Sunday the 24th of May sees the first of the Blackburn time trials at the Yarra Boule for this winter season.  Now, I'm a sprinter, and yes, I've done one or two of these 20km efforts (on an undulating course, no less) in my time, and been slow (sorry Rob,it was our first time though and it was lots of fun).  This time, I'm bringing the secret weapon.  The big blue aboc tandem is coming, and I have a stoker with some serious power.  I think we'll still come dead last, but we'll sprint for the finish line better than anyone else there! Watch this space for the mystery stoker.

It's good to see that the Phillip Island race is chocka with entries, Mal and the crew at CCCC have a real winner with that race.  I remember racing the first one they did way back and it was simply a beautiful race track to ride around.   I don't think they've ever had any of the weather that the Island is famous for either.  CCCC also organised a fantastic race once at the Lang Lang Holden proving grounds, which is a huge (8km!) banked bitumen velodrome and some interconnecting roads.  It's a shame they couldn't get that course again, it was also innovative and a very challenging and exciting course. 

While I'm at it telling everyone who's still reading about the great racetracks CCCC have used, I'll mention one more. The race out at the Anglesea proving grounds ran a couple of times too, but I think it was a bit too far away for Eastern Combine people.  It was a big undulating loop and a shorter, but hilly and with a dirt section, loop.  I raced that day in B grade with one of my lads I was coaching at the time.  I knew I'd be off the back the first time we hit the hilly section so I worked for my team mate for the first half of the race (on the undulating loops) - the aim being to have him at the front and fresh at the start of the hills.  It was a pretty tough hour, I had to keep pulling back breaks from the boys from Burnley Finance who kept dancing away up the road every 10 minutes or so.  After an hour of smashing myself silly I dropped Wayne off at the start of the hilly section in third wheel and I peeled off and let the bunch go.  Mission accomplished and I was spent.  Wayne went on to get second and I felt like it was my placing too.  A very satisfying day out indeed.