Race report Parklands 10 January

Racing returned to Parklands just outside Mandurah. Parklands is not your typical criterium course being 4 kilometres long and having a sharp 400 metre climb, a little over a kilometre from the finish.

The climb often has a big impact on race. Fortunately for the juniors, they ride an different course which does not include the climb. Chase Haines was first, Eilidh Milne second and Gabe Glorie third.

The small group of E grade stayed together until the start of the last lap, when Ashton Sime attacked, Anita Watters was the only rider who could follow. However, she never could close the gap, which saw Sime take the win, with Watters second and Callum Milne third.

D grade had a much bigger field and was a race of attrition, of the 12 riders who started the race, there was five competing in the sprint finish which was won by Dharlia Haines narrowly from Oliver Bleddyn, with Tom Power third.

In C grade, there where a number of attacks, then on the fourth lap, three riders went clear over the climb. Two riders managed to bridge across the next lap and that was it for everbody else spread out across the course. A late attack up the final climb, came to nothing as Rob Collins took the sprint, with Lee Barber second and Riley Jenkinson third.

B grade, saw a three riders Darren Kinsella, Jordan Dawson and Martin Thurlby go clear midway through the race. Each lap they eked out a few more seconds from the chasing bunch and stayed away until the end with Kinsella taking the win from Dawson with Thurly third.

Tyler Lindorff and Lewis Keightley. attacked A grade on the second lap and quickly built up a sizeable margin. A couple of laps later, it look like the race winning move as they have slipped out of sight of the peleton. However, the bunch just started reeling them back in. With just over a lap to go they were all together and the counter attacks started. On the final climb Luke Pledger took control of the bunch from the front and was never headed. Pledger took the win from Lindorff and Matthew Champtaloup third.