Masters One: Margrate and Jacobs Battle
Master’s one has been owned by Tim Decker for the past two seasons. This year, a new rivalry would emerge between two riders riding their first master's team series. Chesser Chemicals jumped into the fray, with a team full of experienced riders, who all were capable of holding their own. After a two-year hiatus, we also saw Team Zero Friction Cycling jump back into the mix, with a well-rounded list capable of turning the series on its head.
The opening rounds would see Juan Pierre Jacobs of Zero Friction Cycling take the initial honours with 2019 series runner up Cameron Spears (Tonsley Village) taking second, demonstrating his intent once more to push for the overall honours. Daryl Margrate would look to ensure that it was a race with many horses in the competition, taking third with defending champ Tim Decker showing his track craft to come home in fourth.
Jacobs Zero Friction Cycling Team would consolidate his leadin the team time trial, with a clear victory ahead of Chesser chemicals. ZeroFriction would continue it’s run on the dirt roads of Wallaroo, but this timeit would be Andrew Friebe who would make it three in a row for their team. Margratewas starting to demonstrate that he would be close to the podium, with secondplace for the round and narrowing the gap on Jacobs.
It was Keystone Cycling’s Tom Wright who broke the Zero Friction stranglehold on the top step of the podium, with a performance similar to the one which netted him his Austtalian Master’s Criterium title. He surged free of the bunch with not an insignificant amount of race distance to go and held off the chasing bunch on the tight streets of Moonta. Jacobs would take back the points that he lost on Margrate the previous day with a well-timed sprint for second. The points would be reversed again at Round Five with Margrate finally breaking onto the top step of the podium, but the Zero-Friction team leader (Jacobs) finished second to keep him in check.
The HALO Aldinga Criterium saw a small break jump free and Phil Dixon of Keystone Cycling finding his mojo, taking his team’s second-round win of 2019 ahead of the Tonsley Village pairing of Steve Kavanagh, and Michael Ward.
The final two rounds of the series were taken out by Team Prochem’s Graeme Moffatt, with both rounds having Tonsley Village's Cam Spears playing second fiddle. Spears' fast end to the series put him just two points short of the overall podium. The GC battle was decided between Margrate and Jacobs, who had come into the final round tied on points, meaning that whoever finished higher would take the Series win. With a break up the road claiming the first 6 spots, Margrate would need to finish top 4 in the bunch kick and place better than Jacobs to clinch it. Unfortunately for Margrate and his team, a crash on the second last corner saw him slide out along with teammate Gary Smith, giving Jacobs the title after eight rounds of tight racing. Andrew Friebe came home in 5th to secure the final podium spot for Zero Friction. With two on the podium -it was no surprise that the Scody Team’s Classification was taken out by Zero Friction cycling ahead of Chesser Chemicals and Team Prochem.
Chesser Chemicals did still get to find the top step with Gary Smith taking a comfortable win in Chateau Yaldara Over 50 classification, well clear of teammate Jason Tattersall in second and Team Prochem’s Wayne McCarney in third. Chesser Chemicals' Jarrod Currie also claimed the Adelaide Advanced Physiotherapy Sprint Classification over the Keystone duo of Thomas Wright and Mathew Franks.