It was a misty start to the day heading into the hills northwest of Launceston. Wooded forests lined the road with logging trucks passing in large numbers. The first climb came early, two climbs in total a small climb at 15km with a larger climb at 45km. We then headed into the picturesque back roads of Tasmanian farming country with coloured fields full of sheep, dairy cows and century old farm houses. It was truly beautiful. We then rolled into Devonport and onto the local velodrome adjacent Bass Strait.
We then had a team challenge of 40 laps around the Velodrome. Nick Silcox and Will Ellyette sprinted from the start to take an early lead. However, true to the competitive nature of the CR peloton there was a large pack chasing extremely hard. Speeds reached over 50km/hr with bragging rights at stake. With seven laps to go Nick Silcox, a previous AIS cyclist, showed his class by sprinting away from Will. The pack managed to catch Will, but had no chance of catching Nick who completed the challenge at least a half a lap ahead of everyone else. The minor placings were hotly contested with Jon Erbacher jumping from the chasing group in the last turn to claim second and Steve Minotto sprinting for third. It was a great afternoon with fun had by all. The class of cyclist in this group was truly on display.
