Brunswick too strong at the Tom Probert teams race.

Despite gloomy weather in the lead-up to the annual Sunbury CC & Coburg joint-hosted Tom Probert Teams Race, 148 riders & a good sized support crowd turned out for a great days' racing at Calder Park Raceway last Sunday.

The Teams race was the feature event with Sunbury, Coburg, Brunswick, Italo, Preston & St Kilda clubs all fielding teams, resulting 58 riders taking the course. The rules allowed for a maximum of 10 riders per team, sprint points every 5 laps and a total race distance of 25 laps of the 2.5KM circuit. Sunbury fielded a full team, smaller clubs made do with less in some cases.

 

The Sunbury Tom Probert Team 2012.

The tactics beforehand were rumoured to be as follows - rip the field to bits in the early laps and allow the time trialists to get away in a break, scooping up most of the points and effectively neutralising the race for any teams that didn't make the early break.
Execution of this plan only took a handful of laps with the early pace proving to be brutal until the break was clear, at which point the main bunch settled down - going from white-hot to a more leisurely red-hot pace chasing the escapees.
The front of the race finally shook out to be a 3 man break consisting of Shane Miller (COB), Nathan Elliot (BSW) and David Kelly (SKCC) worked turns and dishing out some major pain to the chasing pack. Teams not represetnted in the Break were forced to do most of work attempting to bring the leaders back.
Sunbury missed the first break but had Andrew Hutchison and James Butler in the second break which, for a short while, threatened to pull back the leading trio. We also had a very strong contingent of riders in the main bunch ready to pounce if the break came back but unfortunately, this never eventuated and the break stayed clear until the end.
The final lap had sprint points down to 10th meaning the pace was hot for everyone coming into the finish. The second break scooped up most of the remaining points but those finishing the main field battled it out for the remnants. The race finished with a clean sweep for Brunswick - taking out the Teams Prize and Nathan Elliott taking out the Sprint Champion Prize.


Support races saw grades B to E, Women's A & B plus Juniors taking to the course - with a further 90 riders enjoying traffic-free racing and good weather, albeit a bit chilly.

Sunbury was well represented across the grades and had a number of riders in the money; Trent MCCamley won D Grade in only his 2nd race after a hard fought sprint, Craig Sullivan finished strong in 5th in D Grade and Royston Barns got a taste for the podium getting 3rd in his first race in E Grade.

The B grade race also saw a successful return to the race track for Mick Skerritt after a long lay off with injury and watching on the sidelines was our other 2011 Melbourne to Warrnambool hero John Marcan who has also had time off due to injury. Great to see both Mick and John getting ready for another big Warnie campaign in 2012!

Sunbury President Chris Steffanoni also made a special presentation of a framed jersey to our major sponsor Workbench which was very well received. Special thanks to David Catujar for putting some great carpentry skills to work making the frame which added very personal touch to the sponsor's gift.

Sunbury CC would especially like to thank Tom Probert, Coburg CC, the Northern Combine, Commissaires, volunteers, riders and supporters for helping make Tom Probert's race a continuing success. Feedback has been very favourable in terms of creating a spectator-friendly race with a great atmosphere for what is a unique race on the Northern Combine calendar.

Sunbury announces team for the Tom Probert Teams Race.

The Sunbury CC committee would like to congratulate the following 10 members who will form the Sunbury team for the Sunbury and Coburg Tom Probert Teams Race, next Sunday 27 May at Calder Park.

Team

Chris Steffanoni (Team Captain)
James Bulter
Dan Abottomy
Paul Logan
Andrew Hutcheson  
Nick Smith
Mitch Allen
Dave Steinhauser
Marco Bramucci
Paddy McIntyre  
Col Bell (Emergency)

Sunbury CC has put on some great events lately and this is our pride and joy that we share with Coburg CC. We definitely want to see as many Sunbury CC kits out supporting the teams race with the following races on offer- Women's A,B plus B,C,D men,E(men & women) and juniors. Pls invite your family and friends to come along and be part of a great days racing.

Full Race Details and Program Here

The Tom Probert Provincial Shield

In 2009, Sunbury and Coburg decided to dedicate a teams race to Life Time Coburg member and current long standing Sunbury member, Tom Probert.  Tom, who was kept in the dark about the award, was taken completely by surprise when it was first presented.  Only the sponsoring clubs for the inaugural Tom Probert Shield race were able to win the award.  Chris Steffanoni (Sun) was able to collect 11 for the club with Coburg unfortunately unable to obtain any points.  That meant that the Sunbury Club became the first winners of the Tom Probert Shield.  Sunbury has also taken out the 2010 and 2011 shield and is going for 4 straight wins over Coburg in 2012.

