ROAD RACE RESULTS 2007
Spring Chicken Road Race - Saturday 10th March, Charndon
Bucks
1 Roger Woodford AW Cycles.Co.uk 3rd 15
2 Gavin Atkins Hemel Hempstead CC 3rd 12
3 George Olive North Road CC 3rd 10
4 Geoff Williams Python Racing Team 3rd 8
5 Jim Moffatt Spirit Racing Team 4th 6
6 Simon Cannings Team Milton Keynes 3rd 5
7 Alex Turner FVS TRI 3rd 4
8 Mark Walter 3rd 3
9 Ian Franklin Crest CC - Ilford 3rd 2
10 Timothy Willmer Bicester Millennium CC 4th 1
Hillingdon - Finchley RT Criteriums 3/4 03.03.2007
From George Olive
I entered on the line for my first race of the season along with fellow North
Road team mates Ian Coles, Mike Bridge and Tony May. As predicted the previous
day, the weather was fine and a large number of riders started (about 75) for
the 1 hour plus 3 lap race. We were briefly showered upon midway through the
race but this soon passed and the circuit dried out. The race seemed quick but
steady so breakaway attempts were quickly reabsorbed into the bunch.
Unfortunately Mike and Tony were caught up in a crash in the closing laps and
could not contest the places. I was licking my lips on what was to be a bunch
sprint finish.
As the lap board showed 3 to go I immediately found myself swarmed and very near
the rear of the bunch. Without panicking and wasting energy I waited patiently;
riding on the inside of the circuit I waited for an opportunity.
With 1 1/2 laps remaining the bunch slowed and moved to the right. I darted up
the inside and barged my way into 3rd position.
I defended a top 5 position until the sprint were I was overtaken by a flying
Roger Woodford. I jumped onto his wheel and had just enough left to lunge to the
line first and win my first crit for five years. It was a pleasing start to the
season.
1 George Olive North Road CC 10
2 Roger Woodford AW Cycles.Co.uk 8
3 Ben White Finchley Racing Team 7
4 Dexter Gardias Torq-Colnago 6
5 Llewellyn Kinch Private 5
6 Geoff Williams Python Racing Team 4
7 David Gayler Kenton RC 3
8 David Mills Hemel Hempstead CC 2
9 Iain Cook VC Londres 1
10 Russ Turner London Dynamo/Cyclefit 1
Crest CC - Sunday 4th March
From Tony Bradford
It was with some trepidation that I lined up for the Crest CC road race this
Sunday morning (4th March). Since November every Saturday training ride has been
a trial and my speed training only started two weeks ago. The weather looked bad
too with spots of rain promising an early arrival of the promised noon downpour.
The Crest's race is run over 8 and 1/2 laps of the Littlebury course; this
includes the Littlebury Green Hill x 9. I have never ridden this race and not
come home shivering and today was no exception but at least I wasn't the only
one.
The first lap went OK and I began to warm to the prospect of the race. Dave
Staff made a strong break which lasted for 3 laps but was eventually brought
back. However, two of the riders he went after remained out in front mopping up
the primes as they went. Once Dave was back in the bunch things really kicked
off with two fast laps knocking 45 seconds off the lead. This was particularly
tough after the Littlebury Green decent on the road to Wendens Ambo with a
strong head wind making all attacks short lived.
Into the final lap; two in the lead had swelled to three with a chasing group of
8 a minute behind and the bunch, now somewhat diminished, a further 30 seconds
back. At this point it had been raining heavily for an hour – I think this
prompted a few to pull out early. As we descended towards the Wendens road for
the last time I passed Ron Hewes (on the front) flat out and encouraged him to
join me for a little bit of Headwind Time Trialling – he was keen and we were
soon joined by a member of the Crest and Economic Energy. Once on to the Newport
Road I glanced behind and there was no one there. Up the hill and put in enough
of a dig to start with to drop two of the four; in the end I was pipped by the
Economic Energy guy and had to settle for 13th. Race was won by Mark Christian,
Glendene, 3hrs 13 min.
The Crest had lived up to my expectation. Tough, gritty, cold and *%$£$$&* wet –
can't wait for next year's event.
