A group of Kelly Cycle Coaching athletes braved 2C weather to race in the fog (and later in sunny conditions) in Wangaratta last weekend.

Michael Hale finished 4th in GC. He also broke clear with another rider and went on to win the 52km stage 3 road race.

Clement rode an aggressive tour and was constantly attacking and chasing dangerous moves.  He was in a break in stage 3 and stayed clear to earn maximum KOM sprint points for the first climb of stage 3.  

Munro rode a solid tour.  He finished in the top 10 in stage 1, a 42km kermesse, held in foggy and cold conditions.  He also time trialled well over the 18km windy course.

Monica had a great 2 day tour.  She finished 6th in stage 1, which included a 2nd place in the intermediate sprint.  She climbed strongly, coming in just behind the leaders up the steep hilltop finish of stage 2.  She put in a solid performanace in stage 4, the 13km TT, held over the U19 State Championship course.

The coaches also had a go at racing.  Bob raced B grade against guys that were just young pups, and managed to beat a few of them.  He also borrowed George’s TT bike (thanks George), fully decked out with electronic shifting and rode faster than some of the A grade men.

Helen found herself demoted to C grade after attacking too early in stage 1 (in B grade), and getting dropped by the bunch. The friendly cycling rivalry between Bob and Helen was definitely revealed as Bob proudly announced that he had finally beaten his wife.  Helen finished 7th in an uphill sprint finish of stage 2 and 3rd in stage 4, 13km time trial.

Grant Boydell raced with Monica Kelly in D grade.  He rode well and finished in the bunch sprint in stage 1. Deciding to enjoy the serenity of stage 2 and 3, he rode at his own pace and finished both hilly courses well.  There were several beats laid down in the lead up to the final stage, the time trial, about who was going to catch who.  Grant looked very happy at the end, as he won his beat, and without any aero bars or fancy helmet.

Thanks to Julie and Allan Hale for being our management team during the two days.  Their supply of cups of coffee, hot pasta, banana muffins, salad rolls and other yummy items, as well as the use of their winterbago made the weekend very enjoyable.