Tom Probert

Tom Probert has been a Sunbury member for 6 years and in that time has served on the committee as club secretary.
He started race competition in 1960, time trials, road and track racing. He represented West London Division and Archer Road Club in France, Belgium and Holland competed at 1st cat level for 5 years before migrating to Australia. Tom was a member of Brunswick from 1972 -73 and then Coburg Pro Am for 18 years. He took on secretaries and Public officer position after death of Jim Fawcett, was secretary and treasurer one year then a couple of more years as treasurer. Tom joined the Northern Vets in the 80’s which at the time was an L.V.W registered club, which meant could not go back to Brunswick. Tom had his share of success over the years and continues to race competitively when he can. He was honoured with life membership of the Coburg Cycling Club in the 90’s and very much humbled by Sunbury and Coburg Cycling Clubs decision to have a team’s race named after him. For a number of years his whole family has been involved with cycling with four Proberts racing and his wife helping with canteen and corner marshalling.

Strongest Sunbury Team since 2009.

Sunbury CC vice president Andrew Hutcheson was given the unenviable task of making the final selections for the 2012 Sunbury team. With so many members in good form and more than 10 members wanting to be on the team, selection was taken very seriously. "This is our strongest Sunbury CC team ever for the Tom Probert race" Hutcheson said. "We are hoping to get the team on the podium!"

Here is a deeper insight into how the selection process went

"I have been watching the form of the team members over the last few months. We have got 10 riders who have raced at A grade level which is a big improvement from last year where previously there has only been a hand full and we have called upon B,C & D graders to get us by. With great success I might add!"

SCC -  How tough was the final team choice?
AH - The choice was very hard but after consultation Steffo we think we are fielding the strongest team possible.

SCC - How have our new club riders complimented the process?
AH - New members have breathed new life into the club, with in some cases vast experience and their youthful exuberance in other cases, a good mix I think!

SCC - Why is the teams race important for Sunbury?
AH - To show the other clubs and ourselves how strong the club is as competitors and as a club.

SCC - Why have we always "punched above our weight" compared to the bigger clubs

AH - Sunbury riders have a strong sense of mateship, when we race we don't give up until we are finished! Be it physically or after the finish line! In the  past we have relied heavily on Steffo to get us points, with lower grade riders giving lead outs and doing what ever they could to help the team. The first time the race was held I was trying to score some early points off the front, I went a bit to deep, then was pulled back by the bunch and the pace was on for the first sprint. I had the reverse beeper on, the felid had been split into a number of packs, the last one was lead Tom Probert he knew with his experience over many years of racing it was time to ride or your day was over, I jumped on and was taken back into the race. This could have been the end of mine and Tom's race but we fought on. Tom didn't know till after that first race was run that the race was to be named after him. I think this was very fitting with Tom's positive approach to both Sunbury and Coburg cycling clubs.

SCC - How many times have you represented Sunbury in the teams race?
AH - Steffo and myself have represented the club in all 3 of the previous races and we're lining up again this year.

SCC - How do you see our chances this year?
AH- Our chances are good to get the team on the podium!

So, see you all at Calder Park, Sunday, 27 May 2012 from 8.30am onwards.

The 2010 Sunbury Team at Calder Park.

Phil and Andrew's big adventure.

We just needed to get some more insight into what it takes to get through an IM event, Phil and Andrew have been kind enough to share their thoughts on the big day. Thanks, and well done again boys!!

Phil's day.

My official time was 11:26:22. I came 33rd in my age category and 524
overall.

Before the race I was feeling quite calm and prepared. I was confident I had done the right training and had planned the race in some detail. I didn't set myself a hard time goal, I simply wanted to finish and I guess this took the pressure off. All I had to do was race to plan! Of course anything can happen on the day.

The start was something special. 1500 swimmers together at the line with the national anthem playing and a helicopter hovering above. A loud cheer and then the starters gun rang out across the water at 6.45am. we're off!

The swim was two clockwise laps of a rectangular course. I swam wide to keep out of trouble but still managed to get dragged in to the mass at the turns and it felt as if I were in a washing machine. I swam at a comfortable pace and I was soon at the finish and feeling quite fresh.

