July Race News Round-up
Another month of summer flown by and another flurry of great results for our racers, Here’s a run down of how we’ve been getting on recently…
VC Venta Criterium 2
This weekend, Ed Slot took another step closer to promotion with a strong ride and second place in the 3rd cat race at the Winchester circuit. A front group of around 11 riders formed early on containing all three Sotonia riders (Ed Slot, Jon Hall and Red Walters). Despite a few digs they stayed together until a bit of chaos in the finale as a lapped group got in the way of the final charge at the top bend on the last lap but Ed recovered well, just being pipped on the line, with Red 6th and Jon 7th.
There was more great riding by Sotonia youth in the morning races. Well done to them all, great rides by Ollie winning the U8 race and Issy making the podium too. A fantastic first ride in the U8s for Oscar, not only riding his first race but riding all the way from Winchester to compete, chapeau.
Sotonia Summer Road Race
Our annual summer road race featured seven Sotonia racers on the start line and James Peckham kicked things off with an early two man break on the first lap. Recent heavy rain left the circuit susceptible to punctures of which there were plenty, keeping neutral service very busy. The pace was high and a tough selection ensured a much reduced main group of just 19 riders. Punctures put paid to Andy Mackay and Phil Wilks’ chances and James unfortunately crashed out in the later stages in a touch of wheels on one of the climbs, leaving Ed Slot to finish in the main group.
Circuit race successes
With the return of the Mountbatten track to the racing calendar, James Peckham cemented a well earned promotion to 2nd cat with a fine 2nd place in the 3rd cat race in the Portsmouth Evening Circuits series. which was swiftly followed by his first points in the higher category as he took 8th place in the E12 race that followed! Sotonia junior, Red Walters continues his swift progression and has gained 5th and 10th places in the 3rds at Portsmouth this month.
In the Bournemouth Cycleworks Summer Road Race, Ed Slot finished 13th as he continues to rack up promising results.
At round 9 of the Castle Combe Summer Series, Ben Scott Munden continued his successful first season in second cat racing with a 4th place in the E/1/2 race. Meanwhile at the Thruxton circuit, Russell Speight finished in 3rd spot to achieve his move up from 4th cat in Behind The Bikeshed's Summer Series
XC MTB podium for Tom
Turning to off-road racing, Tom Budden secured another podium spot in round 7 of the Southern XC Mountain bike series at the Matterley Estate near Winchester, finishing second in the Sport category of the XC Mountain Bike series on the hilly circuit near Winchester and looking set for a top three finish in the series.
Sotonia Summer Criterium final event
Next local race for us is the second and final Sotonia Summer Criterium, held at Winchester Park & Ride on Sunday 7th August. Don’t miss out – online pre-entry closes next Wednesday.
#teamSotonia
Sotonia Summer Road Race - Results
Results
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Veale | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2 | Ben Lockett | Saint Piran |
| 3 | James Boyman | Farnham RC |
| 4 | Daniel Mcquillan | Tri UK |
| 5 | Matthew Downie | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 6 | Austin Head | VC Revolution |
| 7 | Thom Hayward | Velo Club Venta |
| 8 | Edward Giles | RP Vision Racing Team |
| 9 | Matthew Bone | Host© TAAP Storck |
| 10 | Timothy Allen | RP Vision Racing Team |
| 11 | Patryk Rucki | Skinline Race Club |
| 12 | Jack Rebours | Caesarean CC Jersey |
| 13 | Adrian Lawson | Cycology Sunwise |
| 14 | Ryan Smith | HR Owen Maserati RT |
| 15 | Brook Elgie | Rock N Road Cycles |
| 16 | Daniel Baker | HR Owen Maserati RT |
| 17 | Peter Hodson-Thomas | Westbury Wheelers |
| 18 | Gareth Bushnell | Mid Devon CC |
| 19 | Ed Slot | Sotonia CC |
Sotonia Summer Criterium report
Now in it’s third season, the Sotonia Summer Criterium returned last weekend for the first of two events held at the South Winchester Park & Ride venue this year. A best ever turnout of 159 riders took part with plenty of family and supporters taking advantage of the ‘race village’ refreshments from the good people at Coffee Cruiser, GelArto Ice Cream and the Terrace Sandwich Bar. Mechanical support was on hand from race sponsors, The Hub Cycleworks.
