Follow britishcycling.org.uk on

Report: Glade CC Spring Road Race

Glade Spring Road Race, 10th April 2011
Reporter: Will Hedden
Images from Martin Orpen (Gallery of more images from Martin)

Graham Briggs wins the sprint for second place

A summer's-day-in-spring greeted the contenders for the Glade Spring Road Race on Sunday morning, with 58 riders starting out on the 8 laps and 92 miles of the undulating roads of the Littlebury-Elmdon circuit.

The early stages were marked by a fast pace over the top of the climb as the riders contested the points competition over the first 5 laps. A concerted effort by James Hawkins (GWR) saw him take the overall in this competition having worked hard over the first few laps. A number of riders who featured in this did not manage to complete the gruelling race, therefore spoiling their chances of earning themselves some cash.

Mid-way through this long and trying race and we had seen a split, a sizeable front group including all the main favourites had detached itself, with a number of smaller groups going out the rear door on what has to be the most punishing circuit (on fully paved roads - Alan) in Essex.

1st Cat Nic Hutchings (CS Grupetto) went away shortly after half distance and was initially given a long leash. He was joined around the twisty back section of the course by elite riders Andy Lyons (Twenty3c-Orbea), Wouter Sybrandy (Sigma Sport), Ashley Cox (Team Corley Cycles) and Jason White (Cyclepremier.com - Metaltek). The flying Dutchman Sybrandy was keen to drive the break forward and was helped by all but Lyons, who was holding back pending the arrival of his team leader Marcel Six.

Two more groups bridged the gap over the next two laps. Six was at the helm of the first group across, which included Graham Briggs and Wally Gimber winner Steve Lampier (Sigma Sport). As the junction was made the fresh legged Lyons went straight to the front and drove the break for around half a lap. Despite this, the break were still riding defensively, and the second group came across just before two laps to go. This group included 2009 winner Adam Norris (Vanillabikes.com), Dominc Schils (Wielerteam Van Eyck Sport), Crest RR winner and the only second cat at the front in Jamie Caldwell (St Ives), and Llewellyn Kinch (GWR), who had been very active in the early third of the race.

The front group contained 15 as we entered the final chapter of the race: Sybrandy and Lampier (Sigma Sport), Briggs (Rapha), Six and Lyons (Twenty3c-Orbea), White (Cyclepremier.com-Metaltek), Hutchings (CS Groupetto), Shills (Wielerteam Van Eyck Sport), Norris (Vanillabikes.com), Caldwell (St Ives CC), Kinch (GWR), Martin Ford (Mammoth Lifestyle RT) and the strong Team Corley Cycles trio of Cox, Jake Hales and Simon Gaywood.

The finale was marked by two solo attempts at glory. Andy Lyons showed his cards early and attacked alone with two laps to go, detaching himself on the hard false flat section after the finish line. The numerically superior Corley team were forced to chase, finally bringing Lyons back into the clutches of the leading group as they rounded the top of the short climb in Wendens Ambo. The group remained together until after the penultimate ascent of the finish hill, before a last lap bid by Kinch, knowing he would find it tough against the more compact faster finishers in the group. This do or die effort was extinguished on the early ramps of the finishing climb out of Littlebury, after no rider in the lead group had felt the strength to go after him solo.

Wheels were fought for as the group climbed the hill before the 300m or so of false flat that separated them from the finish line. One rider who was not keen to take a sprinter like Briggs to the line was Sybrandy, who bolted out of the break before the crest of the climb, quickly opening up a 70m gap . There was no reaction from the tired sprinters, and the Dutch powerhouse romped to a deserved victory, the strongest man in the race, it was apt that he was the victor on the holiest of cycling Sundays.

Right: winner Wouter Sybrandy celebrates a fine victory

The sprint for second was a close one, showing that after such a tough race, some big name riders were still keen to earn themselves a piece of one of the finest prize lists in the Eastern Region. Briggs narrowly edged out White, and Six, with most of the break close behind. There were a few unlucky souls who succumbed to cramp and crawled in shortly after.

