Local cyclists gear up for 2022 state road championships at Mypolonga
The SA Road and Time Trial State Championships are being held this weekend at Mypo, and Murraylands Cycling Club members are ready to go.
This weekend, the 2022 SA Road and Time Trial State Championships will kick off on the streets of Mypolonga, and local riders are gearing up for the race.
From the Murraylands Cycling Club, Jason Woodard will compete in the under-23 men’s, while Bill Robinson will defend his first-place medal from last year in the men’s masters S7.
Woodard said his training had unfortunately been interrupted in July due to falling ill with both COVID-19 and the flu, but hoped his earlier training would put him in good stead.
“My coach has made the preparation more general to ease back into it after sickness, with a shock block that I thought might end me this last week to try get some form in the legs to see what they can do,” Woodard said.
“We’ll go in a little optimistic, and hope the foundation that was built earlier in the year is still there.”
Robinson said his own training schedule had become quite intense, due to preparing for this weekend and future events.
“I’ve combined training for the event with that for Amy’s Grand Fondo in Lorne, Victoria in just over three weeks,” he said.
“This has meant at least one endurance ride a week and two to three high-intensity sessions.
“There’s a one-kilometre uphill gravel section in the state road race which in the past has seen multiple attacks made, so one of the (high-intensity) sessions has concentrated on a sustained two-minute effort.
“History says the finale will more than likely come down to a sprint, so another of the sessions has been dedicated to sprinting.
“The Mypo course presents a number of challenges … I’m very much looking forward to tackling them on Saturday.”
Tailem Bend’s James Hand will also be one to watch, with the rider hoping to emulate his pedal prix speed with his road bike in the under-19 men’s.
The 10km road course through Mypolonga has been described as “fast and flowy”.
For the past two years, winners have benefitted from striking out early, but it’s a tactic that has required a strong follow-through for the rest of the race.
Competitions this weekend will also be round four and five of the South Australia Bryton Junior Road State Series.
Food and refreshments will be available next to the Institute on Green Street, at Lot 23 just down from the Institute, and at the general store a street over.
Saturday’s racing schedule (TBC)
- Session 1: Elite/U23/J19 starting at 8.50am
- Session 2: J17/J15/J13/U11/U9 at 11.55am
- Session 3: Masters at 2.35pm
Sunday’s racing schedule
The time trials will start from 9am on Sunday, with junior under-11’s covering 4km through to elites over 30km.
Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error in one caption.
You can help keep local stories like this one free for everyone to read. Subscribe to Murray Bridge News today and support your locally owned news outlet, plus get access to exclusive stories you won’t find anywhere else, from just $5 a month.