Race 13 Imperial RT Winter Series on Saturday 10th February
2007, Hillingdon
photos
I was joined by Mike Bridge in representing North Road at round 13 of the
Imperial RT winter series at Hillingdon. After a very wet morning the conditions
improved marginally to leave a damp track and a keen headwind down the back
straight. We discussed tactics at the start and decided that it would be best
for us both to sit in the bunch and for Mike to attack with the last 5 laps and
me to counter if he got caught.
These tactics soon flew out the window when after 5 minutes gone of the 35
minute race I realised my legs felt good and went on the attack with another
rider. This attempt quickly failed and we were caught after a few laps so I
decided to sit in for a while and try again. I tried to break-away twice more,
once with a VC Elan rider and then later with an Oxford City RC rider but the
bunch of 30 riders behind were keen to reel in any breaks and seemed content to
chase us down each time. After my last fruitless attempt I dropped back to find
Mike sitting comfortably in the bunch taking each corner as smoothly as a
derailed freight train. After a brief chat (in which Mike wondered where our
team tactics had gone) it was decided to revert to plan A.
Mike attacked strongly off the front during a brief lull in activity as we went
past the 35 minute point and soon established a good lead going into the last 5
laps. I managed to get back to the front and tried to slow the field down a bit,
probably helped by wearing the old style jersey! I could see Mike time trialling
his way ahead and looking like a good bet to stay away until the finish but
unfortunately the pace picked up and he was caught going into the last lap and a
half.
It was then inevitable that a bunch sprint was going to decide the race so we
worked our way through the bunch and we were approaching the last bend when a
crash took down 2 riders to my left. Luckily Mike was not involved and we both
worked hard to come around the outside of the bend and wind up for the sprint. I
was now in a good position but was blocked and had to ease up but still managed
to claim a few extra places with another jump to finish 7th, Mike came in 19th.
The winner was Daniel Sullivan from Norwood Paragon.
All in all we decided that we had given a good effort for North Road which was
greatly helped by the ‘Fan Club’ – my wife and 2 kids who gave us a good shout
every lap, so much so that Mike said “That it felt very Tour de France, I think
I even heard ‘Allez’ being shouted at one point in my break”. Well the Tour is
coming to London this year but I don’t think Hillingdon in February is quite the
same!
Ian Coles
Imperial RT Round 11 on Saturday 27th January 2007 at
Hillingdon Cycle Circuit
photos
Combining a trip to see my brother in west London on a rare free Saturday
afternoon I decided to test my form at the popular Imperial RT winter race
series at Hillingdon. The race was 35 minutes plus 5 laps with a field of around
30-40 4th Cat riders.
The pace started off sedately, which was good as a 2 lap spin on a fresh and
breezy day was not the best warm up. After 5 minutes the pace quickened and an
attack went on the back straight by a single rider, I jumped across and hoped
that we could work together to form a gap but he wouldn’t come through so I sat
up and returned to the bunch for a breather.
The next 20 minutes was kept at a steady pace and the only highlight for me was
a spot of cyclo-cross as I was squeezed into the verge on the finishing straight
by some dubious riding in front. I recovered and made my way back through the
bunch only to hear one of the six St. Ives riders in the say it was “Time to
go”. It was quite good to see their team go to the front and put the hammer
down, but the field stayed together as it wasn’t exactly ‘The Blue Train’. Some
gutsy riding with an attack by a Lea Valley junior who hung out for a few laps
killed the remaining time until he was caught and we raced into the final 5
laps.
I kept my place near the front of the field and with 3 laps I decided that I
didn’t want to risk partaking a bunch sprint so attacked hard down the back
straight (probably too hard!). I hung out for a lap trying to time trial my way
to the finish, but found my form lacking and couldn’t maintain the high pace
with bunch hunting me down. I saw a shadow coming up on my left shoulder as I
came through the s-bends and I wrongly assumed that this was the bunch, which
was a bad mistake as it was a lone rider who then soloed to the finish line and
I should have got on his wheel. I eased up instead and then the rest of the
field came past. I finished the race off the back but was pleased with my
performance as at least I had attacked and gave it my best shot at staying away,
so not achieving a top ten place in the first race of the season was not a
disappointment at all.
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