The weather forecast for last Sunday and the Peel Junior and Ladies Tour at the Kwinana Motorplex was not good. However, the rain stayed away for almost everybody except Women’s A grade.
The tour is made up of three events, a prologue or short time trial over a 3.2 kilometre, utilising the service roads and pits area of the motorplex. A road race of between 15 and 45 kilometres using the same course and a short five minute criterium in the pits area.
In the under 13 girls, Fay Wiggins won all three events to secure the overall win Dakota Sime finished second in every event and second overall, Cordelia Williamson finished third overall.
In the under 13 boys, the criterium was going to decide the overall, with Rusty Wisewould winning the time trial and finishing second in the road race and Samuel Washington second in the time trial and winning the road race. Wisewould attacked in the back straight got to the lead, held it through the next two corners and sprinted to the line ahead of Washington to take the win and the overall. Guy Pertwee consistent performances secured him third overall.
The under 15 girls Emily Wiggins won both the time trial, the road race and overall after the criterium was abandon after a crash on the last corner. Isabella Commons who was just behind Wiggins in both the time trial and race was second overall, with Em Washington third overall.
The under 15 boys was the Joshua Howe show, after winning the time trial, Howe attacked on the first lap of the road race and stayed away from the bunch over the next nine laps to secure victory. Howe then went straight to the front in the criterium, but this time the bunch did not let him get away and they were strung out behind him for next five minutes. Howe still took the win and overall. Benjamin Pepper was best performer behind Howe, taking second overall, with Cooper Bates third overall.
In under 17 women, if Danica Wiggins wanted to continue the Wiggins sisters dominance, she needed to get pass her arch rival for the past few years Dharlia Haines. Haines won the opening time trial, with Wiggins second. In the road race the girls started with the boys, Haines stayed with leading group for longer and when separated had a healthy margin ahead of a chasing group of four girls including Wiggins. The chase group fractured, reformed and fractured again in the pursuit, with Haines winning the road race by a healthy margin, with Wiggins second. In the criterium, Wiggins attacked on the back straight the final time to take the win, Haines outsprinted Isla Carr for second and the overall event win. Carr who finished third in all races was third overall.
The under 17 boys James Derrick won the time trial, with Joshua Commons second and Oliver Bleddyn third. In the road race Bleddyn attacked early and established a break, a few laps later Derrick and Riley Hislop bridged across to him. The three stayed away and in the sprint it was Bleddyn first, Hislop second and Derrick third. Going into the final race, Hislop needed to win and hope Bleddyn and Derrick did not finish is the top four. For Bleddyn and Derrick it was simple finish in the top four and ahead of the other. With Bleddyn and Derrick at the front the whole race, Hislop chances were not looking good. On the final lap Derrick attacked down the back straight, got a lead and held it to the line for the win and first overall. Bleddyn chased hard for second and second overall. Hislop finished just out of the placings but third overall.
With 15 riders, the largest field of the day was D grade which is the entry level of racing. With many women taking the opportunity to try racing on a closed circuit. Natasha Pertwee was too strong and has graduated from D grade, by winning the time trial, riding off the front of the bunch in the road race and catching C grade who started 30 seconds ahead of D grade and then winning the criterium. The minor placings were tightly contested with Julia Henry securing second overall by finishing third in the criterium, one place ahead of Kirstie Robson who was third overall.
C grade saw Jennifer Sammons win the overall, with wins in all three events. Sam Bolton who promoted herself from D grade grade, was second in each event and close in the time trial, closer in the road race and pushed Sammons all the way in the criterium. Rose Sellar was third overall.
With Kirsty Augustson winning the time trial and Verity Keogh winning the road race in B grade. It all came down to the criterium. Augustson risked it all with an attack with two laps to go, which she held to the finish to take the win and overall.. Keogh chased hard, finishing second in the criterium and overall. Shannon Miraglia was third in the criterium and overall.
While it was sunny and dry for all the morning races including the A grade time trial which was won by Natalie Britz. As soon as A grade were on the start line for the road race, it started pouring with rain. By the time the rain had cleared, riders were spread around the course and Stefanie Van Amerogen took the win. The rain stayed away until A grade lined up for the criterium. In difficult conditions Laura Hodges rode away to take the win, Britz won the sprint from the chase group for second and the overall win, with Van Amerogen second overall and Kathryn Woolston third overall.