Competitors faced tough conditions at the Goulburn Junior Two Day Tour held over the weekend. Saturday’s conditions were ideal but the strong winds on Sunday were very testing.
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Young Goulburn rider Elsie Apps handled the conditions well to finish second in the under 11 division. She had a battle all weekend with Dubbo’s Emily Hines who won the day but Elsie got stronger as the tour went on and is looking forward to their next clash.
Although lacking experience at this level, Katelyn Rawlinson (Under 11) and Caitlin Bensley (Under 15) battled hard and, although lacking in experience, put in a great effort.
Tamika Wallace had a tough assignment in the Under 17 division. After a strong showing in Saturday’s prologue and road race, then Sunday’s time trial, she succumbed to the flu and stood out the final road race.
The Under 17 men put on a great show of racing. The Stage One prologue was won by Lidcombe Auburn’s Alex Micallef, Stage Two road race by Parramatta’s Josh Brodie, while Stage Three time trial and Stage Four road race were taken out by Dubbo’s Dylan Eather.
In the the general classification, consistency over the four stages saw Micallef celebrate his final Goulburn tour with a narrow four second win over Brodie with Eather 18 seconds down in third.
New Zealanders Henri Lehrke, fourth, and Guy Yarrell, fifth, were a further three seconds behind.
The Under 17 women’s was dominated by Dubbo’s Haylee Fuller who won all four stages and finished a clear three minutes, eight seconds clear of New Zealand’s Lara Hopkins with Olivia Saunders, St George, in third, Tahlia Dole, Illawarra, fourth and Jacinta Cliff, Illawarra, fifth.
Illawarra’s Sarah Cliff made a clean sweep of the women’s Under 15 with four dominant displays.
Goulburn Cycle Club president Adam Lambert said that without the support of the Goulburn Worker’s Club, the tour would not have been possible.
He said he 2018 event was a great success with good numbers and great racing. Lambert also paid tribute to the club’s members and volunteers who put in a massive effort to make the tour a success.
With the state selectors in attendance, the Under 15 and 17 riders were out to impress, and they did. The New Zealand team added to the prestige of the event and provided some stiff opposition for the locals. It is hoped that they will send another team next year.
The club will now look ahead to the fifteenth tour in 2019.
