Video - Senior & Under-23 race from Andy Powell (Hargroves Cycles)
Top Under-23 Belgian rider Floris De Tier won round three of the National Trophy Series at Southampton Sports Centre on Sunday as he and his fellow countrymen dominated the race.
The Cycling Champs rider crossed the line around 20 seconds of fellow Belgian Jelle Brakman (Van Der Vurst CT) who won the second round, while it was an all Belgian podium with another under-23 rider, Baboco CT’s Zandro Meurisse, finishing another ten seconds off the pace in third.
National Trophy Series leader Paul Oldham finished fourth to extend his lead in the overall rankings, while his rival for the title and reigning series champion Jody Crawforth (Hargroves Cycles) had to settle for fifth after suffering during the tough race.
Oldham and Crawforth were right alongside their foreign rivals on the opening lap, as was Under-23 series leader Steve James (Hargroves Cycles). But De Tier and Brakman worked well together to forge a small gap of around ten seconds on the chasing riders.
After a slow start Meurisse joined the chasing group on lap three, but shortly after Crawforth made a move, attacking alone and gaining a small gap as he chased after the two leaders. By lap five he had got to within 15 seconds of the Belgian duo, but couldn’t quite latch on to a wheel and bridge the gap.
Mechanical problems saw James drop out of the chasing group, and he was seen running back to the pits for a spare machine on which he finished an eventual 20th. Meanwhile, Crawforth had tired and dropped back, and Maurisse broke away in his place.
With three laps remaining De Tier had opened up a lead of around 12 seconds over Brakman, with Meurisse a further 10 seconds back, while Oldham and Crawforth were another 20 seconds back and locked in their own battle for Series points.
On the line Oldham beat a tired-looking Crawforth, and has now opened up a gap of 11 points over his rival with three races gone. Crawforth has yet to beat his arch rival in the series this season and needs to reverse that trend soon or Oldham will be out of sight.
Winner, Floris de Tier was pleased with his race. Having led the opening round in South Shields, he was undone by a couple of crashes. This time he made no mistake and turned his superiority into an excellent win: "It was a good race today,the course was very technical which I like. The start wasn't as quick as I am used to,in Belgium they are a lot more explosive. There was a lot of room to pass riders today,In Belgium they courses are very narrow so it is difficult to pass riders. When you are at the back of the race today it was easier to ride through to the front. I will be riding at Derby in two weeks time."
Video - Veteran race from Andy Powell (Hargroves Cycles)
Veteran-40: A strong performance from Team Jewson’s Darren Atkins saw him win the Veteran-40 race at the third round of the National Trophy Series. Atkins, 42 and from Kenilworth in the West Midlands was the series champion last season, but had made a slow start to the current campaign with a brace of fourth places.
He crossed the line 31 seconds ahead of Derbyshire rival James Bryan, the 40-year-old Zepnat RT rider who retains the overall series lead after winning the two opening rounds. Atkins has moved up to third overall and is just two points behind Noel Clough (Wheelbase), the 44-year-old from Northallerton who was third in Sunday’s race, 37 seconds off the pace set by Atkins.
Bryan and Atkins hit the front early in the race and were closely followed by Clough as well as his Wheelbase team-mate Chris Young. Bryan faded after a couple of laps while Atkins was in good form, but a bike change and new tyres meant he made up the lost ground. After his customary slow start, Chris Young worked his way through the field, but just missed out on a podium finish and lies fourth overall.
After the race, winner Darren Atkins was clearly relieved to have got a win under his belt: "I felt a lot better today out there. I wasn't going too well at the beginning of the season but I feel like I have some form coming back. You just never know when your form will come back or if it will come back. Jim's a really strong rider and he's had a good start to the season but its difficult to be strong for every race especially when they are several weeks apart but he still got second today and he has some consistency so you can't knock that."
