North West Regional Road Race Championships

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Sunday, May 23rd | by Larry Hickmott

After a race where the circuit and heat did a lot of damage to the peloton over the 93 hilly miles, Ian Wilkinson (Endrua Racing) outsprinted an inform Neil Swithenbank (GS Surosa) to win the North West Regional Road Race Championship in Cumbria.

Ian Wilkinson sprints for all he's worth to win the NW Regional RR Championship ahead of Neil Swithenbank.

Like a lot of the country, Cumbria (near Penrith) was bathed in hot sunshine when the riders in the three events being held on the 10 mile circuit around Lazonby lined up on top of the hill outside the village to start their races. First away were the Elites followed by the Juniors and then the category 3-4 riders.

The Elite championship was being held over nine laps of the 10 mile circuit and despite the heat, the pace was high from the start but the first lap passed without a significant break gaining any long lasting freedom. A lap later though and six riders were clear, Ian Wilkinson (Endura) , Neil Swithenbank (GS Surosa), Peter Smith (Raleigh), Richard Handley (Raleigh), Tim Lawson (Science in Sport)  and Andy Guy (Science in Sport) but with fresh legs in the peloton, even that break with such strength didn’t stay away.

After lap 1 and the race is all together but not for long.

With the race back together, more riders tried including Neil Swithenbank, Joshua Hunt (Mid Devon CC) and the very experienced David Williams (Kuota/GSG/Spinergy) and from that came a much bigger split as the leading group numbered well over a dozen riders with the peloton behind split into two groups.

There was a scare for Ian Wilkinson though as he punctured his front tyre but his erstwhile manager Rob Hayles was close by and he gave up his bling front wheel for Wilkinson to carry on his challenge. The favourites were all in the lead group which stayed together for a number of laps before the likes of Wilkinson and Swithenbank started to apply the pressure knowing the group was too big for their liking.

Through the feedzone with a few laps to go and the splits were appearing all over the place and with two laps to go, the group was no more than around eight riders but more pain was to come for those struggling as Wilkinson and Swithenbank piled on the pressure on the far side of the circuit. At the bell at Lazonby, Wilkinson and Swithenbank were clear of six riders with Richard Handley and Matt Stephens chasing their quarry for all they were worth.

Richard Handley leads Pete Smith in one of the early breaks.

It wasn’t enough and the race victory was a right ding dong battle between Wilkinson and Swithenbank. Not once, not twice but three times the Endura rider tried to shift Swithenbank from his back wheel but the former GB Under 23 rider was having none of it and the win was going to be decided in a long uphill, headwind sprint.

After a cat and mouse pre-amble to the sprint, Wilkinson opened it up 200 metres out and his well known sprint was more than enough to gift him the title from Swithenbank who did one hell of a ride to push Wilkinson like he did. In the sprint for third, Richard Handley got his front wheel across the line first ahead of a tired and disappointed Matt Stephens who said he felt awful in the heat. Stephens was not alone with many feeling that the first hot race of the year took the rider’s bodies by surprise but one rider smiling in pain was the winner Ian Wilkinson.

His wait for more of the same pain is a short one as he lines up for Endura in the Tour Series on Tuesday night in London.

David Williams piles on the pressure as the race starts to split asunder

SLIDESHOWS (thanks to Ian McVety (www.ilm-photography.co.uk)

Elite/1/2

  3,4 & Juniors

MORE PHOTOS

Kiwi rider Jason Christie (Endura) leads Aussie Pete Smith in a truly international road race in Cumbria

Neil Swithenbank was in great for on the day but was unable to beat Ian WIlkinson for the title.

Raleigh's Richard Handley started the race as he finished it, on the front driving it along. Here he chases the break of Swithenbank and Wilkinson with Matt Stephens clearly hurting behind.

Like his brother, GB Sprint ace Matt Crampton, junior Robert Crampton timed his sprint perfectly to win the Junior Regional Championship race with a great effort in a break that dominated the race.

FULL RESULTS

ELITE/1/2/

1 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing
2 Neil Swithenbank GS Surosa
3 Richard Handley Team Raleigh
4 Matthew Stephens Sigma Sport - Specialized CT
5 Andy Coupe Team Wallis CHH RT
6 Joshua Hunt Mid Devon CC
7 Alistair Rutherford ScienceInSport.com
8 Gary Adamson ScienceInSport.com
9 Peter Smith Team Raleigh
10 Tom Black Team Manx Telecom
11 Andy Guy ScienceInSport.com
12 Richard Bott Herbalife / Wheelbase
13 James Gullen Team Wallis CHH
14 Jason Christie Endura Racing
15 Stephen Leigh Team Bglobal
16 Dean  Hitchings Maxgear RT
17 Jimmy Froggatt Wills Wheels CC
18 Jeff Vernon Birkenhead North End CC
19 Harry Grey Birkenhead North End CC
20 Andrew Hawdon Herbalife / Wheelbase
21 Craig Battersby Team Bglobal
22 Stephen  Stoneman FP Mailing
23 Stuart Henry Herbalife / Wheelbase

Juniors
1 Robert  Crampton Wills Wheels CC
2 Jack Cousins Wills Wheels CC
3 Matthew Holmes Team Wallis CHH
4 Jonny Knox Herbalife / Wheelbase
5 Laurence Brooking Herbalife / Wheelbase
6 Lewis Balyckyi Team Wallis CHH
7 Christopher Sherriffs Team Wallis CHH
8 Sean Hughes Liverpool Century
9 Jack Penrice Sportcity Velo
10 Liam  Brenan New Brighton CC
11 Martin Woffindin Sportcity Velo
12 Mike Gregg Team Probikekit.com

Category 3/4
1 Samuel  Jackson Cleveleys RC
2 David Crawley Border City Wheelers
3 Ben Dean Private Member
4 Mark  Burton Wills Wheels CC
5 Gary Vose Lune RCC
6 Adrian Dalgleish Lune RCC
7 Andy Gott West Pennine RC
8 Adam Pratt Border City Wheelers
9 David Eckershall GS Surosa
10 David Bentley MK Cycles/Pannone
11 James Warren Private Member
12 Mike Fugaccia Liverpool Century RC
13 Clive Davis Lune RCC
14 Nick  Willsher Lancashire RC
15 Stephen Blaney Green Private Member
16 Simon  Bridge Leigh Premier RC
17 Chris  Edwards Liverpool Mercury - Dolan
18 Matthew Gott West Pennine RC
19 David Jackson Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
20 Scott Smith Lakes RC
21 Jody Warrington GS Surosa
22 Andrew McCann Team Wallis CHH
23 Graham  Atkinson Lancaster CC
24 Adam Mitchell Bill Nickson Cycles RT
25 Martin Forthergill Lancashire RC
26 Russell Brass Clayton Velo
27 Paul Talbot High Peak Cycles Race Team
28 Darren Young Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
29 Allan Ramsay Roadpeace / Bioracer
30 J.A. Kent Birkenhead North End
31 Mark Hammersley Wheel Guru CC
32 Paolo Brucciani Lune RCC
33 Ian Rutherford Lune RCC
34 Rob  Wood Bill Nickson Cycles RT
35 Andrew Poulsom MK Cycles/Pannone
36 Craig Eden Coveryourcar.co.uk
37 Richard Maughan Leigh Premier RC
38 Richard  Bickley Border City Wheelers
39 Dennis Lang Clayton Velo
40 Bill Nickson Bill Nickson Cycles RT
41 Sean Hoban VC Cumbria
42 Michael Lund Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
43 Greg Tognarelli VC Cumbria
44 Darran Acton Lancashire RC