Nowra Velo Club riders have been in action from the bottom of Australia to the Top End in the last week.
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With a team of NVC riders racing in the National Capital Tour this recent weekend and scoring a stage win with Richard Vitiello in an individual time trial, Dave Gray was racing into second position in a 53 kilometre road race in Darwin.
The southern action was Jade Colligan racing in the Gippsland Tour over four days with events at Phillip Island, Warragul, Traralgon and Mount Baw Baw.
While Gray raced in 35 degree temperatures, Colligan finished the climb up Mount Baw Baw with snow lining the road sides.
The Gippsland Tour was another event in the National Road Series and Colligan was in attendance with her Sydney Uni/Staminade team. Jade placed eighth in the first stage, an 80 kilometre effort around the Phillip Island motor racing circuit on Saturday.
This was followed by criterium races on Sunday and Monday and then an individual time trial up Mount Baw Baw on Tuesday.
While the racing had been in good weather for three days, a front moved in overnight for the final climbing stage. This time trial stage was held in constant rain with snow at the top of the climb. Jade placed 12th in this stage and finally finished 12th overall in this National event.
Jade Colligan continues on the national racing circuit with the Tour of Tasmania in November.
In Canberra this past weekend, Richard Vitiello won the initial time trial stage to take the lead in his grade with Phil Rice in sixth position ahead of Ben Wallis 11th and Michael Thompson 28th.
Other NVC positions in Canberra’s National Capital Tour time trail were Stephanie Lord tenth in Women’s A grade, Mark Williams was fifth in Men’s C grade while in Men’s B grade Levi Johns finished 10th and Aaron Coghlan was 14th.
The second stage for all grades was road races that finished up Mount Majura.
Rice placed 5th here and held his sixth overall position while Vitiello slipped out of the lead on the climb,
Stephanie Lord was seventh of the women up the climb and moved up the eighth overall. In C grade Williams finished 17th and dropped to 13th overall.
In B grade Coghlan placed 15th on the climb and held that position overall while Johns was delayed behind a crash and eventually climbed into 35th position on the stage.
The bad news of the day was Wallis puncturing just 10 kilometres into the road stage while Thompson crashed and suffered a broken wrist and two broken ribs.
The final race over many laps of a three kilometre circuit had Rice finishing 10th in the stage and holding his sixth overall position for the finish. Vitiello was eighth on the stage and 13th overall.
Lord was seventh in this stage and moved up to seventh overall while Coghlan had a lead bunch finish for 12th overall.
Another crash with the loss of some skin and a broken derailleur had Johns out of the race. Mark Williams recorded and did not finish on this course.
This multi stage event in the ACT attracted riders from throughout NSW and featured four grades for men and two grades for women.
Nowra Velo Club riders will now focus on the final two events of the 2018 Optus Series and the club’s criterium championships in the local area.