Thomas Mein and Elena Day flew to solo victories in the opening round of the National Trophy Series in Gypsies Green, South Shields.

Elite women

Elena Day took her first ever National Trophy Series round victory ahead of last year’s series winner, Alderney Baker, after some brilliant racing in South Shields.

The 18-year-old was competing for her new team, Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS and the win will be a welcome result after they celebrated the addition of DAS as a new sponsor earlier in the week.

The race started quickly with Ruby James (Hope Factory Racing) leading the way and making the most of the fast conditions. Baker (Team Empella) and Day were glued to her wheel through the opening switchbacks as Hope Inglis (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing) led a small chase group a few seconds back.

After one lap, Inglis had made her way back up to the leaders to make four at the head of the race while the wind took its toll on the rest of the chasers.

Baker spearheaded the quartet before disaster struck on the second lap as she suffered a mechanical and lost 10 seconds to Day, who pushed on with James. Day proved unstoppable, gliding over the sand pits and making light work of the steep banks to pull away solo.

Despite recovering well and finding allies in Keira Bond and Inglis, Baker was unable to find the lead again and had to settle for second.

Day cruised over the line more than 30 seconds ahead of Baker, while James faded in the latter stages of the race, but held onto the final step of the podium.

Elite men

Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing) doubled up to take his home victory in South Shields for the second year in a row, showing the strength and maturity that saw him win the national championship title in 2022.

As the local man, Mein was one of the clear favourites leading up to the race, having also taken three straight wins in the Hope Supercross in September. However, it was the first-year senior, Oliver Akers (Ribble-Verge Sport) who set the race alight at the start.

Akers was the first rider away from the line, accelerating hard and gaining a small advantage on the opening switchbacks. Mein was quick to respond, gradually reeling Akers back in while a front group of six riders formed around the two leaders.

Akers’ teammate, Toby Barnes, moved to the head of the race on the next lap, but in a repeat of last year’s race, Mein countered a lap later and quickly gained a small advantage.

At first, the combined firepower behind Mein looked like it could bring him back. The Ribble-Verge Sport duo worked well with Daniel Barnes (Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS), Tom Couzens (Montezuma's Race Team), and Callum Laborde (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) on the fast, flowing circuit.

However, the elastic snapped at the halfway mark as the two Ribble-Verge Sport riders pulled away in pursuit of Mein. Akers then dropped back, leaving only Toby Barnes to lead the chase, but nothing was stopping Mein.

The Hope Factory Racing rider continued to gain a handful of seconds each lap, slowly pulling away from the chasers. In the meantime, Daniel Barnes had been fighting his way back and was starting to threaten his brother’s second place.

At the front of the race, Mein cruised through the final lap to take a well-earned second straight victory. Toby Barnes finished in second place, 20 seconds further back, holding on ahead of his brother, Daniel Barnes, in third.

Junior women

The two headline names on the junior women’s start list were Cat Ferguson (Shibden Hope Tech Apex) and Imogen Wolff (Trinity Racing Cross), former teammates and regular competitors at the front of the field.

The anticipated showdown began straight from the start, with the two favourites pulling away from the rest of the field, before being joined close to the end of the first lap by Ferguson’s teammate, Alice Colling.

The trio quickly set about building an unassailable lead, but Ferguson dropped back on the second lap, eventually retiring from the race.

That left Colling chasing the lone Wolff, but the Shibden Hope Tech Apex rider was unable to make any inroads into Wolff’s lead. By the halfway point, the gap was 30 seconds, and it had grown to almost a minute by the time Wolff crossed the finish line to claim the win.

Alice Colling’s second place was never in doubt, and Ellie Mitchinson (Welwyn Wheelers CC) sprinted to third ahead of Bethany-Ann Jackson (Pine Sport).

Junior men

Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team) powered to a solo victory ahead of Oscar Amey (GKR Racing) and Nathaniel Henderson (Hetton Hawks CC) in the junior men’s race.

Amey has had a good start to the season, winning two rounds of the Hope Supercross in September, but Tinsley rode a measured race, matching and working with Amey, then dropping him on the final lap to take an impressive solo win.

A slower start meant that six riders were together at the head of the race at the end of the first lap, but Amey and Tinsley soon pulled away from the rest and looked set to battle for the win.

There was little to separate the two, but Tinsley was more than happy to set the pace, racing from the front and riding his own lines on the technical sections. It was only on the final lap that Tinsley was able to pull away from Amey and set up a pursuit for the line.

With only 10 seconds separating the two riders, any mistake could cost either one the race. Despite a small slip on the off-camber section a few hundred metres from the finish, Tinsley was able to hold on to win the first National Trophy round of the season.

Photo gallery

Podiums

A full list of podium placings is below:

Elite women

1. Elena Day (Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS)
2. Alderney Baker (Team Empella)
3. Ruby James (Hope Factory Racing)

Elite men

1. Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing)
2. Toby Barnes (Ribble-Verge Sport)
3. Daniel Barnes (Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS)

Under-23 men

1. Daniel Barnes (Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS)
2. Callum Laborde (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli)
3. Simon Wyllie (Team Spectra Cannondale)

Under-23 women

1. Elena Day (Team Spectra Cannondale P/B DAS)
2. Keira Bond
3. Hope Inglis (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing)

Junior women

1. Imogen Wolff (Trinity Racing Cross)
2. Alice Colling (Shibden Hope Tech Apex)
3. Ellie Mitchinson (Welwyn Wheelers CC)

Junior men

1. Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team)
2. Oscar Amey (GKR Racing)
3. Nathaniel Henderson (Hetton Hawks Cycling Club)

Under-16 boys

1. Leon Atkins (Ribble - Verge)
2. Milo Wills (VC Londres)
3. Jacob Steed (Sherwood Pines Cycles Forme)

Under-14 boys

1. Zach Buchan (Pentland Racers)
2. Benjamin Whitehouse (Wolverhampton Wheelers)
3. Rhuairdh Fulton (West Lothian Clarion CC)

Under-16 girls

1. Aelwen Davies (TORQ Performance)
2. Zoe Roche (Ribble - Verge Sport)
3. Peggy Knox (ViCiOUS VELO)

Under-14 girls

1. Olivia Poole (Deeside Thistle CC)
2. Katie Lawson (Secret-Training.cc)
3. Annabelle Griffiths (Marsh Tracks Racing - Trek)

Veteran women 40-49

1. Jennifer Andrews (Cycle Club Ashwell)
2. Rowena Duffield (Cwmcarn Paragon CC)
3. Verity Appleyard (Velo Fixers)

Veteran women 50-59

1. Lucy Siddle (Reifen Racing)
2. Miriam Whitehurst (Reflex Racing)
3. Helen Pattinson (Montezuma's Race Team)

Veteran women 60+

1. Janet Marsden
2. Nicola Davies (www.cyclocrossrider.com)
3. Carolyn Speirs (Kendal Cycle Club)

Veteran men 40-49

1. Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing)
2. Adrian Lansley (Pedalon.co.uk)
3. Lewis Craven (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli)

Veteran men 50-59

1. Nicholas Whitley (Team Enable M.I.Racing McCann)
2. James Bryan (www.Zepnat.com RTLazer)
3. Ian Taylor (Shibden Cycling Club)

Veteran men 60+

1. John McGrath (Team TMC - Strada Wheels)
2. Grant Johnson
3. Mick Style (Element Cycling Team)