Wessex Cyclocross round 4, Eden Veranda
Eden Veranda promoted their first Wessex event at Sir John Moore Army Baracks north of Winchester last sunday. Plenty of squadies were on hand to help out with a P.A. sound system, music and live commentary adding to the entertainment it was a slickly run event again with ever increasing numbers of riders. The course itself however, was a seriously tough bumpy, bike-breaker - definitely more suited to mountain bikes! There was very little flat on the course that was set on the series of undulating grassy hills, interspersed with two wooded sections full of tight switchbacks that were effectively the only place you could recover on the course.
First up was the U10/U12s and another massive field of 74 young cross riders. We had George Connell showing impressive bike handling skills in the sand! Then came the v50 race, with John Phillips and Mike Maclachlan, finishing 45 and 70th respectively out of 93 riders.
In the vets 40s it was another battle between Phil Connell and Jez Hart. What looked like a team time trial, swapping the lead in their group each lap was actually a series of attacks to try and drop each other. Both still together on the last hill, Phil made it to the twisty wooded section first with just a short downhill and bend before the finish line. Unfortunately for Phil, he encountered a back marker as he rounded the last corner, forcing him wide and sliding out, leaving Jez to finish ahead in 23rd place and Phil in 25th of 77 riders.
A really good turnout of six Sotonians in the seniors - Tom Budden, Niels Langhout, David Baxter and Darren Sell also included three newbies - Phil Godfrey, Vytas Jakimavicius and Tobie Charlton.
Tom rode well again to 13th place despite suffering an allergic reaction to an insect bite, David was 34th, Niels 43rd, Phil 47th, Tobie 50th, Darren 54th and Vytas 57th out of 68 seniors. Great racing by all and more converts to cross which is always good to see! :)
The league takes a week’s break now for the National Trophy at Southampton Sports Centre next Sunday when the big boys come to town!
Calling all budding young cyclocrossers
Don't forget our youth cyclocross skills training sessions for 7 to 16 year olds continue at Southampton Sports Centre this Saturday morning at 9.30am - all welcome!
Downton two day classic - a strong showing for Sotonia
This weekend it was the end of season finale that is Glenn Longland's legendary Downton 2-Day Classic and Sotonia fielded seven riders - enough for two teams in the full event. Taking the line were Phil Wilks, Jonathan Hall, Ben Scott-Munden, James Peckham, Chris Moody, Richard Burch and Gawain Young.
Phil Wilks told us how the race unfolded:
Day 1 - hill climb prologue and road race
"Jonathan, James and myself did similar times in the hill climb but mine was quick enough to to land me in the scratch group - eek! Ben (our newly promoted 2nd Cat rider) did a more 'measured' time in the prologue and was put in the third group which also contained a couple of women. Jon, James and Chris were in the second group. The first 20 minutes of my race consisted of trying to hang on the back of about 10 guys doing the fastest through-and-off I've ever experienced at over 30mph. After that it calmed down a bit, and the organisation disappeared. I had been hoping to hang on for the first lap, thinking I'd get dropped on Bowers Hill but I managed to stay with them all the way despite a few other guys getting dropped. We were probably about 30 secs off catching the next group. I met the others at the finish and learned that Ben had sprinted to second, Jon third and James fifth place!
Road Race result
1 EDWARD HATFIELD (UK BIKING/COPYRITE)
2 BEN SCOTT-MUNDEN (SOTONIA CC)
3 JONATHAN HALL (SOTONIA CC)
4 CHARLIE LEECH (SOTON UNI)
5 JAMES PECKHAM (SOTONIA CC)
6 COLIN DIXON (PORTSDOWN HILL CC)
7 SAM WADSLEY (POOLE WH)
8 DARREN ORCHARD (MUD,SWEAT GEARS)
9 OLI EMMANS (ANTELOPE RT)
10 PETER CARTER (UNATT)
Day 2 time trial
For day two, The TT course was changed to a flat 21 mile out-and-back to Ringwood. James smashed the TT with a 47:48. I did 49:00, Jon was 49:06 and Gawain 49:10. Jon and I had a similar experience of falling to pieces after about 15 miles with day one's efforts clearly taking their toll. Chris did a very respectable 54:16 on his road bike. Ben punctured which I'm sure will only add to his affection for time trials. Even James' time wasn't enough for a top 10 in the overall competition, but the Sotonia 'A' team got 9th and a nice envelope of cash. A fantastic weekend's riding from everyone."
