THE Bathurst Cycle Club will be hoping for another bumper field when they stage their annual Anzac Trophy Handicap race tomorrow.
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One of the region’s stars will be out to finish a little higher up the leaderboard than his last attempt.
Blair Windsor recorded comfortably the fastest time in the 2013 edition of the event, but still couldn’t quite run down eventual winner Andrew Smith who started with a 10-minute advantage over Windsor.
With only around 25 kilometres of flat terrain in which to run down the frontmarkers, it is a tough ask for any of those off scratch to claim the overall win, but Windsor is determined to try and pull it off this year.
“It is billed as a ‘Flatlands Classic’ so it definitely suits a lot of the Bathurst riders,” the Budget Forklifts team member explained.
“We start off at Perthville, head out along the Trunkey Road and to the Newbridge turn-off and finish just outside Georges Plains. It’s not a particularly long course and it is definitely a race that absolutely anyone can win.
“There is a lot that has to go right for someone at the back to get up and win. Everybody has a chance and I know that in the last couple of editions I probably haven’t had that luck that you need.
“But that is what makes it a pretty compelling race to be a part of, and of course being Anzac Day that gives everyone a bit of extra incentive.”
In normal circumstances the younger of the two Windsor brothers could expect some help from his older sibling Dean, who profited from some hard work from Blair during a victory in the recent ‘hurt on the dirt’ club race last Saturday.
This weekend, though, he won’t be around to return the favour.
“Dean is up in Noosa on holidays at the moment which is a bit of a shame because he’s such a strong rider to have at the back with us and to help us eat into the handicaps,” Blair Windsor said.
“He owes me one after last week. And I’ll have no problem reminding him of that at every chance I get.”
This time last year Blair Windsor was in the midst of a remarkably busy stretch of racing and having completed the Blayney 2 Bathurst, he rode the Anzac Trophy event and headed north for the Battle on the Border stage race.
Things haven’t been quite so hectic in 2014.
“I think I’d had about 45 days of racing by this time 12 months ago,” he said.
“I was ready for a break and a change of occupation, but it has been a lot quieter this year and I’ve taken a bit of a step back.
“I’ve really enjoyed the local stuff and riding the B2B gave me some passion again for riding, so I’m hoping that I will ride some bigger events later in the year.”