Location: Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, Hayes, London
Event: 2 March 2013
Report: Snowdon Sports
All three races at the Magic Holmes Criteriums were decided in a bunch sprint with none closer than John McClelland’s victory in the meeting opener.
Ian Cooper (Planet X RT) looked to have the 40-km Masters race sewn up with 50 metres to go, but as he eased off and raised his arms in anticipation of the win, 43-year-old track specialist McClelland (Prestige VC) pushed his wheel in front on the line to spoil his rival’s celebration.
“I was silly enough to get boxed in on the inside and Ian had got a good 10-length gap,” said McClelland, from Barnet. “But when I eventually got out of the box I made it up and just got him on the line.
“It was a mistake by me and then a mistake by him, so it levelled itself out.
“It was quite a positive race with a few attempts to break away, but nothing stuck with lots of people willing to chase things down. It was a nice race to open the season, and it’s always nice to win.”
McClelland aims to defend his National Endurance League title on the track this summer with his sights also set on the British and World Masters championships. “I’ve under-performed there in the last few years, but if my legs are there I will have a good crack at them.”
Out to make amends, Cooper was active at the front of the field in the early stages of the race for second, third and fourth categories, but despite a number of attempts to force a split – veteran Colin Roshier (Team Quest) perhaps the closest to succeeding – it came down to a sprint as well with 32-year-old Londoner, George Gori (Sigma Sport) prevailing ahead of Rob Willcocks (RAF CA).
Milton Keynes veteran Richard Golding (Twenty3c.co.uk) celebrated a maiden win in the fourths-only race.
Results:
Masters
1 John McClelland (Prestige VC)
2 Ian Cooper (Planet X RT)
3 Martin Ruepp (Iceni Velo)
4 Michael Skipsey (TMG Horizon CT)
5 Nick Abrahams (BC Private Member)
6 Mike Twelves (Team Jewson)
7 Rupert Beale (Beeline Bikes)
8 David Kingley (Coventry CC)
9 Andy Parr (Moda RT)
10 Nick Esser (Strada Sport)
2/3/4
1 George Gori (Sigma Sport)
2 Rob Willcocks (RAF CA)
3 Joe Skelton (Look Mum No Hands)
4 Josh Mitchell (Bicester Millennium CC)
5 Martin Ruepp (Iceni Velo)
6 Richard Unwin (VC Meudon)
7 Jerry Kuzminski (High Wycombe CC)
8 Jason Ormston (Team Quest)
9 Glen McMenamin (Twenty3c.co.uk)
10 John Donovan (GS Grupetto)
4
1 Richard Golding (Twenty3c.co.uk)
2 Michael Coomber (I-Cycle)
3 Sam Williamson (Hemel Hempstead CC)
4 Josh Healey (I-Team)
5 Matt Ruston (LB-RCC Solgar)
6 Jimmy Honnor (Twenty3c.co.uk)
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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.