Thanks to Glenn Longland and everyone who raced, watched and marshaled. Special mentions go to Phil for his great prologue performance which had him racing with the big boys in the scratch group and Ben for his second place in the road race.
Thanks to Eamonn Deane for use of the photo.
Weekend race news round-up, 28th September
The road season is drawing to a close and we had several racers in search of a few points to secure promotion at Thruxton for Behind the Bikeshed’s the final 'points chaser' event on Sunday.
Promotion for Chris
We had two Sotonia riders representing the club in the final 'points chaser' 4th cat race - Tim Cooke and Chris Moody. A beautifully crisp and sunny day meant good racing conditions and a relaxed field of 40 or so riders took to the track. An unusual tailwind down the final back straight helped the race stay together, with Tim staying well out of trouble in the first ten spots of the field from the start. There were a couple of attacks with two laps to go, which saw the eventual winner make the gap. The field failed to close him down as they came into the back straight for the final time and the pace of the bunch increased. Chris and Tim moved up the field along the straight, and with 100m to go before the final chicane Chris made his move from second wheel to sprint for the line, eventually just losing second by a couple of metres as he crossed the line for a fantastic 3rd place and 3rd cat promotion. Tim fought hard for the 7th place he needed to join the 3rd cat, but just agonisingly slipped to 8th in the final sprint - bad luck Tim, I’m sure you will crack it next season!
The 3rd cat race was just over an hour with 12 laps of the circuit, representing Sotonia were James Peckham and David Baxter. There were the usual long range moves at the start of the race but no organised moves were allowed to go. James and David spent the first half of the race hidden from the wind in the sizeable bunch. The pace was fast up the hill, stringing the field out. Finally on the sixth lap a small group broke away on the hill, they got organised quickly and established a gap into the headwind section. The next time up the hill James bridged across with a couple of other riders. The break of about 10 riders set to establishing a gap. Unfortunately, some strong riders had missed the move and worked hard in bunch resulting in the break being pulled back after another lap and a half. This set up a cagey last couple of laps. James and David were present near the front keeping an eye for promising moves. In the final kick up the hill James followed an early attack and held on for a provisional 8th place.
Wessex Cyclocross League round 3: Tom closes in on top 10.
On the Wessex Cyclocross front, the action moved to Swindon and a unused golf course for Cotswold Veldrijden’s third round event. The course itself was a mostly flat, tightly packed series of multiple, technical turns with bankings and the odd wooded corner with loose soil to catch out the unwary. Sotonia again had riders in all categories, young Tom Wilks in the U10s, Gemma Wilks in the women’s race, Mike Maclachlan in the V50s, Jez Hart in the v40s and Tom Budden, Phil Wilks, Niels Langhout, and Darren Sell in the seniors. Gemma rode well to 13th place out of 23 women.
In the v40s Jez slipped back a few places after a fast start as some damp corners proved to have less grip than expected. finishing in 33rd place of 68 starters.
In the senior race, both Tom and Phil had good starts and were top 20 on lap one. Unluckily for Phil, he punctured and had to run half a lap to the pits which put him near the back. After a bike change, Phil chased hard, passing over half the field to finish 21st. Tom was in a group of six riders vying for a top ten place. A couple attacked off the front of Tom’s group with two laps to go but Tom led the rest as he came in a fine 11th place on this surprisingly tough circuit. Neils was 29th, Darren 37th.
We're closer to home next week when it’s Eden Veranda’s first ever event at Sir John Moore barracks, Winchester.
Full results can be found here
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Wessex Cyclocross league round 2, Newbury
Round two of the Wessex Cyclocross league organised by Newbury Road Club at Mary Hare school in Newbury has given us some of the toughest courses over the last 3 years. Last weekend it got even tougher as the route up the big hill behind the campus was extended into the woods above, meaning even more climbing. Jez Hart and Phil Connell in the v40s, spent the race swapping lead position in their group. Jez would get a gap up the hill and Phil would descend like a demon and catch up. Phil timed his attack to perfection on the last lap before the last ascent and got a small gap that he kept to the finish. Out of 85 starters, Phil was 26th, Jez just behind in 28th... It’s going to be a tightly fought season!
