Club Races
Two out of Three for Prins
Lake Lonsdale Handicap
Sunday 4th September 2011

	Sean Prins

Stawell cyclist Sean Prins charged to his second victory in three weeks last Sunday, using his superior strength to blast past the opposition and take out the Grampians Vets 60 kilometre Lake Lonsdale handicap.

Early morning showers cleared just in time for the start of the race, with fine and mostly sunny conditions prevailing for the event. Light winds prevailed for the first of two laps around the lake, and limit riders Shirley Hetherington and Trevor McDonald made the most of their 26 minute start.

Twelve minute riders Tony Rathgeber and Damian Rabl, as well as six minute riders Les Dunn, Stuart King and Peter Parnaby also put in good first laps, but the increasing wind started to take its toll on all the bunches soon into the second lap.

The scratch riders Sean Prins, Peter and Crystal Wemyss, Rod Hetherington and Dean Hayward set themselves a very solid pace and with 15 kilometres to go had the 6 minute riders in their sights.

With ten kilometres to go, the six minute riders Dunn, King and Parnaby picked up the twelve minute riders Rathgeber and Rabl, but soon afterwards turned onto the Illawarra Road and into a solid wind, conditions that favoured the chasing scratch riders, who were gaining fast despite having just lost Hayward with a puncture.

Just before the turn onto the Sandbar Road, with five kilometres to go, all the bunches came together, but then on the first hill along the Sandbar Road, riders promptly started dropping off again.

The charge to the line was straight into a solid head wind. Sean Prins, along with Peter and Crystal Wemyss made a break for the line, holding off Stuart King and Peter Parnaby, with Prins overpowering Peter Wemyss to take line honours and fastest race time. Crystal Wemyss was a close third.

Prins time was 1 hour thirty five minutes and forty-three seconds.