As of the 7th of November 2011, Southern Vets will  be known as “SOUTHERN MASTERS” after the members  agreed to support the name change.

 
Southern Masters
 
The members saw incredible merit in the move as it now bring us into line with the World Body (UCI) and Cycling Aust banner of Masters and all the Masters racing categories.
 
Southern also voted to allow M1 riders to become members of the club in another positive move.
 
The club also re-elected the incumbent Executive Committee without change, the Executive committee stands as John Fox - President, Bill Upston - Secretary, Len Scott - Vice-President, Andrew Caithness - Treasurer, Mark Gardner - Club Captain and Ordinary Member and Wayne Watkins - Handicapper and Ordinary Member.
 
 
John Fox
President

D GRADE PONDERINGS BY THE PROFESSOR

They say that red wine is good for the heart – that being the case, after my efforts on Saturday night, my heart will continue beating for another 200 years!! And so it is that I front up to a surprisingly calm morning at Casey Fields with the mother of all hangovers.

Fortunately, D Grade has a reasonable number of riders, so my pre race strategy is to try and sit in the bunch, do nothing and avoid coating the track with a combination of red wine remnants and carrots! To make life tougher for me (and everyone else), the wind picks up just before we start and I’m convinced that Foxy the president has ordered a 10 goal northerly breeze to come in at precisely 9.15am.

What I thought would be an easy first lap changed when Rob Feigan (great to see you back racing in D Grade, Rob) put in a surge up the incline, which had me gasping for oxygen. Life settled back down shortly after and we cruised around the course until Leah Paterson put in a surge. Expecting an attempted breakaway by Leah, I panicked and quickly jumped onto her wheel.

The pace picked up until Leah called me through to take the lead. So much for my pre race strategy of doing nothing! During my stint at the front, B Grade passes us and I’m only too happy to slow down so they can move ahead. Shortly after, I’m relieved of my duties and I settle back into the bunch for a much needed rest.

Tim Maffey has come to the front and I recall him being involved in a breakaway on Thursday night, so he is definitely one rider to watch.

Carolyn Phillips decides to increase the tempo and opens up a small lead; however it is short lived and we quickly reel her back in. David Kennedy takes a turn at the front and I notice that he looks very strong – another rider to watch. At this rate, I’ll be watching the whole peloton!

The legendary Brian Dew decides to put in a surge and is quickly joined by Carolyn Phillips. Suspecting a breakaway, I somehow get out of the saddle to chase them down and eventually catch them. Life in the peloton again settles down with Tim, doing a truck load of work out in front.

With the wind now picking up, no-one is interested in launching a breakaway, however there a few cameo surges that gets the peloton jumping. I’ve been able to hang on up till now, but the heat and the previous night’s intake are causing me some grief. A glance at the time has me calculating that we have about 5 laps to go and I’m hoping that I can survive until then.

The mood of the peloton is a bit more relaxed and it seems that everyone is saving themselves for the last lap. Just as we were hoping to get the bell, C Grade passes us and Foxy signals to us to slow down and let C Grade get ahead. Either that; or we will be out on the track until lunchtime. With C grade eventually out of the picture, we come around again to get that beautiful sound of the bell.

I’ve been caught on the inside and am completely surrounded by riders. Getting out is clearly an issue and I’m hoping that I can find a gap before we hit the back straight. For once, I’m in luck and I manage to squeeze my way to the outside just before the back hairpin bend. Surprisingly, the pace is slow along the back straight and I’m contemplating launching an early sprint home. I shelve the idea as I realise I’m getting my ambitions mixed up with my capabilities.

As we swing up the incline for the final time, riders soon start getting out of the saddle and sprinting for home. Brian Dew has somehow weaved his way through the crowd, while David Kennedy and Dean Ashton are fighting it out at the front. Tim is still in with a chance; however at the end David Kennedy is too strong and takes the win. Dean Ashton comes through in 2^nd, while Brian Dew completes a great week to hold onto 3^rd place. I stagger through in 6^th place and am relieved to have completed a tough day at the office.