In the vets 50/Womens race John Phillips came 37th out of 77 starters. For the seniors, we had Neils Langhout, Darren Sell, David Baxter and newcomer, Matteo Ichino doing battle. Dave started strongly with Matteo, followed by Neils and Darren. Dave finished 29th, Matteo 31st, Neils 38th and darren 42nd from 55 starters.
No big hill for the under 12s but the field of riders was enormous with 73 youngsters - George and Ella Connell racing for Sotonia. George 55th and Ella 68th. So, another really well organised, fun Wessex Cyclocross event by Newbury Road Club.
Thanks to Alan Collins and John Philips for their photos.
Full results can be found here
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RTTC National Championship 12hour TT – Why did I sign up for this?
Club member Neils Langhout recently undertook the enormous task of riding the RTTC National Championship 12 Hour Time Trial. Here in his own words is Neils' account of this epic undertaking.
"Team mate, Rob Tomlinson and I were talking a while back about our goals for the year and what we were planning for next year. I wanted to mainly focus on my half distance triathlons and maybe even do a full distance. Rob was thinking about going for the 24hr TT as one of his main goals for 2016. To push Rob a bit, I told him to sign up for this year’s 24 hour and recon the course, work out strategies, understand how it is organized and get a general feel for what the event is like. To push him a bit more, I told him that I would enter the event as well if he would.
A leap into the unknown
A few days later we had both signed up, not knowing what we’d gotten ourselves into. Rob started ramping up the miles on his bike and turbo trainer. I continued cycling as I normally do. July 18th came a lot quicker than expected. It was Race Day. We both started the 24 hour time trial and we both failed to finish. Around midnight I had to stop the TT. I got stomach cramps after 10 hours and lost all will to continue when I saw that it had started to rain, which was going to continue throughout the night. Rob continued to ride until about 2:30 in the morning. The conditions were truly horrible. Apart from failing to finish I did enjoy the 24. The atmosphere was great and I love pushing myself to see what I am capable of. Lots of lessons learnt, mainly around:
- Pacing strategy
- Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. Energy gels are disgusting
- How to prep the bike for a 24hr TT
- One bike, or two bike strategy?
- Clothing. I expected a brilliant day and didn’t even think about the temperature drop at night
- Mental toughness: the longest I have ever been on a bike was 13 hours during the Marmotte.
- Don’t drive home straight after the event, but arrange for a place to stay.
After that failure, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to do anything like this again. Rob told me he had already signed up for the 12 hour TT. I wasn’t sure yet. About a week later Rob and I were talking again and I saw the big Sotonia CC 12hour TT trophy in his living room. Rob had won it last year. I thought to myself, why not have a go at that? And at the same time make it a bit more of a challenge for Rob. I signed up, booked a hotel and forgot all about it. Before I knew it, it was 22nd of August. A lot had happened in the meantime. Rob had arranged a whole support crew. Penny, John and Liz were going to support the two of us. Handing out bottles, energy gels, etc. All looked good. Unfortunately a couple of weeks prior to the race Rob crashed into a curb and busted his shoulder. He was out. I thought about pulling out as well, but since the hotel was booked and non-refundable and the race was paid for, there was no going back. I had to go ahead with it.
The big day
Before I knew it, it was the 22nd of August. I drove up to Farndon, just south of Chester. We all met at a camp site where Penny and John had their caravan. Penny had prepared a brilliant pre-race meal, and we were discussing race strategies. By we, I mean Rob, Penny and me. John and Liz weren’t really interested as long as I made it back safely. The pressure was on. One rider and a support crew of four. After a few beers (2), I headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep.
The next morning at 4:30 my alarm went. I shouldn’t have had those 2 beers. Put my cycling gear on and had some porridge. Off to the start. My start time wasn’t until 6:49, so I was there bright and early.
The start was at Lynn’s Café at the junction between the A41 and the A49. Apart from lots of cyclists and a union jack on the roundabout, this was just a normal Sunday morning. Penny and Rob arrived at app 6:15. I was ready: shoe covers on, gloves on, helmet on, food in pockets, bike prepped, and bloody nervous. Finally it was time to go to the start. It was 6:48 and the marshal started the countdown: 30 sec…. 10 sec…… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… And off I went.
