Elite 1/2/3 Cat – 87miles
1 Colin Parry Wilier/Goselfdrive.com 3hrs 30mins
2 Dexter Gardias Forme ImpSport SanLamere @ 10secs
3 Ben Stockdale Team Qoroz @ 20secs
4 Tom Barras Cycle Premier Metaltek @ st
5 Jack Adams Forme ImpSport SanLamere
6 Ashley Cox Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo
7 Alistair Kay Herbalife/Wheelbase
8 Mike Cuming Twenty3c Orbea
9 Ian Knight Team Corely Cycles/Alpha RC
10 Tim Carter Team Virgin Active
11 – Richard Cartland - Team Corely Cycles
12 – Richard Wood – Team Milton Keynes
13 – Ben Luckwell - Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo
14 – Mathhew Foston - Langdale Lightweights RT
15 – Mike Harrison - Congleton C.C
16 – Robert Smail - Cycle Premier Metaltek
17 – Martin Ford - Mammoth Lifestyle RT
18 – Steve Gumyer - Active/CP cycles RT
19 – Richard Bott - Herbalife/Wheelbase
20 – Owen Lake – Cambridge CC
Colin Parry , Wilier/Goselfdrive.com, and Dexter Gardias , Frome Cycles, managed to break clear in the final 6 miles from a 10 man break that dominated the Duncan Murray Wines Road Race.
Tom Barras , CylcePremier, Ben Stockdale , Team Qoroz, Alistair Kay , Herbalife and Gardias formed the first break of the day after 8 miles. The quartet soon gained a lead of 30 seconds by the end of lap one.
With the bunch was chasing hard with riders exploding off the front of the group and bridging the gap to the industrious quartet.
As the size of the break grew to ten riders everyone was committed to working for the next 20 miles the break never got more than 1 minute’s advantage.
With every rider pulling on the front their lead started grow and time checks had the bunch at 2 minutes.
With 25 miles to go seven riders broke free from the bunch but there chase was in vain as the break was tight unit.
As the break entered the final lap Mike Cumming , Twenty 3c, launched an attack as the break crested the Oxendon Climb. His effort was snuffed out as Ashley Cox , Corely Cycles, led the chase.
At this point Parry and Gradias made their race winning move and fought a good battle on Naseby Hill with Parry easing away from Gradias in the last 400m.
Tom Barras attacks early.
Parry (far left) is joined by Ian Knight as the break forge clear.
Womens team Series - Duncan Murray Wines Ladies Race– 50 miles
1st Lowri Bunn – Abergavenny RC
2hrs 30 mins
2nd Hannah Barnes – Team MotorPoint
@ 3 secs
3rd Karla Boddy - High Wycombe CC
4th Eve Dixon - Maxgear Champion Systems RT
5th Sarah Byrne - VC St Raphael
6th Kim Ashton - CCC/Inverse Cyclaim RT
Team
1st Abergavenny
2nd Inverse Cyclaim
3rd Motorpoint
Lowri Bunn.
Lowri Bunn , Abergavenny RC, timed her effort to perfection as she attacked in the final kilometre holding off talented National Junior Road Race Champion Hannah Barnes, Team Motorpoint.
Barnes was lucky to be contesting the sprint after she suffered a rear wheel puncture with one lap to go.
Hannah Barnes.
In a lacklustre race riders jostled for position as the race entered the final 10 miles, this was made even more complicated the leading men’s riders caught the ladies bunch. As the men’s break safely passed the ladies bunch the leading male riders were well clear of the ladies race as the females started there last ascent of Naseby Hill.
Jon Miles writes…. Lowri Bunn, Abegavenny RC won the lastest round of the Women’s Team Race Series held on the always difficult Naseby course - and also winning her first race ever just to crown the day; on the deceptive finishing hill she made her strength count beating national Junior champion Hannah Barnes, Motorpoint by about 3 seconds after 80 kilometres.
It was a day of firsts as this was also the first race, superbly organised, by Ray Taylor on behalf of the Welland Valley CC with really generous sponsorship donated by Duncan and Megan Murray of Duncan Murray Wines.
50 riders faced the starter and with the full For Viored missing it was a chance for Motorpoint to extend their overall lead in the Team Series and perhaps this was reflected by the speed of the race when it seemed other riders were content to play follow my leader; although there were some attacks they were never allowed any great distance before being brought back. With the Commissaire stopping the race to remind the riders to keep to the left there was every chance that the men’s race, run in conjunction with the women’s event, would catch up and this they did but with only 4 miles remaining it was easilly managed.
