Unfortunately the next two events we had planned to run at Barnsfield Heath – WXCRL QinetiQ Evening Circuit 2010 (2/2) on Tuesday 27th July and WXCRL QinetiQ Saturday Circuit 2010 (5/5) on Saturday 31st July – have been cancelled. This was not because of the lack or entries but because the circuit will not be available to hire at those times, one of those things I’m afraid.
I was thinking about running a road race to replace the Saturday event but I just haven’t got the time to get it all sorted plus I know some riders have already made alternative plans.
Our next event is the WXCRL Dorset Tour 2010, the biggy, so keep an eye out for more race info coming soon through our newsletter, Facebook and of course here on Wessexvelo.
So here we are, its July, the sun is shining, the Tour’s on the telly and we’ve got a load of races for you to ride. Isn’t that nice of us?
First up comes the WXCRL Horton Road Race around, um, Horton on Saturday July 10th. Not a hugely imaginative title but hey, it does what it says on the tin. This is an 80km regional A event for riders up to second cat status, starting at 10.30am out of Woodlands village hall which is about a mile to the west of Verwood: basically, you get through the town, into the country and its the turning on your left. A proper map is here.
A week the following Sunday comes The Summer Road Race, also for riders up to 2nd Cat and running over 105km over the same course as used in the Poole Wheelers RR last weekend. There used to be a race on this course called the Vek Holt although nowadays we’d have to call it the Ned Hieuwsblat, which doesn’t really work (there’s Wessex League points if you get that one). This is the one with the three-climbs-in-one, running from Furzehill to Higher Row and finishing on the apparently not all that steep little climb (thanks Mark!). This is climbed seven times and will therefore involve hammering it over a cattle grid 14 times. Which should be fun. It starts at 10.30 with the sign on at Holt village hall.
A little over a week later comes our second evening race at Barnsfield Heath, to which we implore you to turn up and ride. Seriously. This is use it or loose it time but its not just about us – there are a ton of different configurations to use and in one circuit you can have a section as tricky as an inner city crit and others as wide and fast as an open road. Its also a great place to try out racing for the first time without having to worry about on coming traffic and parked cars. The race will be started in different groups, with fourth cats (that’ll be you if you’re a newb) staring first, then thirds, then the quick guys. Enter here. The racing starts at 7pm.
And we’ve managed to squeeze another one in before the month is out, also at Barnsfield Heath, on Saturday 31st July. There are two races, one a regional B for riders up to 3rd cat (3/4, women, juniors, people who’ve been watching the tour all month and fancy a go at this bike racing thing) starts at 10 am. The second, a national B for Elites and anybody else who thinks they’re worthy, starts at midday.
And after that there’s a few weeks off for everybody before its time for the DORSET TOUR.
Today’s race at Barnsfield took a different twist from recent races held on this fantastic traffic free venue. The course designer (Don) had manage to include some of the little used roads within the course, there was even an Alpe-d’Huez style switchback climb. (No really!). The morning was warm and the sun even managed to make an appearance from behind the clouds.
The 3/4 race got the morning underway once the riders had been taken around the new course layout in a convoy style neutralised lap. Right from the start of the 90 min 7 lap race there was an attack from Justin Radford (Python RT) and Robert Cranstone (Royal Navy and Royal Marine CA), these two riders were soon joined by Eamonn Deane (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers). These three were joined on lap 3 by Andrew Boyd (CC Weymouth) and Tim Wildschut (Sotonia CC). On the forth lap Robert slipped back into the bunch but James Darcy got across the gap before it was ramped up by the leaders. These five riders now working well together managed to pull out a gap of 40secs from the chasing bunch.
Without the bunch making any inroads into the leaders the five managed to stay away and it was these five that would contest the sprint finish. The finish line had been moved further up the course from the usual point, this meant that it wasn’t on the top of a short climb but on a flat section a couple of hundred meters on, this meant that riders had to keep going once they crested the climb.
As the five got over the rise it was Tim that managed to pull out a gap from Justin with Andrew third. These five riders were all given the same time but we had to wait for a further 42secs until the bunch arrived to take the remaining points on offer.
The field for the E/1/2 race was a very strong one. All the big hitters from the South had turned up to support the venue (there is room for more). Thirty riders set of on the first lap behind the course car but unlike the 3/4 race this was the first completive lap of ten.