In contrast, James Bryan's race didn't quite go to plan, as he explained: "Things were spread out early on so I tried to press on and try and get a gap on the others, it almost worked but I was struggling a bit on the corners. I put new wheels in for the race and I don't think I got the tyre pressures right. I wasn't too sure about the braking to be honest.
When Darren (Atkins) came across to me I was in the red and with me struggling on the corners he got a gap on me and when Darren has a gap he's hard to chase down so I backed off a little. I decided to change bikes to see how things went and I sat in the group with Noel (Clough) and Mick (Young) for a couple of laps which gave me time to get my breath back. I got away from the group but I couldn't get back to Darren."
Veteran-50: Devon rider Steve Davies (Team Jewson) secured his second consecutive National Trophy victory with a convincing display in Southampton.
The 51-year-old crossed the line 30 seconds ahead of GWR Team’s Dave McMullen, the 60-year-old Maidenhead-based rider, while series leader Mick Bell (London Fire Brigade CC) was another 20 seconds off the pace in third.
McMullen led the early exchanges with Bell on his wheel, while Ian Wright (Cycleshack Forme Coaching) was also up there but later faded to an eventual sixth place.
Bell suffered a set-back when his chain got lodged in his rear mech, and he dropped back to seventh by the time he had reached the pits and got going again, but he did superbly well to claw his way back to third.
Video - Junior race from Andy Powell (Hargroves Cycles)
Junior Men: National Champion Hugo Robinson (XRT-Elmy Cycles) marked his first National Trophy race of the season with an impressive win, the 16-year-old Suffolk rider crossing the line 37 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
Previously joint top of the overall rankings, Bradford’s Joe Moses (Paul Milnes Bradford Olympic) finished second which was enough to give him the overall lead ahead of Alex Welburn, who is now four points behind after crossing the line third, 12 seconds behind Moses.
A group of eight riders had gone clear on the opening lap, but that was quickly whittled down to the top three as Robinson ploughed on and strung out the field. While Robinson was never really threatened, Moses and Welburn fought a superb battle for second behind.
Women: Another rider making a first appearence in this season's series, Leicester-based junior Lucy Garner, secured victory in the women’s race, the Junior World Road Race champion getting the better of series leader Adela Carter in a closely-fought battle.
Seventeen-year-old Motorpoint rider Garner crossed the line just six seconds ahead of Yorkshire-based Carter, who retains a healthy overall series lead from Kingswinford’s Hannah Payton (Kinesis Morvelo Project) who was third. Carter led the race with two laps to go, but the others just sat on her wheel and with around a quarter of a lap remaining Garner attacked to take the win.
Lucy Garner explained her race strategy after claiming the win: "The race could have gone either way today and I haven't raced against Hannah (Payton) or Adela (Carter) this season and they have been riding really well in the series. The plan was to hang in with them as long as possible. I wasn't going to attack during the race, just to see how things went. Coming into the last part of the race I didn't want to leave things too late and I wasn't too sure about the last corner so I gave a bit of a dig to see if I could get a gap which I did. I was pleased about that because that last corner is really dodgy and I didn't want to lose it there!"
Adela Carter didn't seem to upset at losing, despite doing a lot of the pace setting: "I had a shocker of a start but to be honest I often d,o but I wasn't too worried about that because I'm having to look after my knee. The three of us managed to get away early on and I thought I'd get on the front so the other two couldn't jump away .I could control things sitting on the front and it wasn't that windy today so there really was no benefit to be had drafting. I did slow the race right down about half way just to see if Hannah or Lucy would come through but no one would take it on so I thought the race would come down to a sprint. I know Lucy is pretty good at the sprint but…I'm pretty good myself. But I haven't put the training in and Lucy decided to go earlier then I expected. She actually went on a hard part of the course, slightly up hill and really sticky under the wheels but she sprinted really well. It was a great race today and I hope we've put a bit of a show on. I'm still in the yellow but I hadn't planned to ride the series and I won a jumper at South Shields so I think I'd like to keep it. So roll on Derby It would be rude not to ride there."
