The sky is the limit for 17-year-old Archie Pratt after edging out well performed and vastly experienced German rider Hans Pirius, 14 years his senior, for a famous victory in the Open Men’s Division of the 2023 AusCycling Masters State Criterium Championships.
The Bundaberg cycler, who has just completed year 11, after he came of age, won the event hosted by the Bundaberg Cycling Club, on a street circuit in Bundaberg Central recently.
His St Luke’s Anglican School Captain and club-mate Ben Rudd, a Queensland Schools Triathlon Champion earlier this year, also did brilliantly to take the Bronze Medal.
Congratulations to the one other Bundaberg club representative who was also victorious at the titles, Sean Livingstone, in the Men Masters 3 division, and John Hampson, of another Bundaberg club Coral Isles, who took Gold in the Men Masters 9 division.
AusCycling Masters State Criterium Championships medallists:
Well done too to the other local medallists on the day, including Silvers to Bundaberg’s former soccer goalkeeping representative star Daniel Watson, behind Mitchell Stewart, of Balmoral, in Men Masters 1, and Brad Davis, behind Sean, and Coral Isles’ Delise Lutz to Helen Chesswas (Balmoral), in Women Masters 6.
Bundaberg club president Wayne Morden succumbed to fatigue after days of overseeing the running of the Cycling Spectacular at Kevin Brogden Memorial Velodrome over the previous two days and also competing in a string of Masters events, and he abandoned the Men Masters 4 race with 10 minutes remaining.
But he was a happy man after the outstanding successes of the carnival and championships, for which Council was a proud Platinum sponsor.
Bundaberg’s Quinn Cramer, now of Rockhampton, was victorious in the Women Masters 3 category.
Balmoral, of Brisbane, had one other champions, Anthony Wood (Men Masters 7).
University of Queensland (UQ) produced three winners, Andrew Mathiesen (Men Masters 4), Courtney McGowan (Women Masters 2), and Nicole Lutze (Women Masters 4).
Former Bundaberg champion Sheldon Devantier, now with Hamilton Wheelers CC, just missed a medal when fourth behind Andrew, while Bundaberg’s Robert Gardner did a lot of hard work before winding up just behind him in fifth.
Gold Coast’s Eden Sealey-Cunnington powered to victory in the Open Women’s race, while club-mate Simon Butler capped a highly successful weekend, beating all comers in the Men Masters 2.
The other Golds were shared around, between Simon Phuah (Redlands Cycling & Multisport Club), Darren Barker (Sunshine Coast), and Arch Davis (Gladstone), in Men Masters 5, 6 and 8 respectively, and Jessica Wiggan and Kristin Leech in Women Masters 1 and 5 respectively.
Meanwhile, Byron Davies, of the Balmoral Club, who won his maiden National Championship in the Time Trial at Anna Mears Velodrome in March and will turn 24 this Saturday, totally dominated the Bundaberg Spectacular.
He won 10 of his 11 events in the Blue Riband Elite Men division, the Scratch Race, Unknown Distance, two 1200m Handicaps, Aussie Crawl, Reverse Elimination Scratch, Reverse Win and Out, A Derby, and 20-Lap Points score, also teaming with Hans, Douglas Bennett (Emerald), and Archie in the Italian Pursuit.
He also grabbed third in the 2000m Wheelrace behind Douglas and Bundaberg 21-year-old star Duncan Allen, who now competes for UQ, but did not contest the other Elite Men’s event, the Kierin, which was won by Duncan from Archie and Ben Red.
Duncan also claimed Silver in the Scratch Race, Unknown Distance, the first 1200m Handicap, Aussie Crawl Reverse Elimination Scratch, A Derby, and 20 laps Point Score, while Archie also mixed it with the best throughout, including bagging four Bronze, in the Scratch Race, Aussie Crawl, A Derby, and 20 Laps Point Score, and Ben Rudd picked up three Bronzes, in both Handicaps, and Reverse Win and Out.
Ella Liang, also of Balmoral, was the stand-out in the Elite/U17 Women’s category, beating all comers in the Scratch Race, Unknown Distance, both 1200m Handicaps, Aussie Crawl, 1600m Wheelrace, Kierin, and Reverse Win and Out, but Quinn Cramer stole her thunder in the Derby and 15 Laps Point Score.
Simon Butler chalked up four titles in Masters A, a 1200m Handicap, 1600m Wheelrace, Reverse Win and Out, and 15 Lap Point Score.
Eight other home-town heroes were part of Italian Pursuit triumphs, including Nathan Lawley and Matilda Kemps, whose father Aaron carved out a highly successful career in the sport, combining with Felix Henderson (Balmoral) and Ethan Lee (Ipswich) in Undere-13 Combined; cousins Hunter and Rhys Davis with Hamilton Wheelers’ Harrison Dowling and Jakob Cork, Arin Seok (Bayside BMX/UQCC) and Mackenzie Smith (Gold Coast) in U15 Combined; and Liam Vaughan with Balmoral’s Zach Douglas-Savage and William Emeleus, and Lachlan Chamberlain (Hamilton Wheelers) in U17 Boys.
Also, Ewen Holzberger triumphed with Chris Barnes (Hamilton Wheelers), Cairns’ Greg Sutton and Don Huyser, Steven Mayman (Choice Homes/Just Ride/JKT), and Doug Newitt (Darling Downs) in Masters B; and Hunter’s father Brad, a lifetime champion for the club, and Robert Gardner also made it to the top of the dais with Sheldon Devantier, Josh Rayner (Cairns) and Jay Dorreboom (Lifecycle) in Masters A.
Individually, Hunter chalked up a hat-trick of wins, in the U15 Boys Unknown Distance, Aussie Crawl, and 1000m Wheelrace, while Liam Vaughan’s younger sister Elise notched an U15 Girls treble, in the Unknown Distance, Elimination, and Kierin, and Ewen’s son Will made the U17 Boys 1000m Handicap his own.
Ralph Mullins was Bundaberg’s most successful rider at the carnival, with five victories, in U11 Combined Scratch Race, 2 Lap Scratch Race, 3 Lap Scratch Race, 2 Lap Human Moto, and another 3 Lap Scratch Race, while his little brother Bert, the youngest rider at the Spectacular, clinched Gold in the U9 Combined 400m Handicap.
Matilda Kemps’ siblings Cruz and Immogen also achieved family success, with Cruz taking out the U15 Boys Scratch Race, Kierin Final, and Reverse Win and Out; and Immogen led the field home in the U11 Combined 500m Handicap.
Another Bundaberg rising talent, Milan Klein, took out three of the four U9 Combined 2 Lap Scratch Races, and was runner-up in the other.
Four other Rum City riders also grabbed one Gold each, Rowel Fish (U15 Boys 800m Handicap), Shaleah Bullas (U15 Girls 800m Handicap), Bobby McGrath (Masters B 1200m Handicap), and Max Clancy (U17 Boys Aussie Crawl).
If you enjoyed reading about the AusCycling Masters State Criterium Championships event, keep reading to get all the Bundaberg Touch grand finals action here.
