BATHURST’S Rosemary Hastings added several medals to her extensive collection last week on the Gold Coast when she made the Masters Road National Championships podium on three occasions.
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Hastings – along with fellow Bathurst riders Marian Renshaw, Jim Lavis and Neville Krahe – got a glimpse at the course which will feature in the 2018 Commonwealth Games this April.
Both Cycling Australia and the Commonwealth Games Committee thought it would be a appropriate time to try the venue approved for next year’s international spectacle.
Over 500 competing masters cyclists took to the course over three days to compete in the road race, criterium and time trial events.
Hastings was part of the women's Masters 8+ division and claimed bronze across all three races.
Once again at Masters National the competition was tough, and the task was made all the more challenging thanks to the combination of hot weather and testing courses.
Hastings said the weather didn’t make the going easy but she gave the course a thumbs up.
“I quite enjoyed the course but didn’t enjoy the heat,” she said.
“It was a challenging course, with three pinches along the circuit. It will be exciting to see all the riders go around it in the Commonwealth Games.
“The one thing we were mainly concerned about was that a lot of the course went through residential areas, so there might have been the odd dog, child or ball on the track. But there was no such problems, and we had a lot of great support along the circuit.
“The two women in my age group who I went up against are very strong riders. One won last year’s World Masters Championships and the other won a silver in the time trial at worlds.
“I really enjoy testing myself against them.”
Friday saw entrants battle a technical road course of 18 kilometres meandering along the side of the Curumbin River while the criterium was held at on undulating semi round circuit at Nerang.
The road course, being trialled for the Commonwealth Games, was a challenging 18km circuit taking in scenery which went through the local scenic suburbs.
Renshaw narrowly missed out on joining Hastings with a podium finish after going fourth in the women's Masters 7 time trial.
Lavis achieved an identical result in his road race and having top ten finishes in the other events.
Krahe, who was also in Mens Masters 8, rode extremely well in the time trial and road race.