Youth: James Shaw finally broke the Solihull CC monopoly of the Youth-16 series, breaking clear to win by almost a minute from Daniel Fox, with Dylan Kerfoot-Robson third. The series is now very tight with Fox leading by 8 points from Shaw and Jack Ravenscroft, with all three having a win to their credit.
James Shaw (Heanor Clarion CC) is literally head and shoulders above the rest of the field and looked very strong on the drying course. Dan Fox, series leader in the category, couldn't find the legs to take the race to the line and had to settle for second spot.
From the start, Billy Harding (Paul Milnes/Bradford), Jack Ravenscroft(Solihull CC), Shaw and Fox strung out the field out. Shaw soon broke free and looked determined to avoid a repeat of the scenario in the opening two rounds, where Fox and Ravescroft worked him over in the later stages, and with every pedal turn the rangey rider built his lead. Fox found himself chasing alone with a group of four, Harding, Ravenscroft, Kerfoot-Robson and Sean Dunlea (PCA Ciclos UNO) holding their own a further 20 seconds behind. In the end, with Shaw gone, Fox hung on for second, with Kerfoot-Robson winning the sprint for third.
In the Under-16 Female category there was a similar breaking of the established order, with Grace Garner failing in her bid to win for a third time in a row and having to give best to winner Jessica Wilkinson and Abigail van Twisk in a very fast race. Garner still holds the advantage in the series, leading by 26 points from Wilkinson.
The two Under-14 categories, in contrast, were very much ‘as-you-were’, with Daniel Tulett and Charlotte Broughton once again steamrollering the opposition to record wins by one minute thirty-four and two minutes forty, respectively. They are now the only riders with 100% records at the half way stage in the series
Results: (Series Standings)
Senior & Under-23 Men
1 Floris de Tier Baboco Cycling Team (Belgium) (U23) 1h 02m
2 Jelle Brackman Van der Vurst Cycling Team (Belgium) @ 0:17
3 Xandro Meurisse Baboco Cycling Team (Belgium) (U23) @ 0:29
4 Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing @ 0:49
5 Jody Crawforth Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/SpecShimano @ 1:11
6 Kris Lapere Mez Cycle Team (Belgium) @ 2:01
7 Kristof Cop Cycle Team Kessel (Belgium) @ 2:01
8 Crispin Doyle Swindon RC @ 2:30
9 Jack Clarkson Hope Factory Racing (U23) @ 2:40
10 Michael Cotty Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 2:51
11 Luke Gray Baboco Cycling Team (U23) @ 2:57
12 Andrew Hargroves Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec/Shimano (U23) @ 3:15
13 Ben Sumner Beeline Bicycles RT (U23) @ 3:36
14 William Bjergfelt Motorpoint Pro Cycling Team @ 4:04
15 Matt MacDonald Stevens UK/Hargroves Cycles @ 4:08
16 Lee Westwood Cycle Shack/Forme Coaching (U23) @ 4:08
17 Jamie Newall Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RT @ 4:36
18 Robert Watson Paul Milnes RT/Bradford Olympic (U23) @ 4:43
19 Stephen Adams Sigma Sport/Specialized @ 4:43
20 Steven James Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec/Shimano (U23) @ 4:51
21 Kenta Gallagher Team Scott UK (U23) @ 5:02
