What a great day for results for Gold Coast riders!

Racing produced no less than five Gold Medals to Gold Coast riders in 13 races. 

I have to apologise up front for not seeing some of the earlier racing in the day. I did however manage to arrive just as Dave Boe (Goldstars) powering away to chase down and roll over the top of the race leader who had been away for two laps. Dave rode away to a solo 1st place finish and Greg Sands (Goldstars) finished strong to take 3rd place in the Masters 5 race. Gary Muharen (Gold Coast CATS)  and defending champion from last year Peter Flynn (Goldstars) also rode in this race. The riding was hard as the finishing straight was once again straight into a string head wind that made it difficult for riders to get away all day long.

I then heard that Julie Barnett (Goldstars) had won 1st place in the Women's Masters 4, and our own Sally Smalley (Gold Coast CATS) took out 1st place in the Women's Masters 2 race. Rob Driver (Gold Coast CATS) also took out 2nd place in the Men's Masters 7 race. Congratulations to you all - excellent results.

I apologise to any other riders who placed earlier in the day as I do not have any details on your rides. 

Men's Masters 4 was a hotly contested battle of attrition as the wind and pace took its toll on riders. As the head wind battered them the tail wind through the bends pushed the pace up so much that riders were searching for extra gears that they didn't have. Defending champion Craig Taylor (Ipswich) and last years runner up Andre Claydon (Goldstars) looked dominant early on but again he wind kept the bunch intact. Kevin Menz (Balmoral) had a charge towards the end of the race but was brought back and rolled over by the bunch. Pat Goddard (Gold Coast CATS) was one of the casualties of the pace and retired just before the 3 laps to go mark.

Men's Masters 3 saw Dave Costanzo (Murwillumbah) and Peter Richards (Balmoral) hit the peloton hard from the gun. The tactic forced the pace in the first 10 minutes and ensured a lively race. Unfortunately a crash occurred on the far end of the back straight which saw tow riders taken to hospital with head injuries (bad concussions). Dave rode hard on the front pulling back breaks all day and leading the main field around the circuit. A break in the last lap saw the main bunch scramble for the line in a sprint. Dave had worked too hard on the front and was disappointed with his result after having ridden an aggressive race.

Men's Masters 2 saw a strong field line up for a tough race. Nathen Berghammer (Gold Coast CATS Club Captain) and Luke Lucas (Murwillumbah) both featured chasing down breaks and staying in the top third of the field for most of the race. Richard Mier (Gold Coast CATS) stayed with the bunch in his first QLD champs and rode well all day. Sprinters John Murazak (Goldstars - 2nd place 2008) and Peter Duncan (Goldstars) put in big sprints in the end with a large field chasing for the line but were both boxed in. The race was won strongly by Andrew Gerber (Ffast) showing his current form. 

Elite Women saw three Goldstars riders - Kirsty Wright, Samantha Hogan and Loren Rowney (recently recovering from illness) competing against some very strong riders. Liz Young, Amy Schramm, Kirsty Broun and Sally Robins. A number of the Lifecycle girls (Marselletes) had recently returned from winning the Tour of China and rode well. The breaks were not abel to get away and it came down to a bunch sprint. All of the Gold Coast girls finished the race with a number of them finishing ahead of some of the bigger names. I believe the race was won by Amy Schramm but could be incorrect so please check the results from CQ.

The Mens Under 23 saw a small field of 12 riders start. This quickly dropped down to 8 riders as the others were promptly shelled in the wind and the pace on the back straight. Malcolm Rudolph (Fraser Coast) and James Hepburn (Victor Broncos) were closely watched as it became evident it would become a sprinters race at the end. Rueben Donati (Randwick Botany - formerly with Byron Bay Freewheelers) rode well to keep all the riders in sight. The last few laps turned into a match sprint as the riders slowed the pace right down and started foxing each other. On the homeward straight Jackson Wardrop (Goldstars) lead he field home with a huge kick which looked to be carrying him home but Kyle Bateson (Gold Coast CATS) used it to roll over and take 1st place with Jackson holding on to take 4th place.

The Elite Men's  race saw three large team contingents line up with riders from Teschner-Fusion, Budget Forklifts, and Team Merida showing dominant numbers in the group. Again the wind kept the bunch together for much of the day but the race was peppered with attacks which showed the strength of Darren Rolfe as he continually tried to break free from the peloton. Shane Foley (Goldstars), Peter Spencer (Goldstars) and Jared Rowney (Ffast) all had attempts with breaks trying to stay away. With three laps to go the peloton slowed as the sprinters tried to start organising and Michael Hosking (Gold Coast CATS) powered away from the field. This caused chaos within the teams as the lead riders chased after him and abandoned any support they were trying to organise. Jared Rowney sat near the front of the chasing bunch which had rolled over Michael Hosking until the finishing straight and powered on as Peter Spencer held his wheel and jumped over him to take 1st place and the Queensland Title.

Congratulations to all riders who raced today and best wishes for the coming season.

Also, best of luck to Peter Spencer, Michael Hosking, and Jared Rowney who are heading down to Canberra next week for races in the National Road Series.