Jeff Barnes solos to Teardrop Handicap triumph after holding off fast-finishing bunch sprint

A controversial finish marked the end of the Albany Cycle Club Teardrop Handicap in Denmark on February 26 as Jeff Barnes held off a fast-finishing bunch sprint to clinch a breakaway victory.

The post-race drama erupted when almost the entire field confronted race organisers to complain that the promised tailwind for the last 20km of the tortuously hard course did not eventuate.

Riders were forced to contend with a thumping headwind for the entire journey.

The handicap format of the race had competitors set off at intervals intricately calculated to give all a reasonable chance of victory.

The ‘go’ group of Lucy Wellstead and Shirley Thurston led the field away on the 15km climb from the start at Rockcliffe Winery to the first turn at McLeod Road.

While the steepness of this climb varies and the overall gradient is relatively shallow, it kicks up in steps and there is no doubt that once the summit is reached, the riders are feeling the effects in their legs.

Following that group, the remaining competitors set off at designated intervals, with the group of Greg Newton, Mike Garland, Russell Hart and Alex Poulton looking like a particular threat.

The left turn at McLeod Road took racers across the top of the ridge to the fastest part of the course, the descent of the Teardrop.

However, that joy was short-lived and the major climb of the day started to claim its victims.

The remnants of “chopping block”, Colin Ashton Graham and Jimmy Watmore, caught the two groups in front of them.

Luckily for the Newton-led group, that catch occurred at the top of the climb and they were able to stay together, forming a strong group.

On the return to Alpaca, the course took riders further west and downhill, giving those struggling to regain some form of composure and a brief respite before the successive uphills that followed.

For those still with life in the legs, the ascents back to the top of the course at Alpaca offered more chances to improve their position before the all-out slogfest that was the final downhill back to the finish.

By the time the Newton group reached Alpaca for the final time, they just had Barnes, John Toomey and Liz Cooper out in front of them and about 15km in which to make the catch.

With some group members starting to cramp and struggle with the pace, it was Poulton who showed that he had the strongest set of legs and led the charge down the hill, passing Toomey who had been jettisoned by Barnes and collecting Cooper who, once caught, hung on grimly.

Dave Beckwith tried to bridge the gap about 200m in arrears but could not make headway, even when Newton joined him for the second half of the descent.

The gap never really got any bigger, but neither did it get any smaller.

Despite the heroics of the chase by Poulton, Barnes was gone and away, comfortably across the line in first about 90 seconds ahead of the six-up sprint for the minor placings.

Watmore snuck past Poulton to snatch second, with Poulton grabbing a well-deserved place on the podium in third.

It was less than a minute later that the next four riders crossed the line, among them Brett Dal Pozzo who recorded the fastest time of the day, 1hr.18.21secs, at an eye-watering 38.1km/h.

Cooper took the honours for fastest female in 1:40.44.