22 Lewis Craven Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 5:21
23 Paul Young Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale (U23) @ 5:32
24 Stuart Bowers Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 5:33
25 Steve Lampier Sigma Sport/Specialized @ 5:35
26 Andrew Nichols PCA Ciclos Uno/Squeezy/Isaac @ 5:45
27 Dieter Droger Team Cystic Fibrosis @ 6:13
28 Robert Burns Wolverhampton Whs/Fred Williams @ 6:50
29 Simon Maudsley Crosstrax @ 7:00
30 Paul Sheers Vicious Velo @ 1 lap
31 Tom Payton Cult Racing (U23) @ 1 lap
32 Andrew Waterman Vicious Velo @ 1 lap
33 Grant Ferguson Boardman Elite (U23) @ 1 lap
34 Bruce Dalton Individual Member (U23) @ 1 lap
35 Karl Norfolk Pedalon.co.uk @ 1 lap
36 James Astbury Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec (U23) @ 1 lap~
37 Mark Davies Southfork Racing.co.uk @ 1 lap
38 Scot Easter Felt-Colbournes RT @ 1 lap
39 James Cotty Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 1 lap
40 Michael Warner Cannondale Racing @ 1 lap
41 Ben Spurrier Rapha Condor CC @ 1 lap
42 Colin Miller Coventry RC/Ridecov.co.uk @ 1 lap
43 Nick Onslow Pedalon.co.uk @ 1 lap
44 Matthew Hinshellwood Vicious Velo @ 1 lap
45 David Barnaville Felt-Colbournes RT @ 1 lap
Senior Women
1 Lucy Garner(J) Motorpoint Cycling 35m 49s
2 Adela Carter WXC Mountain Bike Team UK @ 0:06
3 Hannah Payton(J) The Kinesis Morvelo Project @ 0:16
4 Delia Beddis Vicious Velo @ 1:25
5 Keira McVitty (J) www.buzzcycles.co.uk/Forme @ 2:44
6 Nicola Hamilton Look Mum No Hands ! @ 2:58
7 Nikola Butler Pedalsport CC @ 3:48
8 Tamina Oliver Squadra Donne - Shutt VR/Bikefood @ 4:07
9 Emily Barnes (J) Rapha Condor CC @ 4:19
10 Imogen Buick (J) Moda-Diablo Racing @ 4:31
11 Claire Beaumont Condor Cycles @ 5:30
12 Louise Mahe Mulebar Girl @ 5:55
13 Sarah Woods (V40) Wight Mountain @ 6:11
14 Hazel Jowett (J) Chapel Tri Stars @ 1 lap
Junior Men
1 Hugo Robinson X RT/Elmy Cycles 37m 36s
2 Joseph Moses Paul Milnes/Bradford Olympic RC @ 0:37
3 Alex Welburn Cycle Shack/Forme Coaching @ 0:49
4 Joe Kirkham Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 1:07
5 Tom Armstrong Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 1:17
6 Jack Humphreys Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 1:29
7 Arne Poelvoorde Tieltse Rennersclub (Belgium) @ 1:33
8 George Thompson Sleaford Wheelers CC @ 1:57
9 Matthew Woods Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 2:13
10 Adam Martin Cestria Cycles RT @ 2:35
11 Nicholas Barnes www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG @ 2:37
12 Matthew Hargroves Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 2:42
13 Jake Womersley Aire Valley RT @ 2:42
14 Adam King Cardiff JIF/Cyclopaedia @ 3:00
15 Joe Griffiths Dream CC/Zero @ 3:15
16 Callum Ferguson Halesowen A & CC @ 3:18
17 Harry Franklin Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 3:40
18 Benjamin Pygott Pedalsport CC @ 3:45
19 Matthew Thompson Cardiff JIF/Cyclopaedia @ 4:53
20 Edward McParland GT Racing UK @ 5:09
21 Joe Atkins Coventry RC/Ridecov.co.uk @ 6:04
22 Ashley Dennis VC Jubilee @ 6:30
23 Richard Robinson North Hampshire RC @ 1 lap
Veteran-40
1 Darren Atkins Team Jewson/Thule/Kinesis/CNP/MI 39m 25s
