Location: Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derby
Event: 31 August 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports
Ending a three-year wait for his first road win, Nick Jepson (Beeston CC) took the honours in a bunch sprint to VC Rutland-Rutland Cycling.com’s hour-long race at the Donington Park motor racing circuit.
Chellaston-based Jepson, 27, crossed the line a bike length clear of Martin Kennedy (Keep The Beat Cycling) and dedicated his victory to school friend Mike Edgington, who sadly died 18 months ago. “Mike got me in to racing and I would not be racing were it not for his influence,” he said.
A field of 79 riders took the line on a cool evening with rain in the air for the whole event.
After a steady first two laps the action warmed up and Stephen Price (Derby Mercury RC) and Leon Wright (Naked Bikes) were the first to try to break clear on the home straight.
They were soon reeled in, and then it was the turn of Allesandro Williams (Tunstall Wheelers CC) and James Worley (Bio Cadenza RT) who were also back in the bunch after a couple of laps out in front.
Mike Twelves (Team Jewson-Thule) and Adam Tansey (Keep The Beat Cycling) made a big effort at the halfway point and, working well together, opened up held a gap of about 400 metres over the bunch.
The pair looked good for the top two spots, especially when the bunch almost reeled them in only to lose interest and let them slip away again.
But a concerted effort from some of the youth and junior riders, who fancied their chances on the last climb, brought it all together again by the time the riders hit the top of the hill and turned for the last time into the finishing straight where Jepson came into his own.
Results:
1 Nick Jepson (Beeston CC)
2 Martin Kennedy (Keep The Beat Cycling)
3 Leon Wright (Naked Bikes)
4 Allesandro Williams (Tunstall Wheelers)
5 Adam Howells (Fred Williams Cycles)
6 James Jevoms (Stourbridge Velo)
7 Freddy Griffiths (Nottingham Clarion)
8 Matthew Burton (VC Rutland/Rutland Cycling.com)
9 Matt Glover (TFN Tri Club)
10 Shaun Culpin (Witham Wheelers)
Para Tandems
1 Joe Widdowson (BC Private Member) & Sam Parker (HUUB TFN)
2 Lydia Hayden (BC Private Member) & Ana Gill (Heanor Clarion)
3 Alice Hayden (BC Private Member) & Emily Thoday (Matlock CC)
Under-16
1 Daniel Finnegan (RM CC)
2 Reece Egner (Witham Wheelers)
3 Peter Draper (Hinckley CRC)
Under-14
1 Adam Egner (Witham Wheelers)
2 Adam Aitken (Mid Shropshire Wheelers)
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.
