Bidwell springs into action
The Marlborough Red Devils Cycling Club staged the first of the Spring Classic races on the Dashwood circuit on Sunday.
Riders competed in trying, changeable conditions, over both 25km and 50km courses.
In the 25km handicap race Colin McMahon and Leah Downley left the starting line first with a strong tail wind behind them, five minutes ahead of the scratch group of Jess Spencer, Carl Frost, Hugh Straker, Shanay Harvey and Craig Murphy.
The first climb spread the riders with Spencer and Frost working well together to finish with the fastest time, fully testing the timekeeper on the line as Spencer won by a tyre width. Hugh Straker was third.
On the 50km course, the five minute handicap bunch of Grant Boyd, Rhonda Murphy, Susan Van Der Pol and Kim Marshall starting strongly. The break bunch of Gerard van Antwerpen, Neils van Antwerpen and Dylan Hodson had a three minute gap to try and chase down with Andrew Bidwell, the sole scratch rider, starting a further two minutes behind.
Once again the Weld Pass was where the groups opened up with Marshall and Van Der Pol leaving Murphy and then Boyd as the incline approached.
Neils van Antwerpen pulling away quickly in the climb, leaving Hodson and Gerard van Antwerpen riding individually. However, Bidwell flew up the hill to catch the rest of the riders before the first turn, teaming up with Neils van Antwerpen for the majority of the course. The conditions proved too much for four of the field, leaving only Bidwell, both van Antwerpens and Grant Boyd on the course for the second lap.
Ultimately, Bidwell proving too strong for Neils, finishing well clear with Gerard van Antwerpen in third.
The next instalment of the Spring Classics will be contested over the Hawkesbury/Barracks course on Sunday.