Northern Combine - St Kilda Trophy 2024 - Race Report

Welcome to autumn racing in Belgium like conditions, just an hour from Melbourne.   In stark contrast to the 2023 St Kilda Trophy event, most of the pot holes were gone, the field was more than doubled and the temperature was quartered, yes you read that right.  

After the season opener at Latrobe Uni, attracted a field of 233 riders across 10 grades,  this race attracted 120 riders from 24 clubs entered across 9 grades.  Compared to the meagre 56 entrants from 17 clubs and this year's event, is it too early to say that road cycling is back? I hope not.

As riders gathered in the carpark, the chatter or was it the chattering of teeth, was dominated by wardrobe choices or lack thereof, judging by the few who very visibly shivering in summer kit as they waited for the pre-race briefing.  To quote a former Aussie pro, who rode for a Belgian team, there's no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices. Brunswick rider Andrew Gannon, complete with neck buff drawn up over his nose looked more like he was on his way to a bank robbery than a bike race.

Chilly south, south easterly winds greeted riders out on course and had them fighting for cover.  Winds not strong enough to form echelons, but enough to test bike handling skills once the riders took a left onto Baynton Road and the cross winds made their presence felt.

Womens A and Mens C, headed out together and included the godmother of the bunch Rae Lesniowska, defending course title holder Sophia McBride and up and coming patroness of the pelo, Beth Jackson who is off to race in Europe in a couple of months, who wasn't afraid to let the boys know when they weren't doing things right.  On lap one, the bunch settled into its rhythm, with no one rider able to make headway on their own or with a tug buddy.  Right on cue on the second time up the St Mary's climb, a group of four including Justin Lin, Andrew Gannon, Sophia McBride and Sam Bell, managed to surge ahead of their rivals and show their class.  A chase group of four, consisting of Ross Allan, Keelan Hale, Matthew Sevastopoulos and Michael Kanizay, formed and began a classic four rider v four team pursuit contest.  All the chase group mopped up in the end were the splintered remains of other groups and in the end the mixed breakaway of 4 won the battle.  In the end Justin Lin from St Kilda CC rode clear of his rivals, going two places better than his third on this course last year.  Sophia McBride defended her title and was second across the line and the winner of Women's A grade. Meanwhile Andrew Gannon, who has already put together an impressive palmares in 2024, wound the clock back ten years, third across the line and took second place, with Sam Bell behind him.  

Thanks to St Kilda CC for hosting a well organised event.  Thanks also to the commissaires and volunteers who gave up the opportunity to race and braved the Belgian like conditions to keep us safe out on the roads.

Men's E

1 TRISTAN INGHAM (Brunswick Cycling Club)

2 JASON POTTER  (St Kilda Cycling Club)

3 ALBERT HUNT-TRUSCOTT  (Brunswick Cycling Club)

Women's A

1 SOPHIA MCBRIDE (Macedon Ranges Cycling Club)

2 LILYTH JONES (Bendigo & District CC)

3 BETHANY JACKSON (Hawthorn Cycling Club)

When asked for comment on how the race was won, Sophia McBride said The first two laps were pretty steady and then on the second climb things lit up and I go tin the breakaway and we powered away with the boys.

Women's B

1 CLARE VIGERS (Birrarung Cycling Club)

2 SUNNY MORRIS (Hawthorn Cycling Club)

3 JUDY ALLEN-GRAHAM  (Mornington Cycle Club)

Women's C

1 RUBY JONES (Blackburn Cycling Club)

2 KIRRILY CARBERRY  (Alpine Cycling Club)

3 IRINA RAKHIMOVA  (Coburg Cycling Club)

Para Athlete
Lachlan O'Brien (St Kilda Cycling Club)

Men's A

1 RONAN TEESE (Bendigo & District CC)

2 TOM SHARP (Hawthorn Cycling Club)

3 DEAN MADDEN (Carnegie Caulfied Cycling Club)

Winner Ronan Teese reported, it was hard for the first two laps with a lot of attacks and it was much reduced in the last two laps.  I had a mate going hard off the front to keep the pace up. On the last climb it split up with the attacks and I managed to get away from Tom Sharp, which is good because I can't sprint. 

Dean Madden added, I couldn't hold the wheel and held on for dear life to take 3rd place.

Men's B

1 STUART HUDDLE (Hawthorn Cycling Club)

2 MAXX NUSPAN  (Bendigo & District Cycling Club)

3 TOM TYLER KING (Footscray Cycling Club)

Great to see young Bendigo rider MaxxNuspan with back to back second places in the Northern Combine series.  It won't be long before we see him in A grade.

Men's C

1 JUSTIN LIN  (St Kilda Cycling Club & LDTR)

2 ANDREW GANNON  (Brunswick Cycling Club)

3 SAMUEL BELL  (Footscray Cycling Club)

Men's D

1 TOM MCDONOUGH (Coburg Cycling Club)

2 SHAUN FRANCIS (St Kilda Cycling Club)

3 STEPHEN NOWICKI  (Brunswick Cycling Club)

It wasn't all plain sailing for the winner Tom McDonough who managed to hold off a fast finishing Shaun Francis by the narrowest of margins.  Tom dropped right off the back on the first climb and managed to claw his was back onto the bunch with some help from Simon Hastings.  Tom showed his credentials as a crafty seasoned veteran who made his effort count on the last climb and run through to the finish.

Full results

Next Race

If you want a taste of what it's like to ride in Belgium, come and do a Northern Combine event.  The weather, the roads and the terrain will give you a taste of what it's like to ride the spring classics of Europe in your own backyard.  The next event is the famed Hell of the West, at Balliang, on Saturday 15th June.  Consisting of 94 kilometres of country roads, including twice up and over Staughton Vale Road Hill, twice over the 2.4km gravel and once up the mighty Mt Wallace, 2km at an average of 8.7%.  Choose your own adventure by either packing your climbing gears or packing your thongs, so you can walk up the Wall (1km at 13.3%).  The steepest part of this climb puts Belgium's Mur de Huy (1.24km at 10%) in the shade. 

Club participation numbers