Club Races
Tough Conditions Cause Havac
Ararat/Warrak Handicap, Sunday 6th Sept 2009

	Glenn Ford

It was a day for the climbers when Grampians Vets riders tackled the tough Ararat/Warrak 40km course last Sunday.

A strong north-easterly added another degree of difficulty to the already tough hilly course.

Riding from 5 minutes, Glen Ford, Peter Parnaby and Peter Mayo made good time on the outward journey, with Parnaby showing good strength into the wind. At the half way point, they had all but made up the 5 minutes 30 seconds on the limit riders Ron Larkin and Les Power, then caught them soon after on the step climb just out of Warrak on the return journey.

With both Parnaby and Ford at home on the hills, they soon broke clear of the other riders, reaching the top of the climb with a good lead over the rest of the field.

The 2 minute 30 riders Alan Barnett, Shane Clark and Tony Lloyd and scratch riders Dean Hayward, Drew Heard and Gerard O’Brien both lost riders on the way out to Warrak, with both groups merging shortly before the halfway point, only to disintegrate completely on the return journey.

Meanwhile Parnaby and Ford were charging home on the mostly downhill run, and went on to win comfortably. Ford crossed the line ahead of Parnaby, with Dean Hayward breaking clear of Alan Barnett in the closing stages, to come home third, and also take out fastest time of 1 hour 11 minutes.