Road season ends with Leahy breaking record

The Peel District Cycling Club road season came to an end last Sunday, with Conor Leahy breaking a course record in spectacular fashion.

The club’s road season traditionally finishes with the Hilly Time Trial, which is a race from Serpentine Dam along Kingsbury Drive to the Monastery and back.

The course is best described as undulating, as you are either climbing or descending and there is not one section of flat road.

In 2014, Robert Power set the course record of 38min. 34sec. over the 25km course.

Power later raced with the Australian under-23 squad, before joining Orica Scott this year.

The Hilly Time Trial is run on age standard, which gives a time bonus to riders based on their age.

So in 2014, when Power set the fastest time, he did not finish in the top three as several older riders rode within a couple of minutes of Power’s time and, with their time bonuses, beat him.

On Sunday, Leahy smashed the course record by over a minute, finishing in 37:25.

Leahy’s margin was large enough that even with time bonuses, no other rider came close.

Colin Rose has consistently been one of the fastest three ri-ders in this race in previous years and, combined with his age-based time bonus, has had several wins.

This year, however, Leahy was too fast.

Rose was third-fastest and, with his time bonus, finished second.

Tom Barrett was second fastest and finished third.

The Peel District Cycling Club summer season starts with Rockingham Golden Criterium as part of the Rockingham Beach Cup festival on November 11.

Visit pdcc.asn.au for more details.