Defending National Trophy Series champion Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) launched the defence of his title in style on Sunday, winning the opening round at Abergavenny.
The Colne-based rider crossed the line 22 seconds ahead of fellow Brit Jody Crawforth (Hargroves Cycles) despite several Belgians hoping to challenge for the win.
The pair had been part of an eight-rider break which got away early and included fellow Brit Liam Killeen. But the Belgium riders seemed happy to sit back in the early stages, allowing Oldham and Crawforth to go clear.
The British duo powered on despite efforts to pull them back, and with two laps remaining Oldham attacked. He left Crawforth to hold on to second spot, 22 seconds back, while third went to Kris Lapere (Mez Team, Belgium), who was just inches ahead of Killeen.
A trio of other Belgian riders came in next, around a minute-and-a-half behind Oldham, while other Brits in the top 10 included Crawforth’s team-mate at Hargroves Stuart Bowers (eighth), Scott UK’s Nick Craig in ninth and Cult Racing’s Dan Booth in 10th.
There was also a comfortable victory in the women’s event, where Kona UK rider Helen Wyman won by more than two minutes from her nearest rival Corinne Hall (Team Corridori), while Isla Rowntree (Stourbridge CC) was another 38 seconds off the pace.
The course at Abergavenny Leisure Centre was mainly fast and dry, with some slippery patches. However, it was on a short tarmac stretch that a group of riders in the veterans race came off, causing delays and road-rash but no serious injuries.
Comfortable victory for Aldous in Eastern League
Shaun Aldous (Extreme Sports Therapy) romped away from the field in round four of the Eastern League, the Welwyn Cross at Stanborough Park. The 2008/9 Eastern champion, Aldous is always good on hills and had a 30-second lead after three of the 11 laps, as well as over three minutes in hand by the finish.
His nearest rival was junior Josh Hannan who rides for the same team – sponsored by the Extreme Sports Therapy unit at City College in Norwich. Hannan, Matt Cook (just out of the junior ranks) and elite veteran Gavin Rumbles (CC Luton) were the most prominent chasers, with Cook, who now rides for the Dutch club WV Eemland that he raced for through the summer road season, holding second spot in mid-race.
The course was variously described as “fast and flowing” and “wearing”. There were some long climbs and the going was quite soft. As the day went on it got faster, both through drying and because berms formed along the racing line.
In the Veterans’ race that started the day Lee Desborough, a Letchworth Velo roadman in the 1990s but new to cyclo-cross, won from Tim Butler (Ipswich BC). The immensely experienced Butler had the skills to gain on the descents but had to be satisfied with the Over-50s prize after Desborough, just turned 40, put the hammer down on the climbs.
Drake seizes his chance in North West
Mountain bike ace Giles Drake (MSC Bikes) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the fourth round of the North West League at Clayton Vale in Manchester on Saturday.
Drake had been chasing runaway leader Richard Wilkinson (Pro Bike Kit) for much of the race and looked set to settle for a battle for second. But a puncture with two laps remaining saw Wilkinson, from Lincoln, lose his lead and allowed the chasing riders to close in.
By the time he had got to the pits for a spare bike, Drake had caught him, along with Team Elite rider Paul Bethell, from Macclesfield. Sensing his chance, Drake attacked hard, and crossed the line eight seconds ahead of Wilkinson, while Bethel was another 10 seconds back in third spot.
Addis triumphant in Western League
VC Montpellier rider Jeremy Addis took victory in the fourth round of the Western League, staged by Team Striking Bikes at Stratford Park in Stroud, where they were celebrating 30 years of cyclo-cross at the venue.
Addis won by 31 seconds, covering the 11 laps in 59:04 on a course which, although run off in warm sunshine, provided several challenging off-camber sections, grassland, wooded areas and tarmac.
A group of four led the senior race for the first few laps, but Simon Burgess (Dream Zero G) was the first to succumb with Ben Davis (Cheltenham Cycles) trying to control things. Lap eight saw another shake-up, with Davis paying for his earlier efforts and dropping off the pace now set by Jeremy Addis with Richard Cross (Noahs Ark) in tow.
Richard was proving to be stronger through the wooded technical section and Jeremy stronger on the grass, but the last lap decider saw Jeremy appear from the woods to take the win with Richard 31 seconds behind and the top vet.
Strong lead for Barrett in Central League
Team Raleigh’s Matt Barrett took a comfortable victory in the second round of the Central League in Kettering on Saturday, crossing the line almost a minute-and-a-half clear of Zepnat.com rider Chris Bradley. Promoted by Kettering CC, the event was staged at Weekley Glebe Sports Ground and saw a high pace set by Barrett, who overtook all but five of the field on his way to victory.
Results
National Trophy Series (Abergavenny Leisure Centre, South Wales)
ArrayEastern League (Round four, Stanborough Park, Welwyn Garden City
ArrayNorth West League (Round four, Clayton Vale, Manchester)
ArrayWestern League (Round four, Stratford Park, Stroud)
ArrayCentral League (Round two, Weekley Glebe Sports Centre, Kettering)
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