“Don’t go too fast, don’t go too fast”, I kept telling myself. I always go away too fast. The plan was to do the first couple of hours at a slightly higher pace (wattage) and then settle down to a more sustainable pace. The first hour I averaged 37.7 kph (23.4 mph) at 261 Watts. It felt good. The weather was getting better and temperatures were slowly rising. This was also the first time I tried to receive a bottle whilst cycling. I have done it before, but that was in France using my right hand, so this was quite different. I saw Penny in the distance and remembered she told me to slow down and then grab the bottle. I disagreed and decided to grab the bottle at full speed. At over 40 kph I grabbed the bottle. My hand slammed into the bottle and ripped it out of penny’s hand. My grip wasn’t great, so it went flying. The cap came off and I was left with no drink. Luckily Rob was standing 20 meters ahead, so I hit the brakes and slowed down to a comfortable 20 mph and was able to get the bottle. Lesson learnt.
6:49 – 11:30: The first 100 mls I did in 4h34m. I was well ahead of schedule. Nutrition still felt OK. Have a gel on the hour, a bar every half past the hour and drink a bottle during the hour. Just focusing on these three thinks was enough to keep me occupied during the first couple of hours.
11:30- 13:30: I was starting to struggle. My legs didn’t feel OK anymore and I realized I had started out too fast. My average had dropped to 35 kph (21.8 mph). Just keep going. Temperature was rising and got up to app 24 degrees. Mentally these kilometers were the toughest. You are not even half way and already struggling.
[quote align="center" color="#999999"]I tried to stop and get off the bike for just a couple of minutes when I was getting new bottles from Penny and Rob. They would not allow me to stop. Before I even came to a complete stop, they urged me to continue. They were ruthless![/quote]
13:30 – 17:00: It had started to rain. Not just the odd shower, but continuous, torrential rain. I was still cycling on the A41 and the A49, with lots of lorries. I could hear them coming up from behind. All I could do was hold my breath and pedal on and hope the spray and wind wouldn’t blow be off my bike. It wasn’t really cold, as long as I kept pedaling. I kind of enjoyed it... for the first hour or so. After 16:00-ish it dried up and they started to direct the cyclists ti the Quina-Brook finishing circuit.
17:00-18:49: Finally on the finishing circuit. This sort of means that you have finished. Even if you stop now, you will get a result in the final ranking. Weirdly enough I considered this a milestone. Your mind does strange things after 10 hours of cycling. My legs were shattered and I was struggling to keep my power above 200 Watts. My average speed had dropped to 33.5 kph (20.8 mph). There was no energy left in me. All I could do was grind on keep going. One of the ladies (number 46 Crystal Spearman who finished 3rd woman) that had started just in front of me overtook me after I had overtaken her somewhere during the first 100 miles. I initially tried to hold her wheel, then decided it was probably better to keep her in sight and finally agreed to just let her go. Nothing I could do about it. There was nothing left in the tank. Mentally I was still OK, since I knew I had made it to the end. Physically there was no "umpf" left. I only had one pace and that was it. When it got really close to the 12 hour mark, Penny and Rob started to follow me on the finishing circuit in their car. I almost made it to the third timing point when the clock went through the 12:00:00. I had done it!
18:49 onwards: I got off the bike. How strange it felt not being clipped in. Straightening my back felt like bliss and was agonizing at the same time. The realization hit that I had actually finished the complete 12 hour time trial and had done 394km, which was 6k short of my original target. I had a great sense of achievement and disappointment at the same time. Lots of mixed feelings. The 400k mark was so close and yet so far away. I was getting quite cold within seconds of being off the bike so I was very grateful when Rob put a towel over my shoulders. I wasn’t talking much. My legs were a bit wobbly. I just wanted to sit down in the front seat of the car. After a couple of minutes I helped Penny to get my bike on the roof of the car and we set off back to race HQ. I had something to drink and was starting to feel better. It takes some time to actually think about what you have done during these 12 hours. Your world shrinks to just you, the bike and food. You don’t really think about what else is going on.
The support
Rob and Penny did a great job supporting me. Apart from just feeding me, they made sure I wouldn’t get off the bike (they only failed once after 100 miles for a couple of minutes). This sounds like a small thing, but of the 12 hours, I spent 11 hours and 55 minutes pedaling. I would not have been able to do this without them. They spent most of the day chasing after me, handing me bottles, gels and bars. They shouted at me when they past me in the car (mostly Rob) and urged me back on the bike before I had even stopped to get some drinks.
