In the final race at West Suffolk Wheelers’ grass track meet – the 32 lap eight kilometre endurance event - John McClelland showed he is well recovered from his crash at Mildenhall Rally last August, winning by 15 metres from a five-man lead group.
On the tight 250 metre grass oval at Fornham St Martin, McClelland broke away with Martin Smith, Mitch Powell, Laurence Lisher and David Mitchinson and eventually lapped the field.
McClelland had a clear win but Martin Smith only took second spot by the tiniest of margins from Chelmsford rider Powell Team Terminator) and Lisher (Green Arrow RT).
The home club’s Harley and Caris Gregory were winners of their respective Youth Omniums while Andrew Leverton (SES Racing) took the National 400 Metres Championship.
The event featured a new initiative to revive handicap racing, based on a regional database coordinated by Pete Whelan whose club, the Plomesgate CC, will host grass racing at Bredfield near Woodbridge on Sunday 2nd July.
There was a first open time trial win for CC Sudbury’s Leon West when he took the Renny Stirling Trophy 20 mile event at Debenham. West went Pettaugh- Ashfield-Occold circuit in 45:13. Experienced Capel St Mary time trialist Glenn Taylor was quickest over the rapidly descending first mile, but finally took second spot, 58 seconds down with Paul Rooke (West Suffolk Wheelers) a further 32 second back.
Top woman was Verity Smith (50:16), who commented: “It didn’t feel a fast day, it was horrible! It was hard work all the way round. It’s quite a sporting course and you’ll face the wind somewhere unless you’re really lucky.”
There was a smile on the face of Martin Pyne as he rounded the first corner. The Hepworth rider who was national 25 mile champion in 1981 has just celebrated his 60th birthday and was on the way to his first win in the 60-69 age category
Pyne, who rides for Anglia Velo, has been a regular contestant in regional time trials pretty much continuously since his first rides as a 19 year-old in 1976
Conditions on the rural circuit were bright and warm but there was a nagging crosswind on the long, and rather rough, Ashfield to Occold lanes section
Jack Hardwicke of Strada Sport outsprinted Adam Colvin (Army CRT) to win Colchester Rovers Abberton Road Race after these two together with Robin Hawes (Chelmer CC) and Jack Steven (East London Velo) had escaped from the bunch with ten miles to go in the 49 mile race.
Approaching the finish at Layer the bunch was closing fast, but the leaders just stayed clear. Strada’s Ollie Wood won the sprint for fifth from teammate Ben Howell, while Colchester Rovers Junior Bob Longstaff took seventh which won him the points to step up to a second category licence.
Harley Matthews (DAP CC) took the win in the fifth round of the Lotus Series at Hethel. The Great Yarmouth rider crossed the line just clear of Tommy Power, Josh Andrews and Mike Auger after a break of ten strong riders rode away from the front of the field.
Lloyd Chapman won the Senior Eagles Crit at Rock Barracks. The Martlesham rider broke away with Liam Manser (Pedal Power Ipswich) and Mark Richards (VC Baracchi).
At the eleventh hour enough helpers have come forward to save the popular evening race series at Trinity Park, Ipswich. The first race of a series of five will be on Wednesday 21st June. Please note that all entries this year must be online and in advance - See Suffolkcycleracing.co.uk/calendar for details.
Ollie Jones (Team OnForm) came back from being out of the placings in the Stowmarket 10 to winning the Ely over the same distance in 20:18.
Jones relegated Matthew Senter (VeloVelocity, 20:29) and David McGaw (Cambridge CC, 20:31) to second and third places. Jones’ 20:18 is a new course record, as is Verity Smith’s 23:34.
RESULTS
ORWELL VELO 20, Debenham: 1 Leon West (CC Sudbury) 45:13, 2 Glenn Taylor (Shorter Rochford) 46:11, 3 Paul Rooke (West Suffolk Whs) 46:43, 4 John Bradbury (CC Sudbury) 47:24, 5 Lee Woodcock (HKR RT) 47:36, 6 James Rush (CC Sudbury) 47:50, 7 Angus Jardine (Ipswich BC), 47:56, 8 Paul Hayward (VC Baracchi) 49:27, 9 Julian Bosley (Stowmarket & Dist) 49:52, 10 Adrian Manley (Colchester Rovers) 49:55. Women: 1 Verity Smith (Stowmarket & Dist) 50:16, 2 Amanda Mallett (Plomesgate CC) 59:43. Age Category Prizewinners (One rider; one prize): Under 40: Lee Woodcock 40/49: John Bradbury, 50/59:Angus Jardine); 60/69: Martin Pyne (Anglia Velo) 52:39; 70+: Chris Womack (VC Baracchi) 52:38
ABBERTON ROAD RACE, Layer de-la-Haye, 49 miles: 1 Jack Hardwick (Strada-Sport), 2 Adam Colvin (Army CRT), 3 Jack Steven (East London Velo), 4 Robin Hawes (Chelmer CC),5 Oliver Wood (Strada-Sport), 6 Ben Howell (Strada Sport), 7 Bob Longstaff (Colchester Rovers), 8 Jamie Hazelton (Colchester Rovers), 9 William Drury (Pro Cycle Hire UK),10 James Sherwood (Orwell Velo) 11 Leighton Oxley-Crisp (Velo Schils), 12 Nicholas Flexman (Colchester Rovers).
WEST SUFFOLK WHEELERS GRASS TRACK, Fornham St Martin, National 400m Championships: 1 Andrew Leveton (SES Racing), 2 Fabian Horrocks (Team Vision), 3 Mitchell Powell Team Terminator), 4 Rowan Elliott (VC St Raphael) 5 Martin Smith (Chesterfield Coureurs) 6 David Heald (VC St Raphael), 7 Laurence Lisher (Green Arrow) 8 Ian Foulkes (CCA), 9 David Mitchinson (Contour CRT), 10 Sam Alison . 8Km Endurance League: 1 John McClelland, 2 Martin Smith, 3 Mitchell Powell, 4 Laurence Lisher, 5 David Mitchinson, 6 Howard Heighton @ 1 lap, 7 Richard Lawrence, 8 Gavin Mitchell, 9 Tom Rowson, 10 Richard Lawrence.
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