Fine weather greeted the youth riders in the early races with Sotonia fielding seven U8s. Ollie Graham rode strongly for another podium finish with 2nd place. Isabella Hall taking 2nd in U8 girls. Of the four Sotonia U10s, Samuel Ridgment was our best finisher in 7th place.
When it came to the senior races, we were again well represented in the 4th cats with seven Sotonia riders. A lead group of nine riders including Tom Budden and junior, Josh Bakker quickly formed which stayed away until the end with Josh taking 3rd and Tom 4th in the sprint won by Adam Downing (Cycleworks).
[youtube height="430" width="750"]PLACE_LINK_HERE[/youtube]
Five Sotonia riders raced the 3rd cat race and again it was full gas from the gun. A lead group moved clear as the bunch strung out, containing Ed Slot, James Peckham, Phil Wilks and Andy MacKay. The eventual sprint won by Rob Hardyman (North Hampshire RC) saw Ed take a fine second place, Andy 7th, James 8th and Phil 12th.
Thanks to all the club members who helped make the event such a success. Thanks also to The Hub Cycleworks for their support and Graham Robins for the event photos.
Next up is the Sotonia Summer Road Race on 3rd July which should see some exciting racing on the sporting circuit at Owslebury with another strong lineup by team Sotonia.
[gdl_gallery title="sotonia-crit-19-6-16" width="290" height="240" galid="1" ]
U8 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jack Morgan | Solent Pirates |
| 2nd | Oliver Graham | Sotonia CC |
| 3rd | Lauren Charles | Charlotteville CC |
| 4th | Oliver Patterson | |
| 5th | Isabella Hall | Sotonia CC |
| 6th | Celia Moody | Sotonia CC |
| 7th | Thomas Wilks | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | Skye Martingale | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Joshua Graham | Sotonia CC |
| 10th | Lucas Mills | Sotonia CC |
U10 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Edward Charles | Charlotteville CC |
| 2nd | Stanley Kent | Hillingdon Slipstreamers |
| 3rd | Bobby Buenfield | Velo Club Venta |
| 4th | Oliver Morgan | Solent Pirates |
| 5th | Oliver Kent | Hillingdon Slipstreamers |
| 6th | Arne Esslemont | Andover BMX Club |
| 7th | George Connell | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | Samuel Ridgment | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Alfie Gaunt | Sotonia CC |
U10 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Greta Carey | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 2nd | Melissa Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 3rd | Anna Patterson | |
| 4th | Liv Kersley | Andover Wheelers |
| 5th | Evelyn Mills | Sotonia CC |
| 6th | Mabel Moody | Sotonia CC |
U12 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jamie Gostick | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 2nd | Joel Maclean-Howell | Cardiff JIF |
| 3rd | Arlo Carey | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 4th | Peter Drabble | VC Meudon |
| 5th | Felix Clacy | Chapel Tri-Stars |
| 6th | Oscar Pratt | Velo Club Venta |
| 7th | Charley Perkins |
U12 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ella Maclean-Howell | Cardiff JIF |
| 2nd | Madeline Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 3rd | Elena Day | Solent Pirates |
U14 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Freddie Horner | Behind the Bikeshed |
| 2nd | Nathaniel Brookes | Gillingham & District Wheelers |
| 3rd | Ella Shaftoe | Performance Cycles |
| 4th | Toby Proctor | FSM Schools |
4/4J
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Adam Downing | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2nd | Connor Ambrosini | |
| 3rd | Joshua Bakker | Sotonia CC |
| 4th | Tom Budden | Sotonia CC |
| 5th | Sam Stewart | Southdown Velo |
| 6th | James Gill | DHCyclesport |
| 7th | Ed Clarke | Velo Club Venta |
