Merrick Law, Josh Ludman and Ryan Fleming were the individual winners at the Nowra Velo Club's race program at the Albatross Aviation Technology Park on Sunday.
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While the Illawarra Cycle Club's Law is a regular competitor and regular winner at Nowra Velo Club events, both Ludman and Fleming are new to racing and adapting quickly.
Ryan Fleming has been with the NVC for four months and he has picked up some of the fine arts of criterium racing in that time.
Fleming won the division three race on the 800m circuit in a sprint finish ahead of nine other riders.
As the bell rang with a lap to go Matt Grootenboer launched his move and had the field strung out around the next two corners, then Freya Mills rounded him up and sprinted into the finish straight.
Mills was looking good for the win until Fleming unleashed over the last 100m to take the win by two lengths. Grootenboer hung on for third ahead of John Cullity, Steve Daley, Hubert Driehuis, Jo Chalain, Zara Jobson, Zac Peters and Ashley Johns.
While Fleming has been at Nowra Velo for a few short months, the winner of the division two race was having his first race start outside triathlon.
Josh Ludman has been training with the crafty Culburra crew and after a few laps reading the race he jumped away from the main bunch and crossed over to the breakaway pair of Dean Jackson and Josh Henry.
With the two older riders guiding the much younger Ludman with turns of pace, this trio were well clear into the finish.
Jackson led into the last 100 metres until Ludman surged alongside and raced him to the line to take the win in a lunge befitting an experienced rider.
Josh Henry was third in the race and then another close sprint finish for the remainder of the field with Dallas Warner leading Amelia Trkulja, Aaron lauder, Liam Wallis, Bill Stahlhut, Dave Gray and Tim Devlin.
The division one race was under way for just two laps when Mark Williams and Levi Johns were scarpering off the front of the field as they started the action.
This race settled into 30 minutes of action and speed that blew some riders away in the first 10 minutes. The Illawarra riders, Law and Scott Delfs, were riding hard at the front along with Johns, Williams, Ben Rolfe and Brooklyn Henry. Scott James joined in with Steve Gendek and Michael Berriman going with every move.
Nine riders were together for the bell lap as Law surged away from the field around the last lap.
Law held on to a 50m margin to win while James and Delfs fought out a very close finish for second. Delfs received the judge's decision.
Williams was fourth ahead of Rolfe, Henry, Johns, Gendek and Berriman with Jason Spence, Richard Vitiello and Ben Wallis behind the main bunch.
Next Saturday the Camden Cycle Club will hold the second round of the Southern Regions Interclub series at Menangle with the Nowra Velo Club having another criterium program at the Albatross Aviation Tech Park on Sunday.
