THE 15th edition of the challenging Alpe de Buffalo junior road race was held in the picturesque roads around Bright and Mount Buffalo last weekend. Sponsored by Wilson Asset Management, this junior tour has a reputation for being the toughest in Australia. A total of 150 competitors aged between eight and 16 years old gathered in Bright’s Pioneer Park on a crisp autumn Saturday for stage one of the three stage event. Hosted by the Alpine Cycling Club (ACC), the event attracts entrants from many Victorian clubs plus a large number of riders coming from NSW, ACT, SA, Queensland and Tasmania, making the competition a truly national affair. In hotly contested Criterium bunch racing, riders lapped the difficult course for up to 15 laps, with the older group, the under 17s, averaging over 42km/h in the captivating race. Local ACC riders led the way in many categories - Lachlan Stewart won the under 17 boys race, while Luis Slotegraaf took the laurels in the under 13 boys, and Scarlett Stewart claimed third in the under 15 girls. Stage two saw riders move to Back Germantown Road for the individual time trial. With the sun blazing, the spectators enjoyed the shade of this new course. Slotegraaf continued his winning ways, again claiming first for ACC, but one of the highlights was watching the seven under nines enjoy the course in the ‘come and try’ race. As the sun rose on Sunday morning, so did the riders as they tackled the epic 25km course up Mount Buffalo to the famed chalet. The State Hill Climb Championship, which has run for over three decades, was up for grabs and every rider gave it their all to conquer the climb. Slotegraaf was able to claim the gold, while Scarlett and Lachlan Stewart took bronze in their respective categories. The general classification competition, which sees riders’ combined time over all three stages resulted in first for Slotegraaf, second for Scarlett Stewart and third for Lachlan Stewart. It was a special presentation with the original founder of the event, Geoff Clark, in attendance to present the under 17 winners the perpetual trophy. The Alpine Cycling Club wishes to send a big thanks to all the volunteers and supporters who continue to make this truly special event.