2 James Bryan www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG @ 0:31
3 Noel Clough Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 0:37
4 Chris Young Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale @ 0:52
5 Mike Young Pedalsport CC @ 1:09
6 Sean Williams Wight Mountain @ 1:38
7 Matthew Denby www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG @ 1:49
8 Kenny Johnson Science in Sport.com @ 1:56
9 Chris Taylor Pedalsport CC @ 2:08
10 Michael Groves Stevens UK/Hargroves Cycles @ 2:14
11 Greg Simcock Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC @ 2:21
12 William Girvan North Hampshire RC @ 2:26
13 Kevin Knox Vicious Velo @ 2:33
14 Keith Sheridan Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 2:56
15 Michael Simpson GS Henley @ 3:13
16 Graham Clark Time RT @ 3:37
17 Duncan Walmsley www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG @ 3:49
18 David Perry Gabby Day Cyclesport RT @ 4:04
19 Jonathan Watson Charge Bikes @ 4:19
20 Neil Simpson London Phoenix CC @ 4:19
21 Chris Green Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards @ 5:00
22 Jon Lyons GS Invicta/Eye-Level/Herberts @ 5:08
23 Ivan Burch PCA Ciclos Uno/Squeezy/Isaac @ 5:13
24 Lee Edmonds Welland Valley CC @ 5:24
25 Peter Hutchinson Corinium CC @ 5:26
26 Stephen Booth Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards @ 5:35
27 Gareth Dridge Southdown Velo/Geared Bikes/Hunter @ 5:39
28 Mike Welburn Lichfield City CC @ 5:42
29 Adrian Lyons GS Invicta/Eye-Level/Herberts @ 5:50
30 Steve Barnes www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG @ 6:21
31 Anthony Dyment North Hampshire RC @ 6:28
32 Peter Smith Swindon RC @ 6:51
33 Andy Smith Swindon RC @ 7:33
34 Nigel Langridge Crawley Wheelers @ 7:59
35 Charles Warren Individual Member @ 8:15
36 Martin Dymond Wight Mountain @ 8:44
37 Anthony Turner Oxonian CC @ 1 lap
38 Simon Hookway Sherwood Pines Cycles/Co-op @ 1 lap
39 Clive Wilkinson Birkenhead North End CC @ 1 lap
40 Stephen Robinson North Hampshire RC @ 1 lap
Veteran-50
1 Steven Davies Team Jewson/Thule/Kinesis/CNP/MI 41m 40s
2 Dave McMullen GWR Team/Swindon Cylces/High 5 @ 0:30
3 Mick Bell London Fire Brigade CC @ 0:50
4 Malcolm Cross Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 1:16
5 Roy Hunt Dutch & Wolf Ltd. @ 1:31
6 Ian Wright Cycle Shack/Forme Coaching @ 1:36
7 David Stevens Triangle RT @ 1:57
8 Mick Davies Pedal Power Loughborough @ 2:25
9 Garry Clark Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 3:02
10 Mick Rowson RVO Racing @ 3:11
11 Kevin Payton Stourbridge CC @ 3:15
12 Martin Eadon Stevens UK/Hargroves Cycles @ 3:31
13 Andrew Roberts GWR Team/Swindon Cycles/High 5 @ 3:46
14 Steve Barron VC Lincoln/Pygott/B&O/SPS/Impsport @ 4:18
15 Nick Welsh GS Invicta/Eye-Level/Herberts @ 5:02
16 Robert Burns Wolverhampton Whs/Williams @ 5:58
17 Philip Cooper Individual Member @ 6:59
18 Ian Robson MTS Cyclesport/Inkland/Elvet RT @ 7:31
19 Geoff Booker Oxonian CC @ 1 lap
20 David Wade Poole Wheelers @ 1 lap
21 John Burrows Poole Wheelers @ 1 lap
Under-16 Male
1 James Shaw Heanor Clarion CC 31 m 27 s
2 Daniel Fox Solihull CC @ 0 : 55
3 Dylan Kerfoot-Robson Rhos on Sea CC @ 1 : 12
4 Jack Ravenscroft Solihull CC @ 1 : 12
