Joe Laurendi has hit the ground running in 2020, taking out a win in the first A-grade race on the Peel District Cycling Club's 2020 calendar.
Riders converged on Rockingham's Smeaton Way course last Sunday to kick off the new year, with Laurendi shining brightest in the top division.
With only six riders in both A and B-grade, the two were combined with points awarded to the top finishers in each grade.
The A-grade riders were the instigators of the attacks and chasing in the first half of the race, which saw three B riders dropped.
As the race went on the remaining B-graders started taking a bigger part in the action.
When A-grader Colin Rose attacked with a little over a lap to go, it was a combined effort to bring him back.
Laurendi racing home to take first place in the A-grade, but it was B-grade racer Ben Mears who passed the line first in the combined race with an impressive dash home.
Dominic Da Silva and John Wood came in second and third respectively for the A-grade section, while Callum Henderson and Gary Hansson took the same positions for the B-grade.
C-grade was the largest bunch of the day and provided entertainment with attacks and counters for seven laps until Tim Castles and Peter McKiernan broke away.
The chase then split the bunch apart, as a group of fast but unorganised riders pursued.
Castles and McKiernan were more disciplined, working well together and riding away from the chasers and towards a likely promotion.
In the end Castles was the stronger rider and took the win, McKiernan was second and Matthew Beecroft out-sprinted the chasers to take third.
D-grade was ridden at a fairly fast pace, which caused a couple of casualties.
In the bunch sprint it was Gavin Pearmine first, Simon Melhuish second and Ron McArthur third.
The riders too fast for the participation ride held at the at start of the day raced E-grade for 30 minutes and one lap, with juniors being chaperoned.
Early in the race Jeremy Smith attacked and got a break, Phil Edwards and Campbell McDowell worked together to close the gap and then there was three riders at the front of the race.
On the final lap, McDowell attacked and rode away to take the win with Smith second and Edwards third.
The Peel District Cycling Club will meet again at Pinjarra on Sunday, January 19.
For full results of last weekend's action or for details of upcoming race days visit pdcc.asn.au
