Peel District Cycling Club returned to the familiar roads of Smeaton Way in Rockingham.
First bunch away was E grade, they stayed together until the pace picked up on the fourth lap and broke in two. The four leading riders worked together until the eighth and final lap. The final lap was fast with four riders separated over the course. Casey Berthelsen was the fastest and took the win. With Harry Alcock second and Kit Boulton third. With Shannon Fitzsimmons the first female finisher just ahead of Kristeen Hapi
A quick start in D grade saw the bunch strung out, an attack on the second lap saw four riders get away. With riders spread across the course, the chasing bunch of six riders did not have the firepower to chase the leaders down. In the end it was a three up sprint that saw Phillip Barnes take the win from Patrick Szczypkowski second and Bruce Barrington third. Zoe Stolton and Donna Dixon, who drove the chase group, were first and second women home, with Portia Vogel third.
C grade started fast and they kept the pace high, averaging 42 kilometres an hour for the 36 minutes of racing. At that speed there was no chance that a breakaway would form. Instead 31 of the 35 starters rounded the final corner together. The bunch sprint saw Robert Kidnie taking the win with a well timed bike throw. Steve Smith second and Shae Watmore third. Katrina Mclennan was the first women finisher ahead of Jo Boulton and Dennise Laurence.
An attack on the first lap of B grade saw a break from five of the strongest riders in the grade, Nick Bolt, Marion Mundt, Andrew Ballam, Liam Magowan and Adam Jones. The 35 strong bunch was disorganised and the five built a good lead. Just when it looked like the break was going to stay away, the chasers got organised and after 30 minutes of racing, there was a big group of 40 riders. The next ten minutes of racing, the speed just kept increasing, so there was no chance of last minute heroics. In the bunch sprint it was Bolt first, Dan Mijat second and Doug Stewart third. Mundt was the first female, with Amanda Nabi second and Casey Thomas third.
With a smaller field and with very limited team representation, the dynamics of A grade were very different to usual. As usual an early break formed and the bunch let them go and slowly chased them down. With team mates in the break, Pat Sacanni-Williams and Brady Gilmore got a free ride as 12 of the 14 riders in the chase group worked together to bring the breakaway back. As soon as the first break was caught there was a counter attack by Jarred Andersen and Sacanni-Williams. Within half a lap Gilmore bridged across to make it three. With two pairs of fresh legs upfront and 12 tired legs chasing, the trio built a good lead. With just under ten minutes to go and the leaders out of sight, the chasers sat up and started planning on how to finish fourth. With a lap to go Sacanni-Williams just hit the accelerator, Andersen was dropped but Gilmore stuck to Sacanni-Williams’ wheel. With a couple of hundred metres to go Gilmore attacked and took the victory, Sacanni-Williams was second and Andersen third.