A WIN from Greg Simcock in the Redgrave cyclo-cross confirmed his liking for the course where last year he finished second to Michael Raven, writes Fergus Muir

Simcock (Team Corley Cycles), Andy Nichols (Cambridge University CC) and Shaun Aldous (EST/City College Norwich) were the dominant figures in this the seventh round of the Eastern League. By mid-race Aldous was tailed off while Simcock kept up the pressure and the decisive moment came when Nichols went over the handlebars descending a hedgebank and became tangled with the tapes.

James Jobber (Colchester Rovers) scored his first junior league and took eighth place overall in the senior race.

Over-60 rider Phil Cooper struck the first blow in the Veteran’s race - leading by a large margin as the field past the pits for the first time. He eventually dropped to sixth, but still beat all the riders in the 40-49 age group. Tim Butler (Ipswich BC) and Phil Buick (Thetford MTB) vied for the lead until the effects of running some sections of the course told on Buick’s legs leaving Butler to come home alone.

The Redgrave course is flat – but banks, mounds and gullies test competitor’s skills. Conditions were dry and pleasant overhead but soft underwheel.

“A grind all the way round” said David Fraser.

On her last day as a teenager Phil Buick’s daughter Anna won the women’s prize, over two minutes ahead of runner-up Joolz Halpin (Maldon & District).

Alwyn Newstead (Ipswich BC), still under 16 but with years of experience on the Eastern League scene had a debut win in the Youth race, finishing 48 seconds up on second-placed Matthew Madgwick.

George Jensen won the Under 12s. Second went to Great Yarmouth CC’s Zak Coleman who had a 30 second margin over rival Pierce Bacon (Ipswich BC).

Cyclo-cross riders are reminded that the Regional Championship is for advance entries only and that these close on November 15th.

DEBENHAM schoolboy Hugo Robinson was the highest-placed of the six-member British team at the European Junior Cyclo-Cross Championships in Frankfurt. He took 26th place, 25 seconds ahead of Alistair Slater the winner in the Ipswich Junior race a week previously.

The Frankfurt race was intensely competitive.

“Like a boxing match” said Robinson, “You had to stand your ground”

The course in parkland around the Frankfurt ice-rink was muddy in places and Robinson used full mud tyres. As well as grass and mud thee were surfaced roadways and wide flights of around 40 steps.

IN the cyclo-cross Inter-Area Team Championships at Leicester the most successful Eastern teams were the Women (Anna Buick, Sue Wood, Rachel Fenton and Camilla Boyton), and the Veteran Men (Gary Lingard, Martin Carter, Clive Harrison and Gavin Rumbles) both of whom were fifth in their categories. One place lower – sixth – was the Youth “A” team of Alan Trolove, Joseph Fry, Sean Dunlea and George Wood.

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Laura Sampson (Stowmarket & District CC) was the winner of the women’s 2-hour race when Thetford MTB’s Winter Series got under way with racing for 500 riders near Grimes Graves in Thetford Forest. VC Revolution’s Paul Thomas was 5th among 137 in the men’s 2-hour.

Conditions on the 7.4 mile circuit gradually changed from “slidey and fun” to “sticky” as the effects of a sharp shower just before the start drained away.

Diss rider Stephen James, riding for AW Cycles, effectively Giant’s UK team, won the men’s 4-hour, in which Don Howe from TROG (Tunstall & Rendlesham Off-Road Group) was fourth and Kurt Broad from the Bury and Newmarket-based Revel Outdoors team was seventh. Revel Outdoors also had Honington rider Richard Muchmore in third place in the Veteran Men’s 4-hour which was won by Paul Ashby (Fat Birds CC) the only rider in any age group to cover as many as eight laps.

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Stowmarket & District roadman Paul Moss made himself East District hill climb champion by climbing the short, sharp Semer Hill near Hadleigh in just over 46 seconds in the CC Sudbury-promoted event. Patrick Cook (Ipswich BC, 56.02) is Junior champ, Kieran Brady (Ely & District, 54.01) junior champion while Karen Eaton wins the Wolsey RC hill climb cup with her 1:33 climb, second to ladies champion Rebecca Taylor (Wisbech Whs, 1:15.04)

Result -CC Sudbury Hill Climb

1 Paul Moss (Stowmarket & District) 46.07 2 R Da Silva (Stevenage CC) 47.02, 3 D Zagni (Ipswich BC) 47.03, 4 G Knott (Colchester Rovers) 49.00, 5 A Pettitt (Stowmarket & District) 49.09, 6 S Wright (CC Sudbury) 51.02.