Thanks to the officials for making the day’s race possible.

The Professor

Lemonade for me next Saturday night!

Summary B Grade Garmin

Distance: 39.07 km Time: 1:10:13 Avg Speed: 33.4 km/h Elevation Gain: 133 m

Elevation Loss: 141 m

Calories: 3,186 C Elapsed Time: 1:10:13 Avg Moving Speed: 38.8 km/h

Max Speed: 54.8 km/h Avg HR: 143 bpm Max HR: 177 bpm Avg Power: 240 W

Max Power: 888 W Avg Bike Cadence: 98 rpm Max Bike Cadence: 191 rpm

Twenty cycling enthusiasts are gearing up to ride from Canberra to Melbourne to raise funds for urgent medical research and raise community awareness of what doctors have described as an “emerging epidemic” of irregular heartbeats.

The week-long Paceline ride, beginning on Saturday, 12 November, will cover a distance of 1,200km – the equivalent of 10 metres for each of the estimated 120,000 Australians living with an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats too quickly, too slowly or erratically.

“More than half-a-million Australians have an irregular heartbeat, but close to one-in-five are unaware they have the condition,” said Paceline founder Steve Quinn.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” said Steve, who was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in 2003 at the age of 35. “Thousands of other Australians remain unaware that they have a very serious heart condition which could prematurely end their life.”

Left undiagnosed or untreated, heart arrhythmias can cause serious and life-threatening complications. Atrial fibrillation, which is the most common arrhythmia in Australia, increases a sufferer’s risk of heart failure by up to three times; and risk of stroke by up to seven times.¹

“The good news is that if diagnosed early and managed well, it is possible to continue normal everyday life with minimal disruption,”

“A simple pulse test can be the first step in detecting an irregular heartbeat and could help save thousands of lives. I would encourage all Australians to ask for their pulse to be checked next time they see their doctor,” he said.

Irregular heartbeats are becoming increasingly common in Australia, prompting the need for more medical research to be undertaken to overcome this significant health issue.

Through this year’s ride, Paceline aims to raise $100,000 to help fund medical research into the causes and treatment of irregular heartbeats at two of the country’s leading heart research institutes; the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney and Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.

One area of particular interest is research into the trend towards younger people being affected by the condition at increasing rates.

“Many people have the misconception that arrhythmias are confined to the elderly, but I’m evidence that that is not the case,” said Paceline ambassador and former cycling champion, Will Walker.

Mr Walker was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia at the age of 23, cutting short his promising career as a professional cyclist.

“I had to give up my dream of professional cycling. It was a huge disappointment that my heart let me down; it was both a mental and physical battle. I couldn’t train well and eventually I was no longer able to perform at the elite level,” said William.

“However, my condition is now manageable and I am still in a great position to enjoy cycling and taking on challenges such as the Paceline ride.

“We’ll be riding a third of the distance of the Tour de France over a period of eight days. While I won’t be riding in a pro tour again, it’s a tough ride and it feels good to be back doing what I love,” William said.

The Paceline cyclists, four of whom suffer from irregular heartbeats, will spend eight days tackling gruelling peaks including Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek.

The Paceline peloton will take the following route from Canberra to Melbourne:

• Saturday, 12 November: Canberra to Jindabyne;
• Sunday, 13 November: Jindabyne to Corryong;
• Monday, 14 November: Corryong to Mt Beauty;
• Tuesday, 15 November: Mt Beauty to Omeo;
• Wednesday, 16 November: Omeo to Milawa;
• Thursday, 17 November: Milawa to Mansfield;
• Friday, 18 November: Mansfield to Healesville;
• Saturday, 19 November: Healesville to Melbourne.

To support the cyclists in their efforts to raise $100,000 for medical research, visit the Paceline website (www.paceline.com.au) and make a donation.

Chris McKimm SVCC

http://paceline.gofundraise.com.au/page/chrismckimm

also see

Leigh Parsons SVCC

http://pacelineride2011.gofundraise.com.au/page/LeighParsons

http://www.southernvets.com.au/clubnews.php?newsid=305