Victorious: Jane McMullan (right) was first across the line in the EMCC Lockington Handicap. Photo: Richard Bailey
For the second week in a row there was a trophy up for grabs at Echuca Moama Cycling Club, with the Lockington Handicap being run on Saturday.
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Poor weather was also present again, with strong winds ushering in storm clouds as the limit bunch set off on the first of three 16km laps from outside the Lockington Hotel.
Six minutes separated the limit group from the next set of riders to roll away from the start line, and although the first group was riding strongly, the lead had deteriorated to just two-and-a-half minutes with 32km completed.
The second group on the road was breathing down the necks of the five riders in front, who displayed great determination to enter the finishing straight with the narrowest of leads, holding off the chasing pack to claim the top five spots.
Young guns: Lenny Griffiths (left) and Max Trewhella power along the Lockington circuit. Griffiths recorded the fastest time of the day. Photo: Richard Bailey
Jane McMullan crossed the line first to claim the trophy, beating out David Faulkner and Heather Lias, who formed the rest of the podium. David Oman and Will Kettle, who both finished on the podium at the Roberta Hamilton Celebration Cup, were relegated to fourth and fifth in the sprint.
Remarkably, less than three seconds split the top five, making it one of the most hotly contested EMCC races so far this season.
The scratch group, which included young gun Lenny Griffiths, was unable to overcome the 16-minute deficit it was handed at the race start, although members still rode exceptionally well, with Griffiths claiming the fastest time of the day.
There will be no racing next week for EMCC, which will enjoy a week off before returning on July 8 for the Koyuga Handicap, which also forms round three in the Ivan and Lorraine Collings series.
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