GRAFTON to Inverell Cycle Classic winner Cameron Hughes has accepted an invitation and a challenge to ride in Saturday’s Keegan Downes Memorial Sundowner Coonabarabran to Gunnedah cycle race.
Hughes,who won last year’s Grafton to Inverell, is the main drawcard in an annual race which has 166 entries this year.
Gunnedah Cycle’n’Tri Club’s Steve Murray lured Hughes to the Sundowner after talking to him at last year’s Grafton to Inverell.
“He told me he’d made a bad decision going up the mountain in 2006 and wanted to make amends last year,” Murray said.
“Cameron did that, riding away from the field to win by more than two minutes.
“He’s a big drawcard for us.
“He’s also agreed to being part of a challenge.
“We’ve issued that on the Cycling NSW website.
“Cameron, Peter Milostic, who won the 1999 Sundowner, and a a few others have formed a team to take on anyone.”
Last year’s winner Anthony Bennett is also returning while Inverell’s Brendan Jones is also riding after winning last year’s Gunnedah to Tamworth road race, the day after the
Sundowner.
The Sundowner has $4500 in prizemoney with the first male and female winning $1000 each.
18 female riders have entered, the strongest of which might be former local Simone Grounds who has been racing against the likes of Olympic star Sarah Carrigan in recent criteriums in Queensland.
The increased prizemoney for females is a conscious effort by the Gunnedah club to improve the women’s race.
Last year they had around a dozen female riders.
This year’s 18 women riders will be riding for a total prize pool of $1725, with first, second and third prizemoney as well as prizemoney for King of the Mountain and Sprint titles.
Karen Carter Amcal Chemist has sponsored the women’s race the past three years and is going again.
Gunnedah club will have 17 riders racing as well, with them all sponsored by local coffee shop, The Verdict Coffee Lounge.