WXCRL Martyrs and Verwood Road Race Movies!

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WXCRL Martyrs Road Race 04/04/10

Easter Sunday saw the second running of the Martyrs Road Race, around the villages of Tolpuddle, Affpuddle and Tincleton and named after the farm workers of Tolpuddle who, in 1834, began the British trade union movement. They were awarded a lifetime’s holiday in Australia for their pains – a far less appealing prospect in the 19^th century than today – hence ‘Martyrs’.

For the riders it a slightly less punitive affair, a 100km elite category National B race running around a twisting, rolling course. There was a strong wind from the west and a ‘watersplash’ at one point, thanks to the heavy rains of the past week which were mercifully absent for the course of the race.

Starting at 10.30, the race was neutralised to the start/finish line, then unleashed and quickly getting up to race speed.

‘It was very jumpy in the first few laps.’ Said Simon Mears of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers. ‘Lots of breakaways attempts, with the field speeding up and slowing down again.’

They were all slowed at one point, as the race was neutralised again, passing a couple of horses on the road.

‘It was the lead car’s call.’ Explained commissaire Graham Hurst. ‘I let them decided whether it was safe of not and the decision was made to neutralise the race until we were past. The field was together at that point so it was all fairly straight forward.’

Gerry Gray in the lead car let the field loose again as soon as the hazard was past and, at the end of the first lap, a group of four riders had got themselves a 30 second lead: Tim Dunford of Torq Performance, Tom Stockdale of Team Qoroz, his brother Ben Stockdale also of Team Qoroz and Blake Pond of Southforkracing.co.uk.

‘There were lots of attacks going.’ Said Hugh Wilson, another rider for Team Qoroz, who were very prominent both in the race and in the feed zone, handing out tea and coffee, showing off their range of products and lending pens to peoples’ posed to be reporting on the race who’s biros had just died. For that at least, they deserve a plug.

‘Nothing stuck and it was a bit of a lottery at first. Then Ben went away so we let that one go!’

By the end of the second lap, Tom Stockdale had been dropped from the breakaway group, which had now stretched its lead to 45 seconds, while between the break and the bunch another five riders had got away on the hill. Ian Rees of the new Wilier/Bigmaggys/Prendas team, Philip Borrett of the also very prominent in this race Team Tor 2000, Hugh Wilson of Team Qoroz, Mark Sussex of Southfork.co.uk and Barry Clewet of CC Weymouth made their attempt but had been swallowed back into the bunch by the beginning of the next lap.

At its greatest, on lap four, the bunch was a whole minute and thirty seconds clear but, with the miles running out, the bunch began to work together to bring them back.

‘I spent a lap chasing’ Said Stu Bowers of Hargreaves cycles, who went on to explain that he’d spent most of the week downhill mountain biking in Wales and that a road race was a bit of a shock to the system. However ‘A lap on the front woke me up’ he said and thanks to his and a number of other rider’s efforts, the gap came down considerably in the closing laps.

‘It got to within 20 seconds at one point.’ Said Hugh Wilson, not actually taking part in the chase but covering for his team mate ahead. ‘But everyone stopped pedalling.’

Crossing the line for the final lap, the three breakaway riders still had a 30 second lead, over James Smith of Teamprobikekit.com, who had pulled out a gap of 8 seconds from the bunch up the hill but who was swallowed back up on the drop down into Affpuddle.

‘I saw that the bunch were catching us on the last lap.’ Said escapee Ben Stockdale. ‘I soft tapped it to the humpbacked bridge and then really smashed it up the climb. Just rode everyone off my wheel, Cancellara style.’

He crossed the line to win a clear 12 seconds ahead of fellow escapees Blake Pond and Ian Rees, leading in the bunch, then came Hugh Wilson of Team Qoroz, followed closely by Gary Chambers of Southfork.co.uk. First local rider was Stu Bowers (about 5 miles from home!) who had been playing tactical in the last few miles.

‘I saw the bunch was catching them so I made sure I stayed near the front and then went on the hill’.

He rolled in 6^th, leading a long, straggling line of riders, with Robert Gough of Arctic Premier and Roland Tilley of Ride UK…

‘I really like this race.’ Ben Stockdale beamed afterwards – not surprisingly, as he won it the previous year as well. ‘It was an awesome team effort.’

It was also an awesome team result and their matching ‘apres piste’ retro wool team jerseys are quite enviable as well.

Full results should be appearing here, just as soon as Mark has been through the video of the finish frame by frame [They’re now up! – Mark]. Meanwhile, the Wessex League has a couple of ‘easy’ weeks, with no more events until mid May and all concerned taking a very well earned break.

Previews will be appearing in due course, either here or on Entryweb or our Facebook Fan page.

All pics Graham Robins, except the last by Gordon Skillen. For the full gallery of Graham Robins pics, including the ‘watersplash’ click here.