CYCLING
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TWO teams from the Bathurst Cycling Club have come away from the recent NSW Club Team Time Trial Championships with medals after strong performances at the Nowra-hosted event.
Bathurst claimed a silver in the masters men and bronze in the masters women’s division as a record number of riders converged on Nowra Airport for the 2015 championships as well as the Ride for Robbie Challenge event held alongside it.
Usually the time trial competition provides the NSW club rankings and decides the state Champion Shield. However, with the launch of the NSW Road Premiership series, the Nowra event added points to an overall score.
Bathurst finished second in the Shield last year.
By the end of the competition, Bathurst did enough to earn fourth spot overall and were the leading country outfit.
In the men’s 150 combined years category the Bathurst group of Richard Hobson, Mark Windsor, Mark Simons, Bruce Goddard and Dennis Martin went into the competition as defending champions.
But only three of those riders – Hobson, Windsor and Martin – made the trip to Nowra. They finished second behind arch-rivals North Sydney.
In the women’s 140 combined years category, the Bathurst team of Rosemary Hastings, Kerryn Windsor, Cathy Adams and Robyn Partridge put in a fantastic ride to defeat St George and take the bronze medal.
They ranked behind the strong Sydney clubs of Bicisport and Lidcombe-Auburn.
In some of the other categories there were good results as well, with the Bathurst 90 years men’s team earning fifth spot in their competition, taken out by Penrith.
The number two team in the same category also managed to ride their way into the top 15.
Meanwhile, away from the championship meet, Bathurst young guns Harry Carter and Hollee Simons were in action at the Sassafras Challenge team time trial competition with their respective NSW Institute of Sport teams.
Carter teamed up with Mudgee pair Ayden Toovey and Jordan Payne as well as Illawarra’s Jackson Law. They recorded the second-fastest open men’s time behind St George.
Simons rode with Nicola Macdonald, Anna-Leeza Hull and Josie Talbot to nail victory as the fastest women’s team.
In the inaugural Ride for Robbie Challenge, named in honour of former professional Robbie Williams, Carter was in sizzling form but couldn’t be separated from rival Sean Whitfield. The pair dead-heated in the open men’s 90 kilometre race.
Steve Bennett made it two Bathurst wins as he took out the men’s masters event, also over 90km, with Hobson managing fourth.
Brad Roughley won in the 70km race, while in the elite women’s race Simons and fellow Bathurst rider Jodie Martin came fourth and fifth respectively despite Martin puncturing.