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Following his slashing victory of last week, Tahn Dempster scored again on Saturday in a similar small bunch sprint finish in Cobram-Barooga Cycling Club’s 28km handicap.

He headed Gifford Crosthwaite, Mick Doyle and Steve Hargreaves on the line.

Kerry Watts and Frank Willet shared the limit mark of 16min to lead the field on its journey, but on the first hill Watts was on her own with Willet off his bike with a puncture.

A very strong 8min bunch of Pommie Hyde, Guy Griffin, Steve Watts, Andrew Smith, Joseph Artavilla and Kay Huggins was in pursuit. They were tracked in turn by the 5minute bunch of Steve Hargreaves, Arthur German, Mick Doyle, Wayde Forster and visiting Ararat cyclist John Hunt, who was the World Track Time Trial Champion in Sydney in 2008 (60-64 years).

Dempster and Crosthwaite (4min 15sec) worked hard early to catch this big group by halfway.

The four scratchmarkers, Christian McDonald, Travis Lindhe, Sam Ward and Raymond Jarratt, reached the turn in 19min 58sec with a lot of chasing still ahead of them.

Kerry Watts was doing a great job of holding off the chasers into the last 5km.

At this point through the hilly section, all the pursuing group were together except the scratchmarkers, who had only caught a few dropped riders and puncture victims, Willet and Hyde.

The brave effort of Kerry Watts came to an end with 3km to ride as she was caught by the chasers, with the eventual place-getters fragmenting the bunch with their pressure as they were mindful of the advancing scratchmarkers being dragged along by a huge effort from McDonald.

Dempster won in 43min 19sec, from Crosthwaite (same time), Mick Doyle (44min 34sec — a great PB by 28sec) and Hargreaves (same time).

In fifth place, 31sec later, came Ward who pipped the club champion Lindhe for fastest time in 39min 35sec, catching most of the riders in the last kilometre.

Artavilla didn’t get that far as he became puncture victim number three, with 1500m to ride.

On Sunday the Hume Veterans conducted the annual Tungamah Criteriums.

Tungamah resident Simon Crawford beat Cobram-Barooga’s Raymond Jarratt and Eastern Veteran Brian Smith in A-grade.

Jarratt was also second in the flying lap contest.

Gifford Crosthwaite won B-grade and also took the intermediate sprint.

Kay Huggins was third in D-grade with another Cobram-Barooga rider Les Harrison in fifth.

This week Kay Huggins is contesting the Australian Veteran Cycling Council’s National Time Trial, Criterium and Road Race Championships in Tasmania.

Saturday’s club race breaks new ground — a 28km time trial rather than the usual 15km.

The event starts from Barooga Bottlers in Hughes St, Barooga at 1.30pm.

On Sunday Hume Veterans race on the Benalla ‘Lurg’ Circuit, over 52km.