RACING at the Robbie Williams memorial criteriums at the Albatross Aviation Tech Park was hectic and competitive across the grades on Sunday.
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The Nowra Velo Club held this program for NVC members in memory of a great champion of the club who has passed too early.
Williams passed away in 2012 and while there have been various memorial events over the years, this is the first exclusively for club members.
The grade winners from this program were Josh Ludman in A grade, Gavin Nethery in B grade, Adrian McMillan in C grade and Jamie Overton in D grade.
All events were decided in bunch sprint finishes.
The first event on the program was D grade and while the field was spread around the course at half distance, they were all back together for the final lap.
Overton was first out of the final corner and raced over the line two lengths clear of John Cullity and Michael Thompson.
Martyn Smith was fourth, ahead of Steve Daley and Rod Pierce.
Adrian McMillan is arguably the top sprinter in C grade but he did not wait until the final dash to take his win.
McMillan was on the move during the race and then bolted at the bell to hang on and win by 20 metres.
Trent Wiseman took second and he also was clear of the bunch sprinting for the final podium position.
Geoff Lockhart was third ahead of Gary Bryce, Bill Stahlhut, Doug Gray, Zac Peters, Frank Neri, Tony Patton, Ryan Fleming, Callum Burge and Liam Wallis.
The B grade race blasted from the start and the speed was high.
The field split and regathered numerous times until the hectic rush into the final lap and then the final corner.
Gavin Nethery rounded them up on the finish straight to win by a length from Steve Gendek and Brad Oaten.
Ben Wallis was close up for fourth, ahead of Mike Berriman, Dane Burge, Jade Colligan, Tony Kuipers, Phil Rice, Kye Robinson, Tim Devlin, Mark Williams and Amelia Trkulja.
Some riders then doubled up to race the A grade event and they went into a smooth, fast opening couple of laps.
Then the pressure went on from Curtis Trkulja and Josh Ludman. Mitch Cunningham and Brad Oaten went with them and gaps appeared throughout the chasing field.
Trkulja and Ludman kept the pressure on and eventually went ahead to gradually lap the whole field, bit by bit.
There were many tired legs going into the race finish where Ludman was over the line two lengths ahead of Trkulja.
Ben Wallis was third ahead of Berriman, Oaten, Cunningham, Nethery, Williams, Devlin, Colligan and Kuipers.
The Nowra Velo Club continues with the 2021 Optus series next weekend with road races on the Braidwood Road long course.
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