Race supporters and sponsors were offered an inside glace at this year’s Grafton to Inverell on Wednesday evening when veteran and first-time riders Brett Newton and Ryan Thomas recounted their experience of one of the tougher hauls over the Great Dividing Range.
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Race committee member Peter Sunderland said the evening debrief was a good opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of all who make the race possible.
“It was good it was a thank you to all our sponsors and supporters of the event,” he said.
“The Grafton to Inverell is one of the biggest races on the national calendar and one of the toughest races in Australia and certainly live up to that last month.”
In his first race, Thomas finished 12th in the A Grade race and said the support from the community was a great driver.
“It was great to have all the Inverell people at the start to wish me luck and keep the nerves down,” he said.
He said high heat meant riders suffered through the Range climb, but the headlining national race was unforgettable.
“I was just enjoying racing my bike with the best in the country on my home turf and feeling on top of the world,” he said.
“A moment I will never forget, especially seeing as my dad has been talking about getting a photo of me suffering up the range and putting it beside a familiar photo of my grandfather doing the same thing in 1965.”
“Dad didn’t end up getting a photo of me suffering. He said he got a photo of me sitting up, sticking my tongue out with a great big thumbs-up.”
For veteran race runner Newton, his 11th year in competition was a peppered with highlights.
“I’ve seen a few changes over the years, but I must say … it was one of the best finishes in terms of the atmosphere and being in the park and the way everything was presented, it was just fantastic,” he said.
Sunderland said the decision to change the race finish from Otho Street to Vivian Street alongside Victoria Park proved to be a great success.
“From our point of view, we were extremely happy with the new finish line,” he said.
“We took the step to move it across to Victoria Park and utilise that park are which is a nice asset for the town and is much easier for us to set up our finish line.”
“It allows the spectators more room and we had lots of entertainment in the park as well. We can only see it getting better. We were very happy with it as a first off effort, but we can see it getting a lot better.”
