Club Races
Family Winning Streak Continues
Rifle Butts Short Course Handicap
Sunday 11th July 2010

	Peter Parnaby

In a continuation of the family winning streak, Grampians Vets cyclist Peter Parnaby came up trumps again last Sunday, his second win in three weeks, with wife Meg taking out the intervening weeks event.

A tactical error by fellow 3 minute rider Tony Lloyd allowed Parnaby to surge past 250 meters from home and take out the 46 kilometre handicap, held near Horsham.

Parnaby and Lloyd, along with Alan Barnett, set themselves a demanding pace from the start, and had 7 minute riders Stuart King and Damian Rabl well within their sights after 20 kilometres. King and Rabl in turn were closing in fast on 9 minute riders Meg Parnaby and Tom Eldridge.

Turning onto the Henty Highway, the riders faced a head wind all the way home, favouring the stronger riders, and the 3 minute bunch soon hauled in the now combined 7 and 9 minute groups at the 28 kilometre mark.

Another 5 kilometres up the road, they picked up first time rider Doug Issell, who did well to hang on to the bunch until the finish.

With the leading riders still keeping the pace high, the scratch riders Drew Heard, Chris Scott, Daryl Elliott and Gerard O’Brien were struggling to make significant gains, and were still well in arrears at this stage.

Approaching the finish, Lloyd misjudged the distance to the line, not having ridden this version of the course before, and took off too early, with Parnaby and Barnett on his wheel. However he ran out of legs half way, giving Parnaby the ideal spring board to charge past and grab an easy win. Barnett was second with Lloyd third.

The scratch riders came in a minute and a half later, with O’Brien taking out the sprint for fastest time.