ST MARGARET’S and Berwick Grammar School cyclists tore around Casey Fields on Friday to earn some of regional cycling victories’ most prestigious awards.
Despite a number of riders being unavailable due to VCE requirements, the strength of the squad really showed through at the Victorian Schools Cycling Championships (VSCC), held on Friday at Casey Fields Criterium.
There were over 80 schools represented and no other school won more than three medals except for St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar squad – which blitzed the field to take a staggering fourteen medals comprising five gold medals, three silvers and six bronze.
This level of representation gives the schools a chance of becoming the State Champion School for the fourth successive year, a feat that has never been achieved.
Outstanding individual performances were everywhere including those of Jordan and Ethan McDonell, Max Terlato, Olivia Weston and Saffron Button who all won gold. Squad captains’ Mitchell Graham and Madeline Blackwood both won silver as did Sienna Grove, while bronze medals were taken out by Clare McCurdy, Damien Freihofer, Susanna Bates, Elise Hutchinson, Kristian Meade and Lorna Pettigrew.
All of these plus several fourth-placed riders will now be eligible to compete in the state final to be held in Bendigo in October.
The standard of riding has continued to improve at St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar who now supplying some outstanding riders for several of the major cycling clubs.
Other district riders who gained medals were Cyrus Monk from Drouin Secondary College, Dylan Thompson of Berwick College, Madeleine Currie of Chairo Christian School and Nossal High School’s Amelia Jane Bates who won a silver medal in under-17 novice.