T1 was a bit of a challenge. I finished the swim with a bunch and there was a queue to get into the change tent. But I was soon on my way to the bike and off on the longest leg of the event. In my plan I had divided this leg into four 45km sections. I knew what pace and heart rate I wanted to ride

for each section and what food and drink to consume. I stuck rigidly to my plan and only briefly went over my max heart rate limit a few times. I ate and drank heaps during this leg. 3 rice rolls (wife's special recipe and contains rice, molasses, sugar, figs and dates), 3 gels, 7 bottles of Gatorade and 2 of water. The bike leg was the most challenging but only because the road surface was so poor. All the rain and flooding in NSW had taken its toll and the pot holes and rough surface made for difficult riding. Sometimes it was a little dangerous on downhills and round corners and you certainly had to keep your wits about you. One poor guy hit the deck badly. His tri bars had worked loose over all the bumps and gave way. He was laying unconscious on the road with the paramedics in attendance when I passed him.

I was soon riding into T2 and now feeling a little anxious. I have always found running off the bike the most challenging part and now was the acid test. Had all my training on this transition worked? Will I be able to get the legs moving quickly and hit my stride for the run? I ran out of T2 and the legs were fine. I was ecstatic! I hit my planned pace straight away and again stuck rigidly to my plan for this leg and ate and drank heaps. I was running very well and felt good and strong. I kept the same pace throughout
the run and soon realised I was going to beat my secret goal of twelve hours. This was my reward for all the training I had done over the past twelve months . I was enjoying the moment long before the actual finish!

The sun had set before I finished and so was running in the dark for the last few km's however it was such a buzz to have floodlights on, a cheering crowd and I felt myself going faster and faster to the finish line. I turned up the finish chute towards the line to hear my name announced and the words "Philip Moss - you are an Ironman". It doesn't get any more exciting or rewarding than that!

I didn't stay in the recovery tent for very long. I wanted to get out and see and thank my wife. The one thing an Ironman needs more than anything else is a great support person. My wife had supported me through the twelve months prior and organised her life around me. She cooked special foods for
me and didn't complain when I was out training all weekend and every evening. For the few days prior to the race she managed everything to ensure I had nothing to worry about on the day.

The other key learning I took from the day is the importance of nutrition. Basically you need to eat and drink and then eat and drink some more. So many of the athletes struggled because they didn't have a good nutrition plan. I saw so many pull up on the run with bad cramps and stomach pains all of which could be avoided. I did of course have my wife's special rice rolls and perhaps an unfair advantage!

Andrew's IM recollections

Dicko Australian IRONMAN 2012

Who knows why you would sign up to an IM, for me it was to give a crack at an event I had seen many years ago on “Wide world of sports” in a place call Hawaii. The IM to me before the event was more of a legend and something mad people do and average people like me just admire. For those who know me I don’t particularly excel in anyone sports but tend to be not scared to give any sport a bash. I think this ability not put myself under any performance pressure was a great help in the actual event.

The lead up to the IM was crazy, self doubt, excitement and daring to imagine what finishing would be like. Days before if you just sat around you could burn plenty of nervous energy, I found it best to just do little efforts in the pool, shopping and rolling rides. Official meetings and briefing soon killed nerves and got me excited to get out there.

Race Day:
4am awake like a light and meet my fellow IM mates and supporters near the start. The weird thing about the IM is the potential for terrible weather, but this day the weather gods had been helpful, not a puff of wind and blue skies. It’s amazing how fast time move before the start, last minutes bike check and drop off post race clothing is all done before you put your wetsuit on , then reality hits and you’re in the water with 1400 other hopeful athletes’.
Swim 3.8km: Sun rising, national anthem and BANG! Start the IM. This was exciting and very hard to find a clear bit of water initially but my natural swimming style found me cursing up the channel. Once I found rhythm this was an easy event for me and the only issue was the occasional bump or hit from another swimmer but all part and parcel with 1400 sets of arms and legs flapping around.
Bike 180km: Eat, drink, and keep heart low and repeat! The bike course was a tricky one it had the potential to kick your butt if you didn’t respect it (both for the road and environment / saw a guy stack it terrible on a steep section he didn't get up and I was lucky not to wash out avioding him). I rode a very relaxed pace around 30km/h and saw me though the first 90km lap no worries. Then something strange occurred, I felt nausea when I left the out skirts of Port Mac, then vomited up all my fluids and energy foods. I was a little bit worried but just kept riding along “saying shut up tummy” aka Jens Voght. Every bottle of water and every gel past this point just keep returning and ending up on the aerobars. Funny now! But I was seriously concerned I might pay later on for this sickness. I dropped my km/h slightly and rode out the 180km and felt physically fine but still sick in the guts and nausea when I ate or drank.
Run 42km: Epic feeling to know I had 9.5 hours to complete a marathon. Put the runners on had a small stretch and ran out of the tent. First 5kms felt amazing on top of the world, then I got a terrible nausea feeling again and ducked off the course to spew up again, once again and again! The next 21kms was a combination of spewing and drinking electrolytes, great fun! I felt physically tired from the long day but just kept moving forward as I figured spewing, running and walking would get me to the finish line eventually. I started to feel real pain as the sun went down on the course, but every time I saw someone doing it hard or collapsing I just kept moving and was not going to finish this IM in a medical van. Last lap of the course was a very emotional feeling, I regained some running form and was able to run the last 10kms, sadly maybe due to my time out there I had to see all these tired people falling apart on the course in the last lap for me but only 2nd for many. I liken it to a death march, people just simply falling over and not getting up and then you see a medic van race up the course and that’s that person IM dream over!
I keep a lid on my race after I felt sick on the bike and never put time pressure in front of ability, this race is not a place to try anything outside your training. I crossed the line in the dark 14:32hrs and shared an amazing feeling as I ran up the finishing straight to hear "ANDREW DIXON YOU ARE AN IRONMAN".
Very happy to finish, I couldn’t get the grin off my face and shared this with loved ones. People have said you get an IM bug to do more…………………yea you do but I reckon I will do another in about 18months.

