ALICE and Murray Culling headline this weekend’s annual Ararat Junior Tour event, held over two days around the district.
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The brother and sister are the only two members of the Ararat and District Cycling Club to participate in the tour. There are 138 entrants from both Victoria and South Australia competing in the two-day event.
The Ararat Junior Tour is sanctioned by Cycling Victoria and is the first of three rounds in the Victoria Junior Aggregate series. Round two is in Bendigo and then cyclists head to Eildon for round three.
There are four age groups, ranging from under 11 through to under 17. They will compete in time trials and two road races over varying distances.
Time trials for all grades will commence on Saturday morning, beginning at Moyston Recreation Reserve and then heading out along Rhymney Road.
Main road racing events will be held on Saturday afternoon, with the under 17 competitors completing two laps of a 30-kilometre circuit. The circuit includes Carroll's Cutting, Norval Dam and Rhymney Road. Cyclists will complete the same circuit again on Sunday.
Ararat and District Cycling Club secretary, Harold Culling, said entries for the event had increased in 2016.
“We’re very happy with the numbers,” he said.
“Although there are only two competitors from Ararat – Murray and Alice – which is a bit disappointing. There are plenty of club members involved but only two racing.”
Greg Carroll, from Carroll’s Saddlery, has once again donated the perpetual trophy for the ‘King and Queen of the Mountain.’ Carroll’s Cutting is the most challenging feature of the circuit, and is named in honour of Greg’s great-grandfather, Hugh Byrne Carroll.
There will also be an under-17 trophy presented at the end of the event.
Ararat residents are asked to please take care when out on the road this weekend. There are no roadblocks, however the cyclists will be patrolled.