FOR the third time in four years the Windsor name will appear on the honour board following Bathurst Cycle Club’s ‘hurt on the dirt’ Alloy Classic. 

However, this time it will be due to Dean Windsor’s ride, not that of younger brother Blair.

The race was staged for the fourth time on Saturday in an homage to the multitude of classic races held across Europe this time each year which send riders across tough off-road terrain and cobblestones.

Though there were no cobbles to trouble the riders this time, the dirt roads still presented plenty of headaches. At the conclusion of an attritional race, only Dean Windsor and 2012 winner Harry Carter remained at the front.

Even in the final run to the line the result was still up in the air, with the duo bumping elbows at one stage and narrowly escaping a potential disaster.

“Harry and I were next to each other and he came up the inside and we clashed elbows, which sent us both into a table drain,” Dean Windsor explained.

“We both came up the other side along the embankment and luckily enough I was in the better position and was able to hang on.

“I finished third in the race last year, it is very tough and normally with club races 30 seconds can separate the whole field, but in this there are often gaps of a minute or two between each rider.”

The race took competitors over a circuit of around 12 kilometres, which they completed four times in the A grade event.

Given the terrain involved, riders had to make decisions pre-race about what sort of tyres and wheels to use. The technicality of the circuit itself also presented some challenges.

“When I was overseas I did a lot of these sorts of races in Belgium, there’s a big race in France called the Tro-Bro Leon which Mark Renshaw won going back a few years which is another very tough one, it’s over about 230 kilometres,” Windsor said.

“So I’ve had a decent amount of experience, but it was still very difficult on the weekend.

“There were hills throughout the four or five kilometres of dirt riding and lots of turns, so there was a lot of potential for crashing.

“Normally with a club event you can go and do something in the afternoon, but after that I was just too sore, it really takes it out of you.

“You don’t see riders break away, you just see riders drop off one at a time until there’s only one or two left at the front, but there was no way I was going to lose that wheel of Harry’s.”

Mudgee rider Jordan Payne was able to cross the line in third.

Newcastle’s Luke Bagley took out B grade over Craig Barnes and Josh Corcoran, with Nev Krahe snaring the C grade win ahead of Greg Wells and Roy Barlow. Pat Corcoran saluted in D grade over Renee Covington and Marian Renshaw.