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.
Results for last Tuesday’s WXCRL QinetiQ Evening Circuit 1/2 are now on online on Entryweb and for the first time in WXCRL history I couldn’t 100% decide who the winner was. In the end Dad and I settled for Jason Eastwood (VC St Raphael) by a cigarette paper ahead of Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles). What do you think?
These two snapshots are from the race video, which you can see below.
Jason Eastwood of VC St Raphael and Stu Bowers of Hagroves Cycles had race organisers scratching their heads after a virtual dead heat at the first of the Barnsfield evening circuits. Coming out of the bunch after an hour and fifteen minute’s racing, there was “a gnat’s cock” between them and both then claimed the win for themselves.
Under blue skies on a warm evening, a total of 37 riders gave the footie a miss to sign on for the hour long race around a very ‘technical’ circuit. A series of switchbacks through the go-kart section had riders riding picking their way round a tight, mixed surface hairpin and into a downhill, decreasing radius turn that opened out back onto the ultra quick main circuit. The smell of hot brake blocks was thick in the air, the track testing the riders bike handling ability as well as their legs as, with the race split in to three groups, the E/1/2s would have to use both as they made back their deficit.
The race started at 7.15, with the 4ths and 3rds being given a head start and, before the first lap was complete, a couple of chancers had gone off the front of the third cats group: Mark Hardwicke of Bournemouth Arrow and Simon Pettifer attacked up the hill, while Mark’s Bournemouth Arrow clubmates shut down their group.
With the elites group thundering up behind, no one in the thirds group seemed too bothered and, by the fourth lap, twenty five minutes into the race, they had been caught. The breakaway, that had now been joined by Shaun Amor of UK Biking and Bob Ford of Bournemouth Arrow from the fourth cat group, was swallowed up not long after.
So the field remained for the next three laps, shedding riders out the back at a heavy rate while occasionally firing a few out the front. None survived for long – Barnsfield’s unique 360 degree headwind put paid to most until a lap and a half to go. Merida UK team mates Paul Hopkins and Greg Shrosbree made their attempt up the hill – the attacker’s launch pad of choice on this circuit – and had themselves a fair gap by the start of the last lap.
“We thought we had it.” Said Greg Shroosbree afterwards. “We got onto the finishing straight and were still clear but they had really shut it down in the last few corners.”
As the field came into sight of the finish line, the bunch was together, filling the road. Stuart Bowers of Hargroves Cycles and Jason Eastwood of Velo Club St Raphael pulled away from the bunch and crossed the line so close together that neither the people taking numbers, nor Graham Robins’ photographs, nor the video camera could tell who was first. At the time of going to press, the money is on Stu but it will take an exhaustive frame-by-frame analysis of the finish to say with any certainty.
The same goes for the rest of the finishers and, due to the entryweb site having a few technical issues [Fixed now, we had a Russian robot attacking the site, really I’m not joking! – Mark] at the minute we can’t give you a top ten either! Basically, as soon as Mark’s gone through the whole site sorting out whatever’s wrong, he’ll have to go through the finish line photos. And all this with a day job.
Until then, you can look at Graham’s photos and decide for yourself and it just remains to remind you that the Poole Wheelers Road Race is this Sunday, starting at 10am out of Holt village hall. Its a real climber’s circuit, with a 30mph descent over a cattle grid to keep everybody on their toes. Hopefully Entryweb should be back on line soon and, if all else fails, entry is available on the line.
Barnsfield: if Carlsberg made traffic free cycling venues then they’d probably look exactly like Barnsfield Heath. Three miles of tarmac with a variety of different circuits available, one of which we will be using this Tuesday the 22nd of June. The tricky bit is that we need a full field to turn up just to break even but, hey, with a venue like Barnsfield, why wouldn’t anyone NOT want to enter?
Its and hour long race, starting at 7.15pm on Tuesday evening. The field is started in groups depending on ability, which is a great way for first time racers to have a go – you’re guarenteed a good few laps before the really fast boys (and girls) catch you up. Experienced racers are well catered for, too. Everybody, really. Its gonna be a lovely warm evening, there’s nothing on the telly. Go on, you know you want to.
The circuit is easily found: If you’re coming from Bournemouth, take the turning off the A338 for Hurn (Bournemouth International) airport, then turn right at the roundabout, then imediately left and its about half a mile. If you’re coming from the A31 its, take the turning imediately after (or before if you’re coming from the west) Ringwood towards Matchams, follow that road down a couple of miles and its just past the ski center.
Enter here. That’s not a direction, that’s an order. Do it. Do it NOW!
After the washout a fortnight ago, all eyes were fixed on the clouds for Tuesday’s final round of the Barnsfield evening series. A light, intermittent drizzle kept numbers down but what the field lacked in quantity it very much made up for in quality. Daniel Lloyd, of the Cervelo Test Team and now resident of Bournemouth signed on, as well as Luke Gray who was making his very welcome return to racing after suffering a fractured pelvis in a mountain bike race in Germany in June. Multiple Paralympic champion Darren Kenny also put in an appearance but did not ride.
A total of 30 riders took the start, split into three groups, with the E/1/2’s by far the largest (there is probably a connection between the fastest riders being the ones that don’t stay at home when its wet!). Riding on the perimeter track with little to slow them down, the field had come together by half distance and continued in this manner till the bell lap at 1 hour. Several breakaways attempts were made without success and, ultimately, Richard Horton of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers pulled a significant gap on the last climb, riding his Dad’s classic lugged steel Chas Roberts frame across the line a good five seconds ahead of the chasing pack. Leading the bunch home was Mark Perry of Sportsbeans/Wilier, from Jason Eastwood of VC St Raphael and fourteen other riders (full results here). Daniel Lloyd pulled out, still suffering an injury from last week’s Tour of Denmark while many more besides wilted under the pace.
With the skies darkening it was clear to see why this is, sadly, the last of the evening races for this year, although there will be a further three weekend races at (hopefully!) Barnsfield Heath come September, not forgetting the Dorset Tour in just under a fortnight. With a bit of luck, the weather may have remembered that it’s still summer by then. Here’s hoping.
Wessexvelo 