Colin Ashton-Graham, Denmark Bulletin
Cyclists, 960 in total, from 160 teams including two Denmark teams raced on November 3 in the Australian Teams Cycling Championships at the Tour of Margaret River in Nannup.
Kea Mumford, Mark Guerin, Andrew Lefort, Michael Garland, Greg Newton and Paul Clifton comprised The Other Denmark Team and Colin Ashton-Graham, David Beckwith, Stuart Gee, Nathan Brown, Callum Garland and Mike Staude, Denmark Mighty Helpful.
Several world-class age-group riders represented Denmark including National Gran Fondo champion 2022, 65-69, Stuart Gee and Kea Mumford.
Both will pull on team Australia jerseys in the World Championships next year in Glasgow UK.
The gruelling Margaret River tour is set up like a mini Tour De France, with teams competing over five race stages totalling 223km and 3440m elevation (equivalent to climbing Mt Kosciuszko and then Bluff Knoll).
With teams of six riders being graded on the results of an opening mountain time trial, team Denmark Mighty Helpful raced the 26km course at 35kph qualifying for Division G while The Other Denmark Team, turned in a 32kph effort qualifying for Division L.
In the next two days of mass start road races and team time trials, both Denmark teams raced hard and smart, launching star rider Callum Garland to fourth place on Stage 2 and a silver medal on the gruelling mountain climbing stage 4.
Going into the final team time trial, team Denmark Mighty Helpful defended a narrow lead for second place in the division.
Taking on top cycling clubs, including Midland CC and Busselton CC, Denmark Mighty Helpful posted a sizzling 37kph ride on the hilly 42km course.
Then came the nail-biting wait for the results of teams in the running for podium places.
After more than five hours of racing, and a team time of 10 hrs 38 mins, Denmark Mighty Helpful held on for the silver medal in Division G, just five minutes behind the winners Vanguard Mining 1.
In the hard-fought Division L, The Other Denmark Team posted a team time, a combination of scores from the top three riders in the road races and fourth rider in the team time trials, of 11 hrs 54 mins, in eighth place.
Team manager Murray Thornton said that in 12 years of Denmark Mitre 10 competing for the teams’ championships, the race ranked as one of the smartest tactical effort which was well rewarded with a silver medal.
This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 24 November 2022.
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