Ding, Ding, Ding, Round 2!
East London Velo pulled no punches in the second round of the Winter Series, with Dan and Chris securing top 10 finishes in the 4th Cat race and Tom nicking a point in the 2/3/4.
4th Cat Race
ELV had two riders in the 4th Cat race this week: Dan B was looking for a better result after his run of bad luck at Hog Hill continued last week; and Chris C was racing for the first time since Summer and hoping to see improvements after a few months of committed training. Both rode strongly and would ultimately be fairly rewarded for their efforts.
After a feisty first lap, the race settled until Oliver Duggan (RCC) pushed on and forced a gap on his own. ELV’s Dan looked like a man on a mission, and didn’t drop back from the first few wheels within the chasing pack, but the bunch seemed happy to leave Duggan hanging out on his own and there was little sense in attempting to bridge.
Duggan eventually sat up to let the pack catch him, obviously wary of burning himself out. Critics might say he should have pushed on with his individual effort – long solo breaks are part of the magic of bike racing – but the final result would more than justify his decision, which turned out to be measured and sensible.
Dan was still well placed at the bell and Chris made a move up the inside to position himself for the showdown. With everyone in the red, it was Duggan who rode clear on the last climb for an impressive win. Dan finally shook the Hog Hill monkey off his back to take 2nd for ELV ahead of Charles Gaimster (Dulwich Paragon), who himself finished in second place last week, and Chris wore a fine pain face as he crossed the line in 10th for his first BC point and validation that the training is paying off – chapeau!
Full result (finishers):
1. Oliver Duggan (RCC)
2. Dan Baker (East London Velo)
3. Charles Gaimster (Dulwich Paragon)
4. Richard McShee (Islington CC)
5. Leigh Richards (Unaffiliated)
6. Philip Harrison (London Dynamo)
7. Blake Gravenor (Islington CC)
8. Sam Yates (Strada Sport)
9. Thomas [?] (BC Licence no. 1137619)
10. Chris Courtney (East London Velo)
11. Lucian Boatright-Roberts (Albion)
12. Andy Thornley (RCC)
13. Ross Taylor (Southend Wheelers)
14. Craig Smith (Southend Wheelers)
15. Robert Pisolkar (Shaftesbury CC)
16. John Roberts (Sunday Echapee)
17. Ross Taylor (Southend Wheelers)
18. Hasnain Iqbal (Brother on Bikes)
19. Thomas Slater (Sunday Echapee)
20. Roland Ellis (Sunday Echapee)
21. Joseph Delves (Unaffiliated)
22. Travis Melville (Unaffiliated)
23. Lukasz Szeloch (Redbridge CC)
Cat 2/3/4 Race
LVYCC played a strong and clever game last week and consequently the bunch was clearly keen to keep the dominant juniors on a tighter leash. A couple of half-hearted attacks got 5 or 10 seconds up the road in the opening laps, but neither was committed and the pack brought them back without panic, not least thanks to some early efforts from Ben O’Dell (East London Velo).
Once the race had settled, it was the usual suspects trying to force the pace and split the field. Marco Passfield (LVYCC) and Colin Ward (Essex Roads) repeatedly strung the bunch out up and over the Hoggenberg climb, but with plenty of strong riders in the wheels it was always going to be difficult to make a move stick. The explosive turns of pace up the ‘berg did some damage, though, and the lead group was whittled down to about 18 or 20 by the latter stages of the race.
When the bell rang, it was clear another bunch sprint was on the cards and the usual jostling for position began down the hill and out of the hairpin. LVYCC and a couple of Welwyn CC lads lined it out going into the bottom of the final climb and the riders kicked. A snapped spoke nearly caused havoc on the steepest part of the hill, but the sprint was generally clean and Colin Bailey (North Road) powered through to take the chequered flag from Nesta Ferguson (LVYCC), with Sam Asker (VC Londres) completing the podium.
Full result (finishers):
1. Colin Bailey (North Road CC)
2. Nesta Ferguson (LVYCC)
3. Sam Asker (VC Londres)
4. Marco Passfield (LVYCC)
5. Ben Beynon (Strada Sport)
6. Jamie Deve (Welwyn Wheelers)
7. Jack Saunders (RCC)
8. Colin Ward (Essex Roads)
9. Chris Hezelgrave (CC Hackney)
10. Tom Willan (East London Velo)
11. Sam Thienel (Momentum Cycles RC)
12. Daniel Shanney (Redbridge CC)
13. Joseph Bennett (Welwyn Wheelers)
14. Thomas Shanney (Redbridge CC)
15. Fnan Afewerki (CC Hackney)
16. Andrew Taylor (VC Norwich)
17. Joshua Page (The Domestique Cycling Collective)
18. Robert Matthews (Redbridge CC)
19. Chris Smith (Southend Wheelers)
20. Louis Bilyard (LVYCC)
21. Andrew Edwards (RCC)
22. Mitchell Powell (Team Terminator)
23. Jake Towler (Strada Sport)
We’ll be back for Round 3 at Hog Hill next Saturday and don’t forget there’s a women’s race too.
Get your entries in here ASAP for cheap entry!
(All photo credits: Roger Maidment – full set of photos available here).
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