With so many class riders making up this field it did take four laps before we managed to see some action. The usual suspects managed to get to the front and when the break came there were nine riders that attacked and soon they had a gap. The next couple of laps saw these nine away and a time gap was going up as each mile passed.
The nine riders included Mark Perry, Ben Luckwell, Ian Rees and Grant Bayton (Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo) Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/ Harry Bulstrode, Andy Bryson (DHC-RACING.CO.UK), Ian Legg (Felt/Colbournes Racing) and Nicolas Hutchings CS Grupetto.
These nine pulled a gap of nearly a minute out of the bunch and that’s how it stayed until with three laps to go Ben Luckwell punctured and took a lap out only to be followed on the next lap by Stuart Bowers who also punctured.
As the group rode towards the bell it was the Wilier boys who on the previous lap had done the damage as three of them rode through the line with Nicolas a couple of seconds down, and the remainder of the bunch were about twenty seconds further down.
Mark Perry took the win as the three leaders crossed the line in formation.
1st Mark Perry Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo
2nd Ben Luckwell Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo
3rd Grant Bayton Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo
4th Nicolas Hutchings CS Grrupetto
5th Ian Rees Wilier/BigMaggys.com/Prendas Ciclismo
After the race many riders said how much they enjoyed the new circuit layout and found the racing experience an enjoyable one. This venue is fantastic and should be attracting much larger fields. The venue is virtually [is totally, Mark] traffic free and safe and secure for all abilities
The next race at Barnsfield is on Tuesday 22nd June with the next Saturday race not until July 31st. You can pre-enter events via the website at www.entryweb.co.uk.
Saturday’s race has now been uploaded on to you tube and you can now watch Dave Pickering riding off the front in glorious technicolour. All that we need now is the sound of a helicopter and David Duffield talking about local cheeses.
After a long and particularly harsh winter, that had seen a great many events cancelled due to adverse conditions, the first event of the 2010 Wessex league got underway on a wonderfully bright and sunny spring morning. Some brave riders shed their outer layers and exposed their knees to the sunlight for the first time this year, while all showed a strong desire to blow the winter cobwebs away.
38 riders took the start of the opening 3rds/4ths Regional B event, run over 90 minutes anti clockwise around the circuit, with a ‘chicane’ through the kart track and the finish “the easy way up the hill”. Not that the riders were prepared to make the racing easy, with attacks a plenty from the beginning, many led by Eamon Deane of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers who had entered both this race and the elite race immediately afterwards, obstensibly to “get the miles in” although also possibly as an attempt to rack up some early points up for the overall standings! Also making a good few attacks was his clubmate Dave Pickering although neither he nor any other rider managed to stay away.
So, the bunch stayed together until the final lap where, at the bottom of the circuit Pickering made a final attempt, succeeding in establishing a gap and holding it up the hill to the finish line. Although a renowned tester on the local roads, this was his first win in a mass start event and by all accounts he was quite happy with this fact.
Behind came the bunch, led in by James Ebdon of SP Systems/Wightlink ahead of James Cotty of Wheelbase.co.uk and Steve Moss of Bournemouth Arrow. Full results here, as well as a whole gallery of photos here courtsey of Graham Robins.
At midday came the National B event for E/1/2/3 riders, including the aforementioned Eamon Deane, with barely a few minutes to get his breath back. Intended for 90 minutes, the event had to be cut by several laps for time reasons and so the field of 15 riders rolled out for another fast paced event.
On the third lap, five riders broke away: Ross Adams of Red Kite Cycles, Duncan Sherwood of Hillingdon CC, Richard Eastham of Bournemouth Jubilee, Steve Dring of Team Echelon and Henry Newbury of Fareham Wheelers. They kept up a far pace, shedding Richard Eastham and Duncan Sherwood on the last lap, with the remaining three going for the line together with Steve Dring winning the sprint ahead of Henry Newbury and Ross Adams. The remaining riders were led in by Stu Bowers, finishing together 1m42 back and including Eamon Deane, who promptly totted up a few more miles by riding home. Full results here, photos here. Entry to next weeks race here. Same time, same place, same everything and, with a bit of luck, the weather will be even better. See you there.
Wessexvelo 