STAGE three winner Alex Higham (Felt Colbornes RT) secured the overall honours in the South East League's Three-Day Road Race staged over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.
Higham broke away to finish 20 seconds clear of junior Alex Peters (Mosquito Bikes) on stage three after six laps of the Lamberhurst/Frant circuit, near Tunbridge Wells, and with the rest of the field led in over three and a half minutes by his own team-mate Andy Betts, he wrested the overall lead from Nic Hutchings (CS Grupetto).
Third in the national 10-mile championship two weeks earlier, Hutchings underlined his time trialling prowess by recording a 23-second victory in the opening stage over five laps of the Cyclepark circuit, clocking 17-59 for a decisive winning margin over nearest challenger, Oliver Rossi (Rapha Condor Sharp).
The following 90-minute criterium was won by Michael Smith (Team Corley Cycles) ahead of Jamie Pine (London Dynamo) with Hutchings retaining the overall lead.
In the final stage on Bank Holiday Monday, it was Matt Jones (Team Corley Cycles) who took the win ahead of Jody Crawforth (hargroves Cycles), while another Team Corley Cycles rider, Liam Stone, took third.
Results:
Stage 1 (Time Trial)
1 Nic Hutchings (CS Grupetto) 17-59
2 Oliver Rossi (Rapha Condor Sharp) 18-22
3 Robert Moore (London Phoenix CC) 18-30
4 Chris Macnamara (Pedal Heaven RT) 18-31
5 Conall Yates (In-Gear Quickvit RT) 18-35
Stage 2 (Criterium)
1 Michael Smith (Team Corley Cycles)
2 Jamie Pine (London Dynamo)
3 Andy Betts (Felt Colbornes RT)
4 Jody Crawforth (Hargroves Cycles)
5 Ben Moore (Norwood Paragon CC)
Stage 3 (Road Race)
1 Alex Higham (Felt Colbornes RT) 3-11-27
2 Alex Peters (Mosquito Bikes) at 20 sec
3 Andy Betts (Felt Colbornes RT) at 3-39
4 Conall Yates (In-Gear Quickvit)
5 Jamie Pine (London Dynamo) both same time
Stage 4 (Road Race)
1 Matt Jones (Team Corley Cycles)
2 Jody Crawforth (Hargroves Cycles)
3 Liam Stone (Team Corley Cycles)
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.
