This weekend is the fourth round of the QRTS for 2014 and sees the event head to Gatton for three stages over two days. With the last remaining round being a criterium in a months time, this round represents the last chance to pick up large point totals that will either keep us in 10th overall or see us drop back in the rankings. With a large gap to the 9th placed Campos Tele 2 team above us, holding our position will be our main goal going into the penultimate round.
The format for the Gatton round will be a tough test, but after weeks of watching people ride bikes, the next step is naturally riding one ourselves. We are also looking forward to debuting some of our boss winter kit from Seight Custom incorporating surveying gurus Land Partners for the first time. Sweet as. On top of that, our nutrition suppliers BL Megabar have finally set up a facebook page that you can check out and see where Cobra9 Intebuild gets it’s energy from. Tasty.
The event kicks off with a 15.4 kilometre Individual Time Trial on Saturday morning with a largely flat course featuring a solitary climb halfway through the course. That is followed by two races each just over 100 kms long. One on the Saturday afternoon followed by the final race on Sunday morning. That should be enough racing to get the pain face out of storage.
The line up for round 4 changes again with some old faces returning. Thankfully some of our strongest proponents of the time trial will feature.
Adam White (Uni Cycle Club) – Adam has been the bastion of consistency in every round this year. One of only two riders to have raced in every round. Adam has finished in the main bunch in every race this year except one after suffering a mechanical in the first round. Unfortunately, he has also managed to finish just outside the top 30 point scoring position in every race. That is no mean feat. Adam is ready to cast off the shackles this weekend and look to finish in position 30. No one deserves it more.
Timothy Dalgleish (Moreton Bay C.C.) – Cobra9’s panzerwagon. Since coming into the squad for round 2, Tim has been the missile that launches in every race. With his form beginning to peak in time for Nationals and the World TT champs, make sure you stay some distance from the finishing line when the big fella rips past the post in the ITT on Saturday morning. There is sure to be some collateral damage.
Dugald Macarthur (Lifecycle) – Dugald is Cobra9’s super domestique. From handing over his wheel on the roadside to our protected rider, to riding sprinters back onto the pack after they fall behind on the bergs, Dugald is the go to guy. Always present near the front of the pack ready and willing to pull a big turn coming into the final kilometres, Dugald then likes to slip away to cramp and suffer on his own over the final few metres. A sacrificial rider who puts the team above his own results in every race.
Matthew Zaranski (Cyc’d) – Matt has just returned from a block of mid season altitude training and berg slaying that has put Strava to shame. With his time trialling improving and his climbing reaching new heights, Matt may present an outside bet to hand the team it’s best result of the series so far (18th in round 3 to Rupert – would have been 11th if not for a front derailer issue to Matt Ryan). The only impediment to success will be a healthy dose of jet lag and the pull of wedding ceremonies.
Rupert Leigh (HPRW) – The suffer merchant! Nick name – hurt locker. Nobody goes as deep as Rupert. Admittedly, often he suffers at his own volition with no help from anyone else. Rupert just wants to ride on the front all day. After riding on the front all day, he then wants to jump into the breaks and win the sprint. This often causes him to spend large amounts of the day chasing back on to the tail end of the peloton after lighting one match too many. His result in round 3 demonstrates the limitless potential of our MTB convert.
Nathan White (Cyc’d) – The team towel waver. Nathan presents the ultimate in cycling enthusiast. Whether it’s hugging riders after a good result or pumping everyone up before a race, Nathan is in his element. After spending the last round on the CB radio in the team car, Nathan is pumped to be back on the road suffering what will no doubt be a whole new range of mechanical disasters.
Team Car – Peter Spencer and Adam Weathered – Adam is making his debut in the team car and will no doubt bring some class to the team Volkswagen. Pete has separated his shoulder so will be strictly avoiding all manner of confrontations this round.
We look forward to a weekend of beautiful winter sunshine and good racing. Hopefully everyone can escape the adventure intact after a few wobbles last round. As usual, keep you eyes on the site for updates.
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