Sprint Into Spring Race 5 Penola – The Wrap

Yellow Jersey (Overall) Green Jersey (Sprint Leg) Polkadot Jersey (Hillclimb Leg)
Mo Men Aston Key Steven O'Connell Brody McCarthy
Mo Women Natasha Key Linnea Karjalainen Helen Walpole
Sally Men Callum White Wayne Love James Love
Sally Women Sophie Taverna Amber Louw Sarah Love
Usain Men Dale Taverna Evan Gavens Louis Shepard
Usain Women Maya Bennette Samantha Love Paula Davey

All the Jersey Points after Race 5

Race Wrap

It’s always exciting to race on a brand new map, and Penola College was no exception! This had all the hallmarks of an Adams course, and was a combined effort by dad and daughter Geoff and Claire.  It had lots of short legs which constantly spun you around, never giving you a chance to get comfortable.  There were even a couple of “fake news” controls, leading us to believe the sprint leg was across the big oval in full view of everyone, when in fact all courses were kept very tight within the buildings – achieved by a two-part map. All I can say is thank goodness for those lovely central features – the chapel and rotunda – that proved to be good safety nets in an otherwise topsy turvy world!

As we draw closer to the end of the series, there is a lot to race for. Some jerseys changed hands, others saw rivals gain points, and all I can say is that the last two races at Ballarat will be decisive in every category. No-one can afford to miss an event!

How exciting was the Mo Mens race!  Brodie, Nathan and Aston really put on a show, with only 6 seconds separating the three.  Brodie had the early lead, but Nathan grabbed it at leg 6, and held it until an uncharacteristic error on leg 9.  From there it was Brodie all the way, albeit by an ever decreasing margin. Aston meanwhile kept pace with them both, running an incredibly consistent race, and was just pipped.  Other features were the battle between Joe and Bruce for fourth and fifth, and newcomer Daniel finishing just outside the top 10.  Aston retains the Yellow Jersey with Nathan just 3 points in arrears, so it will be all on the line next weekend.  Glen took out the Sprint leg, relegating Green Jersey holder Steven to equal second with Alex; Steven will need to watch out for Gary who is only a few points down. Gary tied with Brody on the Hill Climb, but Brody can probably be a bit more relaxed with his 10 point lead for the Polkadot jersey.

Tash once again proved too strong on the Mo Women, winning by over a minute from Aislinn and Clare.  The job is not yet complete, as she’ll need to at least complete one of the final two races next weekend before being assured of Yellow.  Tash shared the sprint leg points with Linnea, who holds the Green Jersey.  On the Hill Climb, it was Helen who tied with Linnea, giving her another week in the Polkadot Jersey, but Aislinn and Linnea are both breathing down her neck.

The Sally Men were almost as close as their Mo counterparts, with only 50 seconds separating the top four of Callum, Tim, Gavin and Stephen. Early leader Callum fell back to third after an error on the very tricky 9th leg, but kept his composure to win 7 of the last 8 legs, and snatch a 4 second victory.  Eric was fastest on the sprint leg,with Wayne second and Bruce third; Rod missed control 8 altogether, giving him a mispunch, and a lot of work ahead next weekend to reclaim the Green Jersey, which Wayne now holds.  Wayne won the Hill Climb, ahead of James and Callum who tied for second; the Polkadot jersey now resides with son James, and I believe there are some interesting discussions going on in that household!

Again there was a tiny margin between the fastest four on Sally Women, with Heather taking the 10 points, Sophie second, and the two Sarahs in third and fourth. Milla was the early leader, with Heather taking a more cautious approach. Sophie took over as leader from leg 4, but an error on leg 11 gave Heather the lead over the final stages. Sophie keeps the Yellow Jersey, but Heather has a low score to drop so it will a very tight finish in that competition, all hinging on next weekend.  Amber and Sarah tied for the sprint leg win, meaning Amber has another week in Green.  Sarah was quickest on the Climb, and she has a handy lead over Milla for the Polkadot.

The Usain Men was a two way tussle between Andrew and Dale, with Andrew eventually prevailing over the last 3 legs.  Dale is pretty settled in the Yellow Jersey; in fact he is the only jersey holder who cant be overhauled at this stage. Evan remains in the Green Jersey, and Louis keeps the Polkadot.  On the Usain Women, Maya had the biggest winning margin of the day, leading the race for all bar two legs. Sammy’s second is her best result so far, and Zoe was a strong third, ahead of Issy, Hannah and Amelia, who made a real race of it and finished less than 10 seconds apart – great job girls! Maya took over the Yellow Jersey from Frankie but the margins are still close.  Issy won the sprint, but Sammy is leading the Green Jersey comp, with Frankie, Paula, Issy and Mia all vying for the podium.  Sammy was the fastest on the Climb, but Paula’s second gives her the Polkadot jersey, just one point clear of Frankie.  Our Usain girls have been a really competitive group, and fantastic to see the newcomers right up there!

And so, on to Ballarat for two races at Federation Uni, Mt Helens.  This is a large university campus, big enough to give everyone two varying terrains. In the morning, we’ll tackle the complex buildings; the afternoon race will have more of a parkland focus – a great test of different skills, and a great way to bring Sprint Into Spring 2018 to a close.

Don’t forget that if you have hired a SIAC stick for the weekend, you should collect it from Registration on Saturday morning, and return it after your last race.  If you are using your own SIAC, please check the Sportident number you entered the Champs with, and change your entry to reflect the SI number that you’ll be using.

The other, most important reminder, is that pre-entry is REQUIRED for the Victorian Sprint Champs on Sunday, at the School of Mines in central Ballarat. Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on this one – it could be the most memorable Sprint map you’ve ever done!  Online entries via Eventor close THIS WEDNESDAY, November 21, at 11pm.  Start lists will be published before Saturday.  First starts will be 10am.

Results, Splits, Maps

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