ALICE Culling and her younger brother Murray flew this flag for Ararat and District Cycling Club last weekend’s junior tour event.
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The club hosted the annual Ararat Junior Tour over the weekend of May 7-8 at the Moyston football ground.
More than 140 riders, competing in divisions from under 11 to under 17, competed in the event - a slight increase on 2015.
Each division contested a time trial and road race on Saturday and a second road race Sunday.
Luckily, there were no casualties and the weather was unusually mild. Even the dreaded forecast conditions for Sunday managed to hold off.
There were contestants from Echuca and Leongatha, Ballarat, Bendigo, Melbourne, Mount Gambier and great support from South Australia.
It was left to brother and sister Alice and Murray Culling to represent Ararat.
Murray was feeling the heat at the junior end of J15, riding against some bigger opponents, but to his credit placed mid-field with sixth in the time trial and seventh in the road race.
On the next day, luck was against Murray as his gears jammed at the foot of Carroll’s Cutting, forcing him to withdraw from the race.
It was mixed fortunes for his older sister Alice, who expected strong results in the JW17 division but was stricken with a virus.
Alice’s illness undermined her time trial performance. She placed fourth nonetheless, and just a minute shorter than Murray’s time for the 10 kilometre event.
The Ararat teenager rallied sufficiently to complete both of the weekend’s road races. Alice finished third behind Sophie Edwards from South Australia and the eventual winner, Blackburn club member Jemma Eastwood.
Eastwood’s time aggregate was an amazing seven minutes behind that of Edwards. That, in addition to three race wins, saw Eastwood crowned Queen of the Mountain.
It was a similar story in the men’s 17A division. Hawthorn club’s Jensen Plowright scooped the three races and secured King of the Mountain for the steep climb up Carroll’s Cutting.
Greg Carroll was on hand as prize sponsor, presenting the trophies sculpted by club president Harold Culling.
Refreshments were available throughout the weekend.
Ararat and District Cycling Club would like to thank kitchen volunteers who, along with vehicle drivers, road marshalls and race judges from Cyclesport, contributed to the weekend’s success. It will ensure continued support of this event.
Thanks also to St John’s ambulance, who patched up six riders in the first men’s 17A road race when they fell together at Norval Dam.