Constant attacks and splits made the 2018 Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race a memorable edition with riders attacking, and groups forming and disintegrating several times before the race was finally won from a two-man break by Mikey Mottram of the Morvello-Basso team.
It was a splendid 19th and final promotion by organiser Malcolm Hargreaves and his wife Margaret. Next year James Baldwin is lined up to take over leading the organising team from the 127 year-old Colchester Rovers Cycling Club.
The 2018 weather was not kind – the wind was light but it rained on-and-off throughout the race and competitors at the finish were mud-covered, with many cold and shaken.
After a brisk, even hairy, ride out from the event HQ at Colchester Army Reserve Centre the field joined the Layer- Birch-Wigborough Corner circuit and soon the first split happened with eight riders attacking and others forming chasing groups that eventually linked up to make a leading pack of nearly 30.
With several big teams of fairly equal strength, things did not stay the same for long. With around 30 miles remaining the field blew apart under pressure from Mottram, Matt Downie (Cervello) and Theo Modell (Wheelbase).
After more splits Joey Walker (Team Wiggins) and Mottram escaped and rode a very effective two-up to the finish outside Layer Waterworks where Mottram, a 27-year-old flooring contractor from Wallingford, took the win.
Never far from the front, George Wood (Richardsons/Trek) took third place. Morris Bacon (DAP CC) from Bungay found the strength and determination to press home some carefully judged bridging moves up the field and was rewarded with ninth place – worth 20 British Cycling ranking points
Fast Test’s Gary Freeman was desperately unlucky to puncture just after successfully completing a similar move.
Lawrence Kirby from Birds Green, now riding for Peterborough team Active Edge was also just in the points at 19th, as was Chelmsford’s Andy Lyons, a former winner, now riding for API/Metrow, who was 20th.
Hayley Simmonds (WNT Pro Cycling) revised her own course record in Cycle Club Sudbury’s 22 mile Mad March Hilly time trial on the up-and–down Lavenham- Hadleigh-Monk’s Eleigh circuit.
Riding the event as part of her preparation for next month’s Commonwealth Games in Australia, Simmonds took third place overall as well as the Women’s prize with her 50:52 ride.
There was a rare home win in the men’s section where CC Sudbury’s Leon West took the top award with 50:23, just three second faster than Stuart Fairweather (VeloVelocity). Fairweather led Andrew Leggett (52:03) and Geoff Frost (53:47) to the team prize. Top Junior was Colchester rider Dexter Mansel- Thomas (55:55) with Jake Crossley (Colchester Rovers, 58:52) next.
Conditions were rather dank, but quick times were clearly possible, though Mark Arnold’s 48:08 men’s course record seemed out of reach on the day.
Middle and lower category roadmen contested the Ike Saul Memorial race on the Orwell-Kingston circuit in west Cambridgeshire where Jim Bradford of the promoting Cambridge CC won after on long lone break. Late chasers Jonny Allen (Rapha CC) and Jamie Wimborne took the next places.
Gabriel Fowden now riding for Pedal Power Ipswich, seized seventh overall in the bunch sprint for fourth place which was marred by a pile-up just before the finish.
Kieran Jarvis (Team OnForm) was 11th, one place ahead of Strada Sport team captain Ben Beynon who was awarded the Tusk prize for combativity.
The commissaires showed their determination that racing on the wrong side of open public roads will not be tolerated in the East, with several offenders being disqualified
Tomorrow sees former Olympic trackman Ross Edgar ride the hilly time trial at Risby promoted by his former club West Suffolk Wheelers. Jason Bouttell is scratchman and Kay Burgess best-seeded woman.
On Sunday Ipswich Bicycle Club have road races on the Crowfield-Framsden circuit – for men in the morning and women in the afternoon
Results:
JOCK WADLEY ROAD RACE, Layer-de-la-Haye:
1 Michael Mottram (Morvelo Basso), 2 Joey Walker (Team Wiggins), 3 George Wood (Richardsons-Trek) @ 0:32 secs, 4 Jonathan Mould (JLT Condor) @ 0:38, 5 Matthew Downie (TAAP Cervelo) @ 0:51, 6 Jacques Sauvagnargues (Team Wiggins) @ 01:43, 7 Tom Mazzone (Holdsworth Pro Racing) @ 02:23, 8 James Rix (Richardsons-Trek), 9 Morris Bacon (DAP CC), 10 Theo Modell (WheelbaseCabtech), 11 Lawrence Carpenter (Ribble Cycling) @ 02:24, 12 Jake Hales (Spirit Tifosi) @ 04:49, also 19 Laurence Kirby( ActiveEdge), 20 Andy Lyons (API-Metrow), 21 Rhys Howells (Rapha CC), 31 Matt Clements (Richardsons-Trek),
38 Tom Fitzpatrick (Private Member), 47 Frank Longstaff (Richardsons-Trek).
IKE SAUL MEMORIAL ROAD RACE, Orwell:
1 Jim Bradford (Cambridge CC), 2 Jonny Allen (Rapha CC), 3 Jamie Wimborne (OnForm), 4 Oliver Knight (Corley Cycles), 5 Felix Barker (Cambridge CC), 6 Callum Clarke (Sigma Sport), 7 Gabriel Fowden (Pedal Power Ipswich), 8 Ieuan Woods (OnForm), 9 Nesta Ferguson (Lee Valley YCC), 10 Logan de Monchaux-Irons (CC Hackney), 11 Kieran Jarvis (OnForm), 12 Ben Beynon (Strada-Sport).
Most Combative Rider – Ben Beynon
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