| 8th | Matthew Posner | Southampton University RC |
| 9th | Richard Windsor | |
| 10th | Benjamin Hames | Sotonia CC |
| 11th | Russell Speight | Sotonia CC |
| 12th | David Martin | Velo Club Venta |
| 13th | Jason Rushton | Army Cycling Union |
| 14th | Kevin Easterbrook | Royal Air Force CA |
WOMEN
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Keri Parton | Royal Air Force CA |
| 2nd | Gemma Stuart | Mickey Cranks CC |
| 3rd | Chloe Barr |
3/J3
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rob Hardyman | North Hampshire RC |
| 2nd | Ed Slot | Sotonia Cycling Club |
| 3rd | Adam Holleyman | Wight Mountain RT |
| 4th | Matthew Buckley | Abbotts Ann Cycles |
| 5th | Ieuan Woods | Charlotteville CC |
| 6th | Paul Barnard | Southdowns Bikes Casco |
| 7th | Andrew Mackay | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | James Peckham | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Charlie Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 10th | Robert Baird | Blazing Saddles Cycles |
| 11th | Tom Lane | Blazing Saddles Cycles |
| 12th | Phil Wilks | Sotonia CC |
| 13th | Joe Clark | I-Team Cyclists' Club |
E/1/2/3/J
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Smith | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2nd | Benjamin Marks | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 3rd | Joe Hickerton | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 4th | George Stainton-Ellis | Excel Pedal Heaven Academy |
| 5th | Matthew Webster | Wellingborough RT |
| 6th | Patryk Rucki | Skinline RC |
| 7th | Harry Veale | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 8th | Stanley Kennett | PMR@Toachim House |
| 9th | Oscar Hutchings | Primera-TeamJobs |
| 10th | Paul Double | Velo Club Venta |
| 11th | Matthew Downie | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 12th | Stephen Cavey | Southdowns Bikes Casco |
June Race News Round-up
It's been a very busy few weeks as the summer racing events come thick and fast. Here's a run down of how we've been getting on recently...
VC Venta Winchester P&R Crits, 29 May
The first crit held at Winchester Park & Ride Circuit where we had a win for Ollie Graham in the U8's and two great rides for a 4th place for William Harley and a 5th for Lucas Mills. In the under 10's we had a 9th for George Connell and in the U10 girls a 5th for Evelyn Mills and a 4th in the U12's for Ella Connell.
Winchester City Criterium, 5 June
In the spectacle that was the Winchester Criterium round the streets of Winchester, what a great days racing was had by our seven young riders. Another win for Ollie Graham in the U8's with a 10th for William and a 12th for Lucas Mills. In the U10's we had an 18th for George and 19th for Samuel Ridgement and a 24th for Evelyn Mills. Again well done guys really good to see a good representation from our youth.
In the 3rd cat race, James Peckham continued his fine run of form with 4th place. James: "A Lone rider got away early. Group of ten chasing, then five by the finish. It was the hardest race - hot and fast, no let up all race. With six laps to go, I attacked hard to split the group, but forgot that I needed to slow down for the corner! I almost decked it into the hay bales, lost speed and nerve a little. I wasn't going to catch the leader but wanted to split up the group a bit so I worked with another rider but got caught. My sprint wasn't perfect, I waited too long and didn't have a clear run to the line."
Phil Godfrey finished 11th in a hard fought 4th cat race. Phil: "I started well in the 4ths but wasn't on my game today. There were three young riders from the Channel Islands who were head and shoulders faster than anyone else and lapped the field. I lost the wheels and was back in 13th most of the race on my own but I kept going and caught a few on the drag to finish 11th."