Little of note affected the race except the main hill when riders at the back could not hold the pace and slid backwards. The first puncture of the day came at5 miles leaving Louise Moriarty, riding for Look Mum no Hands but better know as a top Irish international racing in Belgium and multi Irish champion, needing a quick change but she was soon back in the bunch. After 60 kilometres Astrid Wingler, Surrey League decided some cyclo cross would enliven her ride but generally it was a race bunch waiting for the final climb to the finish.
Race winner Lowri was very pleased with her first win “I didn’t feel too good for the first laps but but I hung in there and found something at the end, my team mate Lauren Creamer worked really hard and led me out. Sarah Byrne broke away I grabbed her wheel and broke away with about 600 metres to go. I did a 5 day stage race before, the Ras du Cymru, and it has taken me a week to recover but obviously it did me a lot of good.”
I asked experienced Louise Moriarty, riding her first Team Series race after moving from Sneem to London to study architecture, what she thought about races in this country.
“It was a really good circuit today and I thought there would be lots of breaks and good racing but I had a puncture after 5 miles and got back on, I did not realise that it would be the hardest part of the race, getting back on. I tried to attack a few times but when riders got up to me they would not ride and I think it was a lack of understanding about what can make a break stay away, to make a break stay away you really need to hammer it until you have a minute gap you have to kill yourself, you are not going to get away until you kill youself and then when you have a minute then you can start riding, I think there is a lack of understanding with riders thinking they are weak, you will never be strong enough unless you try it”.
“I was surprised how negative the racing was today; I am surprised that with so many strong riders that are able to take breaks back instead of just riding at the front try to get away, or try to get 2 or 3 riders away – go hard, have confidence and try it. But it was a great day, good organisation. Although I have raced in Europe with 200 rider fields but today was a decent feild with 50 girsl, there is plenty of racing with 50 girls, most of them seemed pretty strong but if you save everything for the last sprint does your training benefit? Today was slower than a trraining ride so my attitude is race the race”.
RESULT
1. Lowri Bunn Abergavenny RC
2. Hannah Barnes Motorpoint
3. Karla Boddy Impsport team A
4. Eve Dixon Maxgear Champion Systems
5. Sarah Byrne VC St Raphael
6. Kim Ashton Inverse Cyclaim
7. Lauren Creamer Abergavenny RC
8. Anna Grundy Look Mum no Hands
9. Lydia Boylan Look Mum no Hands
10. Tania Hunt Surrey League
11. Siobham McNamarra Inverse Cyclaim
12. Nikki Juniper Inverse Cyclaim
13. Laura Massey Inverse Cyclaim
14. Emma Craddock Surrey League
15. Mollie Weaver West Midlands
16. Hanna Shenton Motorpoint
17. Nicloa Sodden Maxgear Champion Systems
18. Emily Bagnall Surrey League
19. Sarah King Motorpoint
20. Louise Moriarty Look Mum no Hands
21. Melissa Bury Maxgear Champion Systems
22. Nikola Butler Inverse Cyclaim
23. Karen Poole Primal Europe
24. Kirsty Bishop PSUK
25. Bethany Crumpton West Midlands
26. Sarah Maidment Squadra Donne/Shutt VR/Bikefood/C Originals
27. Heather Jackson Maxgear Champion Systems
28. Ruby Miller Horizon Fitness
29. Astrid Wingler Surrey League
30. Iona Sewell Squadra Donne/Shutt VR/Bikefood/C Originals
31. Eleanor Jones VC St Raphale
32. Catherine Hills Surrey League
33. Claire Leonard Surrey League
TEAM
1. Abergavenny RC 220 points
2. Inverse Cyclaim 218 points
3. Motorpoint 206 points
4. Maxgear Champion Systems 197 points
5. Look Mum no Hands 158 points
6. Surrey League 137 points
7. Impsport Team A 115 points
8. VC St Raphael 112 points
9. West Midlands 71 points
10. Squadra Donne/Shutt VR/Bikefood/C Originals 50 points
11. Primal Europe 30 points
12. PSUK 29 points
13. Hirizon Fitness 25 points