break away until the end. If the weather was a little more friendly than the previous week in Creswick, it was still a “nice” winter day in the heart of Victoria. (I remember the snow on Mount Macedon last year driving to the race)

Anyway, that is it for me today and I look forward to see some of you through my lens next week end at the 1/20 TT Hill Climb.

Enjoy your riding,

Arnaud

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/2009%20Metropolitan%20Road%20Championships.html

The race was launched around noon under some sunshine which must have given some positive energy to the eventual winner , Fergus MacLachlan. The 17 years old from the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling  Club took control of  the 18 minutes bunch he was part of and was imposing  a solid pace in the first climb.

By the half way mark MacLachlan and Co had swallowed most of the front markers and they continued their united efforts until the end. The scratch group worked really hard all day to try to bridge the gap but they eventually failed to reach the line first by a couple of minutes.

In the end Fergus MacLachlan proved too strong and finished off his earlier effort by winning the ‘Fred Icke’ handicap road race in a close sprint disputed under freezing rain.

We must congratulate all the participants for their efforts on the day as the conditions were pretty miserable with the thermometer only reaching 6.9 degrees at the max.

Arnaud Domange

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/Creswick%20Road%20Race%20June%202009.html

It has been a very busy week and since the race at Calder Park Raceway where my 40D’s shutter had a cardiac arrest I have been very bored and without a camera. To top it all off Bec has gone away for 5 weeks to the US of A. 

Canon told me last week end that it will take them 4 weeks to get the camera back and working properly. Great, only 6 months old by the way… So I decided to look at eBay see I could find a deal. Well, I did indeed find something second hand but in mint condition, a 1D Mark IIn. Thank you eBay and David for selling this great camera which I shall use to continue shooting the action for you. 

So I am back on the road and I look forward to the next race. 

Keep riding and cheers,

Arnaud

Tour of Southern Grampians 2009 Women’s Road Race

A matter of seconds…

  Ginger Kidd won the 2009 edition of the women’s Tour of Southern Grampians by only 3 seconds in front of Kathy Watt following the completion of final stage.

The Tour of Coleraine, as it is also known, organised by the Coburg Cycling Club with the strong support of the local community always attract a good number of quality riders and always shines through its great organisation under the control of tour director Paul Logan.

The weekend of racing promised to be of some excitement with the presence of Olympic gold and silver medallist Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling), the newly established R.A.C.E Team run by Kim Howard containing young gun Kendelle Hodges and the super strong Chloe McConville as well as the Prime Estate Cycling Team comprised of Ginger Kidd and Beth Canny. The numbers were rounded up with the presence of some strong elite riders in Rebecca Domange (CBD/Degani), Carma Watson (TFM), Radele Berriman (CCCC) and Felicity Wilson (RACE).

The first 72km stage was going to be a difficult one as the women were facing two short but very sharp climbs in close succession, which promised to be the theatre of some great racing moves.

The action started from the town of Coleraine under a beautiful sunshine but remained under control for the first 2kms until the group had reached the Glenelg Highway. From then only limited attempts of break aways took place but Felicity Wilson (RACE) and Bec Domange (CBD/Degani) made the early successful move however their effort did not pay, as they were caught 10kms before the first climb.                                                                                                                            

The Douglas Road climb was the scene for the first significant attack launched by Ginger Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) followed closely by Carma Watson (TFM), Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) and Kendelle Hodges (RACE). Chloe McConville (RACE), found herself sandwiched between the 4 leaders and the remaining riders. Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) took the points and time bonus on offer at the top of the KOM and was rejoined by Watt, Watson and Hodges before the assault on the second climb. Already some substantial gaps had formed and the overall race winner was going to come from one of these four women.                                                                                                                                                                                    

If the first ascent was of some difficulties then the infamous Zig Zag gradient for the second KOM was definitely worse. The leading four showed some great strength though to overcome the last difficulty of the day and accentuated their advance on the rest of the other contenders. Once again the American born Kidd was first to collect the points and time bonus at the top. Following the two demanding efforts required to escalate the climbs; Kathy Watt showed her time trialling skills and managed to escape her companions of the day by launching herself into a solo ride to the finishing line.

Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) took a very convincing win completing the stage in 2:52:58 though Kendelle Hodges (RACE) limited the damage by finishing only 9 seconds behind as well as Ginger Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) who worked hard to stop the clock 25 seconds after the day’s winner.

At the end of stage one Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling), Hodges (RACE) and Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) were holding each other within 25 seconds. Both Carma Watson (TFM) and Chloe McConville (RACE) who battled really hard to stay in the game appeared to have lost their chances of winning the overall tour being respectively 2 and 5 minutes behind on GC with a criterium and a stage left to go.

The Criterium took place in the township of Coleraine the same day in the late afternoon and included three intermediate sprints with valuable time bonuses on offer for the most pro-active riders.

Considering the standings at the time Hodges (RACE) and Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) were looking to make up ground on Watt (Blackburn CC). The 15-lap race was dominated by a little game of cat and mouse between the three leaders, Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling), Hodges (RACE) and Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) who managed to cancel each others bonuses gained during the race as most of the field remained spectator maybe recovering after the tough morning stage.