In the weeks that followed, I went back to my normal routine. A bit of swimming and trying to hold onto the back during the tri-ride on Saturdays. Swimming was OK, but cycling was a different story. My heart rate would go up significantly faster than normal. I had aches in places I never thought possible. For example the muscles between my ribs hurt for about two weeks whenever I was cycling. I had a tingling feeling ring finger and pinky on both hands for about half a week.
Would I ever do a 12hr or 24hr time trial again? Absolutely, but I would do a lot of things differently. I might actually train for it! With a bit of luck we can get a Sotonia CC Team together. Rob and possibly Dan Edwards are up for it. I know I am."
Niels
Strava link to activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/376478830
RTTC National 12 Hour Results: http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=103510
Wessex Cyclocross season gets into gear at Oxford
Early season races bear no resemblance to the proper mudfests of November onwards in cyclocross. So it was a fine, dry day at Oxford Spires Academy this weekend for the hotly anticipated first race of the season hosted by Oxonian CC who had laid out a slightly more technical course from last year which was truly challenging, including several steep climbs, wooded sections and flat playing fields.
Sotonia had entrants in every single category from juniors to vets which was really great to see. First up in the juniors (under 12s) was Tom Wilks aged just five and he looked to really enjoy his first taste of cross racing. Next was the combined women and vets 50+ race, in which we had Gemma Wilks and Mike Maclachlan (John Phillips travelled but with a calf injury, decided to sit the race out). The women starting a minute behind the men, Gemma finished a creditable 13th place in her category - beating some of the men too! Mike came in 57th out of 83 riders.
There were 81 vets in the ever growing 40-50 age category. After a year away from racing while recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon, Jez Hart lined up with Phil Connell, with Phil getting gridded on row three, Jez lined up four rows further back.
By the end of the first frenetic straight, there had been one blowout and another crash somewhere in front but Jez had moved up and after the third corner, Phil was only six riders ahead. After two more laps they were still together and Phil only fell back when he dropped his chain on the steep and bumpy technical bankings, most of which were just about rideable, given a clear run up. After that it was a case of maintaining the same pace - not easy when the speed is full gas! Jez finished 27th, Phil 31st.
In the seniors, Tom Budden, Phil Wilks and David Baxter rode strong races to finish 22nd, 24th and 32nd - good results considering Phil had done a hilly road race the day before and Tom’s training has been mostly geared towards his triathlons and spot on the GB squad for the upcoming race in America. We can see Phil and Tom being really closely matched this season too!
Thanks to Oxonian CC for putting on such an excellent event. Next Sunday, the venue for round two is Mary Hare School, Newbury, which always has a cracking course... can't wait!
Thanks to Graham Robins for his photos.
Full results can be found here
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Dan goes under four hours for the 100
Congratulatons to Dan Edwards on his storming ride in the prestigious BDCA 100 mile timetrial this weekend on the A100/4 course. Dan beat his previous PB by over 20 minutes with a time of 3.56.45, narrowly missing the club record by a couple of minutes.
Here's how it all panned out in Dan's own words:
"I entered this event just a couple of weeks after my last 100 back in May (once the trauma had worn off!) and have pretty much spent the whole time since preparing for it – this was going to be the main event of my season. That is assuming I actually got a ride – the BDCA 100 is a bit of a legendary event and attracts the fastest riders in the country, you have basically no chance of a ride unless you have already done a 100 and it needs to be a reasonable time too. I think the cut off time is usually around 4:25 so my 4:20 would mean I was one of the slower riders in the field. When I saw that doping control were there testing people I knew it was definitely a serious event!
My prep had basically consisted of plenty of turbo time to build some fitness, very little in the way of long rides, but I trusted that if I paced it right, then it wouldn't matter. I also spent time looking into nutrition and hydration, since this was a big issue at the hounslow event. I didn't drink enough because I didn't want to keep sitting up to get my bottle and I felt a bit ill from all the gels (despite only having 4 in total) – this led to me bonking at 50 miles and really losing power from then onwards. I decided that I would therefore make sure I took enough gels on the bike, and worked out a schedule for taking them – meaning I would consume about 40g of carbs in gel plus another 20 from drink – 60g/hour seeming to be a good target to aim for. I trialled a couple of different carb drinks and settled on a vanilla flavoured one which didn't leave my mouth feeling disgustingly furry.