Southern XC MTB round 5, Crow Hill, 5 June
It was a super hot, tough day last sunday at Crow Hill near Ringwood for round 5 of the Southern XC MTB race series. The course was mostly wooded singletrack with a lot of roots that got slippier as the day went on and a couple of climbs. There were loads of crashes in the rutted ditches but that didn't stop Tom Budden from bagging a third consecutive podium finish in Sport and Tobie Charlton 9th. Jez Hart was 24th out of 54 riders in Open cat.
Henstridge Circuit race series in Dorset, 6 June
On Monday Ben Scott-Munden travelled to Dorset for the 2/3 race at Henstridge picking up 5th place.
Behind the Bikeshed Series, Thruxton, 7 June
Another cracking ride by James Peckham at Thruxton race circuit with 3rd place in the 3rd cat race as he gets ever closer to second cat promotion!
Dunkeswell, Devon
Meanwhile further afield in Devon, Andy MacKay picked up a second place in the 3/4 race at the East Devon Circuit Series at Dunkeswell. Andy also picked up a cool fifth place at Moreton in the TLI race series last week.
Team Axiom Timetrial weekend, 11 June
There were some seriously quick rides from Sotonia in this event on the P881 and P885 courses on the A3. In the '10', James Peckham was 15th with 20:14, Dan Edwards, 27th with a PB of 20:41. In the '25', James was in action again with a super quick 53:03!
Sotonia Summer Criterium 1
It's less than a week now until the next episode at Winchester P&R with Sotonia’s first of two crit race events on Sunday 19th June. Don't miss out - Online pre-entry closes wednesday!
#teamSotonia
Results – P164 TT, 3 June 2016
| Pos | Name | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Wilks | Sotonia CC | 22:28 |
| 2 | Jonathan Hall | Sotonia CC | 22:45 |
| 3 | Nick Austin | Sotonia CC | 23:09 |
| 4 | Andy Poss | DHC | 23:37 |
| 5 | Paul Lockyer | DHC | 23:55 |
| 6 | Steve Wood | 24:00 | |
| 7 | Alex Dickinson | Sotonia CC | 24:49 |
| 8 | James Dick | Tri Team Wessex | 25:00 |
| 9 | Stuart Grace | GA Cycles | 25:15 |
| 10 | Tony Maschio | VC Venta | 25:35 |
| 11 | Justin Priest | DHC | 25:39 |
| 12 | Angela Burnikell | Sotonia CC | 26:27 |
| 13 | Mark Chamberlain | 27:01 | |
| 14 | Jamie Cole | DHC | 27:02 |
| 15 | Dave England | Crabwood CC | 27:09 |
| 16 | Niels Langhout | Sotonia CC | 27:22 |
| 17 | Mike Round | Bournemouth Jubillee | 27:55 |
| 18 | Craig Foord | Come and Try | 28:49 |
| 19 | Mary Corbett/Geoff Oswald | Sotonia CC | 30:10 |
| 20 | Chris Summers | Sotonia CC | 30:19 |
| 21 | Norman Harvey | Sotonia CC | 31:15 |
| 22 | Gary Charalambous | Come and try | 31:33 |
Sotonia Time Trials are organised by club members – this event could not have taken place without:
Dave Crocker, Martin Napier, Ian Stewart, Jon Dudley, Trevor Gaunt, Mick Bradban, James Peckham, Jan Burnage, Tim Cooke, Gawain Young
Sotonia Success at Venta Criterium
It was a trio of Sotonia wins for Ollie, Red and Ed in the first VC Venta Summer Criterium of the year at the Winchester Park & Ride circuit last weekend. There was plenty of exciting racing and early in the day, six of our youth riders enjoyed themselves with a victory for Ollie Graham in the U8 boys.
Red Walters sprinted to a win in the 4th cats (and 3rd cat promotion), he told us about his race: "I heard that breaks stay away at the PnR so I made sure I was at the front from the get go. There was a break of five in the first lap which I managed to get in. The break lasted only a few laps due to the wind and because some guys kept attacking the break. Despite many attacks, none actually stayed more than half a lap. Coming up to the bell lap, I gave an effort which put me into fourth wheel, halfway down the back straight, a couple of guys attacked and I followed which gave a small gap to the rest of the bunch. I launched my sprint in a good position and was making ground on the others, then one of my feet un-clipped, but I managed to still take the win by a couple of cm."
