Day 1: Port Stephens - Nelson Bay -38.62 km
Sweet Riding in Picturesque Conditions
Port Stephens The start of the inaugural Port to Port four day stage race in Port Stephens was blessed with beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures. It seems that this area of New South Wales has forgotten that Winter officially begins in just three days' time.
The Top elite riders were called to the start line, followed by a pack of lean-looking riding machines, numbering 190 in all. I exchanged words with Mark Hardy, before we all followed out the lead car. The pace swiftly quickened, and an early pecking order was established before we hit the first sandy walking track. Numerous rocky and loose pinch climbs greeted riders jostling hard for position. Flow Magazine's, Chris Southwood, suddenly veered left and knocked me into a scattering of loose rocks, that resulted in a loss of traction. I was knocked out of my rhythm and I clumsily rode the next kilometre with the skill of a complete novice, gradually moving backwards through the field.
The Top elite riders were called to the start line, followed by a pack of lean-looking riding machines, numbering 190 in all. I exchanged words with Mark Hardy, before we all followed out the lead car. The pace swiftly quickened, and an early pecking order was established before we hit the first sandy walking track. Numerous rocky and loose pinch climbs greeted riders jostling hard for position. Flow Magazine's, Chris Southwood, suddenly veered left and knocked me into a scattering of loose rocks, that resulted in a loss of traction. I was knocked out of my rhythm and I clumsily rode the next kilometre with the skill of a complete novice, gradually moving backwards through the field.
Chris Southwood Fortunately, I was able to regain my composure, as the race entered Tomaree National Park. It was important, as in any stage race, to find a group of riders of similar abilities and to work together to maintain a competitive speed. Elite female rider, Imogen Smith, was one such rider. The greatest single challenge of this stage was successfully negotiating the deep sand that lay almost everywhere and I soon learnt that following Imogen was a commendable strategy. Unlike most of the men, who rely on power to drive a line through the sand, Imogen would skillfully select the path of least resistance, and ride it flawlessly. However, before realising this basic fact, I found myself breaking away from the group, managing to bury myself in the deepest sand and then watching the others effortlessly sail by. Consequently, I decided to bide my time and follow others through the sand traps. Half way through the stage, we hit the 'vertical beach' and we were all walking up this formidable sand dune. Soon afterwards, the pace quickened and I noticed the road crossing approaching. The cars were banking up and I was 15 metres off the main group. I accelerated to close the gap and managed to catch them, just as the marshals closed the road, thereby saving me at least a minute of stationary time.
Andy Blair leads at the top of the 'vertical beach' The speed of the race picked up again. At one of the forks in the road a group containing Mark Hardy and Alex Kooijman suddenly appeared on our right but they accelerated away, determined to make up for lost time. Our own group contained Craig Barnes, sporting an eye-catching tarton top, and Elite female, Emily Parkes, who was fighting for supremacy with Imogen, in a bid to place second behind the forever strong Jenny Fay, now approximately five minutes up the road.
We emerged from Tomaree National Park, and I was able to break away from our group with another two riders. As we climbed the final hill, a rush of blood sent me into the lead, but past a left turn which took us into the park and the final section of singletrack. Emily had taken advantage of my error and I had to work hard to close the gap. As we turned into the final straight with the finish line in sight, I managed to move ahead of her. The diminutive figure, suddenly rose from her saddle and sprinted for the line and I was barely able to beat her by half a wheel length.
We emerged from Tomaree National Park, and I was able to break away from our group with another two riders. As we climbed the final hill, a rush of blood sent me into the lead, but past a left turn which took us into the park and the final section of singletrack. Emily had taken advantage of my error and I had to work hard to close the gap. As we turned into the final straight with the finish line in sight, I managed to move ahead of her. The diminutive figure, suddenly rose from her saddle and sprinted for the line and I was barely able to beat her by half a wheel length.
Master's winners Pete Selkrig, Rob Garden & Stu Adams I was pleased with my 6th place in a strong Master's field. Stu Adams and Darren Smith were comfortably in first and second, but only five minutes separates third to sixth, a group which contains Richard Peil, Alex Kooijman, Stephen Billington and John Elliot. The race was fast and 22.6 km/h is testament to that. Some riders were pushing hard today, and with a big day of climbing ahead in tomorrow's Hunter Valley Stage, it will be interesting to see how riders are able to back up. Without doubt, the next stage will shake up the overall standings like no other.
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