JASON Boutell blasted to a 19-second win in the two-hour race in the final round of the Whyte Winter Series, after an eventful day that saw the Newmarket rider crash three times.

JASON Boutell blasted to a 19-second win in the two-hour race in the final round of the Whyte Winter Series, after an eventful day that saw the Newmarket rider crash three times.

Boutell’s first mishap put 18-year-old Saffron Walden rider Callum Riley (Newdales/Giant) into the lead. But the last lap where Boutell (Ultimate Fitness) was 26 seconds quicker proved decisive.

Bungay rider Shaun Aldous was third, leading three of his Team CCN team mates into the next placings.

Conditions were spring-like at Mayday Meadow in Thetford Forest with a largely dry course and rapidly rising temperatures. On the hummocky descents by the Brandon, the whirr of freewheels was almost drowned by birdsong. The six mile course was fast and varied with “Enough climbing to make you work” as Revel Outdoors’ Garry Houghton put it.

In the junior race, Lewis Parker (HMF Pedalpower) and Daniel Barford, now riding for Flitchbikes, vied for the lead on the first lap but Parker maintained a very consistent speed to win while Barford slowed. In fact a fast last lap by Oliver Edwards (VC Revolution) gained him second place by just four seconds from Barford, who had only five seconds in hand over Will Kearse (VC Revolution).

Aerocycles Haverhill rider Nick Ainsworth made a fast start in the two-hour veterans’ race, but Andy Manning (Team CCN) came flying past after one lap and took the win. Top TROG veteran men were Adrian Healey (sixth) and Julian Parker (seventh).

Katy Simcock (Hope Factory Racing) won the women’s two-hour ahead of Iceni Velo’s Alex Nichol, with Anita Buxton (Thetford MTB), winner of the previous round, in third. Buxton has come to cycling from quadrathlon – triathlon with added canoeing.

Laura Sampson (Stowmarket & District) had a clear lap in hand in the women’s four-hour. Husband Andy Sampson was fifth among the four-hour men, where winner Michael Jackson (CC Luton) was followed by Richard Jones, Nigel Scott and Simon Hawken.

Ahead of all the four-hour field was vets winner Paul Ashby (Fat Birds), the only rider to squeeze in eleven laps. Notable for the simplicity of his bike was Honington rider Richard Muchmore (Revel Outdoors) whose machine had no suspension, no gears and a tiny compact transmission. He rode it to ninth spot in a field of 49 four-hour veterans.

Full results can be seen at www.timelaps.co.uk

In the classic North Road CC Hardriders time trial, Maldon & District roadman Scott Cousins took seventh place on the testing Hertfordshire lanes course. Winner was Wouter Sybrandy (Sigma Sport) in a course record time of 56:36. Cousins recorded 1:00:28 and David Staff riding for new Bury St Edmunds-based team Velo Velocity, 1:10:19.