To prevent issues with not drinking enough I got hold of a camelbak, which had a 2 litre bladder built into a baselayer, I wore this backwards so that the fluid was on my chest and modified the tube bit so it would be near my mouth when in the aero position. That meant I could drink whenever I wanted without sitting up and breaking my aero tuck. A 3 hour test ride confirmed that this would all work well. With everything in place and a target power in mind I was ready to go!
The A100/4 is based on the A50 near Derby starting and finishing outside the Village of Etwall. There are two 50 mile laps to complete, all of which are on the A50 aside from a small dog leg of around 6 miles towards the Village of Rocester, turning in front of the JCB headquarters; and another small excursion near the turn/finish. The road surface is fantastic throughout, with many miles of concrete, which is very fast but also exceptionally loud with passing traffic, which becomes very tiring after 4 hours. There is not much in the way of climbing, aside from what is known as the 'concrete mountain' infact it is more of a drag really but it does go on for miles and really saps your energy. It is a very fast course and I was certain I would PB – I had a target of beating 4:20 and a stretch target of going faster than 4:10. Weather on the day was warm and dry with a bit of wind gusting around, but nothing to dreadful.
Riding a 100 mile TT is a strange experience, you start out at what feels like a very easy power/pace but over the hours it becomes increasingly painful and hard to maintain – unlike shorter events the pain slowly creeps up on you, gradually building to a peak in the final hour or so. I joined the A50 slightly over my target power but feeling good and ready. As time passed the first little niggles started, a numb finger on one hand, a pressure on the sit bones, a slight ache in the neck... There isn't much to see when you are flying along the dual carriageway and this simply adds to the suffering as the time passes. There is nothing to distract you from the sensations that you are experiencing and it takes a great deal of focus to keep going. The numbness, the pain , the aching gradually start to build then more niggles pop up; aching shoulders, numb toes. At this point I was around 40 miles in and I knew I still had more than 2 hours on the road yet. I stood up at the odd roundabout to relive the strain and shuffled about a bit as I rode. Initially the pain in the sit bones could be relieved by a slight shuffle on the saddle but soon nothing was comfortable. It was just a case of ignoring it – easier said than done.
I have been told that there is point during a 100 miler when you want to stop, at the Hounslow this was at 50 miles almost exactly, when I became nauseous and almost pulled over, I took a gel and managed to continue but at a much lower power/heart rate. During the BDCA it happened somewhere around 60 miles, the same nauseous feeling except this time I was ready for it and downed a caffeine gel and a big gulp of my drink – I also had word with myself and seemed to pull through it after a couple of miles – this time I was still holding my power and my heart rate remained steady so I knew I had cracked it. The other issue I had at the Hounslow event was terrible hot foot at about 90 miles, which made the last 10 miles excruciating (it basically feels like all of your toes are broken) I had fitted some new insoles with more arch support and made sure to leave the straps almost undone at the start as I couldn't believe how much my feet had swelled at the Hounslow event. There were a few miles where I had the same sort of pain, but luckily only one foot this time, and it seemed to pass after 10-15 miles.
When I hit 75 miles, I realised that I could go under 4 hours, if I could do the last 25 miles in around 58 mins – I tried not to let that ruin my pacing plan though and just kept steady, however with 13 miles to go I realised that I really could go under 4 hours and just decided to throw caution to the wind, forget the pacing and gun it! Those 13 miles were absolute hell, with everything hurting and finally in the last mile or so my calves started to cramp up, I managed to ignore it though and finished in 3:56:45 – over 20 mins off my previous PB, but more importantly a well paced ride that unfolded exactly as I hoped it would. I barely made it back to HQ and spent a while laying in the grass by my car when I eventually made it back. Today I am aching everywhere, but now gagging for the next 100 miler – I really enjoy the longer events and next season will definitely be doing more. If anyone fancies doing one and wants some more info, just let me know and I can give you my thoughts!
P.S my time left me middle of the table – the winner did a 3:21 which I think is the 2nd fastest 100 ever!"
Ben reaches the top step at VC Venta Crits
We had another fine result at Winchester Park & Ride Criterium circuit this Sunday for the final round of the VC Venta Crit series. Sotonia rider, Ben Scott-Munden lets his legs do the talking and has been racking up top five finishes all season. On Sunday he finally got his first win in the 3rd cat race. A large field of over 30 contained two Sotonia riders - Ben and Phil Wilks. Both rode a smart race, were well positioned and never far from the front of the bunch. Ben left it to the last corner to unleash his sprint, winning by several bike lengths. Phil rode very strongly in support, chasing down some dangerous moves and would probably have been on the podium too, were it not for a crash on the last corner that held him up. Ben is now just four points off 2nd Cat promotion - we wait with excitement to see if he can do it!
