Location: Clitheroe, Lancashire
Event: 12 May 2013
Report: Snowdon Sports
Experience came to the fore in West Pennine RC’s 57-mile road race with Steve Stoneman (Bott CT) leading home a four-man break after 14 laps of the shorter Bashall Eaves circuit in Lancashire.
The 43-year-old twice European Masters champion crossed the line ahead of his former Premier Calendar rival Mike Harrison (4 Star Racing) with Andrew Sedgewick (Langsett Cycles RT) taking third place from Stuart Percival (GMC Fire Services).
The four went clear at the start of the final lap of an aggressive race which saw Stoneman away in an early break of three which lasted for some eight laps.
They were brought back by the chasing bunch with four laps to go, and a succession of attacks followed – with Stoneman involved in every one – until the decisive move was made.
“I had fantastic legs today, I was in every move, and luckily I managed to finish it off,” said Stoneman, from Wigan, who was a length clear at the line.
“When we were caught by the bunch with four laps to go I thought to myself ‘I’m not losing now after that’, and I made sure I was in everything after that.’
“I’ve ridden a lot on that course over the years, it grinds you down, and I thought it would probably all come down to the last lap. I got across to the final move and managed to win the sprint.”
Result:
1 Steve Stoneman (Bott CT)
2 Mike Harrison (4 Star Racing)
3 Andrew Sedgewick (Langsett Cycles RT)
4 Stuart Percival (GMC Fire Services)
5 Christopher Quin (Macclesfield Wheelers)
6 Sam Jackson (Overplay.net RT)
7 Timothy Mansfield (Huddersfield Star Wheelers)
8 Sean Smith (Halifax Imperial Wheelers)
9 Patrick Pennefather (Rock to Roll Cycles)
10 James Bailiie (Langsett Cycles RT)
11 Mike Salkeld (Crosstrax)
12 Stephen Bottomley (Crosstrax)
13 Tom Garwell (Dirtwheel Cycles)
14 Andrew Noble (Moonglu RT)
15 James Claydon (Bill Nickson Cycles RT)
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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.
