Duly noted as the monthly road race where the heavy hitters give the undulations of West Head a wide berth, and the lean climbing machines emerge from their winter hibernation.
Robbie and Clemens, being two noted heavy hitters, left this one to the spring chickens to take on, making the trek to West Head via Akuna Bay to soak up all the action.
The weather gods had been threatening all week, but the clouds clearly felt the collective clenched fists of Sydney’s cycling community and backed down. Under a flawless winter sun, Robbie, Clemens, and an impressive contingent of racers rolled into Ku-ring-gai Chase for this month’s West Head Road Race — La Vuelta a Elvina.
A-Grade Fireworks
The A-Grade men’s race went off hot. A stacked field of 22 lined up, and it wasn’t long before big bomber Geoff Rickards dragged Ben Dyball (yes, that Dyball — Penrith CC & Victory Hiroshima) and Edwin Britts into fresh air.
By lap three, Cam Fraser decided the party looked too good to miss, bridging across to form a powerhouse quartet. Sydney’s newest boy band hovered around the one-minute mark, chopping with precision as the stacked pack loomed. The break stuck almost all the way home, with Fraser clinging on for the win ahead of Dyball. Benny Coates nabbed third for his first A-Grade podium, fresh from a stint in Euro land.
HydraPlay’s own Charlie Paul and Nico Love were right in the thick of the action — covering, countering, and keeping the kit sharp at the pointy end. West Head always attracts the hitters, but our boys were shoulder-to-shoulder with them, making sure the HydraPlay colours were on full display.
Women & Bunch Battles
The women’s field looked more like an A-Grade nationals than a local bunch, with Aussie champ Nicky Rolls mixing it up alongside NSW podium-placers Kate Lee and Meg Phillips. In the end, FTSIGR’s very own racing ambassador Lucy Allen showed her class — attacking the lead group over and over before unleashing the bazooka to a knife fight and stomping home for the win in a select bunch kick. Lucy is definitely one to watch at next month’s Australian Junior Road Race Titles in Wagga Wagga.
B-Grade Men? Carnage. Attacks, intermingling with A-Grade, and a messy sprint that ended with Franco Ashenhurst on top after the commissaires dusted off the video review.
HydraPlay Wrap-Up
For HydraPlay, it was a proper team day out. Charlie and Nico emptied the tank, trading blows with some of the country’s sharpest legs. No podium this time, but plenty of fight — and exactly the kind of racing that turns heads.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a HydraPlay Sunday without coffee on Sydney Harbour. The FTSIGR crew, Nico, Charlie, and the Allen gene pool rolled back to Cremorne, where Clemens’ garden transformed into the post-race café. Sun on our kits, mugs in hand, Charlie and Nico replayed the race blow-by-blow, while the rest of us thawed out and laughed about our questionable mid-winter kit choices.
Glorious sunshine, sharp racing, good company, and even better coffee. That’s West Head done right.
Next up: September 14 — the World Championships of West Head. Team HydraPlay will be there, and you should be too.
Photo credits: R. Scriven, R. Allen, MWCC