WXCRL Horton Road Race 10/07/2010

Two riders managed to escape Revo Racing’s best attempts to control the Horton Road Race on Saturday. Martin Harris of Banjo Cycles led home his co-escapee Julian Bray of Dulwich Paragon a good minute clear of the bunch.

Nearly sixty riders made the start, on a warm and breezy morning, with a strong headwind on the return section of the rural circuit. Revo Racing were there in force, as were Sotonia and VC Meudon while, on his own, was Charles Rees from Raleigh Avanti, the feeder team to Raleigh’s Premier series squad.

‘If you do elite races, you get hammered.’ He said afterwards. ‘But if you drop down to seconds, then everybody’s looking at you expecting you to do something.’

He tried, being one of the many riders to attack in the early laps.  Richard Oram of Revo Racing was another, drawing out a big gap but being reeled back within a lap. Shortly after, the race was briefly neutralised due to a nervous horse on the route but all parties got through unscathed and the attacks came again, this time in the shape of Junior Hefferman, also of Revo Racing. He was joined by Jon Norton of InverseRacing/bikefood and, with Junior’s team mates controlling any attempts to chase, they had pulled out a 40 second lead by the fifth lap.

Jon Norton dropped away and Junior Hefferman stayed out on his own for another lap but was caught by lap six.

‘I think I went a couple of laps early.’ Hefferman said, after his 25km, 2 1/2 lap escapade. ‘The guys from Revo did a lot of work for me but the headwind was just too strong and there were too many attacks in the end.’

As well as that, their efforts had weakened the team and there was little left in their legs when the final break of the race went with just over a lap to go.

‘Everyone was slowing into the headwind, so I attacked there.’ Said Julian Bray of Dulwich Paragon, who had travelled down from London for this event and had to travel back up to London imediately afterwards to attend a stag night that evening. ‘A guy came across to me and we stuck at it, working together and holding the gap.’

The ‘guy’ was Martin Harris of Banjo Cycles, who saw the opportunity and took it. Behind them, Revo found themselves spent from their efforts to control the race while the rest of the field were suffering the same after all their attempts to break away. The gap held and the two riders turned the final corner into the finish straight well clear of the rest of the field.

‘We worked on it slowly.’ Said Martin Harris. ‘Each of us doing his bit.’

‘I was cooked by the last corner.’ Admitted Bray

Martin Harris outsprinted him to take the win. Forty seconds later, Edward Griffin lead home the bunch sprint ahead of Ben Macland of VC Meudon, Micheal Cotty of the new Cannondale Racing Team and Roland Tilley of Ride Cycleworks. Results should be appearing here soon, while photos of the race can be viewed here, curtosey of Graham Robins.

The next round of the Wessex League The Summer Road Race is next Sunday, about 3 miles to the South at Holt. A similar course as the Nick Bateson Memorial Road Race but twice the distance and open to 2nd cats.

TLI Moreton Series 08/07/10

1 Jay Eastwood  VC St Raphael

2 Andy Boyd  CC Weymouth

3 Barry Clewet  CC Weymouth

4 Roland Tilley  Ridebikeuk

5 James Horton  Primera

6 John Wickham CC Weymouth

7 Will Stephenson Bournemouth Arrow

8 Martin Peters CC Weymouth

9 Nick Best Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers

57 riders, including one Belgian, one Dutchman and Trevor Fenwick, who technically counts as French these days.