Mentioned in dispatches was Caldwell, perhaps 2011's Basil Moss, the ERRL 2nd cat most likely to trouble the higher categories. The only second cat in a group where twelve of the fifteen were Elites, he earned himself the first 2nd cat and Most Meritorious rider prizes.

Some points were still up for grabs in a tired and weary bunch, who were led home by Team Corley's Simon Henley and Twenty3c-Orbea's Kristian Downs. A further group had been pulled at 1 lap to go, making 45 finishers from the original 58. The unusually summer like conditions had drained even the hardiest of riders of their energy, and many were seen diving for the Coke cans as they crossed the finish line.

The Glade would like to thank the Accredited Marshals and Julia Gilbert and John Browning the Eastern Division Commissaires, Crest CC for their help with equipment, and the Hainault RC for again going in on this joint promotion, another successful one which should be seen as a flagship event for the ERRL. I hope the riders enjoyed this tough race, and we seem to be getting a better field each year, so that says something!

Results

1 Wouter Sybrandy Sigma Sport Specialized Cycling Team E 92 miles in 3h 40m
2 Graham Briggs Rapha Condor Sharp E @ 8s
3 Jason White Cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E @ s.t.
4 Marcel Six Twenty3c-Orbea E @ s.t.
5 Steve Lampier Sigma Sport Specialized Cycling Team E @ s.t.
6 Jake Hales Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC 1 @ s.t.
7 Adam Norris Vanillabikes.com E @ s.t.
8 Ashley Cox Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC E @ s.t.
9 Nic Hutchings CS Grupetto 1 @ s.t.
10 Dominic Schils Wielerteam Van Eyck Sport E @ s.t.
11 Jamie Cawdwell St Ives CC 2 @ s.t. (1st Second Cat)
12 Llewellyn Kinch GWR Team E @ s.t.
13 Andy Lyons Twenty3c-Orbea E @ 20s
14 Martin Ford Mammoth Lifestyle RT E @ 45s
15 Simon Gaywood Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC E @ 1m 20s
16 Simon Henley Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC 2 @ 3m 15s
17 Krisitan Downs Twenty3c-Orbea 1 @ s.t.
18 Roger Maidment East London Velo 1 @ s.t.
19 Douglas Coleman Anders TMG Horizon RT 2 @ s.t.
20 Joseph Perrett Twenty3c-Orbea @ s.t.
21 Owen Lake Cambridge CC 2 @ s.t.
22 Malcolm Smith St Ives CC 2 @ s.t.
23 Martin Jones Fenland Clarion 2 @ s.t.
24 Neil Wass Anders TMG Horizon RT 2 @ s.t.
25 Graham Galvin East London Velo 1 @ s.t.
26 Tom Durno Cambridge University CC 2 @ s.t.
27 Paul Londors Python RT 1 @ s.t.
28 Gavin Moore Stowmarket & District CC 2 @ s.t.
29 Mike Wragg Python RT E @ s.t.
30 Richard Dunnett Diss & District CC 2 @ s.t.
31 John Peters CC Luton 2 @ s.t.
32 Basil Moss Cambridge CC 1 @ s.t.
33 Ian Knight Team Corley Cycles/Cervelo/Alpha RC 1 @ s.t.
34 David Miller West Suffolk Wheelers 3 @ s.t.
35 Wayne Crombie East London Velo 2 @ 1 lap
36 Daniel Crawley PCH UK Racing Team 2 @ s.t.
37 Edgar Medellin Finchley RT 2 @ s.t.
38 Mike Smith Colchester Rovers @ s.t.
39 James Hawkins GWR Team 2 @ s.t.
40 Nigel Stephens Finchley RT 2 @ s.t.
41 Piers Brown Finchley RT 3 @ s.t.
42 Ben Wright VC Revolution 2 @ s.t.
43 David Barnes East London Velo 2 @ s.t.
44 Lubomir Belak Welwyn Wheelers 2 @ s.t.
45 Rhys Howells CC Hackney 2 @ s.t.
46 James Sale Eagle RC @ s.t.

Points Competition:
1 James Hawkins 6pts
2 Paul Londors 4pts
3= Nic Hutchings &
Steve Lampier 3pts

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.