In the 4th cat race, David Baxter represented the club, making a break of four riders at the mid point that would stay away to the end. The leading group of Mike Hopkins (Cycleworks), Ant Gritton (DHC) and Felix Wilkinson (Veloton) built up a lead of 13 seconds over four chasers until with three laps to go, Ant attacked and managed to hold off the break to the finish with David in second place and gaining promotion to 3rd cat too - great riding David!
Sotonia Criterium success at Winchester
A top day's racing in the sun at the Winchester Park & Ride circuit on Sunday for the Sotonia Criterium races. With big crowds watching the action it was an even more successful event than last year with 155 riders across the categories from six year olds to seniors. Sotonia fielded six juniors aged 8 to 16 - fresh from our youth coaching programme in their first races - a proud moment for our coaches Phil and Jez.
The racing started brilliantly with George Connell winning his first ever race in the U8 boys. In the U14/U16 combined race, we had Kit Freeman-Horsfall in the U14s, Sam Kushner and Red Walters in the U16s. All three riding well and gaining valuable first time experience, with Sam finishing a very respectable 9th place in his category.
It just got better from there with the 4th cat race. A big field of 31 riders lined up, featuring six Sotonia riders - Ed Slot, Tom Budden, Chris Moody, David Baxter, Ben Hames and Richard Woods. After a cagey start, the relentless nature of the course began to stretch the elastic and by halfway point, the front group was down to 10 riders - Ed, Tom and Chris near the front and David just off the back, keeping the bunch in sight. It was on the bell that Ed made his move, riding strongly away from the leaders to take the win (that's two races and two wins for Ed and a swift promotion). Tom and Chris had a great sprint battle for 3rd place, Tom taking it by half a wheel, with Chris now also on the brink of promotion.
In the 3rd cats, we had Phil Wilks, Ben Scott-Munden, James Peckham and Dan Edwards. The pace was hot from the start in this race and the relentless sprints took their toll on Dan's TT training and then James who dropped back from the lead group of 15 at the three quarter mark of the race. In the final sprint, Ben, who has been quietly producing top five finishes all season, powered through to 4th place with Phil taking 10th and his first 3rd cat point. Great riding everyone!
A big thank you to so many people who helped out throughout the day especially Penny Cossburn, Julian Gee, Greg Vint, Jim Martin, Gawain Young, Ian Stewart, Dave Crocker, Martin Napier, John Phillips, Phil Connell, Paul Mills and everyone else supplying much appreciated support.
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Graham Robins' full race report can be found here
Official photos by Graham Robins
Sotonia win again at Winchester P&R Crits
Sunday saw the third of VC Venta's series of four criterium race events this year and considering the fairly apocalyptic conditions, there was a good turnout. Sotonia had four brave riders take to the startline. In the 4th cat race we had Mark Edwards, Paul Ransom and Jonathan Hall. Paul and Jon both hoping to gain promotion to 3rd cat and only needing a couple of points to do so.
The rain actually stopped for their race leaving a wet course that required a bit more care on the corners. A front group of 11 quickly formed with all three Sotonia riders in it - Paul and Jon never far from the front. Mark also had a dig with around 7 laps to go to soften up the group and try to shed one or two but with things all together, Jon made his move before the bell lap and just like the Winchester City crit, he held the lead to the line, winning by some margin. Paul finished 7th and Mark 11th - just out of the points but a fine performance in his first outing on this circuit. So, mission accomplished for Jon and Paul with a pair of 3rd cat promotions.
The 3rd cat race saw driving rain return with a vengence but that didn't stop James Peckham and a strong ride in the lead group of eight that reduced to seven after a couple of digs by James to test the competition's legs. A lone Wightlink rider broke free after the mid point of the race and held a gap that the bunch couldn't eat into. The final lap came down to a sprint for second with James Cooper of Rock n Road taking it, with James finishing a fine 6th place.
So, another brilliant result at the Park & Ride for Sotonia. Thanks to VC Venta for a really well run event despite the weather!
Next up is our own Criterium event at the Park & Ride on August 9th. Places still available in all categories from under 8s to seniors: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/122892/Sotonia-Cri...
Hope to see a few of you there!
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