Russell Speight finished 7th and Joffrey Carlier was 12th. The women's race featured Angela Burnikell, finishing 4th in her first road race.
To follow that, Ed Slot then won the 3rd cat race for Sotonia! Ed: "It was a very fast race from the start, when our group of five formed we were all working really well together. About 40 minutes in, we all eased up a bit (to my relief). I attacked with a lap to go just before the top corner, got a bit of a gap and held it to the finish."
Jonathan Hall was the next finisher for us with 7th place after a puncture cost Andy Mackay another top 10 finish. Jon: "I got caught behind a clip-in crash on the startline so was way down the line as it strung out over first few laps. I could see the head of the race disappearing and thought that was it, but just kept hanging on the wheel in front. With crashes and people popping, we became a group of nine behind the lead five. The lead group came past and we were told not to jump on. Our 8 became 7 after Andy's safety pin incident, then on the last lap the guy behind me tried to bomb me on the top corner, but only ended up crashing and also taking the rider behind out. That left five going down the back straight so I sat in until the last 50 metres and then moved to the front so was first into the bottom corner. Then just pedalled as fast as my little old legs would go and managed to hold on for 7th."
Thanks to VC Venta for putting on another great event!
Sotonia Summer Criterium 1
Just three weeks now until the next episode at Winchester P&R with Sotonia's first of two crit race events on Sunday 19th June. Online entry is available here.
Tom Wins in Wasing Park MTB
The hottest day of the year marked a first Cross Country Mountain Bike win for Sotonia's Tom Budden in the Sport Category at Wasing Park in West Berkshire. A big event turnout of around 350 riders raced round three of the Southern XC MTB park and hilly woodland course in the sunshine. A challenging and technical course with A, B and C lines for some steep, technical drop offs (A-line for the very brave only) were complemented by woodland scenery stuffed full of bluebells, sharp climbs and descents on the flowing and mainly single track course.
Off the back of his highly successful cyclocross season where he finished 4th Senior in the Wessex League, Tom has quickly found his feet in MTB racing. After a good start on the long open field and tarmac sections, Tom settled into a lead group of three riders. By lap three of four, he found himself out front alone and never looked back from there, finishing a minute ahead of Nicholas Try (West Drayton MBC).
Tom told us how the race unfolded:
[quote align="center" color="#999999"]I really enjoyed that today. Great course, very technical in places with some pretty nasty drop offs (which maybe didn't suit me). But then a few tough climbs which did work well for me! I was with a group of three for the first lap, one of them punctured at end of the lap. Then I worked with the other guy for the second lap, he tried to make a move then blew up so left me out by myself for the last two laps... just had to not make any mistakes![/quote]
Red rocks it at Thruxton
It was another good night of racing at Thruxton yesterday for Behind the Bikeshed Summer Series round 1 and Sotonia were out in force! With fourth place for promising junior Red Walters in only his second outing in the 4th cats, Matt Dixon in 7th and Russell Speight rounding off a trio of Sotonia in the top 10 with 9th place.
Red Walters: "It started off a bit slower than last week so I spent some time in the wind and tried to stay near the font. After a couple of laps I burnt out and spent another two recovering at the back. I stayed mid pack until the last lap when Phil Godfrey made a move with one other guy so it was strung out chasing them down. I was around 10th wheel on the back straight which was great and left me around 6th before the sprint, after which I nabbed 4th."
There was also another top five finish for James Peckham, fourth in the 3rd cat race - not bad sprinting on a flat tyre! Great riding guys!