The rhythm intensified towards the end and the win looked available for any of the women. As they appeared around the last corner, most did not expect the strong and very experienced Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) to launch a great effort from 7^th wheel, but she did and it saw her grabbing the honours for the second time on the day in front of Hodges (RACE), Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) and Bec Domange (CBD/Degani).

After 2 stage wins, Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) looked set to take the overall title with one easier road stage to complete but with the added pressure of holding off a young and determined Hodges (RACE) still at 9 seconds and the recently converted Triathlete Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) at 25 seconds.

The next morning the pack set off for 64km into a very strong head wind and some rain to decide who would take home the top prize. The first half of the race was uneventful, taking the riders through beautiful sceneries and easy rolling hills still battered by the elements only disturbed by some jostling in positions at the front of the bunch, when the yellow jersey Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) was forced to the front by both the RACE and Prime Estate Cycling teams.

With around 30 kms to go as the bunch approached a descent before the town of Merino the weather worsened with heavy rain and gusty winds rending the visibility very average. Most of the field took great care in the short drop however, Chloe McConville (RACE) just decided to roll in front and soon found herself with a gap. She went on with a great solo effort to extend her advantage to nearly 4 minutes and looked set to not only win the stage but potentially win the overall tour as she was trailing by 5 minutes overall on GC.

The only KOM of the day was sitting at 10 kms from the end followed by a downhill finish to the line and McConville (RACE) took full advantage of her lead to set up a great stage win.

Though it was to be expected that the leader Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) would react pretty soon and she did under the influence of Ginger Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) who took matter in her own hands followed by Kendelle Hodges (RACE).

The trio was engaged in a great battle up the only climb of the day and the Masters 2 Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) powered to the top creating a gap and gaining a few bonus seconds on Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) with Kendelle Hodges (RACE) fighting really hard to stay in contention. It was then a final push down the hill and a bit of risk taking which saw Ginger Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) taking a superb second place and big enough time gap on Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) who crossed the line in third followed by Kendelle Hodges (RACE) in fourth.

In the end the 35-year-old Kidd (Prime Estate Cycling team) won the Tour of Southern Grampians by the smallest of margins, 3 seconds in front of Kathy Watt (Kathy Watt Cycling) with a very deserving Kendelle Hodges (RACE) finishing third. Carma Watson (TFM) ended up fourth and Chloe McConville (RACE) rounded up the top five.

Kidd declared: “ The Tour of the Southern Grampians is my 2^nd cycling tour and I’m both shocked and happy to have won KOM and GC!”

Words  (copyright) by

Arnaud Domange 

Pictures at:

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/2009%20Women’s%20Tour%20of%20Southern%20Grampians.html

First I must apologies to you all for the significant shortage of pictures from today’s race but my equipment failed me 20 minutes into the day. What can I say…

Nevertheless, the morning was brightened up by my wife’s win in the women’s event. Well done Bec! This is a very positive result to take away to the US of A with you for the next 5 weeks. 

The race was a story of 2 women, Bec Domange (Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club) and Miranda Laidlaw (Northcote Cycling Club) chased by some experienced but undecided riders. Bec Domange (CCCC) launched her attack within the first lap in the back end of the Calder Park Raceway. Only Laidlaw (NCC) responded in the second lap briefly joined by club mate Laine Hammond (NCC) who couldn’t  unfortunately sustained her effort. Once the duo had formed into a breakaway they worked really well and very hard to increase their advance  every lap. Behind them it was a game of cat and mouse between, Tess Downing (CCCC), Shannon MCCurley (Latrobe City Cycling Club) and Kathy Watt (Blackburn Cycling Club). They often attacked each other in an effort to bridge the gap with the two leaders but were systematically shut down in their individual quests to do so.

If the chasers had decided to play the political game of “who is going to do something” both Bec (CCCC) and Miranda (NCC) united well to develop a gap of just under 2 minutes towards the end. Nothing disturbed the pair in their victorious affair, apart from Bec Domange (CCCC) who decided to display some BMX skills by grinding the side wall of the circuit trying to avoid the head wind blowing into the finishing straight. She escaped with scratches and cuts but rejoined Miranda Laidlaw swiftly. 

Domange (CCCC) and Laidlaw (NCC) continued their effort to the end nearly lapping the remaining 3 riders and produced a sprint finish of quality. Bec Domange took first place and proved too strong for the young Miranda Laidlaw second on the day. The 3rd place was taken by Shannon MCCurley. 

Cheers,

Arnaud

The pictures (until my camera froze) of the race can be found on the website:

http://www.arnauddomange.com.au/Calder%20Park%20Women’s%20May%2030%202009.html

The 2009 Calder Park Teams & Support Events is on tomorrow, Saturday May 30. It looks like it’s going to be a great day weather wise and the quality of the racing promises to be spectacular with the amount of quality bike riders entered for the event. As always I will do my best to capture the best moments of the day for you. So stay tuned and I look forward to see you all through my lens tomorrow.

Enjoy the race and for more info jump on the CSV website.

http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/?Page=33955

Cheers,

Arnaud