The race got underway with early rain and strong southerly winds. The neutral 10km start was anything but, with the driver sitting on 40 to 50km an hour, perhaps he was hoping to get a late call up for the Indy Car.  A crash in the neutral section took out Andrew Wilmott (Brunswick).  I sat on Andrew Ward’s wheel to keep myself near the front of the peleton.  When the flag dropped (for the official start) it was on and it was straight into the gutter as riders tried to make the first selection.  I was in about 50^th wheel when a Bendigo rider crashed in front of me (about 15km into the race, or 5 after the “official start”).  I managed to stop and clip out in time to avoid the collision but the race was gone.  Do I chase or wait? Fortunately I was close enough to the front, meaning about 100 riders were behind me.  I jumped in the next bunch and with the cross winds through Lara I was able to position myself in the right side gutter avoiding the strong cross winds. Wayne Gebert did not fair so well and was shelled.

 Into the head wind section at Little River and Tom got dropped.  The bunch was now about 80 riders strong as some got dropped whilst we picked up other riders. I was able to get a good sit, I went back for Tom but he said he had cracked and told me to keep going.

 10km later and Tom is back, motorpaced on via the convoy.  The first KOM starts and I start in fifth wheel and work my way to the back of the bunch over the summit.  At the second climb Andrew Ward and John Marcan get back on.  Wardie had punctured after 15km and chased for 40km with Gebert and Marcan and a few others. Gebert got dropped just short of making contact with our bunch (he pulled out at Camperdown 233km mark).

 As soon as Ward’s group got on the road veered right again and it was cross wind time (again).  Some riders attacked, forcing us all in the gutter.  Wardie came past me and told me to get on, Tom and Sparke joined me in a free ride to the safety of the pointy end of the bunch.

 90km and we pick up Brendon Sharratt who has been with the leading bunch but eventually blew. He withdraws from the race shortly after.

 Inverleigh is the first feed station.  100km into the race, I take on more biddons and food.  Danny Cohen (StK) misses his feed so I give him a biddon on the proviso he gets a feed up the road.  The bunch stops for a nature stop.  My offer to urinate on the leg of a guy who is covered in blood from a crash is rejected, oh well I was only trying to help.

 150km and we can see a bunch of a dozen riders up the road.  This gives us something to do as the race is getting boring. Even I am wishing there was some hills to break the boredom.

We eventually catch the bunch in front.  We number about 100 with about 40 leaders somewhere up the road (see cyclingnews report).

We eventually hit the Highway to Warrnambool and the pace lifts.  We are doing 45/55km through Stoney Rises and I again have the safety of the right hand gutter, although I have to keep an eye on the parked cars.

Approaching the second feed at Camperdown at 233km and I am beginning to struggle.  I have done two rides in the last fortnight and have had a cold which I am still getting over.  The climb into Camperdown finds me cramping, I try to get out of the big chain ring and drop my chain. I have started the climb near the back, when I have spent all day near the front.Bang I am gone.

 Riding into Camperdown alone. I think the bunch may stop for a nature break.  I begin chasing as I can still see them.  Craig Van der Valk (Hawthorn) comes past at 40km/hr and I jump on for about 100m.  I have nothing left I sit up. I then notice I am near the rear of the race convey and have one last effort I motorpace up through some cars.  Some lady keeps breaking and lets the cars in front of her open up a big gap, then she accelerates hard and leaves me 300m off the back of the bunch. Now I am finished.  My speed drops from about 40km/h to 23. I am cold and wondering how the hell I am going to ride the last 60km by myself.  A couple of riders catch me but I must look like death. We exchange pleasantries, but I do not bother to get on.  I begin to rider “tempo” at 25km/hr.  Only two hours to go.

 Just short of Terang I see a rider stopped on the side of the road.  As he gets going, I think I better get on him or I will never make it.  I do a head check to see if anyone else is coming and catch sight of Tom waving his arms for me to wait.  Tom had cracked at the 200km mark. After forcing some food down he had recovered enough to keep going.  We begin working turns.  Tom is the strongest so I roll through when I can.  We pick up a couple of more riders, one a Warrnambool rider who is strong and has a supporters club cheering him along.  With 7 riders and 25km to go, I at last am comfortable in the knowledge I can finish this race.

 Just over nine hours of riding to complete the Melbourne to Warnnambool.  Coburg results were Darren Lapthorne (18^th), Steve Pilson (26^th), Andrew Ward (47^th), Tom McDonough (103^rd) and Luke McDonough (105^th).  Big thanks to Bill Sheriffs for driving/feeding and Wayne’s mum for providing dinner/accommodation.

Results

1 Robert McLachlan        7.54.15
2 David Pell              
3 Kjell Carlrom               
4 Stuart Shaw                 
5 Jason Phillips
     
18 Darren Lapthorne           13.48
26 Steven Pilson                25.01
47 Andrew Ward                 41.01
103 Tom McDonough       1.05.08
105 Luke McDonough      1.05.30