2009 Women’s State Criterium Championships, Geelong, Race Report.
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
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