Bathurst cycling talent Eliza Bennett put in a solid performance in the NSW Sprint Grand Prix 3 on Saturday, finishing with a personal best time.
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Racing at the Dunc Gray Velodrome, Bennett top time on the day was 11:882, the second-best time by a female cyclist and a personal best for her.
The event was the final grand prix of a three event series, held at the same venue, with Bennett’s results from the first two enough to make her the best performing female.
Bennett’s father Damien said her times were promising, especially considering the upcoming NSW State Championship next month.
“Her times are going in the right direction and the PB was the highlight from Saturday,” he said.
“The series was out of three grand prixs and she attended all three. She was the first fastest [female] in the first, because Sophie Knox wasn’t there. I think it was a similar result in the second grand prix.”
Bennett also competed in four head-to-head races, winning one.
She was beaten by Fletcher Partlin, from the Coffs Harbour Cycling Club, in her first race, and Jeremy Bartlett, from the Tamworth Cycling Club.
Bennett claimed her first and only win in her head-to-head races, pulling ahead of Parramatta Cycling Club’s Deren Perry in a time of 12.48 seconds.
Bennett then went up against Perry again, who got the better of her the second time round, in a time of 12.34 seconds.
In all for of her head-to-head races, they were three laps of 750 metres, but the times taken where recorded from the cyclist’s last 200 metres.
Bennett finished 26th overall, with Daniel Googe the fastest Bathurst cyclist in a time of 11.48 seconds.
Fellow Bathurst Cycling Club junior talent Kalinda Robinson also attended the NSW Sprint Grand Prix 3, finishing 33rd overall in a time of 12.01 seconds.
Robinson was also the third quickest female cyclist.