P.S in reflection my nausea was quite an unknown reason, I did however feel average a few days before the race and slept alot, I might of had a sickness that didn't quite take hold but I finished.

Sunburys Ironmen pass the test.

Sunbury Cycling Club members Phil Moss and Andrew Dixon are Ironmen!! They have officially joined other SCC "Ironman members" Mick Skerritt and David Cutajar in this very exclusive club after sucessfully completing the Port Macquarie Ironman last Sunday. The grueling event involves a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run. Dixon finished in 14hrs 32mins and Moss in 11hrs and 26mins.

We asked Phil a few questions to try and understand the motivation behind saddling up for such a tough event.

SCC -  How many Ironman events have you competed in?

PM - This will be my first full Ironman event. However, I did the half Ironman in Canberra last December.

SCC - Which is the hardest leg?

PM - All 3 legs are challenging but the hardest part for me is running immediately off the bike.  Your legs are feeling like lead and you need to keep them moving as you transition to the run.

SCC - Describe a typical training week in the last 2 months.

PM - The peak weeks were 25 hours comprising 5 interval sessions through the week for swim, bike and run.  Also core strength work in the gym every day.  That's about 10 hours.  The weekend comprised a 200km ride; 40km run and a 4km swim.  I've been tapering for the past 4 weeks and gradually reducing the volume by a few hours per week.  The final week was my shortest, only 15 hours!!

SCC - Where have you been riding for training?

PM - I live in Kerrie and typically head out to Woodend, Trentham, Daylesford and then on to Malmsbury.  A loop through Lauriston and then back the same way. Just under 200km.  The route is undulating and good for TT training.

SCC - What inspires you to do an iron man?

PM - I get asked this often but it's normally phrased - You're doing what? Why on earth would you put yourself through that?  You must be mad!  Maybe I am mad?  I'm not a sprinter or very fast at anything but I can do endurance.  I've done the Audax Alpine classic a few times and the Tour of Bright.  Run a few marathons and done a few 4km ocean swims.  It's interesting really as I've only ever seen myself as a runner or cyclist or swimmer but never a triathlete.  So I guess the inspration comes from the challenge of attempting 3 endurance events back to back.

SCC - Are you planning on any more?

PM - This will be my one and only full Ironman and I have no time goal, I just want to finish.  I plan to compete in 2 half Ironman events per year for the next few years at least.  I'll be going to Canberra again in December.  My goal for the half is less than 5 hours and hopefully get an Age Group qualifying spot for the World Championships in Las Vagas.

Not only did Phil finish, he came 33rd out of over 140 in his division!!

Congratulations to you both!!

Bicycle Superstore Sunbury Kermesse results.

75 entrants and many supporters come out for a sensational morning of racing at Diggers Rest last Sunday for the Bicycle Superstore Sunbury Kermesse. Cool and cloudy conditions made for perfect road racing on the exciting 4.5km course. All grades were well represented with D grade at capacity. Feedback from both the riders and supporters was very positive regarding the new course. 

Click here for all the results thanks to our good friends at Cycling Tips

 

Sunbury CC member Craig Sullivan leading the D grade race.

 

The club thanks all volunteers, entrants and supporters for your support of the event. We also thank Chris Hitchen, Luke McDonough, David Morgan and John Morrison for their expert race control.