Club Races
Wemyss Starts Year with a Win
Rifle Butts Short Course Handicap
Sunday 29th January 2012

	Peter Wemyss

In a hard fought final sprint, Stawell cyclist Peter Wemyss just edged out fellow scratch rider Frank Kean to take out the Grampians Vets 47 kilometre Rifle Butts handicap, held near Horsham last Sunday.

Very warm conditions and a rising northerly wind made racing conditions more difficult, with the heat taking its toll on all riders towards the end of the race.

Riding off nineteen and a half minutes, lone limit rider Meg Parnaby made good use of the early tail wind to retain a six and a half minute lead at the half way mark. However, the head wind in the second half of the race soon took its toll, allowing the chasing riders to close the gap more quickly.

Six and a half minute riders Tony Rathgeber, Les Dunn and Tom Eldridge were also doing well at the half way point, still a minute ahead of the 4 minute riders Daryl Elliott, Rod Hetherington and Stuart King, who were struggling to hold off the flying scratch riders.

With fifteen kilometres to go, the scratch riders Peter Wemyss, Geoff Richards, Sean Prins and Frank Kean joined the four minute riders, with the combined bunches lifting the pace a little to reel in the six and half minute bunch another four kilometres down the road.

Meanwhile, limit rider Meg Parnaby did well to hold off the rest of the field until the final turn onto Racecourse Road, with 5 kilometres to go.

With the whole field coming into the final straight together, Peter Wemyss got the jump on Frank Kean, with the two battling head to head for a time before Wemyss eased ahead to take out the race from Kean, with Stuart King third.

Wemyss also recorded the fastest race time of one hour, thirteen minutes and forty-seven seconds, and average speed of 38 kph.