TUESDAY
NIGHT HEFFRON BY
2020 MEMORIAL RACES
TUESDAY
s e a s o n 3 5 NIGHT HEFFRON BY
28 January 2020 • Volume 77
anthony spurgeon (snr) memorial race joseph sunde memorial race
LUKE CRIDLAND WINS BACK TO BACK MEMORIALS Luke Cridland has become the first rider to score back to back wins in one of Sydney’s most iconic criterium events which
honours the memory of 4yo Joseph Sunde who lost his battle to leukaemia in 1993.
Cridland’s win caps an eventful start to the year which saw him compete with distinction in the Australian Road Titles followed later that day with the birth of his first son Finn for him and his wife Michelle. The Sunde and Cridland families have links to
racing at Heffron Park which go back 40 years and now new Dad Luke’s win celebrates four generations.
In fact it’s family ties which make these two Memorial events
so special with many of the riders who have competed over the years now with young families of their own, several who were there to support racing.
The racing lived up to all the pre race hype with another quality field of Sydney’s elite riders hoping to etch their names on the Trophy. A relentless early pace meant any move was closely
marked especially with the calibre of riders like Marcus Culey and Michael Potter dictating terms.
The crucial move didn’t come until late in the race but when it did it was decisive especially with the 2 dominant teams Crit Dawgs (Alex Malone) and ZCC (Dan Bonello) represented. Despite being the odd man out in the move, Cridland was always going to
be the rider to beat and although Bonello pushed him all the way Cridland still had time for a well deserved victory salute.
Another recent new Dad Nash Kent lead the bunch in for the minor placings edging out Jack Bennett and Michael Potter both of whom were supported by their extended families underlining the special family ties which make the events so special. 1 Luke CRIDLAND (St George) A
6 Michael POTTER (Northern Sydney) A
2 Dan BONELLO (St George) A
7 Alex NAZAREWICZ (Manly) A
3 Alex MALONE (Manly) A
8 Cameron FRASER (Easts) A
4 Nash KENT (Parklife) A
9 Chris BALL (Manly) A
5 Jack BENNETT (Randwick) A
10 Liam KELLY (Easts) A
CHRIS LING IMPRESSES WITH WIN Chris Ling in only his third race at Heffron Park put on a master
class ride from the B grade mark to convincingly win an exciting edition of the Anthony Spurgeon (Snr) Memorial.
The same 15lap handicap as the popular Tuesday Night format
but without the threat of A grade breathing down their necks this is always a refreshing chance for B and C grade riders to shine with 75 riders across both grades.
The balance of power was even for much of the race with neither grade getting a clear edge until with 3 laps to go C grade looked to have the advantage.
That was until a bold move from Chris Ling, Nick Coster and
Jacob van Egmond set about chasing down C grade on their own. After reaching the front group they immediately hit the front to maintain the advantage of the rest of B grade.
Chris Ling almost single handled rode the last lap on the front
until a move over the pimple sparked another surge in the pace
however Ling marked the move effortlessly before launching his sprint which no one could match.
Impressively Adam McCoy had managed to single-handedly get across to the front group on the last lap and just edged
his Cheekey Monkey team mate Nick Coster on the line to get second.
It was great to see Brad Martin cross the line for fourth and take C grade honours. Brad Martin and his brother Abe have never missed a Spurgeon Memorial Race and make the trip every year from the Gong to participate.
5thoverall was a bit of a surprise with newcomer Oliver Nicolle competing in his first Tuesday night race. The Yr10 triathlete raced a smart race and is sure to feature in more results.
Georgia Miansarow had a great ride in the final laps right near the front and was duly rewarded with her first womens win