James Peckham: "Another good race with Paul Ransom and Andy McKay active on the front. I did attack half way through, and drew out a good group including Paul and Brook Elgie (Rock n Road). Paul attacked with three to go, Andy bridged to a promising move but were caught with two to go. Last lap a break hung out until just before the chicane, the eventual winner hopping from that into the front five. I was about 6/7th at that point. I left it late to open up the sprint and finished 4th. After the race my tire was flat, so who knows if that was going soft during the finale!"
#teamSotonia
Kicking off Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series in style
It was a fully booked season opener for the Behind the Bikeshed circuit race series this Tuesday at Thruxton with a large contingent for Team Sotonia making the journey to a very cold motor circuit.
In the 4th cat race, Sotonia had five riders - Phil Godfrey, Russell Speight, Matt Dixon and two new juniors - Josh Bakker and Red Walters.
Phil Godfrey reports: "The 4th cat race was pretty hectic from the off really. Lots of dodgy riding and getting caught by women on the left and some E/1/2 riders on the right! Then there was a big crash involving a few DHC and Josh, about 10 riders came down. I was a bit disappointed to miss the break - a Venta guy and Matt went away soon after the crash and noone, except Russ who did a lot of work on the front, seemed interested in chasing. I won the bunch sprint for 5th and Russ just behind 6th."
In his first race, Matt held on for a very impressive 2nd place in the breakaway. Red also looked strong in his first race as a junior and was near the front all race, finishing 25th in the large field.
Josh Bakker described his crash hampered race: "Two guys locked bars right in front of me, I went flying over the top. I tried to catch up but never quite made it back to the bunch."
The 3rd cat race was also pretty 'eventful' where we had James Peckham, Paul Ransom and Andy MacKay riding.
James: "There was some confusion in our race with laps, we had an extra lap, I think it was while commissaires were dealing with the aftermath of the crash in 4ths. On what should have been our bell lap there were questions in our group as to whether it was the last lap. However the pace picked up and there was a sprint on what turned out to be the bell lap. Riders all over the road, slowing and others speeding on etc. Luckily no one attacked and I got into a good position in the top 5, held that onto the hill, as the pace slowed near the chicane I opened up my sprint and held on down the finishing straight for 3rd place with Paul close behind in 9th."
Andy finished in the pack after an active race, riding strongly to chase down attacks and was unlucky not get in a break.
Ben Scott-Munden lined up for Sotonia in the E/1/2/3 race, where there was an early two man break of Ken Buckley (Eden Verenda) and Paul Double (VC Venta). With the race in pieces and seemingly noone willing to chase, Ben waited to the last lap to get away from the main bunch and take 14th.
So plenty of great top 10 results for the team for the Summer series opener. We're looking forward to next week!
Thanks to Steve Oliver of the pics.
Youth coaching update
The spring/summer of 2016 has seen a great start for our youth coaching for Sotonia. This weekend marked our third session back at Southampton University Avenue Campus and we've been seeing bigger groups every week. With 16 kids in attendance this week and a further two new recruits - over 30 kids on our records and an appearance by our very own chairman, the future for Sotonia Youth is looking bright.
This week's sessions consisted of the older group (8+) lead by Jez, learning the art of leading and following and riding together, taught on a circuit of corners where communication and steady pace were the order of the day. A great way to introduce them to group riding and riding close to someone’s wheel... the kids are loving it and we're struggling to get a word in edgeways by the end of a session with their noisy enthusiasm!
The younger ones (under the age of eight) coached by new trainee coach Mel, concentrated on balance and weight shifting, to help them maintain control whilst moving their body about their bike. This was achieved by negotiating narrow channels and then attempting to lower themselves enough to fit under a limbo bar which kept getting lower throughout the session.
We’ll be at Avenue campus car park next Saturday (9.30-11am), if you know of any kids who like riding their bike and would like to come and give our sessions a go, please let them know!
May Family Ride
Coming up too is our monthly Family Ride, departing the Standing Hat car park near Brockenhurst at approximately 10am on Bank Holiday Monday May 2nd. Again please do come along as it’s a great way to enjoy cycling with the family.