Follow britishcycling.org.uk on

Report: Cadence Road Race

Round 1 National Junior Road Series
Sunday 20 March, 2011 - Gwernyfed, Powys
Report & Images: Guy Swarbrick - Flickr Gallery

Jonathan Dibben celebrates a great win

Hargroves Cycles Jon Dibben laid down a marker for the new Road season with an impressive win in the opening round of the National Junior Road Series, the 67 mile Cadence Road Race. Set in the heart of SE Wales, sandwiched between the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, it was always going to be a tough test of early season form as the riders tackled 8 undulating laps just to the North of Bronllys.

It was Josh Penrice of Maxgear RT who was first up the climb on lap 1 but by lap 2 there was a strong group away at the head of the race. Matt Haase of Cardiff JIF, Sam Anstice of Cwmcarn Paragon, Alex Peters of CC Hackney, Dan Snow and Josh Hannan of Glendene, Hugo Humphreys of Mosquito Bikes, Jack Barrett of Stirling Bike Club, Brendan Towshend of Team South West and Jack Bowyer of Team Wallis.

The group pulled out a gap of over 2 minutes at one point but as the race developed it thinned out a little with the remaining riders - Peters, Hannan, Humphreys, Barrett and Towshend - joined by Alistair Slater of Hargrove Cycles - still ahead going in to the final lap.

The gap was down to 1 minute 20 now and, in the closing stages a quartet of Alex Welburn of Maxgear, Oliver Rossi of PCA Ciclos Uno, Sam Lowe of Raleigh and Jon Dibben of Hargroves Cycles crossed the gap to the bunch. Dibben - who suffered a freak ankle injury in a cyclo cross training session in October and didn't get back on a bike until late January - went through the group and kept on going, sailing up the hill to take a majestic victory with a 4 second lead over Peters. Dibben's team mate Slater took 3rd with Barrett 4th, Townshend 5th and Rossi 6th.

Townshend took the King of the Mountains competition from Humphreys - with the two of them sharing most of the available points from the 7 primes.

Despite a couple of minor crashes - and a lot of fatigue - 69 of the 100 starters finished a very well organised event. The 2011 Junior Road Race Series is up and running and it looks like it's going to be a cracker. The next event is the Junior Tour of Bristol on the 9th and 10th of April.

For the winner, a first-year junior, the victory was a great boost and perhaps a little unexpected. Speaking to us during a break at college on the Monday morning aftre the race, he was clearly delighted with his ride: "It's great to get a first big win of the season, it's given me a big motivational boost." Asked if the course suited him, he said "The climb each lap was short and steep, a power climb really, and it was just a case of getting over it. I'm not really a climber, but it wasn't really that kind of course." Having been part of the break for much of the day, he wasn't in the front group going into the last lap, "but we really smashed it and caught the break" before going again with about a kilometre to go and out-sprinting Alex Peters and team-mate Alistair Slater on the long climb to the finish.

Results (provisional)

1 Jonathan Dibben Hargroves Cycles / Trant / Next / Specialised / Elliot's / Shimano /Gsi 2h 57m 22s
2 Alex Peters Cycling Club Hackney @4s
3 Alistair Slater Hargroves Cycles / Trant / Next / Specialised / Elliot's / Shimano /Gsi @10s
4 Jack Barrett Stirling Bike Club st
5 Brennan Townshend Team South West st
6 Oliver Rossi PCA Ciclos Uno @20s
7 Sam Lowe Raleigh Avanti RT @23s
8 Hugo Humphreys Mosquito Bikes RT @25s
9 Josh Hannan Glendene CC @53s
10 Jonathan Knox Team Wallis - CHH @1m53s
11 Chris Latham Planet X @2m10s
12 Alex Palentides Twickenham CC st
13 George Moore CC Giro st
14 Harry Tanfield Team Wallis - CHH st
15 Stuart McCluskey Team Leslie Bike Shop / Right Move Windows @2m15s
16 Sam Boast Cycle Sport Pendle @2m18s
17 Matthew Holmes Team Wallis - CHH st
18 Matt Clarke Halesowen A&CC and Woods & Loines @2m20s
19 Taylor Johnstone Team De Ver st
20 Thomas Armstrong Wheelbase @2m23s
21 Jack Penrice SIS.COM st
22 Callum Bramley Langdale Lightweights RT st
23 Lawrence Carpenter Rapha Condor CC st
24 Rupert Denny Team Nemesis GB st
25 Robert Lambton Brookes Cycles st
26 Luke Grivell-Mellor Mid Shropshire Wheelers st
27 Dan Pearson Port Talbot Wheelers st
28 Joe Charley Wolverhampton Wheelers st
29 Josh Papworth Cult Racing @2m27s
30 Sebastian Baylis Team South West st
31 Owain Doull Hargroves Cycles / Trant / Next / Specialised / Elliot's / Shimano /GSi @2m30
32 Jack Plummer Team South West st
33 Rob Yeatman Team Jewson/Thule/Kinesis/CNP/MI Racing st
34 Dante Carpenter ASFRA Racing Team st
35 William Worral Towy Racng Cycling Club st
36 Alex Bottomley Feitsen Tempo st
37 Jonathan Cregeen Microgaming Team Isle of Man st
38 George Rowlands Mid Shropshire Wheelers st
39 Daniel Young Glendene CC @2m40s
40 Brock Duncomb Rogers Progressive Cycle Coaching Development Squad st
41 James Baillie Sheffield Sports @2m45s
42 Hugh Carthy Team Jewson/Thule/Kinesis/CNP/MI Racing @2m50s
43 Joe Home Feitsen Tempo st
44 James Locker Team Jewson/Thule/Kinesis/CNP/MI Racing @5m53s
45 Josh Penrice Maxgear RT st
46 Sam Williams Epic Cycles RC @6m20s
47 Tom Laker Progressive Cycle Coaching Development Squad @6m45s
48 Chris Wilkinson Mid Shropshire Wheelers @7m15s
49 Charlie Fawke Progressive Cycle Coaching Development Squad @7m20s
50 Grant Ferguson Boardman Elite @8m52s
51 David Swan ASFRA Racing Team @11m15s
52 Lewis Norris Progressive Cycle Coaching Development Squad @11m17s
53 Ross Baillie Leicecester Road Club @13m27s
54 George Pym Team South West @13m45s
55 Declan Higgins Twickenham CC st
56 Christopher Dredge Team Milton Keynes @13m50s
57 Warwick Sanderson Microgaming Team Isle of Man st
58 Dan Whelan Maxgear RT st
59 Jack Bowyer Team Wallis - CHH st
60 Aaran Sayers Leicecester Road Club st
61 Richard Seymour Cardiff Ajax CC st
62 Adam Holt Llyn Cycling Club
63 Felix Barker Cambridge CC
64 Alex Welburn Maxgear RT
65 Jess Wieckowski Nemesis GB
66 Daniel McKimm BCDS
67 William Macke AWCycles.co.uk
68 Harry Strudley AWCycles.co.uk