ESSENDON’S Frank Crifo rode the Bill Long Camperdown to Warrnambool two years ago. He finished “a fair way down the field”.
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On Saturday, he got redemption when he took out the annual veterans’ race. Crifo finished the 71-kilometre course, which travels via the Cobden-Warrnambool Road, in two hours, 17 minutes and 57 seconds and said he was thrilled with the result.
Crifo was joined on the podium by fellow Northern Cycling Club members John Hasouras in second and Peter Mazarella in third. The trio were part of a nine-man Northern outfit.
Warrnambool veterans club member David Rae was fourth while Northern Cycling Club’s Darren Roberts took out fastest time honours (1.43.34).
Riding off 20 minutes, Crifo said his bunch was caught at the 55-kilometre mark. “It was good that we could stick with the bunch who caught us and come into the finish line together,” he said.
“It’s a good race, there was a little bit of a head wind, but other than that conditions were perfect. The last time I did it, the scratch bunch caught us and I finished a long way down the field. So it’s fantastic to come back and get the win and have a strong performance from the club.”
Despite the strong Northern club presence, Geelong’s Amanda Hosking managed to hold on to her claim on the Victorian Veterans Cycling Council aggregate, which was decided with Saturday’s race.
She needed to place higher than Darren Roberts to keep her one-point margin. “The Northern club boys were all out trying to get Darren in front of me today, it was nine on to one, but I held on,” Hosking said.
“It’s so exciting. I think it’s the first time in 25 years a woman has won the aggregate, so I’m thrilled.”