5 Sean Dunlea PCA Ciclos Uno/Squeezy/Isaac @ 1 : 12
6 Billy Harding Paul Milnes RT/ Bradford Olympic @ 1 : 12
7 Ben Chapman Prestige Velo Club @ 1 : 39
8 Joseph Fry Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 1 : 53
9 Arthur Green Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards @ 1 : 59
10 Jack King Langdale Lightweights RT @ 1 : 59
11 Thomas Weeds Derby Mercury RC @ 2 : 38
12 Tomas Franklin Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec @ 2 : 49
13 Sebastian Marsh Paul Milnes RT/ Bradford Olympic @ 3 : 2
14 Cameron Woolsey CC Ashwell @ 4 : 0
15 Christopher Barnes Seacroft Wheelers @ 4 : 7
16 Theo Doncaster CC Ashwell @ 4 : 22
17 Thomas Butler VC Deal/Activ/Hammond/Rowland/Nico @ 4 : 24
18 Robert Bolwell Wight Mountain @ 4 : 27
19 Oliver Maxwell VC Rutland/Rutland Cycling.com @ 5 : 10
20 Archie Wishart Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 5 : 22
21 Calum Anderton VC Deal/Activ/Hammond/Rowland @ 5 : 59
22 Henry Dawson Hillingdon Slipstreamers @ 6 : 13
23 Jack Saunders Swindon RC @ 6 : 59
24 Jonathan Chapman CC Ashwell @ 7 : 20
25 Jamil Gaida Rapha Condor CC @ 8 : 42
Under-16 Female
1 Jessica Wilkinson Birkenhead North End CC 37m 40s
2 Abigail van Twisk VC Londres @ 0:41
3 Grace Garner RST Racing Team - Trigon @ 1:00
4 Amira Mellor Holme Valley Wheelers @ 1:27
5 Abby-Mae Parkinson RST Racing Team - Trigon @ 1:28
6 Ffion James Abergavenny RC/Nick Lane/Govilon/Gateway @ 1:29
7 Bethany Hayward Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 2:11
8 Sarah Lomas Matlock CC/Impsport/Farmers/Wards @ 2:27
9 Martha Gill Bolton Hot Wheels CC @ 2:51
10 Laura Cheesman Preston Park Youth CC @ 3:5
11 Kimberley English Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 3:31
12 Lucy Harper Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 5:56
13 Francesca Morgans-Sadler Lee Valley Youth CC @ 8:23
14 Rhianna Jones Swindon RC @ 8:24
15 Kerrie Hutchinson Swindon RC @ 1 lap
Under-14 Male
1 Daniel Tulett Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Spec 33 m 34 s
2 David Barnes Condor Cycles @ 1:34
3 Anthony Anderson Kingston Wheelers CC @ 1:48
4 Ewan Grivell-Mellor Mid Shropshire Wheelers @ 1:58
5 William Gascoyne Heanor Clarion CC @ 2:15
6 Thomas Mein MTS Cyclesport/Inkland/Elvet RT @ 3:12
7 Tim James Bourne Wheelers CC @ 3:40
8 Oliver Peckover Nottingham Clarion CC @ 4:09
9 Joshua Waters Plan B Racing @ 4:27
10 Teifion Best Abergavenny RC/Lane/Govilon/Gateway @ 5:03
11 Scott Hookway Sherwood Pines Cycles/Co-op Motors @ 6:20
12 Joe Deakin Halesowen A & CC @ 6:37
13 Xavier Sullivan/Touye Halesowen A & CC @ 7:10
14 Conall Brown Hemel Hempstead CC @ 7:50
15 Jack Phillips Banjo Cycles @ 7:56
16 Edward Gronbech Oxford City RC @ 1 lap
17 Joseph Feiven Halesowen A & CC @ 1 lap
18 Bailey Waters Plan B Racing @ 1 lap
19 Simeon Young Pedalsport CC @ 1 lap
Under-14 Female
1 Charlotte Broughton Leicestershire RC 29m 9s
2 Jessica Roberts Towy Riders @ 2:40
3 Henrietta Colbourne Beacon Wheelers @ 3:39
4 Emily Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT @ 6:31
5 Jessica Willett Heanor Clarion CC @ 6:52
6 Emma Brady MTS Cycle Sport/Inkland/Elvet RT @ 7:58
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
